Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 9:6
O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
6. The enemy are consumed, left desolate for ever;
And (their) cities thou didst uproot; the very remembrance of them is perished.
An address to the enemy (P.B.V. and A.V.) would be out of place here; and the word rendered destructions does not bear an active sense, but means ruins or desolations. It is best to regard the words as still addressed to Jehovah, continuing the description of His judgment on the enemies of Israel. The language of this and the preceding verse recalls that of the curse on Amalek: “I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven” (Exo 17:14; cp. Deu 25:19). ‘Their memorial’ or ‘remembrance’ refers grammatically to the enemy, not to the cities, and the pronoun is repeated in the original to emphasise the contrast between those who are thus destroyed and forgotten, and Jehovah who sits enthroned on high for ever.
Critical reasons however suggest a slight alteration of the text. If the emphatic pronoun is transferred from the end of Psa 9:6 to the beginning of Psa 9:7, and a verb supplied, we may render,
They are perished, but the Lord sitteth &c.
This emendation (approved by Delitzsch) marks the contrast still more strongly (cp. Psa 102:26), and moreover makes the pair of Psa 9:7-8 begin, as they should, with the letter H. There is also much to be said in favour of transposing the clauses of Psa 9:6 thus, as proposed by Nowack:
The enemy are consumed, the remembrance of them is perished:
And the cities thou didst uproot are desolate for ever.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
O thou enemy! – This verse has been very variously rendered and explained. For an examination of the particular views entertained of it, see particularly Rosenmuller, in loc. The reference is doubtless to the enemies mentioned in the previous verses; and the idea is substantially the same – that they were completely overcome and subdued. The phrase, O thou enemy, is probably to be regarded as the nominative absolute. The enemy – his destructions or desolations are finished forever. He will now no more engage in that work. The attention of the writer is fixed on them, and on the fact that they will no more engage in the work of desolation. It is not, therefore, properly to be regarded, as it is rendered in the common translation, as an apostrophe to the enemy, but rather as indicating a state of mind in which the writer is meditating on his foes, and on the fact that they would no more engage in the work in which they had been occupied – of laying cities and towns in ruins.
Destructions are come to a perpetual end – That is, thy destructions are finished, completed, accomplished. There are to be no more of them. This may either refer to their acts causing destruction, or laying waste cities and towns, meaning that they would no more accomplish this work; or to the destruction or ruins which they had caused in laying waste cities – the ruins which marked their career – meaning that the number of such ruins was now complete, and that no more would be added, for they them. selves were overthrown. The word rendered destructions means properly desolations, waste places, ruins, and seem here to refer to the wastes or ruins which the enemy had made; and the true idea is, that such desolations were now complete, or that they would not be suffered to devastate anymore cities and fields. Prof. Alexander renders this, finished, completed are (his) ruins, desolations, forever; that is, he is ruined or made desolate forever.
And thou hast destroyed cities – That is, in thy desolating career. This, considered as an address to the enemy, would seem to refer to the career of some victor who had Carried fire and sword through the land, and whose course had been marked by smoking ruins. This was, however, now at an end, for God had interposed, and had given the author of the psalm a victory ever his foe. Prof. Alexander regards this, less properly, as an address to God, meaning that he had destroyed the cities of the enemy. The idea is, rather, that this enemy had been distinguised for spreading desolation and ruin, and that this career was now closed forever.
Their memorial is perished with them – The names of the cities, referring to their utter destruction, and to the character of the warfare which had been waged. It had been utterly barbarous and vicious; the enemy had left nothing to testify even what the city had been, and its name had ceased to be mentioned. See the notes at Psa 9:5. This seems to be mentioned as a justification of the warfare which the author of the psalm had waged against this enemy, and as showing why God had interposed and had given him the victory.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. Destructions are come to a perpetual end] Rather, “The enemy is desolated for ever; for thou hast destroyed their cities, and their memory is perished with them.” Multitudes of the cities of the Canaanites have perished so utterly that neither name nor vestige remains of them.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This is a sudden apostrophe to the enemies of Gods people, Philistines, Amorites, or other nations, who had formerly made great havoc and waste among them.
