Tag: justice

Posted in Exposition

Psalm 9: A Song of Thanks and a Plea for Justice

Posted on by writtenexposition

INTRODUCTION


Due to ancient textual traditions Psalms 9 and 10 are often treated as one psalm. Although two individual psalms in the Hebrew Bible they appear as a single acrostic poem in the LXX (Septuagint Greek translation) and the Latin Vulgate. Taken together they constitute an almost complete irregular acrostic on the Hebrew alphabet. The two psalms share similar themes and also have word similarities (e.g. the phrase in times of trouble, 9:9; 10:1). Psalm 9 closes with Selah (which is unusual) and Psalm 10 has no superscription.

Most English translations, however, including the KJV, follow the Hebrew Bible and view them as two individual psalms. Psalm 9 is essentially a psalm of thanksgiving whereas Psalm 10 is a lament. Psalm 9 treats the subject of the wicked outside Israel and Psalm 10 of the wicked inside Israel.

STRUCTURE

When taken together Psalms 9 and 10 constitute the first of eight acrostic psalms (9/10; 25; 34; 37; 111; 112; 119; 145). For technical treatments of acrostics see Berlin (1901), Benun (2009) and Robertson (2015) – details in Bibliography.

Benun (2009, section 2.1) writes: ‘Of the twenty two letters in the alphabet only fifteen are present in the acrostic of Pss 9 and 10, while seven . . . are missing.’ He goes on to make this interesting observation:

‘This first acrostic in Psalms is unique in that it spans two psalms. Ps 9 goes from א to כ (11 letters) and Ps 10 continues from ל to ת (11 letters) so that the alphabet is split evenly between the two, even though some of the letters are missing. Furthermore, there are 164 words in Ps 9 and 162 words in Ps 10 so that the total acrostic of 326 words is split almost exactly evenly between the two psalms. The last word of Ps 9, סלה, is not an integral part of the psalm but rather a marker indicating a pause or an interruption. If we leave out this סלה from the word count as well as the סלה in 9:17, then Ps 9 also has 162 words. The acrostic is split exactly in the middle both in its division of letters of the alphabet and in terms of word counts. It is statistically significant that the word count for Ps 9, which contains ten of the first eleven letters of the alphabet, should be exactly equal to the word count of Ps 10, which includes only five of the last eleven letters of the alphabet. This is a first indication that no words have been deleted in MT, and that the aberrations in the acrostic structure may be intentional.’

Writing on Psalm 9, Robertson (2015, pp.232-233) explains:

‘. . . from the opening verses of this psalm, it becomes obvious that the psalm does not intend to be ‘regular’ in the normal sense of the word. In vv. 1 and 2, the letter aleph occurs four times as the beginning letter of the first word of each half-verse (Heb. vv. 2, 3). Then the letter beth encompasses two verses (Heb. vv. 4, 5). Next the letter gimel occurs twice in two consecutive words (Heb. v. 6). The letter daleth is omitted (although it concludes the final word of v. 6). The letter he begins the next verse (Heb. v. 7). Then the letter waw opens the next verse as a prefix to Yahweh, and then introduces the following three verses, so that four waws introduce four consecutive verses (Heb. vv. 8, 9, 10, 11). Then the letter zayin begins the next verse and concludes the following half-verse (Heb. vv. 12, 13a). A single heth and teth each introduce two verses (Heb. vv. 14, 15 and 16, 17). Yodh introduces one verse (Heb. v. 18). Then one verse beginning with kaph introduces the final three verses of Psalm 9 (Heb. vv. 19, 20, 21). Ten of the first eleven letters of the Hebrew alphabet in what may be regarded as standard alphabetic order have been introduced in the 21 verses (in the Hebrew text) of Psalm 9.

SUPERSCRIPTION

TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN UPON MUTH-LABBEN, A PSALM OF DAVID.

Muth – death. Labben – son. Occurring only in the title of Psalm 9 Muth-labben means ‘death to/of the son’ or ‘to die for the son.’ It is probably a musical direction to the temple precentor, to use a tune called Muth -Labben. If David was the author of Psalm 9 then both psalm and tune may have been composed in response to the death of Absalom (2 Sam 18), which David considered unjust.

