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Psalm 109:16

because he didn’t remember to show kindness, but persecuted the poor and needy man, the broken in heart, to kill them.

14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the LORD. Don’t let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off their memory from the earth;
16because he didn’t remember to show kindness, but persecuted the poor and needy man, the broken in heart, to kill them.
17Yes, he loved cursing, and it came to him. He didn’t delight in blessing, and it was far from him.
18He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment. It came into his inward parts like water, like oil into his bones.
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← Psalm 109:15Psalm 109:17 →
Notice

The word “because” grounds this plea for severe judgment in a specific charge: a man withheld kindness and hunted poor, brokenhearted people to kill them.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

What changes in your reading of this plea for judgment when you reach “to kill them”?

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Where have you seen people’s poverty or heartbreak met with cruelty?

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Who comes to mind as you consider the kindness this man failed to show?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

12 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
Psalm 109:31For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.The needy whom the persecutor seeks to kill are the people God stands beside to save.
Psalm 34:18The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.Both passages name the brokenhearted: one describes their persecution, while the other declares the LORD’s nearness and saving help.
Psalm 37:14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to kill those who are upright on the path.Both describe attacks on the poor and needy with the intent to kill; Psalm 37 names swords and bows.
Matthew 18:33–35Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’Both confront a failure to show compassion: withheld kindness in the psalm and withheld mercy toward a fellow servant in Matthew.
James 2:13For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.The psalm names withheld kindness as grounds for judgment; James warns of judgment without mercy for those who show none.
Psalm 109:22for I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded within me.The speaker describes himself as poor, needy, and wounded in heart, sharing the condition of those persecuted in verse 16.
Job 24:4They turn the needy out of the way. The poor of the earth all hide themselves.Both describe mistreatment of the poor and needy; Job shows them driven aside and forced into hiding.
Job 19:21–22“Have pity on me. Have pity on me, you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me.Job asks his friends for pity, sharing the need for compassion that the persecutor in the psalm refuses to meet.
Mark 14:34–36He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”Both passages speak of sorrow and death, though Mark records Jesus asking companions to stay rather than describing persecution of the poor.
2 Samuel 16:11–12David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my son, who came out of my bowels, seeks my life. How much more this Benjamite, now? Leave him alone, …Both passages describe someone seeking another person’s life; in Samuel, David identifies his own son as the threat.
Job 19:2–3“How long will you torment me, and crush me with words?Both describe people being harmed by others; Job names torment and crushing words, while the psalm describes persecution intended to kill.
Matthew 5:7Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.Kindness and mercy connect these passages: the psalm condemns withheld kindness, while Jesus declares the merciful blessed.
Where this verse fits

Injustice and anger. grief. sermon or Bible study notes.

What the Bible says about anger →What the Bible says about grief →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Send a kind message to one grieving friend

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Encouragement

The cruelty named here is grave. In this prayer for judgment, the suffering of poor and brokenhearted people is brought before God without softening the violence.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 109:16. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 109 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

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).