Discovery BoxPsalms 89:20-38
Context89:20 I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king. 1
89:21 My hand will support him, 2
and my arm will strengthen him.
89:22 No enemy will be able to exact tribute 3 from him; 4
a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him. 5
89:23 I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.
89:24 He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love, 6
and by my name he will win victories. 7
89:25 I will place his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers. 8
89:26 He will call out to me,
‘You are my father, 9 my God, and the protector who delivers me.’ 10
89:27 I will appoint him to be my firstborn son, 11
the most exalted of the earth’s kings.
89:28 I will always extend my loyal love to him,
and my covenant with him is secure. 12
89:29 I will give him an eternal dynasty, 13
and make his throne as enduring as the skies above. 14
89:30 If his sons reject my law
and disobey my regulations,
89:31 if they break 15 my rules
and do not keep my commandments,
89:32 I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club, 16
their sin by inflicting them with bruises. 17
89:33 But I will not remove 18 my loyal love from him,
nor be unfaithful to my promise. 19
89:34 I will not break 20 my covenant
or go back on what I promised. 21
89:35 Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness,
I will never deceive 22 David.
89:36 His dynasty will last forever. 23
His throne will endure before me, like the sun, 24
89:37 it will remain stable, like the moon, 25
his throne will endure like the skies.” 26 (Selah)
89:38 But you have spurned 27 and rejected him;
you are angry with your chosen king. 28
Psalms 132:10
Context132:10 For the sake of David, your servant,
do not reject your chosen king! 29
Psalms 132:2
Context132:2 and how he made a vow to the Lord,
and swore an oath to the powerful ruler of Jacob. 30
Psalms 7:13
Context7:13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; 31
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. 32
Psalms 7:1
ContextA musical composition 34 by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning 35 a Benjaminite named Cush. 36
7:1 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter. 37
Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me!
Psalms 17:11-14
Context17:11 They attack me, now they surround me; 38
they intend to throw me to the ground. 39
17:12 He 40 is like a lion 41 that wants to tear its prey to bits, 42
like a young lion crouching 43 in hidden places.
17:13 Rise up, Lord!
Confront him! 44 Knock him down! 45
Use your sword to rescue me from the wicked man! 46
17:14 Lord, use your power to deliver me from these murderers, 47
from the murderers of this world! 48
They enjoy prosperity; 49
you overwhelm them with the riches they desire. 50
They have many children,
and leave their wealth to their offspring. 51
Psalms 17:1
ContextA prayer of David.
17:1 Lord, consider my just cause! 53
Pay attention to my cry for help!
Listen to the prayer
I sincerely offer! 54
Isaiah 9:6-7
Context9:6 For a child has been 55 born to us,
a son has been given to us.
He shoulders responsibility
and is called: 56
Extraordinary Strategist, 57
Mighty God, 58
Everlasting Father, 59
Prince of Peace. 60
9:7 His dominion will be vast 61
and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. 62
He will rule on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom, 63
establishing it 64 and strengthening it
by promoting justice and fairness, 65
from this time forward and forevermore.
The Lord’s intense devotion to his people 66 will accomplish this.
Luke 1:31-33
Context1:31 Listen: 67 You will become pregnant 68 and give birth to 69 a son, and you will name him 70 Jesus. 71 1:32 He 72 will be great, 73 and will be called the Son of the Most High, 74 and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father 75 David. 1:33 He 76 will reign over the house of Jacob 77 forever, and his kingdom will never end.”
Luke 1:69
Context1:69 For 78 he has raised up 79 a horn of salvation 80 for us in the house of his servant David, 81
Romans 1:3
Context1:3 concerning his Son who was a descendant 82 of David with reference to the flesh, 83
Romans 11:29
Context11:29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
Galatians 3:16
Context3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. 84 Scripture 85 does not say, “and to the descendants,” 86 referring to many, but “and to your descendant,” 87 referring to one, who is Christ.
[89:20] 1 tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.
[89:21] 2 tn Heb “with whom my hand will be firm.”
[89:22] 3 tn Heb “an enemy will not exact tribute.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential.
[89:22] 4 tn The translation understands the Hiphil of נָשַׁא (nasha’) in the sense of “act as a creditor.” This may allude to the practice of a conqueror forcing his subjects to pay tribute in exchange for “protection.” Another option is to take the verb from a homonymic verbal root meaning “to deceive,” “to trick.” Still another option is to emend the form to יִשָּׂא (yisa’), a Qal imperfect from נָאַשׂ (na’as, “rise up”) and to translate “an enemy will not rise up against him” (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 2:317).
