Psalms 55:15 · Bible study
Psalms 55:15 Commentary: Imprecation Against the Wicked
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Does David curse his enemies or prophesy judgment? A study of Psalm 55:15, its language, Old Testament context, and theological significance.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A plea or prophecy that David's treacherous enemies would suffer sudden, visible judgment like Korah’s company.
- Key words: “Death” (Hebrew hapax legomenon, possibly “desolations”); “Sheol” (the grave/underworld, not later hell); “alive” (cut off in full strength).
- Main debate: Is this a personal curse (imprecatory prayer) or a Spirit-inspired prediction of inevitable judgment?
- Theological theme: God’s justice against persistent evil, balanced by David’s ultimate trust in God rather than revenge.
- Best use: An honest scriptural model for crying out to God when injustice feels overwhelming, not a license to curse others personally.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Let death seize them by surprise; let them go down to Sheol alive, for evil is with them in their homes.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Let death come suddenly on them. Let them go down alive into Sheol. For wickedness is among them, in their dwelling.
KJV King James Version 1769
Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Let death come suddenly upon them, Let them go down alive into Sheol; For wickedness is in their dwelling, in the midst of them.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Desolations are upon them, They go down to Sheol--alive, For wickedness is in their dwelling, in their midst.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Let death seize upon them, let them go down alive into Sheol. For wickedness is in their dwellings, in their midst.
Translations in other languages (9 available)
Condenados|strong="H5377, H3451" sean á muerte, desciendan vivos al infierno: porque maldades hay en su compañía, entre ellos.
Que a morte os tome de surpresa, e desçam ao mundo dos mortos ainda vivos; porque maldades há na morada deles, e no interior de cada um deles.
Ensemble nous vivions dans une douce intimité,
Der Tod übereile sie, daß sie lebendig in die Hölle fahren; denn es ist eitel Bosheit unter ihrem Haufen.
Wij, die te zamen in zoetigheid heimelijk raadpleegden; wij wandelden in gezelschap ten huize Gods.
Li sorprenda la morte! Scendano vivi nel soggiorno de’ morti! poiché nelle lor dimore e dentro di loro non v’è che malvagità.
Którzyśmy się z sobą mile w tajności naradzali, i do domu Bożego społecznie chadzali.
願死亡 忽然臨 到他們！願他們活活地 下入 陰間！因為 他們的住處，他們的心中，都是邪惡。
Let the hand of death come on them suddenly, and let them go down living into the underworld; because evil is in their houses and in their hearts.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse expresses David's intense reaction to betrayal, likely from Ahithophel and Absalom’s faction. Clarke and Gill treat it as a prayer for sudden death, with Clarke noting its fulfillment in Ahithophel’s suicide and Absalom’s defeat. Barnes, however, argues the Hebrew should be rendered “Desolations (are) upon them!”, a statement of certain judgment rather than a wish. Calvin adds that David spoke not from personal revenge but under the Spirit’s guidance, as a prophet. The allusion to Numbers 16:30, where Korah’s company went down alive into Sheol, is widely recognized. The word “Sheol” here means the grave or underworld, not the later concept of hell. Across traditions, the verse is read as a serious pronouncement of divine justice against persistent evil, not a model for personal cursing.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Imprecatory Prayer: The Hebrew verbs can be parsed as jussive (wish), and the direct allusion to Numbers 16 supports a prayer for immediate judgment.
- Prophetic Declaration: The grammar can also be read as perfect/indicative (statement of fact), and Barnes and Calvin argue that the overall context of faith (v.16) requires a certain prediction rather than a personal curse.
