Boks TemuanPsalms 18:31-33
Konteks18:31 Indeed, 1 who is God besides the Lord?
Who is a protector 2 besides our God? 3
18:32 The one true God 4 gives 5 me strength; 6
he removes 7 the obstacles in my way. 8
18:33 He gives me the agility of a deer; 9
he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain. 10
[18:31] 2 tn Heb “rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor of divine protection. See v. 2, where the Hebrew term צוּר (tsur) is translated “rocky summit.”
[18:31] 3 tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “No one.” In this way the psalmist indicates that the
[18:32] 4 tn Heb “the God.” The prefixed article emphasizes the
[18:32] 5 tn Heb “is the one who clothes.” For similar language see 1 Sam 2:4; Pss 65:6; 93:1. The psalmist employs a generalizing hymnic style in vv. 32-34; he uses participles in vv. 32a, 33a, and 34a to describe what God characteristically does on his behalf.
[18:32] 6 tn 2 Sam 22:33 reads, “the God is my strong refuge.”
[18:32] 7 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries along the generalizing force of the preceding participle.
[18:32] 8 tn Heb “he made my path smooth.” The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “smooth”) usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36).
[18:33] 7 tn Heb “[the one who] makes my feet like [those of ] a deer.”
[18:33] 8 tn Heb “and on my high places he makes me walk.” The imperfect verbal form emphasizes God’s characteristic provision. The psalmist compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured.
