97:8 Zion hears and rejoices,
the towns 1 of Judah are happy,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
99:2 The Lord is elevated 2 in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
99:3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
He 3 is holy!
147:12 Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
147:13 For he makes the bars of your gates strong.
He blesses your children 4 within you.
147:14 He 5 brings peace to your territory. 6
He abundantly provides for you 7 the best grain.
148:14 He has made his people victorious, 8
and given all his loyal followers reason to praise –
the Israelites, the people who are close to him. 9
Praise the Lord!
1 tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).
2 tn Heb “great.”
3 tn The pronoun refers to the
4 tn Heb “your sons.”
5 tn Heb “the one who.”
6 tn Heb “he makes your boundary peace.”
7 tn Heb “satisfies you with.”
8 tn Heb “and he lifted up a horn for his people.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Another option is to take the “horn” as a symbol for the Davidic king, through whom the
9 tn “[there is] praise for all his loyal followers, to the sons of Israel, the people near him.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the victory that prompts it.