Psalms 94:23

Authorized King James Version

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And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.

Original Language Analysis

וַיָּ֤שֶׁב And he shall bring H7725
וַיָּ֤שֶׁב And he shall bring
Strong's: H7725
Word #: 1 of 9
to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point);
עֲלֵיהֶ֨ם׀ H5921
עֲלֵיהֶ֨ם׀
Strong's: H5921
Word #: 2 of 9
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
אֶת H853
אֶת
Strong's: H853
Word #: 3 of 9
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
אוֹנָ֗ם upon them their own iniquity H205
אוֹנָ֗ם upon them their own iniquity
Strong's: H205
Word #: 4 of 9
strictly nothingness; also trouble, vanity, wickedness; specifically an idol
וּבְרָעָתָ֥ם in their own wickedness H7451
וּבְרָעָתָ֥ם in their own wickedness
Strong's: H7451
Word #: 5 of 9
bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)
יַ֝צְמִיתֵ֗ם and shall cut them off H6789
יַ֝צְמִיתֵ֗ם and shall cut them off
Strong's: H6789
Word #: 6 of 9
to extirpate (literally or figuratively)
יַ֝צְמִיתֵ֗ם and shall cut them off H6789
יַ֝צְמִיתֵ֗ם and shall cut them off
Strong's: H6789
Word #: 7 of 9
to extirpate (literally or figuratively)
יְהוָ֥ה yea the LORD H3068
יְהוָ֥ה yea the LORD
Strong's: H3068
Word #: 8 of 9
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃ our God H430
אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃ our God
Strong's: H430
Word #: 9 of 9
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme god; occasionally applied by way of

Analysis & Commentary

And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity (וַיָּשֶׁב עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת־אוֹנָם, vayyashev aleihem et-onam)—Shub means return, bring back; aven means iniquity, trouble, wickedness. And shall cut them off in their own wickedness (וּבְרָעָתָם יַצְמִיתֵם, u-ve-ra'atam yatzmitem)—Ra'ah means evil, wickedness; tzamit means cut off, destroy, silence. Yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off (יַצְמִיתֵם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, yatzmitem YHWH Eloheinu).

Divine justice operates by poetic reversal: the wicked fall into traps they set for others. Haman hanged on his own gallows (Esther 7:10), Pharaoh drowned in his own sea (Exodus 14:28), conspirators fell into Daniel's lions' den (Daniel 6:24). The repetition "shall cut them off... shall cut them off" emphasizes certainty. God's justice isn't arbitrary but fitted to the crime—they receive what they intended for others.

Historical Context

Throughout Israel's history, enemies who schemed against God's people faced reversal: Sennacherib's army destroyed (2 Kings 19:35), Babylon conquered by Persia (Daniel 5), Rome ultimately Christianized. Church history repeatedly demonstrates this pattern of reversal.

Questions for Reflection

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