Psalms 35:24
in Psalms 35Vindicate me by Your righteousness, O LORD my God, and do not let them gloat over me.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Judge me, O Jehovah my God, according to thy righteousness; And let them not rejoice over me.
KJV
Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.
⋯
This verse in Psalms 35
Commentary
11 notes on this verseAs to the third, he says, "Judge me." One text has, "according to your justice"; another text has, "Judge me according to my justice." The first amounts to the same thing, as if he were saying: judge me according to your law and justice; for …
This site's exposition
You have seen it
on Psalms 35:22-24
The enemies had just said their own eyes had seen, and verse 22 answers that God has seen it. Awake and rise to my defense asks God to take up the case as a judge takes a cause. Vindication is asked by Your righteousness.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"Judge me, O Lord, according to My righteousness" [Psalm 35:24]; that is, attend to My cause. Not according to My punishment, but "according to My righteousness, O Lord, My God," that is, according to this judge Thou Me. "And let them not rejoice over Me;" that is, Mine enemies.
Although he had the best case, since he had committed no sins, he still asks that he be judged in mercy to show us, who would not be able to carry out this activity as those without sin, an example of prayer.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
9 And my soul shall be joyful in the L ORD : it shall rejoice in his salvation. 10 All my bones shall say, L ORD , who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:92%@v9-10
Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness,....
It would harden the hearts of his enemies in their wickedness and confirm them in their enmity to him, and would be a great discouragement to all the pious Jews that were friends to his righteous cause.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
When thou art appealed to, hear in heaven, and judge, by condemning the wicked and justifying the righteous. He prays earnestly to God to appear graciously for him and his friends, against his and their enemies, that by his providence the struggle might issue to the honour and comfort of David and to the conviction and confusion of his persecutors.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Judge me, O Lord my God - Pronounce judgment, or judge between me and my enemies. Compare the notes at Psa 26:1. According to thy righteousness - That is, “rightly.” Let there be a righteous judgment. The character of God, or the righteousness of God, is the highest standard of equity and justice, and the psalmist asks that he would manifest his real character as judge in interposing in behalf of an injured and oppressed man, and doing justice to him.
The appeal is here repeated; the plaintiff feels that the joy of his accusers will be short-lived as soon as impartial justice rules. The oppressors' wrong, the proud man's contumely, the fool's grimace—all, all will cease when the righteous Lord sits down upon the judgment seat.
Judge me, O Lord my God - The manner of his appeal shows the strong confidence he had in his own innocence.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שָׁפְטֵ֣נִי | shafeteni | vindicate me | H8199 → | 202 times |
| כְ֭צִדְקְךָ | khetzidkekha | according to righteousness your | H6664 → | 119 times |
| יְהוָ֥ה | yahweh | O Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהָ֗י | ʾelohai | God my | H430 → | 2601 times |
| וְאַל־ | veal- | and may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| יִשְׂמְחוּ־ | yismechu- | they rejoice | H8055 → | 155 times |
| לִֽי׃ | li | to me |
שָׁפְטֵ֣נִיvindicate me
shafeteniH8199 →202 times
כְ֭צִדְקְךָaccording to righteousness your
khetzidkekhaH6664 →119 times
יְהוָ֥הO Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהָ֗יGod my
ʾelohaiH430 →2601 times
וְאַל־and may not
veal-H408 →724 times
יִשְׂמְחוּ־they rejoice
yismechu-H8055 →155 times
לִֽי׃to me
li
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 43:1Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; deliver me from deceitful and unjust men.
it leads to
- Psalms 7:8
The LORD judges the peoples; vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and integrity.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Samuel 24:15
May the LORD be our judge and decide between you and me. May He take notice and plead my case and deliver me from your hand.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 35:1
Contend with my opponents, O LORD; fight against those who fight against me.
- Psalms 26:1
Vindicate me, O LORD! For I have walked with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
- Psalms 7:8
Through
2 Thessalonians 1:6After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
it leads to
- Zechariah 2:8
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent Me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye—
- Colossians 3:25
Whoever does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
- Zechariah 2:8
Through
Psalms 7:8The LORD judges the peoples; vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and integrity.
it leads to
- Psalms 96:13
before the LORD, for He is coming— He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.
- Psalms 96:13
Through
Psalms 35:19Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.
it leads to
- John 15:25
But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’
- John 15:25
About Psalms
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 35; Cassiodorus, EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 35:24; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.