Commentary - Psalm 35:1-10

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 35 is one of those psalms that makes modern Christians nervous, and it does so for all the wrong reasons. This is what we call an imprecatory psalm, which is a formal way of saying it is a psalm where David calls down curses and divine judgment on his enemies. Our temptation is to rush past this, perhaps with a mumbled apology about Old Testament saints not having the full light of the New Testament. But this is the Word of God, inspired and profitable, and it teaches us how to pray when we are beset by wicked men who hate us for the sake of righteousness. David is not engaging in a personal vendetta here. He is not asking God to settle a petty squabble. Rather, he is appealing to the righteous Judge of all the earth to act on His own behalf, to vindicate His own name by defending His anointed servant. This is a prayer for justice, a plea for God to be God. The central theme is a profound confidence in God's covenant faithfulness. David knows that the battle is ultimately the Lord's, and so he hands his weapons, his cause, and his very life over to God, trusting Him to be his salvation.

The psalm moves from a direct appeal for divine intervention (vv. 1-3), to a specific calling down of judgment on the enemy (vv. 4-8), and concludes with a joyful resolution to praise God for His deliverance (vv. 9-10). This is not the prayer of a man seeking personal revenge, but of a man who understands that his personal plight is wrapped up in the larger conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. He wants to see God's enemies scattered, not simply so he can be safe, but so that God's justice might be publicly displayed and His name magnified.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 35 is a lament of David, placing it squarely in the context of his life, likely during his persecution by Saul or perhaps during Absalom's rebellion. These were times when David was hunted, betrayed, and slandered by those who should have been his allies. This psalm is a raw and honest cry from a man in deep distress, yet it is a distress that is always directed God-ward. It is part of a category of psalms, the imprecatory psalms (like Psalms 5, 10, 17, 58, 69, 83, 109, 137, 139), that are crucial for a robust understanding of biblical justice. These are not outliers; they are a significant feature of the psalter. They teach the people of God that it is not only permissible but righteous to hate what God hates and to pray for the overthrow of wickedness. They are prayers that take God's law and God's promises with the utmost seriousness. They recognize that true peace is not possible until evil is judged. This psalm, therefore, provides a script for the believer who finds himself under unjust attack, teaching him to appeal to the court of heaven rather than taking matters into his own hands.

Key Issues

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 1 Contend, O Yahweh, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me.

David begins by calling God to take up his case. The word for "contend" is a legal term. David is in a cosmic courtroom, and he is being falsely accused. His opponents are bringing a lawsuit against him, and he calls on Yahweh to be his divine advocate, his champion. But this is not just a legal battle; it is a physical one. So he immediately transitions from legal language to military language. "Fight against those who fight against me." David understands that God's justice is not an abstract concept; it is executed in real time, in the real world. He is asking God to enter the fray on his behalf. This is a foundational prayer for any believer under attack. It is a recognition that our battles are not ultimately our own. We are to hand the conflict over to the Lord, who is a man of war (Ex. 15:3).

v. 2 Take hold of shield and large shield And rise up for my help.

The imagery here is vivid and powerful. David pictures Yahweh as a great warrior, arming Himself for battle. The "shield and large shield" (or buckler) were defensive weapons, meant to absorb the blows of the enemy. David is asking God to be his defense, to stand between him and the attacks of his foes. When God rises up, His enemies are scattered. David is not asking for a passive defense, but an active one. "Rise up for my help." This is a cry for God to move, to act, to demonstrate His power. It is a prayer of dependent faith. David knows he cannot defend himself; he needs the Divine Warrior to fight for him.

v. 3 Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

Now God moves from defense to offense. The spear and battle-axe are weapons of close combat, used to stop an advancing enemy in his tracks. The original Hebrew is a bit debated here, but the sense is "shut the way" against my pursuers. Block their path. Stop them cold. But in the midst of this violent, external conflict, David knows his greatest need is internal. He needs a word of assurance from God. "Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.'" All the armor and weapons in the world mean nothing if the heart is filled with fear. David needs to hear the voice of his God, confirming His covenant promise. Notice, God does not just bring salvation; He is salvation. Our deliverance is not a thing, but a Person. This is a deep gospel truth. Our ultimate confidence is not in a favorable outcome, but in a faithful God.

v. 4 Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those who devise evil against me be turned back and humiliated.

Here the imprecation begins in earnest. David prays for the complete and public defeat of his enemies. Shame and dishonor were deeply significant in the ancient world. He is praying that their plans would fail so spectacularly that they would be publicly disgraced. He wants them "turned back and humiliated." This is not a petty wish for them to feel bad. It is a prayer for their evil machinations to be thwarted and for righteousness to be vindicated. When wicked men plot against God's people, they are ultimately plotting against God, and it is a righteous thing to pray for their plots to come to nothing.

v. 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of Yahweh driving them on.

