Psalm 137

You can practice this week’s singing here (to Morning Song, the tune of “My Soul Gives Glory”)

From the ESV Study Bible

This community lament remembers the Babylonian captivity, and provides words by which the returned exiles can express their loyalty to Jerusalem and pray that God would pay out his just punishment on those who gloat over its destruction. This psalm is notable for the ferocity of its final wish (v. 9). This is a vivid application of the principle of talion, the principle that punishment should match the crime (Gen. 9:6; Ex. 21:23–24). It is a prayer that the Babylonians, who had smashed Israelite infants, should be punished appropriately. Three additional comments may be made. First, even though Babylon was the Lord’s tool for disciplining his people, they apparently went about their work with cruel glee (cf. Isa. 47:6; cf. the Assyrians, Isa. 10:5–7). Second, the vile practice of destroying the infants of a conquered people is well-attested in the ancient world (e.g., 2 Kings 8:12; Hos. 10:14; 13:16; Nah. 3:10; Homer’s Iliad 22.63), and was therefore foretold of the fall of Babylon (Isa. 13:16). Further, the Babylonians had apparently done this to the Judeans (as the connection with Ps. 137:8 suggests), and the prophets led the people to await God’s justice (Isa. 47:1–9; Jer. 51:24). In this light, the psalm is not endorsing the action in itself but is instead seeing the conquerors of Babylon as carrying out God’s just sentence (even unwittingly). Neither Israelites nor Christians are permitted to indulge personal hatred and vengeance (cf. Lev. 19:17–18; Matt. 5:44); generally speaking, the repentance of those who hate God’s people is preferred (see note on Ps. 83:9–18), and yet, failing that, any prayer for God’s justice (and for Christ’s return) will involve punishment for those who have oppressed his people (cf. Rev. 6:9–10).

… The songs of Zion would be sacred songs (such as the psalms), and apparently the captors wanted the Judeans to sing them for entertainment (and perhaps gloating) rather than for worship. …

… The recollection of these hurtful taunts leads to a prayer that God will remember (see note on 25:6–7) the deeds of his people’s enemies; he selects the Edomites (a conventional representative of all those who hate God’s people, as in Obadiah) as well as the daughter of Babylon (the personified city). The Edomites took great delight in destroying Jerusalem utterly (cf. Obad. 11–14), while the Babylonians had carried out excessive violence against the helpless in Jerusalem. (On Ps. 137:9, see note on Psalm 137.)

From Eugene Peterson, Answering God

It is easy to be honest before God with our hallelujah; it is somewhat more difficult to be honest in our hurts; it is nearly impossible to be honest before God in the dark emotions of our hate. So we commonly suppress our negative emotions(unless, neurotically , we advertise them). Or, when we do express the, we do it far from the presence, or what we think is the presence, of God, ashamed or embarrassed to be seen in these curse stained bib overalls. But when we pray the psalms, these classic prayers of God’s people, we find that will not do. We must pray who we actually are, not who we think we should be. In prayer, all is not sweetness and light. The way of prayer is not to cover our unlovely emotions so that they will appear respectable, but expose them so that they can be enlisted in the work of the kingdom. “It is an act of profound faith to entrust one’s most precious hatred to God, knowing that they will be taken seriously.” Hate, prayed, takes our lives to bedrock where the foundations of justice are being laid.

From Walter Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms

We may note this much in the psalm: the speaker does not take action. The speaker does not, in fact, crush the heads of babes against rocks. It is prayer, a wish, a hope, a yearning. But even the venom is left in God’s hands. Perhaps there is a division of labor here to be celebrated: Israel hopes; Yahweh avenges as he choses. The capacity to leave vengeance to God may free Israel for its primary vocation, which is the tenacious hope that prevents sell-out. Indeed, one may speculate that if Israel could not boldly leave vengeance to God and had worried about vengeance on its own, Israel might have had no energy or freedom to hope. Perhaps it is precisely the capacity to turn that over to God which leaves Israel free to hope for the new Jerusalem.

