O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
Psalms 94:1-23 -Prayer for Yahweh's appearing as Judge to execute vengeance on the proud (Psalms 94:1-2); ground of the prayer, the seeming impunity of the wicked in violent deeds and words (Psalms 94:3-7); refutation of their imagination that God does not see (Psalms 94:8-11); blessedness of those who, not misjudging God's longsuffering with the wicked oppressors, profit by chastening, being taught by God out of His law; at last they shall have rest, and the wicked be cast into the pit (Psalms 94:12-15); the Church's confidence in Yahweh, when ready to slip through the enemy's persecution (Psalms 94:16-19); Yahweh will not let the throne of iniquity prevail, but will save His people, and bring upon sinners their own iniquity (Psalms 94:20-23). The series of psalms, Psalms 91:1-16; Psalms 92:1-15; Psalms 93:1-5; Psalms 94:1-23; Psalms 95:1-11; Psalms 96:1-13; Psalms 97:1-12; Psalms 98:1-9; Psalms 99:1-9; Psalms 100:1-5 have the common theme, the Lord's manifestation for His people's comfort, and their foes' confusion. Repetitious of phrases are frequent (Psalms 94:1; Psalms 94:3; Psalms 94:23: cf. Psalms 93:3). They probably belong to the time when Assyria, having carried away the Ten tribes, was threatening Judah. Their anticipation of Yahweh's manifestation for His people was realized in the overthrow of Sennacherib at Jerusalem. The ulterior reference is to Antichrist's overthrow by the Lord's Epiphany.
O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth ... show thyself - rather, as in Psalms 50:2; Psalms 80:1, "shine forth;" make thine Epiphany. So the Chaldaic and Syriac also, like the English version, takes it imperatively. But the Septuagint, Vulgate, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions take it in the past or present tense, as Psalms 50:2; Deuteronomy 33:2. Hengstenberg prefers this, 'The God of vengeance ... shines forth.' The Psalmist begins with the expression of confidence in the appearance of God for help, 'The God of vengeance shines' (Psalms 94:1). On the ground of this there rises the following prayer. But the prayer in Psalms 94:2 seems to me abrupt if taken by itself, and more easy if taken as the continuation of a previous prayer in Psalms 94:1.
However, the Hebrew form here is not the same as the imperative form in Psalms 80:1. [Here it is howpiya` (H3313), instead of howpiy`aah]. Also Psalms 93:1-5; Psalms 97:1-12; Psalms 99:1-9 begin with the preterite, "The Lord reigneth." The confident expectation of the speedy coming of the Lord to reign is the distinguishing feature of these psalms. This is the Psalmist's starting point. The twice-uttered 'O God of vengeances' (Hebrew), and the plural, imply vehement earnestness. 'There is in God a whole fullness of vengeance for His injured Church' (Hengstenberg). Compare Deuteronomy 32:35, to which this verse alludes. That God's righteousness binds Him to give, in "vengeance," "tribulation to them that trouble" His people, and "rest" unto the latter from all their troubles, is the ground on which the Church's hope of His appearing rests (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8).