2 Samuel 23:3-4

23:3 The God of Israel spoke,

the protector ¹  of Israel spoke to me.

The one who rules fairly among men,

the one who rules in the fear of God,

23:4 is like the light of morning when the sun comes up,

a morning in which there are no clouds.

He is like the brightness after rain

that produces grass from the earth.

2 Samuel 23:1

David’s Final Words

23:1 These are the final words of David:

“The oracle of David son of Jesse,

the oracle of the man raised up as

the ruler chosen by the God of Jacob, ² 

Israel’s beloved ³  singer of songs:

2 Samuel 18:14

18:14 Joab replied, “I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still alive in the middle of the oak tree. ⁴ 

Mazmur 45:6-7

45:6 Your throne, ⁵  O God, is permanent. ⁶ 

The scepter ⁷  of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

45:7 You love ⁸  justice and hate evil. ⁹ 

For this reason God, your God ¹⁰  has anointed you ¹¹ 

with the oil of joy, ¹²  elevating you above your companions. ¹³ 

Mazmur 72:2

72:2 Then he will judge ¹⁴  your people fairly,

and your oppressed ones ¹⁵  equitably.

Mazmur 75:2

75:2 God says, ¹⁶ 

“At the appointed times, ¹⁷ 

I judge ¹⁸  fairly.

Mazmur 78:71-72

78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, ¹⁹ 

and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,

and of Israel, his chosen nation. ²⁰ 

78:72 David ²¹  cared for them with pure motives; ²² 

he led them with skill. ²³ 

Mazmur 89:14

89:14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. ²⁴ 

Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule. ²⁵ 

Mazmur 101:1-8

Psalm 101 ²⁶ 

A psalm of David.

101:1 I will sing about loyalty and justice!

To you, O Lord, I will sing praises!

101:2 I will walk in ²⁷  the way of integrity.

When will you come to me?

I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. ²⁸ 

101:3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. ²⁹ 

I hate doing evil; ³⁰ 

I will have no part of it. ³¹ 

101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; ³² 

I will not permit ³³  evil.

101:5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret.

I will not tolerate anyone who has a cocky demeanor and an arrogant attitude. ³⁴ 

101:6 I will favor the honest people of the land, ³⁵ 

and allow them to live with me. ³⁶ 

Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me. ³⁷ 

101:7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace. ³⁸ 

Liars will not be welcome in my presence. ³⁹ 

101:8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land,

and remove all evildoers from the city of the Lord.

Yesaya 9:7

9:7 His dominion will be vast ⁴⁰ 

and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. ⁴¹ 

He will rule on David’s throne

and over David’s kingdom, ⁴² 

establishing it ⁴³  and strengthening it

by promoting justice and fairness, ⁴⁴ 

from this time forward and forevermore.

The Lord’s intense devotion to his people ⁴⁵  will accomplish this.

Yeremia 22:15-16

22:15 Does it make you any more of a king

that you outstrip everyone else in ⁴⁶  building with cedar?

Just think about your father.

He was content that he had food and drink. ⁴⁷ 

He did what was just and right. ⁴⁸ 

So things went well with him.

22:16 He upheld the cause of the poor and needy.

So things went well for Judah.’ ⁴⁹ 

The Lord says,

‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.’ ⁵⁰ 

Yeremia 23:5-6

23:5 “I, the Lord, promise ⁵¹  that a new time will certainly come ⁵² 

when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, ⁵³  a descendant of David.

He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding ⁵⁴ 

and will do what is just and right in the land. ⁵⁵ 

23:6 Under his rule ⁵⁶  Judah will enjoy safety ⁵⁷ 

and Israel will live in security. ⁵⁸ 

This is the name he will go by:

‘The Lord has provided us with justice.’ ⁵⁹ 

Amos 5:15

5:15 Hate what is wrong, love what is right!

Promote ⁶⁰  justice at the city gate! ⁶¹ 

Maybe the Lord, the God who commands armies, will have mercy on ⁶²  those who are left from ⁶³  Joseph. ⁶⁴ 

Amos 5:24

5:24 Justice must flow like torrents of water,

righteous actions ⁶⁵  like a stream that never dries up.

[23:3]  ¹ tn Heb “rock,” used as a metaphor of divine protection.

[23:1]  ² tn Heb “the anointed one of the God of Jacob.”

[23:1]  ³ tn Or “pleasant.”

[18:14]  ⁴ tn There is a play on the word “heart” here that is difficult to reproduce in English. Literally the Hebrew text says “he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the oak tree.” This figure of speech involves the use of the same word in different senses and is known as antanaclasis. It is illustrated in the familiar saying from the time of the American Revolution: “If we don’t hang together, we will all hang separately.” The present translation understands “heart” to be used somewhat figuratively for “chest” (cf. TEV, CEV), which explains why Joab’s armor bearers could still “kill” Absalom after he had been stabbed with three spears through the “heart.” Since trees do not have “chests” either, the translation uses “middle.”

[45:6]  ⁵ sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.

[45:6]  ⁶ tn Or “forever and ever.”

