Text -- Psalms 149:1-9 (NET)

Psalm 149

149:1 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song! Praise him in the assembly of the godly! 149:2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator! Let the people of Zion delight in their king! 149:3 Let them praise his name with dancing! Let them sing praises to him to the accompaniment of the tambourine and harp! 149:4 For the Lord takes delight in his people; he exalts the oppressed by delivering them. 149:5 Let the godly rejoice because of their vindication! Let them shout for joy upon their beds! 149:6 May they praise God while they hold a two-edged sword in their hand, 149:7 in order to take revenge on the nations, and punish foreigners. 149:8 They bind their kings in chains, and their nobles in iron shackles, 149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies have been sentenced. All his loyal followers will be vindicated. Praise the Lord!

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Psa 149:1

¹ sn Psalm 149. The psalmist calls upon God’s people to praise him because he is just and avenges them.

² tn Heb “his praise in the assembly of the godly ones.”

NET Notes: Psa 149:2

¹ tn Heb “sons.”

² sn The Lord is the king here, as the parallelism in the previous line (“their creator”) indicates.

NET Notes: Psa 149:4

¹ tn Heb “he honors the oppressed [with] deliverance.”

NET Notes: Psa 149:5

¹ tn Heb “in glory.” Here “glory” probably refers to the “honor” that belongs to the Lord’s people as a result of their deliverance (see v. 4).

² tn The significance of the reference to “beds” is unclear. Perhaps the point is that they should rejoice at all times, even when falling asleep or awaking.

NET Notes: Psa 149:6

¹ tn Heb “[May] praises of God [be] in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”

NET Notes: Psa 149:7

¹ tn Heb “to do.”

NET Notes: Psa 149:8

¹ tn Heb “to bind.”

NET Notes: Psa 149:9

¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”

³ 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).