Psalm 9 has a perplexing verse, and I haven’t seen anything conclusive from Bible commentaries, with some Bible study notes not even addressing it. And this is a good translation of the Hebrew, rendering the verb return.
Psalm 9:17
[17] The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. (ESV)
Sheol is a proper name in Hebrew, sometimes referring to the grave, and sometimes referring to the abode of the wicked after they die until the white throne judgement, as per Paul we know the saved after death are in the presence of Christ, or from the time of the Old Testament taken to Abraham’s bosom. And it’s best to remember that Christ made an entire argument on the tense of a verb regarding the patriarchs being alive and not dead, as God was very careful with every word given to men to write down, even using the original languages to add more context. Consequently, there is the argument that this is returning to dust from which man was formed, but Sheol being a proper name, it doesn’t seem to fully fit. The wife thinks the return is after the white throne judgement before hell is thrown into the lake of fire, which could be a possibility. Though, I’m reminded of a parable Christ told about the weeds.
Matthew 13:24–30
The Parable of the Weeds
[24] He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, [25] but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. [26] So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. [27] And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ [28] He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ [29] But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” (ESV)
And God’s explanation of the parable.
Matthew 13:36–43
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
[36] Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” [37] He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. [38] The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, [39] and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. [40] Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. [41] The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, [42] and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [43] Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (ESV)
And since we all start life with a sinful nature, did all of our spirits come from Sheol? Christ did refer to the unsaved as belonging to their father the devil. Or did just evil, unsaved people who reject God in the world originate with Satan in Sheol? Could our fate in being saved already be fixed and this creation is more of a lesson for Satan and the fallen angels? And if different origins, could Satan and God be working to convert each other’s children in creation? Could this be why so few follow God in this world? And God is outside of time, with the Book of Life being complete before He even created the heavens and earth, so is this creation with so much evil to highlight who God is in being good, holy, just… so that those of us who reject this evil world system can recognize our need for God and to love Him? I just can’t help but think there is something to this verb, but we might have to wait until we’re with God when our knowledge is complete.
Consequently, I have an interesting theory from the last two chapters of Revelation with who might be outside the New Jerusalem in the new heavens and earth, and God said He’s making something new, probably far beyond our human comprehension.
If nothing else, read your Bible with the thought that not all of the mysteries of God have been understood by man, or at least recorded by supposed Biblical scholars (there are many liberal and unsaved Biblical scholars who pervert God’s Word with their feeble human intellectualism to cover their sin), leaving room for God to reveal truths He has had recorded for His children to glimpse while in the flesh waiting for Him to come and get us. Maranatha!
Psalm 9
I Will Recount Your Wonderful Deeds
To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
[1] I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
[2] I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
[3] When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
[4] For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.
[5] You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
[6] The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.
[7] But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
[8] and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.
[9] The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
[10] And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
[11] Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
[12] For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
[13] Be gracious to me, O LORD!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
[14] that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.
[15] The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
[16] The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
[17] The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.
[18] For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
[19] Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
[20] Put them in fear, O LORD!
Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah (ESV)