Psalm 9    

“You have rebuked the nations.” The psalmist is recounting the great acts of God, such as His destruction of the Egyptians and the enemies in Canaan, and so his prayers and requests for help and deliverance are not without basis. God has delivered in the past, He can do so now and in the future.

“But Yahweh will sit as king forever.” In contrast to the enemy who has perished (Ps. 9:6), Yahweh will sit as king forever.

“a high tower.” In the ancient world, when arrows and sling stones were common offensive weapons, a strong high tower was almost unassailable. Today, guns have made them much less important for defense.

“he who avenges blood.” In this context, God is the avenger of blood. In Old Testament times there was no police force; it was up to families to protect themselves, and if someone killed a member of the family, one of the family members would kill the murderer. That family member was known as “the avenger of blood.” In this verse, God assures the weak and downtrodden that the injustices they have suffered at the hands of wicked people will be avenged. Similarly, Romans 12:19 tells the Christian not to take personal revenge, for God will avenge those who are treated unrighteously.

“God who lifts me up from the gates of death.” There is no escape from death except by being raised from the dead by God, and because of that, death is compared to a prison that has “gates” and from which no one can escape without God’s help. These “gates” are referred to as the “gates of Sheol” (Job 17:16; Isa. 38:10) and “the gates of death” (Job 38:17; Ps. 9:13; 107:18). Jesus Christ referred to the gates in Matthew 16:18 where in many versions they are translated as “the gates of Hell.”

Here the psalmist is using “gates of death” to refer to being close to death. When the psalmist thinks it might be the end for him, God rescues him from death.

[For more on the gates of death, see commentary on Matt. 16:18. For more on Sheol, see commentary on Rev. 20:13. For more on dead people being dead, lifeless in every way, see Appendix 4, “The Dead are Dead.”]

“Daughter Zion.” The Hebrew is idiomatic for Zion itself, i.e., Jerusalem (see commentary on Isa. 1:8). Although “Daughter Zion” occurs often in the prophets, this is its only use in Psalms.

“in the pit that they made.” It is a consistent theme through Scripture that evil people bring evil upon themselves (see commentary on Prov. 1:18). Although this applies to individuals, it also applies to a great extent to nations. Especially if the leaders of a nation act in such a way that wickedness thrives and godliness is stifled and subverted, demons gain access to the nation and through the influence of demons and evil people the nation is greatly harmed and in some cases totally ruined.

“The wicked will return to Sheol.” It is likely that the psalmist had in mind only that the wicked would return to Sheol (or be “turned back” to Sheol), in contrast to himself, who was lifted away from the gate of death. But the Hebrew text also presents an important eschatological truth, i.e., that the wicked do in fact “return” to Sheol. They live and die, going to Sheol, the state of death. But then in the Second Resurrection, they are judged unrighteous and thrown into the Lake of Fire and die there, returning to Sheol a second time (cp. Rev. 20:11-15).

[For more on the wicked dying in the Lake of Fire, see Appendix 5, “Annihilation in the Lake of Fire.”]