The Meaning of Psalms 7:9 Explained

Psalms 7:9

KJV: Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

YLT: Let, I pray Thee be ended the evil of the wicked, And establish Thou the righteous, And a trier of hearts and reins is the righteous God.

Darby: Oh let the wrong of the wicked come to an end, and establish thou the righteous man; even thou that triest the hearts and reins, the righteous God.

ASV: O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the righteous: For the righteous God trieth the minds and hearts.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Oh let the wickedness  of the wicked  come to an end;  but establish  the just:  for the righteous  God  trieth  the hearts  and reins. 

What does Psalms 7:9 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 7:1-17 - Refuge In God From Evil Men
This psalm should be compared with 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 1 Samuel 25:1-44; 1 Samuel 26:1-25. Cush, or "dark-complexioned," may refer to a Benjamite who was David's calumniator with Saul. If David needed deliverance from his foes, how much more do we from Satan! 1 Peter 5:8-9.
So far from being guilty of the offense charged against him, David on two occasions had spared Saul's life, 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 1 Samuel 26:1-25. Mine honor, Psalms 7:5, is probably another word for "soul," Genesis 49:6. It seems as if, Psalms 7:6-9, God has abdicated His throne, and the suppliant is pleading with him to resume it, with no fear as to the verdict. Evil recoils, like the boomerang, on those who set it in motion. Ralph the Rover perished on the Inchcape Rock, whose warning bell he had destroyed. The hunter falls into the pit prepared in the forest track for his prey, Judges 1:7. What a noble prayer in Psalms 7:9! [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 7

1  David prays against the malice of his enemies, professing his innocence
10  By faith he sees his defense, and the destruction of his enemies

What do the individual words in Psalms 7:9 mean?

Let come to an end Oh the wickedness of the wicked but establish the just for tests the hearts and minds the God righteous
יִגְמָר־ נָ֬א רַ֨ע ׀ רְשָׁעִים֮ וּתְכוֹנֵ֪ן צַ֫דִּ֥יק וּבֹחֵ֣ן לִ֭בּ֗וֹת וּכְלָי֗וֹת אֱלֹהִ֥ים צַדִּֽיק

יִגְמָר־  Let  come  to  an  end 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּמַר  
Sense: to end, come to an end, complete, cease.
נָ֬א  Oh 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
רַ֨ע ׀  the  wickedness 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
רְשָׁעִים֮  of  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
וּתְכוֹנֵ֪ן  but  establish 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: כּוּן 
Sense: to be firm, be stable, be established.
צַ֫דִּ֥יק  the  just 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צַדִּיק  
Sense: just, lawful, righteous.
וּבֹחֵ֣ן  for  tests 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בָּחַן  
Sense: to examine, try, prove.
לִ֭בּ֗וֹת  the  hearts 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: לִבָּה  
Sense: heart.
וּכְלָי֗וֹת  and  minds 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural
Root: כִּלְיָה  
Sense: kidneys.
אֱלֹהִ֥ים  the  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
צַדִּֽיק  righteous 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צַדִּיק  
Sense: just, lawful, righteous.