What is clear: David speaks from deep personal betrayal, invoking God's pattern of judgment against rebels, and the verse must be read within the Old Covenant context of God's anointed king.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the Hebrew word for “death” | The word appears only once in the Old Testament (hapax legomenon). | Some scholars read it as a single word meaning “desolations” (Barnes, modern lexicons); others divide it into two words: “let death seize” (Septuagint, Vulgate, many ancient versions). |
| Nature of the imprecation | The verse expresses a strong desire or certainty of judgment on the wicked. | Some view it as a prayer or wish (Clarke, Gill); others as a prophetic declaration of fact (Barnes, Calvin). |
| Meaning of “Sheol” | Sheol is the abode of the dead, distinct from the later concept of hell as a place of eternal torment. | Some emphasize Sheol as the grave; others as the underworld realm of departed spirits. Both agree it refers to death, not final damnation. |
| Christian application today | The verse is not a model for personal cursing of enemies. | Some see it as a legitimate cry for justice against oppression; others argue the New Testament replaces such imprecations with prayer for enemies and trust in God's ultimate judgment. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 55 is set during Absalom’s rebellion (2 Samuel 15, 18). David fled Jerusalem as his son conspired with key advisors, including Ahithophel, whose counsel David once valued highly. The psalm describes violence and deceit within the city (v. 11) and the bitter pain of betrayal by a close friend (vv. 12, 14). Verse 15 draws language from Numbers 16, where the earth swallowed Korah and his rebels alive. That story was a defining example of God’s immediate judgment on those who opposed His chosen leader. By echoing it, David frames his enemies as rebels against God’s anointed. Sheol in the Old Testament denotes the shadowy realm of the dead, not yet developed into the New Testament categories of heaven and hell. The phrase “go down alive into Sheol” pictures a spectacular, visible judgment, like Korah’s, that removes the wicked from the land of the living. This is a poetic intensification, not a literal expectation of the ground opening. The surrounding verses show David moving from desperate cries (vv. 1, 8) to confident trust in God’s deliverance (v. 16), suggesting that even this harsh prayer is part of a larger reliance on divine justice.
Textual Notes
The main textual issue is the Hebrew word rendered “death” in most translations. The Masoretic Text has the consonants yshmvt; the Ancient Versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac, Targum) divide them into two words: “let death seize.” However, some modern scholars, following the medieval Jewish grammarians and supported by the name Beth-jeshimoth, read it as a single noun meaning “desolations” or “destructions.” The Dead Sea Scrolls do not contain this psalm. The consulted commentaries note no other significant variants.
Reception History
Early Christian writers often interpreted this verse as a prophecy of Judas Iscariot’s sudden end (cf. Acts 1:18). The Targum applies it to Doeg and Ahithophel as examples of treacherous counselors. Augustine used the imprecatory psalms to illustrate God’s justice and the importance of honest lament. During the Reformation, Calvin and others stressed that David spoke not from private vengeance but as a prophet, a view that helped Christians maintain the authority of these psalms while rejecting personal vindictiveness. In modern times, believers across traditions have wrestled with the imprecatory psalms, reading them as models for bringing raw anger and desire for justice before God rather than as instructions for human action. Some liturgical traditions include imprecatory psalms in Holy Week or prayers for justice.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The deep wound of betrayal: David’s pain is personal, the enemy is a former trusted companion (vv. 12, 14). This colors the intensity of verse 15.
- The cry for visible justice: David appeals to God’s pattern of dramatic judgment (Numbers 16), asking that evil be exposed and stopped suddenly.
- From imprecation to trust: By verse 16, David turns from calling for judgment to calling on God. The harsh prayer is enclosed within faith.
Five-point outline
- Context: Absalom’s rebellion and Ahithophel’s betrayal.
- The textual ambiguity: “desolations” (prophecy) vs. “let death seize” (prayer).
- The Old Testament background: Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
- The theological significance: God judges persistent wickedness.
- New Testament caution: Christ calls us to pray for enemies, leaving ultimate judgment to God.
Illustration hooks
- A business partner who embezzles funds after years of friendship, the shock and desire for accountability.
- A political leader who betrays campaign promises and harms the vulnerable, many wish for swift justice.
- Watching a bully finally face consequences after years of unchecked harm, the relief of seeing wrongs righted.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it sinful to pray for bad things to happen to people who hurt me?
- How do imprecatory psalms fit with Jesus’ command to love our enemies?
- Does God still judge people suddenly today, or is that only an Old Testament pattern?
Leading a Discussion
This verse confronts us with raw emotion and a difficult theological tension. David speaks from deep pain, but his words are preserved as Scripture. As we discuss, look for how the psalmist’s honesty with God can coexist with faith and eventual trust.
