Understanding the Imprecatory Psalms and Their Emotive Language

DAY 342 CHALLENGE “Some psalms contain violent and bloodthirsty language that calls down wrath upon (imprecates) one’s enemies.” DEFENSE The key to understanding these is recognizing their genre and the modes of language they employ. The psalms were written in a world in which people experienced many violent acts that were bound to stir up powerful emotions. Expressing an emotion, however, is not the same thing as literally performing an act, much less does it mean God would approve of literally performing the act. The psalms thus use hyperbolic language to express emotions without imp...