Did you know the Bible contains prayers in the Psalms that ask God to break people’s teeth, destroy enemies, and even harm their children?
“Pray the Psalms” is counsel many Christians are given. But what do we do with these Psalms? Many Christians ignore them. Others try to explain them away as embarrassing relics from a more violent time. But what if that reaction actually misses the point? What if these disturbing prayers are not a problem to solve, but an essential part of learning how Christians are supposed to love their enemies?
Once you understand what the Imprecatory Psalms are really doing, they don’t undermine the teachings of Jesus; they actually make them possible.
What Are the Imprecatory Psalms?1
Anyone who spends time in the Psalms will eventually encounter prayers that feel incredibly harsh. In fact, some of them feel so intense they may, at least at first glance, seem almost unchristian. For example, consider the first four verses of Psalm 35:
Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
Take hold of shield and buckler,
And stand up for my help.
Also draw out the spear,
And stop those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation.”
Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor
Who seek after my life;
Let those be turned back and brought to confusion
Who plot my hurt.
Or Psalm 58:6:
Break their teeth in their mouth, O God!
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
These are examples of what scholars call the Imprecatory Psalms. To simply say that they call on God to destroy the wicked may be an understatement. Some of them can be extremely jarring, such as Psalm 109, where the author calls for his enemies’ children to “continually be vagabonds, and beg; Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places” (v. 10). And Psalm 137:9 contains one of the most brutal images in the whole Bible:
Happy the one who takes and dashes
Your little ones against the rock!
At first glance, verses like this can feel shocking, even offensive. How could language like this possibly belong in Scripture?
Interpretations of these Psalms vary widely. Some attempt to quietly sideline these prayers as embarrassing relics of a more violent pre-Christian era. Others lean on these Psalms to justify their own hostility and hatred toward those whom they deem enemies.
But faithful Christians should not simply look for whatever interpretation fits their personal or political agenda. Instead, we must allow Scripture to shape our understanding, even when it challenges our assumptions.
Common Interpretive Errors to Avoid
To begin, a few popular interpretations of these Psalms need to be ruled out. While some of these positions seem to have some explanatory power, they ultimately introduce more problems than they solve.
1. We Must Not Deny the Unity of Scripture
Scripture must be read as a unified whole. Because God is the ultimate author of all inspired Scripture, we must not accept any interpretation that plainly contradicts other Scriptures. If an apparent contradiction is found, it is not allowable to say “the author of this passage was mistaken” or “God really did not mean what this passage says.” Instead, we must seek for the understanding that harmonizes all of Scripture. In fact, this basic error is one that lies beneath nearly every other interpretive error.
2. We Must Not Use the Psalms to Justify Personal Vengeance
One example of how interpreters deny the unity of Scripture is by treating the Imprecatory Psalms as God-given permission to hate or take vengeance on enemies. Every now and then you will hear someone point to the Imprecatory Psalms as giving license to pronounce judgment on and hatred towards some of their enemies.
Yet the New Testament speaks with clarity and consistency about how Christians should think about and treat their enemies. They are commanded to:
- Love them (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27, 35; 1 John 3:16),
- Bless them (Luke 6:28, Romans 12:14),
- Forgive them (Luke 6:37, 11:4, 23:34),
- Do good to them (Luke 6:27, 34-35),
- Refuse retaliation (Matthew 5:38-39),
- And overcome their evil with good (Romans 12:17-21).
Any interpretation of the Imprecatory Psalms that directly clashes with these teachings must be rejected. The Psalms may express an appeal to God for justice, but they never authorize personal vengeance or hatred.
3. We Must Not Treat the Old Testament as Morally Inferior
Another error is to treat the Old Testament as a morally inferior stage of revelation. While it is true that God’s character is most perfectly revealed in Christ (cf. John 14:9; Colossians. 1:15; Hebrews 1:1-3), the Psalms remain fully inspired Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). Jesus never rejected any part of the text of the Hebrew Bible. He fulfilled the Old Testament Scriptures (Matthew 5:17) and corrected their misuse (Matthew 5:38-41), but He never dismissed them.
In fact, John and Paul apply an Imprecatory Psalm to Jesus in two different contexts: while He cleansed the temple and helped the vulnerable.
Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
Psalm 69:9 (cf. John 2:17; Romans 15:3)
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
Peter emphasizes that as Jesus hung on the cross, He “committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). The book of Hebrews describes Jesus who “offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death” (Hebrews 5:7). In Christ, we not only see love for enemies, but we also see a heartfelt appeal to God for judgment. In other words, Jesus Himself embodied the ethic we see expressed in the Imprecatory Psalms.
4. We Must Not Treat Imprecation and Enemy-Love as Competing Options
A more subtle, yet dangerous, example of how Scripture is sometimes pitted against Scripture is when imprecation and enemy-love are treated as two conflicting approaches, as if we must exercise wise discernment to determine which ethic is most appropriate for the moment. On the surface, this interpretation may appear to uphold the validity of both enemy-love and imprecation. But it quietly assumes a contradiction in Scripture that does not exist.
