Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 9:3
When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
3, 4. Stanza of Beth. It is best to place a semicolon only at the end of Psa 9:2, and render Psa 9:3 in close connexion with it:
Because mine enemies turn back,
Stumble and perish at Thy presence.
The ‘presence’ or ‘face’ of God is to His enemies necessarily a manifestation of victorious wrath. Comp. Psa 21:9 (R.V. marg.); Psa 34:16; Exo 14:24. The verse is a vivid picture of a panic rout: the foe turning to flee, stumbling in their precipitate haste, overtaken and annihilated. Cp. Psa 35:5-6.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
When mine enemies are turned back – Who these enemies were, the psalmist does not say. It is clear, however, as was remarked in the introduction, that the psalm was composed:
(a) in view of a victory which had been achieved over some formidable enemies; and
(b) in view of some dangers still impending from a similar source.
The literal meaning of the passage here is, In the turning of my enemies back; that is, in their retreat, defeat, overthrow. So far as the Hebrew form of expression is concerned, this may either refer to what had been done, or to what would be; and may imply either that they had been turned back, or that the psalmist hoped and believed that they would be; for in either case the fact would show the divine perfections, and give occasion for gratitude and praise. The verbs with which this is connected – they shall fall and perish – are indeed in the Hebrew, as in our version, in the future tense; but this does not necessarily determine the question whether the psalmist refers to what had occurred or what would occur. His attitude is this: he contemplates his enemies as mighty and formidable; he sees the danger which exists when such enemies surround one; he looks at the interposition of God, and he sees that whenever it occurs it would be followed by this consequence, that they would stumble and fall before him. But while this verse does not determine the question whether he refers to what has been, or to what would be, the subsequent verses Psa 9:4-6 seem to settle it, where he speaks as if this were already done, and as if God had interposed in a remarkable manner in defeating his foes. I regard this, therefore, as a reflection on what had occurred, and as expressing what was then actually a ground of praise and thanksgiving.
They shall fall and perish – A general statement in view of what had occurred, meaning that this would always be the case.
At thy presence – Before thee; that is, when thou dost manifest thyself. This was the reason why they would stumble and fall, and is equivalent to saying, that whenever mine enemies are turned back, the reason why they stumble and fall is thy presence. It is the interposition of thy power. It is not to be traced to the prowess of man that they thus turn back, and that they fall and perish; it is to be traced to the fact that thou art present – that thou dost interpose. It is thus an acknowledgment of God as the author of the victory in all cases.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. When mine enemies are turned back] It is a sure sign of a nearly approaching complete conquest over sin, when, by resistance to its influences, it begins to lose its power. That is the time to follow on to know the Lord.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
When they are discomfited and put to flight, they shall not save themselves by flight, and reserve themselves to do further mischief, but shall stumble as it were at gall-traps by thee laid in their way, and shall be pursued, and overtaken, and cut off, upon thy appearance against them. One angry look of thine is able to confound and destroy them. Heb. from thy face, because thou didst march in the head of our armies, and against them. They could not stand before thee. So he ascribes the honour of his victories to God only, and to his presence and assistance.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3-5. When . . . are turned backItis the result of God’s power alone. He, as a righteous Judge (Ps7:11), vindicates His people. He rebukes by acts as well as words(Psa 6:1; Psa 18:15),and so effectually as to destroy the names of nations as well aspersons.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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 Ps 27:2; so antichrist shall be consumed with the breath of Christ’s mouth, and the brightness of his coming, 2Th 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, Re 18:22.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(Heb.: 9:4-5) The call upon himself to thanksgiving sounds forth, and the -strophe continues it by expressing the ground of it. The preposition in this instance expresses both the time and the reason together (as in Psa 76:10; 2Ch 28:6); in Latin it is recedentibus hostibus meis retro . serves to strengthen the notion of being driven back, as in Psa 56:10, cf. Psa 44:11; and just as, in Latin, verbs compounded of re are strengthened by retro. In Psa 9:4 finite verbs take the place of the infinitive construct; here we have futt. with a present signification, just as in 2Ch 16:7 we find a praet. intended as perfect. For the rendering which Hitzig adopts: When mine enemies retreat backwards, they stumble… is opposed both by the absence of any syntactic indication in Psa 9:4 of an apodosis (cf. Psa 27:2); and also by the fact that is well adapted to be a continuation of the description of (cf. Joh 18:6), but is tame as a principal clause to the definitive clause . Moreover, does not signify backwards (which would rather be Gen 9:23; 1Sa 4:18), but back, or into the rear. The of is the of the cause, whence the action proceeds. What is intended is God’s angry countenance, the look of which sets his enemies on fire as if they were fuel (Psa 21:10), in antithesis to God’s countenance as beaming with the light of His love. Now, while this is taking place, and because of its taking place, will be sing praise to God. From Psa 9:2 we see that the Psalm is composed directly after the victory and while the destructive consequences of it to the vanquished are still in operation. David sees in it all an act of Jahve’s judicial power. To execute any one’s right, (Mic 7:9), to bring to an issue any one’s suit or lawful demand, (Psa 140:13), is equivalent to: to assist him and his good cause in securing their right. The phrases are also used in a judicial sense without the suffix. The genitive object after these principal words never denotes the person against whom, but the person on whose behalf, the third party steps forward with his judicial authority. Jahve has seated Himself upon His judgment-seat as a judge of righteousness (as in Jer 11:20), i.e., as a judge whose judicial mode of procedure is righteousness, justice,
(Note: Also Pro 8:16 is probably to be read , with Norzi, according to the Targum, Syriac version, and old Codices; at any rate this is an old various reading, and one in accordance with the sense, side by side with .)