[89:22] 5 tn Heb “and a son of violence will not oppress him.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential. The reference to a “son of violence” echoes the language of God’s promise to David in 2 Sam 7:10 (see also 1 Chr 17:9).
[89:24] 6 tn Heb “and my faithfulness and my loyal love [will be] with him.”
[89:24] 7 tn Heb “and by my name his horn will be lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
[89:25] 8 tn Some identify “the sea” as the Mediterranean and “the rivers” as the Euphrates and its tributaries. However, it is more likely that “the sea” and “the rivers” are symbols for hostile powers that oppose God and the king (see v. 9, as well as Ps 93:3-4).
[89:26] 9 sn You are my father. The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
[89:26] 10 tn Heb “the rocky summit of my deliverance.”
[89:27] 11 sn The firstborn son typically had special status and received special privileges.
[89:28] 12 tn Heb “forever I will keep for him my loyal love and will make my covenant secure for him.”
[89:29] 13 tn Heb “and I will set in place forever his offspring.”
[89:29] 14 tn Heb “and his throne like the days of the heavens.”
[89:32] 16 tn Heb “I will punish with a club their rebellion.”
[89:32] 17 tn Heb “with blows their sin.”
[89:33] 18 tn Heb “break”; “make ineffectual.” Some prefer to emend אָפִיר (’afir; the Hiphil of פָּרַר, parar, “to break”) to אָסִיר (’asir; the Hiphil of סוּר, sur, “to turn aside”), a verb that appears in 2 Sam 7:15.
[89:33] 19 tn Heb “and I will not deal falsely with my faithfulness.”
[89:34] 21 tn Heb “and what proceeds out of my lips I will not alter.”
[89:36] 23 tn Heb “his offspring forever will be.”
[89:36] 24 tn Heb “and his throne like the sun before me.”
[89:37] 25 tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”
[89:37] 26 tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join וְעֵד (vÿ’ed) to עוֹלָם (’olam) in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase עוֹלָם וְעֵד (“forever”). In this case one may translate the second line, “[it] will be secure like the skies.” Another option (the one reflected in the present translation) is to take עד as a rare noun meaning “throne” or “dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= כִּסֵּא, kisse’, “throne”) and ’d (= עד, “dais”) appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). Emending בַּשַּׁחַק (bashakhaq, “in the heavens”) to כַּשַׁחַק (kashakhaq, “like the heavens”) – bet/kaf (כ/ב) confusion is widely attested – one can then read “[his] throne like the heavens [is] firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (שְׁחָקִים, shÿkhaqim) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. Ps 89:29 uses the term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “skies”) which frequently appears in parallelism to שְׁחָקִים.
[89:38] 27 tn The Hebrew construction (conjunction + pronoun, followed by the verb) draws attention to the contrast between what follows and what precedes.
[89:38] 28 tn Heb “your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 132:10, 17).
[132:10] 29 tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”
[132:2] 30 tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.”
[7:13] 31 tn Heb “and for him he prepares the weapons of death.”
[7:13] 32 tn Heb “his arrows into flaming [things] he makes.”
[7:1] 33 sn Psalm 7. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from his enemies. He protests his innocence and declares his confidence in God’s justice.
[7:1] 34 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שִׁגָּיוֹן (shiggayon; translated here “musical composition”) is uncertain. Some derive the noun from the verbal root שָׁגָה (shagah, “swerve, reel”) and understand it as referring to a “wild, passionate song, with rapid changes of rhythm” (see BDB 993 s.v. שִׁגָּיוֹן). But this proposal is purely speculative. The only other appearance of the noun is in Hab 3:1, where it occurs in the plural.
[7:1] 35 tn Or “on account of.”
[7:1] 36 sn Apparently this individual named Cush was one of David’s enemies.
[7:1] 37 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
[17:11] 38 tc Heb “our steps, now they surround me.” The Kethib (consonantal text) has “surround me,” while the Qere (marginal reading) has “surround us,” harmonizing the pronoun to the preceding “our steps.” The first person plural pronoun does not fit the context, where the psalmist speaks as an individual. In the preceding verses the psalmist uses a first person singular verbal or pronominal form twenty times. For this reason it is preferable to emend “our steps” to אִשְּׁרוּנִי (’ishÿruni, “they attack me”) from the verbal root אָשֻׁר (’ashur, “march, stride, track”).
