Why read Psalm 9? What is the interpretation of the Psalm and what do its verses mean? You can listen online or read the text of the prayer Psalm 9 in Russian on our website.
1 I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart, I will proclaim all Your wonders, 2 I will rejoice and rejoice in You, I will sing praises to Your name, O Most High! 3 When my enemy is turned back, they will faint and perish before You, 4 for You have completed my judgment and my litigation, You have sat on the throne, a righteous Judge. 5 You threatened the nations, and the wicked perished; blotted out his name forever, and forever and ever. 6 The enemy had no weapons left at all, and You destroyed the cities, the memory of him perished with a noise! 7 And the Lord abides forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. 8 And He will judge the world with righteousness, He will judge the nations with righteousness. 9 And the Lord became a refuge for the poor, a helper in prosperity and in sorrow, 10 and let those who know Your name trust in You, for You have not forsaken those who seek You, O Lord. 11 Sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion; make known His deeds among the nations, 12 for He, who exacts their blood, has remembered, and has not forgotten the cry of the poor. 13 Have mercy on me, O Lord, look at my humiliation from my enemies, You lift me up from the gates of death, 14 so that I may proclaim all Your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in Your salvation. 15 The nations are sank in the destruction that they have created; their feet are caught in the snare that they have hidden. 16 The Lord who executes judgments is known: the sinner is lost in the work of his own hands. 17 Let sinners return to hell, all nations who forget God, 18 for the poor will not be completely forgotten, the patience of the poor will not be completely lost. 19 Arise, O Lord, let not man be strong, let the nations be judged before Thee. 20 Set, O Lord, a lawgiver over them, that the nations may know that they are men. 21 Why, O Lord, have you stood afar off, not noticing prosperity and sorrow? 22 When the wicked are puffed up, and the poor are arrogant, they are entangled in the plans that they devise. 23 For the sinner boasts in the desires of his soul, and the unjust is blessed. 24 The sinner angered the Lord: “Because of the multitude of His wrath He will not require”—there is no God before him. 25 His ways are defiled at all times, he puts Your judgments away from his face, he takes possession of all his enemies. 26 After all, he said in his heart: “I will not be moved, from generation to generation I will remain without evil,” 27 he whose mouth is full of curses, and bitterness, and deceit, under his tongue is trouble and grief; 28 He sits in ambush with the rich in secret places to kill the innocent; his eyes watch the poor. 29 He lies in wait in secret, like a lion in his den; lies in wait to grab the beggar, grab the beggar when he lures him. 30 In his snare he will humble him, but he will bend and fall when he has gained the upper hand over the poor. 31 For he said in his heart: “God has forgotten, He has turned away His face, so as not to see until the end!” 32 Arise, O Lord my God, may Thy hand be exalted; do not forget Thy poor to the end! 33 Why did the wicked provoke God? After all, he said in his heart: “He will not require it.” 34 You see, for You notice grief and wrath, so as to deliver him into Your hands; The needy was left for You, You were the helper of the orphan. 35 Break the arm of the sinner and the evil one, and they will look for his sin and not find it. 36 The Lord is King forever and ever; Perish, O pagans, from His land! 37 Thou hast heard the desire of the poor, O Lord; Thy ear has heard the desire of their hearts; 38 bring justice to the fatherless and the humble, so that man may no longer be magnified on earth.
Detailed interpretation
The ninth Psalm of the Old Testament can be divided into 10 parts:
- David glorifies the Lord, rejoices and triumphs in Him (verses 1-3)
- God executes judgment on David's enemies (verses 4 and 5)
- The Lord not only destroys the king’s opponents, but completely destroys the memory of them from the earth. Makes it as if they never existed (verses 6 and 7)
- God becomes the refuge of all the oppressed and those who mourn (verses 8-11)
- David encourages people to glorify the Lord because He does not forget those who need protection. Asks the Lord to have mercy on him and protect him from all enemies (verses 12-15)
- The nations who dug pits for other people and laid nets for them to catch and destroy, fell into their own traps (verses 16-19)
- David asks God to rise up against the proud so that they will remember that they are just people and nothing more (verses 20-21)
- An insolent and wicked man, feeling his impunity, says that God does not see him and will not punish him, that God’s judgment simply does not exist (verses 22-31)
- David asks the Lord to rebel against them so that they will no longer abuse the poor and orphans (verses 33-36)
- God will judge every wicked person and His punishment will be just (verses 37-39).
