“Tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!” Reading the Imprecatory Psalms through the Canonical Approach
Abstract
The imprecatory psalms are difficult for many modern readers, because of their violent content. Some imprecatory verses and entire psalms have been removed from the Roman Divine Office over concerns of difficulty of understanding and praying these psalms. Some prominent ways of dealing with the violence of the imprecatory psalms include, using them for catharsis, allegorizing the violence, and ignoring them. However, taken in light of the rest of the biblical canon, the use of the imprecatory psalms becomes more clear. Brevard Childs’ canonical approach, while controversial, uses scripture to read other scripture, and helps illuminate the meaning and place of the imprecatory psalms. Using Walter Brueggemann’s model of the “counter-world” in his reading of the historical psalms, Jon Levenson’s idea of God’s incomplete mastery, and the demand for justice in the prophet Amos, the place of the imprecatory psalms becomes clear. In context of the rest of the Bible, using Childs’ canonical approach, the imprecatory psalms expose modern readers to the deep pains and injustices of the world, motivating them to seek justice on behalf of the oppressed.