◄ Psalm 109:5 ►
They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
Study Bible
They repay me evil for good
This phrase reflects a common theme in the Psalms, where the psalmist experiences betrayal and injustice. The idea of repaying evil for good is seen throughout Scripture, such as in the story of Joseph, whose brothers sold him into slavery despite his innocence (Genesis 37). This concept is also echoed in Proverbs 17:13, which warns against repaying good with evil. In the cultural context of ancient Israel, such actions were considered a severe breach of social and covenantal norms. The psalmist's lament can be seen as a foreshadowing of Christ's own experience, as He was betrayed by Judas despite His acts of love and kindness (Matthew 26:14-16).

and hatred for my love
This part of the verse highlights the deep emotional pain caused by betrayal. Love, a central tenet of biblical teaching, is met with hatred, which is the antithesis of God's command to love one's neighbor (Leviticus 19:18). The psalmist's experience mirrors that of Jesus, who loved His enemies and prayed for those who persecuted Him (Matthew 5:44), yet faced hatred and rejection, culminating in His crucifixion. This phrase also connects to the broader biblical narrative of God's love for humanity, which is often met with rebellion and ingratitude, as seen in the history of Israel's relationship with God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
Traditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 109, David is expressing his anguish and seeking God's intervention against his adversaries.

2. Adversaries
The unspecified enemies of David who repay his good deeds with evil and hatred.

3. God
The ultimate judge and protector whom David calls upon for justice and deliverance.
Teaching Points
The Reality of Betrayal
Even the most righteous acts can be met with hostility. Believers should not be surprised when their good deeds are repaid with evil.

Responding to Injustice
Like David, believers are encouraged to bring their grievances to God, trusting Him to be the righteous judge.

The Call to Love
Despite experiencing hatred, Christians are called to continue loving others, following the example of Christ.

Trust in God's Justice
While human justice may fail, God's justice is perfect and believers can rest in His ultimate vindication.

The Power of Prayer
Prayer is a powerful tool for dealing with personal hurt and seeking God's intervention in difficult situations.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does David's experience in Psalm 109:5 reflect the challenges faced by believers today when they do good?

2. In what ways can we apply Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:44 to situations where we are repaid with evil for our good deeds?

3. How does Romans 12:21 encourage us to respond to those who show us hatred despite our love?

4. What can we learn from David's approach to dealing with his adversaries in terms of prayer and reliance on God?

5. How can trusting in God's justice help us to forgive those who have wronged us and continue to act in love?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Samuel 24
David spares Saul's life, demonstrating good for evil, which parallels the theme of being repaid with evil for good.

Matthew 5:44
Jesus teaches to love your enemies, which contrasts with the human experience of receiving hatred for love.

Romans 12:21
Paul instructs believers to overcome evil with good, echoing the challenge faced by David in Psalm 109.
Sermons
Evil for GoodHugh Black.Psalm 109:5
A Song of ImprecationT. W. Chambers, D. D.Psalm 109:1-31
Awful ImprecationsC. Short Psalm 109:1-31
The Dreadful PsalmS. Conway Psalm 109:1-31
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Evil, Exchange, Friendship, Hate, Hatred, Laid, Love, Repaid, Reward, Rewarded, Thus
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 109:5

     5889   ingratitude

Psalm 109:1-5

     5951   slander

Psalm 109:3-5

     5875   hatred

Library
Psalm. Cix. 21. ; Micah, vi. 9
Psalm. cix. 21.; Micah, vi. 9. Sweet is Thy mercy, O my God! When humbled at Thy feet, I learn the lessons of Thy rod, Thy mercy, Lord, is sweet. For Thou dost not in wrath chastise, But when I go astray, "Return," a voice behind me cries, "Walk here;--this is the way." Impatient of Thine easy yoke, If heedless yet I roam, Some sharp affliction, with a stroke Of kindness, warns me home. That godly sorrow then I feel, Which nothing can control, Until the hand that wounded, heal, That bruised me, …
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

