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Psalm 109:6

Set a wicked man over him. Let an adversary stand at his right hand.

4In return for my love, they are my adversaries; but I am in prayer.
5They have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6Set a wicked man over him. Let an adversary stand at his right hand.
7When he is judged, let him come out guilty. Let his prayer be turned into sin.
8Let his days be few. Let another take his office.
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← Psalm 109:5Psalm 109:7 →
Notice

An adversary at the right hand turns hostility into a courtroom scene, where love repaid with hatred leads to a severe plea for judgment.

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

What troubles you about the request to set a wicked man over someone?

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How does the love repaid with hatred in verses 4–5 shape your reading of this curse?

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What would you want to entrust to God before speaking about someone who has accused you?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

8 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
Zechariah 3:1He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the LORD’s angel, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary.Both place an adversary at someone’s right hand; Zechariah identifies that adversary as Satan and the opposed person as Joshua.
1 Peter 5:8Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.Both name an adversary; Peter identifies this enemy as the devil, while the psalm leaves the adversary unnamed.
Matthew 5:25Agree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the …An adversary and the threat of judgment appear in both passages; Matthew urges agreement before the case reaches the judge.
Matthew 27:4saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.”The connection is limited to wrongdoing and accusation; Matthew names betrayal of innocent blood, while the psalm requests an adversary.
John 13:2During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,The shared thread is hostile action: the psalm requests an adversary, while John names the devil behind Judas’s betrayal.
1 Corinthians 5:5you are to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.Both describe someone being placed under hostile power; Corinthians states an aim of salvation that this verse does not express.
Leviticus 26:16I also will do this to you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away. You will …Both speak of harm being appointed over someone: a wicked man in the psalm, terror and illness in Leviticus.
John 13:27After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”John names Satan entering Judas; the psalm asks for an adversary without identifying that figure as Satan.
Where this verse fits

Injustice and anger. sermon or Bible study notes.

What the Bible says about anger →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Write one prayer about love met with hostility

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Encouragement

The curse is severe, and the hurt behind it is named: love met with hatred. The speaker brings the case before God, who has authority to judge.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 109:6. 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).