Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 9:6

"The enemy are come to an end, they are desolate for ever; And the cities which thou hast overthrown, The very remembrance of them is perished." — Psalms 9:6 (ASV)

O thou enemy! - This verse has been interpreted and explained in many different ways. For an examination of the particular views held concerning it, see particularly Rosenmuller, in loc. The reference is undoubtedly to the enemies mentioned in the previous verses, and the idea is substantially the same: that they were completely overcome and subdued.

The phrase “O thou enemy” is probably to be regarded as the nominative absolute: “The enemy—his destructions or desolations are finished forever. He will now no longer engage in that work.” The writer’s attention is fixed on them and on the fact that they will no longer engage in the work of desolation. It is not, therefore, properly to be regarded, as it is rendered in the common translation, as an apostrophe to the enemy, but rather as indicating a state of mind in which the writer is meditating on his enemies, and on the fact that they would no longer engage in the work in which they had been engaged—of laying cities and towns in ruins.

Destructions are come to a perpetual end - That is, your destructions are finished, completed, accomplished. There are to be no more of them.

This may either refer to their acts causing destruction, or laying waste cities and towns, meaning that they would no longer accomplish this work; or it may refer to the destruction or ruins which they had caused in laying waste cities—the ruins which marked their career—meaning that the number of such ruins was now complete, and that no more would be added, for they themselves were overthrown.

The word rendered “destructions” properly means desolations, waste places, or ruins. It seems here to refer to the wastes or ruins which the enemy had made. The true idea is that such desolations were now complete, or that they would not be allowed to devastate any more cities and fields.

Professor Alexander renders this, “finished, completed are (his) ruins, desolations, forever; that is, he is ruined or made desolate forever.”

And thou hast destroyed cities - That is, in your desolating career. This, considered as an address to the enemy, would seem to refer to the career of some victor who had carried fire and sword through the land, and whose course had been marked by smoking ruins.

This career was, however, now at an end, for God had intervened and had given the author of the psalm a victory over his foe. Professor Alexander regards this, less properly, as an address to God, meaning that he had destroyed the cities of the enemy. The idea is, rather, that this enemy had been distinguished for spreading desolation and ruin, and that this career was now closed forever.

Their memorial is perished with them - This refers to the names of the cities, indicating their utter destruction and the character of the warfare which had been waged. It had been utterly barbarous and vicious; the enemy had left nothing to testify even what the city had been, and its name had ceased to be mentioned. See the notes at Psalms 9:5.

This seems to be mentioned as a justification of the warfare which the author of the psalm had waged against this enemy, and as showing why God had intervened and had given him the victory.