and has decided in his favour. In (as in Psa 132:11), which is distinguished in this respect from (Psa 47:9), the idea of motion, considere, comes prominently forward.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
3. While my enemies are turned back. In these words he assigns the reason why he undertakes to sing the praises of God, namely, because he acknowledges that his frequent victories had been achieved, not by his own power, nor by the power of his soldiers, but by the free favor of God. In the first part of the verse he narrates historically how his enemies were discomfited or put to flight; and then he adds, what faith alone could enable him to say, that this did not take place by the power of man or by chance, but because God fought for him, (164) and stood against them in the battle. He says, they fall, (165) and are put to flight At Thy Presence. David therefore acted wisely, when, upon seeing his enemies turn their backs, he lifted up the eyes of his mind to God, in order to perceive that victory flowed to him from no other source than from the secret and incomprehensible aid of God. And, doubtless, it is He only who guides the simple by the spirit of wisdom, while he inflicts madness on the crafty, and strikes them with amazement, — who inspires with courage the faint and timid, while he causes the boldest to tremble with fear, — who restores to the feeble their strength, while he reduces the strong to weakness, — who upholds the fainthearted by his power, while he makes the sword to fall from the hands of the valiant; – and, finally, who brings the battle to a prosperous or disastrous issue, just as he pleases. When, therefore, we see our enemies overthrown, we must beware of limiting our view to what is visible to the eye of sense, like ungodly men, who, while they see with their bodily eyes, are yet blind; but let us instantly call to our remembrance this truth, that when our enemies turn back, they are put to flight by the presence of the Lord. (166) The verbs, fall and put to flight, in the Hebrew, are in the future tense, but I have translated them in the present, because David anew presents to his own view the goodness of God which had formerly been manifested towards him.
(164) “ Mais pource que Dieu a battacile pour luy. — Fr.
(165) The idea implied in the verb כשל, cashal, is that of stumbling, and it is here employed in a military sense. In Psa 27:2, where it is said of David’s enemies, “they stumbled and fell;” this is the verb used for stumbled. The idea there is not properly that of falling, but of being wounded and weakened by the stumbling-blocks in the way, previous to falling. The word כשל, cashal, has been viewed as having the same meaning in the passage before us. “It refers,” says Hammond, “to those that either faint in a march or are wounded in a battle, or especially that in flight meet with galling traps in their way, and so are galled and lamed, rendered unable to go forward, and so fall, and become liable to all the ill chances of pursuits, and as here are overtaken and perish in the fall.”
(166) “ C’est la face de Dieu qui les poursuit.” — Fr. “It is the face of God which pursues them.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) When.Literally, in the turning of mine enemies back, which may be either when they turned, or because they turned, or possibly with both ideas combined. The older versions have when. Psa. 9:2-3 form one sentence, I will be glad and rejoice in thee . . . when mine enemies are turned back, (when) they fall and perish at thy presence.
Fall.Better, stumble through weakness. So the LXX., are weak.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3-6. A graphic description of the desolating effect of the war.
When mine enemies are turned back Or, because “mine enemies are turned back.” The preposition may denote both time ( when) and reason ( because.)
Perish at thy presence Literally, at thy appearance, or, at thy face. God appeared, or looked on them, and they retreated backward, stumbled, and perished. See Exo 14:24.
For thou Because thou hast executed my judgment and my cause. The language in Psa 9:4-5 is strictly juridical.
O thou enemy Rather read this line, the enemy are perished, [they are] perpetual desolations.
Cities their memorial is perished The very names of the cities are forgotten, so complete is their ruin. David’s second Syrian war extended from Ammon in Arabia to Helam in Syria, a distance of about three hundred miles, and probably in no district in the world, of equal extent, are there at this day more ruins of ancient cities whose very names have perished, than in this.
Thou destroyed cities “Thou,” here, refers not to his enemies, but to God, as in Psa 9:4-5. God alone is the dispenser of these judgments, and this blotting out of cities and peoples is the threatened doom of his enemies. Exo 17:14; Deu 25:19
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘When my enemies turn back,
They stumble and perish at your presence (face).
For you have maintained my right and my cause;
You sit in the throne judging righteously.
You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the unrighteous,
You have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
The enemy are come to an end,
They are desolate for ever;
And the cities which you have overthrown,
The very remembrance of them is perished.’
This could be speaking of David or it could have in mind the current king, but in the end it is the greater David Who is in mind for He achieves the final victory. In each case the king rejoices in the great victories that YHWH has accomplished. He knows that he himself has been victorious because YHWH has been with him. That is why his enemies turned back, fled in panic, and stumbled and perished. They were in the presence of YHWH (‘before the face of YHWH’) and could not face Him, and therefore could not stand against God’s anointed. For similar descriptions of the effect of God’s presence compare ‘you shall make them (your enemies) as a fiery furnace in the time of your presence’ (Psa 21:9), for ‘the face (presence) of YHWH is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth’ (Psa 34:16). See also Exo 14:24.
And, as the Psalm goes on to point out, this is not only what He is like for the king, or even for the people as a whole, but an example of what He will be to each of His people, even to the very lowest (Psa 9:12; Psa 9:18). All their unrighteous enemies will be similarly dealt with. The face of God will be with them and in the end all will flee before Him.
‘For you have maintained my right and my cause, you sit in the throne judging righteously.’ It is important to recognise that God only acts thus in a righteous cause. It was only because the king was living and judging righteously that he could expect help from YHWH. But because of that, and because God had chosen him, he can then expect help from the Righteous One. God has delivered in this case because the one delivered was accounted worthy. All who walk worthily in a way that is acceptable to God can also be sure that their enemies will finally be defeated, because for them too He is on His throne judging righteously. And this all finally points forward to the triumph of the greater David Who will one day come and triumph in YHWH’s name in the day of permanent triumph.
‘You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the unrighteous.’ This explains why God has given His righteous king, the one accepted as righteous in His sight, the victory. It is because his enemies were unrighteous in God’s sight. Thus their final fate was sealed in a way that was to be the inevitable fate for the unrighteous. For the unrighteous there is no future hope, unless they turn from their sins and respond to His mercy.
‘You have blotted out their name for ever and ever. The enemy are come to an end, they are desolate for ever; And the cities which you have overthrown, the very remembrance of them is perished.’ The king looks with gratitude at the way that God has dealt with his enemies, and sees in it a guarantee that in the end all the unrighteous must be destroyed. The temporary victory will be followed by the final victory. The finality of it is revealed. Their name will be blotted out (compare Exo 17:14), they will come to an end and be desolate for ever, and the remembrance of their overthrown cities will perish. This is the only end possible for the unrighteous, unless they return to God.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Psa 9:3. When mine enemies are turned back, &c. Because mine enemies are turned back; they stumbled and perished at thy presence. Mudge and Houbigant.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Was there ever a prophecy more pointed than this, or ever an event more strikingly fulfilled, than when Christ’s enemies came to apprehend him in the garden, and Jesus, by a word speaking, caused them to go backward, and fall upon their faces to the earth? Was there ever an instance, in the annals of the world, of such an event taking place by the breath of the mouth? Reader, I pray you, turn to the account of this in the gospel: Joh 18:5-6 . Mark the miracle well, and then pause in contemplating how the glory of the Godhead must have burst through the manhood of Christ to testify who Jesus was in such a memorable moment. And although it brought no conviction to their minds, yet what a blessed and overpowering testimony doth it give, and hath all along given to the Church, whom it was designed to instruct in so precious a doctrine, who Jesus is and was, and in whom we believe. Oh! thou condescending God! how gracious was this discovery of thyself.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 9:3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
Ver. 3. When mine enemies ] This, Tremellius maketh to be the form of praise which the psalmist professeth that he will sing to God, and rendereth it thus, That mine enemies returning back are fallen, &c.
And perish at thy presence NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 9:3-6
3When my enemies turn back,
They stumble and perish before You.
4For You have maintained my just cause;
You have sat on the throne judging righteously.
5You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins,
And You have uprooted the cities;
The very memory of them has perished.
Psa 9:3-6 This strophe extolls YHWH as a Righteous Judge (cf. Psa 9:4 b).
Notice His actions toward the enemy.
