Psalms 12:3

12:3 May the Lord cut off ¹  all flattering lips,

and the tongue that boasts! ² 

Psalms 47:2

47:2 For the sovereign Lord ³  is awe-inspiring; ⁴ 

he is the great king who rules the whole earth! ⁵ 

Psalms 48:1

Psalm 48 ⁶ 

A song, a psalm by the Korahites.

48:1 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise

in the city of our God, ⁷  his holy hill.

Psalms 57:10

57:10 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, ⁸ 

and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.

Psalms 71:19

71:19 Your justice, O God, extends to the skies above; ⁹ 

you have done great things. ¹⁰ 

O God, who can compare to you? ¹¹ 

Psalms 76:1

Psalm 76 ¹² 

For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.

76:1 God has revealed himself in Judah; ¹³ 

in Israel his reputation ¹⁴  is great.

Psalms 96:4

96:4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;

he is more awesome than all gods. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 108:4

108:4 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, ¹⁶ 

and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.

Psalms 135:5

135:5 Yes, ¹⁷  I know the Lord is great,

and our Lord is superior to all gods.

¹ tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the Lord cut off”), not indicative (“The Lord will cut off”; see also Ps 109:15 and Mal 2:12). The psalmist appeals to God to destroy the wicked, rather than simply stating his confidence that he will. In this way he seeks to activate divine judgment by appealing to God’s just character. For an example of the power of such a curse, see Judg 9:7-57.

² tn Heb “a tongue speaking great [things].”

³ tn Heb “the Lord Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures the Lord as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked.

⁴ tn Or “awesome.” The Niphal participle נוֹרָא (nora’), when used of God in the psalms, focuses on the effect that his royal splendor and powerful deeds have on those witnessing his acts (Pss 66:3, 5; 68:35; 76:7, 12; 89:7; 96:4; 99:3; 111:9). Here it refers to his capacity to fill his defeated foes with terror and his people with fearful respect.

⁵ tn Heb “a great king over all the earth.”

⁵ sn Psalm 48. This so-called “Song of Zion” celebrates the greatness and glory of the Lord’s dwelling place, Jerusalem. His presence in the city elevates it above all others and assures its security.

⁶ sn The city of our God is Jerusalem, which is also referred to here as “his holy hill,” that is, Zion (see v. 2, as well as Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; 87:1; Dan 9:16).

⁷ tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”

⁹ tn Heb “your justice, O God, [is] unto the height.” The Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “height”) is here a title for the sky/heavens.

¹⁰ tn Heb “you who have done great things.”

¹¹ tn Or “Who is like you?”

¹¹ sn Psalm 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.

¹² tn Or “God is known in Judah.”

¹³ tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

¹³ tn Or perhaps “and feared by all gods.” See Ps 89:7.

¹⁵ tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”

¹⁷ tn Or “for.”