Psalm 21 (20):11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

You will eradicate their produce from the land. Their produce, being earthly, will be removed from the earth, along with their progeny among humanity (Psalm 20:10). As for their deeds, anyone they lead astray will not be counted among those You have summoned to an eternal heritage.

You will bring an end to their fruit from the earth, referring to wicked words and intentions. These malicious thoughts are eradicated through the Resurrection, along with their false teachings and irreverent resolutions, which God, in His goodness, will ultimately condemn after their demise. Their legacy among humanity is also affected. It is advantageous to be liberated from sins and malevolent thoughts, for an evil thought serves as the origin of sin.

The Prophet declares that You can ignite them like a furnace, consuming them and their descendants like combustible material, erasing all memory of them. He refers to their descendants as both seed and fruit. However, He specifies 'at the time of Your presence' rather than 'at the time of Your anger,' indicating the moment You deem appropriate for retribution.

In these verses, David predicts the ruin that awaits God's adversaries and lists the various forms of punishment they will endure. When they encounter the anger of the Lord, they will be overwhelmed with confusion and face destruction from all directions. The yield of their lands will wither away, and their offspring, symbolized by their seeds, will disappear from both the earth and humanity. It is noteworthy that in another Psalm, it is said, "Lord, in thy wrath thou shalt confound them."

The words, teachings, and unrighteous beliefs of the wicked and the ungodly serve as their legacy after they are gone. In His goodness, God brings these seeds to ruin and obliteration, ensuring that neither the offspring of the ungodly nor their legacy endures.

In this context, David highlights the intensity of God's anger towards the unrighteous, indicating that it will also affect their offspring. This element of doctrine is frequently referenced in Scripture, illustrating that God's judgment does not merely fall upon the initial wrongdoers but extends to their children, even up to the third and fourth generation. Since the offspring of the wicked are deemed under God’s righteous decree to be deprived of His grace and classified as children of His wrath, they too bear the consequences of His just fury. Who would dare to challenge Him when His favor, which sustains His servants, is removed from those unworthy?

The realm of the living represents the Kingdom of Heaven. The outcome of the unrighteous is their deeds, for they shall not possess the land of the living. Furthermore, their descendants, the inheritors of their iniquity, will not be counted among the just.