Psalm 9:8
ESV
and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.
NIV
He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.
NASB
And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples fairly.
CSB
And he judges the world with righteousness; he executes judgment on the nations with fairness.
NLT
He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness.
KJV
And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
NKJV
He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
What does Psalm 9:8 mean?
This continues David's praise of God for His perfect wisdom and judgment (Psalm 9:7). The depiction here agrees with other statements made in the book of Psalms (Psalm 96:10; 98:9).God's Son, Jesus Christ, shares the throne with the Father. Hebrews 1:8 declares, "But of the Son he says, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.'" Someday, Jesus will rule the world and judge its inhabitants with uprightness, as David has already depicted of God in the previous verse. Matthew 25 pictures Jesus seated upon His throne and judging the Gentile nations. He will separate the sheep from the goats, and although many will contest His verdict of guilty, Jesus will provide evidence of their guilt.
Isaiah predicted Jesus' righteous rule over all the earth. Isaiah 9:7 declares there will be no end to Jesus' government and peace. From the throne of David, He will establish and maintain His kingdom with justice and righteousness forever. When He returns to earth, Jesus will rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15). Every knee will bow to Him, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:10–11).
Psalm 9:1–8 opens the song as David ascribes praise to God. He celebrates the Lord for saving him and his army from the nations that attacked him and his people. He recalls the triumph the Lord accomplished over the enemy. The victory evidenced the Lord's righteous judgment and sovereignty. The nations perished but the Lord's name lives forever.
David praises God in a song which follows an acrostic pattern: the psalm is divided into phrases which begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The pattern continues through Psalm 10, leading some to suggest they were intended as a single work, or as closely related halves. In this psalm, David promises to praise God for His great deeds, including awesome victory over evil. The Lord's eternal justice is also praised, as David asks for further rescue from those who seek to kill him. The passage ends with a prayer for God to remind mankind of His authority.
