Mazmur 26:1

Psalm 26 ¹ 

By David.

26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,

for I have integrity, ² 

and I trust in the Lord without wavering.

Yesaya 26:3

26:3 You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith,

for they trust in you. ³ 

Daniel 6:24

6:24 The king gave another order, ⁴  and those men who had maliciously accused ⁵  Daniel were brought and thrown ⁶  into the lions’ den – they, their children, and their wives. ⁷  They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

[26:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.

[26:1]  ² tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”

[26:3]  ³ tn Heb “[one of] firm purpose you will keep [in] peace, peace, for in you he possesses trust.” The Hebrew term יֵצֶר (yetser) refers to what one devises in the mind; סָמוּךְ (samukh) probably functions here like an attributive adjective and carries the nuance “firm.” So the phrase literally means, “a firm purpose,” but as the object of the verb “keep, guard,” it must stand by metonymy for the one(s) who possess a firm purpose. In this context the “righteous nation” (v. 2) is probably in view and the “firm purpose” refers to their unwavering faith in God’s vindication (see 25:9). In this context שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”), which is repeated for emphasis, likely refers to national security, not emotional or psychological composure (see vv. 1-2). The passive participle בָּטוּחַ (batuakh) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action.

[6:24]  ⁴ tn Aram “said.”

[6:24]  ⁵ tn Aram “had eaten the pieces of.” The Aramaic expression is ironic, in that the accusers who had figuratively “eaten the pieces of Daniel” are themselves literally devoured by the lions.

[6:24]  ⁶ tn The Aramaic active impersonal verb is often used as a substitute for the passive.

[6:24]  ⁷ tc The LXX specifies only the two overseers, together with their families, as those who were cast into the lions’ den.