67:4 Let foreigners 1 rejoice and celebrate!
For you execute justice among the nations,
and govern the people living on earth. 2 (Selah)
96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!
For he comes to judge the earth!
He judges the world fairly, 3
and the nations in accordance with his justice. 4
98:9 before the Lord!
For he comes to judge the earth!
He judges the world fairly, 5
and the nations in a just manner.
1 tn Or “peoples.”
2 tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and [as for the] peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule…and govern”).
3 tn The verbal forms in v. 13 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions, in which case they could be translated “will judge the world.”
4 tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”
5 tn The verbal forms in v. 9 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).