Psalms 89:34

89:34 I will not break ¹  my covenant

or go back on what I promised. ² 

Psalms 105:8

105:8 He always remembers his covenantal decree,

the promise he made ³  to a thousand generations –

Psalms 106:45

106:45 He remembered his covenant with them,

and relented ⁴  because of his great loyal love.

Nehemiah 1:5

1:5 Then I said, “Please, O LORD God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps his loving covenant ⁵  with those who love him and obey ⁶  his commandments,

Daniel 9:4

9:4 I prayed to the LORD my God, confessing in this way:

“O Lord, ⁷  great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant ⁸  with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Luke 1:72

1:72 He has done this ⁹  to show mercy ¹⁰  to our ancestors, ¹¹ 

and to remember his holy covenant ¹²  –

¹ tn Or “desecrate.”

² tn Heb “and what proceeds out of my lips I will not alter.”

³ tn Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 10-12 make clear.

⁴ tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.

⁵ tn Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The phrase is a hendiadys: the first noun retains its full nominal sense, while the second noun functions adjectivally (“loyal love” = loving). Alternately, the first might function adjectivally and the second noun function as the noun: “covenant and loyal love” = covenant fidelity (see Neh 9:32).

⁶ tn Heb “keep.” The Hebrew verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “to observe; to keep”) is often used as an idiom that means “to obey” the commandments of God (e.g., Exod 20:6; Deut 5:16; 23:24; 29:8; Judg 2:22; 1 Kgs 2:43; 11:11; Ps 119:8, 17, 34; Jer 35:18; Ezek 17:14; Amos 2:4). See BDB 1036 s.v. 3.c.

⁷ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 7, 9, 15, 16, and 19 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

⁸ tn Heb “who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.

⁹ tn The words “He has done this” (referring to the raising up of the horn of salvation from David’s house) are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to allow a new sentence to be started in the translation. The Greek sentence is lengthy and complex at this point, while contemporary English uses much shorter sentences.

¹⁰ sn Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50.

¹¹ tn Or “our forefathers”; Grk “our fathers.” This begins with the promise to Abraham (vv. 55, 73), and thus refers to many generations of ancestors.

¹² sn The promises of God can be summarized as being found in the one promise (the oath that he swore) to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).