Psalm 9 6

Psalm 9:6 kjv

O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.

Psalm 9:6 nkjv

O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And you have destroyed cities; Even their memory has perished.

Psalm 9:6 niv

Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.

Psalm 9:6 esv

The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.

Psalm 9:6 nlt

The enemy is finished, in endless ruins;
the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.

Psalm 9 verses

Psalm 9 6 Meaning

Psalm 9:6 proclaims the Lord's decisive and permanent judgment against wicked nations and individuals. It declares that God has acted definitively to rebuke and destroy His adversaries, ensuring that their very remembrance and legacy are completely obliterated from existence for all time. This verse underscores God's sovereignty, unwavering justice, and the certain, irreversible consequences for those who oppose Him and His righteous ways.

Psalm 9 6 Context

Psalm 9 is a psalm of thanksgiving from David, addressed to the Lord for His righteous judgment and deliverance from his enemies. It likely reflects David's personal experience of divine intervention in his battles against foreign nations that oppressed Israel. The Psalm is marked by a deep conviction in God's role as the just and ultimate Judge of the earth, who defends the oppressed and executes justice upon the wicked. Verses 1-5 describe God's past victories, setting the stage for the declaration in verse 6 concerning the finality of God's dealings with the ungodly. This verse serves as a declaration of David's faith in God's enduring power and the certainty of His justice against those who rise up in rebellion. In the ancient Near East, the 'name' represented one's reputation, lineage, and legacy; to blot out a name was to obliterate existence and memory, ensuring utter dishonor and extinction.

Psalm 9 6 Word analysis

• You (אַ֭תָּה, ’attāh): This emphatic personal pronoun refers directly to God, establishing Him as the sole and supreme agent of these mighty actions. It underscores divine sovereignty and exclusive authority.
• have rebuked (גָּעַ֤רְתָּ, gaʿarta): This verb implies a forceful and authoritative act of divine reprimand or scolding, often leading to a shattering effect. It denotes a strong display of God's displeasure and power that causes disruption or chaos among His adversaries, stopping them in their tracks. It is a word used for God silencing or conquering enemies.
• the nations (גּוֹיִ֗ם, gōyîm): In this context, "nations" primarily refers to Gentile nations hostile to God and His people, who act with wickedness and arrogance. It represents corporate entities standing in opposition to divine rule.
• You have destroyed (הִשְׁמַ֣דְתָּ, hišmaḏtā): This is from the root shamad, signifying complete and utter destruction, annihilation, or wiping out. It’s an active, decisive, and irreversible termination of existence. The Hebrew perfect tense indicates a completed action with lasting effects, implying a certainty of outcome from God's perspective, or even a past divine action with enduring consequences.
• the wicked (רָשָׁ֑ע, rāšāʿ): Refers to the ungodly, lawless, or those who are guilty and rebellious against God’s moral standards. It signifies individuals or groups characterized by deliberate evil, often in active opposition to God and the righteous.
• You have blotted out (מָחִ֣יתָ, māḥîṯā): From the root machah, meaning to wipe away, erase, or obliterate. It suggests removal from records, memory, or existence, leaving no trace. This action is profound, signifying complete non-existence and no remnant.
• their name (שְׁמָֽם, šmām): This term is immensely significant. In ancient thought, a "name" embodied one's identity, reputation, legacy, lineage, and very being. To blot out someone's name means not merely physical destruction, but the total eradication of their memory, heritage, and influence from history and future generations—a complete erasure.
• forever and ever (לְעוֹלָ֣ם וָעֶד֒, lĕʿōlām wāʿeḏ): A superlative phrase emphasizing perpetuity, eternity, and absolute finality. It ensures that the destruction and blotting out are not temporary setbacks but irreversible, everlasting judgments.

• "You have rebuked the nations": Highlights God's active confrontation and silencing of rebellious global powers. It shows His dominion extends beyond Israel.
• "You have destroyed the wicked": Reinforces God's punitive justice specifically against individuals or groups who exemplify wickedness, making clear His personal targeting of evil.
• "You have blotted out their name forever and ever": This phrase represents the most severe aspect of God's judgment, denoting a total and permanent obliteration of identity, legacy, and memory. It signifies ultimate ruin with no possibility of recovery or remembrance.

Psalm 9 6 Bonus section

The strong perfect tense verbs ("rebuked," "destroyed," "blotted out") in the Hebrew are significant. They communicate a completed action, which from God’s perspective is already a certainty, or reflects God’s past interventions (e.g., in Israel's history) serving as a precedent for future, ultimate judgments. This verse provides assurance of divine justice and the ultimate vindication of the righteous, which often feels delayed from a human perspective. It speaks to God's control over human history and His role as the sovereign disposer of the fates of both nations and individuals. The ultimate fulfilment of this verse points towards the final judgment and the removal of all evil and its proponents from God's new creation.

Psalm 9 6 Commentary

Psalm 9:6 is a potent declaration of divine judgment. David celebrates God's sovereign power over nations and the ungodly. The actions described are in the past tense, indicating a completed work—God has already done this, and therefore, it is a guaranteed future certainty for His people to rely on. The rebuke by God is not a mere scolding, but a display of such overwhelming power that it shatters and dismantles the might of nations. This leads to the absolute destruction of the wicked, underscoring that evil will not prevail. The profound statement of "blotting out their name forever and ever" signifies total annihilation. It’s more than just physical demise; it means removal from memory, history, and lineage, denying any legacy or continuation. This divine act assures the righteous that the oppressive and godless will have no lasting monument or influence. This brings immense comfort to those suffering under injustice, knowing God is the ultimate righteous Judge who ensures that evil is permanently put away. It also serves as a solemn warning about the absolute finality of God's judgment against unrepentant wickedness.