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Psalm Nine
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 9
To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, a Psalm of David. Some, take
"muthlabben" to be the name of the tune to which this psalm was sung,
and to design the same note which we call the counter-tenor: others think, that
"upon muth", or "almuth", are but one word, and the same as
"alamoth", Psalm 45:1, title; and that it is the name
of a musical instrument; and that "Ben" in "labben", is the
name of the chief musician, who was over that sort of instrument, to whom the
psalm is inscribedF12Kimchi & Abendana in Miclol Yophi in loc. ;
and indeed R. Sol Jarchi says, that he had seen in the great Masorah these
words as one; and so it seems the Septuagint interpreters read them, who render
them, "for the hidden things of the son"; and the Arabic version,
"concerning the mysteries of the son": and Ben is a name, it is said,
of one of the singers, whose kindred and companions were appointed with
psalteries on "alamoth", 1 Chronicles 15:18. And so then the title
runs thus; "to the chief musician on alamoth, [even to] Ben". But
others are of opinion that the subject matter or occasion of the psalm is
designed by this phrase; and that as "muth" signifies
"death", the death of some person is intended, on account of which
this psalm was composed; some say Nabal, seeing the word לבן,
"Laban", inverted, or read backwards, is "Nabal"F13So
some in Jarchi & Aben Ezra in loc. , whose death affected David; as appears
from 1 Samuel 25:38. Others, that it was one of
the kings of the Gentiles, whose name was Labben, and is mentioned nowhere
else, who fought with David, and whom he slew, and upon his death penned this
psalmF14Donesh Hallevi in ibid. . Others, Goliath the PhilistineF15Kimchi
& Ben Melech in loc. , who is called, 1 Samuel 17:4. איש
הבנים, which we render "champion" and
dueller, one of two that fight together. But rather the reason of the name is,
as given by the Jewish commentatorsF16Jarchi, Kimchi, Levi Ben
Gersom, R. Isaiah, & Ben Melech in 1 Sam. xvii. 4. , because he went and
stood between the two camps of the Philistines and the Israelites; and so the
Chaldee paraphrase renders the title of this psalm,
"to
praise, concerning the death of the man who went out between the camps, a song
of David.'
And
so the psalm itself, in the Targum, and by other Jewish writers, is interpreted
of Goliath and the Philistines, and of the victory over them; and which does
not seem amiss. Arama interprets it of the death of Saul. Others interpret
Almuth Labben "of the death of the son"; and understand it of the
death of Absalom, the son of DavidF17So some in Jarchi in loc. : but
David's passion moved in another way, not in joy, but in grief, 2 Samuel 18:33; nor is there anything in
the psalm that can be referred unto it. Others, of the death of the son of God;
but of that there is not the least hint in the psalm. Theodoret interprets it
of Christ's victory over death by dying, which was a mystery or hidden thing.
Rather, I should think, it might be interpreted of the death of the son of
perdition, the man of sin and his followers; who may be typified by Goliath,
and the Philistines: and so, as Ainsworth observes, as the former psalm was
concerning the propagation of Christ's kingdom, this is of the destruction of
antichrist. And Jerom, long ago said, this whole psalm is sung by the prophet
in the person of the church, concerning antichrist: and to this agrees the
Syriac version; which makes the subject of the psalm to be,
"concerning
Christ, taking the throne and kingdom, and routing the enemy.'
And
also the Arabic version, according to which the argument of the psalm is,
"concerning
the mysteries of the Son, with respect to the glory of Christ, and his
resurrection and kingdom, and the destruction of all the children of
disobedience.'
To
which may be added, that this psalm, according to R. Sol Jarchi, belongs to the
time to come, to the days of the Messiah, and the future redemption by him.
Psalm 9:1 I
will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I
will tell of all Your marvelous works.