From the Gospel Transformation Study Bible

This psalm gives expression to the longing of God’s people, now in exile in Babylon, for the restoration of their beloved Jerusalem and the vindication of God’s justice against their oppressors. In 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army destroyed Jerusalem, its temple and wall, and took most of its residents captive in Babylon. The psalm portrays the ways their captors mock them by demanding that they sing songs of Zion by the waters of Babylon (vv. 1–6). These godly Israelites long for justice; they long for God to vindicate his holy name and bring vengeance upon those who have destroyed the city of God, its temple, and families—killing wives, husbands, and children. The Edomites (descendants of Esau), on the east side of the Dead Sea, joined the Babylonians in the destruction of Jerusalem, so the psalm calls for vengeance also on Edom (v. 7). …

The cry of Psalm 137:9 is the cry for justice to be served upon those who have abused and killed the children of Israel. Still, the words calling for retributive execution of children shock us. The words may simply reflect the idioms of warfare language from ancient times, or may be the expression of unrepressed anger and agony from the heart of one who has been victimized by such cruelty. Yet before we would ever utter such words, we should take careful notice that this verse comes in the context of an appeal for God to bring about a just sentence upon Israel’s oppressors (see v. 8). As Jesus, who “when he was reviled, . . . did not revile in return; when he suffered, . . . did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Pet. 2:23), so God’s people may call upon God to enact the justice he knows is right. But we leave this in his hands to enact, in his way, in his time, and by authorities of his appointment.

Some Songs to Listen To

Psalm 110

You can practice this week’s singing here (to St. Anne, the tune of “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”)

From the ESV Study Bible

This is a royal psalm, i.e., its theme deals with the role of the house of David in the life of God’s people (see also Psalms 2; 18; 20–21; 45; 72; 101; 132; 144; and possibly 89). Like Psalms 2 and 72, this psalm goes well beyond the achievements of any merely human heir of David and thus looks forward to the Messiah; in fact, unlike those two psalms, it is almost entirely future in its orientation. When the people of God would sing this in faith, they would celebrate God’s promises to David, yearn for the day in which the Gentiles receive the light (the coming accomplishment of the Messiah), and seek to be faithful to their calling until that great day. This psalm is one of the most cited OT texts in the NT, with quotations or allusions appearing in the Gospels, Acts, the Pauline epistles, Hebrews, and the Petrine epistles. Christians sing this psalm to celebrate that Jesus has taken his Davidic kingship by his resurrection (see note on Ps. 2:7), and that God is busy now subduing the Gentiles into the empire of Jesus.

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In Matt. 22:44 (Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42) Jesus draws attention to the fact that David (the psalm’s author) calls the king “my Lord,” which implies that the king (whom all agreed was the Messiah) was greater than David. The idea that the risen Lord Jesus is the reigning messianic king seated at “God’s right hand” appears in Acts 2:32–35; 1 Cor. 15:25; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pet. 3:22; cf. Matt. 26:64. In 1 Cor. 15:25 and Eph. 1:20 Paul combines this with Ps. 8:6.

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The author of Hebrews (Heb. 5:6), who cited Ps. 110:1 (see note) throughout his book, uses [verse 4] to explain to his Jewish audience why Jesus, the now-reigning heir of David (cf. Heb. 1:3; 5:5), is also the ultimate priest; now that Jesus has arrived, Christian Jews may not legitimately return to “ordinary” Judaism in order to escape persecution, hoping that the old sacrifices will still “work,” for they will not.

Something to Think About

Think about how this Psalm could have described King David or another Israelite king, and also how it seems to describe our risen Lord.

If you have the time, consider some of the passages listed above in which this Psalm is cited and how they use it.

Something to Listen To

Psalm 93

You can practice this week’s singing here (to Ode to Joy)

From the ESV Study Bible

[Psalm 93 is a hymn] of praise for divine kingship, namely, God’s kingly rule over creation. The idea of God as universal king is of course rooted in the creation account; the specific words first appear in Ex. 15:18. When the OT speaks of the kingship of God, it can mean his kingship over all creation, or it can mean God’s acknowledged kingship over his people (1 Sam. 8:7; 12:12–15); the NT expression “kingdom of God” focuses on the way God ministers to and governs his people through the heir of David. In each case, it is important to discern which of these is primarily in view. The psalms of divine kingship especially celebrate God’s kingship over his creation. Even though it is important to distinguish these ideas, one should not separate them: it is Israel’s great privilege that the God who rules over them is the universal Creator and Lord, who one day will rule all nations. Psalm 93 ends with this experience of wonder. The conviction that God reigns is the ultimate antidote to doubt and despair (cf. 89:38–51).

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To an Israelite, the raging sea (also called floods and many waters) was the most vivid emblem of uncontrollable chaos. This section insists that the divine king is mightier than even that.

From the Archaelogical Study Bible

The status of king among the gods was often associated with imposition of order through victory over the powers of chaos, generally depicted as the sea. The psalmist here draws on this common cultural stock of religious language to proclaim Yahweh as the true King over all that exists.

From the ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible

The believer’s great comfort is that God is a benevolent king. As sustainer of the universe, God is all-powerful, unchangeable, and eternal. His perfect sovereignty joined with absolute goodness answers every need for his people’s sustenance (vv. 1–2; Phil. 4:19–20). Not only so, but perfect sovereignty joined to passionate love makes him triumphant over his children’s enemies (Ps. 93:3–4; Rev. 11:16–18). No force of nature, nations, or culture can threaten the eternal security of believers (Rom. 8:38–39).

The eternality of God’s rule pointed the Old Testament saint forward to Christ (Ps. 93:2; Heb. 1:10–12). Calling his subjects “friends” not “servants,” Christ in his eternal kingdom provides security, which fosters loving familiarity and freedom (John 15:15; 8:36).

Something for Further Study

The Bible Project’s recent podcast series on ancient cosmology has some interesting background on how the Bible uses and adapts the assumptions of ancient cultures to talk about God, especially with respect to “the waters” as a picture of nothingness, or non-creation. For a shorter look at this question, see this Gospel Coalition article.

A Few Things to Listen To

Psalm 81

Practice singing here, to Nettleton (“Come Thou Fount”)

From the ESV Study Bible

Psalm 81. It is not easy to put this psalm in a category; it actually resembles the oracles of the OT prophets; perhaps it is therefore best to think of it as a prophetic hymn. Prediction is not the primary function of the OT prophets, any more than it is of this psalm: rather, their goal is to challenge God’s people to covenant faithfulness, speaking to them of covenant blessings or punishments that will come, depending on their response. This psalm reviews the basic history of the covenant (using the Pentateuch), charges Israel with unfaithfulness, and urges them to embrace the covenant—then God would subdue Israel’s enemies. Verse 2 refers to the trumpet at the new moon and at the full moon. This may well indicate that the psalm was suited to the Feasts of Trumpets (the first day of the seventh month, the new moon) and Booths (the 15th day of the same month, when the moon was full), with the solemnity of the Day of Atonement in between them (Lev. 23:23–36). Certainly the overall theme of the psalm fits this setting.

From the ESV Literary Study Bible

Ps. 81 Hear, O my people: a poetic oracle The psalm begins as a typical praise psalm with an introductory call to praise (vv. 1–5a). But then a mysterious reference to an unknown language (v. 5) serves as a lead-in to an oracle from God, presented in the rhetorical form of a quoted speech or dramatic monologue to the nation (vv. 6–16). The divine oracle develops the following specific topics: brief list of God’s acts in the life of Israel (vv. 6–7); God’s demand of exclusive loyalty asserted and invited (vv. 8–10); brief account of God’s judgment against Israel for not listening to God’s voice (vv. 11–12); God’s longing to deliver and bless his people in exchange for obedience (vv. 13–16).

