Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 9:11
Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
11. which dwelleth in Zion ] Or, (cp. Psa 9:7) sitteth enthroned. Zion became the special abode of Jehovah from the time when the Ark, the symbol of His Presence, was placed there (Psa 76:2; Psa 132:13 f.). The cherubim which overshadowed the ark were the throne of His glory (Psa 80:1; Psa 99:1). It was the earthly counterpart of heaven (Psa 2:4): from thence He manifested Himself for the help of His people (Psa 3:4; Psa 20:2).
the people ] Rather, the peoples, as R.V. marg. Not Israel, but the nations around, are meant. Jehovah’s doings (Psa 77:12; Psa 78:11; Psa 103:7), i.e. His mighty works on behalf of His people, are to be proclaimed among them. The first step towards their conversion is that they should know the evidences of His power and love. Cp. Psa 18:49; Psa 57:9; Psa 96:3; Psa 105:1; Isa 12:4.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
11, 12. Stanza of Zayin. A call to praise.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Sing praises to the Lord – As the result of these views of his character, and at the remembrance of his doings. The heart of the psalmist is full of exultation and joy at the remembrance of the divine interposition, and he naturally breaks out into these strong expressions, calling on others to rejoice also.
Which dwelleth in Zion – On the word Zion, see the notes at Psa 2:6. Compare Psa 3:4; Psa 5:7. As Zion was the place where at this time the tabernacle was set up, and the worship of God was celebrated, it is spoken of as his dwelling-place.
Declare among the people his doings – Make general and wide proclamation of what he has done; that is, make him known abroad, in his true character, that others may be brought also to put their trust in him, and to Praise him.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 11. Declare among the people his doings.] It is the duty of all those who have received the salvation of God, to recommend him and his salvation to the whole circle of their acquaintance, Christians, so called, when they meet, seldom speak about God! Why is this? Because they have nothing to say.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Which dwelleth in Zion; whose special and gracious presence is there; for there was the ark at this time.
Among the people, i.e. to the heathen nations, that they also may be brought to the knowledge and worship of the true God.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. (Compare Psa 2:6;Psa 3:4).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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 So 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,
Re 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 Ps 2:6
Heb 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, Isa 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, Ps 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, Ps 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
Jer 50:28; the word k 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.
k “significat tam machinationes, sive consilia”, 1 Sam. ii. 3. “quam consiliorum eventus, seu opera ipsa, quomodo”, Jer. xxxii. 19. Gejerus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(Heb.: 9:12-13) Thus then the z-strophe summons to the praise of this God who has done, and will still do, such things. The summons contains a moral claim, and therefore applies to all, and to each one individually. Jahve, who is to be praised everywhere and by every one, is called , which does not mean: He who sits enthroned in Zion, but He who inhabiteth Zion, Ges. 138, 1. Such is the name by which He is called since the time when His earthly throne, the ark, was fixed on the castle hill of Jerusalem, Psa 76:3. It is the epithet applied to Him during the period of the typical kingship of promise. That Jahve’s salvation shall be proclaimed from Zion to all the world, even outside Israel, for their salvation, is, as we see here and elsewhere, an idea which throbs with life even in the Davidic Psalms; later prophecy beholds its realisation in its wider connections with the history of the future. That which shall be proclaimed to the nations is called , a designation which the magnalia Dei have obtained in the Psalms and the prophets since the time of Hannah’s song, 1Sa 2:3 (from , root , to come over or upon anything, to influence a person or a thing, as it were, from above, to subject them to one’s energy, to act upon them).
With , quod, in Psa 9:13, the subject of the proclamation of salvation is unfolded as to its substance. The praett. state that which is really past; for that which God has done is the assumption that forms the basis of the discourse in praise of God on account of His mighty acts. They consist in avenging and rescuing His persecuted church-persecuted even to martyrdom. The , standing by way of emphasis before its verb, refers to those who are mentioned afterwards (cf. Psa 9:20): the Chethb calls them , the Keri . Both words alternate elsewhere also, the Ker at one time placing the latter, at another the former, in the place of the one that stands in the text. They are both referable to to bend (to bring low, Isa 25:5). The neuter signification of the verb = , Arab.. na , fut o., underlies the noun (cf. ), for which in Num 12:3 there is a Ker with an incorrect Jod (like Job 21:23). This is manifest from the substantive , which does not signify affliction, but passiveness, i.e., humility and gentleness; and the noun is passive, and therefore does not, like , signify one who is lowly-minded, in a state of , but one who is bowed down by afflictions, . But because the twin virtues denoted by are acquired in the school of affliction, there comes to be connected with – but only secondarily – the notion of that moral and spiritual condition which is aimed at by dispensations of affliction, and is joined with a suffering life, rather than with one of worldly happiness and prosperity, – a condition which, as Num 12:3 shows, is properly described by ( and ). It shall be proclaimed beyond Israel, even among the nations, that the Avenger of blood, , thinks of them (His ), and has been as earnest in His concern for them as they in theirs for Him. always signifies human blood that is shed by violence and unnaturally; the plur. is the plural of the product discussed by Dietrich, Abhandl. S. 40. to demand back from any one that which he has destroyed, and therefore to demand a reckoning, indemnification, satisfaction for it, Gen 9:5, then absolutely to punish, 2Ch 24:22.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| A Call to Praise God; Certain Ruin of the Wicked. | |
11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings. 12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble. 13 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: 14 That I may show forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation. 15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. 16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. 19 Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. 20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
In these verses,
I. David, having praised God himself, calls upon and invites others to praise him likewise, v. 11. Those who believe God is greatly to be praised not only desire to do that work better themselves, but desire that others also may join with them in it and would gladly be instrumental to bring them to it: Sing praises to the Lord who dwelleth in Zion. As the special residence of his glory is in heaven, so the special residence of his grace is in his church, of which Zion was a type. There he meets his people with his promises and graces, and there he expects they should meet him with their praises and services. In all our praises we should have an eye to God as dwelling in Zion, in a special manner present in the assemblies of his people, as their protector and patron. He resolved himself to show forth God’s marvellous works (v. 1), and here he calls upon others to declare among the people his doings. He commands his own subjects to do it, for the honour of God, of their country, and of their holy religion; he courts his neighbours to do it, to sing praises, not, as hitherto, to their false gods, but to Jehovah who dwelleth in Zion, to the God of Israel, and to own among the heathen that the Lord has done great things for his people Israel,Psa 126:3; Psa 126:4. Let them particularly take notice of the justice of God in avenging the blood of his people Israel on the Philistines and their other wicked neighbours, who had, in making war upon them, used them barbarously and given them no quarter, v. 12. When God comes to make inquisition for blood by his judgments on earth, before he comes to do it by the judgment of the great day, he remembers them, remembers every drop of the innocent blood which they have shed, and will return it sevenfold upon the head of the blood-thirsty; he will give them blood to drink, for they are worthy. This assurance he might well build upon that word (Deut. xxxii. 43), He will avenge the blood of his servants. Note, There is a day coming when God will make inquisition for blood, when he will discover what has been shed secretly, and avenge what has been shed unjustly; see Isa 26:21; Jer 51:35. In that day it will appear how precious the blood of God’s people is to him (Ps. lxxii. 14), when it must all be accounted for. It will then appear that he has not forgotten the cry of the humble, neither the cry of their blood nor the cry of their prayers, but that both are sealed up among his treasures.
II. David, having praised God for former mercies and deliverances, earnestly prays that God would still appear for him; for he sees not all things put under him.
1. He prays, (1.) That God would be compassionate to him (v. 13): “Have mercy upon me, who, having misery only, and no merit, to speak for me, must depend upon mercy for relief.” (2.) That he would be concerned for him. He is not particular in his request, lest he should seem to prescribe to God; but submits himself to the wisdom and will of God in this modest request, “Lord, consider my trouble, and do for me as thou thinkest fit.”
