Psalm 9 Overview
A refuge for the oppressed
Psalm 9
Welcome to the Overview of Psalm 9
This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 9 as a whole. It includes the following sections:
Introduction to Psalm 9
Author:
Purpose:
- To petition the divine king to the aid of the oppressed.
Content:
- “Rise up, YHWH! You've avenged the oppressed in the past but You are now standing at a distance.”
Message:
- YHWH has established his throne for justice (9:8b).
Psalm 9 At-a-Glance
These sections divide the content of the psalm into digestible pieces , and are determined based on information from many of our layers, including Semantics, Poetics, and Discourse. The columns, left to right, contain: the verse numbers; the main title of the section; a brief summary of the content of that section (quote marks indicate the text is taken directly from the English text of the psalm (as per our Close-but-Clear translation); and an icon to visually represent and remember the content.
Background Orientation for Psalm 9
Following are the common-ground assumptionsCommon-ground assumptions include information shared by the speaker and hearers. In our analysis, we mainly use this category for Biblical/Ancient Near Eastern background. which are the most helpful for making sense of the psalm.
- YHWH is a king (Psa. 10:16).
- The king was also the one responsible for maintaining order and therefore functioned as a judge (ABD, s.v. 'King and Kingship). Kings in Israel were also responsible for maintaining the rights of the poor and vulnerable (Psa 72; Miller 2004, 192).
- YHWH is also the creator (Gen. 1; Psa 24:1). As creator only he has the power to reverse the social order (1 Sam 2:8; TDOT 15:559).
- Innocent blood defiles God's land, which, since he is king over the earth, includes the whole world. The only thing that can cover innocent blood is the blood of the one who spilled it (Num 35:33).
- The 'gates' of Sheol symbolised death's inescapable power (Hupfeld 1888, 144; ABD s.v. 'Dead, Abode of the'; Psa 9:13; 107:18; 38:17; Isa 38:10; 3 Macc 5:5; Matthew 16:18)
- YHWH makes himself known through his mighty and terrifying acts (v. 17; cf. Isa 19:20–21; 66:13–15).
- Sinful man, who came from nothingness, must return to it (see Huppfeld 1888, 147; Ross 2011, 312; Gen 3:19; Job 1:21; 30;23; 90:3; 104:29).
Background Situation for Psalm 9
The background situation is the series of events leading up to the time in which the psalm is spoken. These are taken from the story triangle – whatever lies to the left of the star icon.
Participants in Psalm 9