Psalm 9:20 is a prayer asking God to strike fear into the nations and remind them that they are mortal, not divine. The verse is a plea for God to act in justice, so that the proud powers of the earth will recognize their limits before him. It was written by David, the psalm’s traditional author, and it is addressed to the LORD on behalf of the oppressed and the needy.
Put them in fear, the LORD. Let the nations know that they are only men. Selah.
Psalm 9:20 (WEB)
What Psalm 9:20 Means
The verse opens with a request: “Put them in fear, the LORD.” The psalmist is not asking God to be cruel for its own sake. He is asking God to make the nations feel the weight of his authority, so that their arrogance gives way to humility. In everyday terms, it is like a parent who needs a child to understand a boundary before real harm is done.
The second line explains the purpose of that fear: “Let the nations know that they are only men.” The word translated “men” points to human frailty. Nations may look permanent and mighty, but they are made of ordinary people who can be brought low. The verse is a reminder that human power has an end, and that only God’s rule endures.
The verse does not promise that every enemy will repent, nor does it describe a final judgment in detail. It expresses a longing for justice and asks God to make it visible. The word “Selah” that closes the verse is a musical or liturgical marker, probably calling the congregation to pause and reflect on what has been said.
The Context of Psalm 9:20
Psalm 9 belongs to the book of Psalms, the Hebrew songbook of prayer and praise, and it is traditionally attributed to David. It was likely sung in worship by people who had seen violence and injustice from powerful neighbors or rulers. The psalm moves between thanksgiving for God’s past deliverance and pleading for his intervention now.
Just before verse 20, the psalmist speaks of the wicked being turned back and of the needy not being forgotten forever. Verse 19 begins with “Arise, the LORD!” and asks that man not be allowed to prevail. Read in that setting, verse 20 is the climax of a prayer for reversal: the proud are humbled, and the poor are vindicated. The fear it asks God to bring is tied to justice for those who have been crushed.
Key Phrases in Psalm 9:20
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”
(WEB)
This verse also calls the nations and the earth to stillness before God, declaring that he will be exalted among the nations. It pairs well with Psalm 9:20 because both passages show God’s sovereignty over the rise and fall of human powers.
Psalm 10:18
To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may terrify no more.
(WEB)
Psalm 10 continues the theme of God defending the fatherless and the oppressed against those who terrify the earth. Reading it alongside Psalm 9:20 shows how the psalmists consistently pray for God to act on behalf of the weak.
A Short Prayer From Psalm 9:20
Lord, you see the proud who trample the weak and the powerful who forget they are only human. I bring before you the injustice I see around me and the places where I feel small and unheard. Put a holy reverence into the hearts of those who abuse their authority, and let them come to know that their strength is borrowed from you. Be the defender of the needy, and do not let the poor be forgotten. Remind me, too, that my own hope rests in you alone. Amen.
