Psalms 3:3

3:3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; ¹ 

you are my glory ²  and the one who restores me. ³ 

Psalms 4:2

4:2 You men, ⁴  how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? ⁵ 

How long ⁶  will you love what is worthless ⁷ 

and search for what is deceptive? ⁸  (Selah)

Psalms 62:7

62:7 God delivers me and exalts me;

God is my strong protector and my shelter. ⁹ 

Zechariah 2:5

2:5 But I (the Lord says) will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem ¹⁰  and the source of glory in her midst.’”

Luke 2:32

2:32 a light, ¹¹ 

for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory ¹²  to your people Israel.”

¹ tn Heb “a shield round about me.”

² tn Heb “my glory,” or “my honor.” The psalmist affirms that the Lord is his source of honor, i.e., the one who gives him honor in the sight of others. According to BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 7, the phrase refers to God as the one to whom the psalmist gives honor. But the immediate context focuses on what God does for the psalmist, not vice-versa.

³ tn Heb “[the one who] lifts my head.” This phrase could be understood to refer to a general strengthening of the psalmist by God during difficult circumstances. However, if one takes the suggestion of the superscription that this is a Davidic psalm written during the revolt of Absalom, the phrase “lift the head” could refer to the psalmist’s desire for restoration to his former position (cf. Gen 40:13 where the same phrase is used). Like the Hebrew text, the present translation (“who restores me”) can be understood in either sense.

⁴ tn Heb “sons of man.”

⁵ tn Heb “how long my honor to shame?”

⁶ tn The interrogative construction עַד־מֶה (’ad-meh, “how long?”), is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

⁷ tn Heb “emptiness.”

⁸ tn Heb “a lie.” Some see the metonymic language of v. 2b (“emptiness, lie”) as referring to idols or false gods. However, there is no solid immediate contextual evidence for such an interpretation. It is more likely that the psalmist addresses those who threaten him (see v. 1) and refers in a general way to their sinful lifestyle. (See R. Mosis, TDOT 7:121.) The two terms allude to the fact that sinful behavior is ultimately fruitless and self-destructive.

⁹ tn Heb “upon God [is] my deliverance and my glory, the high rocky summit of my strength, my shelter [is] in God.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn The syntax of this verse is disputed. Most read “light” and “glory” in parallelism, so Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles and is glory to the people for Israel. Others see “light” (1:78-79) as a summary, while “revelation” and “glory” are parallel, so Jesus is light for all, but is revelation for the Gentiles and glory for Israel. Both readings make good sense and either could be correct, but Luke 1:78-79 and Acts 26:22-23 slightly favor this second option.

¹² sn In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.