Imprecatory Psalms are hymns that pray for enemies of God to suffer harm. Imprecations are found throughout the Bible. Within the Book of Psalms, several passages call for judgment, calamity, or curses upon various foes. Such prayers are not unique to Judaism or Christianity.

In societies with a largely oral culture, the spoken word had outsized impact. Words could affect reality and perception simply through their utterance. The Old Testament abounds with instances where spoken curses or blessings trigger major events, such as Jacob's deception of Isaac (Genesis 27) and David unwittingly sentencing his own son to death (2 Samuel 12). Such words are emanations of the human spirit, and their efficacy is a direct result of the power of the speaker's soul.

The story of Balaam in Numbers 23 exemplifies the thin line between a blessing and a curse. After Balak asks the prophet to curse the Israelites, he fears the words could be converted into a blessing and instead urges Balaam to remain silent.

Imprecatory Psalms are hymns which include some kind of call to judgment, calamity, or curse to befall a foe. The term can be misleading because a Psalm with just one verse of imprecation is often classified as imprecatory. Even a generally beatific text like Psalm 23 ("The Lord Is My Shepherd") can quickly veer into an imprecation before returning to its primary subject.

The Bible has 150 Psalms, and six are generally considered imprecatory: 55, 59, 69, 79, 109, and 137.

Psalm 69 features the plea to God, "Pour out Your indignation on them, and let Your burning anger overtake them." (Ps 69:24)

There was a tradition in Europe of praying an enemy to death with Psalm 109. John Calvin wrote about a wealthy woman who employed Franciscans to kill her son with it.

Psalms 5, 6, 10, 12, 35, 37, 40, 52, 54, 56, 57, 58, 83, 94, 139 and 143 are also considered imprecatory.