Psalms 9:17

17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.

Psalms 9:17 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 9:17

The wicked shall be turned into hell
Some render it, "shall return to the grave" F16, to the earth, the original dust from whence they came; but this is common to all men, to the righteous as well as the wicked; rather (lwav) here signifies the place of torment, commonly called hell, where devils and damned spirits are; hither the souls of the wicked go immediately upon their departure from their bodies, ( Luke 16:23 ) ; and after the judgment is over, they will be remanded thither in soul and body; and their damnation is called the destruction of soul and body in hell; which will consist in an everlasting separation from God, and in a sense of his wrath and fiery indignation: and though this is true of all the wicked, yet here that wicked one, antichrist, and his wicked followers, are chiefly designed; even the beast and false prophet, who shall be cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone, ( Revelation 19:20 ) ( 20:10 ) ;

[and] all the nations that forget God;
which is not to be understood of the Pagan nations, though they may be said to forget God, since he is to be known by the light of nature, and yet they worship idols, the works of their hands; but the Papal nations, who adore the pope of Rome as God on earth, worship angels and saints departed, and images of gold and silver, and wood and stone. It may be applied to every wicked man who forgets there is a God who sees and knows all things, and to whom men are accountable; see ( Psalms 50:22 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F16 (hlwavl wbwvy) "revertentur ad vel in sepulchrum", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Psalms 9:17 In-Context

15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.+p[Higgaion. Selah]
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19 Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.