Psalms 55:9 Commentary: Confounding the Counsel of the Violent

Psalm 55 is widely associated with the period of Absalom’s rebellion, though the superscription does not name the event. The language of betrayal, trusted friendship shattered, and violence in Jerusalem fits David’s flight from the city after learning of Ahithophel’s defection (2 Samuel 15, 17). In that account, David prays specifically that God would “turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness” (2 Samuel 15:31). This prayer is answered when Hushai’s advice is preferred over Ahithophel’s, and Ahithophel ultimately hangs himself (2 Samuel 17:14, 23).

The city in view is Jerusalem, which had become a place of chaos. David “saw violence and strife”, not only political rebellion but also lawlessness and betrayal among those he had once governed justly (Matthew Henry, Keil & Delitzsch). The allusion to Babel is crucial. At Babel, God confused language to thwart human pride and self-exaltation (Genesis 11). Here, David asks God to perform a similar act of judicial confusion, not on language itself but on the counsel and speech of those plotting evil. This is not a prayer for general destruction but a request that God would dismantle the unity of evil purpose. The enemies are not foreign nations but members of David’s own court and city, a fact that intensifies the pain and the plea.

In the ancient Near East, the king was seen as the guarantor of justice. When the king himself becomes a victim of injustice, only a higher King can set things right. David’s raw lament and his cry for divine intervention reflect a faith that God hears the cry of the wronged and acts to vindicate his righteousness. The imprecation is rooted in the covenant: God promises to judge evil and to protect the innocent. David’s prayer is that God would be true to His character.

The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 55:9. The two verbs in the first line are consistently read as imperatives addressed to God, with the object “their tongues” (or “their speech”) serving both verbs. The word translated “confound” or “divide” appears in other passages describing division and scattering. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts.

Psalm 55 has been read throughout church history as a profound lament over betrayal. Early Christian writers, such as Augustine, saw in David’s cry a type of Christ betrayed by Judas. The imprecation against the conspirators was often interpreted as a prayer for God to thwart the counsels of those who oppose Christ and his people. In the medieval period, the psalm was used in the liturgy of Good Friday, connecting the betrayal of David to the betrayal of Jesus. The Reformation commentators (Calvin, Luther) treated the imprecations as an expression of the law: the judgment that falls on the unrepentant. They also stressed that such prayers are not for personal vengeance but for the vindication of God’s righteousness. Modern interpreters from various traditions continue to wrestle with how to appropriate imprecatory language, often reading it as a model for bringing raw emotion before God and leaving ultimate justice in His hands.

Three-point outline

1. The cry of the betrayed: David sees violence and strife in the very city he ruled. His trust has been broken by a friend (v. 12, 14). The first point is the raw honesty of lament, we can bring our deepest wounds to God.
2. The plea for divine confusion: David prays that God would “divide their tongues”, alluding to Babel. He asks God to thwart the plans of the wicked not by his own strength but by God’s sovereign power over human speech and counsel.
3. The hope of a just God: The imprecation is itself an act of faith. David does not take revenge but lays the cause before the Judge of all. The outcome, Ahithophel’s counsel defeated, shows God hears and answers such cries for justice.

Five-point outline

1. Context of betrayal: David’s world is falling apart. A city he built is now a den of violence. An intimate friend turns enemy.
2. Babel revisited: The prayer echoes Genesis 11. God once confused language to scatter human pride; now David asks for a similar act to scatter evil plots.
3. The urgency of imprecation: David does not pray “if” but calls for God to act immediately. The imperative verbs (“swallow up… divide”) express desperate trust.
4. Justice, not vengeance: The focus is on stopping the oppression and restoring order, not personal satisfaction. David’s own heart is tested by the severity of the prayer.
5. God’s vindication: History shows God heard this prayer. The narrative in 2 Samuel 17 confirms the confusion of Ahithophel’s counsel. Faith is not empty hope; it is grounded in God’s proven character.

Illustration hooks

• Team sabotage: A team working on a vital project discovers one member is leaking plans to competitors. The leader prays not just for protection but for the plot to be exposed and fall apart. That prayer mirrors David’s, asking God to dismantle what cannot be fixed by human effort.
• Betrayal by a close friend: A person discovers that a trusted confidant has spread lies about them. The impulse to strike back is natural, but the path of faith is to cry out to God, as David did, and let Him deal with the confusion of lies.
• City shaken by corruption: News reveals that a local government office is riddled with bribery and backroom deals. Citizens feel powerless. David’s prayer becomes a model: bring the corruption before God and ask Him to confuse the schemes of the unjust.

Questions your congregation is asking

• How do I pray when I have been deeply wronged and I want justice, not just peace of mind?
• Does God still answer prayers that ask Him to confuse the plans of evil people? What does that look like today?
• How do psalms like this square with Jesus’ command to love our enemies?

Psalm 55:9 brings us into the raw pain of a person who has been betrayed and sees violence erupt all around. David does not hide his anger or his desire for God to act. Rather than taking matters into his own hands, he turns to the Lord. This passage invites us to consider how we handle injustice and betrayal, do we seek revenge, or do we cry out for God to intervene and bring about His justice?

Discussion questions

1. Observation: What does the verse say about the condition of the city? What does David see there (v. 9, 10)? How does that match or differ from what Jerusalem was meant to be?
2. Observation: The verse echoes two Old Testament events: the judgment on the builders of Babel (Genesis 11) and the swallowing up of Korah (Numbers 16). Why do you think David draws on these specific stories?
3. Interpretation: What does it mean to pray that God would “divide their tongues”? Is David asking for physical muteness, or for something deeper in their counsels and plans?
4. Interpretation: How does the surrounding context (v. 12, 14, betrayal by a close friend) shape the way we understand the intensity of this prayer?
5. Application: When have you wanted God to “confuse the tongues” of people who were plotting something unjust? How did you pray in that situation?
6. Application: How can we hold together the imprecatory language of this psalm with Jesus’ teaching to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44)? Is it possible to pray both ways? Why or why not?
7. Application: Read 2 Samuel 15:31 and 17:14. How did God answer David’s prayer? What does this teach us about God’s willingness to hear cries for justice?