Mazmur 94:12-16

94:12 How blessed is the one ¹  whom you instruct, O Lord,

the one whom you teach from your law,

94:13 in order to protect him from times of trouble, ² 

until the wicked are destroyed. ³ 

94:14 Certainly ⁴  the Lord does not forsake his people;

he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him. ⁵ 

94:15 For justice will prevail, ⁶ 

and all the morally upright ⁷  will be vindicated. ⁸ 

94:16 Who will rise up to defend me ⁹  against the wicked?

Who will stand up for me against the evildoers? ¹⁰ 

[94:12]  ¹ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in v. 2.

[94:13]  ² tn Heb “to give him rest from the days of trouble.”

[94:13]  ³ tn Heb “until a pit is dug for the wicked.”

[94:14]  ⁴ tn Or “for.”

[94:14]  ⁵ tn Or “his inheritance.”

[94:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.”

[94:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “all the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 97:11).

[94:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “and after it [are] the pure of heart.”

[94:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “for me.”

[94:16]  ¹⁰ sn Who will stand up for me…? The questions anticipate the answer, “No one except God” (see v. 17).