Mazmur 33:13-18

33:13 The Lord watches ¹  from heaven;

he sees all people. ² 

33:14 From the place where he lives he looks carefully

at all the earth’s inhabitants.

33:15 He is the one who forms every human heart, ³ 

and takes note of all their actions.

33:16 No king is delivered by his vast army;

a warrior is not saved by his great might.

33:17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; ⁴ 

despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.

33:18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, ⁵ 

those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness ⁶ 

[33:13]  ¹ tn The Hebrew perfect verbal forms in v. 13 state general facts.

[33:13]  ² tn Heb “all the sons of men.”

[33:15]  ³ tn Heb “the one who forms together their heart[s].” “Heart” here refers to human nature, composed of intellect, emotions and will. The precise force of יָחַד (yakhad, “together”) is unclear here. The point seems to be that the Lord is the creator of every human being.

[33:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “a lie [is] the horse for victory.”

[33:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “look, the eye of the Lord [is] toward the ones who fear him.” The expression “the eye…[is] toward” here indicates recognition and the bestowing of favor. See Ps 34:15. The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.

[33:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “for the ones who wait for his faithfulness.”