A thoughtful guide for your walk of faith Read with context, practice with grace.
Wisdom & Poetry · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Psalm 109

Psalm 109 is read especially through the theme of praise, within Book V (Psalms 107–150). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application.

PraiseJusticeWisdom
Old Testament

Psalm 109

1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. God of my praise, don’t remain silent,

2for they have opened the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit against me. They have spoken to me with a lying tongue.

3They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause.

4In return for my love, they are my adversaries; but I am in prayer.

5They have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

6Set a wicked man over him. Let an adversary stand at his right hand.

7When he is judged, let him come out guilty. Let his prayer be turned into sin.

8Let his days be few. Let another take his office.

9Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

10Let his children be wandering beggars. Let them be sought from their ruins.

11Let the creditor seize all that he has. Let strangers plunder the fruit of his labor.

12Let there be no one to extend kindness to him, neither let there be anyone to have pity on his fatherless children.

13Let his posterity be cut off. In the generation following let their name be blotted out.

14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the LORD. Don’t let the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off their memory from the earth;

16because he didn’t remember to show kindness, but persecuted the poor and needy man, the broken in heart, to kill them.

17Yes, he loved cursing, and it came to him. He didn’t delight in blessing, and it was far from him.

18He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment. It came into his inward parts like water, like oil into his bones.

19Let it be to him as the clothing with which he covers himself, for the belt that is always around him.

20This is the reward of my adversaries from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my soul.

21But deal with me, GOD the Lord, for your name’s sake, because your loving kindness is good, deliver me;

22for I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded within me.

23I fade away like an evening shadow. I am shaken off like a locust.

24My knees are weak through fasting. My body is thin and lacks fat.

25I have also become a reproach to them. When they see me, they shake their head.

26Help me, LORD, my God. Save me according to your loving kindness;

27that they may know that this is your hand; that you, LORD, have done it.

28They may curse, but you bless. When they arise, they will be shamed, but your servant shall rejoice.

29Let my adversaries be clothed with dishonor. Let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

30I will give great thanks to the LORD with my mouth. Yes, I will praise him among the multitude.

31For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.

READ IN CONTEXT

Understanding Psalm 109

Psalm 109 is read especially through the theme of praise, within Book V (Psalms 107–150). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application. Read it within the complete five-book Psalms collection, then compare its prayer language with the types of prayer found across Scripture. Classification is a reading aid rather than a replacement for the Psalm's own movement and tension.

Collection

Book V (Psalms 107–150). The five-book shape of the Psalter helps readers hear individual prayers within a deliberately arranged collection.

Themes detected

Praise, Justice, Wisdom. Read for these themes while remaining open to tension and secondary movements.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Psalm 109

Psalm 109 contains 31 verses and about 502 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. God of my praise, don’t remain silent,” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 31 closes: “For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include kindness, like, will, mouth, adversaries, hand. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Psalm 109

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Psalms 109:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

What kind of Psalm is this?+

Our reading profile emphasizes praise, with related themes of Praise, Justice, Wisdom. Many Psalms blend genres or move between moods, so this label is a guide rather than a rigid classification.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer