Text -- Psalms 93:1-5 (NET)

Psalm 93

93:1 The Lord reigns! He is robed in majesty, the Lord is robed, he wears strength around his waist. Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved. 93:2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times; you have always been king. 93:3 The waves roar, O Lord, the waves roar, the waves roar and crash. 93:4 Above the sound of the surging water, and the mighty waves of the sea, the Lord sits enthroned in majesty. 93:5 The rules you set down are completely reliable. Holiness aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Psa 93:1

¹ sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the Lord is the king of the universe who preserves order and suppresses the destructive forces in the world.

² sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.

NET Notes: Psa 93:2

¹ tn Heb “from antiquity [are] you.” As the context suggests, this refers specifically to God’s royal position, not his personal existence.

NET Notes: Psa 93:3

¹ tn The Hebrew noun translated “waves” often refers to rivers or streams, but here it appears to refer to the surging waves of the sea (see v. 4, Ps 24:2).

² tn Heb “the waves lift up, O Lord, the waves lift up their voice, the waves lift up their crashing.”

NET Notes: Psa 93:4

¹ tn Heb “mighty waters.”

sn The surging waters here symbolizes the hostile enemies of God who seek to destroy the order he has established in the world (see Pss 18:17; 29:3; 32:6; 77:20; 144:7; Isa 17:13; Jer 51:55; Ezek 26:19; Hab 3:15). But the Lord is depicted as elevated above and sovereign over these raging waters.

² tn Heb “mighty on high [is] the Lord.”

NET Notes: Psa 93:5

¹ tn Traditionally “your testimonies.” The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law. See Ps 19:7.

² sn The rules you set down. God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

³ sn Holiness refers here to God’s royal transcendence (see vv. 1-4), as well as his moral authority and perfection (see v. 5a).

⁴ tn Heb “for your house holiness is fitting, O Lord, for length of days.”