YLT
1To the Overseer, `On the
Death of Labben.' -- A Psalm of David. I confess, O Jehovah, with all my heart,
I recount all Thy wonders,
I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole, heart,.... This is
what is called in the New Testament making melody in the heart, or singing with
grace in the heart, Ephesians 5:19; and yet does not signify
mere mental singing, but vocal singing, the heart joining therein; for the word
here used for praise signifies to confess, to speak out, to declare openly the
praises of God in the public congregation, as David elsewhere determines to do,
Psalm 111:1; the heart ought to, be engaged
in every, part of divine service and worship, whether in preaching or in
hearing, or in prayer, or in singing of praise; and the whole heart also:
sometimes God has nothing of the heart in worship, it is removed far from, him,
and gone after other objects; and sometimes it is divided between God and the
creature; hence the psalmist prays that God would unite his heart to fear him,
and then he should praise him with all his heart, with all that was within him,
with all the powers and faculties of his soul; see Psalm 86:11. This phrase is not expressive
of the perfection of this duty, or of performing it in such manner as that
there would be no imperfection in it, or sin attending it; for good men fail in
all their performances, and do nothing good without sin; hence provision is
made for the iniquities of holy things; but of the heartiness and sincerity of
it; and in such a sincere and upright manner the psalmist determines, in the
strength of divine grace, to praise the Lord;
I will show forth all thy marvellous works; such as the
creation of all things out of nothing, and the bringing them into the form and
order in which they are by the word of God; and in which there is such a
display of the power and wisdom of God; and particularly the formation of man
out of the dust of the earth, in the image, and after the likeness of God; the
sustentation of the whole world of creatures in their being, the providential
care of them all, the preservation of man and beast; and especially the work of
redemption: it is marvellous that God should think of redeeming sinful men;
that he should fix the scheme of it in the way he has; that he should pick upon
his own Son to be the Redeemer; that ungodly men, sinners, the chief of
sinners, and enemies, should be the persons redeemed; and that not all the
individuals of human nature, but some out of every kindred, tongue, people, and
nation: as also the work of grace, which is a new creation, and more marvellous
than the old; a regeneration, or a being born again, which is astonishing to a
natural man, who cannot conceive how this can be; a resurrection from the dead,
or a causing dry bones to live; a call of men out of darkness into marvellous
light; and it is as wondrous how this work is preserved amidst so many
corruptions of the heart, temptations of Satan, and snares of the world, as
that it is; to which may be added the wonderful works yet to be done, as the
setting up of the kingdom of Christ, the destruction of antichrist, the
resurrection of the dead, the last judgment, and the eternal glory and
happiness of the saints; and doubtless the psalmist may have respect to the
many victories which he, through the divine power, obtained over his enemies;
and particularly the marvellous one which was given him over Goliath with a
stone and sling: these the psalmist determined to make the subject of his song,
to dwell and enlarge upon, to show forth unto others, and to point out the
glories, beauties, and excellency of them: and when he says "all" of
them, it must be understood of as many of them as were within the compass of
his knowledge, and of as much of them as he was acquainted with; for otherwise
the marvellous works of God are infinite and without number, Job 5:9.
Psalm 9:2 2 I will be glad and rejoice
in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
YLT
2I rejoice and exult in
Thee, I praise Thy Name, O Most High.
I will be glad and rejoice in thee,.... Not in himself, in
any attainments or works of his; not in his wisdom, riches, and strength, nor
in his warlike exploits, but in the Lord; not in second causes, in horses and
chariots, in armies, and in the courage and valour of men, but in God, as the
author of deliverance, victory, and salvation; not in God only as the God of
nature and providence, but as the God of all grace, and as his covenant God and
Father; and because of the blessings of this covenant, as forgiveness of sin, a
justifying righteousness, &c. for he rejoiced not in his own righteousness,
but in the righteousness of Christ, as well as in his person, grace, and
sacrifice; so the Chaldee paraphrase renders it, "I will be glad and
rejoice", במימרך, "in thy Word", the
Logos, the essential Word of God, of whom there were many types, promises, and
prophecies in the former dispensation; two words being here used express the
greatness of this joy, and especially the latter word denotes a very vehement
joy, a joy unspeakable and full of glory; such as arises from a sight of Christ
the object, and which the psalmist had now in view; and this was not a carnal
and worldly joy, but joy in the Holy Ghost;
I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High; that is, to
the glory of his name, his being, and perfections, as displayed in his
marvellous works, and in the revelation of his word, and especially in his son;
and under the character of the "most high" God, the supreme Being
over all creatures, angels and men; see Psalm 7:17.
Psalm 9:3 3 When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
YLT
3In mine enemies turning
backward, they stumble and perish from Thy face.
When mine enemies are turned back,.... As the Philistines
were, when Goliath their champion was dead; and as the men that came to
apprehend Christ, David's antitype, went backwards and fell to the ground,
through the superior power of Christ; and as sin, Satan, and the world, and at
last antichrist, are made to retreat from the Lord's people, who are more than
conquerors over them through Christ that has loved them. "They shall fall
and perish at thy presence"; they shall stumble at one thing or another
which divine Providence will throw in their way to hinder them from executing
their designs, and so fall before them they meant to destroy, and perish at the
presence of God as wax melteth before the fire; see Psalm 27:2; so antichrist shall be consumed
with the breath of Christ's mouth, and the brightness of his coming, 2 Thessalonians 2:8; and this is the ground
and foundation of the psalmist's joy, and rejoicing, and singing praise to God
as it will be the reason of the joy of saints in the latter day, Revelation 18:22.
Psalm 9:4 4 For You have maintained my
right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
YLT
4For Thou hast done my
judgment and my right. Thou hast sat on a throne, A judge of righteousness.
For thou hast maintained my right and my cause,.... Or
vindicated and established his righteous cause; God had pleaded and defended
it, and by the flight, fall, and ruin of his enemies, had clearly made it
appear that his cause was just and good;
thou sittest in the throne judging right; God has not
only a throne of grace on which he sits, and from whence he distributes grace
and mercy to his people, but he has a throne of judgment, and which is prepared
for it, as in Psalm 9:7; where he sits as the Judge of
all the earth, and will do right; nor can he do otherwise, though his judgments
are not always manifest in the present state of things; and the vindication of
the psalmist's innocence and uprightness is another reason of his joy and
gladness.
Psalm 9:5 5 You have rebuked the
nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever
and ever.
YLT
5Thou hast rebuked nations,
Thou hast destroyed the wicked, Their name Thou hast blotted out to the age and
for ever.
