2 Samuel 23:2-3

23:2 The Lord’s spirit spoke through me;

his word was on my tongue.

23:3 The God of Israel spoke,

the protector ¹  of Israel spoke to me.

The one who rules fairly among men,

the one who rules in the fear of God,

Psalms 45:4

45:4 Appear in your majesty and be victorious! ² 

Ride forth for the sake of what is right, ³ 

on behalf of justice! ⁴ 

Then your right hand will accomplish mighty acts! ⁵ 

Psalms 45:7

45:7 You love ⁶  justice and hate evil. ⁷ 

For this reason God, your God ⁸  has anointed you ⁹ 

with the oil of joy, ¹⁰  elevating you above your companions. ¹¹ 

Psalms 72:1-5

Psalm 72 ¹² 

For ¹³  Solomon.

72:1 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions! ¹⁴ 

Grant the king’s son ¹⁵  the ability to make fair decisions! ¹⁶ 

72:2 Then he will judge ¹⁷  your people fairly,

and your oppressed ones ¹⁸  equitably.

72:3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people,

and the hills will announce justice. ¹⁹ 

72:4 He will defend ²⁰  the oppressed among the people;

he will deliver ²¹  the children ²²  of the poor

and crush the oppressor.

72:5 People will fear ²³  you ²⁴  as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,

for generation after generation. ²⁵ 

Isaiah 9:7

9:7 His dominion will be vast ²⁶ 

and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. ²⁷ 

He will rule on David’s throne

and over David’s kingdom, ²⁸ 

establishing it ²⁹  and strengthening it

by promoting justice and fairness, ³⁰ 

from this time forward and forevermore.

The Lord’s intense devotion to his people ³¹  will accomplish this.

Isaiah 11:2-5

11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him ³²  –

a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, ³³ 

a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, ³⁴ 

a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. ³⁵ 

11:3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord. ³⁶ 

He will not judge by mere appearances, ³⁷ 

or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. ³⁸ 

11:4 He will treat the poor fairly, ³⁹ 

and make right decisions ⁴⁰  for the downtrodden of the earth. ⁴¹ 

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, ⁴² 

and order the wicked to be executed. ⁴³ 

11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,

integrity will be like a belt around his hips. ⁴⁴ 

Isaiah 32:1-2

Justice and Wisdom Will Prevail

32:1 Look, a king will promote fairness; ⁴⁵ 

officials will promote justice. ⁴⁶ 

32:2 Each of them ⁴⁷  will be like a shelter from the wind

and a refuge from a rainstorm;

like streams of water in a dry region

and like the shade of a large cliff in a parched land.

Isaiah 42:21

42:21 The Lord wanted to exhibit his justice

by magnifying his law and displaying it. ⁴⁸ 

John 5:22-29

5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge ⁴⁹  anyone, but has assigned ⁵⁰  all judgment to the Son, 5:23 so that all people ⁵¹  will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

5:24 “I tell you the solemn truth, ⁵²  the one who hears ⁵³  my message ⁵⁴  and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, ⁵⁵  but has crossed over from death to life. 5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, ⁵⁶  a time ⁵⁷  is coming – and is now here – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 5:26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, 5:27 and he has granted the Son ⁵⁸  authority to execute judgment, ⁵⁹  because he is the Son of Man.

5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time ⁶⁰  is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 5:29 and will come out – the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. ⁶¹ 

Hebrews 1:8-9

1:8 but of ⁶²  the Son he says, ⁶³ 

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, ⁶⁴ 

and a righteous scepter ⁶⁵  is the scepter of your kingdom.

1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.

So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions ⁶⁶  with the oil of rejoicing.” ⁶⁷ 

Hebrews 7:1-2

The Nature of Melchizedek’s Priesthood

7:1 Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him. ⁶⁸  7:2 To him ⁶⁹  also Abraham apportioned a tithe ⁷⁰  of everything. ⁷¹  His name first means ⁷²  king of righteousness, then king of Salem, that is, king of peace.

