2:2 No one is holy 1 like the Lord!
There is no one other than you!
There is no rock 2 like our God!
2:9 He watches over 3 his holy ones, 4
but the wicked are made speechless in the darkness,
for it is not by one’s own strength that one prevails.
1 sn In this context God’s holiness refers primarily to his sovereignty and incomparability. He is unique and distinct from all other so-called gods.
2 tn The LXX has “and there is none righteous like our God.” The Hebrew term translated “rock” refers to a rocky cliff where one can seek refuge from enemies. Here the metaphor depicts God as a protector of his people. Cf. TEV “no protector like our God”; CEV “We’re safer with you than on a high mountain.”
3 tn Heb “guards the feet of.” The expression means that God watches over and protects the godly in all of their activities and movements. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 9 are understood as indicating what is typically true. Another option is to translate them with the future tense. See v. 10b.
4 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew