Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 33:29
Context33:29 You have joy, Israel! Who is like you?
You are a people delivered by the Lord,
your protective shield
and your exalted sword.
May your enemies cringe before you;
may you trample on their backs.
Psalms 3:3
Context3:3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; 1
you are my glory 2 and the one who restores me. 3
Psalms 5:12
Context5:12 Certainly 4 you reward 5 the godly, 6 Lord.
Like a shield you protect 7 them 8 in your good favor. 9
Psalms 18:2
Context18:2 The Lord is my high ridge, 10 my stronghold, 11 my deliverer.
My God is my rocky summit where 12 I take shelter, 13
my shield, the horn that saves me, 14 and my refuge. 15
Psalms 84:9
Context84:9 O God, take notice of our shield! 16
Show concern for your chosen king! 17
Psalms 84:11
Context84:11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. 18
The Lord bestows favor 19 and honor;
he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. 20
Psalms 91:4
Context91:4 He will shelter you 21 with his wings; 22
you will find safety under his wings.
His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall. 23
Psalms 119:114
Context119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield.
I find hope in your word.
Proverbs 30:5
Context
[3:3] 1 tn Heb “a shield round about me.”
[3:3] 2 tn Heb “my glory,” or “my honor.” The psalmist affirms that the
[3:3] 3 tn Heb “[the one who] lifts my head.” This phrase could be understood to refer to a general strengthening of the psalmist by God during difficult circumstances. However, if one takes the suggestion of the superscription that this is a Davidic psalm written during the revolt of Absalom, the phrase “lift the head” could refer to the psalmist’s desire for restoration to his former position (cf. Gen 40:13 where the same phrase is used). Like the Hebrew text, the present translation (“who restores me”) can be understood in either sense.
[5:12] 5 tn Or “bless.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line highlight how God characteristically rewards and protects the godly.
[5:12] 6 tn Or “innocent.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense.
[5:12] 7 tn Heb “surround.” In 1 Sam 23:26 the verb describes how Saul and his men hemmed David in as they chased him.
[5:12] 8 tn Heb “him.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense and is thus translated “them.”
[5:12] 9 tn Or “with favor” (cf. NRSV). There is no preposition before the noun in the Hebrew text, nor is there a pronoun attached. “Favor” here stands by metonymy for God’s defensive actions on behalf of the one whom he finds acceptable.
[18:2] 10 sn My high ridge. This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
[18:2] 11 sn My stronghold. David often found safety in such strongholds. See 1 Sam 22:4-5; 24:22; 2 Sam 5:9, 17; 23:14.
[18:2] 13 sn Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
[18:2] 14 tn Heb “the horn of my salvation”; or “my saving horn.”
[18:2] 15 tn Or “my elevated place.” The parallel version of this psalm in 2 Sam 22:3 adds at this point, “my refuge, my savior, [you who] save me from violence.”
[84:9] 16 tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “your anointed one” here and with “our king” in Ps 89:18.
[84:9] 17 tn Heb “look [on] the face of your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17).
[84:11] 18 tn Heb “[is] a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritic texts, the Amarna letters, and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 131, n. 2.
[84:11] 20 tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those walking in integrity.”
[91:4] 21 tn Heb “put a cover over you” (see Ps 5:11).
[91:4] 22 tc The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural should be read. The final yod (י) of the suffix, which indicates the plural, has dropped off by haplography (note the yod [י] at the beginning of the next word).
[91:4] 23 tn Traditionally the Hebrew term סֹחֵרָה (sokherah), which occurs only here in the OT, has been understood to refer to a buckler or small shield (see BDB 695 s.v.). But HALOT 750 s.v., on the basis of evidence from the cognate languages, proposes the meaning “wall.”
[30:5] 24 sn The text here uses an implied comparison (a figure of speech known as hypocatastasis): It compares the perfection of every word from God with some precious metal that has been refined and purified (e.g., Ps 12:6). The point is that God’s word is trustworthy; it has no defects and flaws, nothing false or misleading. The second half of the verse explains the significance of this point – it is safe to trust the
[30:5] 25 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[30:5] 26 sn The line uses two more figures of speech to declare that God can be trusted for security and salvation. “Shield” is a simple metaphor – God protects. “Take refuge” is another implied comparison (hypocatastasis) – God provides spiritual rest and security for those who put their trust in him.
