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Psalm 9:12
For he who avenges blood remembers them. He doesn’t forget the cry of the afflicted.
10Those who know your name will put their trust in you, for you, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion, and declare among the people what he has done.
12For he who avenges blood remembers them. He doesn’t forget the cry of the afflicted.
13Have mercy on me, LORD. See my affliction by those who hate me, and lift me up from the gates of death,
14that I may show all of your praise. I will rejoice in your salvation in the gates of the daughter of Zion.
Notice
The words “avenges blood” confront the fear that violence goes unanswered, while the afflicted person's cry remains before the God who remembers.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What comfort or discomfort do you find in God's being the one who “avenges blood”?
Write on thisWhose cry seems forgotten to you, and how does this verse shape your prayer for them?
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 34:6This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.Both passages describe a sufferer's cry reaching God; Psalm 34 also tells of rescue from trouble.
Exodus 3:7The LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their …Both passages speak of God attending to the cry of the afflicted, with Exodus naming the suffering under Egypt's taskmasters.
Revelation 6:10They cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”Both passages connect shed blood with God's vengeance, while Revelation records the sufferers asking how long judgment will take.
Genesis 4:10The LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.Both passages connect bloodshed with a cry that reaches God, with Genesis describing a murdered brother's blood crying from the ground.
Revelation 16:6For they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve this.”Both passages speak of vengeance for bloodshed; Revelation describes those who shed the saints' and prophets' blood receiving blood to drink.
Psalm 10:17LORD, you have heard the desire of the humble. You will prepare their heart. You will cause your ear to hear,Both passages describe God's attention to people in need through the language of crying and hearing.
Genesis 9:5I will surely require accounting for your life’s blood. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s …Both passages present bloodshed as something God addresses, with Genesis stating that he requires an accounting for human life.
Revelation 6:9–10When he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the Word of God, and for the testimony of the Lamb which …Bloodshed is the shared thread: Psalm 9 names God as avenger, and Revelation shows people killed for God's Word and the Lamb's testimony.
Genesis 42:22Reuben answered them, saying, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Don’t sin against the child,’ and you wouldn’t listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is …Both passages link bloodshed with accountability, though Genesis records Reuben's recognition of bloodguilt rather than a direct statement about God's remembrance.
Psalm 22:24For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, neither has he hidden his face from him; but when he cried to him, he heard.Both passages describe God's attention to the afflicted and their cry, with Psalm 22 stating that he has heard.
Luke 18:7–8Won’t God avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them?Both passages join God's vengeance with the cries of those who suffer, while Luke describes their crying day and night.
Isaiah 26:21For, behold, the LORD comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no …Both passages connect the LORD's judgment with bloodshed, and Isaiah describes the earth exposing the blood and slain it had covered.
Where this verse fits
Injustice and anger. grief. waiting.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
The next verse still asks for mercy from the gates of death. God's remembrance does not erase the danger described here; he does not forget the afflicted.
Now put it in your words.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).