What is the meaning of Psalm 94:6? They kill the widow “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). • The psalmist exposes a shocking reality: people exist who will even shed the blood of those society is commanded to protect (Exodus 22:22-24). • In biblical law, a widow had no husband to stand in court for her; harming her was an act of cowardice and rebellion against God. • Isaiah 1:17 calls God’s people to “plead for the widow,” showing that neglect—or worse, violence—against her is the polar opposite of covenant faithfulness. • By recording the charge “They kill the widow,” the psalmist affirms that God sees every hidden injustice and will act (Psalm 94:1-7). and the foreigner; “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt” (Exodus 22:21). • Foreigners lacked land inheritance, clan protection, and political voice; they relied on Israel’s obedience to God’s command of hospitality (Leviticus 19:33-34). • Targeting them signals contempt for God’s historical redemption of Israel from Egypt, turning privilege into prejudice (Deuteronomy 10:18-19). • Zechariah 7:10 lists oppression of the sojourner as a key reason for exile; Psalm 94 echoes this prophetic warning. • The verse therefore functions both as indictment and as a mirror for God’s people: Are we treating outsiders with the same mercy we have received? they murder the fatherless. “Defend the cause of the fatherless” (Psalm 82:3). • The fatherless—most often minors—had no legal defender (Jeremiah 7:6); murdering them is the clearest evidence of hardened hearts. • Deuteronomy 27:19 pronounces a curse on anyone who perverts the justice of the orphan; Psalm 94 declares that some go further still, taking their lives. • By pairing “murder” with “fatherless,” the psalmist highlights the gravity of sin when power is abused against the powerless. • God’s sure response is laid out in verses 12-23: He disciplines His people, stands as fortress for the oppressed, and repays the wicked with their own evil. summary Psalm 94:6 unmasks a society where absolute selfishness has reached its peak: the defenseless—widow, foreigner, fatherless—are not only ignored but violently destroyed. The verse underscores God’s unchanging concern for the vulnerable, exposes the rebellion of those who exploit them, and assures believers that divine justice is neither asleep nor indifferent. |
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