Text -- Psalms 146:4-10 (NET)

146:4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground; on that day their plans die. 146:5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, 146:6 the one who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who remains forever faithful, 146:7 vindicates the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry. The Lord releases the imprisoned. 146:8 The Lord gives sight to the blind. The Lord lifts up all who are bent over. The Lord loves the godly. 146:9 The Lord protects those residing outside their native land; he lifts up the fatherless and the widow, but he opposes the wicked. 146:10 The Lord rules forever, your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come! Praise the Lord!

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Psa 146:4

¹ tn Heb “his spirit goes out, it returns to his ground; in that day his plans die.” The singular refers to the representative man mentioned in v. 3b.

NET Notes: Psa 146:6

¹ tn Heb “the one who guards faithfulness forever.”

NET Notes: Psa 146:7

¹ tn Heb “executes justice for the oppressed.”

NET Notes: Psa 146:8

¹ tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).

NET Notes: Psa 146:9

¹ sn God is depicted here as a just ruler. In the ancient Near Eastern world a king was responsible for promoting justice, including caring for the weak and vulnerable, epitomized by resident aliens, the fatherless, and widows.

² tn Heb “he makes the way of the wicked twisted.” The “way of the wicked” probably refers to their course of life (see Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1). God makes their path tortuous in the sense that he makes them pay the harmful consequences of their actions.

NET Notes: Psa 146:10

¹ tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.”