Thou hast rebuked the Heathen,.... The people of the
Philistines, as the Targum and Kimchi explain it, though some Jewish writersF1Jarchi
in loc. & Pesikta in ibid. in v. 1. understand it of Amalek the chief of
the Heathen nations; but it rather refers to Gospel times, and to the rebukes
of the Heathen, by the preaching of the Gospel, for their idolatry and
superstition; and especially to the latter day, and to the rebukes of the
antichristian states, the Papists who are called Gentiles; which will be with
flames of fire, and will issue in their utter extirpation, upon which a
profound peace and prosperity will succeed in the Christian churches, according
to Isaiah 2:4; which is a prophecy of those
times;
thou hast destroyed the wicked; the wicked man; for it
is in the singular number, "labben", as Aben Ezra observes, or who is
meant by him; Goliath, according to the Targum and Kimchi; or Esau, as other
Jewish writersF2Ibid. , that is, his posterity the Edomites; and
each of these were figures of antichrist, the man of sin, the wicked one, whom
Christ will slay with the breath of his lips, Isaiah 11:4;
thou hast put out their name for ever and ever; that is, the
glory and reputation of their name, a good and honourable one, which they
sought to transmit to the latest posterity; for though the names of wicked men
may continue, as Pharaoh, Judas, and others; yet they continue with a scandal
and reproach upon them that shall never be wiped off, their names rot and
stink; see Proverbs 10:7; the whole of this denotes
the utter ruin and shameful end of the enemies of Christ and his church, and
which is matter of joy to the saints.
Psalm 9:6 6 O enemy, destructions are
finished forever! And you have destroyed cities; Even their memory has
perished.
YLT
6O thou Enemy, Finished have
been destructions for ever, As to cities thou hast plucked up, Perished hath
their memorial with them.
O thou enemy,.... Which some understand of Goliath,
though we do not read of any desolations made by him, nor of any cities
destroyed by him; nor by the Israelites upon his death, and the flight of the
Philistines on that account; Jarchi interprets it of Esau and his posterity,
who shall be destroyed in future time, to which he applies, Ezekiel 35:9; other Jewish writersF3Midrash
Tillim in loc. Tzeror Hammor, fol. 150. 2. think Amalek is intended, whose
destruction they suppose will be in the days of the Messiah, and then will this
Scripture be fulfilled: and as these all prefigured antichrist, as before
observed, he seems to be designed, and not Satan, as some Christian
interpreters have thought, that enemy of Christ, personal and mystical, of the
church, and every true believer; and so is antichrist, he opposes himself to
God, and all that is called God; he is one that is contrary to Christ, as his
name signifies, to his persons, offices, grace, and kingdom; who blasphemes the
name of God, his tabernacle, and his saints;
destructions are come to a perpetual end; which may be
understood either of the destructions and desolations made by antichrist, the
havoc he has made in the world, treading under foot the holy city, the church,
destroying the earth and the inhabitants of it, the bodies, souls, and estates
of men; but now the psalmist prophetically declares the end of them to be come,
his forty two months, or one thousand two hundred and sixty days or years, will
be up, and he will go on no more desolating and destroying; see Revelation 11:2; or of the destructions and
desolations made upon him by the pouring out of the seven vials upon the antichristian
states, upon the seat of the beast, and upon both Pope and Turk, the eastern
and western antichrist; when in the issue the beast, and the false prophet with
him, will be taken and cast alive into a lake of fire; see Revelation 19:20; and so this phrase
denotes that the destruction of antichrist will be consummate, his ruin will be
complete, and there will be an utter end of him. Some, instead of "desolations",
by the change of a point read חרהות,
"swords", and Ben Labrat or R. Donesh saysF4Apud Aben Ezra
in loc. that he found it so written in an ancient book; and so reads Jarchi,
though he takes notice of the other reading also; and so read the Septuagint,
Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions; and then the sense is, swords shall
fail, they shall be no more made use of to destroy men with, they shall be
beaten into ploughshares; for upon the destruction of the man of sin there will
be a profound peace in the world; see Isaiah 2:4. SomeF5So Piscator,
Cocceius, Ainsworth. read these words interrogatively, "are destructions
come to a perpetual end?" that is, which the enemy antichrist designed to
bring upon the people of God? no, they are not; he may imagine they are, when
the two witnesses are slain; and may think he has then made an entire
slaughter, and a complete destruction of the saints; but he will be mistaken,
these witnesses will rise again, and ascend up to heaven in the sight of their
enemies, and to the great terror of them, Revelation 11:10;
and thou hast destroyed cities, or "hast thou
destroyed cities?" that is, as antichrist threatened and intended, namely,
to destroy all the cities and churches of Christ; but, alas! he will never be
able to do it, they are built on a rock against which the gates of hell can
never prevail: but it is better to read the words affirmatively, and interpret
them not of the enemy, but of God, and of him destroying the cities of the
enemy; for, at the pouring out the seventh and last vial, the great city, the
whole antichristian jurisdiction, will be divided into three parts, and utterly
perish; and the cities of the Pagan and Mahometan nations will fall, and
particularly Babylon the great city will come in remembrance before God, and be
utterly destroyed, Revelation 16:19;
their memorial is perished with them; they shall
not be returned or built any more, but shall be like a millstone cast into the
sea, and be found no more at all, Ezekiel 35:9. SomeF6Sic
Genevenses, Diodatus, Bueerus, Cocceius. read this clause by way of
interrogation as the others, "is their memorial perished with them?" no,
the righteous are in everlasting remembrance, even those churches which the
Romish antichrist has made havoc of, as the Albigenses and Waldenses; the
memory of them is still precious.
