Psalms 58:7 · Bible study
Psalms 58:7 Commentary: Imprecatory Prayer for God’s Justice
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
This prayer for enemies to vanish like water raises the challenge of imprecatory psalms in Christian life. How do we pray for justice while loving enemies?
Research Summary
- Meaning: The psalmist prays that the wicked would lose their influence and power to harm, vanishing like a passing flood and having their weapons fail.
- Key words: “Vanish” (melt away), a common OT term for hearts dissolving in fear (Joshua 2:9; Exodus 15:15). “Arrows be made blunt” (cut off), image of a broken attack.
- Main debate: Who bends the bow? Some see God as the archer (Gill, Jarchi); others see the wicked (Cambridge Bible, Barnes). Also debated: how to use imprecatory prayers today.
- Theological theme: God’s justice as the only true remedy for rampant evil; the righteous entrust their cause to God.
- Best use: In teaching on lament and justice, and as a model for honestly bringing anger over injustice to God.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
May they vanish like water that runs off; when they draw the bow, may their arrows be blunted.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Let them vanish like water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.
KJV King James Version 1769
Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Let them melt away as water that runneth apace: When he aimeth his arrows, let them be as though they were cut off.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
They are melted as waters, They go up and down for themselves, His arrow proceedeth as they cut themselves off.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Let them melt away as waters that flow off; when he aimeth his arrows, let them be as blunted:
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
They shall return at evening, and shall suffer hunger like dogs: and shall go round about the city.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Córranse como aguas que se van de suyo: en entesando sus saetas, luego sean hechas pedazos.
Que eles escorram como águas, que vão embora; quando ele armar sua flecha, sejam eles cortados em pedaços.
O Dieu, brise-leur les dents dans la bouche!
Sie werden zergehen wie Wasser, das dahinfließt. Sie zielen mit ihren Pfeilen; aber dieselben zerbrechen.
O God! verbreek hun tanden in hun mond; breek af de baktanden der jonge leeuwen, o HEERE!
Si struggano com’acqua che scorre via; quando tirano le lor frecce, sian come spuntate.
O Boże! pokruszże zęby ich w ustach ich; połam, Panie! lwiąt trzonowe zęby.
вечером возвращаются они, воют, как псы, и ходят вокруг города;
願他們消滅，如 急流的 水一般；他們瞅準 射箭的時候，願箭頭彷彿 砍斷。
Let them be turned to liquid like the ever-flowing waters; let them be cut off like the grass by the way.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions see this verse as a prayer for God to render the wicked powerless. The imagery of melting water, which flows off and disappears, represents the sudden, irreversible end of the enemy's influence. Barnes connects this to torrents that vanish into the desert sand. Clarke adds that the water evaporates or is absorbed, leaving no trace. The second line, about the bow, uses a unique Hebrew phrase where “treading” the bow (stamping it into shape, as in Psalm 64:3) is transferred to the arrows. Most agree the petition is that the arrows be “cut off” or blunted, so they inflict no harm. An ambiguity arises over who bends the bow: some (Gill, Jarchi) see God as the archer aiming judgment; others (Cambridge Bible, Barnes) read the wicked as the subject, praying that their own weapons fail. Either way, the core plea is that God's justice would disarm the enemy. Keil & Delitzsch note the onomatopoeic force of the verb for cutting, emphasizing sudden destruction.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal imprecation: Taken as a straightforward prayer for God to physically destroy enemies, as the vivid metaphors suggest.
- Spiritual warfare reading: Enemies are seen as spiritual forces – sin, Satan, death – against which Christians rightly pray for God's judgment.
- Prophetic/didactic reading: The curses are not so much requests as predictions of what will happen to the unrepentant, serving as a warning.
