11:7 Certainly 1 the Lord is just; 2
he rewards godly deeds; 3
the upright will experience his favor. 4
45:6 Your throne, 5 O God, is permanent. 6
The scepter 7 of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
45:7 You love 8 justice and hate evil. 9
For this reason God, your God 10 has anointed you 11
with the oil of joy, 12 elevating you above your companions. 13
99:4 The king is strong;
he loves justice. 14
You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; 15
you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;
he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. 16
Indeed, the Lord is a just God;
all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. 17
61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice
and hate robbery and sin.
I will repay them because of my faithfulness; 18
I will make a permanent covenant with them.
9:24 If people want to boast, they should boast about this:
They should boast that they understand and know me.
They should boast that they know and understand
that I, the Lord, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth
and that I desire people to do these things,” 19
says the Lord.
1 tn Or “for.”
2 tn Or “righteous.”
3 tn Heb “he loves righteous deeds.” The “righteous deeds” are probably those done by godly people (see v. 5). The Lord “loves” such deeds in the sense that he rewards them. Another option is to take צְדָקוֹת (tsÿdaqot) as referring to God’s acts of justice (see Ps 103:6). In this case one could translate, “he loves to do just deeds.”
4 tn Heb “the upright will see his face.” The singular subject (“upright”) does not agree with the plural verb. However, collective singular nouns can be construed with a plural predicate (see GKC 462 §145.b). Another possibility is that the plural verb יֶחֱזוּ (yekhezu) is a corruption of an original singular form. To “see” God’s “face” means to have access to his presence and to experience his favor (see Ps 17:15 and Job 33:26 [where רָאָה (ra’ah), not חָזָה (khazah), is used]). On the form פָנֵימוֹ (fanemo, “his face”) see GKC 300-301 §103.b, n. 3.
5 sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.
6 tn Or “forever and ever.”
7 sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.
8 sn To love justice means to actively promote it.
9 sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.
10 tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“
11 sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.
12 sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.
13 tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.
14 tn 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
15 tn Heb “you establish fairness.”
16 tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.
17 tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”
18 tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”
19 tn Or “fairness and justice, because these things give me pleasure.” Verse 24 reads in Hebrew, “But let the one who brags brag in this: understanding and knowing me that I, the