Psalms 9:19-20

Context

9:19 Rise up, Lord!¹

Don’t let men be defiant!²

May the nations be judged in your presence!

9:20 Terrify them, Lord!³

Let the nations know they are mere mortals!⁴ (Selah)

Psalms 79:9-10

Context

79:9 Help us, O God, our deliverer!

For the sake of your glorious reputation,⁵ rescue us!

Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation!⁶

79:10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”

Before our very eyes may the shed blood of your servants

be avenged among the nations!⁷

[9:19] ¹sn Rise up, Lord! …May the nations be judged. The psalm concludes with a petition that the Lord would continue to exercise his justice as he has done in the recent crisis.

[9:19] ²tn Or “prevail.”

[9:20] ³tn Heb “place, Lord, terror with regard to them.” The Hebrew term מוֹרָה (morah, “terror”) is an alternative form of מוֹרָא (mora’; a reading that appears in some mss and finds support in several ancient textual witnesses).

[9:20] ⁴tn Heb “let the nations know they [are] man[kind]”; i.e., mere human beings (as opposed to God).

[79:9] ⁵tn Heb “the glory of your name.” Here and in the following line “name” stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[79:9] ⁶tn Heb “your name.”

[79:10] ⁷tn Heb “may it be known among the nations, to our eyes, the vengeance of the shed blood of your servants.”