Naravist

Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Psalms 9

Psalm 9: praise for judgment given and a plea that the nations be judged

General context

The speaker vows to praise the Lord with his whole heart, show forth his marvellous works, and sing to the name of the most High. He says his enemies are turned back and fall at God's presence, because God has maintained his right and cause, sitting in the throne judging right. God has rebuked the heathen, destroyed the wicked and put out their name for ever; the enemy's destructions have come to an end and their cities' memorial has perished. But the Lord endures for ever, has prepared his throne for judgment and will judge the world in righteousness; he is a refuge for the oppressed, and those who know his name trust him. The speaker calls for praise to the Lord who dwells in Zion, since he remembers the cry of the humble when he makes inquisition for blood. He then asks for mercy in his own trouble from those who hate him, so that he may show forth praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion. The heathen sink in the pit they made and are snared in their own net, marked Higgaion and Selah. The wicked and the nations that forget God will be turned into hell, but the needy and the poor will not be forgotten for ever. The psalm closes by asking the Lord to arise, not let man prevail, judge the heathen and put them in fear so that the nations know themselves to be but men, followed by Selah.

Cited passages: Psalms 9:1, Psalms 9:3, Psalms 9:4, Psalms 9:5, Psalms 9:6, Psalms 9:7, Psalms 9:9, Psalms 9:11, Psalms 9:12, Psalms 9:13, Psalms 9:14, Psalms 9:15, Psalms 9:16, Psalms 9:17, Psalms 9:18, Psalms 9:20

Psalms 9 (KJV)

1I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.

2I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

3When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.

4For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.

5Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.

6O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.

7But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.

8And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

9The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

10And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

11Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.

12When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

13Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:

14That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.

15The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.

16The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.

17The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

18For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.

19Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.

20Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The text as printed carries no heading; verse 1 begins "I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart", so no author or occasion is named in this source. The speaker is a single "I" whose enemies are called "the heathen", "the wicked" and "them that hate me"; no nation or person is named, and the destroyed cities of verse 6 are not identified. Zion is named twice, as the Lord's dwelling and as "the daughter of Zion" whose gates are the place of praise. Verses 3-6 speak of judgment already given in the past tense ("thou hast rebuked", "thou hast destroyed"), while verses 13 and 19-20 ask for help in a trouble still present; the psalm does not say how these relate. Verse 16 ends with two words, "Higgaion. Selah.", which the source prints without explanation, and Selah stands again after verse 20. The psalm does not describe what "inquisition for blood" involves beyond saying the humble are remembered.

Cited passages: Psalms 9:1, Psalms 9:6, Psalms 9:11, Psalms 9:14, Psalms 9:5, Psalms 9:19, Psalms 9:16

Literary context

The psalm moves from praise to a description of judgment, then to petition, then to statements about the wicked and the needy, and ends with petition. The opening four "I will" statements set a tone of thanksgiving, and the ground for it is stated in the past tense: enemies turned back, the heathen rebuked, names put out. Verse 7 turns with "But the Lord shall endure for ever", setting God's permanence against the perished memorial of the cities. Throne and judgment recur (verses 4, 7, 8, 16, 19), and the reversal motif is explicit: the pit the heathen made holds them, the net they hid catches their own foot, the wicked is snared by his own hands. Forgetting is a key word: the Lord "forgetteth not the cry of the humble", the nations "forget God", and the needy "shall not alway be forgotten". The plea in verse 13 breaks into the praise, and the last two verses turn to command, "Arise", "Put them in fear". Psalm 10 opens with the question of God standing afar off, continuing this psalm's concern for the poor and the wicked.

Cited passages: Psalms 9:2, Psalms 9:7, Psalms 9:8, Psalms 9:15, Psalms 9:12, Psalms 9:17, Psalms 9:18, Psalms 10:1

Key moments

  1. Whole-hearted praise (Psalms 9:1). The speaker vows to praise the Lord and show forth his marvellous works.
  2. Judging right from the throne (Psalms 9:4). God has maintained the speaker's cause, sitting in the throne judging right.
  3. The Lord endures for ever (Psalms 9:7). Against perished cities, the Lord endures and prepares his throne for judgment.
  4. Refuge for the oppressed (Psalms 9:9). The Lord is named a refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble.
  5. Mercy in present trouble (Psalms 9:13). The speaker asks for mercy from those who hate him, lifted from the gates of death.
  6. Caught in their own net (Psalms 9:15). The heathen sink in the pit they made and their own foot is taken in their net.
  7. Let the nations know they are men (Psalms 9:20). The speaker asks the Lord to put the nations in fear so they know themselves to be but men.

For reflection

The speaker praises God for judgments already given and in the same poem asks for mercy in a trouble still going on; how does remembered rescue shape the way the present plea is worded?

People in this chapter