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, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. -Psalm 9:13–14 (ESV)
This delightful set of parallelisms opens with an appeal for God’s graciousness in light of the affliction the Psalmist is enduring. It ends with his desire to praise God and rejoice in the salvation he receives. The contrasting of the two gates is a beautiful picture of Salvation in Christ—from the gates of death below to the gates of Zion above. From affliction by the hand of the enemy to rejoicing amongst the daughters of the heavenly City.