There is no such division in the Bible itself. It was made in order to better highlight the semantic parts of the chapter and more deeply understand its main idea.
Part 1 – “I will praise you, Lord”
Verse 1
David performs the Psalm after the death of Laben. It is not known for certain who the deceased was to the king, because this name is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. Based on the content of the Psalm, it can be assumed that Labenus’ death was violent. The reason could be David's enemies, because many times in the Psalm he asks the Lord for retribution. We can only guess who Laben was and what role he played in David’s life.
There are no parallel Bible verses.
Verses 2 and 3
David promises to glorify the Lord always, to “proclaim”, that is, to tell everyone about what miracles God worked in his life. The king praise God with all his heart, honestly and without embellishment. David promises to continue to glorify the Lord and sing songs to Him. He calls him the Almighty - the one who is above everyone and controls everything.
There are no parallel verses from the Word of God.
Part 2 – “You carried out my judgment and my litigation”
Verses 4 and 5
David tells God that his enemies perish when the Lord intercedes for the king. They stumble and don't know how to proceed. Why do enemies behave this way? Because God himself enters the fight for David. He sits on his throne and judges all who are at enmity with the righteous. And His judgment is fair and righteous.
There are no parallel Bible verses.
Part 3 – “The enemy has no weapons at all”
Verses 6 and 7
God was indignant at those nations who took up arms against David. He not only destroyed the wicked, but blotted out their names forever. He made sure that the memory of them was not preserved, he destroyed them. God deprived the enemies of their own weapons, destroyed the cities in which they lived, and completely erased the memory of them. He made it as if they didn’t exist at all. Without God's help, David would not have been able to resist the nations that took up arms against him. And the king understands this very well.
There are no parallel verses from the Word of God.
Part 4 – “He will judge the universe with righteousness”
Verses 8 and 9
God will prepare a throne for himself to judge all nations and nations. His judgment will be righteous, as fair as He himself is. But not only the nations will be judged by Him, but also the whole universe.
Parallel verse:
- Psalm 95:13 – God comes to judge the earth. He will judge the universe according to truth, and people according to his truth. In truth - according to how the inhabitants of the universe fulfilled God's instructions. According to the truth - according to the Word of God. Did people follow what is written in the Bible, did they fulfill the commandments of God?
Verse 10 and 11
God is described as a refuge for the oppressed. Refuge - a place to hide from persecutors or to survive times of trouble (war and turmoil). David says that those who know the name of God (He himself is considered obedient to the Lord), He will never leave. He will not abandon those who seek Him. People know this and therefore trust in God.
There are no parallel Bible verses.
Part 5 – “He demands blood”
Verses 12 and 13
David calls not just to praise the Lord, but to sing to him. To the one who lives on Zion (holy mountain). And the king is not only talking about glorification. He also exhorts all who know the Lord to tell others about His works, to tell others what God has done in their lives, and not to be ashamed or embarrassed about it. Why is God worthy of all this? Because he himself takes revenge for those who are offended, and does not forget those who ask Him for help. If a person is oppressed, he can turn to the Lord, and He will definitely help him.
There are no parallel verses of Scripture.
Verses 14 and 15
David asks God for mercy. So that the Creator can see what suffering is caused to him by people who hate him. The king is sure that it is only thanks to God that he has remained alive until now, because the Lord protects him, “to lift him up ... from the gates of death.” Why does God keep David? The man believes that in order for him to glorify God and rejoice in how He will save him from his enemies time after time. There are more than once verses in the Bible that say that God saves people so that they glorify Him - they did not say that they themselves were able to overcome their enemies, but gave all the glory to God.
There are no parallel verses from the Word of God.
