Mazmur 33:18

33:18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, ¹ 

those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness ² 

Mazmur 111:10--112:1

111:10 To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living; ³ 

all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight. ⁴ 

He will receive praise forever. ⁵ 

Psalm 112 ⁶ 

112:1 Praise the Lord!

How blessed is the one ⁷  who obeys ⁸  the Lord,

who takes great delight in keeping his commands. ⁹ 

[33:18]  ¹ tn Heb “look, the eye of the Lord [is] toward the ones who fear him.” The expression “the eye…[is] toward” here indicates recognition and the bestowing of favor. See Ps 34:15. The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.

[33:18]  ² tn Heb “for the ones who wait for his faithfulness.”

[111:10]  ³ tn Heb “the beginning of wisdom [is] the fear of the Lord.”

[111:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “good sense [is] to all who do them.” The third masculine plural pronominal suffix must refer back to the “precepts” mentioned in v. 7. In the translation the referent has been specified for clarity. The phrase שֵׂכֶל טוֹב (shekhel tov) also occurs in Prov 3:4; 13:15 and 2 Chr 30:22.

[111:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “his praise stands forever.”

[112:1]  ⁶ sn Psalm 112. This wisdom psalm lists some of the benefits of living a godly life. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (twenty-two in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[112:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The individual is representative of a larger group, called the “godly” in vv. 3-4. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in the following verses.

[112:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “fears.”

[112:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “in his commands he delights very much.” The words “in keeping” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Taking delight in the law is metonymic here for obeying God’s moral will. See Ps 1:2.