◄ Psalm 76:9 ►
when God rose up to judge, to save all the lowly of the earth. Selah
Study Bible
when God rose up
The phrase "when God rose up" signifies a divine intervention, a moment when God actively engages in the affairs of humanity. The Hebrew root for "rose up" is "קוּם" (qum), which means to arise, stand, or establish. This conveys a powerful image of God taking a stand, asserting His authority and presence. Historically, this can be seen as a reminder of God's past interventions on behalf of Israel, such as during the Exodus. It is a call to recognize God's sovereignty and His readiness to act in righteousness and justice.

to judge
The word "judge" comes from the Hebrew "שָׁפַט" (shaphat), which means to govern, to vindicate, or to execute judgment. In the biblical context, God's judgment is not merely punitive but also restorative. It involves setting things right, upholding justice, and defending the oppressed. This reflects God's character as a righteous judge who is concerned with moral order and the well-being of His creation. The historical context of Israel often involved God judging nations and leaders, demonstrating His ultimate authority over all.

to save
The term "to save" is derived from the Hebrew "יָשַׁע" (yasha), meaning to deliver or rescue. This word is central to the biblical narrative of salvation, where God is depicted as the Savior of His people. The act of saving is not just a physical deliverance but also a spiritual redemption. It points to God's mercy and grace, offering hope and restoration to those who trust in Him. This salvation is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, culminating in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus Christ as the ultimate Savior.

all the lowly of the earth
The phrase "all the lowly of the earth" highlights God's concern for the humble and oppressed. The Hebrew word for "lowly" is "עָנָו" (anav), which can mean humble, meek, or afflicted. This reflects God's preferential option for the marginalized and His commitment to lifting up those who are downtrodden. In the historical context, this would have been a source of comfort for the Israelites, who often found themselves oppressed by surrounding nations. It underscores the biblical principle that God exalts the humble and brings down the proud.

Selah
The term "Selah" is a Hebrew word found frequently in the Psalms, though its exact meaning is uncertain. It is often thought to be a musical or liturgical pause, inviting the reader or listener to reflect on the preceding words. In this context, "Selah" serves as a moment to meditate on the profound truths of God's justice and salvation. It encourages believers to pause and consider the implications of God's intervention in their lives and the world, fostering a deeper appreciation for His divine sovereignty and grace.

Persons / Places / Events
1. God
The central figure in this verse, God is depicted as the righteous judge who rises to execute judgment and deliverance.

2. The Lowly of the Earth
This refers to those who are humble, oppressed, or marginalized, whom God seeks to save.

3. Judgment
The event where God rises to judge, indicating a divine intervention in human affairs.

4. Selah
A term used in the Psalms, possibly indicating a pause for reflection or musical interlude.
Teaching Points
God as Righteous Judge
God’s judgment is always just and fair. Believers can trust in His righteous character, knowing that He will ultimately set things right.

Divine Deliverance for the Humble
God’s heart is inclined towards those who are humble and oppressed. As Christians, we are called to emulate this by advocating for and supporting the marginalized.

Reflection and Pause (Selah)
The use of "Selah" invites us to pause and reflect on God’s justice and mercy. Taking time to meditate on God’s word can deepen our understanding and faith.

Hope for the Oppressed
This verse offers hope to those who feel downtrodden. It reassures us that God sees their plight and will act on their behalf.

Call to Humility
Recognizing that God saves the lowly encourages us to cultivate humility in our own lives, aligning ourselves with those whom God favors.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God as a righteous judge influence your perspective on justice in the world today?

2. In what ways can you advocate for the lowly and oppressed in your community, reflecting God’s heart for them?

3. How can the concept of "Selah" be incorporated into your daily spiritual practices to enhance your relationship with God?

4. What are some practical steps you can take to cultivate humility in your life, in light of God’s favor towards the humble?

5. How do the themes of judgment and salvation in Psalm 76:9 connect with the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 9:7-10
This passage also speaks of God as a righteous judge who provides refuge for the oppressed, reinforcing the theme of divine justice and protection for the lowly.

Isaiah 11:4
This verse describes the Messiah judging the poor with righteousness, connecting the theme of divine judgment and salvation for the humble.

James 4:6
This New Testament verse highlights God's favor towards the humble, aligning with the theme of God saving the lowly.

Matthew 5:3-5
The Beatitudes emphasize blessings for the poor in spirit and the meek, reflecting God's care for the lowly.
Sermons
With God Judgment is SalvationR. Tuck Psalm 76:9
A Psalm of TriumphC. Short Psalm 76:1-12
Glorious Aspects of the Divine CharacterA. K. H. Boyd, D. D.Psalm 76:1-12
The Triumphs of GodS. Conway Psalm 76:1-12
A Model of Devout PraiseW. Jones.Psalm 76:9,10
People
Asaph, Jacob, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Afflicted, Establish, Humble, Judge, Judgment, Meek, Ones, Oppressed, Poor, Rising, Rose, Salvation, Save, Selah
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 76:9