Part 6 – “Let the wicked go to hell”
Verses 16 and 17
David describes the nations who were his enemies - they dug a hole for him, but they themselves fell into it. The same fate of the wicked was shown in detail in the seventh Psalm. It also describes the nets that the wicked pulled in order to catch the righteous in them, but they themselves became entangled in them. It is in this that God’s judgment is recognized - sinners fall into their own traps. They want to hurt and hurt the righteous, but then they themselves suffer from their actions. They are caught with their own hands.
Parallel verses:
- Psalm 7:16 – The wicked fall into their own pits and into their own snares.
- Psalm 56:7 – David says that his enemies prepared a snare for his feet, so his soul sank; they dug a hole for him, but they themselves fell into it.
Verse 18
The king wishes all those who have forgotten about God and his commandments to go to hell. Convert - get there, stay there forever.
There are no parallel Bible verses.
Verse 19
David is confident that God will never forget the poor, the needy, and those who need Him. And even if such people do not see a good life on earth, they will be fully blessed after death, in paradise. A similar thing is described in Proverbs, when poor Lazarus, who ate crumbs from his master's table, went to heaven and rejoiced there, living with God. And his owner, who did not take care of Lazarus and did not take care of him, although he could have done so, ended up in hell.
There are no parallel verses from the Word of God.
Part 7 – “Lord, bring fear upon them”
Verses 20 and 21
David calls on God to rise up so that man does not consider himself omnipotent and unpunished. The king wants God himself to judge the nations and bring fear to them. Only in this way, the man is sure, will they understand that they do not have sufficient strength to compete with their Creator.
There are no parallel Bible verses.
Part 8 – “The Wicked Boasts in the Lust of His Soul”
Verse 22
David groans and cries to God because he believes that He is delaying judgment, as if he is hiding and is not in a hurry to help those who ask Him about it. Sometimes it seems like this to people, especially in difficult moments of their lives. But the Lord has his own timing and times. Only He knows when to enter into litigation and when to hold off. However, this time is not wasted for the wicked; they do not sleep. What they do is described in detail in the following verses of the Psalm.
There are no parallel verses from the Word of God.
Verses 23-25
Because the wicked go unpunished for so long, they become overly proud and oppress the poor. But David wants them to be caught in their own traps. The sinner is overly lustful and always follows his own desires, which often go against the commandments of God. He is selfish and praises himself. The wicked does not consider it necessary to trust in God and thinks that He will never punish him or that the Lord does not exist at all. This happens because God is slow to reward him for his deeds, to punish him so that he can no longer rely on his strength or position in society.
Parallel verse:
- Psalm 52:2 – David calls people who are sure that there is no God foolish. Because they have become corrupted and can no longer reason soberly about what awaits them in the future for the crimes they have committed.
Verses 26-28
The wicked is confident that God's judgment will not affect him, thinking that there is no God. Therefore, the sinner looks disdainfully and arrogantly at his enemies - he can do whatever he wants to them. He doesn't have anyone to hold him back. I am sure that nothing bad will happen to his generation. Only an intelligent person understands that such thoughts are stupid and naive. A person does not know what will happen to him tomorrow and whether he will wake up in the morning. And the sinner is confident that from generation to generation everything will be fine with him and his descendants. Why is he so arrogant? Because God's judgment has not yet touched him.
A sinner always says only three things - deceit, lies and a curse. Deceit is speech that may carry good in itself, but it is deceptive; with such words he “builds” a trap for a person. A lie is an elementary lie. A curse is a wish for something bad (death or illness).
Parallel verse:
- Rom 3:14 – The mouth of the wicked is still full of bitterness and slander.
Verses 29-32
The wicked, like a predator, sits in a hidden place and lies in wait for his prey, which is the poor or the orphan. He kills an innocent and is not ashamed of it. David compares such a person to a lion who sits in his den as if in ambush in order to grab the poor and drag him to himself. And the unfortunate person who fell for him cannot resist his sharp claws. That is why the sinner says that God has hidden His face and sees nothing. Therefore, he will not be punished. He can do whatever he wants.
There are no parallel Bible verses.
Part 9 – “You are an orphan’s helper”
Verses 34 and 35
David refuses to understand why the wicked man is so stupid and therefore never ceases to ask himself and God why he does this, and is also confident that he will always remain unpunished. The king asks God to raise his hand, not to forget about those who are oppressed by such a wicked one, which is described above and looks like a predator. David is confident that God sees all the atrocities that the sinner commits against other people, the poor and disadvantaged. The man knows that the Lord will always help the poor and the orphan and will not leave them alone in trouble.
