Mazmur 18:31

18:31 Indeed, ¹  who is God besides the Lord?

Who is a protector ²  besides our God? ³ 

Mazmur 33:20

33:20 We ⁴  wait for the Lord;

he is our deliverer ⁵  and shield. ⁶ 

Mazmur 48:3

48:3 God is in its fortresses;

he reveals himself as its defender. ⁷ 

Mazmur 84:9

84:9 O God, take notice of our shield! ⁸ 

Show concern for your chosen king! ⁹ 

Mazmur 72:12

72:12 For he will rescue the needy ¹⁰  when they cry out for help,

and the oppressed ¹¹  who have no defender.

Mazmur 91:2

91:2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold,

my God in whom I trust –

[18:31]  ¹ tn Or “for.”

[18:31]  ² tn Heb “rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor of divine protection. See v. 2, where the Hebrew term צוּר (tsur) is translated “rocky summit.”

[18:31]  ³ tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “No one.” In this way the psalmist indicates that the Lord is the only true God and reliable source of protection. See also Deut 32:39, where the Lord affirms that he is the only true God. Note as well the emphasis on his role as protector (Heb “rocky cliff,” צוּר, tsur) in Deut 32:4, 15, 17-18, 30.

[33:20]  ⁴ tn Or “our lives.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.

[33:20]  ⁵ tn Or “[source of] help.”

[33:20]  ⁶ tn Or “protector.”

[48:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “he is known for an elevated place.”

[84:9]  ⁸ tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “your anointed one” here and with “our king” in Ps 89:18.

[84:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “look [on] the face of your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17).

[72:12]  ¹⁰ tn The singular is representative. The typical needy individual here represents the entire group.

[72:12]  ¹¹ tn The singular is representative. The typical oppressed individual here represents the entire group.