Psalm 149:9

To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(9) The judgment written.—If we knew the exact circumstance which produced the psalm, and had the names of the nobles and princes taken prisoners, we should easily guess at the contents of the “judgment written,” which was, perhaps, some special order, the carrying out of which is celebrated here; or we may think of the judgments against the nation registered here and there in the sacred books, and so by prescription made legitimate, such as that of the Canaanites, Amalekites, &c; or we may give the phrase a still more general sense, as in Isaiah 65:6 : “Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom.” Ought we not, however, to read the verse: To execute judgment upon them. It is written, This honour have all his saints.

This honour.—Israel is here regarded as the instrument of God’s righteous judgments on the heathen.

Benson Commentary

Psalm 149:9. To execute upon them the judgment written — Appointed and declared in the Holy Scriptures. This is added to show that they do not do this work to satisfy any malicious or revengeful inclinations of their own, but in obedience to God’s command, and only in such a manner as he hath allowed in his word. They act by commission from him, and according to his direction. Thus the kings of the earth that shall be employed in the destruction of the New Testament Babylon, will only execute the judgment written, Revelation 17:16-17. But since now no such special commissions can be produced, this will by no means justify the violence either of subjects against their princes, or of princes upon their subjects, or of both upon their neighbours, under pretence of religion; for Christ never intended that his gospel should be propagated by fire and sword, or his righteousness wrought by the wrath of man. When the high praises of God are in our mouths, with them we should have an olive branch of peace in our hands. This honour have all his saints — For whose sakes God appoints these judgments to be executed. The reader will observe, however, that the complete accomplishment of this prophetical exhibition will not take place till the judgment of the great day, when the Lord shall come with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all the ungodly, Jude, Judges 1:15; especially upon all who have rejected or apostatized, from the gospel of the grace of God. Kings and nobles that cast away the bands and cords of Christ’s government shall not then be able to cast away the fetters and chains of his justice and wrath. Then the judgment written shall be awfully executed, and indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, shall be the portion of those who did not obey the truth, but obeyed unrighteousness; and then shall all the saints have the honour of being assessors with Christ in judging the world, and beholding the degradation and punishment of their once insulting persecutors, who will be cut asunder with the two-edged sword, and slain before them, Luke 19:27.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

149:6-9 Some of God's servants of old were appointed to execute vengeance according to his word. They did not do it from personal revenge or earthly politics, but in obedience to God's command. And the honour intended for all the saints of God, consists in their triumphs over the enemies of their salvation. Christ never intended his gospel should be spread by fire and sword, or his righteousness by the wrath of man. But let the high praises of God be in our mouths, while we wield the sword of the word of God, with the shield of faith, in warfare with the world, the flesh, and the devil. The saints shall be more than conquerors over the enemies of their souls, through the blood of the Lamb and the word of his testimony. The completing of this will be in the judgement of the great day. Then shall the judgement be executed. Behold Jesus, and his gospel church, chiefly in her millennial state. He and his people rejoice in each other; by their prayers and efforts they work with him, while he goes forth in the chariots of salvation, conquering sinners by grace, or in chariots of vengeance, to destroy his enemies.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

To execute upon them the judgment written - Either, that which is written in the law in general as what is threatened to wicked men; or, that which was written for their particular case, or which they were specifically commanded to do. Compare Deuteronomy 7:1-2; Deuteronomy 32:41-43. Most probably the reference is to some particular command in this case.

This honor have all his saints -

(a) It is an honor to engage in executing or carrying out the purposes of God. As it is an honor to be a magistrate, a judge, a sheriff, a constable, a commander of an army, an admiral in a navy, to execute the purposes of a government - an honor sought with great avidity among people as among the most valued distinctions of life - why should it be less honorable to execute the purposes of God? Are the objects which he seeks in his administration less important than those which are sought among people? Are his laws of less importance? Are his aims less pure? Is there less of justice, and equity, and benevolence in his plans?

(b) It is an honor which pertains to "all the saints" - to all who love and fear God - to be engaged in carrying out or executing his plans. In their own way, and in their own sphere - it may, indeed, be a very humble sphere - but each and all in their own sphere, are engaged in executing the purposes of God. In the duties of a family; in kindness to the poor; in the office of a teacher or a magistrate; in clearing a farm; in cultivating the land; in building a schoolhouse; in founding a church, a college, an asylum for the blind, the dumb, the lame, the insane; in contributing to send the gospel abroad over our own land, or among the pagan, or in going to carry that gospel to a benighted world - in some of these ways all who are truly the friends of God, or who are entitled to be enrolled among the "saints of the Lord" are, in fact, carrying out the purposes of the Lord - the "judgments written" to guide mankind; and man's highest honor here, as it will be in heaven, is to carry out the purposes of the Lord.