There are no parallel verses from the Word of God.
Verse 36
David asks the Lord to “break the arm” of the evil and wicked, which means to defeat him, overpower him, overcome him, weaken him. The man asks God to deal with the sinner so that he simply does not remain on this earth. And so that no one else remembers what they did.
There are no parallel Bible verses.
Part 10 – “You hear the desires of the humble”
Verse 37
David triumphs and proclaims in his song that God reigns forever and His glory will have no end. All the pagans will disappear from God's earth because they will not be able to be in the presence of a holy God. Also because they will be destroyed for their wickedness, lies, destruction, rapacity and deceit.
There are no parallel verses from the Word of God.
Verse 38
David turns to the Lord with the words that He hears those who have a humble heart and consider it necessary to obey Him and His commandments. The king prays for people who obey God, so that the Lord will strengthen their hearts, and His ear will be open to what they say and what they ask of Him. Often the oppressed call upon Torts and ask Him for help. Therefore, David prays that God will always hear their voice and come to the rescue when necessary.
There are no parallel Bible verses.
Verse 39
David asks for speedy judgment from God over the wicked, so that life will be easier for the orphan and the oppressed. To ease the burden they carry. The king is confident that with God's help the wicked will no longer frighten and lie in wait for the poor like a predatory beast, but will turn away from his path or will be punished by God so that he will no longer be on earth and his memory will also disappear.
There are no parallel verses from the Word of God.
Psalm 9
The inscription “on the death of Laben” still remains unclear. It can be assumed that it indicates a method, a motive for singing a psalm based on the model of a song that began with these words and did not survive until later times. The psalm is alphabetical, beginning each verse with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, but not always, however, in strict sequence and in accordance with the present order. In euros In the Bible, this psalm is divided into two: the ninth psalm of the Russian Bible ends in the Hebrew 21 s., and from 22 there is already 10 Psalms, also alphabetical. The Latin Bible follows the Hebrew order of division of the psalm, and the Greek. and Slavs, combine the Jewish 9 and 10 psalms into one, the ninth. The absence of an inscription above Psalm 10 in Hebrew. Bible, the same alphabetical order and the similarity of both psalms in the expression of thoughts give the right to conclude about the unity of their author, David.
The psalm was written about the victory won by David over the Syrians (the first part of the psalm 1-21 v.) and the attack at that time on Judea in the southern part of the Edomites, who caused enormous devastation among the defenseless population, since the soldiers were then in the north under the command of David in the fight against the Syrians (see also “on the origin of the Psalter” by priest N. Vishnyakov pp. 206–210).
The first part of the psalm is one of thanksgiving and praise. David promises to praise God (2–4) because He protected him from his enemies and gave him the power to destroy their cities (4–7). This victory revealed the judgment of God over the pagan people in defense of the righteous. Since God is eternal, the righteous who are always oppressed will find protection in Him (8–11). For the help provided, one must eternally praise the One who lives in Zion (12–13). May the Lord extend the help that he provided to David in the present war into the future; let all the pagan peoples who forget God perish, let them realize in His terrible judgment over them that “they are men” (14-21). The second half of the psalm is of petitionary content. Why do You, Lord, give success to the wicked when he does not believe in Your Providence on earth, is self-confident in his power, and in his actions strives to cause as much harm as possible to the poor righteous person through various cunning actions and ambushes (22-32). Arise, O Lord, to defend the oppressed and punish the unbelief of the wicked in You (33-34) You see how great the suffering of the righteous is; punish the wicked and thereby make people fear not man, but Your righteous judgment (35-39).
Ps.9:2. I will praise [You], Lord, with all my heart, and proclaim all Your wonders.
Ps.9:3. I will rejoice and triumph in You, I will sing to Your name, O Most High.
“To proclaim all Your wonders” - to sing of the victories that David won over the Syrians with the help of God. - “To triumph in You” - to organize solemn holidays in the name of God.
