For the music director; a psalm of David.
21:1 O Lord, the king rejoices in the strength you give; 2
he takes great delight in the deliverance you provide. 3
21:7 For the king trusts 4 in the Lord,
and because of the sovereign Lord’s 5 faithfulness he is not upended. 6
1 sn Psalm 21. The psalmist praises the Lord for the way he protects and blesses the Davidic king.
2 tn Heb “in your strength.” The translation interprets the pronominal suffix as subjective, rather than merely descriptive (or attributive).
3 tn Heb “and in your deliverance, how greatly he rejoices.”
4 tn The active participle draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action.
5 tn Traditionally “the Most High’s.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. Note the focus of vv. 8-12 and see Ps 47:2.
6 tn Another option is to translate the imperfect verbal form as future, “he will not be upended” (cf. NRSV “he shall not be moved”). Even if one chooses this option, the future tense must be understood in a generalizing sense.