Let them wander up and down for meat and grudge if they be not satisfied.Psalm 59:15 Explainer ## Introduction - In Plain Language: Let them wander around looking for food and be upset if they don’t find enough. - Big idea: David asks God to frustrate his enemies so their plans fail and they experience the hunger, restlessness, and frustration they wanted to bring on him. - Key points: - The verse pictures enemies roaming and searching in vain—hungry, restless, and bitter. - It’s part of an imprecatory (call-for-justice) prayer: David calls on God to intervene against violent attackers. - The language uses everyday images (searching for food, being dissatisfied) to describe the shame and failure of evildoers. ## Context - Where this verse fits in: Psalm 59 is a psalm of David composed when men sent by Saul watched David’s house to kill him (title). The psalm mixes plea for rescue, vivid requests for God to act against the attackers, and confident vows to praise God. - Story timeline: Historically this is placed in David’s time as a fugitive from Saul (roughly late 11th–early 10th century BC). The audience is God (the prayer), though the psalm would be read or sung publicly later. David is the speaker. - Surrounding passage (summary of 1–3 verses before and after): - Just before (vv. ~12–14): David asks God to break the teeth of his enemies, make them retreat and be ashamed, and to show that God rules. The psalmist wants the destructive plans of his enemies reversed. - This verse (v. 15) intensifies the picture: let them roam seeking food and be bitter if they don’t find it. - Immediately after (vv. ~16–17): David shifts to trust and praise—he will sing of God’s power and mercy, trusting God to rescue him and protect him from these men. ## Explanation - Quick take: The verse uses the simple image of hungry people wandering for food to portray the confusion and frustration David wants his enemies to experience—an image for defeat and shame. - In Depth: - Literal and figurative meaning: “Wander up and down for meat” literally evokes people roaming the countryside or streets searching for provisions. Figuratively, it portrays enemies driven to aimless, humiliating search—deprived of what they want. “Grudge if they be not satisfied” expresses their anger, resentment, and disappointment when their efforts fail. - Why this request? David is under threat from men sent to ambush or spy on him (see psalm title). The plea is for God to stop violent plots and to expose and frustrate the attackers so they reap shame rather than success. - Imprecatory dimensions: This verse is part of an imprecatory prayer (psalms that call for God’s judgment on enemies). These sections are expressions of desperate trust: when human justice fails, the psalmist asks God to act. Many interpreters see these prayers as asking God to enforce covenant justice, not celebrating gratuitous cruelty. - Tone shift: After vivid calls for God to punish enemies, the psalm closes with confidence and praise—David expects God’s intervention and plans to sing of God’s power and mercy. That balance (petition for justice + trust/praise) is typical of many psalms. ## Key Words - Wander (Hebrew root often used: נדד, nadad) — “to roam, move about, wander”; suggests restlessness and lack of secure place. - Meat / Food (Hebrew: מזון, mazon) — “provision, sustenance”; here it stands for basic needs the enemies hunt for. - Satisfied (Hebrew from שבע, sava‘) — “to be full, to be satisfied”; the phrase emphasizes the frustration of unmet desire. (Note: exact Hebrew forms in this verse reflect poetic idiom; these glosses capture the core semantic range.) ## Background - Ancient cultural background: In the ancient Near East, roaming groups and raiders could threaten households; the image of men prowling at night or wandering for food would be a vivid fear. The psalmist uses common survival imagery (hunger, search) to describe social and moral ruin for the wicked. - Literary background: Imprecatory psalms are a recognized poetic genre in the Psalter. They combine complaint, petition, and confidence. They are not simply revenge fantasies but communal or personal appeals for God to uphold justice and covenant order. ## Theology - Theological insights: - God as defender and judge: The psalm trusts God to defend the innocent and to frustrate the wicked. - Justice and exposure: The prayer seeks not private vengeance but the exposure of evil—showing that wicked plans ultimately fail under God’s rule. - Emotional honesty before God: The psalm models bringing anger, fear, and desire for justice honestly before God, then turning to praise. ## Application To Your Life - For workers: If you face sabotage, false accusations, or unfair competitors, you can bring the situation to God, asking Him to expose and frustrate wrongdoing while you maintain integrity. - For parents: Teach children that when people hurt them, it’s right to ask God for protection and justice, and to trust God rather than take matters into their own hands. - For those dealing with enemies or betrayal: This verse permits honest longing for wrongs to be set right. Pair that longing with a commitment not to repay harm with harm and a trust that