Mazmur 93:1--99:9
Konteks93:1 The Lord reigns!
He is robed in majesty,
the Lord is robed,
he wears strength around his waist. 2
Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.
93:2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times;
you have always been king. 3
93:3 The waves 4 roar, O Lord,
the waves roar,
the waves roar and crash. 5
93:4 Above the sound of the surging water, 6
and the mighty waves of the sea,
the Lord sits enthroned in majesty. 7
93:5 The rules you set down 8 are completely reliable. 9
Holiness 10 aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever. 11
94:1 O Lord, the God who avenges!
O God who avenges, reveal your splendor! 13
94:2 Rise up, O judge of the earth!
Pay back the proud!
94:3 O Lord, how long will the wicked,
how long will the wicked celebrate? 14
94:4 They spew out threats 15 and speak defiantly;
all the evildoers boast. 16
94:5 O Lord, they crush your people;
they oppress the nation that belongs to you. 17
94:6 They kill the widow and the one residing outside his native land,
and they murder the fatherless. 18
94:7 Then they say, “The Lord does not see this;
the God of Jacob does not take notice of it.” 19
94:8 Take notice of this, 20 you ignorant people! 21
You fools, when will you ever understand?
94:9 Does the one who makes the human ear not hear?
Does the one who forms the human eye not see? 22
94:10 Does the one who disciplines the nations not punish?
He is the one who imparts knowledge to human beings!
94:11 The Lord knows that
peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt. 23
94:12 How blessed is the one 24 whom you instruct, O Lord,
the one whom you teach from your law,
94:13 in order to protect him from times of trouble, 25
until the wicked are destroyed. 26
94:14 Certainly 27 the Lord does not forsake his people;
he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him. 28
94:15 For justice will prevail, 29
and all the morally upright 30 will be vindicated. 31
94:16 Who will rise up to defend me 32 against the wicked?
Who will stand up for me against the evildoers? 33
94:17 If the Lord had not helped me,
I would have laid down in the silence of death. 34
94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your loyal love, O Lord, supports me.
94:19 When worries threaten to overwhelm me, 35
your soothing touch makes me happy. 36
94:20 Cruel rulers 37 are not your allies,
those who make oppressive laws. 38
94:21 They conspire against 39 the blameless, 40
and condemn to death the innocent. 41
94:22 But the Lord will protect me, 42
and my God will shelter me. 43
94:23 He will pay them back for their sin. 44
He will destroy them because of 45 their evil;
the Lord our God will destroy them.
95:1 Come! Let’s sing for joy to the Lord!
Let’s shout out praises to our protector who delivers us! 47
95:2 Let’s enter his presence 48 with thanksgiving!
Let’s shout out to him in celebration! 49
95:3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great king who is superior to 50 all gods.
95:4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, 51
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
95:5 The sea is his, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
95:6 Come! Let’s bow down and worship! 52
Let’s kneel before the Lord, our creator!
95:7 For he is our God;
we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep he owns. 53
Today, if only you would obey him! 54
95:8 He says, 55 “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, 56
like they were that day at Massah 57 in the wilderness, 58
95:9 where your ancestors challenged my authority, 59
and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.
95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted 60 with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; 61
they do not obey my commands.’ 62
95:11 So I made a vow in my anger,
‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’” 63
96:1 Sing to the Lord a new song! 65
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
96:2 Sing to the Lord! Praise his name!
Announce every day how he delivers! 66
96:3 Tell the nations about his splendor!
Tell 67 all the nations about his amazing deeds!
96:4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;
he is more awesome than all gods. 68
96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, 69
but the Lord made the sky.
96:6 Majestic splendor emanates from him; 70
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful. 71
96:7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!
96:8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves! 72
Bring an offering and enter his courts!
96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire! 73
Tremble before him, all the earth!
96:10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
The world is established, it cannot be moved.
He judges the nations fairly.”
96:11 Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy!
Let the sea and everything in it shout!
96:12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!
Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy
96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!
For he comes to judge the earth!
He judges the world fairly, 74
and the nations in accordance with his justice. 75
97:1 The Lord reigns!
Let the earth be happy!
Let the many coastlands rejoice!
97:2 Dark clouds surround him;
equity and justice are the foundation of his throne. 77
97:3 Fire goes before him;
on every side 78 it burns up his enemies.
97:4 His lightning bolts light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
97:5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of the whole earth.
97:6 The sky declares his justice,
and all the nations see his splendor.
97:7 All who worship idols are ashamed,
those who boast about worthless idols.
All the gods bow down before him. 79
97:8 Zion hears and rejoices,
the towns 80 of Judah are happy,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
97:9 For you, O Lord, are the sovereign king 81 over the whole earth;
you are elevated high above all gods.