Revelation 19:11

The Son of God Goes to War

19:11 Then ⁷³  I saw heaven opened and here came ⁷⁴  a white horse! The ⁷⁵  one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice ⁷⁶  he judges and goes to war.

[23:3]  ¹ tn Heb “rock,” used as a metaphor of divine protection.

[45:4]  ² tn Heb “and your majesty, be successful.” The syntax is awkward. The phrase “and your majesty” at the beginning of the verse may be accidentally repeated (dittography); it appears at the end of v. 3.

[45:4]  ³ tn Or “for the sake of truth.”

[45:4]  ⁴ tc The precise meaning of the MT is uncertain. The form עַנְוָה (’anvah) occurs only here. One could emend the text to עֲנָוָה וְצֶדֶק (’anavah vÿtsedeq, “[for the sake of truth], humility, and justice”). In this case “humility” would perhaps allude to the king’s responsibility to “serve” his people by promoting justice (cf. NIV “in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness”). The present translation assumes an emendation to יַעַן (ya’an, “because; on account of”) which would form a suitable parallel to עַל־דְּבַר (’al-dÿvar, “because; for the sake of”) in the preceding line.

[45:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “and your right hand will teach you mighty acts”; or “and may your right hand teach you mighty acts.” After the imperatives in the first half of the verse, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive likely indicates purpose (“so that your right hand might teach you mighty acts”) or result (see the present translation). The “right hand” here symbolizes the king’s military strength. His right hand will “teach” him mighty acts by performing them and thereby causing him to experience their magnificence.

[45:7]  ⁶ sn To love justice means to actively promote it.

[45:7]  ⁷ sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.

[45:7]  ⁸ tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“Lord”) is relatively rare in Pss 42-83, where the name Elohim (“God”) predominates, this compounding of Elohim may be an alternative form of the compound name “the Lord my/your/our God.”

[45:7]  ⁹ sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.

[45:7]  ¹⁰ sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.

[45:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.

[72:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 72. This royal psalm contains a prayer for the Davidic king (note the imperatival form in v. 1 and the jussive forms in vv. 16-17). It is not entirely clear if vv. 2-15 express a prayer or anticipate a future reign. The translation assumes a blend of petition and vision: (I) opening prayer (v. 1), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 2-7); (II) prayer (v. 8), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 9-14); (III) closing prayer (vv. 15-17). Whether a prayer, vision, or combination of the two, the psalm depicts the king’s universal rule of peace and prosperity. As such it is indirectly messianic, for the ideal it expresses will only be fully realized during the Messiah’s earthly reign. Verses 18-19 are a conclusion for Book 2 of the Psalter (Pss 42-72; cf. Ps 41:13, which contains a similar conclusion for Book 1), while v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or an earlier edition of the Psalter.

[72:1]  ¹³ tn The preposition could be understood as indicating authorship (“Of Solomon”), but since the psalm is a prayer for a king, it may be that the superscription reflects a tradition that understood this as a prayer for Solomon.

[72:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “O God, your judgments to [the] king give.”

[72:1]  ¹⁵ sn Grant the king…Grant the king’s son. It is not entirely clear whether v. 1 envisions one individual or two. The phrase “the king’s son” in the second line may simply refer to “the king” of the first line, drawing attention to the fact that he has inherited his dynastic rule. Another option is that v. 1 envisions a co-regency between father and son (a common phenomenon in ancient Israel) or simply expresses a hope for a dynasty that champions justice.

[72:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and your justice to [the] son of [the] king.”

[72:2]  ¹⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.

[72:2]  ¹⁸ sn These people are called God’s oppressed ones because he is their defender (see Pss 9:12, 18; 10:12; 12:5).

[72:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “[the] mountains will bear peace to the people, and [the] hills with justice.” The personified mountains and hills probably represent messengers who will sweep over the land announcing the king’s just decrees and policies. See Isa 52:7 and C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:133.

[72:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “judge [for].”

[72:4]  ²¹ tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.

[72:4]  ²² tn Heb “sons.”