If Anyone Shall Say that Jesus as Man is Only Energized by the Word Of...
If anyone shall say that Jesus as man is only energized by the Word of God, and that the glory of the Only-begotten is attributed to him as something not properly his: let him be anathema. Notes. Nestorius. VII. If any one says that the man who was formed of the Virgin is the Only-begotten, who was born from the bosom of the Father, before the morning star was (Ps. cix., 3) [256] , and does not rather confess that he has obtained the designation of Only-begotten on account of his connection with …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

First Antiphon and Psalm
Third Tone (a ending) Chanter Dum esset rex Choir in accubitu suo, nardus mea dedit odorem suavitatis. Alleluia. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109) 1. Dixit Dominus, Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis: 2. Donec ponam inimicos tuos, scabellum pedum tuorum. 3. Virgam virtutis tuae emitte Dominus ex Sion: dominare in medio inimicorum tuorem. 4. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuae in splendoribus sanctorum: ex utero ante luciferum genui te. 5. Juravit Dominus, et non paenitebit eum: Tu es sacerdos in aeternum …
Various—The St. Gregory Hymnal and Catholic Choir Book

Prayer
But I give myself unto prayer.' Psa 109: 4. I shall not here expatiate upon prayer, as it will be considered more fully in the Lord's prayer. It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer: he who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer; as he who often distributes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the soul's trading with heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. What is prayer? It is an offering …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Fourteenth Day. Endurance in Contradiction.
"Who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself."-- Heb. xii. 3. What endurance was this! Perfect truth in the midst of error; perfect love in the midst of ingratitude and coldness; perfect rectitude in the midst of perjury, violence, fraud; perfect constancy in the midst of contumely and desertion; perfect innocence, confronting every debased form of depravity and guilt; perfect patience, encountering every species of gross provocation--"oppressed and afflicted, He opened not His mouth!" …
John R. Macduff—The Mind of Jesus

Ninth Day for God's Spirit on Our Mission Work
WHAT TO PRAY.--For God's Spirit on our Mission Work "The evangelisation of the world depends first of all upon a revival of prayer. Deeper than the need for men--ay, deep down at the bottom of our spiritless life, is the need for the forgotten secret of prevailing, world-wide prayer." "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul. Then when they had fasted and prayed, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed."--ACTS …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

Bunsen's Biblical Researches.
When geologists began to ask whether changes in the earth's structure might be explained by causes still in operation, they did not disprove the possibility of great convulsions, but they lessened necessity for imagining them. So, if a theologian has his eyes opened to the Divine energy as continuous and omnipresent, he lessens the sharp contrast of epochs in Revelation, but need not assume that the stream has never varied in its flow. Devotion raises time present into the sacredness of the past; …
Frederick Temple—Essays and Reviews: The Education of the World

A Discourse of Mercifulness
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 These verses, like the stairs of Solomon's temple, cause our ascent to the holy of holies. We are now mounting up a step higher. Blessed are the merciful . . '. There was never more need to preach of mercifulness than in these unmerciful times wherein we live. It is reported in the life of Chrysostom that he preached much on this subject of mercifulness, and for his much pressing Christians to mercy, he was called of many, the alms-preacher, …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

How Intent the Ruler Ought to be on Meditations in the Sacred Law.
But all this is duly executed by a ruler, if, inspired by the spirit of heavenly fear and love, he meditate daily on the precepts of Sacred Writ, that the words of Divine admonition may restore in him the power of solicitude and of provident circumspection with regard to the celestial life, which familiar intercourse with men continually destroys; and that one who is drawn to oldness of life by secular society may by the aspiration of compunction be ever renewed to love of the spiritual country. …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Water of Life;
OR, A DISCOURSE SHOWING THE RICHNESS AND GLORY OF THE GRACE AND SPIRIT OF THE GOSPEL, AS SET FORTH IN SCRIPTURE BY THIS TERM, THE WATER OF LIFE. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.'--Revelation 22:17 London: Printed for Nathanael Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1688. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Often, and in every age, the children of God have dared to doubt the sufficiency of divine grace; whether it was vast enough to reach their condition--to cleanse …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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