Arguably the most challenging thing the New Testament says about how Christians should treat their enemies is what it doesn’t say. That is, when it comes to loving enemies, there is not a single exception clause. There is no verse I can quote that says “Love your enemies, except for the really nasty ones that threaten your family,” or “do good to your enemies, except for those who are genuinely wicked to the core,” or “bless your enemies, except for those who are at enmity with God Himself.” It’s always just “love them.” Period. “Overcome their evil with good.” Period.
It’s not as though the Imprecatory Psalms were unknown when Jesus and His apostles commanded love for enemies. Those commands were given with full knowledge of these prayers. Yet their existence never served to soften, qualify, or limit Christ’s call to love our enemies. Nowhere does the New Testament teach us to distinguish between enemies we must love and enemies we are permitted to hate.
The Imprecatory Psalms do not teach a separate ethic from what was taught by Christ. Nor do they permit Christians to set aside the enemy-love commandments in those times when we think it would be wiser to follow the Psalms. Rather, they must be understood in a way that fully coheres with the unqualified commands of Christ and His apostles.
How Imprecatory Prayers Help Us Love Our Enemies
The Imprecatory Psalms and the gospel work together to teach one united ethic. We love our enemies by entrusting judgment to God. Imprecatory prayers are not opposed to love. They are an essential part of how love becomes possible in a world filled with real evil.
Romans 12:14–21 illustrates this clearly. In that passage, not only are we commanded to bless those who persecute us, to refuse vengeance, and to overcome evil with good, but we are told why this is so important.
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Romans 12:19
We love our enemies precisely because vengeance belongs to God alone.
Love for enemies is not grounded in a denial of justice, but in confidence that God will execute justice perfectly. For this reason, praying for God’s justice allows us to cooperate with His work rather than trying to compete with it.
Perhaps this should go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway: As followers of Jesus, we should always have others’ best interests in mind. We do not desire the downfall of our enemies. We should want and pray for their hearts to soften and for them to repent and turn to God.
Yet, sometimes people will continue to be evil, or at least do terribly evil things. The Imprecatory Psalms give us the language to face evil honestly without being consumed by bitterness and desires for personal retaliation. They acknowledge the seriousness of evil, and the desperate need for judgment, but they entrust that judgment to God. By praying the Imprecatory Psalms, we are freed from the impossible and destructive task of carrying the burden of justice for ourselves.
It is important to remember something about the Psalms. The Psalms are prayers and poems. Just like all poetry, they often use figures of speech and hyperbole. They are not commands from God telling His people what they must do. They are the honest cries of inspired, wounded people speaking to God in the middle of real suffering.
That means when a psalmist prays for justice in vivid or even violent imagery, it does not mean God approves of every image used, nor does it mean God carries out those exact requests literally. God is not obligated to fulfill every prayer exactly as it is spoken.
The Psalms frequently use strong poetic language to express the depth of human anguish. The psalmist is not calmly drafting a policy for justice. He is, by inspiration, showing us how to pour out our grief, fear, and anger to God.
In fact, the remarkable thing is not that the psalmists expressed these feelings, but that they brought them to God instead of acting on them personally. The Psalms give believers a place to bring even their darkest emotions before God, trusting Him to judge rightly.
The Psalms assume that grief, frustration, and the longing for justice are real. These feelings and desires are not sinful. Sometimes the faithful response is, while still serving our enemies where we can and loving them with the love of God, to cry out “How long, O LORD?” (Psalm 13:1).
The Psalms even allow language that feels shocking to modern readers. But that language is part of the poetry of lament. It reflects the depth of the psalmist’s pain, not necessarily a literal request God must fulfill. God invites His people to bring their deepest emotions to Him, trusting that He will judge far more wisely and justly than we ever could.When we are hurt, it is important to “pour out your heart before Him” because “God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8).
Faith includes casting our burdens on the Lord, trusting that he will sustain us (Psalm 55:22). Prayers like “Arise, O LORD, confront him, cast him down!” (Psalm 17:13) are a practical way to do this very thing. Rather than seeking personal vengeance, these prayers surrender justice entirely into God’s hands. Such prayers should not be rebuked, ignored, or apologized for. They are part of the faithful response to evil and oppression.
A humble thought is that God may answer that prayer through our kindness.
Therefore
Romans 12:20–21
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
We can, without hesitation, follow Jesus’ example, who Himself prayed the Imprecatory Psalms. He quoted from Psalm 22, Psalm 69, and Psalm 110, all of which include lament, judgment, and trust in God’s ultimate victory over evil. The early Christians saw these Psalms as central to understanding His ongoing reign and final judgment over his enemies (see Acts 2:24–25; Hebrews 1:13; 10:12–13).
Jesus loved His enemies because He “committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). The Imprecatory Psalms remind us that God’s justice is both real and good. We can count on Him.
The Bible does not present us with a choice between a soft, enemy-loving ethic, and a harsh, judgment-loving ethic. It consistently gives us the Christian ethic—one that embraces both love and justice through the cross, where Jesus bore the judgment His enemies deserved, and taught us to trust in the Father who judges justly. We are commanded to love our enemies. Prayer—not violence or retaliation—is how we do that. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:44:
Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
- This study was originally written by Tyler Boyd from The Christian Exile. In this article, it has been adapted for Topical Bible Studies by Lance Mosher. ↩︎