Psalm 141 · a question people ask
"Let the wicked fall together into their own nets while I pass by" (141:10). How can a prayer ask for that?
First, what the verse says. The prayer is spoken to the LORD (141:8), and the psalmist doesn't say he will act against anyone himself. It asks that the traps laid for him (141:9) catch those who laid them. Other psalms say the same of those who dig pits and hide nets: "He has dug a hole, and has fallen into the pit which he made" (Psalm 7:15), "In the net which they hid, their own foot is taken" (Psalm 9:15), and "They dig a pit before me. They fall into the middle of it themselves" (Psalm 57:6). Psalm 141 names no one, and these notes apply its words to no people today. Psalm 141 is not the only psalm that prays against the wicked, and Christians read these prayers in more than one way. The chapter on Psalm 109 sets out the main readings, each resting on its verses, and chooses none. These notes don't choose either.
The verses
“For my eyes are on you, LORD, the Lord. I take refuge in you. Don’t leave my soul destitute. Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, from the traps of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall together into their own nets while I pass by.”
“He has dug a hole, and has fallen into the pit which he made.”
“The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made. In the net which they hid, their own foot is taken.”
“They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They dig a pit before me. They fall into the middle of it themselves. Selah.”