Psalms 28:4

My Notes

What Does Psalms 28:4 Mean?

"Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert." David's IMPRECATORY prayer — asking God to give the wicked exactly what they DESERVE. The prayer is PROPORTIONAL: 'according to their deeds,' 'according to the wickedness,' 'after the work of their hands.' The punishment should MATCH the crime. The rendering should CORRESPOND to the action. The justice requested is SYMMETRICAL.

The phrase "give them according to their deeds" (ten lahem keph'alam — give to them according to their work/recompense) asks for EARNED consequence: not arbitrary punishment but PROPORTIONAL response. The deeds determine the gift. The work determines the rendering. The justice is CALIBRATED — not excessive, not insufficient, but precisely measured to match what was done.

The word 'DESERT' (gemul — recompense, what is deserved, payback) is the request for EXACT justice: give them what they have EARNED. The word implies a DEBT — something owed, something that must be paid, something the wicked have ACCUMULATED through their behavior. The desert isn't random. It's earned. The payback isn't arbitrary. It's calculated.

FOUR parallel phrases repeat the same request with escalating specificity: according to deeds → according to wickedness of endeavors → after the work of hands → their desert. The repetition is INSISTENCE — David isn't asking once. He's asking FOUR times, with increasing precision. The urgency of the request matches the severity of the offense.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What 'give them their desert' prayer are you holding back?
• 2.What does FOUR-fold repetition (deeds, wickedness, work, desert) teach about the insistence of prayers for justice?
• 3.How does imprecatory prayer being CANONICAL describe the Bible's inclusion of honest anger?
• 4.What justice are you asking for that should be PROPORTIONAL — matching the deed, not exceeding it?

Devotional

FOUR times David asks: give them what they deserve. According to their DEEDS. According to their WICKEDNESS. After the work of their HANDS. Their DESERT. The prayer is an insistent, repeated request for EXACT justice — punishment that matches crime, consequence that fits behavior, rendering that corresponds to action.

The prayer is for PROPORTIONAL justice — not vengeance but CORRESPONDENCE: make the consequence MATCH the deed. The request isn't 'destroy them beyond what they deserve.' It's 'give them EXACTLY what they've earned.' The precision is the justice. The calibration is the righteousness. The punishment shouldn't exceed the crime. It should EQUAL it.

The 'DESERT' (gemul — what is deserved, earned recompense) treats the wicked's behavior as a DEBT: they have accumulated consequence through their deeds. The accumulated behavior is like a balance owed. The rendering is the payment of that debt. The justice is ACCOUNTING — calculating what has been done and matching the response to the sum.

IMPRECATORY prayer (cursing-prayer) is UNCOMFORTABLE for modern readers — but it's CANONICAL. God includes David's request for justice in Scripture. The prayer isn't hidden or apologized for. It's PRESERVED — given the same canonical status as 'the LORD is my shepherd.' The psalms that ask for mercy AND the psalms that ask for justice coexist in the same hymnal. The worship includes BOTH.

What 'give them their desert' prayer are you holding back — and would speaking it honestly to God (not to the person) be more faithful than suppressing it?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture