Psa 9:20 | KD | STEP | (Hebrew_Bible_9:20-21) By reason of the act of judgment already witnessed the prayer now becomes all the more confident in respect of the state of things which is still continually threatened. From י the poet takes a leap to ק which, however, seems to be a substitute for the כ which one would expect to find, since the following Psalm begins with ל. David’s קוּמה ( ; ) is taken from the lips of Moses, Num 10:35. “Jahve arises, comes, appears” are kindred expressions in the Old Testament, all of which point to a final personal appearing of God to take part in human history from which He has now, as it were, retired into a state of repose becoming invisible to human eyes. Hupfeld and others wrongly translate “let not man become strong.” The verb עזז does not only mean to be or become strong, but also to feel strong, powerful, possessed of power, and to act accordingly, therefore: to defy, , like עז defiant, impudent (post-biblical עזּוּת shamelessness). אנושׁ, as in , is man, impotent in comparison with God, and frail in himself. The enemies of the church of God are not unfrequently designated by this name, which indicates the impotence of their pretended power ( , ). David prays that God may repress the arrogance of these defiant ones, by arising and manifesting Himself in all the greatness of His omnipotence, after His forbearance with them so long has seemed to them to be the result of impotence. He is to arise as the Judge of the world, judging the heathen, while they are compelled to appear before Him, and, as it were, defile before Him (על־פּני), He is to lay מורה on them. If “razor” be the meaning it is equivocally expressed; and if, according to , we associate with it the idea of an ignominious rasure, or of throat-cutting, it is a figure unworthy of the passage. The signification master (lxx, Syr., Vulg., and Luther) rests upon the reading אמת, which we do not with Thenius and others prefer to the traditional reading (even Jerome translates: pone, Domine, terrorem eis ); for מורה rof , which according to the Masora is instead of מורא (like מכלה for מכלא), is perfectly appropriate. Hitzig objects that fear is not a thing which one lays upon any one; but מורא means not merely fear, but an object, or as Hitzig himself explains it in Mal 2:5 a “lever,” of fear. It is not meant that God is to cause them to be overcome with terror (על), nor that He is to put terror into them (בּ), but that He is to make them (ל( m in no way differing from ; ; ) an object of terror, from which to their dismay, as the wish is further expressed in , they shall come to know (Hos 9:7) that they are mortal men. As in ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Hos 7:2, ידּעוּ is followed by an only half indirect speech, without כּי or אשׁר. סּלה has Dag. forte conj . according to the rule of the אתי מרחיק (concerning which vid., on ), because it is erroneously regarded as an essential part of the text.

‏ Psalms 9:20

Psa 9:19-20 (Hebrew_Bible_9:20-21) By reason of the act of judgment already witnessed the prayer now becomes all the more confident in respect of the state of things which is still continually threatened. From י the poet takes a leap to ק which, however, seems to be a substitute for the כ which one would expect to find, since the following Psalm begins with ל. David’s קוּמה (Psa 3:8; Psa 7:7) is taken from the lips of Moses, Num 10:35. “Jahve arises, comes, appears” are kindred expressions in the Old Testament, all of which point to a final personal appearing of God to take part in human history from which He has now, as it were, retired into a state of repose becoming invisible to human eyes. Hupfeld and others wrongly translate “let not man become strong.” The verb עזז does not only mean to be or become strong, but also to feel strong, powerful, possessed of power, and to act accordingly, therefore: to defy, Psa 52:9, like עז defiant, impudent (post-biblical עזּוּת shamelessness). אנושׁ, as in 2Ch 14:10, is man, impotent in comparison with God, and frail in himself. The enemies of the church of God are not unfrequently designated by this name, which indicates the impotence of their pretended power (Isa 51:7, Isa 51:12). David prays that God may repress the arrogance of these defiant ones, by arising and manifesting Himself in all the greatness of His omnipotence, after His forbearance with them so long has seemed to them to be the result of impotence. He is to arise as the Judge of the world, judging the heathen, while they are compelled to appear before Him, and, as it were, defile before Him (על־פּני), He is to lay מורה on them. If “razor” be the meaning it is equivocally expressed; and if, according to Isa 7:20, we associate with it the idea of an ignominious rasure, or of throat-cutting, it is a figure unworthy of the passage. The signification master (lxx, Syr., Vulg., and Luther) rests upon the reading אמת, which we do not with Thenius and others prefer to the traditional reading (even Jerome translates: pone, Domine, terrorem eis); for מורה rof , which according to the Masora is instead of מורא (like מכלה Hab 3:17 for מכלא), is perfectly appropriate. Hitzig objects that fear is not a thing which one lays upon any one; but מורא means not merely fear, but an object, or as Hitzig himself explains it in Mal 2:5 a “lever,” of fear. It is not meant that God is to cause them to be overcome with terror (על), nor that He is to put terror into them (בּ), but that He is to make them (ל( m in no way differing from Psa 31:4; Psa 140:6; Job 14:13) an object of terror, from which to their dismay, as the wish is further expressed in Psa 9:20, they shall come to know (Hos 9:7) that they are mortal men. As in Psa 10:12; Psa 49:12; Psa 50:21; Psa 64:6; Gen 12:13; Job 35:14; Amo 5:12; Hos 7:2, ידּעוּ is followed by an only half indirect speech, without כּי or אשׁר. סּלה has Dag. forte conj. according to the rule of the אתי מרחיק (concerning which vid., on Psa 52:5), because it is erroneously regarded as an essential part of the text.