Psalms 9 · ESV Study Bible

I Will Recount Your Wonderful Deeds

PSALM 9 [†] I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;

I will recount all of your g wonderful deeds.

2 I will be glad and h exult in you;

I will i sing praise to your name, j O Most High.

3[†] When my enemies turn back,

they stumble and perish before [3] your presence.

4 For you have k maintained my just cause;

you have l sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

5 You have m rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;

you have n blotted out their name forever and ever.

6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;

their cities you rooted out;

the very memory of them has perished.

7[†] But the LORD sits enthroned forever;

he has established his throne for justice,

8[†] and he o judges the world with righteousness;

he p judges the peoples with uprightness.

9[†] The LORD is q a stronghold for r the oppressed,

a stronghold in s times of trouble.

10[†] And those who t know your name put their trust in you,

for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

11[†] Sing praises to the LORD, who u sits enthroned in Zion!

Tell among the peoples his v deeds!

12[†] For he who w avenges blood is mindful of them;

he x does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

13[^][†] y Be gracious to me, O LORD!

See my affliction from those who hate me,

O you who lift me up from z the gates of death,

14 that I may recount all your praises,

that in the gates of a the daughter of Zion

I may b rejoice in your salvation.

15[†] The nations have sunk in c the pit that they made;

in d the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.

16 The LORD has made himself e known; he has executed judgment;

the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. [4] Selah

17[†] The wicked shall f return to Sheol,

all the nations that g forget God.

18[†] For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

and h the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

19[†] i Arise, O LORD! Let not j man prevail;

let the nations be judged before you!

20 Put them in fear, O LORD!

Let the nations know that they are but j men! Selah

PSALM—NOTE ON 9:1–2 The Worshiper’s Intent to Give Thanks. The psalm opens with the singer’s desire to thank God for his wonderful deeds.

PSALM—NOTE ON 9:8 That Israel’s God judges the world and all its peoples would be a bold claim if he was not the same God who made heaven and earth and all that is in them. In this particular case the judging is punitive, but this need not be true in every case and at all times (cf. Isa. 2:4).

PSALM—NOTE ON 9:12 Mindful of them, namely, of the oppressed people of Israel (v. 9), whose blood God avenges when the Gentiles would spill it unjustly.

PSALM—NOTE ON 9:1 with my whole heart. The biblical ideal is for the whole inner self to be engaged in loving and praising God (cf. Deut. 6:5), whether in private or in public (as here).

PSALM—NOTE ON Psalm 9. As the esv footnote indicates, Psalms 9–10 together follow a basically acrostic pattern, with Psalm 10 beginning where Psalm 9 leaves off. The acrostic is not perfect, however: several letters of the alphabet are missing or are out of order. Further, Psalm 10 lacks a title, which is unusual for this section of the Psalter. Both psalms refer to God’s interest in “the oppressed” (9:9; 10:18), both mention “times of trouble” (9:9; 10:1), both call on God to “arise” (9:19; 10:12), and both are sure that God will not “forget the afflicted” (9:12; 10:12). Thus it is not surprising that the Greek and Latin versions have these combined as a single psalm. On the other hand, there are enough differences to justify finding two songs here: the tone of Psalm 9 is predominantly praise and thanks, while that of Psalm 10 is largely lament. Further, whereas in Psalm 9 the enemies are clearly Gentiles (vv. 5–8, 15–16, 19–20), in Psalm 10 they may be faithless Israelites (see esp. 10:4, 13), with the “nations” being mentioned (10:16) to show that the faithless are imitating the wicked Canaanites. Thus these two psalms are probably best taken as companions placed together in light of their similarities. Psalm 9 praises God for the success of the Davidic king in defending Israel from its Gentile foes. The “I” in this psalm is either David as the representative of the people, or each member of Israel, who celebrates the blessings that come to him by way of the whole nation’s success.

PSALM—NOTE ON 9:10 To know God’s name, to put trust in him, and to seek him are all ideals of OT piety, of which the people of Israel often fell short. Here the people are viewed in terms of their ideal.