What is clear: The psalmist entrusts his cause to God as the righteous Judge, believing that God will ultimately deal justly with evil.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Use of imprecatory prayers | They are honest expressions of suffering and a cry for God to act justly. | Some Christians believe they should be prayed directly as appeals for God's judgment; others argue they are fulfilled in Christ and should now be directed against spiritual forces of evil, not against people. |
| Identity of the archer | The Hebrew phrase is ambiguous and commentators acknowledge two plausible readings. | Some (Gill, Jarchi) read it as God bending his bow against the wicked; others (Cambridge Bible, Barnes) read the wicked bending his bow, praying that his arrows fail. |
| Water imagery meaning | The image indicates disappearance, loss of power, or death. | Whether it emphasizes swiftness (like a raging torrent that vanishes) or worthlessness (water that spills and cannot be recovered) or being “melted” in fear. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 58 is set within David's experience of slander and injustice. The superscription (“Michtam of David”) and the opening address to “you gods” (unjust judges, vv.1-2) indicate he is protesting corrupt legal systems that oppress the innocent. The psalmist describes these enemies as venomous snakes and roaring lions (vv.4-6), then calls on God to break their teeth and make them vanish. The water metaphor in verse 7 draws from daily life in the ancient Near East. Wadis (dry riverbeds) could suddenly flood after a storm, raging briefly, then disappear entirely as the water soaked away or evaporated. This image appears elsewhere: Exodus 15:15 describes Canaanite leaders melting in fear; Joshua 2:9-11 and 7:5 use the same verb for hearts dissolving. The bow and arrow imagery reflects ancient military reality. Bending a bow required treading the stave underfoot (Psalms 11:2; 64:3). To pray that arrows be “cut off” or blunted was to ask that the enemy's attack fail at its critical moment. The psalm’s literary context places verse 7 in a series of imprecations (vv.6-10) that crescendo into a declaration of divine judgment. This is not private revenge; it is a public cry for God to restore just order.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 58:7. The Hebrew text is stable across the manuscript tradition.
Reception History
Christians have long wrestled with the imprecatory psalms. Early church fathers like Augustine read them allegorically, interpreting the enemies as spiritual vices or demons. In the medieval period, these psalms were often used liturgically during times of persecution, with the hope that God would vindicate his people. During the Reformation, commentators such as Calvin and Luther emphasized that David's prayers were directed against the wicked as enemies of God's covenant, not against personal foes. Modern evangelical and mainline scholarship tends to treat them as expressions of raw lament, honest about evil, and as calls for ultimate justice that anticipate the final judgment. They are rarely used verbatim in public worship today, but many believers privately find them a theological vocabulary for their own cries for justice.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The problem of entrenched evil. David faces enemies who lie from birth, speak poison, and refuse correction (vv.3-5). Their corruption is systemic, not occasional.
- The prayer for God’s intervention. Verse 7 asks for two things: that the wicked vanish like disappearing water and that their weapons become useless. The request is for God to disarm and disperse evil.
- The vindication of the righteous. The psalm ends with the righteous rejoicing in God's justice (vv.10-11), not in personal revenge, but in the public demonstration that God indeed judges the earth.
Five-point outline
- Water that runs away, a plea for the wicked to lose their power suddenly and completely.
- Arrows cut off, a request that their plans and attacks fail to reach the target.
- The snail that melts (v.8), a vivid picture of disintegration and dissolution.
- The stillborn child (v.8), a stark metaphor for utter extinction, a life that never begins.
- The pot and the thorns (v.9), a promise that God will sweep away the wicked before they can even prepare their schemes.
Illustration hooks
- Workplace injustice: A colleague spreads lies about you, and the system seems rigged. You feel powerless. This psalm gives you words to cry out for God to expose and stop the falsehood.
- Witnessing systemic corruption: A government or institution that protects abusers. The prayer that their “arrows” be blunted means asking God to prevent their harmful actions from succeeding.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it sinful to pray for God to judge my enemies?
- How do I reconcile this psalm with Jesus’ command to love my enemies?
- If God is slow to act, does he still hear this kind of prayer?
Leading a Discussion
This psalm is raw and honest. It does not pretend that evil is harmless. As you discuss, remember that David entrusts his cause to God, not to his own hands. The prayers for judgment are framed by the hope that God will bring justice, and that the righteous will be vindicated.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What are the two requests David makes in verse 7? What mental picture does each metaphor create?