2. He pleads, (1.) The malice of his enemies, the trouble which he suffered from those that hated him, and hatred is a cruel passion. (2.) The experience he had had of divine succours and the expectation he now had of the continuance of them, as the necessity of his case required: “O thou that liftest me up, that canst do it, that hast done it, that wilt do it, whose prerogative it is to lift up thy people from the gates of death!” We are never brought so low, so near to death, but God can raise us up. If he has saved us from spiritual and eternal death, we may thence take encouragement to hope that in all our distresses he will be a very present help to us. (3.) His sincere purpose to praise God when his victories should be completed (v. 14): “Lord, save me, not that I may have the comfort and credit of the deliverance, but that thou mayest have the glory, that I may show forth all thy praise, and that publicly, in the gates of the daughter of Zion;” there God was said to dwell (v. 11) and there David would attend him, with joy in God’s salvation, typical of the great salvation which was to be wrought out by the Son of David.
III. David by faith foresees and foretels the certain ruin of all wicked people, both in this world and in that to come.
1. In this world, Psa 9:15; Psa 9:16. God executes judgment upon them when the measure of their iniquities is full, and does it, (1.) So as to put shame upon them and make their fall inglorious; for they sink into the pit which they themselves digged (Ps. vii. 15), they are taken in the net which they themselves laid for the ensnaring of God’s people, and they are snared in the work of their own hands. In all the struggles David had with the Philistines they were the aggressors, 2Sa 5:17; 2Sa 5:22. And other nations were subdued by those ward in which they embroiled themselves. The overruling providence of God frequently so orders it that persecutors and oppressors are brought to ruin by those very projects which they intended to be destructive to the people of God. Drunkards kill themselves; prodigals beggar themselves; the contentious bring mischief upon themselves. Thus men’s sins may be read in their punishment, and it becomes visible to all that the destruction of sinners is not only meritoriously, but efficiently, of themselves, which will fill them with the utmost confusion. (2.) So as to get honour to himself: The Lord is known, that is, he makes himself known, by these judgments which he executes. It is known that there is a God who judges in the earth, that he is a righteous God, and one that hates sin and will punish it. In these judgments the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. The psalmist therefore adds here a note extraordinary, commanding special regard, Higgaion; it is a thing to be carefully observed and meditated upon. What we see of present judgments, and what we believe of the judgment to come, ought to be the subject of our frequent and serious meditations.
2. In the other world (v. 17): The wicked shall be turned into hell, as captives into the prison-house, even all the nations that forget God. Note, (1.) Forgetfulness of God is the cause of all the wickedness of the wicked. (2.) There are nations of those that forget God, multitudes that live without God in the world, many great and many mighty nations, that never regard him nor desire the knowledge of his ways. (3.) Hell will, at last, be the portion of such, a state of everlasting misery and torment–Sheol, a pit of destruction, in which they and all their comforts will be for ever lost and buried. Though there be nations of them, yet they shall be turned into hell, like sheep into the slaughter-house (Ps. xlix. 14), and their being so numerous will not be any security or ease to them, nor any loss to God or the least impeachment of his goodness.
IV. David encourages the people of God to wait for his salvation, though it should be long deferred, v. 18. The needy may think themselves, and others may think them, forgotten for a while, and their expectation of help from God may seem to have perished and to have been for ever frustrated. But he that believes does not make haste; the vision is for an appointed time, and at the end it shall speak. We may build upon it as undoubtedly true that God’s people, God’s elect, shall not always be forgotten, nor shall they be disappointed of their hopes from the promise. God will not only remember them, at last, but will make it to appear that he never did forget them; it is impossible he should, though a woman may forget her sucking child.