God will ultimately act. - For seekers: The psalm shows that faith includes bringing raw emotions to God and expecting His righteous care. - Reflection question(s): - What feelings do you tend to hide from God—anger, desire for justice, fear—and how could you bring them honestly before Him? - Where have you wanted your own revenge instead of trusting God’s justice? - Short prayer: Lord, I bring my fear and anger to you; do what is right and protect the vulnerable. Help me to trust your justice and to live without repaying harm. ## Translation Comparison - King James Version (KJV): “Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.” - New International Version (NIV): “Let them wander about for food and be put to shame; may they turn back and be disgraced.” - English Standard Version (ESV): “Let them wander about for lack of food and be put to shame and seek refuge in vain.” - New Living Translation (NLT): “Let them wander around in search of food and shrivel with hunger and shame.” - Why differences matter: Translators choose words to reflect Hebrew poetry, connotation, and rhythm. “Meat” in older translations = “food” today. Choices like “be put to shame” versus “grudge if not satisfied” shape whether the focus is on internal bitterness (grudging) or external disgrace (shame). Some translations emphasize the physical picture (hunger, roaming), others the social consequence (shame, disgrace, failure). These choices affect how readers hear the psalm’s tone—personal bitterness, public humiliation, or divine justice. ## FAQs - Q: Is Psalm 59:15 saying we should wish hunger on our enemies? Short answer: The verse is part of a prayer asking God to frustrate violent attackers and expose their wrongdoing. In its ancient context, imagery of hunger and roaming portrays humiliation and failure for those who prey on others. Rather than endorsing cruelty, the psalm voices a desire for God’s justice—stopping harm and reversing the attackers’ advantage. The psalmist’s rhetoric is strong because the threat was real and urgent. Many readers balance such imprecatory petitions with other biblical commands (e.g., love enemies, leave final judgment to God), seeing these psalms as honest cries for God to act when human systems fail. - Q: What does “meat” mean here—does it mean permission for revenge or something else? Short answer: “Meat” in older English simply means “food” or “provision.” The verse uses the image of people roaming for food to show desperation and frustration. It does not give a theological license for personal revenge; rather, it asks God to intervene so the attackers do not succeed. The psalmist seeks divine protection and justice, and the subsequent verses move him into praise, signaling trust in God’s righteous resolution rather than taking vengeance himself. ## Cross References - Psalm 35:1–8 — David prays for God to contend with those who contend with him (similar imprecatory language). - Psalm 69:25 — An imprecatory verse asking for judgment on enemies; same genre and emotional honesty. - Romans 12:19 — “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Connects imprecatory petitions to the principle of leaving final justice to God. - Psalm 18:40–41 — God subdues enemies so they cannot rise; another trust-in-justice image. - Proverbs 28:10 — “Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit.” Echoes the theme of the wicked being ensnared by their own devices. ## Deeper Study - Commentary synthesis (high-level): Most commentators view Psalm 59 as a mix of desperate plea, confident trust, and prophetic claim that God rules. The imprecatory lines (including v. 15) are read as calls for God’s covenant justice against violent, preying men rather than vindictive personal spite. Commentators stress the balance: raw emotion brought to God, then transformed into praise as the psalmist relies on God’s strength. - Group study bullets: - Read the whole psalm aloud; note the shift from plea to imprecation to praise—where does your own prayer usually move? - Discuss what “justice” looks like when institutions fail. How can we responsibly pray and act? - Consider modern analogies (bullying, workplace sabotage): What does asking God to “frustrate” these things look like in practice? - Reflect on the emotional honesty of the psalm—how safe do group members feel to bring anger and fear to God? ## Related verses (to compare and contrast) - Psalm 35:1–8 — Compare the similar cry for God to fight enemies; helps understand imprecatory prayer as recurring in David’s life. - Psalm 69:22–28 — Another strong imprecatory section; compare tone and desired outcome (exposure and justice). - Romans 12:17–21 — Contrast Paul’s ethic (do not repay evil; leave room for God’s wrath) with the psalmist’s plea for God to act; both stress God’s role in final justice. ## Talk to the Bible Try the “Talk to the Bible” feature to explore this verse further. Suggested prompts: - “Show me other psalms where David asks God to frustrate his enemies; how do they compare to Psalm 59?” - “How have Christians historically used imprecatory psalms in worship and prayer?” - “What are practical, non-violent ways to ask God to bring justice in situations of workplace conflict?”