1-12 PRAISE FOR PAST DELIVERANCE

1-2 A declaration of praise

3-6 YHWH’s past judgement on the wicked

7-10 YHWH’s justice for the oppressed

11-12 A call to praise the Lord for what he has done

13-20 PLEA FOR PRESENT DELIVERANCE

13-14 A plea for deliverance

15-18 The fate of the wicked and of the needy

19-20 A final call for YHWH to intervene

EXPLANATION

1-2 A declaration of praise

Psalm 9 begins by stating the purpose of the psalm: to express the psalmist’s gratitude and commitment to praise the Lord. He states ‘I will’ 4 times.

  • REVERE – I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart – to praise is to confess, thank or acknowledge all that is right about the Lord. This will be with all his heart, signifying that his gratitude is not superficial but total and unreserved. The reference is to private praise.
  • RECOUNT – I will show forth all thy marvellous works – to show forth is to number, recount, relate. The Lord’s ‘marvellous works’ are God’s acts in creation, redemption and personal deliverance which motivate the psalmist to progress from private praise to public testimony.
  • REJOICE – I will be glad and rejoice in thee – He will be glad and jubilant – This overwhelming emotional response is rooted ‘in thee’ – The Lord himself is the source of his joy.
  • RESONATE – I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High – The verb ‘to sing praise’ means to play an instrument or to sing with musical accompaniment. Now the psalmist’s praise is musical and communal. It will be sung in the temple accompanied by stringed instruments. He addresses the Lord as ‘elyôn – thou most High. God’s supreme power and authority render him worthy of praise.

3-6 YHWH’s past judgement upon the wicked

Verses 3-6 refer to the psalmist’s past experiences of God’s help and summarise the Lord’s acts of judgement upon the Gentiles (heathen). The psalmist attributes the defeat of the ‘enemy’ to YHWH, whom he portrays as the sovereign judge. The Gentiles (variously described as ‘ thou enemy,’ ‘ the heathen,’ ‘the wicked’ and ‘the nations’) are mentioned in vv. 5, 6, 15, 16, 17, 19, and 20. When the Lord acts against them they ‘stumble’ and ‘perish.’

Notice that whereas ‘I will‘ appears 4 times in vv.1-2 now the words ‘thou hast’ appear 5 times in vv. 4-6.

  1. thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right – someone had broken a covenant with the psalmist but the Lord had sat as the supreme, righteous judge and had upheld the psalmist’s righteous cause (right and cause are synonyms). The Lord has vindicated the psalmist and punished the offenders.
  2. thou hast rebuked the heathen – rebuked – includes the result of God’s rebuke – he has stopped them in their tracks.
  3. thou hast destroyed the wicked – destroyed – he has caused them to perish.
  4. thou hast put out their name forever and ever – blotted out – he has removed them from the scene once and for all.
  5. thou hast destroyed cities – the imagery portraying God’s judgement as decisive and final is reinforced in v.6 – O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them – lit. ‘as to the enemy, finished are his ruins forever, thou hast destroyed their cities, perished their memory /they’ i.e. God deals severely with the wicked.

7-10 YHWH’s justice for the oppressed

But the LORD shall endure forever: he hath prepared his throne for judgement.
And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgement to the people in uprightness.
The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

‘But.’ – Although cities and their inhabitants may fall YHWH sits as a judge enthroned forever. His oversight of the world is constant and stable and he will govern the world (peoples) and minister justice. The concept of ‘judging in righteousness’ signifies that his decisions will be upright, fair and impartial, vindicating the righteous and punishing the wicked.

Verses 9-10 spell out the implications of the Lord as judge. He will be the ultimate defender and protector of the vulnerable, this is expressed with a metaphor – refuge (fortress, high tower). In times of trouble – according to Scroggie (1948, p.80): ‘This word “trouble,” occurring again only in X.1, means the extremity of trouble in which all hope of deliverance is cut off.’ The vulnerable are described in Psalm 9 as the oppressed (v.9), those who know the Lord’s name (v.10), the humble (v.12), and the needy (v.18). All the oppressed, marginalised and persecuted who discern the Lord’s name (his character, reputation) and seek him will be delivered. There is a marked contrast between the name of the Lord who abides forever (v.7) and the name of the wicked which will be blotted out (v.5).

11-12 A call to praise the Lord for what he has done

Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

Having earlier declared his intention to praise YHWH (vv.1-2) the psalmist now calls upon others to participate as well and spread far and wide the word of YHWH’s actions on behalf of the oppressed. YHWH, who in vv.7-8 is enthroned ready to judge internationally is now viewed as dwelling locally in Zion. It is from there, dispensing ultimate justice in his role as ‘the avenger of blood,’ that he pays attention to the cry of the afflicted.

