Mazmur 9:7-10

9:7 But the Lord ¹  rules ²  forever;

he reigns in a just manner. ³ 

9:8 He judges the world fairly;

he makes just legal decisions for the nations. ⁴ 

9:9 Consequently ⁵  the Lord provides safety for the oppressed; ⁶ 

he provides safety in times of trouble. ⁷ 

9:10 Your loyal followers trust in you, ⁸ 

for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help. ⁹ 

Mazmur 10:16-18

10:16 The Lord rules forever! ¹⁰ 

The nations are driven out of his land. ¹¹ 

10:17 Lord, you have heard ¹²  the request ¹³  of the oppressed;

you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer. ¹⁴ 

10:18 You defend ¹⁵  the fatherless and oppressed, ¹⁶ 

so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. ¹⁷ 

[9:7]  ¹ tn The construction vav (ו) + subject highlights the contrast between the exalted Lord and his defeated foes (see v. 6).

[9:7]  ² tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, see v. 4). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.

[9:7]  ³ tn Heb “he establishes for justice his throne.”

[9:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “the peoples.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 8 either describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).

[9:9]  ⁵ tn Following the imperfect in v. 9, the construction vav (ו) conjunctive + shortened form of the prefixed verb הָיָה (hayah) indicates a consequence or result of the preceding statement. The construction functions this same way in Pss 81:15 and 104:20.

[9:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the Lord is an elevated place for the oppressed.” The singular form דָּךְ (dakh, “oppressed”) is collective here.

[9:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “[he is] an elevated place for times in trouble.” Here an “elevated place” refers to a stronghold, a defensible, secure position that represents a safe haven in times of unrest or distress (cf. NEB “tower of strength”; NIV, NRSV “stronghold”).

[9:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “and the ones who know your name trust in you.” The construction vav (ו) conjunctive + imperfect at the beginning of the verse expresses another consequence of the statement made in v. 8. “To know” the Lord’s “name” means to be his follower, recognizing his authority and maintaining loyalty to him. See Ps 91:14, where “knowing” the Lord’s “name” is associated with loving him.

[9:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “the ones who seek you.”

[10:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the Lord is king forever and ever.”

[10:16]  ¹¹ tn Or “the nations perish from his land.” The perfect verb form may express what is typical or it may express rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude that God’s deliverance is “as good as done.”

[10:16]  sn The nations may be the underlying reality behind the psalmist’s references to the “wicked” in the earlier verses. This reference to the nations may have motivated the combining of Ps 10 with Ps 9 (see Ps 9:5, 15, 19).

[10:17]  ¹² sn You have heard. The psalmist is confident that God has responded positively to his earlier petitions for divine intervention. The psalmist apparently prayed the words of vv. 16-18 after the reception of an oracle of deliverance (given in response to the confident petition of vv. 12-15) or after the Lord actually delivered him from his enemies.

[10:17]  ¹³ tn Heb “desire.”

[10:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “you make firm their heart, you cause your ear to listen.”

[10:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”

[10:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.

[10:18]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.