For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.
76:1 God has revealed himself in Judah; 2
in Israel his reputation 3 is great.
76:2 He lives in Salem; 4
he dwells in Zion. 5
78:68 He chose the tribe of Judah,
and Mount Zion, which he loves.
78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; 6
as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. 7
14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? 8
Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure;
the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.
1 sn Psalm 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.
2 tn Or “God is known in Judah.”
3 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
4 sn Salem is a shorter name for Jerusalem (see Gen 14:18).
5 tn Heb “and his place of refuge is in Salem, and his lair in Zion.” God may be likened here to a lion (see v. 4).
6 tc Heb “and he built like the exalting [ones] his sanctuary.” The phrase כְּמוֹ־רָמִים (kÿmo-ramim, “like the exalting [ones]”) is a poetic form of the comparative preposition followed by a participial form of the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”). The text should be emended to כִּמְרֹמִים (kimromim, “like the [heavenly] heights”). See Ps 148:1, where “heights” refers to the heavens above.
7 tn Heb “like the earth, [which] he established permanently.” The feminine singular suffix on the Hebrew verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish”) refers to the grammatically feminine noun “earth.”
8 sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face – surrender and oppression, or battle and death.
9 tn Grk “and the city”; the conjunction is omitted in translation since it seems to be functioning epexegetically – that is, explaining further what is meant by “Mount Zion.”