[45:6]  sn O God. The king is clearly the addressee here, as in vv. 2-5 and 7-9. Rather than taking the statement at face value, many prefer to emend the text because the concept of deifying the earthly king is foreign to ancient Israelite thinking (cf. NEB “your throne is like God’s throne, eternal”). However, it is preferable to retain the text and take this statement as another instance of the royal hyperbole that permeates the royal psalms. Because the Davidic king is God’s vice-regent on earth, the psalmist addresses him as if he were God incarnate. God energizes the king for battle and accomplishes justice through him. A similar use of hyperbole appears in Isa 9:6, where the ideal Davidic king of the eschaton is given the title “Mighty God” (see the note on this phrase there). Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Rameses II as follows: “No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique” (see Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67). Ps 45:6 and Isa 9:6 probably envision a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king’s enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself.

[45:6]  ⁷ sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.

[45:7]  ⁸ sn To love justice means to actively promote it.

[45:7]  ⁹ sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.

[45:7]  ¹⁰ tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“Lord”) is relatively rare in Pss 42-83, where the name Elohim (“God”) predominates, this compounding of Elohim may be an alternative form of the compound name “the Lord my/your/our God.”

[45:7]  ¹¹ sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.

[45:7]  ¹² sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.

[45:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.

[45:7]  sn Verses 6-7 are quoted in Heb 1:8-9, where they are applied to Jesus.

[72:2]  ¹⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.

[72:2]  ¹⁵ sn These people are called God’s oppressed ones because he is their defender (see Pss 9:12, 18; 10:12; 12:5).

[75:2]  ¹⁶ tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in vv. 2-3.

[75:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “when I take an appointed time.”

[75:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “I, [in] fairness, I judge.” The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically executes fair judgment as he governs the world. One could take this as referring to an anticipated (future) judgment, “I will judge.”

[78:71]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”

[78:71]  ²⁰ tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”

[78:72]  ²¹ tn Heb “He”; the referent (David, God’s chosen king, mentioned in v. 70) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[78:72]  ²² tn Heb “and he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart.”

[78:72]  ²³ tn Heb “and with the understanding of his hands he led them.”

[89:14]  ²⁴ sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.

[89:14]  ²⁵ tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).

[101:1]  ²⁶ sn Psalm 101. The psalmist, who appears to be a king, promises to promote justice in his land and vows to rid his royal court of evildoers.

[101:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “take notice of.”

[101:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”

[101:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness.”

[101:3]  ³⁰ tn Heb “the doing of swerving [deeds] I hate.” The Hebrew term סֵטִים (setim) is probably an alternate spelling of שֵׂטִים (setim), which appears in many medieval Hebrew mss. The form appears to be derived from a verbal root שׂוּט (sut, “to fall away; to swerve”; see Ps 40:4).

[101:3]  ³¹ tn Heb “it [i.e., the doing of evil deeds] does not cling to me.”

[101:4]  ³² tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse (see Ps 18:26). It appears frequently in the Book of Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6).

[101:4]  ³³ tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.

[101:5]  ³⁴ tn Heb “[one who has] pride of eyes and wideness [i.e., arrogance] of heart, him I will not endure.”

[101:6]  ³⁵ tn Heb “my eyes [are] on the faithful of the land.”

[101:6]  ³⁶ tn The Hebrew text simply reads, “in order to live with me.”

[101:6]  ³⁷ tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”

[101:7]  ³⁸ tn Heb “he will not live in the midst of my house, one who does deceit.”

[101:7]  ³⁹ tn Heb “one who speaks lies will not be established before my eyes.”

[9:7]  ⁴⁰ tc The Hebrew text has לְםַרְבֵּה (lÿmarbeh), which is a corrupt reading. לם is dittographic; note the preceding word, שָׁלוֹם (shalom). The corrected text reads literally, “great is the dominion.”

[9:7]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “and to peace there will be no end” (KJV and ASV both similar). On the political and socio-economic sense of שָׁלוֹם (shalom) in this context, see the note at v. 6 on “Prince of Peace.”

[9:7]  ⁴² tn Heb “over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” The referent of the pronoun “his” (i.e., David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:7]  ⁴³ tn The feminine singular pronominal suffix on this form and the following one (translated “it” both times) refers back to the grammatically feminine noun “kingdom.”

[9:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “with/by justice and fairness”; ASV “with justice and with righteousness.”

[9:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord.” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to vindicate them and to fulfill his promises to David and the nation.

[22:15]  ⁴⁶ tn For the use of this verb see Jer 12:5 where it is used of Jeremiah “competing” with horses. The form is a rare Tiphel (see GKC 153 §55.h).

[22:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “Your father, did he not eat and drink and do justice and right.” The copulative vav in front of the verbs here (all Hebrew perfects) shows that these actions are all coordinate not sequential. The contrast drawn here between the actions of Jehoiakim and Josiah show that the phrase eating and drinking should be read in the light of the same contrasts in Eccl 2 which ends with the note of contentment in Eccl 2:24 (see also Eccl 3:13; 5:18 [5:17 HT]; 8:15). The question is, of course, rhetorical setting forth the positive role model against which Jehoiakim’s actions are to be condemned. The key terms here are “then things went well with him” which is repeated in the next verse after the reiteration of Josiah’s practice of justice.

