Mazmur 89:5-8

89:5 O Lord, the heavens ¹  praise your amazing deeds,

as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly. ² 

89:6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?

Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings, ³ 

89:7 a God who is honored ⁴  in the great angelic assembly, ⁵ 

and more awesome than ⁶  all who surround him?

89:8 O Lord, sovereign God! ⁷ 

Who is strong like you, O Lord?

Your faithfulness surrounds you.

Mazmur 108:3-5

108:3 I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord!

I will sing praises to you before foreigners! ⁸ 

108:4 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, ⁹ 

and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.

108:5 Rise up ¹⁰  above the sky, O God!

May your splendor cover the whole earth! ¹¹ 

Mazmur 148:13-14

148:13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for his name alone is exalted;

his majesty extends over the earth and sky.

148:14 He has made his people victorious, ¹² 

and given all his loyal followers reason to praise –

the Israelites, the people who are close to him. ¹³ 

Praise the Lord!

[89:5]  ¹ tn As the following context makes clear, the personified “heavens” here stand by metonymy for the angelic beings that surround God’s heavenly throne.

[89:5]  ² tn Heb “in the assembly of the holy ones.” The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3), but here it refers to God’s heavenly assembly and the angels that surround his throne (see vv. 6-7).

[89:6]  ³ tn Heb “sons of gods”; or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem (ם) 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. The phrase בְנֵי אֵלִים (vÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here associated with “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 called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently uses the Canaanite phrase, applying it to the supernatural beings that surround the Lord’s heavenly throne.

[89:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “feared.”

[89:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “in the great assembly of the holy ones.”

[89:7]  ⁶ tn Or perhaps “feared by.”

[89:8]  ⁷ tn Traditionally “God of hosts.” The title here pictures the Lord as enthroned in the midst of the angelic hosts of heaven.

[108:3]  ⁸ tn Or “the peoples.”

[108:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”

[108:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “be exalted.”

[108:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)

[148:14]  ¹² tn Heb “and he lifted up a horn for his people.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Another option is to take the “horn” as a symbol for the Davidic king, through whom the Lord gives his people military victory.

[148:14]  ¹³ tn “[there is] praise for all his loyal followers, to the sons of Israel, the people near him.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the victory that prompts it.