44:3 For they did not conquer 1 the land by their swords,
and they did not prevail by their strength, 2
but rather by your power, 3 strength 4 and good favor, 5
for you were partial to 6 them.
59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,
because then my people might forget the lesson. 7
Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,
O Lord who shields us! 8
68:35 You are awe-inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple! 9
It is the God of Israel 10 who gives the people power and strength.
God deserves praise! 11
71:18 Even when I am old and gray, 12
O God, do not abandon me,
until I tell the next generation about your strength,
and those coming after me about your power. 13
1 tn Or “take possession of.”
2 tn Heb “and their arm did not save them.” The “arm” here symbolizes military strength.
3 tn Heb “your right hand.” The
4 tn Heb “your arm.”
5 tn Heb “light of your face.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
6 tn Or “favorable toward.”
7 tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”
sn My people might forget the lesson. Swift, sudden destruction might be quickly forgotten. The psalmist wants God’s judgment to be prolonged so that it might be a continual reminder of divine justice.
8 tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”
9 tn Heb “awesome [is] God from his holy places.” The plural of מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash, “holy places”) perhaps refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 73:17; Jer 51:51).
10 tn Heb “the God of Israel, he.”
11 tn Heb “blessed [be] God.”
12 tn Heb “and even unto old age and gray hair.”
13 tn Heb “until I declare your arm to a generation, to everyone who comes your power.” God’s “arm” here is an anthropomorphism that symbolizes his great strength.