Psalm 94:1
<< Psalm 94:1 >>
New International Version (©1984)
O LORD, the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth.

New Living Translation (©2007)
O LORD, the God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth!

English Standard Version (©2001)
O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
O LORD, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, shine forth!

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, appear!

King James Bible
O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

American King James Version
O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs; O God, to whom vengeance belongs, show yourself.

American Standard Version
O Jehovah, thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, shine forth.

Bible in Basic English
O God, in whose hands is punishment, O God of punishment, let your shining face be seen.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord is the God to whom revenge belongeth: the God of revenge hath acted freely.

Darby Bible Translation
O łGod of vengeances, Jehovah, łGod of vengeances, shine forth;

English Revised Version
O LORD, thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, shine forth.

Webster's Bible Translation
O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself.

World English Bible
Yahweh, you God to whom vengeance belongs, you God to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth.

Young's Literal Translation
God of vengeance -- Jehovah! God of vengeance, shine forth.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth ... - Margin, God of revenges The idea is, that it pertains to God to take vengeance, or to punish for crimes. See the notes at Romans 12:19. The appeal here is made to God in view of the crimes committed by others, and which are referred to in the subsequent part of the psalm. God is addressed as having the right to restrain and punish wicked people, and he is asked to interpose and assert that right in a case which clearly demanded it. The appeal is repeated to make it emphatic, or to denote "earnestness" in the petition.

Show thyself - Margin, as in Hebrew, "shine forth." The meaning is, Manifest thyself; come forth as such a God; prove thy right; display thy power, and show that thou art a God opposed to crime and wrong. The same Hebrew word is used here which is found in Psalm 80:1, and which is there rendered "shine forth." See the notes at that passage.


Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth - God is the author of retributive justice, as well as of mercy. This retributive justice is what we often term vengeance, but perhaps improperly; for vengeance with us signifies an excitement of angry passions, in order to gratify a vindictive spirit, which supposes itself to have received some real injury; whereas what is here referred to is that simple act of justice which gives to all their due.


Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth,.... As it does to God, and to him only; not to Heathen deities, one of which has the name of Vengeance given it, Acts 28:4, nor to Satan, the enemy and avenger, and his spiteful principalities and powers; nor to men, who are not to exercise private revenge on their fellow creatures; only to civil magistrates, to whom public revenge belongs, they being God's viceregents, and representing him; otherwise to God only it belongs, against whom sin is committed; and he will, in his own time and way, execute it; he is "the God of revenges" (e), as the words may be rendered; and this is applicable to Christ, who is the true Jehovah, and God over all: it was he that took vengeance on Sodom and Gomorrah, and rained from the Lord fire and brimstone on them; and who took vengeance on the inventions of the Israelites in the wilderness; and when he came in the flesh, he came with vengeance to destroy Satan and his works, as it was promised and prophesied he should, Isaiah 35:4, forty years after his death, resurrection, and ascension, he came in his power and kingdom, and took vengeance on the Jewish nation, for their unbelief and rejection of him, Luke 21:22, and at the opening of the sixth seal his wrath came upon Rome Pagan in a manner intolerable to them, for their cruel persecutions of his church and people; and the cry of the souls under the altar was much like what is uttered in this psalm; see Revelation 6:9, and at the time of his spiritual coming and reign he will avenge the blood of his saints on Rome Papal, or antichrist, whom he will destroy with the breath of his mouth, and the saints will be called upon to rejoice, and will rejoice, when they see the vengeance, Revelation 18:20 and his personal coming will be in flaming fire, to take vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not his Gospel, and when all the wicked will suffer the vengeance of eternal fire, 2 Thessalonians 1:8.

O God, to whom vengeance belongeth; which is repeated to observe the certainty of it, and to express the vehement and importunate desire of the psalmist, and those he represents, that he would show himself to be so, follows:

show thyself; or "shine forth" (f), as in Psalm 80:1 either at his incarnation, when he appeared as the dayspring from on high; yea, as the sun of righteousness; or, in the ministry of the Gospel, the great light which shone first on the inhabitants of Judea and Galilee, and then on the Gentile world; or in his gracious presence with his people, which is expressed by causing his face to shine upon them, Psalm 80:7, or in the protection of them, and destruction of their enemies; which is a showing himself strong on their behalf, an appearing to the joy of the one, and the confusion of the other; and in this manner will Christ show himself in the latter day.

(e) "Deus ultionum", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, &c. (f) "irradia", Montanus; "illucesce", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "effulsit", Cocceius; "adfulge", Michaelis.


The Treasury of David

1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth; render a reward to the proud.

3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

5 They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage.

6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.

7 Yet they say, The Lord) shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

Psalm 94:1

"O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself" or, God of retributions, Jehovah, God of retributions, shine forth! A very natural prayer when innocence is trampled down, and wickedness exalted on high. If the execution of justice be a right thing, - and who can deny the fact? - then it must be a very proper thing to desire it; not out of private revenge, in which case a man would hardly dare to appeal to God, but out of sympathy with right, and pity for those who are made wrongfully to suffer. Who can see a nation enslaved, or even an individual downtrodden, without crying to the Lord to arise and vindicate the righteous cause? The toleration of injustice is here attributed to the Lord's being hidden, and it is implied that the bare sight of him will suffice to alarm the tyrants into ceasing their oppressions. God has but to shew himself, and the good cause wins the day. He comes, he sees, he conquers! Truly in these evil days we need a manifest display of his power, for the ancient enemies of God and man are again struggling for the mastery, and if they gain it, woe unto the saints of God.