1. enemies turn back, Psa 9:3 a BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal infinitive construct (i.e., in battle)
2. enemies stumble, Psa 9:3 b BDB 505, KB 502, Niphal imperfect
3. enemies perish, Psa 9:3 b BDB 1, KB 2, Qal imperfect
4. has rebuked the nations, Psa 9:5 a BDB 172, KB 199, Qal perfect (NET Bible sees this as referring to a battle cry, p. 858, #19)
5. has destroyed the wicked, Psa 9:5 a BDB 1, KB 2, Piel perfect
6. has blotted out their name, Psa 9:5 b BDB 562, KB 567, Qal perfect (i.e., died in battle)
7. has uprooted the enemy’s cities, Psa 9:6 BDB 684, KB 737, Qal perfect
Notice how YHWH is characterized.
1. You have maintained my just cause
2. You sat on the throne judging righteously
3. cf. Psa 9:7-8 (emphasis repeated in next strophe)
It is possible that the just cause is YHWH installing the psalmist as King of His covenant people.
Psa 9:3 perish before You Notice this verb (BDB 1, KB 2) is repeated in Psa 9:5-6; Psa 9:18. It is used of
1. individual enemies
2. the nations
3. the afflicted (negated)
It obviously refers to physical life but also of eternal existence (cf. Psa 9:6, Hebrew idiom). Opposing God and His people is a dangerous activity with temporal and eschatological consequences.
Psa 9:5 the nations The same switch from an individual to the nations (cf. Psa 9:17-20) occurs in Psa 7:6-7. Many psalms written by individuals became corporate in worship liturgy.
Also note that YHWH as Judge is expressed in Psa 7:7 (cf. Psa 9:4-8).
has blotted out their name forever and ever Notice how the theme of permanent judgment is repeated (cf. Psa 69:28).
1. blotted out, Psa 9:5 (Qal perfect, cf. Psa 69:28; also note Num 5:23; Deu 9:14; Deu 25:19; Deu 29:20)
2. forever and ever, Psa 9:5 (see Special Topic: Forever below)
3. perpetual ruins, Psa 9:6 (Piel perfect, cf. Jer 25:9; Jer 49:13)
4. the very memory of them has perished, Psa 9:6 (Qal perfect, cf. Psa 34:16; Psa 109:15)
Psa 9:5-6 reminds me of the opening dialog in Malachi 1, where Israel’s very existence is contrasted with the complete demise of Edom as evidence of YHWH’s covenant love. Where are the ancient surrounding nations? They are lost to history, but not Israel!
The verb blot out (#1) may refer to the book of life.
SPECIAL TOPIC: FOREVER (OLAM)
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE TWO BOOKS OF GOD
Psa 9:3-4
Psa 9:3-4
“When mine enemies turn back,
They stumble and perish at thy presence.
For thou hast maintained my right and my cause;
Thou sittest in the throne judging righteously.”
See alternate reading for Psa 9:3 under Psa 9:2.
“Thou hast maintained my right.” These words indicate that God had already revealed to David the triumph over enemies which, although yet future, was what prompted this outpouring of thanksgiving and praise on David’s part. “God has already passed judgment so that there is no doubt about the outcome.
The meaning of Psa 9:4 is that, “God has vindicated David’s kingship, revealing that truth and righteousness are with David’s cause.”
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 9:3. David had many enemies and spoke of them frequently. Turned back means they were repulsed by the presence of God.
Psa 9:4. Right . . . cause. Had David’s cause not been right the Lord would not have maintained it for him against his enemies.
they shall: Psa 68:1, Psa 68:2, Psa 76:7, Psa 80:16, Isa 64:3, 2Th 1:9, Rev 6:12-17, Rev 20:11
Reciprocal: 2Ch 6:35 – cause Job 22:29 – men Psa 18:37 – General Psa 21:12 – Therefore Psa 40:14 – driven Psa 142:7 – my soul
Psa 9:3. When mine enemies are turned back Discomfited and put to flight; they shall fall and perish They shall not save themselves by flight and so reserve themselves to do farther mischief but shall stumble, as it were, at the obstacles and impediments laid by thee in their way, and shall be pursued, overtaken, and cut off; at thy presence Upon thy appearing against them. One angry look of thine is sufficient to confound and destroy them. Hebrew, , mippaneicha, from thy face; they could not stand before thee, because thou didst march at the head of our armies against them. So he ascribes the honour of his victories to God only, and to his presence and assistance.
Here are the reasons for David’s delight. God had vindicated him by punishing the nations that had opposed him as God’s vice-regent. God had given a thorough victory. The cities of some of his enemies and even their names had perished, suggesting the complete annihilation of these groups, perhaps tribes or smaller nations. Behind his own throne, David saw Yahweh ruling in heaven and granting him the victory.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)