Catholic Commentary on Psalm 35

"May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, The Lord be exalted." (Psalm 35:27)

The Prayer for Divine Justice

Psalm 35 is an imprecatory psalm, one of the psalms that pray explicitly for God to act against the psalmist's enemies. These psalms trouble modern readers, and they should be approached honestly rather than avoided. David begins with a direct request: Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. He describes enemies who have laid hidden snares for him, who have lied about him, who have repaid his good with evil. He nursed them when they were sick. When he stumbled they gathered against him, attacking without cause like a mocking mob.

The imprecatory psalms have been a theological challenge since the early Church. St. Augustine resolved it by reading them as the voice of Christ against the powers of evil, not as a model for personal revenge. The prayer for divine judgment against the enemy is not the same as taking vengeance into our own hands. It is the opposite: it hands the matter over to God, acknowledging that justice belongs to him. The Catechism notes that the cry for justice in Scripture must always be heard as a cry to God, not as licence for human retaliation (CCC 2302).

The Desire for Vindication

What David ultimately desires is not the destruction of his enemies but the vindication of justice and the praise of God. May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant. The goal is God's exaltation. The problem with the enemies is not simply that they have hurt David; it is that their conduct contradicts the justice of God. The prayer for their defeat is a prayer for God's justice to be seen.

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, if you have been wronged and have been tempted to take matters into your own hands, Psalm 35 offers an alternative: give it to God. Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me. This is not passive acceptance of injustice. It is active trust that the one whose justice is perfect can handle it better than you can. Fight the battle in prayer before you fight it anywhere else.

Prayer

Lord God, you know every wrong done against me. Contend with those who contend with me. Rescue my soul from their ravages. Let those who delight in my vindication rejoice. And may the outcome be that you are exalted and your justice seen. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

35
Contend with My Opponents, O LORD
Of David.
 
1 Contend with my opponents, O LORD;
fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take up Your shield and buckler;
arise and come to my aid.
3 Draw the spear and javelin * 35:3 Or and close the way against my pursuers;
say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”
 
4 May those who seek my life
be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plan to harm me
be driven back and confounded.
5 May they be like chaff in the wind,
as the angel of the LORD drives them away.
6 May their path be dark and slick,
as the angel of the LORD pursues.
7 For without cause they laid their net for me;
without reason they dug a pit for my soul.
8 May ruin befall them by surprise;
may the net they hid ensnare them;
may they fall into the hazard they created.
 
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD
and exult in His salvation.
10 All my bones will exclaim,
“Who is like You, O LORD,
who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor,
the poor and needy from the robber?”
 
11 Hostile witnesses come forward;
they make charges I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good,
to the bereavement of my soul.
13 Yet when they were ill,
I put on sackcloth;
I humbled myself with fasting,
but my prayers returned unanswered.† 35:13 Literally returned to my bosom
14 I paced about
as for my friend or brother;
I was bowed down with grief,
like one mourning for his mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee;
they gathered together against me.
Assailants I did not know
slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like godless jesters at a feast,‡ 35:16 Or Like a godless circle of mockers,
they gnashed their teeth at me.
 
17 How long, O Lord, will You look on?
Rescue my soul from their ravages,
my precious life from these lions.
18 Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You among many people.
19 Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause,
nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.§ 35:19 See John 15:25.
20 For they do not speak peace,
but they devise deceitful schemes
against those who live quietly in the land.
21 They gape at me and say,
“Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!”
 
22 O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent.
O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Awake and rise to my defense,
to my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me by Your righteousness, O LORD my God,
and do not let them gloat over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts,
“Aha, just what we wanted!”
Let them not say,
“We have swallowed him up!”
 
26 May those who gloat in my distress
be ashamed and confounded;
may those who exalt themselves over me
be clothed in shame and reproach.
27 May those who favor my vindication
shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “Exalted be the LORD
who delights in His servant’s well-being.”
 
28 Then my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness
and Your praises all day long.

*35:3 35:3 Or and close the way

†35:13 35:13 Literally returned to my bosom

‡35:16 35:16 Or Like a godless circle of mockers,

§35:19 35:19 See John 15:25.

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