Mazmur 82:2

82:2 He says, ¹  “How long will you make unjust legal decisions

and show favoritism to the wicked? ²  (Selah)

Mazmur 29:1

Psalm 29 ³ 

A psalm of David.

29:1 Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings, ⁴ 

acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power! ⁵ 

Mazmur 68:35

68:35 You are awe-inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple! ⁶ 

It is the God of Israel ⁷  who gives the people power and strength.

God deserves praise! ⁸ 

[82:2]  ¹ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to indicate that the following speech is God’s judicial decision (see v. 1).

[82:2]  ² tn Heb “and the face of the wicked lift up.”

[29:1]  ³ sn Psalm 29. In this hymn of praise the psalmist calls upon the heavenly assembly to acknowledge the royal splendor of the Lord. He describes the Lord’s devastating power as revealed in the thunderstorm and affirms that the Lord exerts this awesome might on behalf of his people. In its original context the psalm was a bold polemic against the Canaanite storm god Baal, for it affirms that the Lord is the real king who controls the elements of the storm, contrary to pagan belief. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 150 (1994): 280-82.

[29:1]  ⁴ tc Heb “sons of gods,” or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the MT, it is likely that the final mem is actually enclitic, rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8.

[29:1]  tn The phrase בְּנֵי אֵלִים (bÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 89:6 (89:7 HT). In Ps 89 the “sons of gods/God” are also called “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones.” The heavenly assembly, comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings, appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is referred to as “the sons of El.” The OT apparently borrows the Canaanite phrase and applies it to the supernatural beings that surround the heavenly throne.

[29:1]  ⁵ tn Or “ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.”

[68:35]  ⁶ tn Heb “awesome [is] God from his holy places.” The plural of מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash, “holy places”) perhaps refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 73:17; Jer 51:51).

[68:35]  ⁷ tn Heb “the God of Israel, he.”

[68:35]  ⁸ tn Heb “blessed [be] God.”