Psalms 9:20 - Exposition

Put them in fear, O Lord ; literally, set fear to them ; i.e. "make them afraid," either by striking a panic terror into them, as into the Syrians when they had brought Samaria to the last gasp ( 2 Kings 7:6 , 2 Kings 7:7 ), or by causing them calmly to review the situation, and to see how dangerous it was to assail God's people ( 2 Kings 6:23 ). That the nations may know themselves to be but men. May recognize, i.e; their weakness; may remember that they are enosh —mere weak, frail, sickly, perishing mortals. Selah. Here this word occurs for the second time at the end of a psalm (see above, Psalms 3:8 )—a position which militates against the idea of its signifying "a pause," since there must always have been a pause at the end of every psalm.