55:23 But you, O God, will bring them 1 down to the deep Pit. 2
Violent and deceitful people 3 will not live even half a normal lifespan. 4
But as for me, I trust in you.
73:18 Surely 5 you put them in slippery places;
you bring them down 6 to ruin.
73:19 How desolate they become in a mere moment!
Terrifying judgments make their demise complete! 7
146:9 The Lord protects those residing outside their native land;
he lifts up the fatherless and the widow, 8
but he opposes the wicked. 9
146:2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live!
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist!
2:4 The one enthroned 10 in heaven laughs in disgust; 11
the Lord taunts 12 them.
2:5 Then he angrily speaks to them
and terrifies them in his rage, 13 saying, 14
2:6 “I myself 15 have installed 16 my king
on Zion, my holy hill.”
2:7 The king says, 17 “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: 18
‘You are my son! 19 This very day I have become your father!
2:8 Ask me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, 20
the ends of the earth as your personal property.
2:9 You will break them 21 with an iron scepter; 22
you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” 23
1 tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).
2 tn Heb “well of the pit.” The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 103:4).
3 tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”
4 tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”
5 tn The use of the Hebrew term אַךְ (’akh, “surely”) here literarily counteracts its use in v. 13. The repetition draws attention to the contrast between the two statements, the first of which expresses the psalmist’s earlier despair and the second his newly discovered confidence.
6 tn Heb “cause them to fall.”
7 tn Heb “they come to an end, they are finished, from terrors.”
8 sn God is depicted here as a just ruler. In the ancient Near Eastern world a king was responsible for promoting justice, including caring for the weak and vulnerable, epitomized by resident aliens, the fatherless, and widows.
9 tn Heb “he makes the way of the wicked twisted.” The “way of the wicked” probably refers to their course of life (see Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1). God makes their path tortuous in the sense that he makes them pay the harmful consequences of their actions.
10 tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb יָשַׁב (yashav) is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12; 123:1).
11 tn As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laughter. The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in vv. 4-5 describe the action from the perspective of an eyewitness who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.
12 tn Or “scoffs at”; “derides”; “mocks.”
13 sn And terrifies them in his rage. This line focuses on the effect that God’s angry response (see previous line) has on the rebellious kings.
14 tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification to indicate that the speaker is the Lord (cf. RSV, NIV).
15 tn The first person pronoun appears before the first person verbal form for emphasis, reflected in the translation by “myself.”
16 tn Or perhaps “consecrated.”
17 tn The words “the king says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The speaker is the Lord’s chosen king.
18 tn Or “I will relate the decree. The
19 sn ‘You are my son!’ The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 89:26-27). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
20 sn I will give you the nations. The
21 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.
22 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.
23 sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.