The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "return to Sheol" isn't just about death; it emphasizes that for the wicked, this return is an abrupt, forced descent from their perceived heights of power, directly into a place of judgment and ultimate loss. It's less about a natural end and more about a dramatic, deserved downfall.
The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
David is concluding his psalm of praise for God's justice against his enemies by declaring the ultimate fate of the wicked. He contrasts their impending doom with the hope of the humble, emphasizing that God's judgment will ultimately secure justice for those who endure suffering and remember Him. This verse serves as a final, chilling pronouncement on those who actively reject God and His ways.
The Hebrew word translated here as 'hell' has a complex meaning. Was David just talking about death, or something more profound?
The word 'Sheol' in Hebrew (and its Greek equivalent, Hades) refers to the place of the dead. But it's not a neutral term. While it can simply mean the grave or the realm of departed spirits, in passages like this, it carries a heavier connotation.
David links the ultimate fate of the wicked to a specific action: forgetting God. What does it truly mean to forget the Almighty?
The phrase 'all the nations that forget God' is crucial. It's not about people who have never heard of God, but about those who, despite knowing Him or having the capacity to know Him, choose to disregard Him.
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Understand the original words
Sheol · Hebrew Noun
The place of the dead in Hebrew thought, referring generally to the grave, the abode of departed spirits, and the inevitable destination of all humanity apart from divine intervention.
goyim · Hebrew Noun
A collective term for the people groups of the world, often used in contrast to God’s covenant people, frequently highlighting their idolatry or resistance to God's rule.
This verse speaks to the ultimate fate of those who reject God, a theme that resonated deeply during periods of foreign oppression and exile when nations often forgot the God of Israel.
c. 10th Century BC
United Monarchy Period
The Psalms are traditionally attributed to King David and Solomon, a period of Israel's greatest prosperity and relative peace.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The northern kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of many Israelites.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and exile a large portion of the population to Babylon.
c. 539 BC
Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great of Persia allows the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.
c. 4th - 1st Century BC— this verse
Post-Exilic Period
The Jewish people live under various foreign empires (Persian, Hellenistic, Hasmonean), often facing oppression and seeking God's deliverance.
This verse echoes the psalm's sentiment, directly calling for God's judgment upon nations that do not know Him and have forgotten His power.
Luke 16:23This parable describes the fate of the rich man in torment, showing a future reality where 'Sheol' or the grave has a distinct place of suffering for those who forget God.
Romans 1:18-21Paul describes how nations, despite knowing God through creation, suppress the truth and become futile in their thinking, leading to shameful practices, paralleling the 'forgetting God' in the psalm.
Revelation 19:20This passage shows the ultimate judgment of the 'beast' and 'false prophet' who led nations astray, vividly illustrating the destiny of those who actively oppose God and forget His ways.
Psalm 50:22This psalm directly confronts those who 'forget God,' warning them that their actions will be brought to light and they will be torn apart by God's judgment.
calvinPsalms 9:17-18: "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. 18. For the poor shall not always be forgotten; the hope of the humble shall not perish for ever.
The wicked shall be turned into hell. Many translate the verb in the optative mood, Let the wicked be turned into hell, as if it were an imprecation. But, in my judgment, David here rather confirms himself and all the godly…
gillPsalms 9:17: "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."
The wicked shall be turned into hell,.... Some render it, "shall return to the grave" (p), to the earth, the original dust from whence they came; but this is common to all men, to the righteous as well as the wicked; rather here signifies the place of torment, commonly called hell, where devils and damned spirits are; hither the souls of the wicked go immediately upon their departure from their bodies, Luk…
The phrase "return to Sheol" isn't just about death; it emphasizes that for the wicked, this return is an abrupt, forced descent from their perceived heights of power, directly into a place of judgment and ultimate loss. It's less about a natural end and more about a dramatic, deserved downfall.
David is concluding his psalm of praise for God's justice against his enemies by declaring the ultimate fate of the wicked. He contrasts their impending doom with the hope of the humble, emphasizing that God's judgment will ultimately secure justice for those who endure suffering and remember Him. This verse serves as a final, chilling pronouncement on those who actively reject God and His ways.
David is concluding his psalm of praise for God's justice against his enemies by declaring the ultimate fate of the wicked. He contrasts their impending doom with the hope of the humble, emphasizing that God's judgment will ultimately secure justice for those who endure suffering and remember Him. This verse serves as a final, chilling pronouncement on those who actively reject God and His ways.
"The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God." — The phrase "return to Sheol" isn't just about death; it emphasizes that for the wicked, this return is an abrupt, forced descent from their perceived heights of power, directly into a place of judgme…
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Last reviewed October 2026