Discussion questions
- What events in David’s life likely prompted this verse? Read 2 Samuel 15, 17 for background.
- Compare verse 15 with Numbers 16:30. Why do you think David alludes to that event?
- Barnes argues the original Hebrew states a fact (“desolations are upon them”) rather than a wish. Does that change how you read the verse?
- How does the New Testament teach us to respond to enemies? Read Matthew 5:44 and Romans 12:19.
- Can a Christian honestly pray for justice while also forgiving? How might both be held together?
- What does this verse teach us about the seriousness of sin and betrayal?
- How does David’s turn to prayer in verse 16 shape the meaning of the whole psalm?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Numbers 16:30 | But if Yahweh makes a new thing, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up with all that belong to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall understand that these men have despised Yahweh.” |
| Numbers 16:34 | All Israel that were around them fled at their cry; for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” |
| II Samuel 17:23 | When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, arose, and went home to his city, set his house in order, and hanged himself; and he died, and was buried in the tomb of his father. |
| II Samuel 18:9 | Absalom happened to meet David’s servants. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak; and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was hanging between the sky and earth; and the mule that was under him went on. |
| II Samuel 18:14 | Then Joab said, “I’m not going to wait like this with you.” He took three darts in his hand and thrust them through Absalom’s heart while he was still alive in the middle of the oak. |
| Psalms 9:17 | The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol, even all the nations that forget God. |
| Psalms 59:13 | Consume them in wrath. Consume them, and they will be no more. Let them know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah. |
| Psalms 64:7 | But God will shoot at them. They will be suddenly struck down with an arrow. |
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 reads this verse as a direct prophecy of how David's enemies would actually die. He points to Ahithophel's suicide, Absalom's death by darts, and the rebels being swallowed up by the woods as the literal fulfillment of the curse that death would seize them alive.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes insists that the phrase often translated as a prayer for destruction is actually a statement of certainty: such wickedness will bring ruin. He also clarifies that "hell" here means the grave or sheol — a sudden cutting off from life — not necessarily the place of final punishment.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists David's curse on his enemies is not personal revenge but a Spirit-guided prayer for God's judgment on the already-condemned. He distinguishes this holy zeal from human resentment, which would never justify launching maledictions over trivial provocations. Calvin also prefers the simple translation "let death seize them" over more forced alternatives.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator argues for the marginal reading "Let death come upon them unawares" over the written text's "Desolations be upon them," noting that the poet avoids any personal curse against his former friend. Sheol is the common abode of the dead, not a place of torment, and the plea for sudden death echoes the fate of Korah's company.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note interprets this as a prayer for sudden, catastrophic judgment: that the wicked would descend alive into the grave. The reason given is straightforward and severe—their dwellings are full of wickedness, so they deserve immediate destruction without delay.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill treats the imprecation as a prophecy, not a personal curse. He connects the verse to specific violent deaths: Ahithophel, Judas, and ultimately the beast and false prophet cast alive into the lake of fire. For Gill, this arises from zeal for God's glory, not a revengeful spirit, and is not an example for private Christians to follow.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB emphasizes that the death described comes suddenly, striking while the wicked are still living and healthy. The phrase "among them" points inward to their hearts, meaning destruction takes hold within their own thoughts and consciences.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch observe that the psalmist's word choices deliberately echo the confusion of Babel, with the verb for swallowing up meaning annihilation through confounding. They also note that David addresses his betrayer not as a king but as a man his equal, which gains Christological significance in the mouth of the second David.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that this psalm belongs to David, specifically the period just before Absalom's rebellion when Ahithophel betrayed him. He rejects interpretations linking it to Jeremiah or Maccabean times. The abrupt transitions and vivid language, he says, reflect the psalmist's agitated state as he turns to prayer.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley identifies "them" as people who once pretended to follow God but have now wholly abandoned both the outward profession and inward practice of religion. He interprets the grave as a sudden, violent death, and notes that wickedness is so deeply rooted it dwells within their very hearts.