Should Christians Pray Imprecatory Prayers?

I remember the first time I came across Psalm 58:6 and was shocked by the words I read. David cries out in prayer, “Break the teeth in their mouths, O God” (Psalm 58:6). 

That is not exactly the sort of verse you see embroidered on a throw pillow. 

Some of the Psalms contain prayers that can sound shocking to modern Christian ears. In the Psalms, David asks God to judge his enemies, bring their plans to nothing, and even destroy the wicked. Psalm 69:22-28 asks that God's enemies be blotted out of “the book of the living.” Psalm 137 ends with one of the most severe declarations of judgment anywhere in Scripture about a blessing on the one who dashes God’s enemies against a rock! 

What are Christians supposed to do with passages like these? Didn't Jesus tell us to love our enemies? Are imprecatory prayers merely an Old Testament practice that Christians should leave behind? 

The biblical answer is more challenging (and more comforting) than we might think.

What Is an Imprecatory Prayer?

The word “imprecatory” comes from the Latin imprecari, meaning “to invoke,” “to pray against,” or “to call down upon.” Therefore, an imprecatory prayer is a prayer asking God to bring judgment upon evil and evildoers.

We find them throughout the Psalms in statements like: 

• “Make them bear their guilt, O God” (Psalm 5:10)

• “Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me” (Psalm 35:1)

• “O God, break the teeth in their mouths” (Psalm 58:6)

Before you wince as if these are embarrassing remnants of an angry Old Testament religion, remember they are part of inspired Scripture and can be (even, should be!) a part of our prayer lives when used rightly. 

Theologian W. Robert Godfrey helpfully pointed out that the New Testament repeatedly quotes the Psalms, including their imprecatory portions, which means the apostles didn't treat these prayers as sub-Christian material that should be discarded or “off limits.” They recognized the Psalter as belonging to God's people under the new covenant as well. Derek Thomas once explained, “Praying the imprecatory psalms needs to be done carefully, with forethought, and the occasion needs to be correct. But there are times when you should do just that.”

So on one hand, imprecatory prayers are not an excuse to baptize our bitterness, but they are a useful and necessary part of a Christian prayer life. 

There is a massive difference between “God, hurt this person because I hate him” and “God, stop this evil and judge it according to Your righteousness.” Biblical imprecation is ultimately concerned with God's glory, God's justice, God's kingdom, and God's people.

Didn't Jesus Say to Love Your Enemies?

One of the typical rebuttals to the idea of imprecatory prayers is, “Didn’t Jesus say to love your enemies?” In Matthew 5:44 Jesus most certainly did! Paul the Apostle also backs Him up in Romans 12:14, saying, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” 

That might appear to settle the question until we continue reading Romans 12 where Paul writes, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Romans 12:19). 

If you carefully think through what Paul did and didn’t say, you’ll notice that there will be vengeance, but vengeance doesn’t belong to you. That truth informs how we understand imprecatory prayers because imprecation is actually not taking vengeance; it is turning vengeance over to God.

Rather than retaliating, the Christian says, “Lord, You see this evil more clearly than I do. You are perfectly righteous. I refuse to avenge myself. I place this situation into Your hands. Deal with them according to their wicked deeds. You are the Judge.”

As Russell Meek has rightly argued, the imprecatory Psalms can actually teach suffering believers to relinquish their perceived right to vengeance and trust God to administer justice. We can therefore love our enemies while asking God to stop their evil.

Are There Imprecatory Prayers in the New Testament?

One of the strongest arguments against treating imprecation as merely an Old Testament practice is the fact that we find imprecations in the New Testament! Paul declares concerning false teachers, “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9). In 1 Corinthians 16:22 he writes, “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed” (1 Corinthians 16:22). 

In the Gospels Jesus Himself pronounces devastating “woes” upon the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 and announces divine judgment upon unrepentant cities in Matthew 11! 

When you get to the book of Revelation, the glorified martyrs cry out, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10). These are glorified saints asking God for judgment, which makes it impossible to dismiss every prayer for divine vengeance as inherently sinful or incompatible with Christian love. The martyrs are asking God to avenge them! 

Should We Pray for Judgment or Conversion?

We should pray for both judgment upon the wicked and the conversion of the wicked, with salvation being the ultimate desire in our prayers. After all, Saul of Tarsus was once terrorizing Christians, and no doubt the church was praying against him! Thankfully, the Lord chose to graciously convert him rather than obliterate him. 

Paul’s conversion and our own should make us extraordinarily careful about declaring particular people beyond the reach of grace. Today's persecutor could become tomorrow's preacher! I appreciate John Piper’s wisdom on this subject because he urges considerable caution about praying specifically for someone's damnation because we don't know whom God may yet save. But Piper acknowledges that Christians facing horrific evil can certainly cry, “God, stop them!” and ask God to unleash whatever righteous judgment is necessary.

When Should Christians Pray Imprecatory Prayers?

Imprecatory prayers should not become ammunition for petty grievances but genuinely crying out to God for help when unrepentant wicked sinners are attacking you without restraint. Christians must never use biblical imprecations merely because someone has become our personal enemy over petty conflict. Biblical imprecation concerns God's enemies, God's purposes, and serious evil. 

But there are circumstances when God's people rightly cry out for judgment.

When Christians are slaughtered for their faith, when someone tries to split the church, when children are abused or trafficked, when tyrants brutalize innocent people, when authorities persecute Christ's church, when false teachers knowingly destroy souls, or when wicked men appear unstoppable.

Christians may absolutely pray imprecatory prayers upon these wicked people and implore God to save them, restrain them, expose them, remove them, and bring justice against them. If they refuse to repent, judge them without restraint. 

Five Questions to Ask Before Praying an Imprecatory Prayer

Because our hearts are deceptive, imprecatory prayer requires serious self-examination. Before praying, ask some questions to double check your motives and mindset. 

• Am I seeking God's glory or settling my score?

• Have I genuinely prayed for this person's repentance and salvation?

• Is this serious evil, or am I disguising personal irritation as righteous indignation?

• Would I rejoice if God answered this prayer by saving my enemy?

• Am I willing to leave the timing, means, and severity of judgment entirely to God?

That final question gets to the heart of biblical imprecation because the Christian does not take up the sword of personal vengeance, but rather lays vengeance down and entrusts it to God. Christians can absolutely pray imprecatory prayers, but when we do, we are not taking vengeance into our own hands. We are crying out to God and trusting Him to fight for us.