Psalms 9

To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David.

The intimations of date and of the personal situation of the author of this psalm are only general. It was certainly written after the removal of the ark to Zion, (Psalms 9:11; Psalms 9:14,) and clearly after some great victory over foreign nations, (Psalms 9:5; Psalms 9:15,) and while the war cloud still hung over the land, (Psalms 9:13; Psalms 9:18-20.) Thus, the whole is intermingled with praise for the past and with prayer and trust for the future, and is a graphic picture of the Church’s alternating conflicts and triumphs in all ages. Historically it suits well to David’s condition during the second Syrian war, after the victories recorded in 2 Samuel 10:15-19; 1 Chronicles 19:0. The style, which identifies it with the earlier Hebrew age, is abrupt and impassioned, betraying the profound emotions of the writer at the moral significance of the recent events. The psalm belongs to the alphabetical class, though an imperfect specimen of its kind. See on Psalms 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 119, 145. The strophes, which are generally marked by the alphabetical arrangement, may be thus given: in Psalms 9:1-2 the theme, praise, is stated; in Psalms 9:3-6, the divine judgments, personal and general, manifested in the ruined condition of his enemies, which are the grounds of this praise, are set forth; Psalms 9:7-10 state that Jehovah is eternal, and shall judge the world, and be a refuge for them that trust in him; Psalms 9:11-12 are an exhortation to praise Jehovah because he will not leave the righteous to perish with the wicked; Psalms 9:13-14 contain the author’s prayer for further help, that he may more perfectly show forth the divine praise before the congregation; Psalms 9:15-16 declare that the ruin of the wicked, being the effect of their own evil design, evidences God’s righteous judgment; Psalms 9:17-18 are a further prediction of the overthrow of all the wicked, and the restitution of the righteous; and Psalms 9:19-20 are a call upon God to hasten and complete his righteous judgments.

TITLE:

Upon Muth-labben An obscure designation. Furst translates, upon death of Ben, taking lamed ( ל ) in לבנ , ( laben,) as the sign of the genitive, and Ben as the proper name of one of the choristers of the second class, (1 Chronicles 15-18,) whose sudden death, like that of Uzzah, might have given to his musical corps thereafter the title of Death of Ben. Compare Perez-Uzzah, (1 Chronicles 13:10-11,) and “al-Jeduthun,” in the title of Psalms 62:0. But it seems better, with Gesenius, to take “al-mooth” (dropping makkeph, and making one word) as the same as “ala-moth,” in the title of Psalms 46:0, and “ben” ( son) as a name of age, ( boy,) and a collective, and read, with virgin’s voice, for the boys; or, to the precentor of the virgin’s mode, for boys. Women could not appear in the public choirs. but their voice, or mode, could be represented by boys. Or, taking “Ben” as a proper name, as above, read upon the virgin mode, to Ben. But the former is the preferable sense.