Imprecatory psalms and prayers are Spirit-inspired appeals to God to judge, punish, or destroy His enemies. They are not private vengeance; they are covenantal cries for God to vindicate His name and His people against those who rebel against His rule. Psalms 35, 58, 69, 83, 109, and 137 contain the most intense examples. These prayers reflect a deep seriousness about sin: the psalmist takes wickedness as seriously as God does. They also reflect eschatological hope — that God will not let evil go unanswered. Jesus himself quotes Psalm 69 of His own experience (John 15:25), and Revelation 6:10 records the martyrs praying an imprecatory prayer from under the altar. Far from being sub-Christian, imprecatory prayers are honest, covenantal, and God-directed responses to evil.
IMPRECATION, n. [L. imprecatio.] A prayer to God for evil to fall on some person or thing; a curse. Imprecations imply a belief of divine providence and government. They are the language of men in deep distress, imploring God's interference for their deliverance.
IMPRECATE, v.t. To invoke evil on; to pray that a curse or calamity may fall on. We imprecate evil on our enemies, or on those who have injured us.
• Psalm 58:6 — "O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!"
• Psalm 109:8 — "May his days be few; may another take his office!" (Quoted in Acts 1:20 of Judas.)
• Psalm 137:8–9 — "O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed… blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!"
• Revelation 6:10 — "They cried out… 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood?'"
• Romans 12:19 — "Beloved, never avenge yourselves… for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'"
Latin: im- (upon) + precari (to pray) → imprecari (to invoke evil upon) Related: precarious (hanging by prayer), deprecate (pray away evil) imprecation = a curse-prayer directed toward God, not self-executed Hebrew Psalms context: אָרַר (arar, H779) — to curse, invoke doom קָלַל (qalal, H7043) — to make light of, revile, curse נָקַם (naqam, H5358) — to avenge, execute vengeance Key distinction: Imprecation ≠ personal hatred Imprecation = covenantal appeal for God's justice The pray-er submits vengeance to God, not takes it personally
Modern Christianity is deeply uncomfortable with imprecatory psalms, often cutting them from lectionaries or softening them as culturally primitive. This sentimental revision domesticates the Psalter and produces a thin, safe piety that cannot honestly reckon with evil. If these psalms are inspired Scripture, the discomfort belongs to us — not to them. Removing the imprecatory psalms from Christian vocabulary robs the church of honest lament, covenantal boldness, and the deep comfort that God hears the cries of the oppressed and will act. The alternative to imprecation is not love — it is either suppression or vigilantism.