Psalms 9

KJV · Chapter 9/150

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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David praises God for judging righteously and defeating his enemies, celebrates that the LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, and asks God to continue judging the nations with uprightness.

Explanation

Psalms 9 and 10 were originally a single acrostic poem (each stanza beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet), though they now appear divided — which explains why they continue such similar themes and language. The psalm celebrates God as a judge who does not forget the cry of the needy, a central idea in biblical theology of social justice: God cares especially for those who have no power to defend themselves. Today's application is to trust that injustice will not have the final word, while also acting on behalf of the most vulnerable.

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