A psalm of praise, by David.
145:1 I will extol you, my God, O king!
I will praise your name continually! 2
146:2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live!
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist!
15:2 The Lord 3 is my strength and my song, 4
and he has become my salvation.
This is my God, and I will praise him, 5
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
12:2 Look, God is my deliverer! 6
I will trust in him 7 and not fear.
For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; 8
he has become my deliverer.” 9
25:1 O Lord, you are my God! 10
I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. 11
For you have done extraordinary things,
and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. 12
25:9 At that time they will say, 13
“Look, here 14 is our God!
We waited for him and he delivered us.
Here 15 is the Lord! We waited for him.
Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”
1 sn Psalm 145. The psalmist praises God because he is a just and merciful king who cares for his people.
2 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
3 tn Heb “Yah.” Moses’ poem here uses a short form of the name Yahweh, traditionally rendered in English by “the LORD.”
4 tn The word וְזִמְרָת (vÿzimrat) is problematic. It probably had a suffix yod (י) that was accidentally dropped because of the yod (י) on the divine name following. Most scholars posit another meaning for the word. A meaning of “power” fits the line fairly well, forming a hendiadys with strength – “strength and power” becoming “strong power.” Similar lines are in Isa 12:2 and Ps 118:14. Others suggest “protection” or “glory.” However, there is nothing substantially wrong with “my song” in the line – only that it would be a nicer match if it had something to do with strength.
5 tn The word נָוָה (navah) occurs only here. It may mean “beautify, adorn” with praises (see BDB 627 s.v.). See also M. Dahood, “Exodus 15:2: ‘anwehu and Ugaritic snwt,” Bib 59 (1979): 260-61; and M. Klein, “The Targumic Tosefta to Exodus 15:2,” JJS 26 (1975): 61-67; and S. B. Parker, “Exodus 15:2 Again,” VT 21 (1971): 373-79.
6 tn Or “salvation” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).
7 tn The words “in him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
8 tc The Hebrew text has, “for my strength and protection [is] the Lord, the Lord (Heb “Yah, Yahweh).” The word יְהוָה (yehvah) is probably dittographic or explanatory here (note that the short form of the name [יָהּ, yah] precedes, and that the graphically similar וַיְהִי [vayÿhi] follows). Exod 15:2, the passage from which the words of v. 2b are taken, has only יָהּ. The word זִמְרָת (zimrat) is traditionally understood as meaning “song,” in which case one might translate, “for the Lord gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing); note that in v. 5 the verb זָמַר (zamar, “sing”) appears. Many recent commentators, however, have argued that the noun is here instead a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See HALOT 274 s.v. III *זמר.
9 tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions, e.g., KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “my savior.”
10 sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.
11 tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.
12 tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.
13 tn Heb “and one will say in that day.”
14 tn Heb “this [one].”
15 tn Heb “this [one].”