9:8 He judges the world fairly;
he makes just legal decisions for the nations. 1
25:8 The Lord is both kind and fair; 2
that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live. 3
50:6 The heavens declare his fairness, 4
for God is judge. 5 (Selah)
82:3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless! 6
Vindicate the oppressed and suffering!
1 tn Heb “the peoples.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 8 either describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).
2 tn Heb “good and just.”
3 tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”
4 tn Or “justice.”
5 tn Or “for God, he is about to judge.” The participle may be taken as substantival (as in the translation above) or as a predicate (indicating imminent future action in this context).
6 tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 94:6; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).