22:45 Foreigners are powerless before me; 1
when they hear of my exploits, they submit to me. 2
22:46 Foreigners lose their courage; 3
they shake with fear 4 as they leave 5 their strongholds. 6
1 tn For the meaning “to be weak; to be powerless” for the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash), see Ps 109:24. Verse 46, which also mentions foreigners, favors this interpretation. Another option is to translate “cower in fear” (see Deut 33:29; Pss 66:3; 81:15).
2 tn Heb “at a report of an ear they submit to me.” The report of David’s exploits is so impressive that those who hear it submit to his rulership without putting up a fight.
3 tn Heb “wither, wear out.”
4 tc The translation assumes a reading וְיַחְרְגוּ (vÿyakhrÿgu, “and they quaked”) rather than the MT וְיַחְגְּרוּ (vÿyakhgÿru, “and they girded themselves”). See the note at Ps 18:45.
5 tn Heb “from.”
6 tn Heb “prisons.” Their besieged cities are compared to prisons.