Psalms 9:12

12 For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

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Psalms 9:12 in Other Translations

KJV

12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

ESV

12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

NLT

12 For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless. He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.

MSG

12 How he tracks down killers yet keeps his eye on us, registers every whimper and moan.

CSB

12 For the One who seeks an accounting for bloodshed remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

Psalms 9:12 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 9:12

When he maketh inquisition for blood
The Arabic version renders it, "he remembers him that seeks their blood"; that is, the wicked man, that lies in wait for innocent blood, and whose feet are swift to shed it; the man of sin, who is bloodthirsty; who drinks up the blood of the saints like water, and has been made drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, him will God remember, and take vengeance on, in his own time: but rather this is to be understood of God himself, seeking for the blood of his saints: he knows where it is, though ever so privily shed, as he did Abel's; yet, to show his strict care and accurate notice of it, he is represented as searching for it, and finding it out by secret search, ( Jeremiah 2:34 ) . And it is the same phrase with "requiring" blood, and expresses a demand of satisfaction for it; and declares the vengeance that God will take on account of it: he requires the blood of every man at the hand of him by whom it is shed, ( Genesis 9:5 Genesis 9:6 ) ; especially the blood of the righteous, ( Matthew 23:35 ) ; particularly the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, shed by the Romish antichrist; he will make inquisition for that, and will find in Babylon the blood of the prophets and saints, and of all that are slain on earth; and will avenge the blood of his servants at her hand, and give her blood to drink, ( Revelation 18:24 ) ( 19:2 ) ( 16:6 ) ;

he remembereth them;
either the "righteous", as the Targum paraphrases it, whose blood has been shed; or else the wicked, who shed their blood: God will remember them and their sins; which, for some time, may seem not to have been taken notice of by him, and will pour out his wrath, and inflict just punishment on them; see ( Revelation 16:19 ) ( Revelation 18:5 Revelation 18:6 ) ;

he forgetteth not the cry of the humble:
the "Cetib", or writing of the text, is (Myyne) , "afflicted"; the "Keri", or marginal reading, is (Mywne) , "humble"; so the Masorah and Targum read: both may be taken into the sense: afflicted persons are generally humble, afflictions make them humble; God's people are an afflicted people; afflicted with sin, with Satan, with the world, with antichrist and his followers: and they are an humble people; grace makes them humble, and a sense of their sin and unworthiness keeps them so: and this is a proper character of the followers of Jesus. These in their distress cry to the Lord, as the Israelites did in Egypt under their bondage and, pressures: yea, their blood cries after death, as Abel's did, and as the blood of the martyrs of Christ does, whose souls under the altar cry for vengeance, ( Revelation 6:9 ) ; and God is not unmindful of their cry; however he may seem to be, he takes notice of it, and wilt in his own time avenge his elect, which cry unto him day and night.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible