¹ tn Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל (ha’el, “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).

² sn The Lord’s promise. In the ancient Near East kings would typically seek and receive oracles from their god(s) prior to battle. For examples, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 241-42.

³ tn Heb “the word of the Lord is purified.” The Lord’s “word” probably refers here to his oracle(s) of victory delivered to the psalmist before the battle(s) described in the following context. See also Pss 12:5-7 and 138:2-3. David frequently received such oracles before going into battle (see 1 Sam 23:2, 4-5, 10-12; 30:8; 2 Sam 5:19). The Lord’s word of promise is absolutely reliable; it is compared to metal that has been refined in fire and cleansed of impurities. See Ps 12:6.

⁴ sn Take shelter. See the note on the word “shelter” in v. 2.

⁵ tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing.

⁶ sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom.

⁷ tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.”

⁸ tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

⁹ tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.

¹⁰ tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world. The active participle describes characteristic behavior.

¹¹ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.

¹² tn Or “protected forever.”

¹³ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

¹⁴ tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.

¹⁵ tn Heb “as for me, [may] my prayer be to you, O Lord, [in] a time of favor.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “O God, in the abundance of your loyal love, answer me in the faithfulness of your deliverance.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “a generation that did not make firm its heart and whose spirit was not faithful with God.” The expression “make firm the heart” means “to be committed, devoted” (see 1 Sam 7:3).

¹⁸ sn Psalm 89. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign creator of the world. He recalls God’s covenant with David, but then laments that the promises of the covenant remain unrealized. The covenant promised the Davidic king military victories, but the king has now been subjected to humiliating defeat.

¹⁹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 88.

²⁰ tn Or “forever.”

²¹ tn Heb “to a generation and a generation I will make known your faithfulness with my mouth.”

²² tn The pronoun “you” refers to the Lord, who is addressed here. The quotation that follows further develops the announcement of vv. 3-4.

²³ tc Many medieval mss read the singular here, “your faithful follower.” In this case the statement refers directly to Nathan’s oracle to David (see 2 Sam 7:17).

²⁴ tn Heb “I have placed help upon a warrior.”

²⁵ tn Or perhaps “a chosen one.”

²⁶ tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the Lord.” In this case one could translate, “Hate evil, you who love the Lord, the one who protects the lives…and delivers them.”

²⁷ tn Heb “hand.”

²⁸ tn Heb “he remembers his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.”

²⁹ tn Heb “the deliverance of our God,” with “God” being a subjective genitive (= God delivers).