Psalm 9:7 7 But the Lord shall endure
forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment.
YLT
7And Jehovah to the age
abideth, He is preparing for judgment His throne.
But the Lord shall endure for ever,.... When antichrist is
entirely ruined, his cities destroyed, and the memorial of them perished, then
"shall the Lord sit for ever"F7ישב
"sedebit", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius, Michaelis; so
Ainsworth; "sedet", Vatablus, Musculus. , as the words may be
rendered; that is, as a Jewish writerF8R. Abraham Seba in Tzeror
Hammor, fol. 150. 2. paraphrases them, in rest and quiet. The words may be
expressive of the unchangeableness and eternity and power of God; the Chaldee
paraphrase of them is, מימרא דיי,
"the Word of the Lord is for ever; his habitation is in the highest
heavens". And they may very well be interpreted of Christ, the essential
Word of God, who is the unchangeable, everlasting, and almighty God; and who
sits King for ever, and must sit at God's right hand, in the highest heavens,
until all his enemies are made his footstool; and to him most properly do the
following things in this verse Psalm 9:8 belong:
he hath prepared his throne for judgment; for the
administration of judgment in this world, for the particular judgment after
death, and for the general judgment after the resurrection of the dead; which
seems by what follows to be chiefly meant, and which will come on after the
destruction of antichrist; and all things are preparing for it; the day is
appointed in which God will judge the world; Christ is ordained to be the Judge
of quick and dead; devils and ungodly men are reserved to the judgment of the
great day; the throne is ready, which will be a white one, Revelation 20:11; denoting the purity,
justice, and uprightness of the Judge, who himself is at the door.
Psalm 9:8 8 He shall judge the world
in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
YLT
8And He judgeth the world in
righteousness, He judgeth the peoples in uprightness.
And he shall judge the world in righteousness,.... The word תבל, rendered "world", is, as Ben Melech well
observes, a general name for all the countries of the habitable world; and so
shows that it is the universal judgment that is here spoken of; and which will
be carried on and finished with the utmost righteousness, and according to the
strictest rules of justice and equity; and is therefore called the righteous
judgment of God, Romans 2:5; see Psalm 96:13;
he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness; which
signifies the same with the former clause, unless by the "world"
there, should be meant the wicked of the world; and by the "people"
here, the people of God; to whom the righteous Judge will give the crown of
righteousness.
Psalm 9:9 9 The Lord also will be a
refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.
YLT
9And Jehovah is a tower for
the bruised, A tower for times of adversity.
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,.... The poor
and weak, such as have no might nor power, and are thrown down and trampled
upon, as the wordF9לדך
"attrito", Cocceius, Gejerus: "contrito", Michaelis.
signifies; and such are the people of God. They are oppressed with the burden
of sin; they are bowed down with Satan and his temptations; and are sometimes
pressed out of measure, and above their strength, with the persecutions of men;
they are trodden under foot by antichrist, or otherwise are borne down with a
variety of sorrows and afflictions; but the Lord is a refuge for them. The
Chaldee paraphrase renders it as before, "the Word of the Lord", the
eternal Logos, the Son of God: he is a refuge for poor sensible sinners,
fleeing from wrath to come; being typified by the cities of refuge, whither the
manslayer fled from the avenger of blood: he is the strong hold for the
prisoners of hope to turn into; his name is a strong tower and place of defence
for oppressed saints; he is a refuge when all others fail, and at all times, in
the day of affliction, and in the hour of death, and at judgment;
a refuge in times of trouble; of which the saints have
many, as when God hides his face, when corruptions prevail, when grace is low
in exercise, and temptations are strong, yet even then Christ is the refuge
from the storm; the salvation of his people is of him, and he is their strength
in every time of trouble; see Isaiah 25:4.
Psalm 9:10 10 And those who know Your
name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not
forsaken those who seek You.
YLT
10They trust in Thee who do
know Thy name, For Thou hast not forsaken Those seeking Thee, O Jehovah.
And they that know thy name,.... As proclaimed in the
Gospel, a God gracious and merciful, and forgiving sin; and as in Christ, in
whom his name is, and in whom he is the God of love, grace, and mercy, though
out of him a consuming fire; or the name of Christ himself, the Word of the
Lord, who is the refuge of saints and sinners; his name Jesus, a Saviour: such
who know him to be the able, willing, complete, all sufficient, and everlasting
Saviour; who know his power and faithfulness to keep what is committed to him;
and who know him not merely notionally and speculatively, and in a professional
way only, but affectionately, spiritually, and experimentally: such
will put their trust in thee; as they have great
reason to do; and the more they know of the grace and mercy of God in Christ,
and of the ability and suitableness of Christ as a Saviour, the more strongly
will they place their trust and confidence in him;
for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee: who are first
sought out by God in the effectual calling, and then under the influence and
direction of his grace and Spirit seek him in Christ, where he is only to be
found; and seek Christ and his righteousness above all things else, and with
their whole hearts, and diligently; and seek to Christ alone for life and
salvation, and continue seeking the Lord, by prayer and supplication, for
whatever they stand in need of; these God does not forsake: he may sometimes
hide his face from them, as he does from his own children, and did from his own
Son, yet he never forsakes them totally and finally; nor will he forsake the
work of his own hands, which he has wrought in them, but will perfect it; he
will never leave them so as that they shall perish by sin, Satan, or any enemy;
he will not forsake them in life, nor at death, but will be the strength of
their hearts, and their portion for ever.
