PSALMS
BOOK 1
Lesson Two
HOW TO ANALYZE THIS SECTION:
Psalms 9-15 THE MAN OF THE EARTH
a. Psalm 9, 10 “The Man Of The Earth.” The Antichrist. His Day, Character, and End. “The Times of Trouble” (9:9; 10:1). The Great Tribulation. The Two Psalms linked together by an Acrostic Alphabet, broken, like those “Times.”
b. Psalm 11 PRAYER IN VIEW OF (9 and 10) Those “TIMES OF TROUBLE.”
c. Psalm 12 The Vanity of Man.
d. Psalm 13. PRAYER IN VIEW OF (9 and 10) Those “TIMES OF TROUBLE.”
e. Psalm 14 The Depravity of Man.
f. Psalm 15 THE PERFECT MAN. His Character and Eternal Abiding. Leading up to last section.
Psalms 9-15. “The Man of the Earth”
B-1 Ps. 9 The Lawless one. (General.)
B-2 Ps. 10 The Lawless one. (Particular.)
B-1 THE LAWLESS ONE (GENERAL)
B Psalm 9:1, 2 Thanksgiving.
C Psalm 9:3-10 Excision of the wicked.
D Psalm 9:11 Thanksgiving.
E Psalm 9:12-20 Excision of the wicked.
Psalm 9 and 10 are linked together by an irregular Acrostic beginning at 9:1 and ending with 10:18. Seven letters are omitted. The Acrostic is irregular, corresponding with the “times of trouble.” The notes will show how one subject pervades them.
Compare
1. “The lawless one” (9:5, 16 and 10:2, 4, 13, 15);
2. “Times of trouble” (9:9 and 10:1);
3. “The oppressed” (Hebrew dak, crushed, 9:9 and 10:18; occurs only here and Psalms 74:21);
4. “Mortal men” (9:19, 20 and 10:18)
5. “Forget” (9:12, 17, 18 and 10:11, 12)
6. “Humble” (9:12, 18, and 10:12,17);
7. “Not always” (9:18,
8. And “never,” (10:11);
9. “For ever and ever” (9:5 and 10:16);
10. “Arise, Jehovah” (9:19 and 10:12).
BOOK ONE SECTION TWO
Key Word see Introduction Page 13 #17 Psalm (Hebrew Mizmor).
This word is used in the super-scription forty-four times in all (Psalms 3,4,5,6,8,9,12,13,15,19,20,21,22,23,24,29,31,38,39,40,41,47,49,50,51,62,63,64,73,77,79,80,82,84,85,98,100,
101,109,110,139,140,141,143. Of these twenty-one are found in Book 1, seven in Book 2, seven in Book 3, three in Book 4, and six in Book 5.
Mizmor is joined with Shir in thirteen Psalms (30, 65, 67, 68, 75, 76, 87, 92, preceding it; and 48,66,83,88,108, following it).
Psalms 9:1-16
9:1 Prayer and Thanksgiving for the LORD's Righteous Judgments
To the Chief Musician. - To the tune of "Death of the Son" - A Psalm of David.
I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turn back, they shall fall and perish at Your presence. 4 For You have maintained my right and my cause, You sat on the throne judging in righteousness. 5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And you have destroyed cities; Even their memory has perished. 7 But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. 8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. 9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. 10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. 11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people. 12 When He avenges blood, He remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the humble. 13 Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 that I may tell of all Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit, which they made; in the net, which they hid, their own foot is caught. 16 The LORD is known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation Selah. NKJV
Psalm 9:
As verse 2 suggests (I will praise You, Lord, with all my heart), this is a psalm of thanksgiving. Various pieces of evidence taken together suggest, however, that Psalms 9 does not stand by itself; rather 9-10 was originally a single psalm.
The Septuagint treats them as a single psalm. Psalms 10 is the only psalm between Psalms 3 and 32 lacking a superscription, a sign that it is the second half of Psalm 9. Finally, the beginning and ending of an acrostic is preserved in the combined Psalms 9-10 (the first two letters are found in 9:2, 4, while the last two are found in 10:15, 17; fuller acrostics occur in Psalms 25; 34; 37; 111; 112; 119; 145; and Lamentations chapters 1-4.
Acrostic = a series of lines or verses in, which the first, last or other particular letters form a word, phrase, the alphabet etc. [Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary] Paul the Learner
9:1: This superscription is especially difficult, and many medieval struggle to understand the possible historical context of “over the death of the son,” if that is the correct translation.
9:2-3: Each of the four lines opens with “alef,” the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, anchoring the acrostic.
9:3: On Most High, see 7:8. Jewish Study Bible
BOOK ONE SECTION TWO
Psalms 9:1-2
Just as Psalms 7 is placed after Psalms 6 as exemplifying it, so Psalms 9 follows Psalms 8 as an illustration of the glorifying of the divine name on earth. And what a beautiful idea it is that Psalms 8, the Psalm, which celebrates Jahve's name as being glorious in the earth, is introduced between a Psalm that closes with the words "I will sing of the name of Jahve, the Most High" (7:17) and one, which begins: "I will sing of Thy name, O Most High!" (9:2).