13-14 A plea for deliverance

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:
That I may show forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.

The psalmist moves quickly from praise for what YHWH has done in the past and his support of the afflicted to present a plea for present and personal deliverance from distress. He asks YHWH to be gracious to him and ‘see’ (KJV consider) his suffering at the hands of those who hate him i.e. not just literally ‘see’ his trouble but also bring him out of it. Using a play on words he asks God to ‘lift him from the gates of death‘ (a potentially near death situation) so that he can praise him publicly ‘in the gates of the daughter of Zion‘ and rejoice in salvation. Daughter of Zion is a personification of the city of Jerusalem and a metaphor for Israel’s relationship with YHWH.

15-18 The fate of the wicked and of the needy

The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
The LORD is known by the judgement which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

Verses 15-18 contrast the fate of the heathen and the wicked with that of the needy and the poor. Verses 15-16 use hunting imagery reminiscent of Psalm 7:15-16. The Lord causes the wicked to be caught in their own devices. Higgaion and Selah are possibly musical notations. Higgaion occurs three times in The Book of Psalms – 9:16; 19:14 (transl. meditation); 92:3 (transl. solemn sound).

The wicked will return to Sheol – the grave (cf. Gen 3:19) – the ground or earth that they came from. Many commentators interpret this verse as referring to eternal punishment in hell. Verses 17-18 form a chiasm based on the word ‘forget.’ The nations that forget God will perish but the needy will not be forever forgotten. The Lord sends the wicked to the grave because he remembers the hope of the oppressed and afflicted. The words not always could imply that the poor and needy are currently forgotten by God but the last phrase of v.18 clarifies that God never forgets them

19-20 A final call for YHWH to intervene

Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

Each of the final two verses begins with an imperative. The psalmist wants God to intervene immediately among the nations to prevail over human pride and restore a right perspective on the human condition. God is immortal and omnipotent, man is mortal and finite.

Psalm 9 ends with Selah. This is unusual – only 3, 9, 24 and 46 end with Selah. There is a suggestion that those psalms ending with Selah appear to form pairs with the psalm that follows. Some therefore use this to bolster the theory that Psalm 9 and Psalm 10 were originally one psalm.

SUMMATION

Psalm 9 is an expression of praise and trust in the Lord in spite of adversity and injustice. The psalmist celebrates God’s sovereignty over all circumstances and proceeds to reflect on God’s judgement of the wicked and defence of the oppressed. Based on God’s actions in the past he expresses confidence that God will protect him in the future. He then contrasts the fate of the wicked with the hope of the oppressed. Suffering and overwhelming circumstances ought not lead to despair for the afflicted will not be forgotten. God, who is sovereign and faithful, will eventually rise and judge the nations.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Clarke, A.G. (1949). Analytical Studies in the Psalms. John Ritchie Ltd., Kilmarnock

Scroggie, W.G. (1948). The Psalms , Volume 1, Psalms I-L, Introduction and Notes by W. Graham Scroggie. Pickering & Inglis Ltd., London

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JOURNAL ARTICLES

Benun, R. (2009) “Evil and the Disruption of Order: A Structural Analysis of the Acrostics in the First Book of Psalms”, The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, No.6.

Berlin, M. (1901). Psalms IX and X. The Jewish Quarterly Review, Vol. 13, No.4, pp.669–682.

Robertson, O. P. (2015). The Alphabetic Acrostic in Book I of the Psalms: An Overlooked Element of Psalter Structure. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Vol. 40, No. 2. pp.225-238

Posted in Exposition

Psalm 7: David’s Prayer for Justice

Posted on by writtenexposition


INTRODUCTION

Psalm 7, categorised as a lament, is a prayer for divine help and vindication by someone who has been falsely accused – possibly of breaking a treaty. According to the superscription, this psalm was written by King David during a time of intense personal attack so it reveals the emotional and spiritual response of a man wrongly accused yet confident in God’s righteous judgment.

The Hebrew title of this psalm reads: A Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. This might place the psalm in the turbulent period when David was fleeing from King Saul. The incident referred to in the superscription is not recorded in the Old Testament but the title identifies the person who slandered David as a certain Cush, from Saul’s own tribe of Benjamin. The specific accusations appear to have been particularly vicious: we can infer from vv.3-5 that David was supposed to have appropriated spoils that did not rightfully belong to him and had returned evil for good. The precise meaning of Shiggaion is unknown and the word appears elsewhere only in Habakkuk 3:1. Some scholars suggest that it may describe a song that is passionate or deeply moving.

