68:5 He is a father to the fatherless
and an advocate for widows. 2
God rules from his holy palace. 3
68:6 God settles those who have been deserted in their own homes; 4
he frees prisoners and grants them prosperity. 5
But sinful rebels live in the desert. 6
146:9 The Lord protects those residing outside their native land;
he lifts up the fatherless and the widow, 7
but he opposes the wicked. 8
1 tn Or “who executes justice for” (so NAB, NRSV); NLT “gives justice to.”
2 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 the fatherless and widows.
3 tn Heb “God [is] in his holy dwelling place.” He occupies his throne and carries out his royal responsibilities.
4 tn Heb “God causes the solitary ones to dwell in a house.” The participle suggests this is what God typically does.
5 tn Heb “he brings out prisoners into prosperity.” Another option is to translate, “he brings out prisoners with singing” (cf. NIV). The participle suggests this is what God typically does.
6 tn Or “in a parched [land].”
7 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.
8 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.
9 tn Or “in the sight of”; Grk “with.”
10 tn Grk “the God and Father.”