Psalms 69:28

"Charge them with crime upon crime. Don’t let them come into your righteousness."

Key Reflection

In Psalms 69:28, the psalmist is calling for divine judgment and justice against his enemies by urging God to charge them with multiple offenses and prevent them from experiencing any of His righteousness. The original audience would have understood this as a plea for retribution, reflecting the common practice in ancient Near Eastern literature where poets sought divine intervention to punish their adversaries and protect themselves.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living -That is, Let them cease to live; let them not be numbered among living people; let them be cut off. This language is taken from the custom of registering the names of persons in a list, roll, or catalogue,Exodus 32:32. See the notes atPhilippians 4:3. CompareRevelation 3:5. The language has no reference to the future world; it is “not” a prayer that they should not be saved. And not be written with the righteous -Let them not be registered or numbered with the righteous. As they “are” wicked, so let them be numbered; so regarded. Let them be reckoned and treated as they are. They deserve to be punished; so let them be.

More from Psalms 69

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