Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
Parallel translations
- WEB Set a wicked man over him. Let an adversary stand at his right hand.
- KJV Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
- ESV Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
- NKJV Set a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand.
- NASB ¶Appoint a wicked person over him, And may an accuser stand at his right hand.
- NLT They say, “Get an evil person to turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to trial.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David asks God to set a wicked accuser against his enemy, so that the persecutor may face judgment. It begins the psalm's intense imprecation against a treacherous foe.
Overview
Psalm 109 is an imprecatory psalm in which David, betrayed by those he loved (vv. 4-5), calls on God to judge his enemy justly. The 'adversary' at the right hand pictures a prosecutor in court, asking that the slanderer be himself accused. Such prayers leave vengeance to God rather than taking it personally (Romans 12:19), and Acts 1:20 applies v. 8 to Judas, the betrayer of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Zech 3:1Then the angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
- Matt 5:25Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
- Matt 27:4“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”
- John 13:2The evening meal was underway, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.
- John 13:27And when Judas had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 109:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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