Psalm 149:6-9

6 May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,

7 to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,

8 to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron,

9 to carry out the sentence written against them— this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the LORD.

Psalm 149:6-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 149

This psalm is thought by Calvin and others to have been written for the sake of the Jews that returned from the Babylonish captivity; and is a prediction of great and famous things done in the times of the Maccabees to Heathens and their princes, so Theodoret; the Syriac version entitles it,

``concerning the new temple;''

that is, the second temple, built by Zerubbabel, and the things done under that; but it rather seems to have been written by David in the beginning of his reign, when he obtained victories over the Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and Syrians; and refers to the times of the Messiah, as Kimchi, R. Obadiah Gaon, and others think; not of the Jews' vainly expected Messiah, but of the true Messiah, who is come, and will come again, spiritually and personally; and there are many things in it applicable both to the first and latter part of his days.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 66:17
• 2. Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:16
• 3. Nehemiah 4:17
• 4. S Numbers 31:3; S Deuteronomy 32:41
• 5. Psalms 81:15
• 6. S 2 Samuel 3:34; S Isaiah 14:1-2
• 7. 2 Chronicles 33:11
• 8. Deuteronomy 7:1; Ezekiel 28:26
• 9. S Psalms 145:10; Psalms 148:14