Songs to Listen To

Psalm 78

Practice the singing for this week here.

From the ESV Study Bible

This is a “historical psalm” (cf. Psalms 105; 106) recounting events from Israel’s past that show how God persevered with his people, even when they disbelieved—while at the same time he cleansed his people by purging them of the unbelievers along the way. The psalm has selected events primarily from the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, and Samuel, ending with the reign of David. The psalm is clear about its purpose: to recount these events in song so that future generations of God’s people might take the lessons to heart, particularly that they not be unbelieving and rebellious like the generations described here. The emphasis is on the people as a whole and the members’ obligation to embrace the covenant faithfully in each generation. Terms for “remember” and “forget” run through the psalm (Ps. 78:7, 11, 35, 42; cf. v. 39, where God remembers): the psalmist hopes that those who sing this will never again forget. The psalm opens with its purpose statement (vv. 1–8), followed by several episodes of sin and unbelief, each new section beginning with “they sinned” or “they rebelled” (vv. 17, 32, 40, 56), followed by a final section on God’s gift of David as the pinnacle expression of his enduring commitment (vv. 65–72). Christians will of course see the final section, on David, as important: Jesus is David’s heir, who now occupies his throne. At the same time, they should not overlook God’s patient preservation of his people, the descendants of Abraham—the people into which God has engrafted Gentile Christians. Christians may properly see themselves as the beneficiaries of God’s patience: without it, there would be no people for them to be part of! And God will continue his purposes for his people until the very end.

From the Literary Study Bible

Ps. 78 The glorious deeds of the LORD: a historical psalm This long psalm is a rehearsal of Israelite history, viewed through the interpretive lens of Israel’s disloyalty to God. The sequence is as follows: an orienting section in which the speaker summons his audience to listen, as in the mode of OT wisdom teachers (vv. 1–4); a section in which the speaker announces his purpose in rehearsing history—that God’s works will be passed from one generation to the next and that God’s covenant people will not perpetuate the rebelliousness of the exodus generation (vv. 5–8); a litany of national ignominies during the wilderness journey of the exodus (vv. 9–55); still more apostasy after the nation entered the Promised Land (vv. 56–58); God’s anger displayed against the nation (vv. 59–66); God’s choice of Judah and David as his people’s last best hope (vv. 67–72).

Something to Listen To


June 14 -- Psalm 23

You can practice your singing here, to Toulon (the tune of I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art)

From the ESV Study Bible

Songs of confidence … worshipers to deepen their trust in God through all manner of difficult circumstances (e.g., Psalm 23).

Psalm 23 … is usually classified as a psalm of confidence in the Lord’s care. It uses two images: the Lord as Shepherd who cares for the sheep (vv. 1–4), and the Lord as Host who cares for his guest (vv. 5–6). These images would be familiar from everyday experience (for David’s own, cf. 1 Sam. 17:34); but they also evoke other ideas common in the ancient Near East (including the OT), with the deity as shepherd of his people and the deity as host of the meal. In worship, the faithful celebrate God’s greatness and majesty; and when they sing this psalm, they see his majesty in the way he personally attends to each of his covenant lambs. He is the shepherd for Israel as a whole; and in being such, he is the shepherd for each faithful Israelite as well.

From the ESV Literary Study Bible

Psalm 23 is a *pastoral poem built around the motif of the daily acts of provision that a good shepherd performs for his sheep. The sheep-shepherd relationship, in turn, is a metaphor for the providence that God extends to his followers.

*pastoral literature — Literature in which the setting, characters, and actions are those that belong to the world of shepherding. Usually the pastoral world is presented as an idealized “good place” and becomes symbolic of the good life. Much love poetry is pastoral poetry, on the ground that the beautiful rural setting provides an appropriate place for idealized love to occur. Sometimes the characters and events in a pastoral work are allegorical in nature, referring to real-life people and events.

