Psalms 40:15 · Bible study
Psalms 40:15 Commentary: Imprecatory Prayer and Trust in God's Justice
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 40:15 is a prayer for justice against mockers.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A prayer that enemies who mock the psalmist be made desolate as a just reward for their shameful conduct.
- Key words: “Desolate” (shamem, to be astonished, laid waste); “Aha! aha!”, cry of malicious glee.
- Main debate: Whether imprecatory prayers have a place in Christian devotion, or are limited to the Old Testament context.
- Teological theme: Divine justice; the innocent cry for vindication; the sovereignty of God over the wicked.
- Best use: As a model of lament and trust in God’s justice, not as a template for personal cursing.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
May those who say to me, “Aha, aha!” be appalled at their own shame.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Let them be desolate by reason of their shame that tell me, “Aha! Aha!”
KJV King James Version 1769
Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Let them be desolate by reason of their shame That say unto me, Aha, aha.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
They are desolate because of their shame, Who are saying to me, `Aha, aha.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Let them be desolate, because of their shame, that say unto me, Aha! Aha!
Translations in other languages (9 available)
Sean asolados en pago de su afrenta los que me dicen: ¡ Ea, ea!
Sejam eles assolados como pagamento de sua humilhação, os que dizem de mim: “Ha-ha!”
Que tous ensemble ils soient honteux et confus,
Sie müssen in ihrer Schande erschrecken, die über mich schreien: “ Da, da!”
Laat hen te zamen beschaamd en schaamrood worden, die mijn ziel zoeken, om die te vernielen; laat hen achterwaarts gedreven worden, en te schande worden, die lust hebben aan mijn kwaad.
Restino muti di stupore per la loro ignominia quelli che mi dicono: Ah, ah!…
Niech będą pohańbieni, (a niech się zawstydzą wszyscy,) którzy szukają duszy mojej, aby ją zatracili; niechajże się na wstecz cofną, a niech się zawstydzą, którzy mi życzą złego.
願那些對我 說 阿哈、阿哈的，因 羞愧 而敗亡！
Let those who say to me, Aha, aha! be surprised because of their shame.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Psalm 40:15 is a prayer for divine justice against enemies who delight in the psalmist’s suffering. The verb “desolate” (shamem) means to be astonished or laid waste, a wish that the enemy’s plans become as barren as a ruined field (Barnes). The phrase “by reason of their shame” points to a fitting consequence for their own shameful act. The mocking cry “Aha! aha!” is an exclamation of malicious joy (Cambridge Bible, Gill). While the immediate context is David’s personal affliction (vv.12, 13), many commentators see a prophetic dimension: Barnes and Gill apply the desolation to the judgment that fell on Jerusalem for rejecting the Messiah. Yet even in this strong language, the psalmist does not take vengeance into his own hands; he places his cause before God, who alone is the righteous judge.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Imprecation as Old Testament ethic: Reflects the Mosaic principle of measure-for-measure justice (lex talionis) and the national identity of Israel; not a normative Christian prayer.
- Messianic prophecy of judgment: Quoted or echoed in NT contexts (e.g., Acts 1:20 with Ps 69) to describe the fate of Christ's betrayers; points to God's judgment on those who reject the Messiah.
- Relational justice and trust: The psalmist is vulnerable (v.17) and entrusts his cause to God; the desolation is a request for God to right the wrong, not a personal curse.
What is clear: The verse expresses a longing for God to act against enemies who mock the faithful, and it does so within a prayer that begins and ends with trust in God's mercy.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Imprecatory prayer | Christians agree that God is just and will ultimately judge evil. The psalmist entrusts his cause to God rather than taking revenge. | Some traditions see imprecatory psalms as inspired models for prayer, while others view them as limited to the Old Covenant, superseded by Christ's command to love enemies. |
| Messianic interpretation | Many Christians see a typological link between David's suffering and Christ's rejection by the Jewish leaders. | Reformed commentators like Barnes apply the desolation to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, while others see it as referring to general judgment on all who oppose God. |
| Desolation as justice | The desolation prayed for is a fitting consequence of the enemies' own shameful actions, not an arbitrary punishment. | Some interpret 'desolate' as physical ruin and death; others as spiritual shame and confusion of their plans. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The setting of Psalm 40 is a man surrounded, “evils have surrounded me” (v.12). David, or the psalmist, writes from a place of desperation: his iniquities have overtaken him, his heart fails. Into this darkness come enemies who “seek after my soul” (v.14). Their taunt “Aha! aha!” was a standard expression of contempt and gloating over another's misfortune, used elsewhere in Psalms 35:21, 25 and Ezekiel 25:3. In the ancient Near East, public shame was a devastating social weapon; to be mocked was to be stripped of honour in the community. The psalmist’s response is not to retaliate but to cry to God for public vindication. The request that they be “desolate” (shamem) is a plea that their malice rebound upon them, that they experience the very desolation they wished on him. This is consistent with the Old Testament pattern of “measure for measure” justice (see the lex talionis). The psalmist grounds this in his own poverty and need (v.17): he has no other defender. This is not a prayer from strength but from the powerless, laying the matter before the only true Judge. The parallel in Psalm 70 shows that this prayer was a recurring part of Israel’s worship, a corporate cry for God to act against the wicked.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note a possible textual variant between Psalm 40:15 and Psalm 70:4. The Cambridge Bible observes that the reading “let them be desolate” in v.15 differs from “let them be turned back” in Psalm 70:4, perhaps arising from confusion between Hebrew letters mem (מ) and bet (ב) in the verbal root. However, the Masoretic Text is stable for this verse, and no significant variants affect the meaning. English translations uniformly render the verse as preserved in the Hebrew.
