Psalms 28:4

Repay them according to their deeds and for their works of evil. Repay them for what their hands have done; bring back on them what they deserve.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — David prays to God for judgment against the wicked who feign peace while harboring malice in their hearts. He asks God to intervene and exact justice before the psalmist faces their shared fate.

The words — The Hebrew verb תֵּן (ten) means "requite" or "give," and the phrase כְּפָעֳלָם (ke-fo'alam) translates literally to "according to their work." These terms establish a direct linguistic link between human action and divine response.

The thread — This pattern of reciprocal justice runs through 2 Timothy 4:14, where the Lord will repay Alexander according to his deeds, and Revelation 22:12, which promises reward to each according to his works. The psalmist reinforces the theme in Psalm 109:17 by wishing the curse he loved to fall upon his enemy.

Why it lands — The text states that God will return to the wicked exactly what their own hands have produced. It requires the reader to acknowledge that moral accountability is fixed by divine action, not human negotiation.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

תֶּן־ten-requiteלָהֶ֣םla./Hemto/ themכְּפָעֳלָם֮ke./fo.'o.La/maccording to/ work/ their וּכְרֹ֪עַu./khe./Ro.a'and/ according to/ [the] wickedness of מַֽעַלְלֵ֫יהֶ֥םma.'a.Lei./Hemdeeds/ their כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣הke./ma.'a.Sehaccording to/ [the] work of יְ֭דֵיהֶםYe.dei./hemhands/ their תֵּ֣ןtenrequiteלָהֶ֑םla./Hemto/ themהָשֵׁ֖בha.Shevrepay גְּמוּלָ֣םge.mu.La/mrecompense/ theirלָהֶֽם׃la./Hemto/ them

King James Version

Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.

Cross-references

2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done.
Psalms 109:17 The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.
Revelation 18:6 Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup.
Ezra 9:13 After all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt (though You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have given us such a remnant as this),
Psalms 2:1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
Psalms 5:10 Declare them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own devices. Drive them out for their many transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.
Psalms 59:12 By the sins of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride, in the curses and lies they utter.
Psalms 69:22 May their table become a snare; may it be a retribution and a trap.
Psalms 103:10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities.