CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Psalms 9
Chapter 9 of 150
Chapter Overview
What happens in Psalms 9
A psalm of David praising God for his righteous judgments and his protection of the oppressed. Psalms 9 and 10 may have originally been one acrostic poem.
Scripture
Psalms 9
Praise for God's Justice
Study note
David praises God for his wonderful deeds. God has judged the nations and destroyed the wicked.
1 Lord, I want to thank you with every ounce of who I am. I want to share the story of every amazing thing you have done. I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
2 You fill me up with happiness. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
3 My enemies tried to advance, but instead they tripped and collapsed before you. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
4 You took up my case and stood up for what was right. You sat on your throne and gave a fair verdict. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
5 You confronted the nations and wiped out those who did evil. You erased their very names for all time. Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
6 The enemy is finished — completely gone. You tore down their cities, and nobody even remembers they existed. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
God Is a Refuge for the Oppressed
Study note
The Lord endures forever and judges the world with fairness. He is a safe place for those who are crushed and troubled.
7 But the Lord reigns forever. He has set up his throne to bring justice. But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
8 He judges the whole world with what is right. He governs every nation with complete fairness. And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
9 The Lord is a safe place for people who are beaten down — a place to run to when trouble hits. The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
10 Everyone who knows your name puts their trust in you. Lord, you have never turned your back on anyone who looks for you. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
11 Sing praises to the Lord who makes his home in Zion. Spread the word among the nations about everything he has done. Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
12 He remembers people who are hurting. He never ignores the cry of someone who has no help. When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.
A Prayer for Mercy and Justice
Study note
David asks God to see his suffering. The nations have fallen into the traps they set for others. God makes himself known through justice.
13 Be kind to me, Lord. Look at how much pain I'm in because of those who hate me. Pull me back from the edge of death, Have 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:
14 Then I can stand at the gates of Jerusalem and tell everyone about the wonderful things you have done. I will celebrate because you saved me. That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
15 The nations tumbled right into the pit they dug for others. Their own feet got tangled in the trap they set in secret. The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
16 The Lord has shown who he is by carrying out justice. Wicked people got caught in the very schemes their own hands put together. Selah. The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
17 Those who live in wickedness are headed straight for the grave — every nation that pushes God out of their minds. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
18 But people in need will not be overlooked forever. The hopes of the helpless will never be thrown away. For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
19 Get up, Lord! Don't let mere humans believe they are more powerful than you. Let the nations face your judgment. Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
20 Make them tremble, Lord. Force every nation to see that they are only human. Selah. Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
Key Themes
Themes in Psalms 9
Praising God for righteous judgmentsGod as a refuge for the oppressedThe nations judged by their own deedsGod does not forget the needy
Apply This Today
Living Psalms 9
When injustice seems to reign, this psalm reminds you that God has not forgotten. He is a stronghold for the oppressed and a refuge in times of trouble. Your prayers for justice are not falling on deaf ears — God hears the cry of the afflicted and will act in His perfect timing.
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