     8305   meekness
     8666   praise, manner and methods

Psalm 76:8-9

     1310   God, as judge
     9210   judgment, God's

Library
Letter Xlviii to Magister Walter De Chaumont.
To Magister [75] Walter de Chaumont. He exhorts him to flee from the world, advising him to prefer the cause and the interests of his soul to those of parents. MY DEAR WALTER, I often grieve my heart about you whenever the most pleasant remembrance of you comes back to me, seeing how you consume in vain occupations the flower of your youth, the sharpness of your intellect, the store of your learning and skill, and also, what is more excellent in a Christian than all of these gifts, the pure and innocent …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Epistle cxxii. To Rechared, King of the visigoths .
To Rechared, King of the Visigoths [82] . Gregory to Rechared, &c. I cannot express in words, most excellent son, how much I am delighted with thy work and thy life. For on hearing of the power of a new miracle in our days, to wit that the whole nation of the Goths has through thy Excellency been brought over from the error of Arian heresy to the firmness of a right faith, one is disposed to exclaim with the prophet, This is the change wrought by the right hand of the Most High (Ps. lxxvi. 11 [83] …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Concerning Jonathan, one of the Sicarii, that Stirred up a Sedition in Cyrene, and was a False Accuser [Of the Innocent].
1. And now did the madness of the Sicarii, like a disease, reach as far as the cities of Cyrene; for one Jonathan, a vile person, and by trade a weaver, came thither and prevailed with no small number of the poorer sort to give ear to him; he also led them into the desert, upon promising them that he would show them signs and apparitions. And as for the other Jews of Cyrene, he concealed his knavery from them, and put tricks upon them; but those of the greatest dignity among them informed Catullus, …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

Jerusalem
The first name of this city was Shalem, Genesis 14:18, Psalm 76:2, and it is still retained in the writing, however it is read Jerushalaim. "The name of that place is Jehovah-jireh. Abraham called the place Jireh; Shem called it Shalem. Saith God, If I shall call it Jireh, it will displease Shem the Just; if I shall call it Shalem, it will displease Abraham the Just. I will therefore put that name upon it which was put upon it by both, Jireh, Shalem,--Jerusalem."--"We do not, therefore, put Jod between …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Beginning at Jerusalem
The whole verse runs thus: "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." The words were spoken by Christ, after he rose from the dead, and they are here rehearsed after an historical manner, but do contain in them a formal commission, with a special clause therein. The commission is, as you see, for the preaching of the gospel, and is very distinctly inserted in the holy record by Matthew and Mark. "Go teach all nations," …
John Bunyan—Jerusalem Sinner Saved

The Jerusalem Sinner Saved;
OR, GOOD NEWS FOR THE VILEST OF MEN; BEING A HELP FOR DESPAIRING SOULS, SHOWING THAT JESUS CHRIST WOULD HAVE MERCY IN THE FIRST PLACE OFFERED TO THE BIGGEST SINNERS. THE THIRD EDITION, IN WHICH IS ADDED, AN ANSWER TO THOSE GRAND OBJECTIONS THAT LIE IN THE WAY OF THE THEM THAT WOULD BELIEVE: FOR THE COMFORT OF THEM THAT FEAR THEY HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST. BY JOHN BUNYAN, OF BEDFORD. London: Printed for Elizabeth Smith, at the Hand and Bible, on London Bridge, 1691. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Question Lxxxii of Devotion
I. Is Devotion a Special Kind of Act? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Meaning of the Term "Devotion" S. Augustine, Confessions, XIII. viii. 2 II. Is Devotion an Act of the Virtue of Religion? III. Is Contemplation, that is Meditation, the Cause of Devotion? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Causes of Devotion " " On the Devotion of Women IV. Is Joy an Effect of Devotion? Cardinal Cajetan, On Melancholy S. Augustine, Confessions, II. x. I Is Devotion a Special Kind of Act? It is by our acts that we merit. But …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, K ING OF K INGS AND L ORD OF L ORDS T he description of the administration and glory of the Redeemer's Kingdom, in defiance of all opposition, concludes the second part of Messiah Oratorio. Three different passages from the book of Revelation are selected to form a grand chorus, of which Handel's title in this verse is the close --a title which has been sometimes vainly usurped by proud worms of this earth. Eastern monarchs, in particular, …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Question Lxxxi of the virtue of Religion
I. Does the Virtue of Religion Direct a Man To God Alone? S. Augustine, sermon, cccxxxiv. 3 " on Psalm lxxvi. 32 sermon, cccxi. 14-15 II. Is Religion a Virtue? III. Is Religion One Virtue? IV. Is Religion a Special Virtue Distinct From Others? V. Is Religion One of the Theological Virtues? VI. Is Religion To Be Preferred To the Other Moral Virtues? VII. Has Religion, Or Latria, Any External Acts? S. Augustine, of Care for the Dead, V. VIII. Is Religion the Same As Sanctity? Cardinal Cajetan, …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Letter Xlv (Circa A. D. 1120) to a Youth Named Fulk, who Afterwards was Archdeacon of Langres
To a Youth Named Fulk, Who Afterwards Was Archdeacon of Langres He gravely warns Fulk, a Canon Regular, whom an uncle had by persuasions and promises drawn back to the world, to obey God and be faithful to Him rather than to his uncle. To the honourable young man Fulk, Brother Bernard, a sinner, wishes such joy in youth as in old age he will not regret. 1. I do not wonder at your surprise; I should wonder if you were not suprised [sic] that I should write to you, a countryman to a citizen, a monk …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Covenanting Confers Obligation.
As it has been shown that all duty, and that alone, ought to be vowed to God in covenant, it is manifest that what is lawfully engaged to in swearing by the name of God is enjoined in the moral law, and, because of the authority of that law, ought to be performed as a duty. But it is now to be proved that what is promised to God by vow or oath, ought to be performed also because of the act of Covenanting. The performance of that exercise is commanded, and the same law which enjoins that the duties …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Power of God
The next attribute is God's power. Job 9:19. If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong.' In this chapter is a magnificent description of God's power. Lo, he is strong.' The Hebrew word for strong signifies a conquering, prevailing strength. He is strong.' The superlative degree is intended here; viz., He is most strong. He is called El-shaddai, God almighty. Gen 17:7. His almightiness lies in this, that he can do whatever is feasible. Divines distinguish between authority and power. God has both. …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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