KJV ORIGINAL
And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
Pay back our neighbors seven times over for the insults they have hurled at you, O Lord—let their shame return to them completely.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The writer is asking God to fully repay their enemies for the way they have mocked and dishonored God himself.
📚 Historical Context
This psalm was written during or after a devastating attack on Jerusalem, likely the Babylonian conquest in 586 BC when the temple was destroyed and many Jews were killed or exiled. The psalmist is responding to foreign nations who not only destroyed God's people but also mocked God himself in the process. The call for 'sevenfold' vengeance reflects the biblical principle of complete justice and restitution.
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