Destructions are come to a perpetual end; thou hast destroyed the Israelitish nation utterly and irrecoverably, and, as it follows, their defenced cities, and their very name and memory, according to thy own desire. So it is a sarcasm or irony, a usual figure in Scripture and all authors, whereby the quite contrary is signified, to wit, that they were not only frustrated of their desires and hopes of destroying the Israelites, but were also subdued, and in a great part destroyed by them. Or this verse may be understood of the great waste and ruin which Gods enemies had brought upon Israel before this time; which is here remembered, to make the Israelites more thankful for their later or present deliverances. Or it may be taken as a prophecy of the future calamities which the enemies should by Gods permission bring upon Israel, of which he speaks as of a thing past and done, after the manner of the prophets. But this place is otherwise rendered in the margin of our Bibles, and by divers others, the destructions of the enemy which may be understood either,
1. Actively, which they caused; or,
2. Passively, which they felt
are come to a perpetual end, or, are fully and finally completed. Thou hast destroyed cities; either,
1. Thou, O God, who is oft understood and couched in a pronoun in this manner, thou hast destroyed their cities. Or rather,
2. Thou, O enemy; as may be gathered both from the foregoing clause, where it is so expressed; and from the next verse, where it follows by way of opposition to this, But the Lord, &c. Their memorial is perished with them; the places and people are utterly extinct.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. Literally, “As to theenemy finished are his ruins for ever. Thou [God] hast destroyed,”c. (1Sa 15:3 1Sa 15:7;1Sa 27:8; 1Sa 27:9).The wicked are utterly undone. Their ruins shall never be repaired.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
O thou enemy,…. Which some understand of Goliath, though we do not read of any desolations made by him, nor of any cities destroyed by him; nor by the Israelites upon his death, and the flight of the Philistines on that account; Jarchi interprets it of Esau and his posterity, who shall be destroyed in future time, to which he applies,
Eze 35:9; other Jewish writers c think Amalek is intended, whose destruction they suppose will be in the days of the Messiah, and then will this Scripture be fulfilled: and as these all prefigured antichrist, as before observed, he seems to be designed, and not Satan, as some Christian interpreters have thought, that enemy of Christ, personal and mystical, of the church, and every true believer; and so is antichrist, he opposes himself to God, and all that is called God; he is one that is contrary to Christ, as his name signifies, to his persons, offices, grace, and kingdom; who blasphemes the name of God, his tabernacle, and his saints;
destructions are come to a perpetual end; which may be understood either of the destructions and desolations made by antichrist, the havoc he has made in the world, treading under foot the holy city, the church, destroying the earth and the inhabitants of it, the bodies, souls, and estates of men; but now the psalmist prophetically declares the end of them to be come, his forty two months, or one thousand two hundred and sixty days or years, will be up, and he will go on no more desolating and destroying; see Re 11:2; or of the destructions and desolations made upon him by the pouring out of the seven vials upon the antichristian states, upon the seat of the beast, and upon both Pope and Turk, the eastern and western antichrist; when in the issue the beast, and the false prophet with him, will be taken and cast alive into a lake of fire; see Re 19:20; and so this phrase denotes that the destruction of antichrist will be consummate, his ruin will be complete, and there will be an utter end of him. Some, instead of “desolations”, by the change of a point read
, “swords”, and Ben Labrat or R. Donesh says d that he found it so written in an ancient book; and so reads Jarchi, though he takes notice of the other reading also; and so read the Septuagint, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions; and then the sense is, swords shall fail, they shall be no more made use of to destroy men with, they shall be beaten into ploughshares; for upon the destruction of the man of sin there will be a profound peace in the world; see Isa 2:4. Some e read these words interrogatively, “are destructions come to a perpetual end?” that is, which the enemy antichrist designed to bring upon the people of God? no, they are not; he may imagine they are, when the two witnesses are slain; and may think he has then made an entire slaughter, and a complete destruction of the saints; but he will be mistaken, these witnesses will rise again, and ascend up to heaven in the sight of their enemies, and to the great terror of them,
Re 11:10;
and thou hast destroyed cities, or “hast thou destroyed cities?” that is, as antichrist threatened and intended, namely, to destroy all the cities and churches of Christ; but, alas! he will never be able to do it, they are built on a rock against which the gates of hell can never prevail: but it is better to read the words affirmatively, and interpret them not of the enemy, but of God, and of him destroying the cities of the enemy; for, at the pouring out the seventh and last vial, the great city, the whole antichristian jurisdiction, will be divided into three parts, and utterly perish; and the cities of the Pagan and Mahometan nations will fall, and particularly Babylon the great city will come in remembrance before God, and be utterly destroyed,
Re 16:19;
their memorial is perished with them; they shall not be returned or built any more, but shall be like a millstone cast into the sea, and be found no more at all, Eze 35:9. Some f read this clause by way of interrogation as the others, “is their memorial perished with them?” no, the righteous are in everlasting remembrance, even those churches which the Romish antichrist has made havoc of, as the Albigenses and Waldenses; the memory of them is still precious.
