Psalms 109 · Verse 6

Psalms 109:6

Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
Psalms 109:6, King James Version

Psalms 109:6 in other translations

BSBSet over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
WEBSet a wicked man over him. Let an adversary stand at his right hand.
ASVSet thou a wicked man over him; And let an adversary stand at his right hand.
YLTAppoint Thou over him the wicked, And an adversary standeth at his right hand.
DARBYSet a wicked man over him, and let the adversary stand at his right hand;
BBEPut an evil man over him; and let one be placed at his right hand to say evil of him.
WebsterSet thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.

What does Psalms 109:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. over him--one of his enemies prominent in malignity (Psa 55:12). let Satan stand--as an accuser, whose place was the right hand of the accused (Zec 3:1, 2).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 Let Satan stand at his right hand - As the word שטן satan means an adversary simply, though sometimes it is used to express the evil spirit Satan, I think it best to preserve here its grammatical meaning: "Let an adversary stand at his right hand:" i.e., Let him be opposed and thwarted in all his purposes. All the Versions have devil, or some equivocal word. The Arabic has eblees, the chief of the apostate spirits; but the name is probably corrupted from the Greek διαβολος diabolos; from which the Latin diabolus. the Italian diavolo, the Spanish diablo, the French diable, the Irish or Celtic diabal, the Dutch duivel, the German teufel, the Anglo-Saxon deofal, and the English devil, are all derived. The original, διαβολος, comes from δια βαλλειν to shoot or pierce through.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 109:6-20
The Lord Jesus may speak here as a Judge, denouncing sentence on some of his enemies, to warn others. When men reject the salvation of Christ, even their prayers are numbered among their sins. See what hurries some to shameful deaths, and brings the families and estates of others to ruin; makes them and theirs despicable and hateful, and brings poverty, shame, and misery upon their posterity: it is sin, that mischievous, destructive thing. And what will be the effect of the sentence, "Go, ye cursed," upon the bodies and souls of the wicked! How it will affect the senses of the body, and the powers of the soul, with pain, anguish, horror, and despair! Think on these things, sinners, tremble and repent.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Psalms 109:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

הַפְקֵ֣דhaf.KedappointH6485
עָלָ֣יו'a.Lavon himH5921
רָשָׁ֑עra.Sha'a wicked [person]H7563
וְ֝שָׂטָ֗ןve.sa.Tanand an accuserH7854
יַעֲמֹ֥דya.'a.Modlet him standH5975
עַל\־'al-onH5921
יְמִינֽוֹ\׃ye.mi.Noright [hand] hisH3225

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 109:6

  • Zechariah 3:1

    And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

  • Matthew 5:25

    Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

  • Matthew 27:4

    Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

  • John 13:2

    And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him;

  • John 13:27

    And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Set thou.Dr. Sykes, Michaelis, and others, contend that these imprecations are those of David's enemies against himself; and they would render, "Set, say they, a wicked," etc: but this is rendered highly improbable by the 8th verse being applied by St. Peter to the traitor Judas, of whom David was certainly not a type. (See ver. 20.) Bp. Horsley and others, however, render the verbs in the future tense, the first verb alone being in the imperative; justly considering the Psalmist as merely uttering prophetic denunciations of God's displeasure against sinners.
Mt 27:4
and let.
Zec 3:1; Joh 13:2,27
Satan. or, an adversary.
Mt 5:25

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 109:5

    And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

  • Psalms 109:6

    Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.

  • Psalms 109:7

    When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

Read all of Psalms 109

Psalms 109:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Pon sobre él al impío: y Satán esté á su diestra.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Prépose sur lui un méchant, et que l’adversaire se tienne à sa droite;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Bestelle einen Gesetzlosen über ihn, und ein Widersacher stehe zu seiner Rechten!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas; conquassabit capita in terra multorum.