[17:11] 39 tn Heb “their eyes they set to bend down in the ground.”
[17:12] 40 tn Here the psalmist switches to the singular pronoun; he views his enemies collectively, or singles out a representative of the group, perhaps its leader.
[17:12] 41 tn Heb “his likeness [is] like a lion.”
[17:12] 42 tn Heb “[that] longs to tear.”
[17:13] 44 tn Heb “Be in front of his face.”
[17:13] 45 tn Or “bring him to his knees.”
[17:13] 46 tn Heb “rescue my life from the wicked [one] [by] your sword.”
[17:14] 47 tc Heb “from men [by] your hand,
[17:14] 48 tn Heb “from men, from [the] world.” On the emendation of “men” to “murderers,” see the preceding note on the word “murderers.”
[17:14] 49 tn Heb “their portion, in life.”
[17:14] 50 tn Heb “and [with] your treasures you fill their belly.”
[17:14] 51 tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] sons and leave their abundance to their children.”
[17:1] 52 sn Psalm 17. The psalmist asks God to intervene on his behalf because his life is threatened by dangerous enemies. He appeals to divine justice, for he is certain of his own innocence. Because he is innocent, he expects to encounter God and receive an assuring word.
[17:1] 53 tn Heb “hear,
[17:1] 54 tn Heb “Listen to my prayer, [made] without lips of deceit.”
[9:6] 55 tn The Hebrew perfect (translated “has been born” and “has been given”) is used here as the prophet takes a rhetorical stance in the future. See the note at 9:1.
[9:6] 56 tn Or “and dominion was on his shoulders and he called his name.” The prefixed verbs with vav (ו) consecutive are used with the same rhetorical sense as the perfects in v. 6a. See the preceding note. There is great debate over the syntactical structure of the verse. No subject is indicated for the verb “he called.” If all the titles that follow are ones given to the king, then the subject of the verb must be indefinite, “one calls.” However, some have suggested that one to three of the titles that follow refer to God, not the king. For example, the traditional punctuation of the Hebrew text suggests the translation, “and the Extraordinary Strategist, the Mighty God calls his name, ‘Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’”
[9:6] 57 tn Some have seen two titles here (“Wonderful” and “Counselor,” cf. KJV, ASV). However, the pattern of the following three titles (each contains two elements) and the use of the roots פָּלַא (pala’) and יָעַץ (ya’ats) together in Isa 25:1 (cf. כִּי עָשִׂיתָ פֶּלֶא עֵצוֹת מֵרָחוֹק אֱמוּנָה אֹמֶן) and 28:29 (cf. הִפְלִיא עֵצָה) suggest otherwise. The term יוֹעֵץ (yo’ets) could be taken as appositional (genitive or otherwise) of species (“a wonder, i.e., a wonder as a counselor,” cf. NAB “Wonder-Counselor”) or as a substantival participle for which פָּלַא provides the direct object (“one who counsels wonders”). יוֹעֵץ is used as a royal title elsewhere (cf. Mic 4:9). Here it probably refers to the king’s ability to devise military strategy, as suggested by the context (cf. vv. 3-4 and the following title אֵל גִּבּוֹר, ’el gibor). In Isa 11:2 (also a description of this king) עֵצָה (’etsah) is linked with גְּבוּרָה (gÿvurah, the latter being typically used of military might, cf. BDB 150 s.v.). Note also עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה לַמִּלְחָמָה in Isa 36:5. פֶּלֶא (pele’) is typically used of God (cf. however Lam 1:9). Does this suggest the deity of the messianic ruler? The NT certainly teaches he is God, but did Isaiah necessarily have this in mind over 700 years before his birth? Since Isa 11:2 points out that this king will receive the spirit of the Lord, which will enable him to counsel, it is possible to argue that the king’s counsel is “extraordinary” because it finds its source in the divine spirit. Thus this title does not necessarily suggest that the ruler is deity.