Praise ye the Lord - Hallelu-jah. It is a subject of praise and thanksgiving, it should lead us to shout Hallelujah, that we are permitted to be employed in any way, however humble, in carrying out the divine plans, or in accomplishing those great designs which he contemplates toward our race.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

9. the judgment written—either in God's decrees, or perhaps as in De 32:41-43.

this honour—that is, to be thus employed, will be an honorable service, to be assigned

his saints—or, godly ones (Ps 16:3).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The judgment written; appointed and declared in the Holy Scripture, as Deu 12:32 29:19 32:41-43, and elsewhere. This is added to show that they do not this work to satisfy their own malicious or revengeful inclinations, but in obedience to God’s command, and only in such manner as God hath allowed in his word.

This honour have all his saints; the honour of these actions belongs to all the saints, for whose sakes God appointed this in his word, and afterwards executed it by his providence.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

To execute upon them the judgment written,.... In the law, according to the Targum; either upon the seven nations of the land of Canaan, Deuteronomy 7:12; or upon all the enemies of God and his people, Deuteronomy 32:41; or rather in the Gospel; which declares, that whoever believes in Christ shall be saved, but whoever believes not shall be damned, Mark 16:16. And according to this twoedged sword or word of God, and the sentence pronounced by it, and judgment written in it, things will everlastingly take place. Or it may principally have regard to the judgment upon antichrist in the latter day, written in the word of God; and which will be executed by the saints, with the twoedged sword in their hands, Revelation 16:6;

this honour have all his saints; which is spoken of throughout the psalm; as to be acceptable unto God, and well pleasing in his sight; to be adorned with grace, and beautified with salvation; to have the high praises of God in their mouths, and a twoedged sword in their hands, and to do the execution with it above mentioned;

praise ye the Lord; even all his saints; who of all men have most reason to do it, for the grace that is given them, and the honour put upon them.

Geneva Study Bible

To execute upon them the judgment {g} written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

(g) By this God binds the hands and minds of all his to enterprise no farther than he appoints.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

9. upon them] The nations; not the kings and nobles only.

the judgment written] The sentence pronounced by Jehovah and recorded in His book (cp. Isaiah 65:6; Isaiah 10:1; Job 13:26) for execution at the proper time; or the reference may be to the general testimony of law and prophets concerning the ultimate judgement of the nations. See Deuteronomy 32:41 ff.; Isaiah 41:15 f.; Ezekiel 38, 39; Joel 3:12 ff.; Micah 4:13; Zechariah 14; &c.

this honour &c.] Honour shall that be for all his beloved. The defeat of their enemies brings honour to Jehovah’s chosen people. It is possible to render He is the honour of all his beloved, but this fits the context less well.

The LXX is probably right in omitting the final Hallelujah.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 9. - To execute upon them the judgment written. The allusion is probably to Deuteronomy 32:41, 42, where God announces the judgments that he will execute upon the oppressors of his people. This honor have all his saints; rather, a glory is this to all his saints. "The victories of their Lord reflect glory on all his faithful and devoted servants" (Kay.). Praise ye the Lord (comp. ver. 1).



Psalm 149:9

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The glance is here directed to the future. The people of the present have again, in their God, attained to a lofty self-consciousness, the consciousness of their destiny, viz., to subjugate the whole world of nations to the God of Israel. In the presence of the re-exaltation which they have experienced their throat is full of words and songs exalting Jahve (רוממות, plural of רומם, or, according to another reading, רומם, Psalm 56:1-13 :17), and as servants of this God, the rightful Lord of all the heathen (Psalm 82:8), they hold in their hand a many-mouthed, i.e., many edged sword (vid., supra, p. 580), in order to take the field on behalf of the true religion, as the Maccabees actually did, not long after: ταῖς μὲν χερσὶν ἀγωνιζόμενοι ταῖς δὲ καρδίαις πρὸς τὸν Θεόν εὐχόμενοι (2 Macc. 15:27). The meaning of Psalm 149:9 becomes a different one, according as we take this line as co-ordinate or subordinate to what goes before. Subordinated, it would imply the execution of a penal jurisdiction over those whom they carried away, and כּתוּב would refer to prescriptive facts such as are recorded in Numbers 31:8; 1 Samuel 15:32. (Hitzig). But it would become the religious lyric poet least of all to entertain such an unconditional prospect of the execution of the conquered worldly rulers. There is just as little ground for thinking of the judgment of extermination pronounced upon the nations of Canaan, which was pronounced upon them for an especial reason. If Psalm 149:9 is taken as co-ordinate, the "written judgment" (Recht) consists in the complete carrying out of the subjugation; and this is commended by the perfectly valid parallel, Isaiah 45:14. The poet, however, in connection with the expression "written," has neither this nor that passage of Scripture in his mind, but the testimony of the Law and of prophecy in general, that all kingdoms shall become God's and His Christ's. Subjugation (and certainly not without bloodshed) is the scriptural משׁפּט for the execution of which Jahve makes use of His own nation. Because the God who thus vindicates Himself is Israel's God, this subjugation of the world is הדר, splendour and glory, to all who are in love devoted to Him. The glorifying of Jahve is also the glorifying of Israel.