Psalm 9:11 11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in
Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.
YLT
11Sing ye praise to Jehovah,
inhabiting Zion, Declare ye among the peoples His acts,
Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion,.... The
psalmist having determined in the strength of grace to praise the Lord himself,
and show forth all his marvellous works, and given his reasons for it, both
with respect to himself in particular, and with respect to the people of God in
general, here calls upon others to engage in the same work; the Lord is not
only to be praised, which may be done by celebrating the perfections of his
nature, and the works of his hands; by giving him thanks for mercies temporal
and spiritual, and by living to his glory; but his praises are to be sung by a
modulation of the voice in musical notes, as the word used signifies; see Song of Solomon 2:12; where the same word
is used of the singing of birds; and this is to be done by the saints jointly,
in concert together, as Paul and Silas in prison sang the praises of God; and
there is great reason why they should join together in this work, since they
share the blessings of divine grace in common together; and it is their duty to
stir up one another to this service, as well as to other parts of worship: and
this perfectly agrees with the exhortation to the saints, and the work they
shall be employed in at the fall of Babylon, or destruction of antichrist, Revelation 14:1. Jehovah, to whom praises
are to be sung, is described as the inhabitant of Zion, the ark and tabernacle
being there before the temple was built, which were symbols of the divine
Presence. The Targum paraphrases it, "who causeth his Shechinah to dwell
in Zion"; as many of the Jewish writers interpret this psalm of Goliath, a
doubt arises here about it, since in the days of Saul, and at the time of
Goliath's death, Zion was in the hands of the Jebusites, and the ark of God was
not there till many years afterwards; to this it is replied, that David might
compose this psalm upon that occasion not immediately at that time, but after
he was king of Israel, and when the ark was brought to Zion; or that he said
this by a prophetic spirit, foreseeing that, God would dwell there; and Kimchi
observes, that it was everywhere a received tradition among the people of
Israel that the sanctuary would be built there; but however this be, certain it
is that the church of God goes by the name of Zion frequently; see Psalm 2:6, Hebrews 12:22. God by his essence and power
is everywhere, he fills heaven and earth, and cannot be contained in either;
his glorious presence is in heaven; his gracious presence is in his church and
among his people; where they dwell he dwells, and where he dwells they dwell:
hence the church is called by the same name as the Lord is here, the inhabitant
of Zion, Isaiah 12:6; and this description of him
points out the place where his praises are to be sung, in Zion; who are to sing
them, the members of the church; and the reason why, because the Lord dwells in
Zion; and is there a refuge for his people, and protects them;
declare among the people his doings; what God does for the
souls of men is not only to be declared among the people of God, Psalm 66:16; but also among the people of
the world, when a suitable opportunity offers; and especially in the public
ministry of the word; partly that the name of God may be exalted, his grace,
goodness, and mercy be displayed; and partly that it might be the means of the
conversion of God's chosen ones among them, Psalm 96:2; though it may be here his
doings in providence are meant, his special providential care of his church and
people, and his vengeance on their enemies, on Babylon; for upon the ruin of
antichrist, the judgments of God, his providential dispensations towards his
church and people, will be made manifest, and all nations will be called upon
to fear and worship him; see Jeremiah 50:28; the wordF11עלילה "significat tam machinationes, sive
consilia", 1 Sam. ii. 3. "quam consiliorum eventus, seu opera ipsa,
quomodo", Jer. xxxii. 19. Gejerus. which is here used signifies such deeds
and actions as are the effects of thought and counsel, and which are purposely
and industriously done; and whatsoever is done by the Lord, whether in a way of
grace or providence, is done after the counsel of his own will; as he thought
so it is, as he purposes so it comes to pass, and all things are done well and
wisely, and answer the ends and designs of them.
Psalm 9:12 12 When He avenges blood, He
remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the humble.
YLT
12For He who is seeking for
blood Them hath remembered, He hath not forgotten the cry of the afflicted.
