God calls His people to respond to hatred with faith in His goodness and to remember that all wrongs will ultimately be made right by His hand.
“Thus they have repaid me evil for good
And hatred for my love.” (v.5)
In this psalm, David voices a painful situation in which those closest to him turn on him with hostility instead of gratitude. He confesses that his acts of kindness and loyalty have resulted in “evil for good and hatred for my love” (v.5), capturing the essence of betrayal and injustice. The psalm is traditionally understood as one of the imprecatory psalms, where David fervently petitions God to intervene against the wickedness of his enemies. Elsewhere in Psalm 109, David describes an accuser rising at the right hand of the one who does evil, and he pleads earnestly for the Lord’s deliverance. Centuries later, parts of this psalm are even applied in the New Testament, illustrating how Judas betrayed Jesus (Acts 1:20).
The heartbreak expressed in Psalm 109:5 underscores the psalmist’s sense of injustice—he offered love but was met with hatred. David’s experience foreshadows the greater suffering borne by Christ, who also encountered the pain of being wronged by those He served. Where David cried out for God’s vengeance, Jesus perfectly modeled forgiveness on the cross (Luke 23:34), urging believers to trust that God remains sovereign and just even in the face of harsh betrayal. In reading this verse, we recognize both the reality of human cruelty and the assurance that the Lord hears the desperate pleas of the righteous.
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Psalms 109:5 meaning
“Thus they have repaid me evil for good
And hatred for my love.” (v.5)
In this psalm, David voices a painful situation in which those closest to him turn on him with hostility instead of gratitude. He confesses that his acts of kindness and loyalty have resulted in “evil for good and hatred for my love” (v.5), capturing the essence of betrayal and injustice. The psalm is traditionally understood as one of the imprecatory psalms, where David fervently petitions God to intervene against the wickedness of his enemies. Elsewhere in Psalm 109, David describes an accuser rising at the right hand of the one who does evil, and he pleads earnestly for the Lord’s deliverance. Centuries later, parts of this psalm are even applied in the New Testament, illustrating how Judas betrayed Jesus (Acts 1:20).
The heartbreak expressed in Psalm 109:5 underscores the psalmist’s sense of injustice—he offered love but was met with hatred. David’s experience foreshadows the greater suffering borne by Christ, who also encountered the pain of being wronged by those He served. Where David cried out for God’s vengeance, Jesus perfectly modeled forgiveness on the cross (Luke 23:34), urging believers to trust that God remains sovereign and just even in the face of harsh betrayal. In reading this verse, we recognize both the reality of human cruelty and the assurance that the Lord hears the desperate pleas of the righteous.