Psalms 9:17 · Bible study
Psalms 9:17 Commentary: Sheol: Grave or Hell? A Study in Divine Judgment
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Does 'Sheol' in Psalm 9:17 mean the grave or hell? Explore the debated meaning and its pastoral significance.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God's judgment will decisively end the course of the wicked, returning them to Sheol, whether as death or punishment.
- Key words: 'Sheol', grave, underworld, or place of torment; 'turned back', reversal and defeat; 'forget God', willful neglect of God's claims.
- Main debate: Does Sheol here mean the grave (common to all) or a place of torment (unique to the wicked)?
- Theological theme: Divine justice and the vindication of the oppressed.
- Best use: Teaching on the certainty of judgment balanced with the hope of deliverance for the needy (v.18).
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The wicked will return to Sheol— all the nations who forget God.
WEB World English Bible 2000
The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol, even all the nations that forget God.
KJV King James Version 1769
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The wicked shall be turned back unto Sheol, Even all the nations that forget God.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
The wicked do turn back to Sheol, All nations forgetting God.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
The wicked shall be turned into Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The Lord shall be known when he executeth judgments: the sinner hath been caught in the works of his own hands.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Los malos serán trasladados al infierno, todas las gentes que se olvidan de Dios.
Os perversos voltarão ao mundo dos mortos; e também todas as nações que se esquecem de Deus.
L’ Éternel se montre, il fait justice,
Ach daß die Gottlosen müßten zur Hölle gekehrt werden, alle Heiden, die Gottes vergessen!
De HEERE is bekend geworden; Hij heeft recht gedaan; de goddeloze is verstrikt in het werk zijner handen! Higgajon, Sela.
Gli empi se n’andranno al soggiorno de’ morti, sì, tutte le nazioni che dimenticano Iddio.
Oznajmił się Pan, gdy uczynił sąd; w sprawie rąk swoich się złośnik usidlił. Rzecz godna rozmyślania! Sela.
Познан был Господь по суду, который Он совершил; нечестивый уловлен делами рук своих.
惡人，就是忘記 神 的外邦人，都 必歸 到陰間。
The sinners and all the nations who have no memory of God will be turned into the underworld.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Psalm 9:17 announces a certain, decisive end for the wicked. The verse functions as a general principle drawn from David's experience: those who oppose God and His people will not escape judgment. But what kind of end? The Hebrew word Sheol is the sticking point. Barnes points out that the righteous also go to the grave, so the word here must mean something more, either a violent or premature death, or a place of torment. He notes that Calvin leans toward the former, while Gill and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown read it as hell, the abode of the damned. The Cambridge Bible insists that Sheol is not a place of torment; it is the shadowy underworld where all go, and the punch is that the wicked will have no more power for evil. Keil and Delitzsch see it as a return to the dust, a wiping out of existence. What is not in dispute: the wicked face a real, final reversal. Their present success will not last. God's justice will have the last word.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Sheol as grave/death: The word commonly means the grave or underworld, and the righteous also die (Job 30:23, Psalm 104:29).
- Sheol as hell/torment: The righteous are not 'turned back' to Sheol in this punitive sense; verse 18 contrasts their hope (Luke 16:23, Revelation 19:20).
What is clear: The wicked will face a decisive end inflicted by God's judgment, in contrast to the hope of the needy.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of Sheol | Sheol is the realm of the dead, distinct from the living world. | Some (Barnes, Gill) view it as a place of torment for the wicked; others (Cambridge, Keil & Delitzsch) see it as death or a shadowy underworld without torment. |
| Identity of 'the wicked' | The term includes both individuals (the wicked) and nations (the nations). | Gill applies it specifically to the antichrist and papal nations; others read it as any wicked person or nation opposing God's people. |
| Nature of 'forgetting God' | It is a culpable neglect, not mere absent-mindedness. | Whether it refers to the heathen who never had the law (Cambridge) or to all who suppress natural knowledge of God (Barnes, Poole). |
| Relation to verse 18 | Verse 18 provides hope for the needy in contrast to the wicked's fate. | Whether this hope is temporal (rescue from enemies) or eternal (final salvation). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 9 is a psalm of thanksgiving and lament, likely from David's early reign after victories over surrounding nations. The 'nations' are foreign powers who have attacked Israel and forgotten the God of Israel. In the ancient Near East, a nation's gods were thought to guarantee its success. For a nation to 'forget' God means a deliberate turning away from acknowledging His sovereignty, a culpable ignorance (Romans 1:18-23, as the Cambridge Bible notes).
