The Meaning of Psalms 109:8 Explained

Psalms 109:8

KJV: Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

YLT: His days are few, his oversight another taketh,

Darby: Let his days be few, let another take his office;

ASV: Let his days be few; And let another take his office.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Let his days  be few;  [and] let another  take  his office. 

What does Psalms 109:8 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 109:8 mean?

Let be his days few his office [And] let take another
יִֽהְיֽוּ־ יָמָ֥יו מְעַטִּ֑ים פְּ֝קֻדָּת֗וֹ יִקַּ֥ח אַחֵֽר

יִֽהְיֽוּ־  Let  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
יָמָ֥יו  his  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
מְעַטִּ֑ים  few 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: מְעַט  
Sense: littleness, few, a little, fewness.
פְּ֝קֻדָּת֗וֹ  his  office 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פְּקֻדָּה  
Sense: oversight, care, custody, mustering, visitation, store.
יִקַּ֥ח  [And]  let  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
אַחֵֽר  another 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: אַחֵר  
Sense: another, other, following.

What are the major concepts related to Psalms 109:8?

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