97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects 82 the lives of his faithful followers;
he delivers them from the power 83 of the wicked.
97:11 The godly bask in the light;
the morally upright experience joy. 84
97:12 You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord!
Give thanks to his holy name. 85
A psalm.
98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, 87
for he performs 88 amazing deeds!
His right hand and his mighty arm
accomplish deliverance. 89
98:2 The Lord demonstrates his power to deliver; 90
in the sight of the nations he reveals his justice.
98:3 He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel. 91
All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us. 92
98:4 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth!
Break out in a joyful shout and sing!
98:5 Sing to the Lord accompanied by a harp,
accompanied by a harp and the sound of music!
98:6 With trumpets and the blaring of the ram’s horn,
shout out praises before the king, the Lord!
98:7 Let the sea and everything in it shout,
along with the world and those who live in it!
98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands!
Let the mountains sing in unison
98:9 before the Lord!
For he comes to judge the earth!
He judges the world fairly, 93
and the nations in a just manner.
99:1 The Lord reigns!
The nations tremble. 95
He sits enthroned above the winged angels; 96
the earth shakes. 97
99:2 The Lord is elevated 98 in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
99:3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
He 99 is holy!
99:4 The king is strong;
he loves justice. 100
You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; 101
you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
99:5 Praise 102 the Lord our God!
Worship 103 before his footstool!
He is holy!
99:6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel was one of those who prayed to him. 104
They 105 prayed to the Lord and he answered them.
99:7 He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud; 106
they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.
99:8 O Lord our God, you answered them.
They found you to be a forgiving God,
but also one who punished their sinful deeds. 107
99:9 Praise 108 the Lord our God!
Worship on his holy hill,
for the Lord our God is holy!
[93:1] 1 sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the
[93:1] 2 sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.
[93:2] 3 tn Heb “from antiquity [are] you.” As the context suggests, this refers specifically to God’s royal position, not his personal existence.
[93:3] 4 tn The Hebrew noun translated “waves” often refers to rivers or streams, but here it appears to refer to the surging waves of the sea (see v. 4, Ps 24:2).
[93:3] 5 tn Heb “the waves lift up, O
[93:4] 6 tn Heb “mighty waters.”
[93:4] sn The surging waters here symbolizes the hostile enemies of God who seek to destroy the order he has established in the world (see Pss 18:17; 29:3; 32:6; 77:20; 144:7; Isa 17:13; Jer 51:55; Ezek 26:19; Hab 3:15). But the Lord is depicted as elevated above and sovereign over these raging waters.
[93:4] 7 tn Heb “mighty on high [is] the
[93:5] 8 tn Traditionally “your testimonies.” The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law. See Ps 19:7.
[93:5] 9 sn The rules you set down. God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
[93:5] 10 sn Holiness refers here to God’s royal transcendence (see vv. 1-4), as well as his moral authority and perfection (see v. 5a).
[93:5] 11 tn Heb “for your house holiness is fitting, O
[94:1] 12 sn Psalm 94. The psalmist asks God to judge the wicked and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
[94:1] 13 tn Heb “shine forth” (see Pss 50:2; 80:1).
[94:4] 15 tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”
[94:4] 16 tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (’amar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).
[94:5] 17 tn Or “your inheritance.”
[94:6] 18 tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 82:3; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
[94:7] 19 tn Heb “does not understand.”
[94:8] 20 tn Heb “understand.” The verb used in v. 7 is repeated here for rhetorical effect. The people referred to here claim God is ignorant of their actions, but the psalmist corrects their faulty viewpoint.
[94:8] 21 tn Heb “[you] brutish among the people.”
[94:9] 22 tn Heb “The one who plants an ear, does he not hear? The one who forms an eye, does he not see?”
[94:11] 23 tn Heb “the
[94:12] 24 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in v. 2.
[94:13] 25 tn Heb “to give him rest from the days of trouble.”
[94:13] 26 tn Heb “until a pit is dug for the wicked.”
[94:14] 28 tn Or “his inheritance.”
[94:15] 29 tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.”
[94:15] 30 tn Heb “all the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the
[94:15] 31 tn Heb “and after it [are] the pure of heart.”
[94:16] 33 sn Who will stand up for me…? The questions anticipate the answer, “No one except God” (see v. 17).
[94:17] 34 tn Heb “If the
[94:19] 35 tn Heb “when my worries are many within me.”
[94:19] 36 tn Heb “your comforts cause my soul to delight.”
[94:20] 37 tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.
[94:20] 38 tn Heb “Is a throne of destruction united to you, one that forms trouble upon a statute?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course not!” The translation, while not preserving the interrogative form of the statement, reflects its rhetorical force.
