89:13 Your arm is powerful,
your hand strong,
your right hand 1 victorious. 2
89:17 For you give them splendor and strength. 3
By your favor we are victorious. 4
112:9 He generously gives 5 to the needy;
his integrity endures. 6
He will be vindicated and honored. 7
1 sn The Lord’s arm, hand, and right hand all symbolize his activities, especially his exploits in war.
2 tn Heb “is lifted up.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:42; 118:16).
3 tn Heb “for the splendor of their strength [is] you.”
4 tn Heb “you lift up our horn,” or if one follows the marginal reading (Qere), “our horn is lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
5 tn Heb “he scatters, he gives.”
6 tn Heb “stands forever.”
7 tn Heb “his horn will be lifted up in honor.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).