Psalm 94:1-7 | The Way of Scripture

Psalm 94:1-7

Why does the plea for vengeance name the widow, foreigner, and fatherless?

Berean Standard Bible

1 O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth. 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render a reward to the proud. 3 How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked exult? 4 They pour out arrogant words; all workers of iniquity boast. 5 They crush Your people, O LORD; they oppress Your heritage. 6 They kill the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless. 7 They say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.”

What is the context?

The prayer calls on the Judge of the earth to confront proud evildoers. Their confidence appears in arrogant words and oppression.

The victims are named: widows, foreigners, and fatherless people are killed. The killers claim that God does not see.

The appeal is therefore about lives exposed to violence, not merely a wounded ego. It asks God to judge those who treat the vulnerable as unprotected.

How is this passage commonly understood?

Wesley reads the opening through vengeance belonging to God and the perpetrators’ claim that He ignores His people. Their words are exposed as the arrogance the prayer challenges.

What is our position?

We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.

Where can I study this further?

No deeper study linked yet.

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