The image of chaff is common in Scripture (Ps. 1:4). It is worthless, weightless, and easily driven away. David prays that his enemies, for all their bluster and apparent strength, would be revealed as utterly insignificant before the power of God. But he adds a terrifying element: it is the angel of Yahweh who is driving them. This is no ordinary wind. The angel of the Lord is often a manifestation of God Himself, a divine agent of judgment (2 Kings 19:35). This is a prayer for a supernatural, decisive, and terrifying rout of the wicked.

v. 6 Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of Yahweh pursuing them.

The picture gets even more grim. Not only are they driven like chaff, but their escape route is "dark and slippery." They cannot see where they are going, and they have no firm footing. It is a path of confusion and certain disaster. And to complete the terror, the angel of Yahweh is not just driving them, but actively "pursuing them." There is no escape. This is a prayer for total and inescapable judgment. This is what divine justice looks like when it is finally unleashed. It is not something to be trifled with.

v. 7 For without cause they hid their net for me; Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.

Here David provides the legal grounds for his imprecations. His suffering is unjust. "Without cause" he says, twice for emphasis. His enemies have acted with gratuitous malice. They set a hunter's trap for him, a net and a pit, seeking to destroy his very life ("my soul"). This is not a fair fight. It is a treacherous ambush. Because their aggression is baseless, David's appeal for justice is righteous. He is not the aggressor; he is the victim of a wicked conspiracy, and he is laying the facts of the case before the righteous Judge.

v. 8 Let destruction, which he does not know, come upon him, And let the net, which he hid, catch him; Let him fall into it in destruction.

This is a prayer for poetic justice, what the theologians call lex talionis, the law of retribution. David prays that the very trap his enemy set for him would be the instrument of his own downfall. The destruction should be sudden and unexpected ("which he does not know"). The enemy, so confident in his clever scheme, should be ensnared by his own device. This is a consistent pattern in Scripture. Haman is hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai. Daniel's accusers are thrown into the lion's den. God's justice is often beautifully, terrifyingly appropriate.

v. 9 And my soul shall rejoice in Yahweh; It shall be joyful in His salvation.

After the storm of imprecation, the sun breaks through. The result of God's judgment is not grim satisfaction in the suffering of others, but joyful praise directed toward God. Notice, his soul rejoices in Yahweh. The focus is God Himself. The joy is found in His salvation. The deliverance is simply the occasion for the joy; God is the object of it. This is the proper end of all justice. It is not about settling scores. It is about the restoration of right order, so that God is glorified and His people can rejoice in Him without hindrance.

v. 10 All my bones will say, “Yahweh, who is like You, Who delivers the afflicted from him who is too strong for him, And the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?”

The praise is not just a spiritual or emotional affair. It is visceral. "All my bones will say." This is a deep, physical, full-bodied worship. The deliverance is so real it resonates in his very skeleton. The content of the praise is a declaration of God's uniqueness. "Who is like You?" This is the constant refrain of the redeemed. God is incomparable because He is the great deliverer of the helpless. He champions the cause of the afflicted and the needy against their powerful oppressors. This is the character of our God. He is the God who sides with the unjustly oppressed and brings down the proud. And when we experience that deliverance, our only right response is to declare His greatness with every fiber of our being.

Application

So how does a 21st-century Christian, who is told to love his enemies and turn the other cheek, pray a psalm like this? First, we must recognize that the desire for justice is not a sin. It is a righteous desire, planted in us by a just God. We should want to see wickedness judged and righteousness prevail. Second, we must follow David's example and hand the case over to God. Imprecatory prayer is the very opposite of taking personal revenge. It is a declaration of our dependence on God to execute justice in His way and in His time. We are leaving room for the wrath of God (Rom. 12:19).

Third, we must pray these prayers with the full knowledge of the cross. We know that the ultimate enemy is not flesh and blood, but principalities and powers (Eph. 6:12). And we know that the ultimate judgment for sin fell upon Jesus Christ. This should temper our prayers, not eliminate them. We can pray for God to thwart the plans of the wicked, to bring their councils to nothing, and to protect His church. We can even pray that God would bring them to ruin, while at the same time praying, as Christ did, "Father, forgive them," knowing that the only way for an enemy to escape ultimate destruction is to be captured by grace. The greatest way for God to answer our prayer for our enemy's destruction is to destroy the enemy by making him a friend, killing the old man and raising him to new life in Christ.

This psalm gives us permission to be honest with God about the pain and injustice we face. It gives us a script for crying out for deliverance. And most importantly, it points us to the God who is our salvation, the Divine Warrior who fights for us, and the only one worthy of our whole-bodied praise.