Abstract:
This article surveys the imprecatory words in the book of
Psalms and examines and questions their place in the faith
life of the third decade of the 21st-century world, one that
is fraught with the impact of a global pandemic, political
uncertainties, and racial injustices. The first section of the
article examines the vitriolic words and sentiments found
in the Psalter and in other places in the Old and New
Testaments. It then suggests that we, as readers of these
texts, in the words of Phyllis Trible, wrestle with such words
and demand a blessing from them, much as Jacob did at
the Jabbok with his mysterious wrestler. The second section
of the article discusses various 20th- and 21st-century
scholarly and ecclesial understandings of the Psalter’s
imprecatory words. Next, the article discusses the form
and scriptural status of the Psalter’s imprecatory words,
emphasising the poetic and metaphoric characteristics of
the Psalter’s words. Finally, the article addresses the ethics
and appropriation of the Psalter’s imprecatory words in the 21st century. It concludes that, without the languages of
absolute lament against injustice and violence that these
biblical words provide, our dialogue with and our cries to
God are empty and lifeless.
