Tehillim 64 | “God Will Shoot Them Down; With a Sudden Arrow”

At the beginning of this psalm, the poet prays to God to hear his voice, and then turns to describe the deeds of the wicked and the downfall they will suffer from God. The psalm is structured around the principle of measure for measure: the wicked “aim bitter words like arrows” (64:5) and shot suddenly: “and shoot from ambush at the blameless, shooting suddenly, without fear.” (64:5) In response, God will shoot an arrow at them suddenly: "God will shoot them down; with a sudden arrow” (64:8). They plotted schemes and told themselves that no one sees them : “Thinking, 'Who can see them?” (64:6) But in the end, all will witness their downfall: “will trip them up, and all who see them will shudder.” (64:9)

The hoped-for outcome of this act of justice, in which the wicked receive measure-for-measure punishment, is that all the society will understand that “They will tell of God's works and contemplate His deeds,” (64:10) and the righteous will rejoice and praise God. This is the very hope we express in the Rosh Hashana prayer: “Then the righteous will see and rejoice” — when God returns to judge His world.