Even in times of chastening, believers can find solace in God’s faithfulness and anticipate His deliverance.
For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten,
And they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded (v. 26).
King David, who lived from around 1010 BC to 970 BC and ruled Israel from Jerusalem after his early years in Bethlehem, wrote Psalm 69 as both a lament and a plea for justice against oppressive foes. In verse 26, his words convey the irony that these enemies take advantage of someone already chastened by God; rather than offering compassion, they compound the suffering. David’s lifetime was marked by conflicts—both internal strife and wars with surrounding nations—and he often poured out his anguish to the LORD, trusting that Divine deliverance would honor the humble and punish unrepentant violators of God’s covenant. This historical setting anchors the psalm in a real-world context where persecution could be fierce, and alliances unstable.
The verse also resonates with the psalm’s broader Messianic themes, pointing to how those in spiritual rebellion magnify the pain inflicted upon the righteous. In a future sense, it foreshadows how Jesus Christ Himself, though ultimately fulfilling God’s redemptive plan, would be further tormented by mockers even as He suffered on the cross (Matthew 27:39-44, John 19:28). In this way, David’s entreaty for vindication extends beyond his lifetime and highlights God’s abiding principle that wickedness has no lasting triumph over the righteous.
God’s justice ensures that those who cruelly intensify the wounds He has allowed for refining purposes will themselves face accountability, and that redemption awaits all who humbly seek Him.
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Psalms 69:26 meaning
For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten,
And they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded (v. 26).
King David, who lived from around 1010 BC to 970 BC and ruled Israel from Jerusalem after his early years in Bethlehem, wrote Psalm 69 as both a lament and a plea for justice against oppressive foes. In verse 26, his words convey the irony that these enemies take advantage of someone already chastened by God; rather than offering compassion, they compound the suffering. David’s lifetime was marked by conflicts—both internal strife and wars with surrounding nations—and he often poured out his anguish to the LORD, trusting that Divine deliverance would honor the humble and punish unrepentant violators of God’s covenant. This historical setting anchors the psalm in a real-world context where persecution could be fierce, and alliances unstable.
The verse also resonates with the psalm’s broader Messianic themes, pointing to how those in spiritual rebellion magnify the pain inflicted upon the righteous. In a future sense, it foreshadows how Jesus Christ Himself, though ultimately fulfilling God’s redemptive plan, would be further tormented by mockers even as He suffered on the cross (Matthew 27:39-44, John 19:28). In this way, David’s entreaty for vindication extends beyond his lifetime and highlights God’s abiding principle that wickedness has no lasting triumph over the righteous.
God’s justice ensures that those who cruelly intensify the wounds He has allowed for refining purposes will themselves face accountability, and that redemption awaits all who humbly seek Him.