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Psalm 109:12
Let there be no one to extend kindness to him, neither let there be anyone to have pity on his fatherless children.
10Let his children be wandering beggars. Let them be sought from their ruins.
11Let the creditor seize all that he has. Let strangers plunder the fruit of his labor.
12Let there be no one to extend kindness to him, neither let there be anyone to have pity on his fatherless children.
13Let his posterity be cut off. In the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the LORD. Don’t let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
Notice
The plea that even fatherless children receive no pity extends this curse beyond one man, into a household already facing loss and ruin.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What troubles you, if anything, about the plea to deny pity to fatherless children?
Write on thisWhere do you see the curse widening as you read verses 10–14?
Write on thisConnect
Where else Scripture says this
10 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
James 2:13For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.Both speak of mercy being withheld; James names merciless conduct as grounds for judgment, while this verse voices a curse.
Psalm 137:8–9Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, he will be happy who repays you, as you have done to us.Both passages speak against an enemy: Psalm 109 asks that kindness cease, while Psalm 137 speaks of repayment for harm.
Matthew 27:25All the people answered, “May his blood be on us and on our children!”Both texts include children in words about consequences, though Matthew records a crowd’s response and the psalm a curse.
Luke 6:38“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure …Both concern giving to others, though Luke speaks of a return for generosity and the psalm asks that kindness cease.
Isaiah 27:11When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off. The women will come and set them on fire, for they are a people of no understanding. Therefore he who …Both speak of compassion being withheld; Isaiah names the Creator as withholding favor, while the psalm asks that no one show kindness.
Job 5:4His children are far from safety. They are crushed in the gate. Neither is there any to deliver them,Children left without help connect these passages: Job describes none to deliver them, while the psalm asks that none pity them.
Isaiah 9:17Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is profane and an …Both name the fatherless among those denied compassion; Isaiah places this within the Lord’s judgment, while the psalm voices a curse.
Luke 11:50–51that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation,The shared thread is judgment reaching a group: Luke names a generation, while Psalm 109 includes a man’s children.
Isaiah 13:18Their bows will dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb. Their eyes will not spare children.Both explicitly speak of children receiving no pity; Isaiah describes violent attackers, while the psalm asks for compassion to be withheld.
Genesis 4:14Behold, you have driven me out today from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. …Both concern exposure to harm, though Genesis records a speaker’s fear of being killed and the psalm asks that kindness be withheld.
Where this verse fits
Injustice and anger. sermon or Bible study notes.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
You do not have to make this curse sound gentle: it asks for pity to cease even toward children. Judgment belongs to God; this is no license for cruelty.
Now put it in your words.
Start an entry on Psalm 109:12. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).