John Calvin 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 you enemy, desolations have come to an end for ever. This sixth verse is explained in different ways. Some read it interrogatively, viewing the letter ה, as a mark of interrogation, as if David, addressing his discourse to his enemies, asked whether they had completed their work of devastation, just as they had resolved to destroy everything. For the verb תמם, tamam, sometimes signifies to complete, and sometimes to put an end to anything. If we take it in this sense here, David, in the language of sarcasm or irony, rebukes the foolish confidence of his enemies.

Others, reading the verse without any interrogation, make the irony still more evident. They think that David describes, in these three verses, a twofold state of affairs: first (verse 6), he introduces his enemies persecuting him with savage violence and persevering with determined obstinacy in their cruelty, so that it seemed to be their fixed purpose never to desist until the kingdom of David should be utterly destroyed; and second (verses 7 and 8), he represents God as seated on his judgment-seat, directly opposite them, to repress their outrageous attempts.

If this sense is accepted, the copulative, in the beginning of the seventh verse, which we have translated and, must be rendered by the adversative particle but, in this way: You, O enemy, sought after nothing except slaughter and the destruction of cities; but, finally, God has shown that he sits in heaven on his throne as judge, to set in order the things that are in confusion on the earth.

According to others, David gives thanks to God because, when the ungodly were fully determined to spread universal ruin around them, he put an end to their devastations. Others understand the words in a more restricted sense, meaning that the desolations of the ungodly were completed because God, in his just judgment, had made the calamities and ruin they had devised against David fall upon their own heads.

According to others, David, in the sixth verse, complains that God had, for a long time, silently permitted the miserable devastation of his people, so that the ungodly, being left unchecked, wasted and destroyed everything as they pleased. In the seventh verse, they think he adds for his consolation that God, nevertheless, presides over human affairs.

I have no objection to the view that first, it is ironically described how dreadful the enemy's power was when they put forth their utmost efforts; and next, contrasted with it, is the judgment of God, which suddenly brought their proceedings to an abrupt end, contrary to their expectation.

They anticipated no such outcome, for we know that the ungodly, although they may not presume openly to deprive God of his authority and dominion, yet run headlong into every excess of wickedness, no less boldly than if he were bound with fetters. We have noted an almost similar manner of speaking in a preceding psalm (Psalms 7:13).

This contrast between the power of the enemies of God and his people, and the work of God in disrupting their plans, clearly illustrates the wonderful nature of the help he granted to his people. The ungodly had set no limit for themselves in doing mischief, except for the utter destruction of everything. At first, complete destruction seemed imminent; but when things were in this state of confusion, God appeared in a timely way to help his people.

Therefore, whenever nothing but destruction is all we can see, wherever we may turn, let us remember to lift up our eyes to the heavenly throne, from where God observes all that is done on earth. In the world, our affairs may have been brought to such a desperate point that there is no longer hope for them; but the shield with which we should repel all the temptations that assail us is this: that God, nevertheless, sits as Judge in heaven.

Indeed, when he seems to take no notice of us and does not immediately remedy the evils we suffer, we should realize by faith his hidden providence. The Psalmist says, in the first place, God sits for ever, by which he means that however high the violence of men may reach, and although their fury may burst forth without measure, they can never drag God from his seat.

He further means by this expression that it is impossible for God to abdicate the office and authority of judge; a truth which he expresses more clearly in the second clause of the verse, He has prepared his throne for judgment, in which he declares that God reigns not only to make his majesty and glory supremely great but also to govern the world in righteousness.