Psalms 18:49

18:49 So I will give you thanks before the nations, ¹  O Lord!

I will sing praises to you! ² 

Psalms 46:6

46:6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown. ³ 

God ⁴  gives a shout, ⁵  the earth dissolves. ⁶ 

Psalms 46:10

46:10 He says, ⁷  “Stop your striving and recognize ⁸  that I am God!

I will be exalted ⁹  over ¹⁰  the nations! I will be exalted over ¹¹  the earth!”

Psalms 126:2

126:2 At that time we laughed loudly

and shouted for joy. ¹² 

At that time the nations said, ¹³ 

“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”

Malachi 1:11

1:11 For from the east to the west my name will be great among the nations. Incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name everywhere, for my name will be great among the nations,” ¹⁴  says the Lord who rules over all.

Malachi 1:14

1:14 “There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord. For I am a great king,” ¹⁵  says the Lord who rules over all, “and my name is awesome among the nations.”

Galatians 1:16

1:16 to reveal his Son in ¹⁶  me so that I could preach him ¹⁷  among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from ¹⁸  any human being, ¹⁹ 

¹ sn I will give you thanks before the nations. This probably alludes to the fact that the psalmist will praise the Lord in the presence of the defeated nations when they, as his subjects, bring their tribute payments. Ideally the Davidic king was to testify to the nations of God’s greatness. See J. H. Eaton, Kingship and the Psalms (SBT), 182-85.

² tn Heb “to your name.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “Lord,” the primary name of Israel’s covenant God which suggests his active presence with his people (see Exod 3:12-15).

³ tn Heb “nations roar, kingdoms shake.” The Hebrew verb הָמָה (hamah, “roar, be in uproar”) is used in v. 3 of the waves crashing, while the verb מוֹט (mot, “overthrown”) is used in v. 2 of mountains tumbling into the sea (see also v. 5, where the psalm affirms that Jerusalem “cannot be moved”). The repetition of the verbs suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).

⁴ tn Heb “He.” God is the obvious referent here (see v. 5), and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Heb “offers his voice.” In theophanic texts the phrase refers to God’s thunderous shout which functions as a battle cry (see Pss 18:13; 68:33).

⁶ tn Or “melts.” See Amos 9:5. The image depicts the nation’s helplessness before Jerusalem’s defender, who annihilates their armies (see vv. 8-9). The imperfect verbal form emphasizes the characteristic nature of the action described.

⁷ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁸ tn Heb “do nothing/be quiet (see 1 Sam 15:16) and know.” This statement may be addressed to the hostile nations, indicating they should cease their efforts to destroy God’s people, or to Judah, indicating they should rest secure in God’s protection. Since the psalm is an expression of Judah’s trust and confidence, it is more likely that the words are directed to the nations, who are actively promoting chaos and are in need of a rebuke.

⁹ tn Elsewhere in the psalms the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”) when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 18:46; 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 57:5, 11).

¹⁰ tn Or “among.”

¹¹ tn Or “in.”

¹² tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”

¹³ tn Heb “they said among the nations.”

¹⁴ sn My name will be great among the nations. In what is clearly a strongly ironic shift of thought, the Lord contrasts the unbelief and virtual paganism of the postexilic community with the conversion and obedience of the nations that will one day worship the God of Israel.

¹⁵ sn The epithet great king was used to describe the Hittite rulers on their covenant documents and so, in the covenant ideology of Malachi, is an apt description of the Lord.

¹⁶ tn Or “to me”; the Greek preposition ἐν (en) can mean either, depending on the context.

¹⁷ tn This pronoun refers to “his Son,” mentioned earlier in the verse.

¹⁸ tn Or “I did not consult with.” For the translation “I did not go to ask advice from” see L&N 33.175.

¹⁹ tn Grk “from flesh and blood.”