From the ESV Archaeological Study Bible

Ps. 23:1 shepherd. This term is used in the Bible to describe a variety of people in leadership positions, such as kings (2 Sam. 5:2; 1 Chron. 11:2; Ezek. 34:23; 37:24; Mic. 5:4)—including the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (Jer. 43:12) and the Persian king Cyrus (Isa. 44:28)—judges (2 Sam. 7:7; 1 Chron. 17:6), priests, prophets, and others (Ezek. 34:1–10; Jer. 17:16; Mic. 5:5–6). God is also characterized as a shepherd (Gen. 48:15; 49:24; Ps. 28:9; 80:1; 95:7; 100:3; Eccles. 12:11; Isa. 40:11; Jer. 31:10; Ezek. 34:15; cf. Rev. 7:17). The Babylonian king Hammurabi refers to himself as “the shepherd” (ANET, 164) at the beginning of his law code, reflecting customary usage in the ancient world. The metaphor of God as shepherd also reflects a broader cultural expression. A hymn to Shamash (the Mesopotamian sun god) reads, “You take care of the people of the lands altogether; whatever Ea, the king and ruler, caused to be brought forth is everywhere given over to you. All who have living breath you pasture” (Kraus, Psalms 1–59, 307). Such hymns reflect the desire of mankind for a righteous shepherd to rule them, a desire realized only in the true God, the God of Israel.

Ps. 23:5–6 The image of God as host of a banquet recalls the covenant meal in Ex. 24:9–11 and is implicit in the sacrifices in which the people share the sacrificed animal with God. This imagery is further suggested by this meal being connected with dwelling in the house of the Lord. in the presence of my enemies. The significance of this phrase is illustrated in a passage from Amarna tablet 100, which says of the Pharaoh, “May it please him to give gifts to his servant while our enemies look on” (Kraus, Psalms 1–59, 308). The point of the passage is the public demonstration of the king’s (or, in the case of the psalm, God’s) support and superiority.

From the ESV Gospel Transformation Bible

But this Lamb who laid down his life is also the Good Shepherd (John 10:1–18). Recognizing his sheep’s voice, Christ meets our needs, leads us in the way, and protects us from disaster (John 10:5, 10). Listening to the Chief Shepherd’s voice, the believer’s soul is restored. And we will “dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Ps. 23:6; cf. 1 Pet. 5:4; Rev. 22:4).

Some Songs to Listen To

June 7 -- Psalm 12

Practice this week’s singing here (New Britain/Amazing Grace).

From the ESV Study Bible via the Gospel Coalition

Laments [are Psalms] whose primary function is to lay a troubled situation before the Lord, asking him for help. There are community laments, dealing with trouble faced by the people of God as a whole (e.g., Psalm 12), and individual laments, where the troubles face a particular member of the people (e.g., Psalm 13). This category is the largest by far, including as much as a third of the whole Psalter.

From the ESV Study Bible

[Psalm 12] is a community lament, suited to occasions when the people of God are dominated by liars in positions of authority. It is not clear whether these liars are unfaithful Israelites or Gentile oppressors; the psalm works for either situation.

From the ESV Literary Study Bible

The characteristics of the lament psalm are as follows: (1) There are five main ingredients, which may appear in any order and may appear more than once in a psalm: invocation or cry to God; the lament, or definition of the crisis; petition; statement of confidence in God; vow to praise God. (2) Laments are *occasional poems arising out of a specific event or situation in the poet’s or nation’s life. (3) The poet in a lament psalm typically does these things: he undertakes a quest to master a crisis and find peace in the midst of it; he paints a heightened and often figurative picture of the crisis; he protests about the situation to God and perhaps to himself and his readers; he attempts to persuade God to act; he finds a satisfactory solution to the problem.

