10:18 You defend 1 the fatherless and oppressed, 2
so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. 3
14:5 They are absolutely terrified, 4
for God defends the godly. 5
66:3 Say to God:
“How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power your enemies cower in fear 6 before you.
66:5 Come and witness 7 God’s exploits! 8
His acts on behalf of people are awesome! 9
111:9 He delivered his people; 10
he ordained that his covenant be observed forever. 11
His name is holy and awesome.
1 tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”
2 tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.
3 tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.
4 tn Heb “there they are afraid [with] fear.” The perfect verbal form is probably used in a rhetorical manner; the psalmist describes the future demise of the oppressors as if it were already occurring. The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is also used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the wicked standing in fear at a spot that is this vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.). The cognate accusative following the verb emphasizes the degree of their terror.
5 tn Heb “for God is with a godly generation.” The Hebrew noun דּוֹר (dor, “generation”) refers here to the general class of people who are characterized by godliness. See BDB 190 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.
7 tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 81:15 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “be weak, powerless” (see also Ps 109:24).
10 tn Or “see.”
11 tn Or “acts” (see Ps 46:8).
12 tn Heb “awesome [is] an act toward the sons of man.” It is unclear how the prepositional phrase relates to what precedes. If collocated with “act,” it may mean “on behalf of” or “toward.” If taken with “awesome” (see 1 Chr 16:25; Pss 89:7; 96:4; Zeph 2:11), one might translate “his awesome acts are beyond human comprehension” or “his awesome acts are superior to anything men can do.”
13 tn Heb “redemption he sent for his people.”
14 tn Heb “he commanded forever his covenant.”