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Psalms

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Psalm 9

1 For the music director, according to the alumoth-labben style; a psalm of David. I will thank the Lord with all my heart! I will tell about all your amazing deeds. 2 I will be happy and rejoice in you. I will sing praises to you, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turn back, they trip and are defeated before you. 4 For you defended my just cause; from your throne you pronounced a just decision. 5 You terrified the nations with your battle cry. You destroyed the wicked; you permanently wiped out all memory of them. 6 The enemy’s cities have been reduced to permanent ruins. You destroyed their cities;⁠ all memory of the enemies has perished.⁠ 7 But the Lord rules forever; he reigns in a just manner. 8 He judges the world fairly; he makes just legal decisions for the nations. 9 Consequently the Lord provides safety for the oppressed; he provides safety in times of trouble. 10 Your loyal followers trust in you, for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help. 11 Sing praises to the Lord, who rules in Zion. Tell the nations what he has done. 12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; he did not overlook their cry for help⁠ 13 when they prayed: “Have mercy on me, Lord! See how I am oppressed by those who hate me, O one who can snatch me away from the gates of death! 14 Then I will tell about all your praiseworthy acts; in the gates of Daughter Zion I will rejoice because of your deliverance.” 15 The nations fell into the pit they had made; their feet were caught in the net they had hidden. 16 The Lord revealed himself; he accomplished justice. The wicked were ensnared by their own actions. (Higgaion. Selah) 17 The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol; this is the destiny of all the nations that ignore God, 18 for the needy are not permanently ignored, the hopes of the oppressed are not forever dashed. 19 Rise up, Lord! Don’t let men be defiant. May the nations be judged in your presence. 20 Terrify them, Lord.⁠ Let the nations know they are mere mortals. (Selah)

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 9:6 and LXX Psalm 9:6

Hebrew Bible · Septuagint

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Summary

Psalm 9 describes God destroying the unrighteous and erasing their memory. The Greek Septuagint changes this so they are destroyed, without saying God did it, possibly removing a violent description of God or reflecting a different Hebrew version.

Passages

Psalm 9:6

Hebrew Bible
4 For you defended my just cause; from your throne you pronounced a just decision. 5 You terrified the nations with your battle cry. You destroyed the wicked; you permanently wiped out all memory of them. 6 The enemy’s cities have been reduced to permanent ruins. You destroyed their cities; all memory of the enemies has perished. 7 But the Lord rules forever; he reigns in a just manner. 8 He judges the world fairly; he makes just legal decisions for the nations.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

LXX Psalm 9:6

Septuagint
4 When my enemies are turned back, they shall be feeble and perish at your presence. 5 For you have maintained my cause and my right; you sat on the throne, you who judge righteousness. 6 You have rebuked the nations, and the ungodly one has perished; you have blotted out their name for ever, even for ever and ever. 7 The swords of the enemy have failed utterly; and you have destroyed cities: their memorial has been destroyed with a noise, 8 but the Lord endures for ever: he has prepared his throne for judgment.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Psalms

References

"... It has been suggested that the translator of Psalms evaded the idea that God himself destroyed the wicked, and that he therefore changed the original text by reading the letters differently from the Masoretic text (אָבַד הרשע). However, if this were true, he would have been inconsistent for elsewhere in the LXX of Psalms God is pictured as personally destroying the wicked (Psalm 5:6–7; 143:12). It is therefore more likely that the difference between the Masoretic text and the Septuagint is based not on the translator’s tendentious change, but on variants that underlie the translation ..."
Emanuel Tov, The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research, 3rd ed. (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2015), 112.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Psalm 9:6 and LXX Psalm 9:6

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