Mazmur 28:8

28:8 The Lord strengthens his people; ¹ 

he protects and delivers his chosen king. ² 

Mazmur 29:10

29:10 The Lord sits enthroned over the engulfing waters, ³ 

the Lord sits enthroned ⁴  as the eternal king.

Mazmur 78:32

78:32 Despite all this, they continued to sin,

and did not trust him to do amazing things. ⁵ 

Mazmur 79:3

79:3 They have made their blood flow like water

all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury them. ⁶ 

Mazmur 84:9

84:9 O God, take notice of our shield! ⁷ 

Show concern for your chosen king! ⁸ 

Mazmur 102:23

102:23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life; ⁹ 

he has cut short my days.

Mazmur 127:4

127:4 Sons born during one’s youth

are like arrows in a warrior’s hand. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 132:10

132:10 For the sake of David, your servant,

do not reject your chosen king! ¹¹ 

Mazmur 132:17

132:17 There I will make David strong; ¹² 

I have determined that my chosen king’s dynasty will continue. ¹³ 

[28:8]  ¹ tn Heb “the Lord [is] strength to them” (or perhaps, “to him”). The form לָמוֹ (lamo, “to them/him”) is probably a corruption of an original לְעַמוֹ (lÿ’amo, “to his people”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 236), perhaps due to quiescence of the letter ayin (ע; see P. McCarter, Textual Criticism [GBS], 55). Note the reference to the Lord’s “people” in the next verse.

[28:8]  ² tn Heb “he [is] a refuge of help for his anointed one.” The noun מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh, “anointed one”) refers to the Davidic king, who perhaps speaks as representative of the nation in this psalm. See Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17.

[29:10]  ³ tn The noun מַּבּוּל (mabbul, “flood”) appears only here and in Gen 6-11, where it refers to the Noahic flood. Some see a reference to that event here. The presence of the article (perhaps indicating uniqueness) and the switch to the perfect verbal form (which could be taken as describing a past situation) might support this. However, the immediate context indicates that the referent of מַּבּוּל is the “surging waters” mentioned in v. 3. The article indicates waters that are definite in the mind of the speaker and the perfect is probably descriptive in function, like “thunders” in v. 3. However, even though the historical flood is not the primary referent here, there may be a literary allusion involved. The psalmist views the threatening chaotic sea as a contemporary manifestation of the destructive waters of old.

[29:10]  ⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the descriptive function of the preceding perfect.

[78:32]  ⁵ tn Heb “and did not believe in his amazing deeds.”

[79:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “they have poured out their blood like water, all around Jerusalem, and there is no one burying.”

[84:9]  ⁷ tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “your anointed one” here and with “our king” in Ps 89:18.

[84:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “look [on] the face of your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17).

[102:23]  ⁹ tn Heb “he has afflicted my strength in the way.” The term “way” refers here to the course of the psalmist’s life, which appears to be ending prematurely (vv. 23b-24).

[127:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so [are] sons of youth.” Arrows are used in combat to defend oneself against enemies; sons are viewed here as providing social security and protection (see v. 5). The phrase “sons of youth” is elliptical, meaning “sons [born during the father’s] youth.” Such sons will have grown up to be mature adults and will have children of their own by the time the father reaches old age and becomes vulnerable to enemies. Contrast the phrase “son of old age” in Gen 37:3 (see also 44:20), which refers to Jacob’s age when Joseph was born.

[132:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”

[132:17]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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).