7:7 The countries are assembled all around you; 1
take once more your rightful place over them! 2
9:8 He judges the world fairly;
he makes just legal decisions for the nations. 3
47:3 He subdued nations beneath us 4
and countries 5 under our feet.
57:9 I will give you thanks before the nations, O Master!
I will sing praises to you before foreigners! 6
65:7 You calm the raging seas 7
and their roaring waves,
as well as the commotion made by the nations. 8
105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,
and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, 9
108:3 I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord!
I will sing praises to you before foreigners! 10
148:11 you kings of the earth and all you nations,
you princes and all you leaders 11 on the earth,
1 tn Heb “and the assembly of the peoples surrounds you.” Some understand the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may the assembly of the peoples surround you.”
2 tn Heb “over it (the feminine suffix refers back to the feminine noun “assembly” in the preceding line) on high return.” Some emend שׁוּבָה (shuvah, “return”) to שֵׁבָה (shevah, “sit [in judgment]”) because they find the implication of “return” problematic. But the psalmist does not mean to imply that God has abandoned his royal throne and needs to regain it. Rather he simply urges God, as sovereign king of the world, to once more occupy his royal seat of judgment and execute judgment, as the OT pictures God doing periodically.
3 tn Heb “the peoples.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 8 either describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).
5 tn On the meaning of the verb דָּבַר (davar, “subdue”), a homonym of דָּבַר (“speak”), see HALOT 209-10 s.v. I דבר. See also Ps 18:47 and 2 Chr 22:10. The preterite form of the verb suggests this is an historical reference and the next verse, which mentions the gift of the land, indicates that the conquest under Joshua is in view.
6 tn Or “peoples” (see Pss 2:1; 7:7; 9:8; 44:2).
7 tn Or “the peoples.”
9 tn Heb “the roar of the seas.”
10 sn The raging seas…the commotion made by the nations. The raging seas symbolize the turbulent nations of the earth (see Ps 46:2-3, 6; Isa 17:12).
11 tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”
13 tn Or “the peoples.”
15 tn Or “judges.”