7:10 The Exalted God is my shield, 1
the one who delivers the morally upright. 2
18:41 They cry out, but there is no one to help them; 3
they cry out to the Lord, 4 but he does not answer them.
1 tn Traditionally, “my shield is upon God” (cf. NASB). As in v. 8, עַל (’al) should be understood as a divine title, here compounded with “God” (cf. NIV, “God Most High”). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:45-46. The shield metaphor pictures God as a protector against deadly attacks.
2 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
3 tn Heb “but there is no deliverer.”
4 tn Heb “to the