Psalms 69:26 Meaning and Explanation
“For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Suffering can expose a painful difference between correction from God and cruelty from people. Psalms 69:26 names that difference plainly. The verse gives language for the added hurt caused when others exploit a person's weakness, pain, or public disgrace instead of meeting it with mercy.
The psalmist asks God to judge enemies who press their attack against people already struck by suffering and who add cruel words to wounds God has permitted or brought in judgment.
The Context of Psalms 69:26
Psalm 69 is a lament of a distressed servant of God. He describes overwhelming trouble, unjust hatred, reproach, isolation, and unanswered hopes for human comfort. In verses 13-21, he turns repeatedly to the LORD for rescue, trusting that God sees every adversary. Verses 22-28 contain petitions for judgment on those adversaries. Verse 26 gives a reason for those petitions: they have treated afflicted people as targets. The psalm then returns in verses 29-36 to the singer's poverty and sorrow, thanksgiving, and confidence that God hears the poor and saves Zion.
What Does Psalms 69:26 Mean?
The word "For" connects this verse to the severe requests around it. The enemies are being described as deserving judgment because their conduct has a particular hardness. They "persecute him" whom God has smitten. To persecute is to continue pursuing someone in distress, rather than allowing suffering to awaken restraint or pity. The psalmist recognizes God's hand in his affliction, yet he also holds his persecutors responsible for their own chosen violence. Their wrongdoing is intensified by speech: "they talk to the grief" of those wounded. Their words hover around another's pain, making it a subject for accusation, mockery, gossip, or malicious discussion. The verse identifies added cruelty as real moral evil.
Within the chapter, the wounded person is closely associated with the psalmist himself. Earlier he has said that reproach broke his heart and that he found no pity or comforters. The singular "him" and the plural "those" allow the prayer to describe both his own case and a wider pattern: enemies fasten themselves upon people already suffering. God may smite in discipline, in the mystery of providence, or through the grievous conditions described in the psalm. Human observers do not receive permission to deepen that pain. Scripture consistently leaves judgment with God while requiring mercy toward the afflicted. The prayer for judgment therefore rises from a concern for God's justice, including his care for wounded servants.
This psalm has strong connections with the suffering of Jesus, especially its descriptions of zeal for God's house, rejection, reproach, and vinegar offered in thirst. Verse 26 also sheds light on the manner of his passion. Jesus endured public hostility while bearing a suffering that the New Testament presents as bound up with the saving purpose of God. Those who mocked, accused, and reviled him were still answerable for their acts. The verse helps us speak carefully about the cross: God's purpose was at work, and human malice remained malice. It also keeps our attention on Christ's compassion for the shamed and wounded, since he knows the pain of being treated as an object of scorn.
Bible Verses Related to Psalms 69:26
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”
- Isaiah 53:4
“And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,”
- Matthew 27:39
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”
- Luke 23:34
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
- Romans 12:19
Where Psalms 69:26 Echoes in Scripture
Isaiah 53:4 provides a particularly strong canonical echo. It speaks of the servant as stricken and smitten of God, language that closely illuminates the psalm's recognition of God's hand in suffering. Isaiah also shows how human observers can misread suffering and treat it with contempt. Read alongside Psalms 69:26, it helps us distinguish God's righteous purpose from the harsh and faithless judgments people may add to another's pain.
How to Apply Psalms 69:26 Today
When someone is already carrying loss, illness, discipline, public failure, grief, or exclusion, our speech can either honor their dignity or increase their burden. This verse invites us to resist turning another person's pain into conversation material, proof of our superiority, or an opportunity for suspicion. We can listen with care, avoid repeating damaging reports, and offer practical help without demanding a full explanation of the sufferer's situation. It also gives suffering people permission to bring the added injury of cruel words before God. The LORD sees both the wound and those who choose to press upon it.
Reflection & Prayer
Where might our words be making an already burdened person feel more exposed or alone? We may also ask where we need God's help to entrust unjust speech to him rather than letting it rule our hearts. Suggested prayer: "O LORD, make us merciful toward the wounded, guard our speech, and draw near to all who suffer under reproach."