The Meaning of Psalms 109:11 Explained

Psalms 109:11

KJV: Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.

YLT: An exactor layeth a snare for all that he hath, And strangers spoil his labour.

Darby: Let the usurer cast the net over all that he hath, and let strangers despoil his labour;

ASV: Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; And let strangers make spoil of his labor.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Let the extortioner  catch  all that he hath; and let the strangers  spoil  his labour. 

What does Psalms 109:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 109:1-16 - The Persecutor Of The Needy
This psalm is like a patch of the Sahara amid a smiling Eden. But, terrible as the words are, remember that they were written by the man who, on two occasions, spared the life of his persecutor, and who, when the field of Gilboa was wet with Saul's life-blood, sang the loveliest of elegiacs to his memory. These maledictions do not express personal vindictiveness. Probably they should be read as depicting the doom of the wrong-doer. The Apostle, quoting this psalm, expressly says that the Spirit of Inspiration spoke before by the mouth of David, Acts 1:16. The imperative let might better be translated by the future shall. This would be in perfect conformity with Hebrew usage.
Notice in Psalms 109:4 that by omitting the three words in italics, a beautiful suggestion is made of the life of prayer: But I-prayer. The only response of the psalmist to the hatred of his enemies was to give himself more absolutely to prayer. His whole being was consumed in the one intense appeal to God. Such times come to us all. Such prayers always end in praise and thanksgiving, Psalms 109:30. Happy are we who also can count on the Advocate with the Father, Psalms 109:31. Jesus prays our prayers with us. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 109

1  David complains of his slanderous enemies
16  He shows their sin
21  Complaining of his own misery, he prays for help
29  He promises thankfulness

What do the individual words in Psalms 109:11 mean?

Let seize the creditor all that he has and let plunder strangers his labor
יְנַקֵּ֣שׁ נ֭וֹשֶׁה לְכָל־ אֲשֶׁר־ ל֑וֹ וְיָבֹ֖זּוּ זָרִ֣ים יְגִיעֽוֹ

יְנַקֵּ֣שׁ  Let  seize 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָקַשׁ  
Sense: to knock, strike, bring down.
נ֭וֹשֶׁה  the  creditor 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָשָׁא  
Sense: to lend, be a creditor.
אֲשֶׁר־  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
ל֑וֹ  he  has 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
וְיָבֹ֖זּוּ  and  let  plunder 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּזַז  
Sense: to spoil, plunder, prey upon, seize.
זָרִ֣ים  strangers 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: זוּר 
Sense: to be strange, be a stranger.
יְגִיעֽוֹ  his  labor 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יְגִיעַ  
Sense: toil, work.