Ps.9:5. for You have executed my judgment and my litigation; You have sat on the throne, righteous Judge.
Ps.9:6. You were indignant with the nations, you destroyed the wicked, you blotted out their name forever and ever.
David's victory is the expression and fulfillment of Divine judgment over the pagan Syrians. They, as the wicked, who did not honor the true God, were rejected by Him and weakened to the point that they had neither cities nor weapons (Article 6) and their political and military power was overthrown for a long time (“their name was blotted out forever and eyelids" (v. 6).
Ps.9:8. But the Lord abides forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment,
Ps.9:9. and He will judge the world in righteousness, He will execute judgment on the nations in righteousness.
Ps.9:10. And the Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble;
The fact that the God of David is the true God and the Eternal Judge of all nations is the basis of the faith of all the oppressed righteous that they will always find protection in Him. Probably, by the oppressed righteous man, David meant the Jewish people, to whom he wanted to instill his faith in God as his constant patron and only protector.
Ps.9:11. and those who know Your name will trust in You, because You do not abandon those who seek You, O Lord.
"Those who know the name of God." To know the name of God means to recognize Him as the only true God and to serve Him.
Ps.9:12. Sing to the Lord who dwells in Zion, proclaim His deeds among the nations,
God is called living in Zion because the Ark of the Covenant was there, where He always dwelt.
Ps.9:13. for He exacts blood; remembers them, does not forget the cry of the oppressed.
God "requires blood." David's wars were defensive, he waged them under duress, when neighboring pagan peoples attacked the borders of his state, shedding the blood of his subjects, in whose defense he rebelled. This was the case during the attack of the Syrians described in the psalm, the fight against which was caused by attacks on their part.
Ps.9:15. that I may proclaim all Thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in Thy salvation.
“At the gates of the daughter of Zion” - at the gates of the city of Jerusalem. Usually the gate was the most visited place for its inhabitants, hence chanting at the gates of the city - chanting loudly.
Ps.9:20. Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail, and let the nations be judged before Thy presence.
Ps.9:21. Bring fear, O Lord, upon them; let the nations know that they are human.
“Arise, Lord, let not man prevail” - let the Lord be the only arbiter of the destinies of nations, let their happiness or misfortune depend on Him alone, as the true Judge, and not on human art and military successes, which may belong to the wicked. The dominance of the latter would be the strengthening and spread of wickedness on earth. Therefore, David prays to God that He, through some special deeds, would show the whole world that power over it belongs only to Him, and that all nations would know that “they are men,” from Heb. enosh – weak, powerless.
Ps.9:22. Why, Lord, do you stand afar off and hide Yourself during sorrow?
The content of the psalm is of a petitionary nature. Since the southern borders of Judea were then devastated by the Edomites, the inhabitants of these areas did not have the strength to fight them, because everyone capable of bearing arms was in the north fighting the Syrians, they were defenseless. David portrays this helplessness when he says that the Lord “stands” away from them, hiding “his help.”
Ps.9:25. In his arrogance the wicked despises the Lord: “he will not seek”; in all his thoughts: “There is no God!”
Both in the preceding verses and in the following, David depicts the self-confidence of his enemies in their victory and in the impunity of the devastation they cause; the wicked says about God: “he will not require it,” the Jewish God is not able to do anything to them now.
Ps.9:27. He says in his heart: “I will not be moved; forever and ever will not happen to me
evil";
The successes of the Edomites over the Jews instilled in them confidence that now they would not be shaken, and “no harm would befall them from generation to generation,” i.e., that the weakened Jews would not be able to recover from the evil inflicted on them for several generations, and During this time, the Edomites would retain military and political superiority.
Ps.9:29. sits in ambush outside the courtyard, kills the innocent in hidden places; his eyes spy on the poor;
Ps.9:30. lies in wait in a hidden place, like a lion in a den; lies in wait to capture the poor; he grabs the poor man, dragging him into his net;
In addition to arrogance, reaching the point of disdain for Jehovah, which David spoke about earlier (see Ps. 9:25), enemies are distinguished by the morally untidy methods of their actions: they are insidious, deceitful, and vindictive.
Ps.9:32. says in his heart: “God has forgotten, He has hidden His face, He will never see.”