The theme of Psalm 7 is the psalmist’s appeal to God for justice when falsely accused. Rather than take revenge into his own hands or defend himself through political manoeuvring David brings his case before the ultimate judge. The psalm begins with an urgent plea, followed by a solemn oath of innocence, an expression of trust in God’s righteous judgment and ends with a note of triumphant praise. The psalmist invokes the Lord with a variety of divine names and titles, e.g. YHWH, Elohim, El, and Elyon.

DIVISION

1-2 David’s Supplication

3-5 David’s Submission

6-9 David’s Seeking

10-16 David’s Sanctuary

17 David’s Song

EXPLANATION

DAVID’S SUPPLICATION (1-2)

O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

The psalmist begins by establishing that he has a personal relationship with the deity, whom he directly addresses as O Lord my God. This is the first place in the Book of Psalms where we find the names YHWH and Elohim occurring together and this is repeated at the beginning of v.3. As far as the psalmist is concerned all human support has vanished so now he takes refuge in God alone. He is obviously in trouble for he appeals to the Lord his God with two imperatives: save me and deliver me; requesting rescue from all his persecutors. ‘Persecute,’ which occurs again in v.5, means to chase after, to pursue with hostile intent.

Verse 2 begins with lest (‘otherwise’).The psalmist now provides a reason why YHWH should deliver him; it is because he believes his enemies will show him no mercy if they catch him. The switch from the plural them (v.1) to the singular he (v.2) suggests that although the psalmist is facing a co-ordinated campaign by multiple individuals there may be a single foe who is prominent – the psalm title identifies this enemy as Cush the Benjaminite.

The urgency of David’s prayer comes across in vivid imagery. Lions tear their prey with savage violence so the simile like a lion is apt coming from David, a former shepherd who has personally fought and killed a lion to protect his flock (1 Samuel 17:34-37). He knows exactly what being torn by a wild animal involves. The phrase while there is none to deliver smacks of despair. Without YHWH’s help he will not survive.

DAVID’S SUBMISSION (3-5)

O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy) Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

David begins his second appeal with the repetition of O LORD my God. Verses 3-5 contain an assertion of innocence of the crimes of which he has been accused. David then submits himself to God’s scrutiny and asks if the slanderous accusations are by any chance correct and if he could possibly be at fault. If so he will bow to appropriate punishment.

His request is presented in the form of three clauses beginning with ‘if‘ which are followed by an implied ‘then.’ This constitutes an oath equivalent to ‘I swear I have not done such and such.’ The psalmist tells YHWH that if he has done something to merit the wrath of his enemies then let him be exposed to their violence.

  • if I have done this – this phrase tells us that specific accusations have been made against the psalmist, who rejects these particular charges..
  • if there be iniquity in my hands – if I have committed fraud.
  • if I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy) – This likely refers to Saul. Despite relentless persecution, David had twice spared Saul’s life – once in a cave (1 Samuel 24:4) and again taking his spear while he slept (1 Samuel 26:12). These incidents showed that David harboured no murderous intent, as Saul himself recognised: And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. 1 Samuel 24:17-19

Note: there are difficulties with the end of the third ‘if’ clause which reads literally ‘and if I rescued my enemy.’ This reading makes rescuing one’s enemy a crime. It does not make sense so many translations emend the verb ‘delivered’ to ‘plundered.’ For a technical discussion see Tigay’s 1970 article ‘Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties.’

Having referred the charges to God the psalmist is so utterly convinced of his own innocence that the consequences he proposes involve the taking of his own life.


DAVID’S SEEKING (6-9)

Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded. So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high. The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

Having examined his own heart and found himself innocent of the specific accusations David confidently proposes divine action against his false accusers. Believing that God’s righteous anger will be directed for, rather than against, him he calls upon God to intervene and vindicate him. Addressing God in the second person (‘you’) he uses 3 imperatives – rise up, lift up and wake up.

Since God is the one who has commanded justice in the first place (i.e. that the innocent be protected and guilty punished) David calls upon him to set up a tribunal and dispense justice with an assembly of the nations gathered to witness it. As Charney (2013, p.60) comments: ‘Calling the nations as witnesses puts God on the spot; God’s reputation is at stake if justice is not done.’

