Psalms 35
Old Testament · King James Version
Psalm 35 is a lament of David that asks the LORD to take up his cause against those who attack him without reason. It moves from a cry for God to contend with his enemies, through grief at the treachery of former friends, to a closing prayer that gloating foes be silenced and that all who love his righteous cause rejoice. Throughout, the psalmist entrusts judgment to God rather than taking revenge himself.
Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.
Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord chase them.
Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord persecute them.
For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.
Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.
And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.
All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?
False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.
But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:
With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.
Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.
I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.
Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land.
Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
This thou hast seen, O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.
Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.
Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me.
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.
Context
Psalm 35 stands among the laments of the Psalter and is traditionally attributed to David by its superscription. It is one of the imprecatory psalms, in which the sufferer prays honest, raw words against persecutors while leaving vengeance to God. The text names no datable occasion, so its historical setting is uncertain; it is read as the prayer of a righteous person wrongly accused, brought into the light of the whole of Scripture rather than as a licence for personal retaliation.
Themes & application
- Appealing to God as judge and defender (verses 1-3)
- Honest lament over betrayal by former friends (verses 11-16)
- Entrusting vengeance to God rather than taking it (verses 17-25)
- Vindication of the righteous and public thanksgiving (verses 27-28)
Psalm 35 gives words to those who are wronged and cannot right it themselves: it invites brutally honest prayer while refusing self-administered revenge, handing the case to God who judges justly and cares for the poor and the needy.
Key verses
“Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.”
David asks the LORD to be his advocate and defender, taking up the legal 'cause' and the battle that David will not wage for himself; the appeal is to God's justice, not to David's own hand.
Application: When you are wronged and powerless to fix it, bring the case to God rather than appointing yourself judge and avenger.
Commonly misread: Read as a prayer for personal revenge rather than an appeal for God to judge justly.
“All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?”
The whole self ('all my bones') praises the incomparable LORD as the one who rescues the weak from those too strong for them; the psalm grounds its plea in God's character as defender of the poor.
Application: Anchor your prayers for help in who God is — the deliverer of the overpowered — not merely in your own innocence.
“Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.”
David prays that those who side with his just cause would rejoice and magnify the LORD, who delights in the well-being of his servant; the desired end is God's honor, not merely David's relief.
Application: Long for outcomes that lead others to magnify God, not only for your own vindication.
Commonly misread: Taken as a prosperity guarantee, as if God pledges material wealth to the faithful.
“And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.”
The psalm ends not in triumph over enemies but in continual speech of God's righteousness and praise — the settled goal of the whole lament.
Application: Let the resolution of conflict turn your speech toward God's praise rather than toward boasting over opponents.
Verse notes
Common misreadings of Psalms 35
Misreading: Psalm 35 authorizes Christians to pray for personal revenge on their enemies.
In context: The psalm hands judgment to God ('Plead my cause, O LORD'), asking him to act as judge; it does not license private vengeance. The New Testament reaffirms this direction: 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord' (Romans 12:19).
Misreading: The imprecations of Psalm 35 contradict Jesus' command to love your enemies.
In context: The psalm is honest lament that entrusts justice to God rather than taking it; it holds together with Matthew 5:44 when read as a cry for God to judge rightly, not as personal hatred acted out. Scripture keeps both the honest cry and the call to love.
Misreading: Verse 27 promises material prosperity to the faithful.
In context: 'The prosperity of his servant' expresses God's pleasure in the well-being and vindication of the one whose cause is just; it is not a formula guaranteeing wealth. The psalm's hope is vindication and God's honor, not riches.
Misreading: Psalm 35 can be dated to a specific event in David's life with certainty.
In context: The psalm names no occasion; any specific historical setting is inference, not stated. It is best read as the prayer of a righteous sufferer wrongly accused.
Cross-references
- Romans 12:19 — 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord' — the New Testament restates the psalm's core move of leaving judgment to God.
- John 15:25 — Jesus applies 'they hated me without a cause' (cf. Psalm 35:19) to himself as the innocent sufferer.
- 1 Peter 2:23 — Christ, when reviled, 'committed himself to him that judgeth righteously' — the same entrusting of one's cause to God the psalm models.
- Psalm 34:19 — The adjacent psalm affirms that the LORD delivers the righteous out of all their afflictions, the confidence underlying Psalm 35's plea.
Frequently asked questions about Psalms 35
What kind of psalm is Psalm 35?
Does Psalm 35 justify praying for revenge?
How does Psalm 35 fit with 'love your enemies'?
Is Psalm 35 connected to Jesus?
Sources & editorial notes
- Translation
- Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), which is in the public domain.
- Authorship
- Psalm 35 is traditionally attributed to David by its superscription; that ascription is a traditional heading rather than an undisputed fact, and the psalm names no datable occasion. The genre is Hebrew lament, including honest imprecation that entrusts judgment to God.
- Editorial process
- This chapter overview was written by The Lord Will Editorial Team and reviewed by Ugo Candido. It is a devotional and educational summary drawing on the plain text of the passage and widely held, mainstream Christian understanding; it is not peer-reviewed academic scholarship and makes no claim to specialist credentials.
References
- The Holy Bible, King James Version (1611), public domain. — The translation basis for every quotation on this page (KJV, public domain).
- Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710), on Psalm 35 — public domain. — Reading the psalm as an honest lament that appeals to God as judge and defender of the wronged.
- John 15:25 (KJV). — The New Testament application of Psalm 35:19 ('hated me without a cause') to Jesus, guarding the chapter's christological reading.
Author: The Lord Will Editorial Team · Reviewed by: Ugo Candido · Updated: 2026-08-01