“The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 9:16 Mean?
The psalmist declares that God is known by his judgment — the LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth. God's character is revealed through his acts of justice. You understand who he is by watching what he does.
"The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands" describes poetic justice: the trap the wicked set catches them. Their own schemes become their prison. The judgment is not external imposition. It is the natural consequence of their own actions.
"Higgaion. Selah." — a double musical/meditative pause. Higgaion means meditation or murmuring. Selah means pause. The combination says: stop. Think deeply about this. The truth that the wicked are caught in their own traps deserves contemplation.
The principle is consistent throughout Scripture: sin carries its own punishment. The schemes of the wicked become their own snare. God's judgment often works not by adding external consequences but by allowing internal ones to play out.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does God being 'known by his judgment' reveal his character to you?
- 2.Where have you seen the wicked 'snared in the work of their own hands'?
- 3.What does the double pause — Higgaion, Selah — suggest about how you should receive this truth?
- 4.How is the principle of sin carrying its own consequences both a warning and a comfort?
Devotional
The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth. You want to know who God is? Watch what he does. His judgments reveal his character — his justice, his fairness, his attention to what is right.
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. The trap you set for others catches you. The scheme you designed to harm someone becomes the mechanism of your own undoing. Poetic justice. Divine irony.
Higgaion. Selah. Stop. Think about this. The double pause is the psalmist saying: do not rush past this truth. The wicked are caught in their own traps. That deserves deep meditation.
There is a pattern in Scripture: God's judgment often looks like the natural consequence of your own choices. You do not need God to punish you externally. Your sin punishes you internally. The snare you set becomes the snare you step in.
That is both a warning and a comfort. A warning: the evil you plan for others will come back to you. A comfort: the evil others plan for you will come back to them. The work of their own hands becomes their snare.
Selah. Pause. Let that settle.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
The wicked shall be turned into hell,.... Some render it, "shall return to the grave" (p), to the earth, the original…
The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth - By what; he does in his dealings with men, in dispensing rewards…
In these verses,
I. David, having praised God himself, calls upon and invites others to praise him likewise, Psa 9:11.…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture