Psalm 92 is about praise and thanksgiving, where God’s people look forward to the destruction of the enemies (vv. 7-9) and the triumph of the righteous (vv. 10-14). It is not didactic teaching about soul-sleep or some future Day of Judgment that results in annihilation. It is an imprecatory Psalm. But, conditionalists use it nonetheless. The following are extractions from the Psalm that they use for their support.
- “That when the wicked sprouted up like grass and all who did iniquity flourished. It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore,” (Psalm 92:7).
- “For, behold, Your enemies, O LORD, for, behold, Your enemies will perish. All who do iniquity will be scattered,” (Psalm 92:9).
Imprecatory Psalm
An imprecatory Psalm is a psalm that has curses against an enemy. There are many imprecations in the Psalms: 5:10; 17:13; 28:4; 35:4-6; 40:14; 55:15; 59:5; 71:13; 79:6; 94:1-2; 109:6-9; 129:5-6; 137:9; 139:19; 140:10-11. Here is an example of some of them.
- Psalm 5:10, “Hold them guilty, O God; By their own devices let them fall! In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out, For they are rebellious against You.”
- Psalm 35:4–6, “Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on. 6 Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.”
- Psalm 59:5, “You, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, Awake to punish all the nations; Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity. 13 Destroy them in wrath, destroy them that they may be no more; That men may know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth.”
- Psalm 79:6, “Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You, And upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Your name.”
- Psalm 109:6–9, “Appoint a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty, And let his prayer become sin. 8 Let his days be few; Let another take his office. 9 Let his children be fatherless And his wife a widow.”
- Psalm 137:9, “9 How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock.”
- Psalm 139:19, “O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.”
- Psalm 140:10–11, “May burning coals fall upon them; May they be cast into the fire, Into deep pits from which they cannot rise. 11 May a slanderer not be established in the earth; May evil hunt the violent man speedily.”
In Psalm 92:7,9, when the psalmist wishes that the wicked might be destroyed forevermore (v. 7) and that they would perish (v. 9), he is not pronouncing a doctrinal statement on the condition of the soul after their physical death. Nor is he providing an eschatological statement on the final condition of the wicked being nonexistence. Instead, he is cursing the wicked, as so many imprecatory Psalms do: Psalms 35:4-6; 40:14; 79:6; 94:1-2; 109:6-9; 137:9, etc. Therefore, in its context, Psalm 92 is not about soul sleep or annihilationism. It is a Psalm of praise and thanksgiving to God that also speaks of the destruction of the wicked. But, this destruction is not declarative. It is imprecatory.
Psalm 92
Below in table 1 is an examination of Psalm 92 When categorized by individual verses as they relate to the timeframe, we find the following in Table 1 below.
- Present
- Psalm 92:1-6, 8, 10-12, 15
- Future
- Psalm 92:14
- Present and Future
- Psalm 92:7, 9, 12-13
The ratio of present and future tenses is not the right way to develop doctrinal statements. Percentages of tenses do not make doctrinal statements. Instead, it is the overall examination of their context. Nevertheless, as with all the Psalms, they are speaking primarily of the present situation at the Psalmist has to deal with, whether it be to trust in God, the prosperity of the wicked, the confession of sin, or curses pronounced upon the wicked.
| Table 1 Psalm 92 | |||
| Address | Verse | Commentary | Time Frame |
| Psalm 92:1 | It is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; | Praise to God | Present |
| Psalm 92:2 | To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night, | Praise to God | Present |
| Psalm 92:3 | With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp, with resounding music upon the lyre. | Praise to God | Present |
| Psalm 92:4 | For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands. | Praise to God | Present |
| Psalm 92:5 | How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep. | Praise to God | Present |
| Psalm 92:6 | A senseless man has no knowledge, nor does a stupid man understand this: | Proverbial statement | Present |
| Psalm 92:7 | That when the wicked sprouted up like grass and all who did iniquity flourished. It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore. | The psalmist is expressing a desire. This is imprecatory. Imprecatory psalms say many things that are not doctrinal “precise.” | Past, Future |
| Psalm 92:8 | But You, O LORD, are on high forever. | Praise to God | Present |
| Psalm 92:9 | For, behold, Your enemies, O LORD, for, behold, Your enemies will perish. All who do iniquity will be scattered. | This is speaking of how they observe the wicked to be vanquished. They will be scattered means they are still around, just scattered. It is in this context that the Psalmist says, “Your enemies will perish.” | Present, Future |
| Psalm 92:10 | But You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox. I have been anointed with fresh oil. | Thanksgiving for God’s grace | Present |
| Psalm 92:11 | And my eye has looked exultantly upon my foes. My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me. | Confidence in God, in the presence of his enemies | Present |
| Psalm 92:12 | The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree. He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. | Proclamation of good to the righteous | Present, Future |
| Psalm 92:13 | Planted in the house of the LORD. They will flourish in the courts of our God. | Proclamation of good to the righteous | Present, Future |
| Psalm 92:14 | They will still yield fruit in old age. They shall be full of sap and very green, | Proclamation of good to the righteous | Future |
| Psalm 92:15 | To declare that the LORD is upright. He is my rock | Praise to God | Present |