Even Hitzig does not allow himself to be misled as to the ancient Davidic origin of Psalms 9 and 10 by the fact of their having an alphabetical arrangement. These two Psalms have the honor of being ranked among the thirteen Psalms that are acknowledged by him to be genuine Davidic Psalms.
Thus, therefore, the alphabetical arrangement found in other Psalms cannot, in itself, bring us down to "the times of poetic trifling and degenerated taste." Nor can the freedom, with, which the alphabetical arrangement is handled in Psalms 9 and 10, be regarded as an indication of an earlier antiquity than these times.
For the Old Testament poets, even in other instances, do not allow themselves to be fettered by forms of this character (vid. on Psalms 145, cf. on 42:2); and the fact, that in Psalms 9-10 the alphabetical arrangement is not fully carried out, is accounted for otherwise than by the license in, which David, in distinction from later poets, indulged.
In reality this pair of Psalms shows that even David was given to acrostic composition. And why should he not be? Even among the Romans, Ennius (Cicero, De Divin. ii. 54 §111), who belongs not to the leaden, but to the Iron Age, out of, which the golden age first developed itself, composed in acrostics.
And our oldest Germanic epics are clothed in the garb of alliteration, which Vilmar calls the most characteristic and most elevated style that the poetic spirit of our nation has created. Moreover, the alphabetical form is adapted to the common people, as is evident from Augustine's Retract. i. 20.
It is not a paltry substitute for the departed poetic spirit, not merely an accessory to please the eye; an outward embellishment-it is in itself indicative of mental power. The didactic poet regards the array of the linguistic elements as the steps by, which he leads his pupils up into the sanctuary of wisdom,
Or as the many-celled casket in, which he stores the pearls of the teachings of his wisdom. The lyric writer regards it as the keys on, which he strikes every note, in order to give the fullest expression to his feelings. Even the prophet does not disdain to allow the order of the letters to exert an influence over the course of his thoughts, as we see from Nahum 1:3-7. (From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament)
Psalms 9:1
Verse 1. [I will praise thee, O LORD]
That is, in view of the merciful interpositions referred to in the psalm (Psalms 9:3-5), and in view of the attributes of God's character that had been displayed on that occasion (Psalms 9:7-12).
[With my whole heart
Not with divided affection, or with partial gratitude. He meant that all his powers should be employed in this service; that he would give utterance to his feelings of gratitude and adoration in the loftiest and purest manner possible.
[I will show forth]
I will recount or narrate-to wit, in this song of praise.
BOOK ONE SECTION TWO
9:1
[All thy marvelous works]
All his works or doings fitted to excite admiration or wonder. The reference here is particularly to what God had done, which had given occasion to this psalm, but still the psalmist designs undoubtedly to connect with this the purpose to give a general expression of praise in view of all that God had done that was fitted to excite such feelings.
Psalms 9:2
[I will be glad]
I will rejoice, and will express my joy.
[And rejoice in thee]
I will exult; I will triumph. That is, he would express his joy in God-in knowing that there was such a being; in all that he had done for him; in all the evidences of his favor and friendship.
[Will sing praise to thy name]
To thee; the name often being put for the person.
[0 thou Most High]
Thou who art supreme-the God over all. See the notes at Psalms 7:17.
Psalms 9:3
[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:
(a) He contemplates his enemies as mighty and formidable; he sees the danger, which exists when such enemies surround one;
(b) 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.
(c) But while this verse does not determine the question whether he refers to what has been, or to what would be, the subsequent verses (Psalms 9:4-6) seem to settle it,
(d) Where he speaks as if this were already done, and as if God had interposed in a remarkable manner in defeating his foes.
(e) I regard this, therefore, as a reflection on what had occurred, and as expressing what was then actually a ground of praise and thanksgiving.
BOOK ONE SECTION TWO
9:3
[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-which thou dost interpose." It is thus an acknowledgment of God as the author of the victory in all cases. Barnes
9:4-7: The finality of the vanquishing of the enemy (forever, no more, everlasting, are lost) is hyperbolic [exaggerated] since the enemies reappear in (verses 20-21).
9:5: The main image is God enthroned as king; like the ancient Israelite king, He is judge and warrior, but He carries out these roles with greater power and equity than human monarchs. Jewish Study Bible
Psalms 9:4
[For thou hast maintained my right and my cause]
My righteous cause; that is, when he was unequally attacked. When his enemies came upon him in an unprovoked and cruel manner, God had interposed and had defended his cause. This shows that the psalmist refers to something that had occurred in the past; also that he regarded his cause as right-for the interposition of God in his behalf had confirmed him in this belief.
[Thou sates in the throne judging right]
As if he had been seated on a bench of justice, and had decided on the merits of his cause before he interfered in his behalf. It was not the result of impulse, folly, partiality, or favoritism; it was because he had, as a judge, considered the matter,