Mazmur 77:15

77:15 You delivered ¹  your people by your strength ²  –

the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)

Mazmur 79:11

79:11 Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners! ³ 

Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die! ⁴ 

Mazmur 89:10

89:10 You crushed the Proud One ⁵  and killed it; ⁶ 

with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

Mazmur 98:1

Psalm 98 ⁷ 

A psalm.

98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, ⁸ 

for he performs ⁹  amazing deeds!

His right hand and his mighty arm

accomplish deliverance. ¹⁰ 

[77:15]  ¹ tn Or “redeemed.”

[77:15]  ² tn Heb “with [your] arm.”

[79:11]  ³ tn Heb “may the painful cry of the prisoner come before you.”

[79:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “according to the greatness of your arm leave the sons of death.” God’s “arm” here symbolizes his strength to deliver. The verbal form הוֹתֵר (hoter) is a Hiphil imperative from יָתַר (yatar, “to remain; to be left over”). Here it must mean “to leave over; to preserve.” However, it is preferable to emend the form to הַתֵּר (hatter), a Hiphil imperative from נָתַר (natar, “be free”). The Hiphil form is used in Ps 105:20 of Pharaoh freeing Joseph from prison. The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 102:21) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.

[89:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.

[89:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”

[98:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.

[98:1]  ⁸ sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.

[98:1]  ⁹ tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.

[98:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.