- Observation: Look at the surrounding verses (vv.6-9). What other similes and images does the psalmist use to describe the fate of the wicked?
- Interpretation: The verb “melt” appears in Joshua 2:9-11 and Exodus 15:15. What do those passages add to your understanding of this image?
- Interpretation: Who do you think draws the bow in verse 7, the wicked man or God? How does your answer change the meaning?
- Application: Have you ever felt the urge to pray like this? What does it mean to bring those feelings to God honestly?
- Application: How does Jesus’ call to love enemies (Matthew 5:44) interact with this psalm? Is there a way to pray for justice without cultivating bitterness?
- Application: How can this passage give voice to those who suffer persecution or systemic injustice today?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 15:15 | Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed. Trembling takes hold of the mighty men of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. |
| Joshua 2:9 | She said to the men, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. |
| Joshua 2:11 | As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, and there wasn’t any more spirit in any man, because of you: for Yahweh your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath. |
| Joshua 7:5 | The men of Ai struck about thirty-six men of them. They chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and struck them at the descent. The hearts of the people melted, and became like water. |
| II Samuel 17:10 | Even he who is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men. |
| Psalms 22:14 | I am poured out like water. All my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It is melted within me. |
| Psalms 64:3 | who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrows, deadly words, |
| 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
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke focuses on two vivid images: desert waters that quickly vanish under sun and sand, and a bow whose arrows are broken in flight. He notes that the bow can refer either to the psalmist's enemies or to God, who bends His bow to destroy them.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes interprets the imagery of melting waters as a prayer for enemies to vanish completely, like a flood lost in the sand. He then explains the bent bow likewise: the supplicant asks that the arrows themselves be cut short or blunted, so the attack can do no harm.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights the boldness of David's challenge: by appealing to his enemies themselves to judge whether he speaks right, David shows the strength of a clear conscience. Only someone absolutely certain of his innocence would dare call his accusers as witnesses, forcing them to acknowledge the truth against their own malice.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator observes a grammatical ambiguity in the text: does the wicked man or God aim the arrows? They prefer the reading that the wicked man is the archer, and the prayer is that his arrows would be broken and powerless. The image of raging waters suggests a brief, violent torrent that soon disappears entirely.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes take the imagery literally: the psalmist asks that the enemies vanish as quickly as flowing water and that their arrows snap uselessly when shot. The point is complete powerlessness—the foes are not just defeated but rendered utterly ineffective in their attack.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill offers several possible meanings for the image of enemies melting away like running water: losing courage and becoming disheartened, being unstable and never settled, or being swiftly and irrecoverably destroyed. For the second image of cut arrows, he suggests either that the wicked's plans are frustrated or that God himself aims and cuts off his enemies like ripe grain.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights the Hebrew sense behind two phrases. "Run continually" literally means "they shall go to themselves," like swift mountain streams rushing away. The bending of arrows implies preparing them, while "cut in pieces" pictures arrows becoming blunted and useless, as though cut off from their purpose.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch focuses intently on the Hebrew wordplay and imagery: the arrows are cut off at the front, rendering them as useless as headless shafts. The snail, literally dissolving into slime as it moves, pictures the wicked wasting away. The raw and cooked meat in the pot represents plots against David at every stage, which God sweeps away in an instant.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads the opening question as an ironic oxymoron: these judges claim to speak righteousness, but their justice is effectively silent. For him, “silence” captures their willful failure to punish wickedness, a hypocrisy that sets the psalm’s tone. He grounds the entire poem in David’s indignation over corrupt domestic courts, not foreign enemies.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry stresses that David's harsh prayers against his enemies come from a public spirit for the church's protection, not private revenge. He notes David asks only to break their teeth, not their necks, so they might live to repent while being prevented from further harming the righteous.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley compares the sudden disappearance to waters from melted snow. They rush with great force at first but are gone just as quickly. His point is that seeming strength is fleeting and will not last.