When he maketh inquisition for blood,.... The
Arabic version renders it, "he remembers him that seeks their blood";
that is, the wicked man, that lies in wait for innocent blood, and whose feet
are swift to shed it; the man of sin, who is bloodthirsty; who drinks up the
blood of the saints like water, and has been made drunk with the blood of the
martyrs of Jesus, him will God remember, and take vengeance on, in his own
time: but rather this is to be understood of God himself, seeking for the blood
of his saints: he knows where it is, though ever so privily shed, as he did
Abel's; yet, to show his strict care and accurate notice of it, he is
represented as searching for it, and finding it out by secret search, Jeremiah 2:34. And it is the same phrase
with "requiring" blood, and expresses a demand of satisfaction for
it; and declares the vengeance that God will take on account of it: he requires
the blood of every man at the hand of him by whom it is shed, Genesis 9:5; especially the blood of the
righteous, Matthew 23:35; particularly the blood of
the martyrs of Jesus, shed by the Romish antichrist; he will make inquisition
for that, and will find in Babylon the blood of the prophets and saints, and of
all that are slain on earth; and will avenge the blood of his servants at her
hand, and give her blood to drink, Revelation 18:24;
he remembereth them; either the
"righteous", as the Targum paraphrases it, whose blood has been shed;
or else the wicked, who shed their blood: God will remember them and their
sins; which, for some time, may seem not to have been taken notice of by him,
and will pour out his wrath, and inflict just punishment on them; see Revelation 16:19;
he forgetteth not the cry of the humble: the
"Cetib", or writing of the text, is עניים,
"afflicted"; the "Keri", or marginal reading, is ענוים, "humble"; so the Masorah and Targum read:
both may be taken into the sense: afflicted persons are generally humble,
afflictions make them humble; God's people are an afflicted people; afflicted
with sin, with Satan, with the world, with antichrist and his followers: and
they are an humble people; grace makes them humble, and a sense of their sin
and unworthiness keeps them so: and this is a proper character of the followers
of Jesus. These in their distress cry to the Lord, as the Israelites did in
Egypt under their bondage and, pressures: yea, their blood cries after death,
as Abel's did, and as the blood of the martyrs of Christ does, whose souls
under the altar cry for vengeance, Revelation 6:9; and God is not unmindful of
their cry; however he may seem to be, he takes notice of it, and wilt in his
own time avenge his elect, which cry unto him day and night.
Psalm 9:13 13 Have mercy on me, O Lord! Consider my
trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death,
YLT
13Favour me, O Jehovah, See
mine affliction by those hating me, Thou who liftest me up from the gates of
death,
Have mercy upon me, O Lord,.... The psalmist
proceeds to petitions on his own account in this verse: the ends he proposes by
the fulfilling of them are mentioned in the next. A good man, a man called by
the grace of God, though he has obtained mercy of the Lord, yet still stands in
need of more, of fresh discoveries of pardoning grace and mercy, of merciful
supplies, of merciful support, and merciful deliverances from enemies, inward
and outward: and such an one flees to God, and not to the creature; and pleads,
not his own dignity, righteousness, or merit, but the mercy of God;
consider, my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me; or "see
my affliction because of mine enemies"F12ראה
עניי משונאי "intuere
afflictionem meum propter osores meos", Gejerus. ; look upon me under it
with an eye of pity and compassion, and help and deliver me; and look upon mine
enemies that give me this trouble, and take vengeance on them;
thou that liftest me up from the gates of death; the house
appointed for all living; that is, from the power of it, when just upon the
brink of it; when near it, as a person is to an house, when he is at the gates
of it; either through sickness, or some violent distemper of body, as Hezekiah
was; or through some imminent danger in battle, as David was when engaged with
Goliath; when everyone thought, as Kimchi observes, that he should fall by his
hand: or it may be this may have respect to his being raised up from the death
of sin, and delivered from the power of darkness; to his being brought out of
the horrible pit and miry clay of an unregenerate state, and set upon the rock
of salvation; which is a lifting up indeed, an exaltation from a very low to a
very high estate: and this the psalmist takes notice of to encourage his faith;
and makes use of it as an argument with God, that as he had dealt so graciously
and bountifully with him, he would still show mercy to him, and look upon him
under his affliction.
Psalm 9:14 14 That I may tell of all
Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your
salvation.
YLT 14So that I recount all Thy
praise, In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I rejoice on Thy salvation.
That I may show forth all thy praise,.... That is,
all thy bounties and acts of goodness, deserving of praise; even as many of
them as he had an experience of, and which came within his knowledge; and as
much of them as he was capable of observing: for otherwise the instances of
divine grace and goodness are so many, that they cannot be reckoned up in
order, nor God be praised for them, in the present state of things, as he
should; See Gill on Psalm 9:1;
in the gates of the daughter of Zion: it was usual
with the Hebrews to represent a chief city as a mother city, and the towns and
villages, and places adjacent, as daughters; and so, as Zion or Jerusalem
signifies the church of God in general, or the mother church, Galatians 4:26; so "the daughter"
of Zion may mean a particular church: the Targum renders it the congregation of
Zion; and "the gates" of it are the public ordinances of divine
worship in it; and the sense is, that the psalmist desired to show forth the
praises of God in the most public manner in the congregation and assembly of
the saints;
I will rejoice in thy salvation, or "that I may
rejoice in thy salvation"F13אגילה
"exultem", Junius & Tremellius, Musculus; "ut exultem",
Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis; "gaudeam", Cocceius; so Ainsworth. :
meaning either temporal salvation and deliverance from enemies, wrought by God
for him, which would be matter of joy to him; or spiritual salvation, which may
be called God's salvation, because contrived by him in the council of peace,
and secured by him in the covenant of grace, and wrought out by his Son in the
fulness of time, and applied by his Spirit at conversion. And a gracious man
rejoices in this salvation more because it is the Lord's than because it is his
own; or he rejoices more because of the glory of God, which is displayed in it,
than because of his own advantage and happiness by it.
