For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.
76:1 God has revealed himself in Judah; 2
in Israel his reputation 3 is great.
76:2 He lives in Salem; 4
he dwells in Zion. 5
78:68 He chose the tribe of Judah,
and Mount Zion, which he loves.
78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; 6
as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. 7
14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? 8
Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure;
the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.
1 sn Psalm 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.
2 tn Or “God is known in Judah.”
3 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
4 sn Salem is a shorter name for Jerusalem (see Gen 14:18).
5 tn Heb “and his place of refuge is in Salem, and his lair in Zion.” God may be likened here to a lion (see v. 4).
7 tc Heb “and he built like the exalting [ones] his sanctuary.” The phrase כְּמוֹ־רָמִים (kÿmo-ramim, “like the exalting [ones]”) is a poetic form of the comparative preposition followed by a participial form of the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”). The text should be emended to כִּמְרֹמִים (kimromim, “like the [heavenly] heights”). See Ps 148:1, where “heights” refers to the heavens above.
8 tn Heb “like the earth, [which] he established permanently.” The feminine singular suffix on the Hebrew verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish”) refers to the grammatically feminine noun “earth.”
10 sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face – surrender and oppression, or battle and death.
13 tn Grk “and the city”; the conjunction is omitted in translation since it seems to be functioning epexegetically – that is, explaining further what is meant by “Mount Zion.”