On every side the wicked prowl: plea for protection from a godless society. The theme of this lament psalm is announced in verse 7: God will guard believers as they live in a godless society. The variations on that theme are as follows: portrait of a godless society (vv. 1–2); a wish for God to act in judgment against such a society (vv. 3–4); God’s reliable promise to act on behalf of the oppressed (vv. 5–6); assertion of the unifying theme that God will guard his own as they live in a wicked society (vv. 7–8).

Matt Chandler on Lament

From the ESV Gospel Transformation Bible

 David petitions the Lord to make things right (Ps. 12:3–4). The Savior must be a righteous man (cf. v. 5 and 1 Pet. 3:18), whose words are truth (cf. Ps. 12:6 and John 5:24), a sovereign judge (cf. Ps. 12:3 and 5 with John 8:26), and an eternal protector (cf. Ps. 12:7 and John 10:28). Ultimately, this can only be Jesus. Proof that the Savior is this promised Messiah is how he responds when he sees ruthless leaders plundering the poor (Luke 16:14–17, 19–31).

Though for a time the wicked are exalted in this fallen world, God’s covenantal protection of his people will last from generation to generation. When the believer feels overwhelmed by systemic evil and is disheartened as an apparent minority standing for truth, this psalm will lead him to the only one who can save. In the meantime, Christ’s promise of justice provides hope: “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done” (Rev. 22:12).

On Curses in the Psalms (Imprecatory Psalms), From the ESV Study Bible via the Gospel Coalition

Many psalms call on God for help as the faithful are threatened with harm from enemies (often called “the wicked”—frequently the unfaithful who persecute the godly, and sometimes Gentile oppressors). In a number of places, the requested help is that God would punish these enemies. Christians, with the teaching and example of Jesus (in passages like Matt. 5:38–48; Luke 23:34; 1 Pet. 2:19–23; cf. Acts 7:6), may wonder what to make of such curses: How can it possibly be right for God’s people to pray in this way? Many have supposed that this is an area in which the ethics of the NT improve upon and supersede the OT. Others suggest that these only apply to the church’s warfare with its ultimate enemy, Satan, and his demons. Neither of these is fully satisfying, both because the NT authors portray themselves as heirs of OT ethics (cf. Matt. 22:34–40) and because the NT has some curses of its own (e.g., 1 Cor. 16:22; Gal. 1:8–9; Rev. 6:9–10), even finding instruction in some of the Psalms’ curses (e.g., Acts 1:20 and Rom. 11:9–10, using Psalms 69 and 109). Each of the psalm passages must be taken on its own, and the notes address these questions (e.g., see ESV Study Bible notes on Ps. 5:10; 35:4–8; 58:6–9; 59:11–17; 69:22–28; 109:6–20; and the note on Psalm 137, which contains the most striking curse of all). At the same time, some general principles will help in understanding these passages.

First, one must be clear that the people being cursed are not enemies over trivial matters; they are people who hate the faithful precisely for their faith; they mock God and use ruthless and deceitful means to suppress the godly (cf. Ps. 5:4–6, 9–10; 10:15; 42:3; 94:2–7).

Second, it is worth remembering that these curses are in poetic form and can employ extravagant and vigorous expressions. (The exact fulfillment is left to God.)

Third, these curses are expressions of moral indignation, not of personal vengeance. For someone who knows God, it is unbearably wrong that those who persecute the faithful and turn people away from God should get away with it, and even seem to prosper. Zion is the city of God, the focus of his affection (cf. Psalms 48; 122); it is unthinkable that God could tolerate cruel men taking delight in destroying it. These psalms are prayers for God to vindicate himself, displaying his righteousness for all the world to see (cf. Ps. 10:17–18). Further, these are prayers that God will do what he said he will do: Psalm 35:5 looks back to Psalm 1:4, and even Psalm 137:9 has Isaiah 13:16 as its backdrop. Most of these prayers assume that the persecutors will not repent; however, in one place (Ps. 83:17), the prayer actually looks to the punishment as leading to their conversion.

Fourth, the OT ethical system forbids personal revenge (e.g., Lev. 19:17–18; Prov. 24:17; 25:21–22), a prohibition that the NT inherits (cf. Rom. 12:19–21).