[94:21] 40 tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”
[94:21] 41 tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”
[94:22] 42 tn Heb “and the
[94:22] 43 tn Heb “and my God [has become] a rocky summit of my safety.”
[94:23] 44 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
[95:1] 46 sn Psalm 95. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God as the creator of the world and the nation’s protector, but he also reminds the people not to rebel against God.
[95:1] 47 tn Heb “to the rocky summit of our deliverance.”
[95:2] 48 tn Heb “meet his face.”
[95:2] 49 tn Heb “with songs of joy.”
[95:4] 51 tn The phrase “in his hand” means within the sphere of his authority.
[95:6] 52 tn Heb “kneel down.”
[95:7] 53 tn Heb “of his hand.”
[95:7] 54 tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.
[95:8] 55 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).
[95:8] 56 sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.
[95:8] 57 sn The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).
[95:8] 58 tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”
[95:9] 59 tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”
[95:10] 60 tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite or an imperfect. If the latter, it emphasizes the ongoing nature of the condition in the past. The translation reflects this interpretation of the verbal form.
[95:10] 61 tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”
[95:10] 62 tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the
[95:11] 63 tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are compared to sheep (see v. 7).
[96:1] 64 sn Psalm 96. The psalmist summons everyone to praise the Lord, the sovereign creator of the world who preserves and promotes justice in the earth.
[96:1] 65 sn A new song is appropriate because the
[96:2] 66 tn Heb “announce from day to day his deliverance.”
[96:3] 67 tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[96:4] 68 tn Or perhaps “and feared by all gods.” See Ps 89:7.
[96:5] 69 tn The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement.
[96:6] 70 tn Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”
[96:6] 71 tn Heb “strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary.”
[96:8] 72 tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., “due”] his name.”
[96:9] 73 tn Or “in holy splendor.”
[96:13] 74 tn The verbal forms in v. 13 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions, in which case they could be translated “will judge the world.”
[96:13] 75 tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”
[97:1] 76 sn Psalm 97. The psalmist depicts the Lord as the sovereign, just king of the world who comes in power to vindicate his people.
[97:2] 77 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
[97:3] 78 tn Heb “all around.”
[97:7] 79 tn The translation assumes that the prefixed verbal form in the first line is an imperfect (“are ashamed”) and that the ambiguous form in the third line is a perfect (“bow down”) because the psalmist appears to be describing the effect of the
[97:8] 80 tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).
[97:9] 81 tn Traditionally “Most High.”
[97:10] 82 tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the
[97:11] 84 tn Heb “Light is planted for the godly, and for the upright of heart joy.” The translation assumes an emendation of זָרַע (zara’, “planted”) to זָרַח (zara’, “shines”) which collocates more naturally with “light.” “Light” here symbolizes the joy (note the following line) that accompanies deliverance and the outpouring of divine favor.
[97:12] 85 tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זָכַר (zakhar, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the
[98:1] 86 sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.
[98:1] 87 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.
[98:1] 88 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.
[98:1] 89 tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.
[98:2] 90 tn Heb “makes known his deliverance.”
[98:3] 91 tn Heb “he remembers his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.”
[98:3] 92 tn Heb “the deliverance of our God,” with “God” being a subjective genitive (= God delivers).
[98:9] 93 tn The verbal forms in v. 9 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).
[99:1] 94 sn Psalm 99. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s just rule and recalls how he revealed himself to Israel’s leaders.
[99:1] 95 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 1 are understood here as indicating the nations’ characteristic response to the reality of the
[99:1] 96 sn Winged angels (Heb “cherubs”). Cherubs, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubs suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubs in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.
[99:1] 97 tn The Hebrew verb נוּט (nut) occurs only here in the OT, but the meaning can be determined on the basis of the parallelism with רָגַז (ragaz, “tremble”) and evidence from the cognate languages (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 121).
[99:3] 99 tn The pronoun refers to the
[99:4] 100 tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the
[99:4] 101 tn Heb “you establish fairness.”
[99:6] 104 tn Heb “among those who called on his name.”
[99:6] 105 tn Heb “those who.” The participle is in apposition to the phrase “those who called on his name” in the preceding line.
[99:7] 106 sn A pillar of cloud. The psalmist refers to the reality described in Exod 33:9-10; Num 12:5; and Deut 31:15.
[99:8] 107 tn Heb “a God of lifting up [i.e., forgiveness] you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The present translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned (cf. NIV, NRSV). Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form נֹקֵם (noqem, “an avenger”) to נֹקָם (noqam), a rare Qal participial form of נָקַה (naqah, “purify”) with a suffixed pronoun. In this case one could translate, “and one who purified them from their [sinful] deeds” (cf. NEB “and held them innocent”).
