The Meaning of Psalms 69:26 Explained

Psalms 69:26

KJV: For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.

YLT: For they have pursued him Thou hast smitten, And recount of the pain of Thy pierced ones.

Darby: For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten, and they talk for the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded.

ASV: For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; And they tell of the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For they persecute  [him] whom thou hast smitten;  and they talk  to the grief  of those whom thou hast wounded. 

What does Psalms 69:26 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 69:18-36 - "jehovah Heareth The Needy"
In Psalms 69:19-21 the psalmist again spreads out his griefs before God. He had looked for pity, but his foes only aggravated his sufferings. Both Matthew and John had these verses in mind in describing our Lord's sufferings on the Cross, Matthew 27:48; John 19:29. The next section, Psalms 69:22-28, is full of imprecations. We cannot bring these terrible words within the scope of our Lord's teachings. They show, like a pillar which marks the farthest recession of the tide, how great a difference there is between the standard of the Old Testament ethics and that by which we shall be judged.
Psalms 69:29-36 are full of anticipations of deliverance and vows of thanksgiving. The psalmist is sure that God's salvation will lift him above his enemies, and that his thanks will be sweeter to God than any sacrifice. Notice that sudden address to seekers after God, Psalms 69:32. Let us draw lessons from our own experiences of God that will hearten others. Seekers will certainly be finders where God is concerned! Matthew 7:7. The news of God's restoring power will circle out in ever-widening waves of glory, till heaven and earth and sea catch up the story and respond. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 69

1  David complains of his affliction
13  He prays for deliverance
22  He devotes his enemies to destruction
30  He praises God with thanksgiving

What do the individual words in Psalms 69:26 mean?

For You the [ones] have struck they persecute and of the grief of those You have wounded talk
כִּֽי־ אַתָּ֣ה אֲשֶׁר־ הִכִּ֣יתָ רָדָ֑פוּ וְאֶל־ מַכְא֖וֹב חֲלָלֶ֣יךָ יְסַפֵּֽרוּ

אֲשֶׁר־  the  [ones] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הִכִּ֣יתָ  have  struck 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
רָדָ֑פוּ  they  persecute 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: רָדַף  
Sense: to be behind, follow after, pursue, persecute, run after.
מַכְא֖וֹב  of  the  grief 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַכְאֹב  
Sense: pain, sorrow.
חֲלָלֶ֣יךָ  of  those  You  have  wounded 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: חָלָל 
Sense: slain, fatally wounded, pierced.
יְסַפֵּֽרוּ  talk 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: סָפַר 
Sense: to count, recount, relate.