Mazmur 58:11

58:11 Then ¹  observers ²  will say,

“Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded! ³ 

Yes indeed, there is a God who judges ⁴  in the earth!”

Mazmur 64:9

64:9 and all people will fear. ⁵ 

They will proclaim ⁶  what God has done,

and reflect on his deeds.

Mazmur 83:18

83:18 Then they will know ⁷  that you alone are the Lord, ⁸ 

the sovereign king ⁹  over all the earth.

[58:11]  ¹ tn Following the imperfects of v. 10, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive probably indicates a result or consequence of what precedes.

[58:11]  ² tn Heb “man.” The singular is representative here.

[58:11]  ³ tn Heb “surely [there] is fruit for the godly.”

[58:11]  ⁴ tn The plural participle is unusual here if the preceding אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a plural of majesty, referring to the one true God. Occasionally the plural of majesty does take a plural attributive (see GKC 428-29 §132.h). It is possible that the final mem (ם) on the participle is enclitic, and that it was later misunderstood as a plural ending. Another option is to translate, “Yes indeed, there are gods who judge in the earth.” In this case, the statement reflects the polytheistic mindset of pagan observers who, despite their theological ignorance, nevertheless recognize divine retribution when they see it.

[64:9]  ⁵ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read וַיִּרְאוּ (vayyir’u, “and they will see”) instead of וַיִּירְאוּ (vayyirÿ’u, “and they will proclaim”).

[64:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “the work of God,” referring to the judgment described in v. 7.

[83:18]  ⁷ tn After the preceding jussives (v. 17), the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose (“so that they may know”) or result.

[83:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “that you, your name [is] the Lord, you alone.”

[83:18]  ⁹ tn Traditionally “the Most High.”