2:9 You will break them 1 with an iron scepter; 2
you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” 3
18:37 I chase my enemies and catch 4 them;
I do not turn back until I wipe them out.
68:22 The Lord says,
“I will retrieve them 5 from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
89:32 I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club, 6
their sin by inflicting them with bruises. 7
99:7 He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud; 8
they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.
1 tc The LXX reads “you will shepherd them.” This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, “to shepherd”) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, “to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, “to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.
2 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.
3 sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.
4 tn 2 Sam 22:38 reads “destroy.”
5 tn That is, the enemies mentioned in v. 21. Even if they retreat to distant regions, God will retrieve them and make them taste his judgment.
6 tn Heb “I will punish with a club their rebellion.”
sn Despite the harsh image of beating…with a club, the language reflects a father-son relationship (see v. 30; 2 Sam 7:14). According to Proverbs, a שֵׁבֶט (shevet, “club”) was sometimes utilized to administer corporal punishment to rebellious children (see Prov 13:24; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15).
7 tn Heb “with blows their sin.”
8 sn A pillar of cloud. The psalmist refers to the reality described in Exod 33:9-10; Num 12:5; and Deut 31:15.