Psalms 109:11

11 May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

Psalms 109:11 in Other Translations

KJV
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.
ESV
11 May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
NLT
11 May creditors seize his entire estate, and strangers take all he has earned.
MSG
11 May the bank foreclose and wipe him out, and strangers, like vultures, pick him clean.
CSB
11 Let a creditor seize all he has; let strangers plunder what he has worked for.

Psalms 109:11 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 109:11

Let the extortioner catch all that he hath
Or, "lay a snare for all" F3; as the Romans did, by bringing in their army, invading the land of Judea, and besieging the city of Jerusalem; who are "the extortioner or exacter that demanded tribute of them"; which they refused to pay, and therefore they seized on all they had for it. The Syriac and Arabic versions render it, "the creditor"; who sometimes for a debt would take wife and children, and all that a man had; see ( 2 Kings 4:1 2 Kings 4:2 ) ( Matthew 18:25 ) . It might be literally true of Judas; who dying in debt, his wife and children, and all he had, might be laid hold on for payment.

And let the stranger spoil his labour;
plunder his house of all his goods and substance he had been labouring for: which was true of the Romans, who were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel; who came into the land, and spoiled their houses, fields, and vineyards, they had been labouring in; they took away their place and nation, and all they had, ( John 11:48 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F3 (vqny) "illaqueet", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Piscator, Gejerus; "iretiat", Vatablus, Michaelis.

Psalms 109:11 In-Context

9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
10 May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12 May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.

Cross References 3

  • 1. Nehemiah 5:3
  • 2. S Numbers 14:3; Isaiah 1:7; Isaiah 6:11; Isaiah 36:1; Lamentations 5:2
  • 3. Job 20:18; Job 5:5
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