[72:5]  ²³ tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.” See Ps 33:8. Some interpreters, with the support of the LXX, prefer to read וְיַאֲרִיךְ (vÿ’a’arikh, “and he [the king in this case] will prolong [days]”), that is, “will live a long time” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[72:5]  ²⁴ tn God is the addressee (see vv. 1-2).

[72:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “with [the] sun, and before [the] moon [for] a generation, generations.” The rare expression דּוֹר דּוֹרִים (dor dorim, “generation, generations”) occurs only here, in Ps 102:24, and in Isa 51:8.

[9:7]  ²⁶ tc The Hebrew text has לְםַרְבֵּה (lÿmarbeh), which is a corrupt reading. לם is dittographic; note the preceding word, שָׁלוֹם (shalom). The corrected text reads literally, “great is the dominion.”

[9:7]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and to peace there will be no end” (KJV and ASV both similar). On the political and socio-economic sense of שָׁלוֹם (shalom) in this context, see the note at v. 6 on “Prince of Peace.”

[9:7]  ²⁸ tn Heb “over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” The referent of the pronoun “his” (i.e., David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:7]  ²⁹ tn The feminine singular pronominal suffix on this form and the following one (translated “it” both times) refers back to the grammatically feminine noun “kingdom.”

[9:7]  ³⁰ tn Heb “with/by justice and fairness”; ASV “with justice and with righteousness.”

[9:7]  ³¹ tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord.” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to vindicate them and to fulfill his promises to David and the nation.

[11:2]  ³² sn Like David (1 Sam 16:13), this king will be energized by the Lord’s spirit.

[11:2]  ³³ tn Heb “a spirit of wisdom and understanding.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of wisdom he will possess. His wisdom will enable him to make just legal decisions (v. 3). A very similar phrase occurs in Eph 1:17.

[11:2]  ³⁴ tn Heb “a spirit of counsel [or “strategy”] and strength.” The construction is a hendiadys; the point is that he will have the strength/ability to execute the plans/strategies he devises. This ability will enable him to suppress oppressors and implement just policies (v. 4).

[11:2]  ³⁵ tn Heb “a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.” “Knowledge” is used here in its covenantal sense and refers to a recognition of God’s authority and a willingness to submit to it. See Jer 22:16. “Fear” here refers to a healthy respect for God’s authority which produces obedience. Taken together the two terms emphasize the single quality of loyalty to the Lord. This loyalty guarantees that he will make just legal decisions and implement just policies (vv. 4-5).

[11:3]  ³⁶ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his smelling is in the fear of the Lord.” In Amos 5:21 the Hiphil of רוּחַ (ruakh, “smell”) carries the nuance of “smell with delight, get pleasure from.” There the Lord declares that he does not “smell with delight” (i.e., get pleasure from) Israel’s religious assemblies, which probably stand by metonymy for the incense offered during these festivals. In Isa 11:3 there is no sacrificial context to suggest such a use, but it is possible that “the fear of the Lord” is likened to incense. This coming king will get the same kind of delight from obeying (fearing) the Lord, as a deity does in the incense offered by worshipers. Some regard such an explanation as strained in this context, and prefer to omit this line from the text as a virtual dittograph of the preceding statement.

[11:3]  ³⁷ tn Heb “by what appears to his eyes”; KJV “after the sight of his eyes”; NIV “by what he sees with his eyes.”

[11:3]  ³⁸ tn Heb “by what is heard by his ears”; NRSV “by what his ears hear.”

[11:4]  ³⁹ tn Heb “with justice” (so NAB) or “with righteousness” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[11:4]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “make decisions with rectitude”; cf. ASV, NRSV “and decide with equity.”

[11:4]  ⁴¹ tn Or “land” (NAB, NCV, CEV). It is uncertain if the passage is picturing universal dominion or focusing on the king’s rule over his covenant people. The reference to God’s “holy mountain” in v. 9 and the description of renewed Israelite conquests in v. 14 suggest the latter, though v. 10 seems to refer to a universal kingdom (see 2:2-4).

