What Does Psalm 64:9 Mean?
And all humankind stands in awe; they tell of the work of God, and they perceive his making.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.THE KEY
The verse moves from awe to public speech to understanding: God’s work becomes recognized when its meaning is taken in and declared.
THE MEANING
When God’s work of judgment is made visible, awe rises in people now. They speak of the act and recognize its meaning: what was hidden in human schemes becomes legible as God’s doing.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that violence can have the last word or that God’s judgment passes without recognition: the act is seen, named, and understood.
THE ROOT
וַיִּירְאוּ
vayyirʾu
GROWS FROM
ירא
to fear, stand in awe
“stands in awe” in this verse is vayyirʾu. Because the object of awe is God’s work, ירא (yare, to fear or stand in awe) carries the verse’s awe-colored fear. The response is not merely alarm: people move into declaring and understanding what God has done.
ALSO GROWS
yirʾah: awe, reverence, fear
יִרְאָה
This noun shows the same root holding both fear and reverent awe, the response stirred by God’s visible work.
noraʾ: awe-inspiring, fearful
נוֹרָא
This form describes what evokes awe, linking the people’s response to the weight of the act they witness.
וַיַּגִּידוּ
vayyaggidu
GROWS FROM
נגד
to make known, tell; to set before
“tell of” in this verse is vayyaggidu. נגד (n-g-d) names speech that makes something known and brings it before others. God’s work does not remain private: awe gives way to public telling.
ALSO GROWS
neged: before, in front of, opposite
נֶגֶד
The shared root evokes something set before a person; here, the deed is brought into view through declaration.
nagid: leader, ruler, one set before others
נָגִיד
This branch carries the sense of being placed before others, echoing how the act is set before all who hear of it.
הִשְׂכִּילוּ
hiskilu
GROWS FROM
שכל
to understand, discern, act with insight
“perceive” in this verse is hiskilu. The verb from שכל (s-k-l) means they understand or discern with insight. God’s deed is not only witnessed; its meaning comes into focus.
ALSO GROWS
sekel: understanding, prudence
שֵׂכֶל
This noun names the discernment the verse says people gain as they consider God’s act.
maskil: one who understands, an insightful person
מַשְׂכִּיל
This related form reflects the kind of perception called forth here: seeing the significance within what God has done.
THE PATTERN
When God’s action becomes visible, people respond with awe, recognition, and speech that makes its meaning public.
And Israel saw the great hand that the LORD did upon the Egyptians, and the people stood in awe of the LORD, and they leaned their weight on the LORD and on his servant Moses.He sets a new song in my mouth, praise to our God. Many see and stand in awe, and lean their weight upon the LORD.Cretes and Arabians, we hear them speak in our tongues the great works of God.THE THREAD
He sets a new song in my mouth, praise to our God. Many see and stand in awe, and lean their weight upon the LORD.Psalm 40:3 uses the same Hebrew root ירא (yare, to fear or stand in awe). There, people see what God has done and respond with awe and trust; this verse extends that recognition into public declaration and understanding.
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