Mazmur 18:47

18:47 The one true God ¹  completely vindicates me; ² 

he makes nations submit to me. ³ 

Mazmur 28:8

28:8 The Lord strengthens his people; ⁴ 

he protects and delivers his chosen king. ⁵ 

Mazmur 47:3

47:3 He subdued nations beneath us ⁶ 

and countries ⁷  under our feet.

Mazmur 89:17

89:17 For you give them splendor and strength. ⁸ 

By your favor we are victorious. ⁹ 

Mazmur 89:42

89:42 You have allowed his adversaries to be victorious, ¹⁰ 

and all his enemies to rejoice.

Mazmur 98:2

98:2 The Lord demonstrates his power to deliver; ¹¹ 

in the sight of the nations he reveals his justice.

Mazmur 118:21

118:21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me,

and have become my deliverer.

[18:47]  ¹ tn Heb “the God.” See v. 32.

[18:47]  ² tn Heb “is the one who grants vengeance to me.” The plural form of the noun indicates degree here, suggesting complete vengeance or vindication.

[18:47]  sn Completely vindicates me. In the ancient Near East military victory was sometimes viewed as a sign that one’s God had judged in favor of the victor, avenging and/or vindicating him. See, for example, Judg 11:27, 32-33, 36.

[18:47]  ³ tn Heb “he subdues nations beneath me.” On the meaning of the verb דָּבַר (davar, “subdue,” a homonym of דָּבַר, davar, “speak”), see HALOT 209-10 s.v. I דבר. See also Ps 47:3 and 2 Chr 22:10. 2 Sam 22:48 reads “and [is the one who] brings down nations beneath me.”

[28:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “the Lord [is] strength to them” (or perhaps, “to him”). The form לָמוֹ (lamo, “to them/him”) is probably a corruption of an original לְעַמוֹ (lÿ’amo, “to his people”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 236), perhaps due to quiescence of the letter ayin (ע; see P. McCarter, Textual Criticism [GBS], 55). Note the reference to the Lord’s “people” in the next verse.

[28:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “he [is] a refuge of help for his anointed one.” The noun מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh, “anointed one”) refers to the Davidic king, who perhaps speaks as representative of the nation in this psalm. See Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17.

[47:3]  ⁶ tn On the meaning of the verb דָּבַר (davar, “subdue”), a homonym of דָּבַר (“speak”), see HALOT 209-10 s.v. I דבר. See also Ps 18:47 and 2 Chr 22:10. The preterite form of the verb suggests this is an historical reference and the next verse, which mentions the gift of the land, indicates that the conquest under Joshua is in view.

[47:3]  ⁷ tn Or “peoples” (see Pss 2:1; 7:7; 9:8; 44:2).

[89:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “for the splendor of their strength [is] you.”

[89:17]  ⁹ tn Heb “you lift up our horn,” or if one follows the marginal reading (Qere), “our horn is lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

[89:42]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you have lifted up the right hand of his adversaries.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:13; 118:16).

[98:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “makes known his deliverance.”