V. He concludes with prayer that God would humble the pride, break the power, and blast the projects, of all the wicked enemies of his church: “Arise, O Lord! (v. 19), stir up thy self, exert thy power, take thy seat, and deal with all these proud and daring enemies of thy name, and cause, and people.” 1. “Lord, restrain them, and set bounds to their malice: Let not man prevail; consult thy own honour, and let not weak and mortal men prevail against the kingdom and interest of the almighty and immortal God. Shall mortal man be too hard for God, too strong for his Maker?” 2. “Lord, reckon with them: Let the heathen be judges in thy sight, that is, let them be plainly called to an account for all the dishonour done to thee and the mischief done to thy people.” Impenitent sinners will be punished in God’s sight; and, when their day of grace is over, the bowels even of infinite mercy will not relent towards them, Rev. xiv. 10. 3. “Lord, frighten them: Put them in fear, O Lord! (v. 20), strike a terror upon them, make them afraid with thy judgments.” God knows how to make the strongest and stoutest of men to tremble and to flee when none pursues, and thereby he makes them know and own that they are but men; they are but weak men, unable to stand before the holy God–sinful men, the guilt of whose consciences make them subject to alarms. Note, It is a very desirable thing, much for the glory of God and the peace and welfare of the universe, that men should know and consider themselves to be but men, depending creatures, mutable, mortal, and accountable.
In singing this psalm we must give to God the glory of his justice in pleading his people’s cause against his and their enemies, and encourage ourselves to wait for the year of the redeemed and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion, even the final destruction of all anti-christian powers and factions, to which many of the ancients apply this psalm.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
11. Sing unto Jehovah. David, not contented with giving thanks individually, and on his own account, exhorts the faithful to unite with him, praising God, and to do this not only because it is their duty to stir up one another to this religious exercise, but because the deliverances of which he treats were worthy of being publicly and solemnly celebrated; and this is expressed more clearly in the second clause, where he commands them to be published among the nations. The meaning is, that they are not published or celebrated as they deserve, unless the whole world is filled with the renown of them. To proclaim God’s doings among the nations was indeed, as it were, to sing to the deaf; but by this manner of speaking, David intended to show that the territory of Judea was too narrow to contain the infinite greatness of Jehovah’s praises. He gives God this title, He who dwelleth in Sion, to distinguish him from all the false gods of the Gentiles. There is in the phrase a tacit comparison between the God who made his covenant with Abraham and Israel, and all the gods who, in every other part of the world except Judea, were worshipped according to the blinded and depraved fancies of men. It is not enough for persons to honor and reverence some deity indiscriminately or at random; they must distinctly yield to the only living and true God the worship which belongs to him, and which he commands. Moreover, as God had particularly chosen Sion as the place where his name might be called upon, David very properly assigns it to him as his peculiar dwelling-place, not that it is lawful to attempt to shut up, in any particular place, Him whom “the heaven of heavens cannot contain,” (1Kg 8:1.) but because, as we shall afterwards see, (Psa 132:12) he had promised to make it his rest for ever. David did not, according to his own fancy, assign God a dwelling-place there; but he understood, by a revelation from heaven, that such was the pleasure of God himself, as Moses had often predicted, (Deu 12:1.) This goes far to prove what I have said before, that this psalm was not composed upon the occasion of David’s victory over Goliath; for it was only towards the close of David’s reign that the ark of the covenant was removed to Sion according to the commandment of God. The conjecture of some that David spake by the Spirit of prophecy of the residence of the ark on Sion, as a future event, appears to me to be unnatural and forced. Farther, we see that the holy fathers, when they resorted to Sion to offer sacrifices to God, did not act merely according to the suggestion of their own minds; but what they did proceeded from faith in the word of God, and was done in obedience to his command; and they were, therefore, approved of by him for their religious service. Whence it follows, that there is no ground whatever to make use of their example as an argument or excuse for the religious observances which superstitious men have, by their own fancy, invented for themselves. Besides, it was not enough for the faithful, in those days, to depend upon the word of God, and to engage in those ceremonial services which he required, unless, aided by external symbols, they elevated their minds above these, and yielded to God spiritual worship. God, indeed, gave real tokens of his presence in that visible sanctuary, but not for the purpose of binding the senses and thoughts of his people to earthly elements; he wished rather that these external symbols should serve as ladders, by which the faithful might ascend even to heaven. The design of God from the commencement in the appointment of the sacraments, and all the outward exercises of religion, was to consult the infirmity and weak capacity of his people. Accordingly, even at the present day, the true and proper use of them is, to assist us in seeking God spiritually in his heavenly glory, and not to occupy our minds with the things of this world, or keep them fixed in the vanities of the flesh, a subject which we shall afterwards have a more suitable opportunity of discussing more fully. And as the Lord, in ancient times, when he called himself, He who dwelleth in Sion, intended to give his people full and solid ground of trust, tranquillity, and joy; so even now, after the law has come out of Sion, and the covenant of grace has flowed to us from that fountain, let us know and be fully persuaded, that wherever the faithful, who worship him purely and in due form, according to the appointment of his word, are assembled together to engage in the solemn acts of religious worship, he is graciously present, and presides in the midst of them.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
11, 12. Sing praises to the Lord We have here a call for public thanksgiving by all the people in their religious assemblies.