The enemy explains his success by saying that God “forgot” the Jews and “will never see them again,” that He has turned away from the Jewish people and will no longer pour out His mercies on them.
Ps.9:33. Arise, O Lord, [my] God, lift up Your hand, do not forget the oppressed [Thine to the end].
Ps.9:34. Why does the wicked despise God, saying in his heart: “You will not require it”?
Ps.9:35. You see, for You look upon insults and oppression in order to repay with Your hand. The poor man betrays himself to you; to the orphan you are a helper.
David prays to God to rise up in defense of the oppressed Jews in order to punish the arrogance of the enemy, who is confident that “You will not demand”, you will not be able to protect your oppressed and lonely people, who are devoted to You.
Ps.9:36. Break the arm of the wicked and evil, so that you will seek and not find his wickedness.
“Crush the muscle” - overthrow the force; “so that we may seek and not find his wickedness” - so that no trace of him remains, so that he, as an opponent of God, is completely destroyed.
Ps.9:37. The Lord is king forever, forever; The pagans will disappear from His land.
Ps.9:38. God! You hear the desires of the humble; strengthen their heart; open your ear,
Ps.9:39. to give justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man may not fear again on earth.
Since power over the whole world belongs to God, and He is the patron of the pious, David is confident that the Lord will destroy all pagans on earth and for the partial fulfillment of this future David prays to God even now: may the Lord hear the prayer of the humble Jews and protect them, and this the defense will clearly show all people to fear only God and not man (“let no more fear man on earth”).
Brief interpretation
Briefly, the ninth Psalm of the Old Testament can be interpreted as follows:
- “I will tell everyone about what You have done in my life, God, I will praise You and not be ashamed of it.”
- “I will triumph and rejoice that You exist, I will sing and shout to You.”
- “Because you yourself fight my enemies instead of me, you yourself judge them and take revenge on them.”
- “You destroyed those nations who did not bow down and submit to You, you completely destroyed them from the face of the earth.”
- “You deprived my enemies of weapons, now they have nothing to fight against me, You destroyed their cities, so that they had nowhere to live.”
- God has prepared for himself a throne for judgment, on which he will sit and judge all nations.
- For the oppressed and oppressed, He will always be a refuge - a place to which he can run, take refuge and feel safe.
- “Those who seek Your face and do Your will, You do not abandon.”
- Therefore, David does not tire of praising the Lord for this and talking about how God is good to his people and all people. The king is not ashamed of his faith, but proud of it.
- David asks that God will have mercy on him when the time comes. saved him from enemies and enemies, from those who wished him death.
- The king describes those who wanted to catch him, dug a hole for him, but they themselves fell into it. And they became entangled in the net that they laid for David.
- The man asks the Lord to arise in judgment so that the wicked do not exalt themselves over the poor and orphans.
- “God, make sure that they are in fear and understand that they are just people, and not omnipotent gods.”
- Because the wicked have become too proud, persecute the poor, and contrive to do as much evil as possible.
- They do not see retribution for their actions, so they say that there is no God, and are not afraid that they will ever be punished for their actions.
- If the wicked says anything, it is either a lie, or a curse, or deceit.
- He sits in ambush like a predatory animal, lying in wait for the poor or the orphan. It lurks in a place from which it cannot be seen, and suddenly grabs the victim. And she cannot escape from his clutches, because the wicked has sharp claws.
- Such a person is sure that God does not see what is happening on earth, as if the Lord had closed his ears and eyes.
- But David asks the Lord to arise and judge the wicked with truth and justice.
- So that he would not say that there is no God, he stopped doing so many iniquities towards those who are weaker than him.
- David asks to destroy all evil people, so that no memory of them and their bad deeds remains on earth.
- The king glorifies God and states that the Lord hears all the complaints of the orphans and the poor, as well as those who have a humble heart.
- “Judge with justice the orphan, the poor, and the wicked, so that the common man can no longer frighten and intimidate people who are weaker than himself.”
The ninth Psalm consists of 39 verses of the Bible. Found on pages 571 and 572. Four verses of the Psalm have parallel locations that help to more accurately understand the meaning of the written words.