Sheol in Old Testament thought was not simply the grave. It was the shadowy realm of the dead, a place of silence and separation. The righteous and wicked both went there at death, but the quality of their existence was understood differently over time. By David's day, it was not yet a fully developed doctrine of hell, but the seeds were there. Verses 15-16 set the stage: the nations are 'sunk down in the pit they made,' snared by their own hands. Verse 17 then declares a universal principle: the wicked will be turned back to Sheol. The word 'return' echoes Genesis 3:19 and Job 30:23, a going back to the dust from which humanity came. Yet because the righteous have a hope that does not perish (v.18), the wicked's return carries a finality that is more than mere physical death. It is a judgment pronounced by God, not a natural process.
David writes from the 'gates of death' (v.13), pleading for deliverance so he can praise God. This context of persecution and rescue gives the verse its sharp edge: God executes judgment on the wicked to vindicate His people and His own name.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 9:17. The Hebrew text is stable across the Masoretic tradition. The only variation is in translation choices (e.g., 'hell' in KJV vs 'Sheol' in modern versions), which reflect interpretation of the same Hebrew word.
Reception History
Psalm 9:17 has been read throughout church history as a sobering declaration of God's judgment. Early Christian writers, such as Augustine, saw it as a prophecy of the final condemnation of the ungodly. The medieval church used the verse in penitential contexts. During the Reformation, both Calvin and the Geneva Bible highlighted the certainty of punishment for those who forget God, applying it to both heathen nations and unfaithful believers. In modern times, the verse is often cited in discussions of hell and judgment, with some traditions emphasizing the literal fire of hell and others the symbol of separation from God. Across all eras, the verse has been a comfort to the persecuted and a warning to the proud.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The destination of the wicked. Whether Sheol means death or hell, the point is the same: the wicked do not go on forever. Their course is stopped by God's judgment. They are 'turned back', a military image of retreat and defeat.
- The definition of forgetfulness. Forgetting God is not absent-mindedness. It is a willful ignoring of who He is and what He requires. The nations had evidence of God in creation and conscience (Romans 1), but they suppressed it. This forgetfulness leads to ruin.
- The deliverance of the needy. Verse 18 follows immediately: 'For the needy shall not always be forgotten.' The wicked are remembered in judgment; the poor are remembered in mercy. This is the pivot of the psalm.
Five-point outline
- The wicked will return. 'Return' suggests a reversal, what they were pursuing (power, success, self) is denied them.
- The nations are included. No nation is too big to fall. God judges peoples, not just individuals.
- Forgetfulness is a sin. It leads to all other sins. The root of idolatry and oppression is forgetting God.
- Justice has a future. This verse is a promise: evil will not have the last word. History is going somewhere.
- Hope for the helpless. The poor and needy are not overlooked. Their hope will not perish forever.
Illustration hooks
- Forgetting a phone number. We all forget things, but forgetting God is more like erasing His number from your contacts because you don't want to call. It is deliberate.
- A runner on the wrong track. The wicked are 'turned back' from their course. Imagine a marathon runner who hears the officials say, 'Stop. This is the wrong way. You have to go back.' It is disorienting and final.
- A courtroom gavel. The judge's decision is not a suggestion. God's judgment on the wicked is as certain as the closing of a case.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can a loving God send people to hell? (This verse raises the question of divine justice; point to the cross and the offer of grace.)
- Does God really see the injustice in my life? (Verse 18 says the needy are not forgotten, God sees and will act.)
- What does it mean to 'forget God' in a world full of distractions? (It means living as if He does not matter, not acknowledging Him in our decisions.)
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 9:17 sits at the heart of a psalm that moves from thanksgiving to urgent prayer. This verse is a strong statement about God's justice. But it also raises hard questions about the fate of those who do not know God. As you discuss, remember that the psalmist is speaking from experience of oppression. The verse is not a cold doctrine; it is a cry for vindication. Allow room for both the gravity of judgment and the hope of verse 18.