Which dwelleth in Zion Zion was now the center of worship for the nation, (see Psa 9:14,) which fixes the date of this psalm as being not earlier than the Syrian wars.
Declare among the people Peoples, here plural, , ( ammim,) cannot, as it commonly does, refer to Gentile nations, but to the whole Israelitish family, the covenant tribes.
Inquisition for blood Searches for the detection and punishment of those who shed innocent blood. See Gen 9:5; Eze 33:6.
He remembereth them That is, those who “trust” and “seek him.” Psa 9:10.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Sing praises to YHWH, who dwells in Zion:
Declare among the peoples his doings.
For he who makes official enquiry for blood remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the poor.’
Indeed all the peoples, and not only Israel, are to know the praises of the One Who dwells in Zion, where His earthly Dwellingplace (Tabernacle) has been set up. For His doings are to be declared to them, that they may do so. And these doings encompass His enquiries into all crimes committed against them, especially crimes of blood (Gen 9:5-6). For he does not forget the cry of the poor. So they learn that God is personally concerned about their welfare, sufficiently to act on their behalf. In Israel the oppressed and the poor were regularly associated with the righteous. It was mainly they who in the trials of life kept close to YHWH. And we are assured that He remembers them, and keeps an eye on their affairs.
‘Who dwells in Zion.’ From the beginning they were well aware that this Dwellingplace (the Tabernacle/Temple) was but an earthly shadow of His greater Dwellingplace in Heaven (1Ki 8:27; 1Ki 8:29-30 etc.). But the latter was seen as their point of contact with Him, as Solomon makes clear.
‘For he who makes official enquiry (or ‘requisition’) for blood remembers them.’ YHWH is hear seen as acting either as judicial examiner on behalf of the cities of refuge (Num 35:24-25) where an innocent killer could escape from the avengers of blood, revealing Him as enquiring into whether a killing was deliberate or accidental, looking into every case of violent death. Or it could signify that He will in fact be the avenger of blood Himself for those who suffer deliberate violent death. Either way He is acting as protector of His true people.
In those days it was the responsibility of the family of the dead man to pursue a case of homicide, and they had the right to a life for a life. They were to be the ‘avengers of blood’. In a time when there were no police and no local prisons it was an attempt to ensure justice, and to ensure that murder was punished. But an innocent man could flee to a city of refuge, and while there he could not be touched. However, if the family claimed that he was guilty of deliberate murder the case would be examined and if proven the man would be rejected by the city to face the avengers.
‘He does not forget the cry of the poor.’ God hears those whom no one else listens to, those who have little influence, who are downtrodden and forgotten. The poor are often synonymous with the righteous, for they have nowhere else to turn but God. They are the humble seekers of God who bow down before Him.
(This is one of those few cases where the Massoretic Text offer two alternatives, the kethib being the textual reading, ‘what is written’, the qere being a correction, ‘that which is to be read’. This arose because so sacred was the text seen to be that once written it could not be altered. Thus where the experts considered that rarely the text had been corrupted by error (for they knew the text by heart and knew what it should be) they would append the correction without changing the text back to what they considered it should be. It was not done lightly. The kethib here is ‘anniyim and the qere ‘anavim (a yod for a waw – they were very similar in written Hebrew, often almost indistinguishable). Both are derived from the root ‘bend or bow down’, denoting either those who are bowed down (the poor), or those who bow down (the humble)).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Here is a call to the whole Church to join in praises to Jehovah, and that particularly, for that he resides in the person of the Mediator, in the midst of his people. The tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them. Rev 21:3 . Sweet, thought! what can destroy, what can hurt, or even afflict the Church, while her Beloved is in the midst of her. Read and commit to memory, for a daily, hourly song, that sweet scripture, Zep 3:14-17 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 9:11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
Ver. 11. Sing praises to the Lord, &c. ] This is the guise of godly people, to provoke others to praise God, as being unsatisfiable in their desires of doing him that service, and as deeming that others see him as they do totum totum desiderabilem, worthy to be praised, Psa 18:3 , highly to be admired, Psa 9:1 of this psalm.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 9:11-16
11Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;
Declare among the peoples His deeds.
12For He who requires blood remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13Be gracious to me, O Lord;
See my affliction from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
14That I may tell of all Your praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in Your salvation.
15The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16The Lord has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. Higgaion Selah.
Psa 9:11-12 YHWH is praised because of His justice (cf. Psa 9:12; Psa 9:15-16).
1. He avenges bloodshed
2. He does not forget the cry of the afflicted
His justice is seen in the evil plans of the wicked by which they have ensnared themselves (cf. Psa 9:15-16).
Psa 9:11 who dwells in Zion Zion is the hill in Jerusalem on which stood the Jebusite fortress that was captured by David. He built his palace on this hill. It came to designate the entire city.
Jerusalem, and particularly the temple on the hill Moriah, became the place where YHWH dwelt, between the wings of the Cherubim above the ark of the covenant. This place fulfills the repeated phrase in Deuteronomy, the place that YHWH causes His name to dwell.
Psa 9:12
NASBHe who requires blood
NKJV, NRSVHe avenges blood
NJB, REBthe avenger of blood
JPSOAHe who requires bloodshed
This phrase links to Gen 9:5-6. Life is a gift from God. One who takes away that gift must give an account before God and pay with his/her own life (cf. Deu 32:43).
Later in Hebrew thought this developed into the Blood Avenger (i.e., Jos 20:3; Jos 20:5; Jos 20:9).
remembers them. . .does not forget Notice how remembers is parallel with forget (negated). He will not forget His people!
Psa 9:13-14 The wicked seek the psalmist’s life (i.e., the King) but YHWH has delivered him. Now he wants to praise YHWH in the tabernacle/temple (who dwells in Zion, Psa 9:11).
1. that I may tell BDB 707, KB 765, Piel cohortative
2. that I may rejoice BDB 162, KB 189, Qal cohortative
Psa 9:13 the gates of death Sheol (see full note at Psa 6:5) is depicted as
1. an open grave/pit (cf. Exo 15:12; Num 16:32; Num 26:10; Psa 124:3; Pro 1:12)
2. a carnivorous animal (cf. Isa 5:14; Hab 2:5)
3. a city with gates (cf. Job 38:17; Psa 107:18; Isa 38:10; Mat 16:18) or
4. a prison with gates (cf. Rev 1:18; Rev 9:1; Rev 20:1)
Psa 9:14 in the gates of the daughter of Zion There is an obvious contrast between the gates of death in Psa 9:13 c and the gates of Jerusalem/temple in Psa 9:14 b. In the first there is no remembrance but in the second there is praise and testimony about YHWH.
Psa 9:15-16 Notice the string of six perfects. The defeat of the enemy army by YWHW (i.e., Holy War imagery of the Conquest) is the focus.
