The righteous will rejoice when they see they are avenged; they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
Parallel translations
- WEB The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked;
- KJV The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
- NKJV The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
- NASB ¶The righteous will rejoice when he sees vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
- NLT The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged. They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
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
The righteous will rejoice when God's justice is finally seen, vindicated rather than vengeful. It affirms that God's judgment is a cause for worship, not personal triumph.
Overview
The striking image of washing feet in the blood of the wicked depicts complete victory over evil through God's judgment, not the believer's own revenge. The rejoicing is over God's vindicated righteousness and the defeat of oppression. Christians read such language in light of the cross and final judgment, where God's justice and mercy fully meet.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 68:23that your foot may be dipped in the blood of your foes—the tongues of your dogs in the same.”
- Ps 91:8You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked.
- Rev 11:17–18saying: “We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.
- Prov 11:10When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
- Ps 64:10Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart exult.
- Deut 32:43Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him. Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take vengeance on His adversaries and repay those who hate Him; He will cleanse His land and His people.
- Ps 107:42The upright see and rejoice, and all iniquity shuts its mouth.
- Ps 68:1–3For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song. God arises. His enemies are scattered, and those who hate Him flee His presence.
- Rev 18:20Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for you His judgment against her.
- Job 29:6when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
- Ps 52:6The righteous will see and fear; they will mock the evildoer, saying,
- Judg 5:31So may all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But may those who love You shine like the sun at its brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years.
- Job 22:19The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent mock them:
- Rev 14:20And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
- Rev 19:1–6After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!
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 58:10 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.