Mazmur 76:11-12

76:11 Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them!

Let all those who surround him ¹  bring tribute to the awesome one!

76:12 He humbles princes; ² 

the kings of the earth regard him as awesome. ³ 

Mazmur 124:1

Psalm 124 ⁴ 

A song of ascents, ⁵  by David.

124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our side” –

let Israel say this! –

[76:11]  ¹ tn The phrase “all those who surround him” may refer to the surrounding nations (v. 12 may favor this), but in Ps 89:7 the phrase refers to God’s heavenly assembly.

[76:12]  ² tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to HALOT 148 s.v. II בצר, the Hebrew verb בָּצַר (batsar) is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect tense highlighting God’s typical behavior.

[76:12]  ³ tn Heb “[he is] awesome to the kings of the earth.”

[124:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.

[124:1]  ⁵ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.