And David said, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompense to them:
David saith.
Psalm 69:22,23 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap…
their table.
Deuteronomy 6:10-12 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, …
Deuteronomy 32:13-15 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; …
1 Samuel 25:36-38 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light…
a recompence.
Deuteronomy 32:35 To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
Psalm 28:4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.
Isaiah 59:18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
May their table become a snare and a trap,
The "table" symbolizes abundance and blessing, often associated with God's provision. In a cultural context, the table was a place of fellowship and sustenance. However, the prayer for it to become a "snare and a trap" suggests a reversal of fortune, where blessings become curses due to disobedience or unbelief. This reflects the broader biblical theme of judgment upon those who reject God's grace.
a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
A "stumbling block" is something that causes one to fall or fail, often used in Scripture to describe obstacles to faith. The concept of retribution indicates divine justice, where actions have consequences. This phrase echoes the warnings found throughout the Bible about the dangers of rejecting God's truth, as seen in passages like Isaiah 8:14-15 and 1 Peter 2:8. It serves as a sobering reminder of the seriousness of spiritual blindness and the resulting judgment.
Paul reaches back to Psalm 69:22 to let King David speak into the present situation. When David wrote, he was describing enemies who rejected God’s anointed. By quoting the psalm, Paul shows that the Holy Spirit foresaw Israel’s rejection of Christ and spoke about it centuries earlier (Acts 1:16; 2 Peter 1:21). Scripture’s continuity assures us that what God inspired then is still accurate and literal for us now.
The “table” pictures abundance, safety, and fellowship—think of Psalm 23:5 where the Lord “prepares a table” for His people. Yet blessings can harden hearts when people trust the gift instead of the Giver (Deuteronomy 8:10-14).
• Israel enjoyed covenant privileges (Romans 9:4-5), but many treated those privileges as automatic security.
• Jesus warned that feasting at the wrong table blinds a soul to its real need (Luke 14:15-24).
Because they refused to see God’s grace, the very blessings meant to draw them near became the snare that trapped them in unbelief.
Paul has already said Israel “stumbled over the stumbling stone” (Romans 9:32-33). Christ—God’s chosen cornerstone—became the rock many tripped over instead of the rock on which they stood (1 Peter 2:7-8).
• Their own righteousness seemed sufficient (Philippians 3:3-9), so they missed the righteousness God freely offers in Christ.
• By clinging to works, they fell at the very threshold of salvation (Galatians 5:4).
The lesson is clear: whenever pride meets grace, pride falls.
Retribution is not petty revenge; it is God’s just response to persistent unbelief (Galatians 6:7). Psalm 28:4 asks God to “repay them according to their deeds,” and Romans 2:5-6 affirms He will do exactly that.
• For unbelieving Israel, retribution included spiritual dullness (Romans 11:8) and, historically, national calamities (Luke 19:41-44).
• Yet even judgment serves God’s larger plan, for it opened the door for Gentiles to receive mercy, which in turn will provoke Israel to jealousy and eventual restoration (Romans 11:11-12, 25-27).
God’s justice always works alongside His mercy to advance His redemptive purposes.
Paul’s quotation of David shows that God’s Word consistently warns against presuming on His blessings. A gift (the table) can trap; refusing grace makes Christ a stumbling block; persistent hardness invites righteous retribution. Still, even judgment serves a merciful plan. The passage calls every reader to treasure God’s blessings humbly, receive Christ gladly, and trust the unfolding wisdom of God’s unbreakable Scripture.
(9) And David saith.--It appears highly improbable that this Psalm was really written by David. Nor can the Davidic authorship be argued strongly from this passage, as "David" merely seems to stand for the Book of Psalms, with which his name was traditionally connected.St. Paul is quoting freely from the LXX. In the original of Psalms 69 these verses refer to the fate invoked by the psalmist upon his persecutors; here they are applied by St. Paul to the fiat of the Almighty which had been pronounced against the unbelieving people of Israel.
Let their table . . .--In the very moment of their feasting, let them be caught in a stratagem of their enemies.
And a trap.--These words are not found either in the Hebrew or in the LXX., and appear to be added by St. Paul. Translate rather, Let them be for a chase--i.e., instead of feasting, let them be hunted and persecuted.
And a recompence unto them.--Similarly the LXX. The Hebrew is, "When they are in peace, let it be a trap" ("that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap"--A.V.)--i.e., when they are eating and drinking securely, let them be caught as in a trap; let their security itself deceive them. By "recompence unto them" the Apostle means, Let their prosperity bring upon them retaliation for what they have done--namely, for their rejection of Christ.