45:6 Your throne, 1 O God, is permanent. 2
The scepter 3 of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
45:7 You love 4 justice and hate evil. 5
For this reason God, your God 6 has anointed you 7
with the oil of joy, 8 elevating you above your companions. 9
97:2 Dark clouds surround him;
equity and justice are the foundation of his throne. 10
99:4 The king is strong;
he loves justice. 11
You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; 12
you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
145:17 The Lord is just in all his actions, 13
and exhibits love in all he does. 14
32:4 As for the Rock, 15 his work is perfect,
for all his ways are just.
He is a reliable God who is never unjust,
he is fair 16 and upright.
“Great and astounding are your deeds,
Lord God, the All-Powerful! 20
Just 21 and true are your ways,
King over the nations! 22
1 sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.
2 tn Or “forever and ever.”
3 sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.
4 sn To love justice means to actively promote it.
5 sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.
6 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 (“
7 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.
8 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.
9 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.
10 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
11 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
12 tn Heb “you establish fairness.”
13 tn Heb “in all his ways.”
14 tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”
15 tc The LXX reads Θεός (qeos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”
16 tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).
17 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
18 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
19 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
20 tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”
21 tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.
22 tc Certain