Psalm 9:15 15 The nations have sunk down
in the pit which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is
caught.
YLT
15Sunk have nations in a pit
they made, In a net that they hid hath their foot been captured.
The Heathen are sunk into the pit that they made,.... The
psalmist having determined to praise the Lord, and called upon others to join
with him in it, here enters upon it: for, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra observe, this
is תהלה "the praise" he was desirous to
show forth, which is occasioned by the destruction of God's enemies, and the
deliverance of his people: by "the Heathen" are meant not the
Philistines, as Kimchi interprets it, who thought to cause Israel to fall, and
fell themselves; but this is spoken prophetically of the nations of the earth,
who have joined in the idolatry of antichrist, the Gentiles, by whom the holy
city has been trodden under foot; even the several antichristian states, that
will be destroyed by the pouring out of the seven vials, and especially the
last, at the battle of Armageddon; and which will be brought on by themselves,
with a design to destroy the whole kingdom and interest of Christ, but will
issue in their utter ruin, which this phrase is expressive of; see Revelation 18:3. The metaphor is taken from
hunters, who dig pits for the wild beasts to fall into, that they may the more
easily take them, into which they fall themselves; see Psalm 7:15. Wicked men are mischievous and
crafty, but sometimes they are taken in their own craftiness;
in the net which they laid is their own foot taken; which may
signify the same thing as before, that the mischief they design for others
falls upon themselves; only as the former phrase denotes their utter destruction
like the sinking of a millstone in the sea, by which the irrecoverable ruin of
Babylon is expressed, Revelation 18:21; this may design the
restraint and hinderance of them from doing the evil they would; their feet are
entangled, that they cannot run to shed blood; and their hands are held, that
they cannot perform their enterprise; and their wrath in restrained and made to
praise the Lord. The metaphor is taken from fowlers, who lay nets and snares
for birds, and cover them that they may not be seen, but fall into them
unawares; see Psalm 124:7.
Psalm 9:16 16 The Lord is known by
the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation.[b] Selah
YLT
16Jehovah hath been known,
Judgment He hath done, By a work of his hands Hath the wicked been snared.
Meditation. Selah.
The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth,.... The
judgment which God will execute upon antichrist, and the antichristian powers,
will be a means of making known his name, his glory, his perfections, in all
the earth; as his wisdom, power, justice, and goodness; see Exodus 9:16. The destruction of antichrist
will be the Lord's doing, and it will be a righteous one; it will be a just
retaliation; as he has killed with the sword, multitudes of his followers shall
be killed with the sword; as he has led captive, he shall be taken captive at
the battle of Armageddon; as he has burnt, many of the martyrs of Jesus, he
shall be cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Some read these
words as two sentences, "The Lord is known; he hath executed
judgment"F14נודע יהוה
משפט עשה "notus est
Dominus; judicium fecit", Pagninus, Montanus, Gussetius; so Vatablus,
Musculus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis, and Ainsworth. : the latter of these
refers not to the ministration of justice in the providential government of the
world, or at the last day in the general judgment; but to the judgment of the
great whore, or antichrist, at which time the Lord will be known in his Gospel
in all the world; the earth will be tilled with the knowledge of him, and he,
and he alone, will be exalted; his name will be great and glorious throughout
the earth; all shall know him, from the least to the greatest; and their
knowledge of him will be very clear and comprehensive;
the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands; not Goliath,
as Kimchi thinks, who was slain by David with his own sword, though this was
true of him in the letter and type; but the wicked one, the man of sin and son
of perdition, antichrist, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all
craftiness and wily stratagems, called the depths of Satan, Revelation 2:24; but his own sins shall
take him, and he shall be holden with the cords of his iniquities, and be
rewarded double for all his sins; what is before figuratively expressed is here
literally declared; or, "he hath snared the wicked in or by the work of
his hands"F15בפעל כפיו
נוקש רשע "illaqueavit
iniquum per opus (vel in opere) manunm ipsius", Gussetius. , that is, God.
Higgaion. Selah; of the latter of these words; see Gill on Psalm 3:2; the former signifies
"meditation"; Jarchi paraphrases it נהגה,
"let us meditate on this, selah"; Aben Ezra interprets it, "I
will show forth this in truth"; the Chaldee paraphrase is, "the
righteous shall rejoice for ever"; the note of Kimchi and Ben Melech is,
"this salvation is to us meditation and praise"; upon the whole the
sense seems to be this, that God's judgments upon antichrist, and the
antichristian states, and the deliverance of his people from their yoke and
tyranny, are things worthy of the meditation of the saints, and afford just
matter of joy, praise, and thanksgiving.
Psalm 9:17 17 The wicked shall be turned
into hell, And all the nations that forget God.
YLT
17The wicked do turn back to
Sheol, All nations forgetting God.