Discussion questions
- Read Psalm 9:15-20. How do verses 15-16 prepare the ground for verse 17? What does the 'pit' and 'net' imagery tell you about God's judgment?
- The word 'Sheol' can mean grave, underworld, or hell. Why do you think the Bible leaves this somewhat ambiguous? What difference does it make for how we read the verse?
- Why does the psalmist emphasize 'nations' and not just individuals? What does this say about God's concern for justice on a global scale?
- Verse 18 says the needy will not be forgotten forever. How does this hope connect to the judgment in verse 17? What does it tell us about God's character?
- 'Forget God', is this a passive slip or an active rejection? Look at Psalm 50:22 and Job 8:13. What kind of forgetting leads to destruction?
- How should a Christian live in light of the certainty of judgment? Does this verse make you fearful, grateful, or something else?
- How can we pray for people who 'forget God' without becoming self-righteous? What does Jesus' example teach us?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 8:13 | So are the paths of all who forget God. The hope of the godless man will perish, |
| Psalms 44:17 | All this has come on us, yet we haven’t forgotten you. We haven’t been false to your covenant. |
| Psalms 44:20 | If we have forgotten the name of our God, or spread out our hands to a strange god, |
| Psalms 49:14 | They are appointed as a flock for Sheol. Death shall be their shepherd. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. Their beauty shall decay in Sheol, far from their mansion. |
| Psalms 50:22 | “Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you into pieces, and there be no one to deliver. |
| Psalms 106:13 | They soon forgot his works. They didn’t wait for his counsel, |
| Proverbs 14:32 | The wicked is brought down in his calamity, but in death, the righteous has a refuge. |
| Isaiah 3:11 | Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them, for the deeds of their hands will be paid back to them. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
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What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws attention to the emphatic Hebrew word for hell, meaning headlong or violently thrust down. He stresses that forgetting God means being unmindful of Him in every thought and deed, and that such people will be cast down. He applies this directly as a personal warning to the reader.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that "hell" in this verse means a place of punishment beyond the grave, not merely the grave itself. He points out that both the righteous and the wicked die and enter Sheol, so the word must imply a different fate for sinners. The parallelism with nations that forget God confirms this is about judgment after death, not just physical death.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists this psalm is primarily a prayer, not merely a victory song. David recalls past deliverances to build his confidence when facing new dangers. Limiting the psalm to a single historical victory misses the point: David is weaving many acts of salvation into a prayer that strengthens his trust in God.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator stresses that Sheol in this verse does not mean hell as a place of torment, but rather that God cuts short the wicked's life in this world through judgment. The word "return" points back to the state of non-existence before birth, a shadowy condition comparable to the dust. Forgetting God here means deliberate wickedness and culpable neglect of what God has revealed.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note draws a stark, unqualified line: the wicked face hell, and so do entire nations that forget God. The point is that divine judgment falls on both individuals and peoples when they reject or neglect their Creator.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues that the "hell" in this verse is not the grave, which is common to all people, but the place of torment where the wicked go immediately after death. He specifically applies this to the Antichrist and his Papal followers, who will be cast alive into the lake of fire, though it also applies to any sinner who forgets God.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB sees a deliberate shift in action: those who forget God will actively turn and retreat under divine vengeance, driven all the way to ruin. Forgetting God is not a passive oversight but places a person in the same category as the openly wicked.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch insist that the return of the wicked to the underworld is not a wish but a certain prophecy grounded in God's past judgments. The heathen have wilfully forgotten God and will be reduced to nothing, while the needy, those who eagerly long for deliverance, will not be forgotten forever.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists that Psalm 9 describes a divine judgment already carried out in David's time, not
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry notes that David, after praising God himself, calls on others to join in, because those who truly honor God want others to do the same. He highlights that God dwells in Zion as a type of the church, where he meets his people with grace and expects their praise in return.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley explains that "forget" here does not mean a simple failure of memory. Instead, it describes a deliberate disregard for God, His commandments, and His warnings of judgment. Such forgetfulness is active negligence, not an innocent oversight.