Mazmur 18:30

18:30 The one true God acts in a faithful manner; ¹ 

the Lord’s promise ²  is reliable; ³ 

he is a shield to all who take shelter ⁴  in him.

Mazmur 27:5

27:5 He will surely ⁵  give me shelter ⁶  in the day of danger; ⁷ 

he will hide me in his home; ⁸ 

he will place me ⁹  on an inaccessible rocky summit. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 70:2

70:2 May those who are trying to take my life

be embarrassed and ashamed! ¹¹ 

May those who want to harm me

be turned back and ashamed! ¹² 

[18:30]  ¹ tn Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל (ha’el, “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).

[18:30]  ² sn The Lord’s promise. In the ancient Near East kings would typically seek and receive oracles from their god(s) prior to battle. For examples, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 241-42.

[18:30]  ³ tn Heb “the word of the Lord is purified.” The Lord’s “word” probably refers here to his oracle(s) of victory delivered to the psalmist before the battle(s) described in the following context. See also Pss 12:5-7 and 138:2-3. David frequently received such oracles before going into battle (see 1 Sam 23:2, 4-5, 10-12; 30:8; 2 Sam 5:19). The Lord’s word of promise is absolutely reliable; it is compared to metal that has been refined in fire and cleansed of impurities. See Ps 12:6.

[18:30]  ⁴ sn Take shelter. See the note on the word “shelter” in v. 2.

[27:5]  ⁵ tn Or “for he will.” The translation assumes the כִּי (ki) is asseverative here, rather than causal.

[27:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “he will hide me in his hut.”

[27:5]  ⁷ tn Or “trouble.”

[27:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “tent.”

[27:5]  ⁹ tn The three imperfect verb forms in v. 5 anticipate a positive response to the prayer offered in vv. 7-12.

[27:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “on a rocky summit he lifts me up.” The Lord places the psalmist in an inaccessible place where his enemies cannot reach him. See Ps 18:2.

[70:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed, the ones seeking my life.” Ps 40:14 has “together” after “ashamed,” and “to snatch it away” after “my life.”

[70:2]  ¹² tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.

[70:2]  sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.