Psalm 109 9

Psalm 109:9 kjv

Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

Psalm 109:9 nkjv

Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow.

Psalm 109:9 niv

May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.

Psalm 109:9 esv

May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow!

Psalm 109:9 nlt

May his children become fatherless,
and his wife a widow.

Psalm 109 verses

Psalm 109 9 Meaning

Psalm 109:9 expresses a severe imprecation, or curse, directed towards an unnamed enemy or group of adversaries. It prays for divine judgment that would result in the utter desolation of the enemy's household. Specifically, it calls for their children to become orphans and their wife to become a widow, representing a complete rupture of family lineage and societal standing, leading to extreme vulnerability and ruin.

Psalm 109 9 Context

Psalm 109 is a prayer of lament and imprecation by David, deeply distressed by severe betrayal and false accusation. The psalmist expresses profound personal suffering inflicted by treacherous and ungrateful adversaries. The specific curses in verses 6-19 are directed at one chief enemy ("him," though perhaps representing all the accusers), culminating in the pleas for the destruction of his family and lineage. This prayer emerges from a plea for God's intervention and vindication against slander, malicious lies, and evil repaid for good. It reflects a covenant worldview where God's justice metes out judgment upon the wicked. The severity of the curses underscores the intensity of the psalmist's suffering and his desperate appeal for divine righteousness in a time when legal and social remedies for such treachery might have been inadequate or corrupted. In ancient Israelite society, family continuity and the welfare of a wife and children were paramount, making the destruction of one's lineage a particularly devastating curse.

Psalm 109 9 Word analysis

• May his children:
  • Hebrew: bānîm (בָּנִים), meaning sons or offspring. The term encompasses male and female progeny, emphasizing the continuation of one's lineage.
  • Significance: In ancient societies, family line and progeny were central to identity, inheritance, and social standing. The extinction or severe degradation of a family line was considered a catastrophic curse.
• be fatherless:
  • Hebrew: yətōmîm (יְתוֹמִים), specifically "orphans." While sometimes implying absence of both parents, primarily refers to those whose father has died, leaving them vulnerable and without primary support.
  • Significance: Orphans, along with widows, were among the most vulnerable and unprotected groups in ancient Israelite society, frequently mentioned in legal and prophetic texts as requiring special divine and community protection. For children to be yetomim indicated extreme hardship and dependency.
• and his wife:
  • Hebrew: ’išštō (אִשְׁתּוֹ), meaning "his woman" or "his wife."
  • Significance: Denotes the immediate marital bond. The prayer specifies his current wife, linking the judgment directly to his present family unit.
• a widow:
  • Hebrew: ’almānâ (אַלְמָנָה), referring to a woman whose husband has died.
  • Significance: Like an orphan, a widow was economically and socially vulnerable without the male head of the household to provide for and protect her. Biblical law mandated specific provisions and protections for widows due to their precarious status.
• Words-group Analysis:
  • "May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow": This phrase represents a comprehensive social and familial dismantling. It is a direct invocation for the collapse of the enemy's foundational unit: his immediate household and future lineage. This reflects a desire for a reciprocal judgment; if the enemy has caused familial or social ruin to the psalmist (or innocent parties), then similar devastation is sought upon them. The curses in Psalm 109 target the enemy’s prosperity, social standing, and legacy, seeing the fatherless children and widow as the ultimate symbols of utter ruin and destitution within the Israelite worldview.

Psalm 109 9 Bonus section

The imprecatory psalms, like Psalm 109, function on several theological levels. They can be seen as:

• Emotional outlets: Raw expressions of grief, anger, and betrayal poured out before a just God.
• Appeals to divine justice: Trusting that God, as the righteous judge, will indeed set things right when human justice fails. The psalmist is not taking matters into his own hands but is ceding judgment to God.
• Prophetic declarations: Not merely curses of revenge, but declarations of the inevitable judgment that falls upon the wicked who persist in their sin and rebellion against God and His people.
• Reflecting Old Covenant principles: Within the framework of the Old Covenant, where earthly prosperity and blessing, or suffering and cursing, were often direct consequences of obedience or disobedience (Deut 28), these imprecations articulate the outworking of covenant curses. The severity of the curse is proportionate to the severe nature of the treachery and malicious evil inflicted.

Psalm 109 9 Commentary

Psalm 109:9 is part of an imprecatory prayer, an intensely fervent plea for divine judgment. The psalmist, suffering under severe slanders and malice, petitions God to act righteously against his adversaries. This specific verse reveals the depth of desired retribution, focusing on the enemy's household. To wish for one's children to be fatherless and wife to be a widow was to wish for their social and economic annihilation in ancient times, ensuring that their lineage would be broken and their dependents left in a state of extreme vulnerability.

These strong imprecations are expressions of the psalmist's righteous indignation and desperate appeal for divine justice in a world that often lacked human means of redress. They are not to be understood as expressions of personal vengeance for individual believers in the same way, especially under the New Covenant teaching of love for enemies (Matt 5:44, Rom 12:14). Instead, they represent a desire for God's righteousness to prevail, demonstrating the severe consequences of defying divine order and persecuting the righteous. The psalmist entrusts the judgment to God, believing He alone is capable of meting out true justice that reflects the gravity of the wickedness committed. It also served as a warning to those who would commit such evils.