Deuteronomy 32:4

32:4 As for the Rock,¹ his work is perfect,

for all his ways are just.

He is a reliable God who is never unjust,

he is fair² and upright.

Deuteronomy 32:1

Invocation of Witnesses

32:1 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;

hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Deuteronomy 2:3

2:3 “You have circled around this mountain long enough; now turn north.

Psalms 33:4-5

33:4 For³ the Lord’s decrees⁴ are just,⁵

and everything he does is fair.⁶

33:5 The Lord promotes⁷ equity and justice;

the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth.⁸

Psalms 99:4

99:4 The king is strong;

he loves justice.⁹

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly;¹⁰

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

Psalms 119:75

119:75 I know, Lord, that your regulations¹¹ are just.

You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me.¹²

Psalms 145:17-18

145:17 The Lord is just in all his actions,¹³

and exhibits love in all he does.¹⁴

145:18 The Lord is near all who cry out to him,

all who cry out to him sincerely.¹⁵

Isaiah 5:16

5:16 The Lord who commands armies will be exalted¹⁶ when he punishes,¹⁷

the sovereign God’s authority will be recognized when he judges.¹⁸

Revelation 15:3

15:3 They¹⁹ sang the song of Moses the servant²⁰ of God and the song of the Lamb:²¹

“Great and astounding are your deeds,

Lord God, the All-Powerful!²²

Just²³ and true are your ways,

King over the nations!²⁴

Revelation 16:7

16:7 Then²⁵ I heard the altar reply,²⁶ “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful,²⁷ your judgments are true and just!”

Revelation 19:1-2

19:1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

19:2 because his judgments are true and just.²⁸

For he has judged²⁹ the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,

and has avenged the blood of his servants³⁰ poured out by her own hands!”³¹

¹tc The LXX reads Θεός (qeos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”

²tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).

³sn For the Lord’s decrees are just… After the call to praise (vv. 1-3), the psalmist now gives a series of reasons why the Lord is worthy of praise.

⁴tn Heb “word.” In this context, which depicts the Lord as the sovereign creator and ruler of the world, the Lord’s “word” refers to the decrees whereby he governs his dominion.

⁵tn Or “upright.”

⁶tn Heb “and all his work [is] in faithfulness.”

⁷tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of equity and justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world.

⁸tn Heb “fills the earth.”

⁹tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (’oz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (’az, “strong”).

¹⁰tn Heb “you establish fairness.”

¹¹tn In this context (note the second line) the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim), which so often refers to the regulations of God’s law elsewhere in this psalm, may refer instead to his decisions or disciplinary judgment.

¹²tn Heb “and [in] faithfulness you afflicted me.”

¹³tn Heb “in all his ways.”

¹⁴tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”

¹⁵tn Heb “in truth.”

¹⁶tn Or “elevated”; TEV “the Lord Almighty shows his greatness.”

¹⁷tn Heb “by judgment/justice.” When God justly punishes the evildoers denounced in the preceding verses, he will be recognized as a mighty warrior.

¹⁸tn Heb “The holy God will be set apart by fairness.” In this context God’s holiness is his sovereign royal authority, which implies a commitment to justice (see the note on the phrase “the sovereign king of Israel” in 1:4). When God judges evildoers as they deserve, his sovereignty will be acknowledged.

¹⁹tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

²⁰tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

²¹tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

²²tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

²³tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.

²⁴tc Certain mss (Ì⁴⁷ א*^,2 C 1006 1611 1841 pc) read “ages” (αἰώνων, aiwnwn) instead of “nations” (ἐθνῶν, eqnwn), which itself is supported by several mss (א¹ A 051 Ï). The ms evidence seems to be fairly balanced, though αἰώνων has somewhat better support. The replacement of “ages” with “nations” is possibly a scribal attempt to harmonize this verse with the use of “nations” in the following verse. On the other hand, the idea of “nations” fits well with v. 4 and it may be that “ages” is a scribal attempt to assimilate this text to 1 Tim 1:17: “the king of the ages” (βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων, basileu" twn aiwnwn). The decision is a difficult one since both scenarios deal well with the evidence, though the verbal parallel with 1 Tim 1:17 is exact while the parallel with v. 4 is not. The term “king” occurs 17 other times (most occurrences refer to earthly kings) in Revelation and it is not used with either “ages” or “nations” apart from this verse. Probably the reading “nations” should be considered original due to the influence of 1 Tim 1:17.

²⁵tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

²⁶tn Grk “the altar saying.”

²⁷tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

²⁸tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.

²⁹tn Or “has punished.” See BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α, describing the OT background which involves both the vindication of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty.

³⁰tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

³¹tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).