Psalms 9:3

“When mine enemies are turned back, etc.] As the Philistines were, when Goliath their champion was dead; and as the men that came to apprehend Christ, David’s antitype, went backwards and fell to the ground, through the superior power of Christ; and as sin, Satan, and the world, and at last antichrist, are made to retreat from the Lord’s people, who are more than conquerors over them through Christ that has loved them. “They shall fall and perish at thy presence”; they shall stumble at one thing or another which divine Providence will throw in their way to hinder them from executing their designs, and so fall before them they meant to destroy, and perish at the presence of God as wax melteth…”

“When . . . are turned back--It is the result of God's power alone. He, as a righteous Judge (Psa 7:11), vindicates His people. He rebukes by acts as well as words (Psa 6:1; Psa 18:15), and so effectually as to destroy the names of nations as well as persons.”

“When mine enemies are turned back - Who these enemies were, the psalmist does not say. It is clear, however, as was remarked in the introduction, that the psalm was composed: (a) in view of a victory which had been achieved over some formidable enemies; and (b) in view of some dangers still impending from a similar source. The literal meaning of the passage here is, “In the turning of my enemies back;” that is, in their retreat, defeat, overthrow. So far as the Hebrew form of expression is concerned, this may either refer to what had been done, or to what would be; and may imply either that they had been turned back, or that the psalmist hoped and believed that they would be; for in either…”

“Turned back - Put to flight. Psalms 9:7”

“9:3-6 The psalmist celebrates God’s judgment of the wicked, which is a testimony to the Lord’s reliable promise to establish his kingdom on earth (1:6; Ps 2). 9:3 retreated . . . staggered: The Lord overpowers even powerful enemies (see 27:2). Israel also experienced judgment when it resisted the Lord (107:12).”

“they shall: Psa 68:1, Psa 68:2, Psa 76:7, Psa 80:16; Isa 64:3; Th2 1:9; Rev 6:12-17, Rev 20:11 Psalms 9:4”

“(Heb.: 9:4-5) The call upon himself to thanksgiving sounds forth, and the ב-strophe continues it by expressing the ground of it. The preposition בּ in this instance expresses both the time and the reason together (as in Psa 76:10; Ch2 28:6); in Latin it is recedentibus hostibus meis retro. אחור serves to strengthen the notion of being driven back, as in Psa 56:10, cf. Psa 44:11; and just as, in Latin, verbs compounded of re are strengthened by retro. In Psa 9:4 finite verbs take the place of the infinitive construct; here we have futt. with a present signification, just as in Ch2 16:7 we find a praet. intended as perfect. For the rendering which Hitzig adopts: When mine enemies retreat…”