c Midrash Tillim in loc. Tzeror Hammor, fol. 150. 2. d Apud Aben Ezra in loc. e So Piscator, Cocceius, Ainsworth. f Sic Genevenses, Diodatus, Bueerus, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
6. O thou enemy, desolations are come to an end for ever. This sixth verse is explained in different ways. Some read it interrogatively, viewing the letter ה, as a mark of interrogation, as if David, addressing his discourse to his enemies, asked whether they had completed their work of devastation, even as they had resolved to destroy every thing; for the verb תמם, tamam, signifies sometimes to complete, and sometimes to put an end to any thing. And if we here take it in this sense, David, in the language of sarcasm or irony, rebukes the foolish confidence of his enemies. Others, reading the verse without any interrogation, make the irony still more evident, and think that David describes, in these three verses, a twofold state of matters; that, in the first place, (verse 6,) he introduces his enemies persecuting him with savage violence, and persevering with determined obstinacy in their cruelty, so that it seemed to be their fixed purpose never to desist until the kingdom of David should be utterly destroyed; and that, in the second place, (verses 7, 8) he represents God as seated on his judgment-seat, directly over against them, to repress their outrageous attempts. If this sense is admitted, the copulative, in the beginning of the seventh verse, which we have translated and, must be rendered by the adversative particle but, in this way: Thou, O enemy, didst seek after nothing except slaughter and the destruction of cities; but, at length, God has shown that he sits in heaven on his throne as judge, to put into proper order the things which are in confusion on the earth. According to others, David gives thanks to God, because, when the ungodly were fully determined to spread universal ruin around them, he put an end to their devastations. Others understand the words in a more restricted sense, as meaning that the desolations of the ungodly were completed, because God, in his just judgment, had made to fall upon their own heads the calamities and ruin which they had devised against David. According to others, David, in the 6 verse, complains that God had, for a long time, silently suffered the miserable devastation of his people, so that the ungodly, being left unchecked, wasted and destroyed all things according to their pleasure; and in the seventh verse, they think he subjoins for his consolation that God, notwithstanding, presides over human affairs. I have no objection to the view, that there is first described ironically how dreadful the power of the enemy was, when they put forth their highest efforts; and next, that there is set in opposition to it the judgment of God, which suddenly brought their proceedings to an abrupt termination, contrary to their expectation. They anticipated no such issue; for we know that the ungodly, although they may not presume openly to deprive God of his authority and dominion, yet run headlong to every excess of wickedness, not less boldly than if he were bound with fetters. (170) We have taken notice of an almost similar manner of speaking in a preceding psalm, (Psa 7:13)
This contrast between the power of the enemies of God and his people, and the work of God in breaking up their proceedings, very well illustrates the wonderful character of the succor which he granted to his people. The ungodly had set to themselves no limit in the work of doing mischief, save in the utter destruction of all things, and at the commencement complete destruction seemed to be at hand; but when things were in this state of confusion, God seasonably made his appearance for the help of his people. (171) As often, therefore, as nothing but destruction presents itself to our view, to whatever side we may turn, (172) let us remember to lift up our eyes to the heavenly throne, whence God beholds all that is done here below. In the world our affairs may have been brought to such an extremity, that there is no longer hope in regard to them; but the shield with which we ought to repel all the temptations by which we are assailed is this, that God, nevertheless, sits Judge in heaven. Yea, when he seems to take no notice of us, and does not immediately remedy the evils which we suffer, it becomes us to realize by faith his secret providence. The Psalmist says, in the first place, God sitteth for ever, by which he means, that however high the violence of men may be carried, and although their fury may burst forth without measure, they can never drag God from his seat. He farther means by this expression, that it is impossible for God to abdicate the office and authority of judge; a truth which he expresses more clearly in the second clause of the verse, He hath prepared his throne for judgment, in which he declares that God reigns not only for the purpose of making his majesty and glory surpassingly great, but also for the purpose of governing the world in righteousness.
(170) “ Que s’il avait les pieds et mains liees.” — Fr. “Than if he were bound hand and foot.”
(171) “ Dieu s’est montre bien a propos pour secourir les gens. — Fr.
(172) “ De quelque coste que nous-nous seachions tourner.” — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) O thou enemy . . .This vocative gives no intelligible meaning. Translate, As for the enemy, they are made an utter wreck and perpetual ruin.
Destructions.Properly, desolations, ruins, from a word meaning to be dried up.
Come to a perpetual end.Properly, are completed for ever.
Thou hast destroyed.Some understand the relative: the cities which thou hast destroyed.
