17:7 Accomplish awesome, faithful deeds, 1
you who powerfully deliver those who look to you for protection from their enemies. 2
A psalm.
98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, 4
for he performs 5 amazing deeds!
His right hand and his mighty arm
accomplish deliverance. 6
118:23 This is the Lord’s work.
We consider it amazing! 7
118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his loyal love endures! 9
2:9 You will break them 10 with an iron scepter; 11
you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” 12
1 tn Heb “Set apart faithful acts.”
2 tn Heb “[O] one who delivers those who seek shelter from the ones raising themselves up, by your right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver.
3 sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.
4 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.
5 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.
6 tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.
7 tn Heb “it is amazing in our eyes.” The use of the plural pronoun here and in vv. 24-27 suggests that the psalmist may be speaking for the entire nation. However, it is more likely that vv. 22-27 are the people’s response to the psalmist’s thanksgiving song (see especially v. 26). They rejoice with him because his deliverance on the battlefield (see vv. 10-12) had national repercussions.
8 sn Psalm 118. The psalmist thanks God for his deliverance and urges others to join him in praise.
9 tn Or “is forever.”
10 tc The LXX reads “you will shepherd them.” This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, “to shepherd”) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, “to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, “to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.
11 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.
12 sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.