¡Rómpeles los dientes! ¡Aplasten las cabezas de sus hijos! Salmos imprecatorios como apelación al Juez

Abstract

Psalms of imprecation call for violence and vengeance, seemingly contradicting Christian ethics. Some reading strategies unhelpfully cut these psalms; spiritualise or allegorise them; discount them as sinful anger taken to God for therapy; as primitive; as the words of Jesus only; as predictive; or as an enemy’s words. This chapter argues that imprecatory psalms are consistent with Yahweh’s covenant, and ask God for justice for serious crimes, where measured punishment is deserved by hardened offenders after a grace period. They expect God’s justice to preclude personal vengeance; protect the innocent; deter offenders; encourage moral choices under pressure; give a voice to oppressed people; form communities; and lead people to trust God’s kindness. This chapter considers Ps 137 and concludes that imprecatory psalms, rightly understood, are valuable spiritual resources.