Mazmur 21:10

21:10 You destroy their offspring ¹  from the earth,

their descendants ²  from among the human race. ³ 

Mazmur 22:3

22:3 You are holy;

you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. ⁴ 

Mazmur 82:7

82:7 Yet you will die like mortals; ⁵ 

you will fall like all the other rulers.” ⁶ 

Mazmur 89:25

89:25 I will place his hand over the sea,

his right hand over the rivers. ⁷ 

Mazmur 89:37

89:37 it will remain stable, like the moon, ⁸ 

his throne will endure like the skies.” ⁹  (Selah)

Mazmur 110:7

110:7 From the stream along the road he drinks;

then he lifts up his head. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 114:2

114:2 Judah became his sanctuary,

Israel his kingdom.

Mazmur 119:44

119:44 Then I will keep ¹¹  your law continually

now and for all time. ¹² 

Mazmur 119:161

שׂ/שׁ (Sin/Shin)

119:161 Rulers pursue me for no reason,

yet I am more afraid of disobeying your instructions. ¹³ 

Mazmur 132:17

132:17 There I will make David strong; ¹⁴ 

I have determined that my chosen king’s dynasty will continue. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 135:9

135:9 He performed awesome deeds ¹⁶  and acts of judgment ¹⁷ 

in your midst, O Egypt,

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

Mazmur 136:21

136:21 and gave their land as an inheritance,

for his loyal love endures,

[21:10]  ¹ tn Heb “fruit.” The next line makes it clear that offspring is in view.

[21:10]  ² tn Heb “seed.”

[21:10]  ³ tn Heb “sons of man.”

[22:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the Lord as sitting enthroned as king in his temple, receiving the praises that his people Israel offer up to him.

[82:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “men.” The point in the context is mortality, however, not maleness.

[82:7]  sn You will die like mortals. For the concept of a god losing immortality and dying, see Isa 14:12-15, which alludes to a pagan myth in which the petty god “Shining One, son of the Dawn,” is hurled into Sheol for his hubris.

[82:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “like one of the rulers.” The comparison does not necessarily imply that they are not rulers. The expression “like one of” can sometimes mean “as one of” (Gen 49:16; Obad 11) or “as any other of” (Judg 16:7, 11).

[89:25]  ⁷ tn Some identify “the sea” as the Mediterranean and “the rivers” as the Euphrates and its tributaries. However, it is more likely that “the sea” and “the rivers” are symbols for hostile powers that oppose God and the king (see v. 9, as well as Ps 93:3-4).

[89:37]  ⁸ tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”

[89:37]  ⁹ tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join וְעֵד (vÿ’ed) to עוֹלָם (’olam) in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase עוֹלָם וְעֵד (“forever”). In this case one may translate the second line, “[it] will be secure like the skies.” Another option (the one reflected in the present translation) is to take עד as a rare noun meaning “throne” or “dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= כִּסֵּא, kisse’, “throne”) and ’d (= עד, “dais”) appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). Emending בַּשַּׁחַק (bashakhaq, “in the heavens”) to כַּשַׁחַק (kashakhaq, “like the heavens”) – bet/kaf (כ/ב) confusion is widely attested – one can then read “[his] throne like the heavens [is] firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (שְׁחָקִים, shÿkhaqim) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. Ps 89:29 uses the term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “skies”) which frequently appears in parallelism to שְׁחָקִים.

[110:7]  ¹⁰ tn Here the expression “lifts up the head” refers to the renewed physical strength and emotional vigor (see Ps 3:3) provided by the refreshing water. For another example of a victorious warrior being energized by water in the aftermath of battle, see Judg 15:18-19 (see also 1 Sam 30:11-12, where the setting is different, however).

[119:44]  ¹¹ tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the negated jussive (see v. 43).

[119:44]  ¹² tn Or “forever and ever.”

[119:161]  ¹³ tn Heb “and because of your instructions my heart trembles.” The psalmist’s healthy “fear” of the consequences of violating God’s instructions motivates him to obey them. See v. 120.

[132:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “there I will cause a horn to sprout for David.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Pss 18:2; 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that used its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36.

[132:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “I have arranged a lamp for my anointed one.” Here the “lamp” is a metaphor for the Davidic dynasty (see 1 Kgs 11:36).

[135:9]  ¹⁶ tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).

[135:9]  ¹⁷ tn Or “portents”; “omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are alluded to here.