לַמְנַצֵּחַ עַלְמוּת לַבֵּן מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד׃   9:1

Psal. 9:1   For the leader on Muth-labben, a psalm of David's.

The meaning of the Hebrew words transliterated as Muth-labben is not understood.   These words appear nowhere else in bible literature.  Their literal translation is the son’s death, but it is more likely that the words refer to a musical instrument unknown or a person unknown.  This psalm is a song of faith, joy, and praise.

אוֹדֶה יְהוָה בְּכָל־לִבִּי אֲסַפְּרָה כָּל־נִפְלְאוֹתֶיךָ׃   9:2

Psal. 9:2   I will revere the Lord with all my heart.

                             I will celebrate all Your wonderful works.

אֶשְׂמְחָה וְאֶעֶלְצָה בָךְ אֲזַמְּרָה שִׁמְךָ עֶלְיוֹן׃   9:3

Psal. 9:3   I will rejoice and exult in You.

                             I will sing Your name on high.

בְּשׁוּב־אוֹיְבַי אָחוֹר יִכָּשְׁלוּ וְיֹאבְדוּ מִפָּנֶיךָ׃   9:4

Psal. 9:4   On the turning back of my enemies, they will fall,

                             and fade away from before You.

כִּי־עָשִׂיתָ מִשְׁפָּטִי וְדִינִי יָשַׁבְתָּ לְכִסֵּא שׁוֹפֵט צֶדֶק׃   9:5

Psal. 9:5   For You maintain my right and my cause.

                             You sit upon the throne, a righteous Judge.

גָּעַרְתָּ גוֹיִם אִבַּדְתָּ רָשָׁע שְׁמָם מָחִיתָ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד׃   9:6

Psal. 9:6   You rebuke nations;

                             You destroy wickedness;

                    their names have You erased for ever and ever.

הָאוֹיֵב תַּמּוּ חֳרָבוֹת לָנֶצַח וְעָרִים נָתַשְׁתָּ אָבַד זִכְרָם הֵמָּה׃   9:7

Psal. 9:7   O enemy! The waste places have come to an end forever

                              and You uprooted their cities,

                    perished is their remembrance of them.

וַיהוָה לְעוֹלָם יֵשֵׁב כּוֹנֵן לַמִּשְׁפָּט כִּסְאוֹ׃   9:8

Psal. 9:8   And the Lord forever dwells,

                              establishing His throne for judgment.

וְהוּא יִשְׁפֹּט־תֵּבֵל בְּצֶדֶק יָדִין לְאֻמִּים בְּמֵישָׁרִים׃   9:9

Psal. 9:9   Thus He will judge the world with righteousness;

                             He will judge the peoples according to uprightness.

וִיהִי יְהוָה מִשְׂגָּב לַדָּךְ מִשְׂגָּב לְעִתּוֹת בַּצָּרָה׃   9:10

Psal. 9:10   And the Lord will be a high Tower for the oppressed,

                              a Refuge for times when there is trouble.

וְיִבְטְחוּ בְךָ יוֹדְעֵי שְׁמֶךָ כִּי לֹא־עָזַבְתָּ דֹרְשֶׁיךָ יְהוָה׃   9:11

Psal. 9:11   And those knowing Your name will put trust in You,

                               for You do not forsake seekers of You, O Lord.

זַמְּרוּ לַיהוָה יֹשֵׁב צִיּוֹן הַגִּידוּ בָעַמִּים עֲלִילוֹתָיו׃   9:12

Psal. 9:12   Sing praises to the Lord, the Dweller of Zion!

                               Declare His works among the peoples!

The word peoples in the bible most often refers to the nations of the world.  So is David here advocating that the Jews should reach out to the pagans with God’s message, should proselytize?

כִּי־דֹרֵשׁ דָּמִים אֹותָם זָכָר לֹא־שָׁכַח צַעֲקַת (עֲנִיִּים) [עֲנָוִים]׃   9:13

Psal. 9:13   For the Avenger of bloodshed remembers them.

                               He does not ignore the cries of the humble.

The word in the parentheses, translated by me as the humble, is not necessarily misspelled.  The presumed correction in the brackets means primarily the poor or meek, but can also mean the humble or miserable.  As far as I am concerned, either spelling can be assumed to be correct.  Once, more, I express my opinion that the ancients were possibly too hasty in identifying errors in the sacred manuscripts.  Strangely, the “error” found in v. 9:19

below is the inverse of this one.  That is indeed weird.

                                                                              [Return to Psal. 10:12]              [Return to Prov. 14:21]

חָנְנֵנִי יְהוָה רְאֵה עָנְיִי מִשֹּׂנְאָי מְרוֹמְמִי מִשַּׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת׃   9:14

Psal. 9:14   Favor me, O Lord!

                               Behold my afflictions because of my enemies!

                     You Who lifts me away from the gates of death,

לְמַעַן אֲסַפְּרָה כָּל־תְּהִלָּתֶיךָ בְּשַׁעֲרֵי בַת־צִיּוֹן אָגִילָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ׃   9:15

Psal. 9:15   so that I may count all Your praises in the gates of the daughters of Zion.

                                 I will rejoice in Your salvation.

טָבְעוּ גוֹיִם בְּשַׁחַת עָשׂוּ בְּרֶשֶׁת־זוּ טָמָנוּ נִלְכְּדָה רַגְלָם׃   9:16

Psal. 9:16   The nations have sunk into the pit they made.

                                Their foot is caught in the net in which they hid.

נוֹדַע יְהוָה מִשְׁפָּט עָשָׂה בְּפֹעַל כַּפָּיו נוֹקֵשׁ רָשָׁע הִגָּיוֹן סֶלָה׃   9:17

Psal. 9:17   The Lord makes known:

                                 He executes judgment.

                       In the work of his own hands is snared the wicked one.

                                 Higgaion.          Selah.

The word transliterated here as Higgaion appears also in Psal. 92:4.  There it is translated by me as resounding music.  Here it more likely means to convey an instruction for meditative music, but could also be understood to mean resounding music.  The meaning meditative music may be appropriate to the subject matter of this verse and its surrounding verses while the alternative meaning, resounding music, may be more reflective of the entire psalm.

יָשׁוּבוּ רְשָׁעִים לִשְׁאוֹלָה כָּל־גּוֹיִם שְׁכֵחֵי אֱלֹהִים׃   9:18

Psal. 9:18   The wicked shall return to the netherworld,

                                 all nations, forsakers of God.

כִּי לֹא לָנֶצַח יִשָּׁכַח אֶבְיֹון תִּקְוַת (עֲנָוִים) [עֲנִיִּים] תֹּאבַד לָעַד׃   9:19

Psal. 9:19   For the needy one shall not always be forgotten,

                                 the hope of the poor fail for ever.

Concerning the word in the parentheses, it is identical to the word in the brackets in v. 9:13.  See my remarks relating to it there.

קוּמָה יְהוָה אַל־יָעֹז אֱנוֹשׁ יִשָּׁפְטוּ גוֹיִם עַל־פָּנֶיךָ׃   9:20

Psal. 9:20   Arise, O Lord!  Do not let man prevail!

                                 Let the nations be judged in Your sight!

שִׁיתָה יְהוָה מוֹרָה לָהֶם יֵדְעוּ גוֹיִם אֱנוֹשׁ הֵמָּה סֶּלָה׃   9:21

Psal. 9:21   Apply, O Lord, terror to them!

                                Make the nations comprehend they are mortal.           Selah.

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