What is the meaning of Psalm 69:22? May their table become a snare “May their table become a snare” (Psalm 69:22a). • In Scripture a “table” pictures abundance and fellowship; think of “You prepare a table before me” in Psalm 23:5. Here, however, David asks that the very place of comfort turn against the wicked, just as Romans 11:9–10 repeats: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution to them.” • The idea mirrors Psalm 35:8: “May ruin overtake them by surprise; may the net they hid ensnare them.” The trap they laid for others springs back on them. • God sometimes answers rebellion by letting people’s own blessings trip them (Numbers 11:33–34; Proverbs 1:32). The prayer is not spite but a plea for righteous justice, entrusting vengeance to the Lord (Psalm 94:1). may it be a retribution “…may it be a retribution…” (Psalm 69:22b). • Retribution speaks of measured, deserved payback, never random cruelty. Deuteronomy 32:35 affirms, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.” • David asks that God’s judgment fit the crime. Similar language appears in Psalm 28:4—“Repay them according to their deeds.” • Romans 12:19 points believers away from personal revenge and toward prayer that God will act justly. Psalm 69 models that posture: David does not take matters into his own hands but appeals to divine justice. • Such retribution also warns others (Proverbs 21:11) and ultimately vindicates God’s holiness (Revelation 15:3–4). and a trap “…and a trap” (Psalm 69:22c). • A trap tightens the picture: when judgment falls, escape is impossible. Psalm 141:10 speaks similarly: “May the wicked fall into their own nets, while I safely pass by.” • Isaiah 8:14 calls the Lord Himself “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” to those who refuse Him; their rejection turns into entanglement. • The accumulating terms—snare, retribution, trap—move from initial stumble to final captivity, underscoring the completeness of God’s righteous dealing (Proverbs 5:22). summary David prays that the comforts of the unrepentant become the means of their downfall: their table (blessing) becomes a snare (initial catch), escalates into retribution (just payback), and settles as a trap (inescapable judgment). Romans 11 shows God using this principle to provoke Israel to jealousy and open salvation to the nations. The verse reminds us that God’s gifts are blessings when received in faith, yet they turn into instruments of judgment when rejected. |
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