What happensPermalink
The singer praises God for His presence and wondrous deeds. God promises to judge the earth at the appointed time, humbling the wicked and exalting the righteous. The image of the cup of wrath underscores the certainty of judgment and the inescapable fate of the unrepentant.
Why it mattersPermalink
Among psalms of lament (74, 77, 79), this psalm offers communal praise for God’s justice. It echoes Hannah’s song (1 Samuel 2:1–10) and Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:52), where God humbles the proud and exalts the humble. The cup of wrath (v.8), a recurring biblical image, appears in prophetic visions (Isaiah 51:17) and the final judgment (Revelation 14:10), showing the global scope and certainty of God’s justice.
Key versePermalink
But it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.