From Latin imprecari, "to call down, to invoke (curse)." The psalms that call down divine judgment on enemies — the hardest psalms for modern readers. The most severe include Psalms 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 83, 109, 137, and 139:19-22. Examples: "Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them" (Psalm 69:23-24); "Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!" (Psalm 137:9). These are not the psalms selected for most Sunday liturgies.
The imprecatory psalms offend modern sensibilities — but understanding them rightly enriches biblical theology. Five observations. (1) Not personal revenge but appeals to divine justice. The psalmist does not pick up the sword; he places the matter before God, invoking the covenant's own language ("if you do not obey... cursed," Deuteronomy 28). This is the opposite of taking matters into one's own hands. (2) Against covenant enemies, not personal slights. The imprecations aim at those who persecute God's people and blaspheme His name. Psalm 139:21-22 — "Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?" The emotional alignment is Godward, not personal pettiness. (3) Consistent with NT eschatology. The martyrs under the altar in Revelation 6:10 cry, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Same theology; NT-era setting. Jesus pronounced woes (Matthew 23); Paul invoked curse on gospel-perverters (Galatians 1:8-9). A sanitized Christianity that forgets that God will judge evil is a Christianity unable to comfort martyrs. (4) Christ prayed some of these on the cross. Psalm 22 begins with "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" — and includes imprecatory elements. Jesus prayed the Psalter; these psalms did not embarrass Him. (5) Pray these psalms against the right targets. Satan, demonic powers, unrepentant evil, systems oppressing the innocent — yes. Personal enemies who annoy you — bring that to prayer differently ("love your enemies"). The imprecatory psalms teach that love of God includes hatred of everything that opposes Him. Sanitized religion that cannot curse evil cannot love the good with full force.