Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
Psalm 109 stands among the imprecatory or so-called cursing psalms, distinguished by fierce denunciations and prayers for destruction. Its sixth verse calls for a wicked man to be set in authority over the guilty person and for Satan to take his stand at that person's right hand. The psalm is predictive in character, foretelling God's retributive wrath and portraying tribulation and judgment to come upon evildoers and upon the enemies of God's church.
The curse is not David's personal wish for revenge against his enemies nor an urging of cruelty, but God's own pronouncement declaring His retributive justice. It expresses just punishment upon people whose lives were evil and who had sought to bring such punishments upon others. It is a plea for divine justice that those who plot wickedness against the innocent should have the fruit of their wrongdoing return upon their own heads.
The mention of Satan shows he was known in David's time as a personal evil being, proving that belief in Satan existed before Israel's residence in Babylon. The verse is a prophecy about Judas, with Satan placed at his right side. Hands in the verse are emblems of human actions, the hand in general is a symbol of power and strength, and the right hand in particular is a continual emblem of favor, protection, and power.
Psalm 109 stands among the imprecatory or so-called cursing psalms, distinguished by fierce denunciations and prayers for destruction. Its sixth verse calls for a wicked man to be set in authority over the guilty person and for Satan to take his stand at that person's right hand. The psalm is predictive in character, foretelling God's retributive wrath and portraying tribulation and judgment to come upon evildoers and upon the enemies of God's church.
The curse is not David's personal wish for revenge against his enemies nor an urging of cruelty, but God's own pronouncement declaring His retributive justice. It expresses just punishment upon people whose lives were evil and who had sought to bring such punishments upon others. It is a plea for divine justice that those who plot wickedness against the innocent should have the fruit of their wrongdoing return upon their own heads.
The mention of Satan shows he was known in David's time as a personal evil being, proving that belief in Satan existed before Israel's residence in Babylon. The verse is a prophecy about Judas, with Satan placed at his right side. Hands in the verse are emblems of human actions, the hand in general is a symbol of power and strength, and the right hand in particular is a continual emblem of favor, protection, and power.