Psa 9:15 Notice the psalmist’s adversaries are nations (cf. Psa 9:17) and not individuals. Therefore, this must be a king, so the traditional introduction is probably correct.
Psa 9:16 In the OT God’s character is manifested in time by His actions.
1. grace, mercy, and love toward covenant people
2. judgment and wrath toward their enemies
Notice the reversal of the plans of the wicked. What they planned for others, occurs to them. Justice is built into God’s created order.
NASB, NKJV,
NRSV, JPSOAsnared
TEV, REBtrapped
NJBensnared
LXXtrap
The MT has strikes down from BDB 669, KB 723, Qal active participle (found only here in the OT). All the English translations see it as the Niphal perfect of BDB 430, KB 432, entrap or lure. The UBS Text Project (p. 171) gives the MT a C rating (considerable doubt).
Higgaion The BDB (212; see note at Intro. to Psalms, VII) defines this as
1. resounding music (cf. Psa 92:3)
2. meditation, musing (cf. Psa 19:14)
It is translated in Lam 3:62 as mutter (KB 238).
Selah See note at Psa 3:2.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Zion. See App-68.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 9:11-12
Psa 9:11-12
“Sing praises to Jehovah, who dwelleth in Zion:
Declare among the people his doings.
For he that maketh inquisitions for blood remembereth them;
He forgetteth not the cry of the poor.”
“Jehovah … dwelleth in Zion.” This is a reference to God’s personal presence in Jerusalem, as manifested in the tabernacle and in the temple.
“He that maketh inquisitions for blood.” This refers to the fact that God inquires and demands an explanation regarding every instance of a murderer’s slaying his victim, as God did in the case of Abel (Gen 4:9).
“He remembereth them” is a promise that God knows of every crime against the defenseless and that he will require an account of it at the hands of the wicked.
“He forgetteth not the cry of the poor.” Just as God never forsakes his saints, as mentioned in the previous two verses, these verses stress God’s equal care and concern for the victims of crime and for the poor. These are among the wonderful actions of God that are commanded to be declared unto the peoples.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 9:11. God as a spirit is everywhere. There was a special sense in which he dwelt in Zion or Jerusalem. That was the location of the temple and the ark at which the national religious exercises were done.
Psa 9:12. Inquisition means inquiry. When blood has been shed unlawfully, God will look into the matter and will punish the guilty.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Sing: Psa 33:1-3, Psa 47:6, Psa 47:7, Psa 96:1, Psa 96:2, Psa 148:1-5, Psa 148:13, Psa 148:14
which: Psa 78:68, Psa 132:13, Psa 132:14, Isa 12:6, Isa 14:32, Heb 12:22, Rev 14:1
declare: Psa 66:2, Psa 66:5, Psa 96:10, Psa 105:1, Psa 105:2, Psa 107:22, Psa 118:17, Isa 12:4-6, Joh 17:26
Reciprocal: Deu 12:14 – General 2Sa 5:7 – Zion 1Ki 8:1 – out of the city 1Ch 11:5 – the castle 1Ch 23:25 – that they may dwell in Jerusalem Ezr 7:15 – whose habitation Psa 11:4 – The Lord Isa 8:18 – which Joe 3:17 – shall ye
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 9:11. Sing praises to the Lord Those who believe God is greatly to be praised not only desire to do that work better themselves, but desire that others also may join with them in it, and would gladly be instrumental to bring them to it. Which dwelleth in Zion As the special residence of his glory is in heaven, so the special residence of his grace is in his church, of which Zion was a type: there he meets his people with his promises and graces, and there he expects they should meet him with their praises and services. Declare among the people his doings Not only among the Israelites, but to the heathen nations, that they may also be brought to the knowledge and worship of the true God.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
David closed this pericope of praise (Psa 9:1-12), by appealing to the afflicted and oppressed, to praise God and testify to others about God’s care of them. The NIV and marginal NASB reading "avenges bloodshed" (Psa 9:12) more clearly expresses David’s thought than "requires blood" (cf. Gen 9:5).