Psalm 94:2

"Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth." Ascend thy judgment-seat and be acknowledged as the ruler of men, and, moreover, raise thyself as men do who are about to strike with all their might; for the abounding sin of mankind requires a heavy blow from thy hand. "Render a reward to the proud," give them measure for measure, a fair retaliation, blow for blow. The proud look down upon the gracious poor and strike them from above, as a giant might hurl down blows upon his adversary; after the same manner, O Lord, lift up thyself, and "return a recompense upon the proud," and let them know that thou art far more above them than they can be above the meanest of their fellow men. The Psalmist thus invokes the retributions of justice in plain speech, and his request is precisely that which patient innocence puts up in silence, when her looks of anguish appeal to heaven.

Psalm 94:3

"Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?" Shall wrong for ever rule? Are slavery, robbery, tyranny, never to cease? Since there is certainly a just God in heaven, armed with almighty power, surely there must be sooner or later an end to the ascendancy of evil, innocence must one day find a defender. This "how long?" of the text is the bitter plaint of all the righteous in all ages, and expresses wonder caused by that great enigma of providence, the existence and predominance of evil. The sound "how long?" is very akin to howling, as if it were one of the saddest of all the utterances in which misery bemoans itself. Many a time has this bitter complaint been heard in the dungeons of the Inquisition, at the whipping-posts of slavery, and in the prisons of oppression. In due time God will publish his reply, but the full end is not yet.

Psalm 94:4

continued...


Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The first strophe prays that God would at length put a judicial restraint upon the arrogance of ungodliness. Instead of חופיע (a less frequent form of the imperative for הופע, Ges. ֗53, rem. 3) it was perhaps originally written הופיעה (Psalm 80:2), the He of which has been lost owing to the He that follows. The plural נקמות signifies not merely single instances of taking vengeance (Ezekiel 25:17, cf. supra Psalm 18:48), but also intensively complete revenge or recompense (Judges 11:36; 2 Samuel 4:8). The designation of God is similar to אל גּמלות in Jeremiah 51:56, and the anadiplosis is like Psalm 94:3, Psalm 94:23, Psalm 93:1, Psalm 93:3. הנּשׂא, lift Thyself up, arise, viz., in judicial majesty, calls to mind Psalm 7:7. השׁיב גּמוּל is construed with על (cf. ל, Psalm 28:4; Psalm 59:18) as in Joel 3:4. With גּאים accidentally accord ἀγαυός and κύδεΐ γαίων in the epic poets.


Geneva Study Bible

O LORD God, to whom {a} vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, {b} shew thyself.

(a) Whose office it is to take vengeance on the wicked.

(b) Show by effect that you are judge of the world to punish the wicked.


King James Translators' Notes

God...: Heb. God of revenges

shew...: Heb. shine forth


Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

PSALM 94

Ps 94:1-23. The writer, appealing to God in view of the oppression of enemies, rebukes them for their wickedness and folly, and encourages himself, in the confidence that God will punish evildoers, and favor His people.

1, 2. God's revenge is His judicial infliction of righteous punishment.

show thyself-(Compare Margin).


Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

94:1-11 We may with boldness appeal to God; for he is the almighty Judge by whom every man is judged. Let this encourage those who suffer wrong, to bear it with silence, committing themselves to Him who judges righteously. These prayers are prophecies, which speak terror to the sons of violence. There will come a day of reckoning for all the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against God, his truths, and ways, and people. It would hardly be believed, if we did not witness it, that millions of rational creatures should live, move, speak, hear, understand, and do what they purpose, yet act as if they believed that God would not punish the abuse of his gifts. As all knowledge is from God, no doubt he knows all the thoughts of the children of men, and knows that the imaginations of the thoughts of men's hearts are only evil, and that continually. Even in good thoughts there is a want of being fixed, which may be called vanity. It concerns us to keep a strict watch over our thoughts, because God takes particular notice of them. Thoughts are words to God.


Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
Genesis 4:23 Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me.
Deuteronomy 32:35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them."
2 Samuel 22:48 He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me,
Psalm 18:47 He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me,
Psalm 50:2 From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.
Psalm 79:10 Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
Psalm 80:1 For the director of music. To [the tune of] "The Lilies of the Covenant." Of Asaph. A psalm. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
Isaiah 35:4 say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."
Jeremiah 51:56 A destroyer will come against Babylon; her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken. For the LORD is a God of retribution; he will repay in full.
Nahum 1:2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies.

Avenges Belongeth Belongs Face Forth Hands Punishment Shew Shine Shining Show Thyself Vengeance


O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

1 The prophet, calling for justice, complains of tyranny and impiety.
8 He teaches God's providence
12 He shews the blessedness of affliction
16 God is the defender of the afflicted.

A.M. 3416. B.C. 588. Dr. Delaney supposes that this Psalm was written by David on occasion of his war with the Ammonites, in consequence of the indignities shewn to his messengers; but it is more probable that it was written to bewail the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

God, to whom vengeance belongeth. Heb. God of revenges. O God. De 32:35,41,42 Isa 35:4 59:17 Jer 50:28 Na 1:2 Ro 12:19 2Th 1:8 Heb 10:30

shew thyself. Heb. shine forth Ps 80:1

Bible Gateway: Psalms Chapter 94 Verse 1 NIV ESV NKJV NLT KJV Message Amplified

Alphabetical: avenges forth God LORD O of shine the vengeance who

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