Psalms 18:30

18:30 The one true God acts in a faithful manner; ¹ 

the Lord’s promise ²  is reliable; ³ 

he is a shield to all who take shelter ⁴  in him.

Psalms 111:7

111:7 His acts are characterized by ⁵  faithfulness and justice;

all his precepts are reliable. ⁶ 

Deuteronomy 32:4

32:4 As for the Rock, ⁷  his work is perfect,

for all his ways are just.

He is a reliable God who is never unjust,

he is fair ⁸  and upright.

Romans 12:2

12:2 Do not be conformed ⁹  to this present world, ¹⁰  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve ¹¹  what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

James 1:17

1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift ¹²  is from above, coming down ¹³  from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ¹⁴ 

¹ tn Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל (ha’el, “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).

² sn The Lord’s promise. In the ancient Near East kings would typically seek and receive oracles from their god(s) prior to battle. For examples, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 241-42.

³ tn Heb “the word of the Lord is purified.” The Lord’s “word” probably refers here to his oracle(s) of victory delivered to the psalmist before the battle(s) described in the following context. See also Pss 12:5-7 and 138:2-3. David frequently received such oracles before going into battle (see 1 Sam 23:2, 4-5, 10-12; 30:8; 2 Sam 5:19). The Lord’s word of promise is absolutely reliable; it is compared to metal that has been refined in fire and cleansed of impurities. See Ps 12:6.

⁴ sn Take shelter. See the note on the word “shelter” in v. 2.

⁵ tn Heb “the deeds of his hands [are].”

⁶ tn That is, fair and for man’s good.

⁷ tc The LXX reads Θεός (qeos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”

⁸ tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).

⁹ tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.

¹⁰ tn Grk “to this age.”

¹¹ sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”

¹² tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.

¹³ tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”

¹⁴ tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).