Their memorial.Better, their very memory is perished; literally, their memory, theirs. (Comp. He cannot flatter, heShakespeare, King Lear). The LXX. and Vulg. read, with a sound, referring to the crash of falling cities. Some would substitute enemies for cities, but they lose the emphasis of the passage, which points to the utter evanishment from history of great cities as a consequence and sign of Divine judgment. Probably the poet thinks of Sodom and Gomorrha, whose overthrow left such a signal mark on the thought of Israel. We think of the mounds of earth which alone represent Nineveh and Babylon.
Mid far sands,
The palm-tree cinctured city stands,
Bright white beneath, as heaven, bright blue,
Leans over it, while the years pursue
Their course, unable to abate
Its paradisal laugh at fate.
One morn the Arab staggers blind
Oer a new tract of earth calcined
To ashes, silence, nothingness,
And strives, with dizzy wits, to guess
Whence fell the blow.R. BROWNING: Easter Day.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 9:6. O thou enemy, &c. As for the enemy, they are quite destroyed; everlasting desolations: their cities thou hast extirpated; their memory, as well as themselves, is annihilated. Mudge. There is more beauty in supposing David here to apostrophize his enemies: O thou enemy! the destructions which thou, boastingly, hast threatened to my people, are come to a perpetual end; upon which we may suppose him immediately to return to God in triumph, Yes, thou hast destroyed their cities; their memorial is perished with them.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Is not this spoken of one particular foe more than others? And of whom so probably as Satan? And how beautiful is it, in the victories of our Jesus, by his blood and righteousness, to behold Satan and sin, and death and hell, and the grave, with all that empire of destruction, brought to a final end. He shall swallow up death in victory. Hail! thou glorious Deliverer of mankind! It is thou which hast destroyed principalities and powers, and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Col 2:15 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 9:6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
Ver. 6. O thou enemy ] The same whom he called wicked one in the former verse; where the word wicked is of the singular number: q.d. O thou implacable wretch, that wouldst never be reconciled till thou wast ruined; which now thou art, &c. Some read it interrogatively, and with it ironically, O enemy, are destructions come to an end? and cities so wasted that they can never be repaired? q.d. So indeed thou hast designed it, but art fairly disappointed. And the like befell Antiochus, Nero, Dioclesian, Philip II of Spain, Charles IX of France, and other bloody persecutors, with tbeir devilish thoughts and threats; which they could never effect and accomplish.
Their memorial is perished with them
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
thou enemy. Same as the lawless one of Psa 9:5.
destructions are come = complete is the destruction.
a perpetual end = for evermore. Some codices, with two early printed editions, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read “swords are abandoned”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
O thou: etc. or, The destructions of the enemy are come to a perpetual end, and their cities hast thou destroyed, etc. Psa 7:5, Psa 8:2, Exo 15:16, Mic 7:8, Mic 7:10
destructions: Psa 46:9, Exo 14:13, Isa 10:24, Isa 10:25, Isa 14:6-8, Nah 1:9-13, 1Co 15:26, 1Co 15:54-57, Rev 20:2
thou hast: 1Sa 30:1, 1Sa 31:7, Isa 10:6, Isa 10:7, Isa 10:13, Isa 10:14, Isa 14:17, Isa 37:26, Jer 51:25
memorial: 2Ki 19:25, Isa 14:22, Isa 14:23, Jer 51:62-64
Reciprocal: Exo 17:14 – the remembrance Psa 7:9 – Oh Psa 13:2 – enemy Pro 10:7 – the name Ecc 1:11 – There is Isa 26:14 – and made Isa 51:13 – where is Jer 49:1 – cities Eze 21:25 – whose
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 9:6. O thou enemy, &c. This is a sudden apostrophe to the enemies of Gods people, the Philistines, Amorites, or other nations which had formerly made great havoc and waste among them: Destructions are come to a perpetual end Thou hast formerly wasted and destroyed the people of God, but those destructions have now come to an end, and shall cease. Thy power to annoy Israel is now broken. Christians, when repeating those words, may take a retrospect view of the successive fall of those empires, with their capital cities, in which the enemy had, from time to time, fixed his residence, and which had vexed and persecuted the people of God in different ages. Such were the Assyrian or Babylonian, the Persian and the Grecian monarchies. All these vanished away, and came to nothing. Nay, the very memorial of the stupendous Nineveh and Babylon is so perished with them that the place where they once stood is now no more to be found. The Roman empire was the last of the pagan persecuting powers; and when the church saw that under her feet, well might she cry out, The destructions of the enemy are completed to the uttermost! How lovely will this song be in the day when the last enemy shall be destroyed, and the world itself shall become what Babylon is at present. Horne.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
9:6 {c} O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
(c) A derision of the enemy that minds nothing but destruction: but the Lord will deliver his, and bring him into judgment.