Thus, when the NT writers employ these curses or formulate their own (as above), they are following the OT guidelines. Any prayer for the Lord to hasten his coming must mean disaster for the impenitent (2 Thess. 1:5–10). Yet Christians must keep as their deepest desire, even for those who mean harm to the church, that others would come to trust in Christ and love his people (cf. Luke 23:34; Rom. 9:1–3; 10:1; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9). Hence, when they pray for God to protect his people against their persecutors, they should be explicit about asking God to lead such people to repentance. With these things in mind, then, it is still possible that the faithful today might sing or read aloud even these sections of the Psalms, if it takes place in a service of worship, under wise leadership, for the good of the whole people of God.

More on Curses in the Psalms

Songs to Listen To

May 24 -- Psalm 9

Preview Psalm 9 for Singing (Toulon).

From the ESV Study Bible via the Gospel Coalition

Scholars have tended to identify psalms according to their types (praise, lament, etc.). Unfortunately, scholars vary in their list of types, and it is easy to multiply categories to account for the particularities of each psalm—and soon one can end up with 150 categories! Nevertheless, used reasonably, this approach can shed light on the different purposes of the various psalms. The basic categories include:

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Hymns of praise, whose primary goal is to call and enable God’s people to admire God’s great attributes and deeds. These can focus, e.g., on a particular set of attributes (e.g., on God’s benevolence in Psalm 145), on God’s universal kingship over his creation (e.g., Psalm 93), or on God’s works of creation (e.g., Psalm 8).

Hymns of thanksgiving, which thank God for his answer to a petition; sometimes the petition can be identified as one of the lament psalms. Like laments, there are community (e.g., Psalm 9) and individual (e.g., Psalm 30) thanksgiving psalms.

From the Literary Study Bible

Ps. 9 I will give thanks to the LORD: a modified praise psalm. The conventional call to praise consists of a simple assertion by the poet that he will give thanks to God (vv. 1–2). This is followed by a catalog of God’s acts of deliverance (vv. 3–6) and praise of God for his attributes of eternity and justice, as well as his role as the one who provides safety for those who trust in his eternity and justice (vv. 7–9). This section of praise is followed by a call to praise (vv. 11–12); a prayer to God to be gracious (vv. 13–14); praise of God for executing justice (vv. 15–18); and a concluding prayer for God to assert his justice (vv. 19–20).

From the ESV Study Bible

Psalm 9. As the ESV footnote indicates, Psalms 9–10 together follow a basically acrostic pattern, with Psalm 10 beginning where Psalm 9 leaves off. The acrostic is not perfect, however: several letters of the alphabet are missing or are out of order. Further, Psalm 10 lacks a title, which is unusual for this section of the Psalter. Both psalms refer to God’s interest in “the oppressed” (9:9; 10:18), both mention “times of trouble” (9:9; 10:1), both call on God to “arise” (9:19; 10:12), and both are sure that God will not “forget the afflicted” (9:12; 10:12). Thus it is not surprising that the Greek and Latin versions have these combined as a single psalm. On the other hand, there are enough differences to justify finding two songs here: the tone of Psalm 9 is predominantly praise and thanks, while that of Psalm 10 is largely lament. Further, whereas in Psalm 9 the enemies are clearly Gentiles (vv. 5–8, 15–16, 19–20), in Psalm 10 they may be faithless Israelites (see esp. 10:4, 13), with the “nations” being mentioned (10:16) to show that the faithless are imitating the wicked Canaanites. Thus these two psalms are probably best taken as companions placed together in light of their similarities. Psalm 9 praises God for the success of the Davidic king in defending Israel from its Gentile foes. The “I” in this psalm is either David as the representative of the people, or each member of Israel, who celebrates the blessings that come to him by way of the whole nation’s success.

Some Background on Hebrew Poetry to Watch While You Train Your Dog Not Run Inside

Songs to Listen To