The wicked shall be turned into hell,.... Some
render it, "shall return to the grave"F16ישובו לשאולה "revertentur ad
vel in sepulchrum", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator. , to the earth, the original dust from whence they came; but this is
common to all men, to the righteous as well as the wicked; rather שאול here signifies the place of torment, commonly called
hell, where devils and damned spirits are; hither the souls of the wicked go
immediately upon their departure from their bodies, Luke 16:23; and after the judgment is over,
they will be remanded thither in soul and body; and their damnation is called
the destruction of soul and body in hell; which will consist in an everlasting
separation from God, and in a sense of his wrath and fiery indignation: and
though this is true of all the wicked, yet here that wicked one, antichrist,
and his wicked followers, are chiefly designed; even the beast and false
prophet, who shall be cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone, Revelation 19:20;
and all the nations that
forget God; which is not to be understood of the Pagan nations, though they
may be said to forget God, since he is to be known by the light of nature, and
yet they worship idols, the works of their hands; but the Papal nations, who
adore the pope of Rome as God on earth, worship angels and saints departed, and
images of gold and silver, and wood and stone. It may be applied to every
wicked man who forgets there is a God who sees and knows all things, and to
whom men are accountable; see Psalm 50:22.
Psalm 9:18 18 For the needy shall not
always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish
forever.
YLT
18For not for ever is the
needy forgotten, The hope of the humble lost to the age.
For the needy shall not
always be forgotten,.... The people of God are poor and needy for the most part; they
are so in things temporal, and they are poor in spirit, or in things spiritual,
of which they are sensible; their needs are many, and frequently return; but
God has provided a throne of grace for them to come to for help in time of
need, and he will supply all their wants out of the fulness of grace in Christ;
nor is he unmindful of them, and of his covenant with them; strictly speaking,
they are never forgotten by him, being engraven on his hands, and set as a seal
on his heart; but they sometimes seem to be so both to themselves and others, Psalm 42:3; and they may continue so long;
God may seem for a long time to take no notice of them, but suffer them to lie
under affliction and persecution; the holy city is trodden under foot forty two
months, or one thousand two hundred and sixty days, that is, so many years; so
long the witnesses prophesy in sackcloth, so long the church is in the
wilderness, and so long will be the reign of antichrist, Revelation 11:2; but as great Babylon will
come up in remembrance before God, and he will remember her sins, and render
her double; the set time to favour his poor and needy will come, and he will
arise and have mercy on them, and bring them into a glorious and comfortable
state and condition;
the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever; the negative
particle, though not in the original text, is rightly supplied from the
preceding clause, as it is by the Targum, Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Kimchi, and as
the sense requires; and the expectation of Christ's poor ones is not only a
supply of grace here and eternal happiness hereafter; but they expect a
glorious state of the church on earth, and that Christ will descend in person
from heaven, and his tabernacle will be among men; and that they shall be kings
and priests, and possess the kingdom, and reign with Christ a thousand years;
and though these things may seem to be deferred, and their expectation put off
to a length of time, yet it shall not perish for ever; there will be a
performance of the things promised and expected.
Psalm 9:19 19 Arise, O Lord, Do not let
man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
YLT
19Rise, O Jehovah, let not
man be strong, Let nations be judged before Thy face.
Arise, O Lord,.... To the
destruction of thine enemies, and the salvation of thy people; See Gill on Psalm 7:6;
let not man prevail; the man of sin,
antichrist, that is, let him not always prevail; he is the little horn that was
to prevail against the saints, and has prevailed, Daniel 7:21; but he shall not always
prevail; this petition will be heard and answered; for though he shall cast
down many thousands, he shall not be "strengthened" by it, Daniel 11:12; where the same word is used
as here; the Lamb at last shall overcome him and his ten kings, his supporters,
and all that shall aid and assist him, Revelation 17:14;
let the Heathen be judged in thy sight; that is, the
antichristian nations that adhere to the man of sin, let them be judged and
punished in the sight of God, the Judge of all the earth, whose eyes are as a
flame of fire; compare with this Joel 3:12.
Psalm 9:20 20 Put them in fear, O Lord, That
the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah
YLT
20Appoint, O Jehovah, a
director to them, Let nations know they [are] men! Selah.
Put them in fear, O Lord,.... Who are,
a bold, impudent, fearless generation of men; who, like the unjust judge,
neither fear God nor regard men, therefore the psalmist prays that God would
inject fear into them, who only can do it; and this will be done at Babylon's
destruction, when the antichristian kings, merchants, and seafaring men, will
stand afar off for fear of her torment, Revelation 18:10;
that the nations
may know themselves to be but men; and not God, and have no
power against him; see Isaiah 31:3; the sense is, that the
antichristian nations, who oppose themselves to Christ and his people, may know
that they are but frail, mortal, miserable men, as the wordF17אנוש המה "mortales
esse", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus; "homines
miseri", Cocceius, Michaelis; "sorry men", Ainsworth. signifies;
and that he who is at the head of them, the man of sin, is no other, though he
exalts himself above all that is called God, 2 Thessalonians 2:4; or these words are a
prayer for the conversion of many among the nations, and may be rendered,
"put, O Lord, fear in them"F18שיתה
מורה להם "pone timorem
eis", so Junius and Tremellius, Piscator, Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius,
Ainsworth. ; that is, the true grace of fear, "that the nations may
know" themselves, their sin and guilt and danger, and know God in Christ,
and Christ, and the way of salvation by him; for at the word "know"
should be a stop, concluding a proposition, since the accent
"athnach" is there; and then follows another, "they are
men. Selah": destitute of the fear and grace of God, are capable of it,
but cannot give it to themselves.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)