[22:15]  ⁴⁸ sn The father referred to here is the godly king Josiah. He followed the requirements for kings set forth in 22:3 in contrast to his son who did not (22:13).

[22:16]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “for Judah” are not in the text, but the absence of the preposition plus object as in the preceding verse suggests that this is a more general statement, i.e., “things went well for everyone.”

[22:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “Is that not what it means to know me.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer. It is translated in the light of the context.

[22:16]  sn Comparison of the usage of the words “know me” in their context in Jer 2:8; 9:3, 6, 24 and here will show that more than mere intellectual knowledge is involved. It involves also personal commitment to God and obedience to the demands of the agreements with him. The word “know” is used in ancient Near Eastern treaty contexts of submission to the will of the overlord. See further the notes on 9:3.

[23:5]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:5]  ⁵² tn Heb “Behold the days are coming.”

[23:5]  ⁵³ tn Heb “a righteous sprig to David” or “a righteous shoot” (NAB).

[23:5]  sn This passage and the parallel in Jer 33:15 are part of a growing number of prayers and prophecies regarding an ideal ruler to come forth from the Davidic line who will bring the justice, security, and well-being that the continuing line of Davidic rulers did not. Though there were periodic kings like Josiah who did fulfill the ideals set forth in Jer 22:3 (see Jer 22:15), by and large they were more like Jehoiakim who did not (see Jer 22:13). Hence the Lord brought to an end the Davidic rule. The potential for the ideal, however, remained because of God’s promise to David (2 Sam 7:16). The Davidic line became like a tree which was cut down, leaving only a stump. But from that stump God would bring forth a “shoot,” a “sprig” which would fulfill the ideals of kingship. See Isa 11:1-6 and Zech 3:8, 6:12 for this metaphor and compare Dan 4:14-15, 23, 26 for a different but related use of the metaphor.

[23:5]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “he will reign as king and act wisely.” This is another example of the use of two verbs joined by “and” where one becomes the adverbial modifier of the other (hendiadys). For the nuance of the verb “act wisely” rather than “prosper” see Amos 5:13; Ps 2:10 (cf. BDB 968 s.v. שָׂכַל Hiph.5).

[23:5]  ⁵⁵ sn This has been the constant emphasis in this section. See 22:3 for the demand, 22:15 for its fulfillment, and 22:13 for its abuse. The ideal king would follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ancestor David (2 Sam 8:15) who set this forth as an ideal for his dynasty (2 Sam 23:3) and prayed for it to be true of his son Solomon (Ps 72:1-2).

[23:6]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “In his days [= during the time he rules].”

[23:6]  ⁵⁷ tn Parallelism and context (cf. v. 4) suggest this nuance for the word often translated “be saved.” For this nuance elsewhere see Ps 119:117; Prov 28:18 for the verb (יָשַׁע [yasha’] in the Niphal); and Ps 12:6; Job 5:4, 11 for the related noun (יֶשַׁע, yesha’).

[23:6]  ⁵⁸ sn It should be noted that this brief oracle of deliverance implies the reunification of Israel and Judah under the future Davidic ruler. Jeremiah has already spoken about this reunification earlier in 3:18 and will have more to say about it in 30:3; 31:27, 31. This same ideal was espoused in the prophecies of Hosea (1:10-11 [2:1-2 HT]), Isaiah (11:1-4, 10-12), and Ezekiel (37:15-28) all of which have messianic and eschatological significance.

[23:6]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “his name will be called ‘The Lord our righteousness’.”

[23:6]  sn The Hebrew word translated “justice” here is very broad in its usage, and it is hard to catch all the relevant nuances for this word in this context. It is used for “vindication” in legal contexts (see, e.g., Job 6:29), for “deliverance” or “salvation” in exilic contexts (see, e.g., Isa 58:8), and in the sense of ruling, judging with “justice” (see, e.g., Lev 19:15; Isa 32:1). Here it probably sums up the justice that the Lord provides through raising up this ruler as well as the safety, security, and well-being that result (see vv. 5-6a). In the NT this takes on soteriological connotations (see 1 Cor 1:31 in its context).

[5:15]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “set up, establish.” In the ancient Near East it was the responsibility especially of the king to establish justice. Here the prophet extends that demand to local leaders and to the nation as a whole (cf. 5:24).

[5:15]  ⁶¹ sn Legal disputes were resolved in the city gate (see the note in v. 12). This repetition of this phrase serves to highlight a deliberate contrast to the injustices cited in vv. 11-13.

[5:15]  ⁶² tn Or “will show favor to.”

[5:15]  ⁶³ tn Or “the remnant of” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “what’s left of your people.”

[5:15]  ⁶⁴ sn Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.

[5:24]  ⁶⁵ tn Traditionally, “righteousness.”