PSALM 94 [1]

God of vengeance, how long?

God of vengeance (vv.1-2)

1 O Yahweh, God of vengeance,	God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O Judge [2] of the earth, [3]	Render recompense [4] to the proud.

Question asked of Yahweh (vv.3-7)

3 How long shall the wicked, O Yahweh,	How long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;	All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.[5]
5 They crush Your people, O Yahweh,	And afflict Your heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger	And murder the orphans.
7 They have said, “YAH [6] does not see,	Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”

Warning and questions asked of the stupid (vv.8-11)

8 Pay heed, you senseless among the people;	And when will you understand, stupid ones?
9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear?	He who formed the eye, does He not see?
10 He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,	Even He who teaches man knowledge?[7]
11 Yahweh knows the thoughts of man, [8]	That they are a mere breath.

The blessed man (vv.12-15) [9]

12 Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O YAH,	And whom You teach out of Your law;
13 That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,	Until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For Yahweh will not abandon His people, (1 Sam.12:22)	Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
15 For judgment will again be righteous,	And all the upright in heart will follow it.

Question asked of others (vv.16-19)

16 Who will stand up for me against evildoers?	Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?
17 If Yahweh had not been my help,	My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
18 If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”	Your lovingkindness, O Yahweh, will hold me up.
19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,	Your consolations delight my soul.

Question asked of Yahweh (vv.20-23)

20 Can a throne of destruction be allied with You,		One which devises mischief by decree?
21 They band themselves together against the life of the righteous [10]		And condemn ~~the innocent to death~~ innocent blood.[11]
22 But Yahweh has been my stronghold,		And my God the rock[12] of my refuge.[13]
23 He has brought back their wickedness upon them	And will destroy them in their evil;		Yahweh our God will destroy them.

[1] For the parallels between the kingship Psalms (93-100) and Revelation 4-5 see Psalm 93.

[2] “Judge” is found 5x in Book IV of the Psalter and all in the “kingship Psalms” (93-100) (94:2; 96:13 [2x]; 98:9 [2x]).

[3] “Earth” occurs 44x in Book IV of the Psalter and 15x in the kingship psalms.

[4] “Recompense” is found 2x in Book IV of the Psalter. In Psalm 103:2 it has the sense of “benefits.”

[5] “innocence is trampled down, and wickedness exalted on high” (Charles Spurgeon, Psalms, 94:1).

[6] “YAH” is found 7x in Book IV of the Psalter (94:7,12; 102:18, 104:35; 105:45; 106:1,48).

[7] Verses 9-10 utilize one of the most common methods of biblical argumentation, qal vahomer (Hebrew for “light and heavy”). This principle teaches that what is true or applicable in a “light” (or less important) instance is surely true or applicable in a “heavy” (or more important) instance (a.k.a. a minori ad maius [from the lesser to the greater]; a fortiori [to the stronger]; good and necessary consequence) (cf. Genesis 44:8; Exodus 6:12; Deuteronomy 31:27; 2 Kings 5:13; Job 15:15-16; Proverbs 11:31; 15:11; Isaiah 45:10; Jonah 4:10-11).

[8] Verse 11 is a moving example of what Adele Berlin calls “expectant parallelism” (The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism, 134). 11a affirms that Yahweh knows the thoughts of man, and 11b reveals Yahweh’s thoughts about man’s thoughts. Verse 11 gives us insight into the mind and thoughts of both man and Yahweh.

This verse is quoted by Paul, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.” (1 Cor.3:20).

[9] “Ps 94:12–15 is found almost at the exact center of Pss 90–99” (Tate, Psalms 51-100, p.494).

[10] “Righteous” is found 4x in Book IV of the Psalter (92:12; 94:21; 97:11,12).

[11] Israel is condemned for shedding innocent blood in Psalm 106:38.

[12] “Rock” is found 4x in Book IV of the Psalter (92:15; 94:22; 95:1; 105:41).

[13] “Refuge” is found 4x in Book IV of the Psalter (91:2,9; 94:22; 104:18).