Mazmur 8:5

8:5 and make them a little less than the heavenly beings? ¹ 

You grant mankind ²  honor and majesty; ³ 

Mazmur 18:49

18:49 So I will give you thanks before the nations, ⁴  O Lord!

I will sing praises to you! ⁵ 

Mazmur 21:5

21:5 Your deliverance brings him great honor; ⁶ 

you give him majestic splendor. ⁷ 

Mazmur 29:3

29:3 The Lord’s shout is heard over the water; ⁸ 

the majestic God thunders, ⁹ 

the Lord appears over the surging water. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 48:1

Psalm 48 ¹¹ 

A song, a psalm by the Korahites.

48:1 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise

in the city of our God, ¹²  his holy hill.

Mazmur 57:5

57:5 Rise up ¹³  above the sky, O God!

May your splendor cover the whole earth! ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 57:11

57:11 Rise up ¹⁵  above the sky, O God!

May your splendor cover the whole earth! ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 63:2

63:2 Yes, ¹⁷  in the sanctuary I have seen you, ¹⁸ 

and witnessed ¹⁹  your power and splendor.

Mazmur 68:17

68:17 God has countless chariots;

they number in the thousands. ²⁰ 

The Lord comes from Sinai in holy splendor. ²¹ 

Mazmur 72:19

72:19 His glorious name deserves praise ²²  forevermore!

May his majestic splendor ²³  fill the whole earth!

We agree! We agree! ²⁴ 

Mazmur 85:9

85:9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance; ²⁵ 

then his splendor will again appear in our land. ²⁶ 

Mazmur 86:9

86:9 All the nations, whom you created,

will come and worship you, ²⁷  O Lord.

They will honor your name.

Mazmur 89:27

89:27 I will appoint him to be my firstborn son, ²⁸ 

the most exalted of the earth’s kings.

Mazmur 96:3

96:3 Tell the nations about his splendor!

Tell ²⁹  all the nations about his amazing deeds!

Mazmur 102:15

102:15 The nations will respect the reputation of the Lord, ³⁰ 

and all the kings of the earth will respect ³¹  his splendor,

Mazmur 108:5

108:5 Rise up ³²  above the sky, O God!

May your splendor cover the whole earth! ³³ 

Mazmur 145:12

145:12 so that mankind ³⁴  might acknowledge your mighty acts,

and the majestic splendor of your kingdom.

[8:5]  ¹ tn Heb “and you make him lack a little from [the] gods [or “God”].” The Piel form of חָסַר (khasar, “to decrease, to be devoid”) is used only here and in Eccl 4:8, where it means “to deprive, to cause to be lacking.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive either carries on the characteristic nuance of the imperfect in v. 5b or indicates a consequence (“so that you make him…”) of the preceding statement (see GKC 328 §111.m). Some prefer to make this an independent clause and translate it as a new sentence, “You made him….” In this case the statement might refer specifically to the creation of the first human couple, Adam and Eve (cf. Gen 1:26-27). The psalmist does appear to allude to Gen 1:26-27, where mankind is created in the image of God and his angelic assembly (note “let us make man in our image” in Gen 1:26). However, the psalmist’s statement need not be limited in its focus to that historical event, for all mankind shares the image imparted to the first human couple. Consequently the psalmist can speak in general terms of the exalted nature of mankind. The referent of אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God” or “the heavenly beings”) is unclear. Some understand this as a reference to God alone, but the allusion to Gen 1:26-27 suggests a broader referent, including God and the other heavenly beings (known in other texts as “angels”). The term אֱלֹהִים is also used in this way in Gen 3:5, where the serpent says to the woman, “you will be like the heavenly beings who know good and evil.” (Note Gen 3:22, where God says, “the man has become like one of us.”) Also אֱלֹהִים may refer to the members of the heavenly assembly in Ps 82:1, 6. The LXX (the ancient Greek translation of the OT) reads “angels” in Ps 8:5 (this is the source of the quotation of Ps 8:5 in Heb 2:7).

[8:5]  ² tn Heb “you crown him [with].” The imperfect verbal forms in this and the next line describe God’s characteristic activity.

[8:5]  ³ sn Honor and majesty. These terms allude to mankind’s royal status as God’s vice-regents (cf. v. 6 and Gen 1:26-30).

