Mazmur 21:4

21:4 He asked you to sustain his life, ¹ 

and you have granted him long life and an enduring dynasty. ² 

Mazmur 78:57

78:57 They were unfaithful ³  and acted as treacherously as ⁴  their ancestors;

they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow. ⁵ 

[21:4]  ¹ tn Heb “life he asked from you.” Another option is to translate the perfect verbal forms in v. 4 with the present tense, “he asks…you grant.”

[21:4]  ² tn Heb “you have granted him length of days forever and ever.” The phrase “length of days,” when used of human beings, usually refers to a lengthy period of time (such as one’s lifetime). See, for example, Deut 30:20; Job 12:12; Ps 91:16; Prov 3:2, 16; Lam 5:20. The additional phrase “forever and ever” is hyperbolic. While it seems to attribute eternal life to the king (see Pss 61:6-7; 72:5 as well), the underlying reality is the king’s enduring dynasty. He will live on, as it were, through his descendants, who will continue to rule over his kingdom long after he has passed off the scene.

[78:57]  ³ tn Heb “they turned back.”

[78:57]  ⁴ tn Or “acted treacherously like.”

[78:57]  ⁵ tn Heb “they turned aside like a deceitful bow.”