Psalms 9:17

"The wicked shall be turned back unto Sheol,

Even all the nations that forget God.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten.

Nor the expectation of the poor perish forever."

"Wicked be turned back unto Sheol." Kidner pointed out the true meaning here as, "The wicked shall return to Sheol, not merely depart there. Death is their native element";[19] and that surely corresponds with a statement of the Apostle Paul that, "She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth." (1 Timothy 5:6).

"The nations that forget God." Four times the Word of God thunders the message, "Beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God," nevertheless, whole nations transgress against that commandment continually.

(For an elaboration of the theme "Forgetting God" see pp. 211-213 in Vol. 2 of my minor prophets series of commentaries.)

The necessity for help on the part of the needy and for remembrance upon behalf of the poor and oppressed are cited here as reasons why God will eventually judge the nations. The righteousness of God Himself requires ultimately that the wicked oppression of the poor and needy shall be summarily terminated.