2:6 “I myself 1 have installed 2 my king
on Zion, my holy hill.”
22:3 You are holy;
you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. 3
24:7 Look up, 4 you gates!
Rise up, 5 you eternal doors!
Then the majestic king 6 will enter! 7
24:9 Look up, you gates!
Rise up, you eternal doors!
Then the majestic king will enter!
28:8 The Lord strengthens his people; 8
he protects and delivers his chosen king. 9
29:10 The Lord sits enthroned over the engulfing waters, 10
the Lord sits enthroned 11 as the eternal king.
44:4 You are my 12 king, O God!
Decree 13 Jacob’s 14 deliverance!
47:7 For God is king of the whole earth!
Sing a well-written song! 15
61:6 Give the king long life!
Make his lifetime span several generations! 16
74:12 But God has been my 17 king from ancient times,
performing acts of deliverance on the earth. 18
84:9 O God, take notice of our shield! 19
Show concern for your chosen king! 20
89:18 For our shield 21 belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel. 22
89:20 I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king. 23
89:38 But you have spurned 24 and rejected him;
you are angry with your chosen king. 25
89:51 Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults;
they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps. 26
93:2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times;
you have always been king. 27
95:3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great king who is superior to 28 all gods.
105:20 The king authorized his release; 29
the ruler of nations set him free.
132:10 For the sake of David, your servant,
do not reject your chosen king! 30
149:2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator!
Let the people 31 of Zion delight in their king! 32
1 tn The first person pronoun appears before the first person verbal form for emphasis, reflected in the translation by “myself.”
2 tn Or perhaps “consecrated.”
3 tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the
4 tn Heb “lift up your heads.” The gates of the Lord’s dwelling place are here personified. The idiom “lift up the head” often means “be confident, bold” (see Judg 8:28; Job 10:15; Ps 83:2; Zech 1:21).
5 tn Heb “lift yourselves up.”
6 tn Or “king of glory.”
7 tn Following the imperatives of the preceding lines, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
8 tn Heb “the
9 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.
10 tn The noun מַּבּוּל (mabbul, “flood”) appears only here and in Gen 6-11, where it refers to the Noahic flood. Some see a reference to that event here. The presence of the article (perhaps indicating uniqueness) and the switch to the perfect verbal form (which could be taken as describing a past situation) might support this. However, the immediate context indicates that the referent of מַּבּוּל is the “surging waters” mentioned in v. 3. The article indicates waters that are definite in the mind of the speaker and the perfect is probably descriptive in function, like “thunders” in v. 3. However, even though the historical flood is not the primary referent here, there may be a literary allusion involved. The psalmist views the threatening chaotic sea as a contemporary manifestation of the destructive waters of old.
11 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the descriptive function of the preceding perfect.
12 sn The speaker changes here to an individual, perhaps the worship leader or the king. The oscillation between singular (vv. 4, 6) and plural (vv. 1-3, 5, 7-8) in vv. 1-8 may reflect an antiphonal ceremony.
13 tc The LXX assumes a participle here (מְצַוֶּה [mÿtsavveh], “the one who commands/decrees”) which would stand in apposition to “my God.” It is possible that the MT, which has the imperative (צַוֵּה, tsavveh) form, has suffered haplography of the letter mem (ם). Note that the preceding word (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) ends in mem. Another option is that the MT is divided in the wrong place; perhaps one could move the final mem from אֱלֹהִים to the beginning of the next word and read מְצַוֶּה אֱלֹהָי (’elohay mÿtsavveh, “[You are my king,] my God, the one who decrees”).
tn Or “command.” This may be the Israelites’ petition prior to the battle. See the introductory note to the psalm.
14 tn That is, Israel. See Pss 14:7; 22:23.
15 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term also occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142. Here, in a context of celebration, the meaning “skillful, well-written” would fit particularly well.
16 tn Heb “days upon days of the king add, his years like generation and generation.”
sn It is not certain if the (royal) psalmist is referring to himself in the third person in this verse, or if an exile is praying on behalf of the king.
17 tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative here.
18 tn Heb “in the midst of the earth.”
19 tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “your anointed one” here and with “our king” in Ps 89:18.
20 tn Heb “look [on] the face of your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17).
21 tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “our king" here and with “your anointed one” in Ps 84:9.
22 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the
23 tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.
24 tn The Hebrew construction (conjunction + pronoun, followed by the verb) draws attention to the contrast between what follows and what precedes.
25 tn Heb “your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 132:10, 17).
26 tn Heb “[by] which your enemies, O
27 tn Heb “from antiquity [are] you.” As the context suggests, this refers specifically to God’s royal position, not his personal existence.
28 tn Heb “above.”
29 tn Heb “[the] king sent and set him free.”
30 tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”
31 tn Heb “sons.”
32 sn The