Psalms 94:21
in Psalms 94They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, And condemn the innocent blood.
KJV
They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
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This verse in Psalms 94
Commentary
12 notes on this verse"Shall the seat of iniquity cling to you?" You who judge righteousness, can you have iniquity for a neighbor? "You who fashion sorrow in a commandment?" The commandments of God have the sorrow of repentance; but that sorrow itself is good, because it furnishes the medicine of sinners. For unless with sweat and toil, we shall not do the commandments of God. Let no one, then, suppose that he will be crowned amid delights. "The widow who is in delights, while living, is dead."
This site's exposition
Can a corrupt throne
on Psalms 94:20-23
Verse 20 asks whether a corrupt throne devising mischief by decree can be God's ally, and verse 21 names men who condemn the innocent. Wickedness dressed as legal process is the target. Verse 22 answers the cry of verse 1, and verse 23 brings the wicked's iniquity back on them.
This site's exposition
condemn the innocent to death
Band together is the verb for gathering in troops, a planned and shared effort. Condemn the innocent to death is literally to declare innocent blood guilty. The crime is done through the court's own verdict.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
For what follows? "They will be captious against the soul of the righteous" [Psalm 94:21]. Why will they be captious? Because they can find no true ground of accusation. For how were they captious against our Lord? They made up false accusations, [Matthew 26:59] because they could not find true ones. "And will condemn the innocent blood." Why all this takes place, he will show in the sequel.
"He who fashions toil in the commandment." No one is crowned while sleeping, no one at ease possesses the kingdom of heaven, no one with a stuffed belly can worthily discourse about fasting. You see, then, what he says: "He who fashions toil in the commandment." All the commandments of the Lord have toil: without toil we cannot possess the kingdom of heaven. Do you want to know that it is so? "If you wish," he says, "to be perfect, go, sell all that you possess, and give to the poor, and come, follow me." He who wants, he says, to attain the kingdom of heaven, let him pray day and night, keep vigil, fast, lie on a rush mat, not on a feather cushion, not on silk. Penance does not love luxuries. "For I ate ashes," he says, "like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping." "He who fashions toil in the commandment: they will hunt the soul of the righteous." See how it seems not to be consistent. For what is the logical connection: "He who fashions toil in the commandment: they will hunt the soul of the righteous"? But what the fleshly ear does not understand, the spiritual ear understands. What then does he say? "He who fashions toil in the commandment": therefore, he says, we toil in the commandments of the Lord day and night, we keep vigil, we pray, we fast, because we have many adversaries who hunt the soul of the righteous. See what he says: they hunt the soul of the righteous, not of the unrighteous. For they do not want to deceive those who have been deceived, but the righteous. Whence it is said in Habakkuk: "His food is choice." "And they shall condemn innocent blood." Some are accustomed to say: That man who was killed would not have been killed, unless he were a fornicator, or had had some sin; the collapse would not have overtaken him, unless he had been a sinner; the shipwreck would not have overwhelmed him, unless he had been a sinner. […]
For what follows? "They will be captious against the soul of the righteous" [Psalm 94:21]. Why will they be captious? Because they can find no true ground of accusation. For how were they captious against our Lord? They made up false accusations, [Matthew 26:59] because they could not find true ones. "And will condemn the innocent blood." Why all this takes place, he will show in the sequel.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
They gather themselves together,....
In singing this psalm we must look abroad upon the pride of oppressors with a holy indignation, and the tears of the oppressed with a holy compassion; but, at the same time, look upwards to the righteous Judge with an entire satisfaction, and look forward, to the end of all these things, with a pleasing hope.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, so many are there of them that they crowd their assemblies, and carry their hard measures with enthusiasm; they are the popular party, and are eager to put down the saints. In counsel, and in action, they are unanimous; their one resolve is to hold their own tyrannical position, and put down the godly party. And condemn the innocent blood.
They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, so many are there of them that they crowd their assemblies, and carry their hard measures with enthusiasm; they are the popular party, and are eager to put down the saints. In counsel, and in action, they are unanimous; their one resolve is to hold their own tyrannical position, and put down the godly party. And condemn the innocent blood. They are great at slander and false accusation, nor do they stick at murder; no crime is too great for them, if only they can trample on the servants of the Lord. This description is historically true in reference to persecuting times; it has been fulfilled in England, and may be again if Popery is to advance in future time at the same rate as in the past few years. The dominant sect has the law on its side, and blasts that it is the national church; but the law which establishes and endows one religion rather than another is radically an injustice. God has no fellowship with it, and therefore the synagogue of Ritualism will yet be a stench in the nostrils of all sane men. What evil times are in store for us it is not for us to prophesy; it is ours to leave the matter in the hands of him who cannot be in fellowship with an oppressive system, and will not always endure to be insulted to his face by Popish idols, and their priests.
They gather themselves together - In every thing that is evil, they are in unity. The devil, his angels, and his children, all join and draw together when they have for their object the destruction of the works of the Lord. But this was particularly the case with respect to the poor Jews among the Babylonians: they were objects of their continual hatred, and they labored for their destruction. This and the following verses have been applied to our Lord, and the treatment he met with both from his own countrymen and from the Romans. They pretended to “judge him according to the law, and framed mischief against him;” they “assembled together against the life of the righteous one,” and “condemned innocent blood;” but God evidently interposed, and “brought upon them their own iniquity,” according to their horrible imprecation: “His blood be upon us and upon our children!” God “cut them off in their own iniquity.” All this had, in reference to him, a most literal fulfillment.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous - Against the life of the righteous; that is, to take their lives. The Hebrew word rendered “gather together,” means to press or crowd upon anyone; to rush in crowds or troops. It would refer particularly to a tumultuous gathering - “a mob” - intent on accomplishing its purpose. And condemn the innocent blood - literally, make guilty; that is, they hold that blood to be guilty; or, they treat the innocent as if they were guilty.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יָ֭גוֹדּוּ | yagodu | they band together | H1413 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| נֶ֣פֶשׁ | nefesh | [the] life of | H5315 → | 754 times |
| צַדִּ֑יק | tzadik | [the] righteous | H6662 → | 206 times |
| וְדָ֖ם | vedam | and blood | H1818 → | 360 times |
| נָקִ֣י | naki | innocent | H5355 → | 43 times |
| יַרְשִֽׁיעוּ׃ | yarshiu | they condemn as guilty | H7561 → | 34 times |
יָ֭גוֹדּוּthey band together
yagoduH1413 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
נֶ֣פֶשׁ[the] life of
nefeshH5315 →754 times
צַדִּ֑יק[the] righteous
tzadikH6662 →206 times
וְדָ֖םand blood
vedamH1818 →360 times
נָקִ֣יinnocent
nakiH5355 →43 times
יַרְשִֽׁיעוּ׃they condemn as guilty
yarshiuH7561 →34 times
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
Proverbs 17:15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—both are detestable to the LORD.
it leads to
- Exodus 23:7
Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.
- Proverbs 18:5
Showing partiality to the wicked is not good, nor is depriving the innocent of justice.
- Isaiah 5:23
who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.
- Proverbs 24:23–24
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
- Exodus 23:7
Through
Exodus 23:7Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.
it leads to
- Ephesians 4:25
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.
- Ephesians 4:25
Through
Revelation 17:6I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her.
it leads to
- Revelation 16:6
For they have spilled the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink, as they deserve.”
- Revelation 16:6
Through
Psalms 59:3See how they lie in wait for me. Fierce men conspire against me for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD.
it leads to
- Psalms 56:6
They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps while they wait to take my life.
- Psalms 56:6
Through
Matthew 27:1When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
it leads to
- Mark 15:1
Early in the morning, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin devised a plan. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate.
- Mark 15:1
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 on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 94; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 4; Jerome, Homily 71, on Psalm 93 (Alternate Series); Jerome, Homily 22, on Psalm 93; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.