Imprecation
Imprecation an appeal to God, invoking his curse upon (1) either one's self or (2) another. For the former, SEE OATH. The latter, which occurs frequently in the so-called "imprecatory Psalms" (see Edwards, On the Divine Imprecations, in the Bibliotheca Sacra, 1, 97; Presb. Quart. Rev. App. 1861; British and For. Ev. Rev. July, 1864; Heine, Abus. Ps, 109, imprec. Helmst. 1739), is justified partly by the atrocity of some of the crimes execrated (e.g. that of Doeg), and partly by the fact of special authority in the act of inspiration. SEE ACCURSED; SEE CANAANITES, DESTRUCTION OF; SEE PSALMS.
