←Psalm 35→BSB

In This Chapter 33 terms 1 resource

Key Terms

Righteousness (Standard) 7 To Acknowledge 6 Salvation 5 Peace 2 Save (Help) Salvation (State) Save (Restore) Salvation (Physical) Salvation (Deliverance) Salvation (Rescuer) Save (Rescue) Salvation (Means) Saving (Means) Praise Deceit (Act) Deceit (Deception) Deceive Deceit (Betrayal) Laziness Deceit (Covert) Be (Or Show Oneself) Just Acquit Justice (Right) Righteousness (Act) Just Put Right With Make Righteous Deserved Justify (Vindicate) Justify Justly Justice Righteousness (Quality)

Resources

Imprecatory Psalms Articles

Contend with My Opponents, O LORD

Of David.

ⓘ In this lament, the Lord’s troubled servant calls...

In this lament, the Lord’s troubled servant calls for God to see his circumstances and vindicate him.
1Contend with my opponents, O LORD;fight against those who fight against me.2Take up Your shield and buckler;arise and come to my aid.3Draw the spear and javelin† against my pursuers;say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”
ⓘ The psalmist longs for the Lord’s salvation. The...

The psalmist longs for the Lord’s salvation. The language seems vindictive, but it arises from a desire for justice and for the Lord to care for the needy and oppressed.
4May those who seek my lifebe disgraced and put to shame;may those who plan to harm mebe driven back and confounded.5May they be like chaff in the wind,as the angel of the LORD drives them away.6May their path be dark and slick,as the angel of the LORD pursues.7For without cause they laid their net for me;without reason they dug a pit for my soul.8May ruin befall them by surprise;may the net they hid ensnare them;may they fall into the hazard they created.
9Then my soul will rejoice in the LORDand exult in His salvation.10All my bones will exclaim,“Who is like You, O LORD,who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor,the poor and needy from the robber?”
ⓘ The psalmist presents the Lord with the reasons...

The psalmist presents the Lord with the reasons for his suffering. Evil has many faces. He is tired and worn out, and he knows that only the Lord can help him.
11Hostile witnesses come forward;they make charges I know nothing about.12They repay me evil for good,to the bereavement of my soul.13Yet when they were ill,I put on sackcloth;I humbled myself with fasting,but my prayers returned unanswered.†14I paced aboutas for my friend or brother;I was bowed down with grief,like one mourning for his mother.15But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee;they gathered together against me.Assailants I did not knowslandered me without ceasing.16Like godless jesters at a feast,†they gnashed their teeth at me.
17How long, O Lord, will You look on?Rescue my soul from their ravages,my precious life from these lions.18Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly;I will praise You among many people.
ⓘ In this prayer for vindication, the psalmist’s crisis...

In this prayer for vindication, the psalmist’s crisis looms so large that a resolution must be found in the Lord. The psalmist has taken the high road, believing that vengeance belongs to the Lord. God’s patience hardens the hearts of the wicked and gives them reasons to justify their evil lifestyle.
19Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause,nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.†20For they do not speak peace,but they devise deceitful schemesagainst those who live quietly in the land.21They gape at me and say,“Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!”
22O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent.O Lord, be not far from me.23Awake and rise to my defense,to my cause, my God and my Lord!24Vindicate me by Your righteousness, O LORD my God,and do not let them gloat over me.25Let them not say in their hearts,“Aha, just what we wanted!”Let them not say,“We have swallowed him up!”
ⓘ The psalmist calls on the Lord to judge...

The psalmist calls on the Lord to judge the wicked and to rescue the godly and bring them joy.
26May those who gloat in my distressbe ashamed and confounded;may those who exalt themselves over mebe clothed in shame and reproach.27May those who favor my vindicationshout for joy and gladness;may they always say, “Exalted be the LORDwho delights in His servant’s well-being.”
28Then my tongue will proclaim Your righteousnessand Your praises all day long.