[11:4]  ⁴² tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and he will strike the earth with the scepter of his mouth.” Some have suggested that in this context אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) as an object of judgment seems too broad in scope. The parallelism is tighter if one emends the word to ץ(י)עָרִ (’arits, “potentate, tyrant”). The phrase “scepter of his mouth” refers to the royal (note “scepter”) decrees that he proclaims with his mouth. Because these decrees will have authority and power (see v. 2) behind them, they can be described as “striking” the tyrants down. Nevertheless, the MT reading may not need emending. Isaiah refers to the entire “earth” as the object of God’s judgment in several places without specifying the wicked as the object of the judgment (Isa 24:17-21; 26:9, 21; 28:22; cf. 13:11).

[11:4]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.” The “breath of his lips” refers to his speech, specifically in this context his official decrees that the wicked oppressors be eliminated from his realm. See the preceding note.

[11:5]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “Justice will be the belt [or “undergarment”] on his waist, integrity the belt [or “undergarment”] on his hips.” The point of the metaphor is uncertain. If a belt worn outside the robe is in view, then the point might be that justice/integrity will be readily visible or that these qualities will give support to his rule. If an undergarment is in view, then the idea might be that these characteristics support his rule or that they are basic to everything else.

[32:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “will reign according to fairness.”

[32:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “will rule according to justice.”

[32:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “a man,” but אִישׁ (’ish) probably refers here to “each” of the officials mentioned in the previous verse.

[42:21]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “The Lord was pleased for the sake of his righteousness [or “justice”], he was magnifying [the] law and was making [it] glorious.” The Lord contrasts his good intentions for the people with their present crisis (v. 22). To demonstrate his just character and attract the nations, the Lord wanted to showcase his law among and through Israel (Deut 4:5-8). But Israel disobeyed (v. 24) and failed to carry out their commission.

[5:22]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “condemn.”

[5:22]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “given,” or “handed over.”

[5:23]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).

[5:24]  ⁵² tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[5:24]  ⁵³ tn Or “obeys.”

[5:24]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “word.”

[5:24]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “and does not come into judgment.”

[5:25]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[5:25]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “an hour.”

[5:27]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “him.”

[5:27]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “authority to judge.”

[5:28]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “an hour.”

[5:29]  ⁶¹ tn Or “a resurrection resulting in judgment.”

[1:8]  ⁶² tn Or “to.”

[1:8]  ⁶³ tn The verb “he says” (λέγει, legei) is implied from the λέγει of v. 7.

[1:8]  ⁶⁴ tn Or possibly, “Your throne is God forever and ever.” This translation is quite doubtful, however, since (1) in the context the Son is being contrasted to the angels and is presented as far better than they. The imagery of God being the Son’s throne would seem to be of God being his authority. If so, in what sense could this not be said of the angels? In what sense is the Son thus contrasted with the angels? (2) The μέν…δέ (men…de) construction that connects v. 7 with v. 8 clearly lays out this contrast: “On the one hand, he says of the angels…on the other hand, he says of the Son.” Thus, although it is grammatically possible that θεός (qeos) in v. 8 should be taken as a predicate nominative, the context and the correlative conjunctions are decidedly against it. Hebrews 1:8 is thus a strong affirmation of the deity of Christ.

[1:8]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “the righteous scepter,” but used generically.

[1:9]  ⁶⁶ sn God…has anointed you over your companions. God’s anointing gives the son a superior position and authority over his fellows.

[1:9]  ⁶⁷ sn A quotation from Ps 45:6-7.

[7:1]  ⁶⁸ sn A series of quotations from Gen 14:17-19.

[7:2]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “to whom,” continuing the description of Melchizedek. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[7:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “a tenth part.”

[7:2]  ⁷¹ sn A quotation from Gen 14:20.

[7:2]  ⁷² tn Grk “first being interpreted,” describing Melchizedek.

[19:11]  ⁷³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[19:11]  ⁷⁴ tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).

[19:11]  ⁷⁵ tn A new sentence was started in the translation at this point and καί (kai) was not translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[19:11]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “in righteousness,” but since the context here involves the punishment of the wicked and the vindication of the saints, “justice” was preferred.