Psalms 109:11

11 May the bank foreclose and wipe him out, and strangers, like vultures, pick him clean.

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 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Psalms 109:11 In-Context

9 Make orphans of his children, dress his wife in widow's weeds;

10 Turn his children into begging street urchins, evicted from their homes - homeless.

11 May the bank foreclose and wipe him out, and strangers, like vultures, pick him clean.

12 May there be no one around to help him out, no one willing to give his orphans a break.

13 Chop down his family tree so that nobody even remembers his name.