[9:6] 58 tn גִּבּוֹר (gibbor) is probably an attributive adjective (“mighty God”), though one might translate “God is a warrior” or “God is mighty.” Scholars have interpreted this title is two ways. A number of them have argued that the title portrays the king as God’s representative on the battlefield, whom God empowers in a supernatural way (see J. H. Hayes and S. A. Irvine, Isaiah, 181-82). They contend that this sense seems more likely in the original context of the prophecy. They would suggest that having read the NT, we might in retrospect interpret this title as indicating the coming king’s deity, but it is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way. Ps 45:6 addresses the Davidic king as “God” because he ruled and fought as God’s representative on earth. Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Rameses II as follows: “No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique” (See Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67). According to proponents of this view, Isa 9:6 probably envisions a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king’s enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself. The other option is to regard this title as a reference to God, confronting Isaiah’s readers with the divinity of this promised “child.” The use of this same title that clearly refers to God in a later passage (Isa 10:21) supports this interpretation. Other passages depict Yahweh as the great God and great warrior (Deut 10:17; Jer. 32:18). Although this connection of a child who is born with deity is unparalleled in any earlier biblical texts, Isaiah’s use of this title to make this connection represents Isaiah’s attempt (at God’s behest) to advance Israel in their understanding of the ideal Davidic king for whom they long.
[9:6] 59 tn This title must not be taken in an anachronistic Trinitarian sense. (To do so would be theologically problematic, for the “Son” is the messianic king and is distinct in his person from God the “Father.”) Rather, in its original context the title pictures the king as the protector of his people. For a similar use of “father” see Isa 22:21 and Job 29:16. This figurative, idiomatic use of “father” is not limited to the Bible. In a Phoenician inscription (ca. 850-800
[9:6] 60 tn This title pictures the king as one who establishes a safe socio-economic environment for his people. It hardly depicts him as a meek individual, for he establishes peace through military strength (as the preceding context and the first two royal titles indicate). His people experience safety and prosperity because their invincible king destroys their enemies. See Pss 72 and 144 for parallels to these themes.
[9:7] 61 tc The Hebrew text has לְםַרְבֵּה (lÿmarbeh), which is a corrupt reading. לם is dittographic; note the preceding word, שָׁלוֹם (shalom). The corrected text reads literally, “great is the dominion.”
[9:7] 62 tn Heb “and to peace there will be no end” (KJV and ASV both similar). On the political and socio-economic sense of שָׁלוֹם (shalom) in this context, see the note at v. 6 on “Prince of Peace.”
[9:7] 63 tn Heb “over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” The referent of the pronoun “his” (i.e., David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 64 tn The feminine singular pronominal suffix on this form and the following one (translated “it” both times) refers back to the grammatically feminine noun “kingdom.”
[9:7] 65 tn Heb “with/by justice and fairness”; ASV “with justice and with righteousness.”
[9:7] 66 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord.” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to vindicate them and to fulfill his promises to David and the nation.
[1:31] 67 tn Grk “And behold.”
[1:31] 68 tn Grk “you will conceive in your womb.”
[1:31] 70 tn Grk “you will call his name.”
[1:31] 71 tn See v. 13 for a similar construction.
[1:32] 73 sn Compare the description of Jesus as great here with 1:15, “great before the Lord.” Jesus is greater than John, since he is Messiah compared to a prophet. Great is stated absolutely without qualification to make the point.
[1:32] 74 sn The expression Most High is a way to refer to God without naming him. Such avoiding of direct reference to God was common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.
[1:33] 76 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. A new sentence is begun here in the translation because of the length of the sentence in Greek.
[1:33] 77 tn Or “over Israel.”
[1:69] 78 tn Grk “and,” but specifying the reason for the praise in the psalm.
[1:69] 79 sn The phrase raised up means for God to bring someone significant onto the scene of history.
[1:69] 80 sn The horn of salvation is a figure that refers to the power of Messiah and his ability to protect, as the horn refers to what an animal uses to attack and defend (Ps 75:4-5, 10; 148:14; 2 Sam 22:3). Thus the meaning of the figure is “a powerful savior.”
[1:69] 81 sn In the house of his servant David is a reference to Messiah’s Davidic descent. Zechariah is more interested in Jesus than his own son John at this point.
[1:3] 82 tn Grk “born of the seed” (an idiom).
[1:3] 83 tn Grk “according to the flesh,” indicating Jesus’ earthly life, a reference to its weakness. This phrase implies that Jesus was more than human; otherwise it would have been sufficient to say that he was a descendant of David, cf. L. Morris, Romans, 44.
[3:16] 84 tn Grk “his seed,” a figurative extension of the meaning of σπέρμα (sperma) to refer to descendants (L&N 10.29).
[3:16] 85 tn Grk “It”; the referent (the scripture) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The understood subject of the verb λέγει (legei) could also be “He” (referring to God) as the one who spoke the promise to Abraham.
[3:16] 86 tn Grk “to seeds.” See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse. Here the term is plural; the use of the singular in the OT text cited later in this verse is crucial to Paul’s argument.
[3:16] 87 tn See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse.