David claims righteousness in this specific matter, asking God to examine the case and judge between him and his accusers. In v.8 he issues another imperative, judge me, to God. Since David is righteous and God is a righteous judge (v.9b) David has nothing to fear. Having just mentioned the nations David’s prayer broadens to encompass universal justice: the righteous God (elohim) examines hearts and minds (kidneys – seat of emotions) and makes clear who is wicked and who is righteous.

DAVID’S SANCTUARY (10-16)

My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors. Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

(10-11) David proceeds to explain the implications of God’s judgement for both parties. David is righteous (upright in heart) so he knows that God (elohim) will protect him and deliver him. He also knows that in saving the upright God brings judgement upon the wicked (v.10) – in fact, ’ēl is enraged [with the wicked] each day.

(12-13) Verses 12 and 13 which elaborate on the fate of the wicked are difficult because the subject of the verbs is unclear. The use of the 3rd person singular pronoun (he) does not help. God is clearly the subject of the verbs in vv. 10-11 and the wicked the subject in v.14 so where does the subject change? Is the ‘he’ of vv.12-13 referring to God or to the wicked? Charney (2013, p.60) observes:

As many commentators have noted, the engineer of the evil-doer’s fate is left open by the use of third-person singular pronouns in vv. 13-14. Is it God who sharpens the sword, pulls back the bow, and readies the tools of death? Or is it the enemy sharpening the sword and pointing it at “himself” The psalm offers two routes by which evil may be defeated—by God’s direct intervention in history and by a cosmic order in which evil deeds eventually bring commensurate consequences.

If the subject is God then the psalmist depicts him as warrior using sword, bow, arrows and tools of death against the wicked. If the subject is the enemy then the idea is that his increasing violence gives birth to all kinds of evil.

(14-16) The metaphor in v.14 compares sin to pregnancy and childbirth. The wicked person conceives evil, becomes pregnant with mischief, and then gives birth to lies. Verse 15 brings a new image, a vivid illustration of poetic justice. It is of someone digging a pit with the intention of snaring an enemy but he himself falls into his own trap. Verse 16 elaborates: the trouble intended for others comes back upon the perpetrator himself. Evil schemes have a way of backfiring on those who devise them. Some biblical examples of this principle are:

  • Haman built gallows to hang Mordecai but was himself hanged on them (Esther 7:9-10)
  • Daniel’s accusers threw him into the lions’ den, but they and their families were themselves devoured by the lions (Daniel 6:24)
  • The Jewish leaders who said of Jesus, ‘His blood be on us and on our children’ (Matthew 27:25) saw Jerusalem destroyed within a generation.

The imagery of the wicked man’s violent dealings coming down on his ‘crown’ (the top of his head) suggests a crushing blow from above; perhaps this refers to divine judgement.

DAVID’S SONG (17)

I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

(17) In this final verse the psalmist shifts from lament to a vow of praise. He affirms his trust in God’s righteous character and expresses deep gratitude by committing himself to public worship of the Lord, even in advance of seeing the answer to his prayer. The one he praises is YHWH elyon – the LORD most high – who is above all earthly powers and circumstances.

SUMMATION

In Psalm 7 David defends his innocence and pleads with God for justice and protection. He expresses confidence that God will vindicate the righteous and therefore asks for deliverance from his enemies.

The psalm addresses one of the most painful human experiences, that of being falsely accused and slandered. It is therefore a useful reference for believers who find themselves having to cope with and handle such a situation.

  • Bring your problem before the Lord in prayer (v.1).
  • Honestly assess whether the accusations have any merit (v.2).
  • Be confident that God will vindicate you in his time and his way (v.6).
  • Be assured that God will test all hearts and minds (v.9).
  • Don’t presume to know when or how God will act, the delay might be to allow time for the wicked to fall into his own trap. (vv.10-16).
  • End your prayers with worship, praising the LORD most high for his righteous character even before you see the answer (v.17).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Charney, D. (2013). Maintaining Innocence Before a Divine Hearer: Deliberative Rhetoric in Psalm 22, Psalm 17, and Psalm 7. Biblical Interpretation, Vol. 21, No.1, pp.33–63.

Jones, E. (2025). Prayer and (Im)Politeness: Reading Psalm 7. Old Testament Essays, Vol. 37, No. 3, pp.1–22.

Obiorah, M. J. (2021). Reality of insecurity in Psalm 7 and Christian Mission in Nigeria. Verbum et Ecclesia, Vol. 42, No. 1.

Tigay, J. H. (1970). Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties. Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 89, No. 2, pp.178-186