[18:49]  ⁴ sn I will give you thanks before the nations. This probably alludes to the fact that the psalmist will praise the Lord in the presence of the defeated nations when they, as his subjects, bring their tribute payments. Ideally the Davidic king was to testify to the nations of God’s greatness. See J. H. Eaton, Kingship and the Psalms (SBT), 182-85.

[18:49]  ⁵ tn Heb “to your name.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “Lord,” the primary name of Israel’s covenant God which suggests his active presence with his people (see Exod 3:12-15).

[21:5]  ⁶ tn Or “great glory.”

[21:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “majesty and splendor you place upon him.” For other uses of the phrase הוֹד וְהָדָר (hod vÿhadar, “majesty and splendor”) see 1 Chr 16:27; Job 40:10; Pss 96:6; 104:1; 111:3.

[29:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “the voice of the Lord [is] over the water.” As the next line makes clear, the “voice of the Lord” is here the thunder that accompanies a violent storm. The psalm depicts the Lord in the role of a warrior-king, so the thunder is his battle cry, as it were.

[29:3]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form is probably descriptive. In dramatic fashion the psalmist portrays the Lord coming in the storm to do battle with his enemies and to vindicate his people.

[29:3]  ¹⁰ tn Traditionally “many waters.” The geographical references in the psalm (Lebanon, Sirion, Kadesh) suggest this is a reference to the Mediterranean Sea (see Ezek 26:19; 27:26). The psalmist describes a powerful storm moving in from the sea and sweeping over the mountainous areas north of Israel. The “surging waters” may symbolize the hostile enemies of God who seek to destroy his people (see Pss 18:17; 32:6; 77:20; 93:4; 144:7; Isa 17:13; Jer 51:55; Ezek 26:19; Hab 3:15). In this case the Lord is depicted as elevated above and sovereign over the raging waters.

[48:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 48. This so-called “Song of Zion” celebrates the greatness and glory of the Lord’s dwelling place, Jerusalem. His presence in the city elevates it above all others and assures its security.

[48:1]  ¹² sn The city of our God is Jerusalem, which is also referred to here as “his holy hill,” that is, Zion (see v. 2, as well as Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; 87:1; Dan 9:16).

[57:5]  ¹³ tn Or “be exalted.”

[57:5]  ¹⁴ 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.)

[57:11]  ¹⁵ tn Or “be exalted.”

[57:11]  ¹⁶ 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.)

[63:2]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used here to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4).

[63:2]  ¹⁸ tn The perfect verbal form is understood here as referring to a past experience which the psalmist desires to be repeated. Another option is to take the perfect as indicating the psalmist’s certitude that he will again stand in God’s presence in the sanctuary. In this case one can translate, “I will see you.”

[63:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “seeing.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.

[68:17]  ²⁰ tn Heb “thousands of [?].” The meaning of the word שִׁנְאָן (shin’an), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Perhaps the form should be emended to שַׁאֲנָן (sha’anan, “at ease”) and be translated here “held in reserve.”

[68:17]  ²¹ tc The MT reads, “the Lord [is] among them, Sinai, in holiness,” which is syntactically difficult. The present translation assumes an emendation to אֲדֹנָי בָּא מִסִּינַי (’adonay ba’ missinay; see BHS note b-b and Deut 33:2).

[72:19]  ²² tn Heb “[be] blessed.”

[72:19]  ²³ tn Or “glory.”

[72:19]  ²⁴ tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [’amen vÿ’amen], i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response of agreement to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.

[85:9]  ²⁵ tn Heb “certainly his deliverance [is] near to those who fear him.”

[85:9]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to dwell, glory, in our land.” “Glory” is the subject of the infinitive. The infinitive with -לְ (lÿ), “to dwell,” probably indicates result here (“then”). When God delivers his people and renews his relationship with them, he will once more reveal his royal splendor in the land.

[86:9]  ²⁷ tn Or “bow down before you.”

[89:27]  ²⁸ sn The firstborn son typically had special status and received special privileges.

[96:3]  ²⁹ tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[102:15]  ³⁰ tn Heb “will fear the name of the Lord.” To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).

[102:15]  ³¹ tn The verb “will fear” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).

[108:5]  ³² tn Or “be exalted.”

[108:5]  ³³ 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.)

[145:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the sons of man.”