7:6 Stand up angrily, 1 Lord!
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! 2
Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them! 3
52:9 I will continually 4 thank you when 5 you execute judgment; 6
I will rely 7 on you, 8 for your loyal followers know you are good. 9
149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies 10 have been sentenced. 11
All his loyal followers will be vindicated. 12
Praise the Lord!
1 tn Heb “in your anger.”
2 tn Heb “Lift yourself up in the angry outbursts of my enemies.” Many understand the preposition prefixed to עַבְרוֹת (’avrot, “angry outbursts”) as adversative, “against,” and the following genitive “enemies” as subjective. In this case one could translate, “rise up against my furious enemies” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The present translation, however, takes the preposition as indicating manner (cf. “in your anger” in the previous line) and understands the plural form of the noun as indicating an abstract quality (“fury”) or excessive degree (“raging fury”). Cf. Job 21:30.
3 tc Heb “Wake up to me [with the] judgment [which] you have commanded.” The LXX understands אֵלִי (’eliy, “my God”) instead of אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”; the LXX reading is followed by NEB, NIV, NRSV.) If the reading of the MT is retained, the preposition probably has the sense of “on account of, for the sake of.” The noun מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “judgment”) is probably an adverbial accusative, modifying the initial imperative, “wake up.” In this case צִוִּיתָ (tsivvita, “[which] you have commanded”) is an asyndetic relative clause. Some take the perfect as precative. In this case one could translate the final line, “Wake up for my sake! Decree judgment!” (cf. NIV). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
4 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
5 tn Or “for.”
6 tn Heb “you have acted.” The perfect verbal form (1) probably indicates a future perfect here. The psalmist promises to give thanks when the expected vindication has been accomplished. Other options include (2) a generalizing (“for you act”) or (3) rhetorical (“for you will act”) use.
7 tn Or “wait.”
8 tn Heb “your name.” God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character.
9 tn Heb “for it is good in front of your loyal followers.”
10 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”
12 tn Heb “it is honor for all his godly ones.” The judgment of the oppressive kings will bring vindication and honor to God’s people (see vv. 4-5).