But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The raw, almost shocking honesty here is where the treasure lies: the psalmist doesn't just lament a bad situation, but directly confronts God, accusing Him of "casting off and rejecting" His own chosen king. This isn't a polite prayer; it’s a desperate soul wrestling with the seeming contradiction between God’s faithfulness and His people's suffering, demanding answers when all evidence points to abandonment.
But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After celebrating God's faithful covenant with David and the promises of an everlasting kingdom, the psalmist pivots dramatically to lament the current disastrous reality. He confronts God directly, contrasting the divine promises with the apparent abandonment of the anointed king and the ruin of his kingdom, questioning how these terrible circumstances could arise from the God who swore such oaths.
Have you ever felt so strongly about God's promises that you felt you had to confront Him when things went wrong? This psalm does just that.
A Direct Confrontation
The psalmist has just spent most of Psalm 89 recounting God's incredible promises to David, assuring him of an everlasting dynasty and kingdom. Then, in verse 38, the tone dramatically shifts.
Instead of continuing the praise, the psalmist turns directly to God with challenging questions and statements: 'But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed.'
This isn't irreverent complaining; it's the cry of a faith that knows God's character and His promises so well that it feels compelled to ask why present circumstances seem to contradict them. It's a testament to the deep trust that allows us to wrestle with God, confident that He can handle our honest confusion and pain.
The 'anointed one' was God's chosen king, representing divine authority. What does it mean when God himself seems to reject him?
God's Wrath on His Chosen
The term 'anointed' (Hebrew: mashiach) specifically refers to the king of Israel, set apart and consecrated by God for his special role. This wasn't just any ruler; it was God's representative on earth, symbolizing His own rule.
Yet, here the psalmist declares that God has 'cast off and rejected' and is 'full of wrath' against this very anointed one. This is a deeply disturbing thought: God's chosen king, who rules in God's name, is experiencing God's fierce anger and abandonment. This likely refers to a time of national crisis where the Davidic king and dynasty were in deep trouble, perhaps even seemingly overthrown, making the people question God's faithfulness to His covenant promises.
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Understand the original words
ebrah · Hebrew Noun
God's righteous and settled reaction against sin and rebellion. While it may involve judgment, it is always consistent with His holiness and justice, and in the Old Testament, it is often expressed toward His people when they break covenant.
mashiyach · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
Literarily 'the anointed one' (Messiah/Christ). It refers to a person—often a king or priest—consecrated with oil for a specific divine office and empowered by the Spirit to serve God's purposes for His people.
This psalm was likely composed during or after the Babylonian exile, when the Davidic dynasty was overthrown and Jerusalem destroyed. The poet grapples with the stark contrast between God's promises of an eternal kingship and the devastating reality of exile, questioning God's faithfulness and the fate of His anointed king.
c. 1010 BC
David Anointed King
God's covenant is established with David, promising an everlasting dynasty and kingdom, deeply understood as a perpetual divine mandate.
c. 931 BC
Kingdom Divides
Following Solomon's reign, the united kingdom splits into Israel (North) and Judah (South), weakening the Davidic monarchy.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling its people and leaving Judah as the sole remaining Davidic kingdom.
c. 609 BC
Josiah's Death
King Josiah, a righteous ruler, is killed in battle, plunging Judah into political instability and increasing vulnerability to foreign powers.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonian Empire destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the Judean elite and ending the Davidic dynasty's rule. This verse reflects the profound crisis and apparent abandonment of God's promises to David.
This passage echoes the lament of Psalm 89, expressing a similar sense of abandonment by God despite past faithfulness, highlighting the recurring theme of God's people feeling forsaken in times of trouble.
Jeremiah 22:28-30This prophetic oracle directly addresses the lineage of David's 'anointed' king, pronouncing a curse of childlessness and lack of a lasting dynasty, which provides a historical and prophetic fulfillment to the lament in Psalm 89 about God casting off His anointed.
Lamentations 5:16This verse speaks of the loss of joy and the coming of a 'crown' falling from the head, mirroring the imagery in Psalm 89:38-39 of God's wrath against His anointed and the profaning of his crown.
Romans 11:1-2Paul addresses a similar paradox of God seeming to reject His chosen people (Israel), then offers reassurance that God has not cast off His people, providing a theological perspective on how God's 'casting off' is not necessarily final, but part of a larger redemptive plan, contrasting with the despair in Psalm 89.
bensonPsalms 89:38: "But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed."
Psalm 89:38-45 . But thou hast cast off — Having hitherto declared the certainty of God’s promises, he now proceeds to show the unsuitableness of the present dispensations of God’s providence thereunto, and humbly expostulates with God about it. Thou hast been wroth with thine anointed — That person and family that thou hast invested with the kingdom. Thou hast made void, &c. — Which seems contrary to…
clarkePsalms 89:38: "But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed."
But thou hast cast off - Hitherto the psalmist has spoken of the covenant of God with David and his family, which led them to expect all manner of prosperity, and a perpetuity of the Jewish throne; now he shews what appears to him a failure of the promise, and what he calls in the next verse the making void the covenant of his servant. God cannot lie to David; how is it then that his crown is profaned…
The raw, almost shocking honesty here is where the treasure lies: the psalmist doesn't just lament a bad situation, but directly confronts God, accusing Him of "casting off and rejecting" His own chosen king. This isn't a polite prayer; it’s a desperate soul wrestling with the seeming contradiction between God’s faithfulness and His people's suffering, demanding answers when all evidence points to abandonment.
After celebrating God's faithful covenant with David and the promises of an everlasting kingdom, the psalmist pivots dramatically to lament the current disastrous reality. He confronts God directly, contrasting the divine promises with the apparent abandonment of the anointed king and the ruin of his kingdom, questioning how these terrible circumstances could arise from the God who swore such oaths.
After celebrating God's faithful covenant with David and the promises of an everlasting kingdom, the psalmist pivots dramatically to lament the current disastrous reality. He confronts God directly, contrasting the divine promises with the apparent abandonment of the anointed king and the ruin of his kingdom, questioning how these terrible circumstances could arise from the God who swore such oaths.
"But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed." — The raw, almost shocking honesty here is where the treasure lies: the psalmist doesn't just lament a bad situation, but directly confronts God, accusing Him of "casting off and rejecting" His own cho…
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Last reviewed October 2026