24:16 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,
and who knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:
7:17 I will thank the Lord for 1 his justice;
I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord! 2
50:14 Present to God a thank-offering!
Repay your vows to the sovereign One! 3
82:6 I thought, 4 ‘You are gods;
all of you are sons of the Most High.’ 5
91:1 As for you, the one who lives 7 in the shelter of the sovereign One, 8
and resides in the protective shadow 9 of the mighty king 10 –
92:8 But you, O Lord, reign 11 forever!
14:14 I will climb up to the tops 12 of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High!” 13
4:17 This announcement is by the decree of the sentinels;
this decision is by the pronouncement of the holy ones,
so that 14 those who are alive may understand
that the Most High has authority over human kingdoms, 15
and he bestows them on whomever he wishes.
He establishes over them even the lowliest of human beings.’
1 tn Heb “according to.”
2 tn Heb “[to] the name of the
3 tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
4 tn Heb “said.”
5 sn Normally in the OT the title Most High belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El (see v. 1, as well as Isa 14:13).
6 sn Psalm 91. In this psalm an individual (perhaps a priest) addresses one who has sought shelter in the Lord and assures him that God will protect him from danger (vv. 1-13). In vv. 14-16 God himself promises to keep his loyal follower safe.
7 tn Heb “[O] one who lives.”
8 tn Traditionally “the Most High.”
9 sn The Lord is compared here to a bird who protects its young under the shadow of its wings (see v. 4).
10 sn The divine name used here is “Shaddai” (שַׁדַּי, shadday; see also Ps 68:14). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the mighty king (sovereign judge) of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness.
11 tn Heb “[are elevated] on high.”
12 tn Heb “the high places.” This word often refers to the high places where pagan worship was conducted, but here it probably refers to the “backs” or tops of the clouds. See HALOT 136 s.v. בָּמָה.
13 sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El.
14 tc The present translation follows an underlying reading of עַל־דִּבְרַת (’al-divrat, “so that”) rather than MT עַד־דִּבְרַת (’ad-divrat, “until”).
15 tn Aram “the kingdom of man”; NASB “the realm of mankind”; NCV “every kingdom on earth.”
16 tn Or “royal greatness and majestic honor,” if the four terms are understood as a double hendiadys.
17 sn The title the Most High points to God’s majesty (Heb 7:1; Luke 1:32, 35; Acts 16:7).
18 sn The phrase made by human hands is negative in the NT: Mark 14:58; Acts 17:24; Eph 2:11; Heb 9:11, 24. It suggests “man-made” or “impermanent.” The rebuke is like parts of the Hebrew scripture where the rebuke is not of the temple, but for making too much of it (1 Kgs 8:27; Isa 57:15; 1 Chr 6:8; Jer 7:1-34).