Mazmur 11:5

11:5 The Lord approves of ¹  the godly, ² 

but he ³  hates ⁴  the wicked and those who love to do violence. ⁵ 

Mazmur 33:5

33:5 The Lord promotes ⁶  equity and justice;

the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth. ⁷ 

Mazmur 37:28

37:28 For the Lord promotes ⁸  justice,

and never abandons ⁹  his faithful followers.

They are permanently secure, ¹⁰ 

but the children ¹¹  of evil men are wiped out. ¹² 

Mazmur 40:8

40:8 I want to do what pleases you, ¹³  my God.

Your law dominates my thoughts.” ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 45:7

45:7 You love ¹⁵  justice and hate evil. ¹⁶ 

For this reason God, your God ¹⁷  has anointed you ¹⁸ 

with the oil of joy, ¹⁹  elevating you above your companions. ²⁰ 

[11:5]  ¹ tn Heb “examines,” the same verb used in v. 4b. But here it is used in a metonymic sense of “examine and approve” (see Jer 20:12).

[11:5]  ² tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure (of heart)” in v. 2.

[11:5]  ³ tn Heb “his [very] being.” A נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, soul”) is also attributed to the Lord in Isa 1:14, where a suffixed form of the noun appears as the subject of the verb “hate.” Both there and here the term is used of the seat of one’s emotions and passions.

[11:5]  ⁴ sn He hates the wicked. The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds, and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 5:5.

[11:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “the wicked [one] and the lover of violence.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked [ones]”) in vv. 2 and 6.

[33:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of equity and justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world.

[33:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “fills the earth.”

[37:28]  ⁸ tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world. The active participle describes characteristic behavior.

[37:28]  ⁹ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.

[37:28]  ¹⁰ tn Or “protected forever.”

[37:28]  ¹¹ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[37:28]  ¹² tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.

[40:8]  ¹³ tn Or “your will.”

[40:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “your law [is] in the midst of my inner parts.” The “inner parts” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s thought life and moral decision making.

[45:7]  ¹⁵ sn To love justice means to actively promote it.

[45:7]  ¹⁶ sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.

[45:7]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ 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.