Reception History
This verse, like other imprecatory psalms, has been approached in different ways across church history. Early Christian writers often read it christologically, seeing the “Aha! aha!” as the taunts directed at Jesus on the cross, and the desolation as the judgment that would come on Jerusalem. The Reformed tradition, following Calvin, emphasized the psalmist's trust in God's deliverance. Many modern interpreters treat the verse as an honest expression of lament that must be read through Christ's teachings. It continues to appear in Christian worship as part of the Psalter's full witness to both justice and mercy.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The reality of mocking opposition. The enemies’ cry “Aha! aha!” reveals raw hostility, delight in another’s pain. Such taunts are not ancient history; believers still face scorn for their faith. The psalmist does not pretend otherwise.
- The cry for justice, not vengeance. The request for desolation is a plea for God to act, not a personal curse. The psalmist brings his suffering to the throne of grace and asks God to set things right.
- The foundation of trust. The psalm closes with “But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me” (v.17). The confidence to pray even an imprecatory prayer rests on the character of a God who sees and cares.
Five-point outline
- Description of the enemies’ malice: They say “Aha! aha!”, a sneer that aims to crush hope.
- The prayer for desolation: That their plan would fail and their shame be their reward.
- The justice of God: The desolation is not arbitrary; it matches their offence.
- The context of personal need: The psalmist is poor and needy, not powerful, this is a prayer of the vulnerable.
- The turn to praise: In v.16, the prayer shifts to those who seek God: “Let them rejoice and be glad.” The community of faith is upheld even as enemies face judgment.
Illustration hooks
- A person bullied at school who prays, “Lord, make them stop.” The longing for justice is natural, and the Psalms give words for it.
- A Christian persecuted for faith in a hostile workplace, who cries out not for revenge but for God to be seen as just.
- The public mockery of Christian beliefs in media, the temptation to respond with anger, and the invitation instead to entrust the outcome to God.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it sin to pray for bad things to happen to people who hurt me?
- How do imprecatory psalms fit with Jesus’ command to love enemies?
- Does God still punish people today, or is that only for the final judgment?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 40:15 stands at the sharp edge of the Bible, a prayer that God would make enemies desolate. For small groups, the goal is not to explain away the verse but to wrestle with how it points to God’s justice and our own hearts.
Discussion questions
- Read Psalm 40:11, 17. What emotions does the psalmist express in these verses?
- The enemies say “Aha! aha!”, what does this tell you about their attitude?
- The prayer asks for them to be “desolate by reason of their shame.” Does this feel like a prayer you could pray? Why or why not?
- How does knowing that the psalmist is “poor and needy” (v.17) change how you hear this prayer?
- In what ways does the New Testament reinterpret or fulfill the longing for justice expressed here? (Consider Romans 12:17, 21; Revelation 6:9, 11.)
- Can a Christian honestly bring feelings of anger and a desire for justice to God in prayer? What would that look like?
- How can we pray for those who mock us while also trusting God to set things right?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 35:21 | Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!” |
| Psalms 35:25 | Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!” Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!” |
| Psalms 69:24 | Pour out your indignation on them. Let the fierceness of your anger overtake them. |
| Psalms 69:25 | Let their habitation be desolate. Let no one dwell in their tents. |
| Psalms 70:3 | Let them be turned because of their shame who say, “Aha! Aha!” |
| Psalms 70:4 | Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation continually say, “Let God be exalted!” |
| Psalms 73:19 | How they are suddenly destroyed! They are completely swept away with terrors. |
| Psalms 109:6 | Set a wicked man over him. Let an adversary stand at his right hand. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws attention to the exact Hebrew words the enemies shout, transliterated as "Aha, aha" (האח האח). He sees this as a specific, mocking taunt and directs readers to his note on Psalm 35:21 for a fuller explanation of this expression of scorn.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes reads the psalmist's cry for desolation as a prayer that the enemies' plans would fail completely, like a barren field. He then connects this to the Messiah: the Jewish leaders' exultation over Jesus' death was repaid by the ruin of their temple and nation, a just reward for rejecting their Savior.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights a probable scribal confusion between two Hebrew verbs, one meaning "be desolate" and the other "turn back," caused by their similar sound or shape. He also notes that "Aha, aha" is an exclamation of malicious delight at someone else's trouble.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note treats the taunt "Aha, aha" as the outward sign of inward malice that deserves a fitting end. The commentator reads this as a call for poetic justice: the very shame the enemies tried to heap on the psalmist should become the reward that brings them down.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill sees the enemies' taunting "Aha, aha" not simply as mockery but as shameful gloating over suffering, which brought its own punishment. Their desolation came as a deserved reward for that cruelty, just as Jerusalem and the temple were stripped bare after the crucifixion.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB points out that the phrase "for a reward" literally means "in consequence of," highlighting cause rather than payment. He then connects the taunt "Aha" to similar mocking cries in Psalms 35:21 and 35:25, where enemies gloat over someone's downfall.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch highlight that the psalmist's plea for help turns specifically toward God's will, which they call the root of all things. The enemies' murderous purpose, they explain, rebounds against God's protection and miserably fails. The word for their being appalled describes a paralysis from overpowering terror, not ordinary shame.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists the Psalm is a single composition, its change in mood reflecting natural shifts from testimony to prayer. He emphasizes that heartfelt obedience, not animal sacrifices, is the offering God wants, and that the Epistle to the Hebrews applies
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees the psalmist now speaking in his own voice, applying the truth of Christ's finished work to personal prayer. Because God did not spare His own Son, the believer can confidently ask that no needed mercy be withheld, relying on God's lovingkindness and truth for continual preservation.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Shame - Their sinful and shameful actions.