Genesis 15:1

The Cutting of the Covenant

15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield ¹  and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” ² 

Deuteronomy 33:29

33:29 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

3:3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; ³ 

you are my glory ⁴  and the one who restores me. ⁵ 

Psalms 5:12

5:12 Certainly ⁶  you reward ⁷  the godly, ⁸  Lord.

Like a shield you protect ⁹  them ¹⁰  in your good favor. ¹¹ 

Psalms 28:7

28:7 The Lord strengthens and protects me; ¹² 

I trust in him with all my heart. ¹³ 

I am rescued ¹⁴  and my heart is full of joy; ¹⁵ 

I will sing to him in gratitude. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 84:9

84:9 O God, take notice of our shield! ¹⁷ 

Show concern for your chosen king! ¹⁸ 

Psalms 84:11

84:11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. ¹⁹ 

The Lord bestows favor ²⁰  and honor;

he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. ²¹ 

Psalms 115:9-11

115:9 O Israel, trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer ²²  and protector. ²³ 

115:10 O family ²⁴  of Aaron, trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer ²⁵  and protector. ²⁶ 

115:11 You loyal followers of the Lord, ²⁷  trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer ²⁸  and protector. ²⁹ 

Proverbs 30:5

30:5 Every word of God is purified; ³⁰ 

he is like ³¹  a shield for those who take refuge in him. ³² 

[15:1]  ¹ sn The noun “shield” recalls the words of Melchizedek in 14:20. If God is the shield, then God will deliver. Abram need not fear reprisals from those he has fought.

[15:1]  ² tn Heb “your reward [in] great abundance.” When the phrase הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ (harbeh mÿod) follows a noun it invariably modifies the noun and carries the nuance “very great” or “in great abundance.” (See its use in Gen 41:49; Deut 3:5; Josh 22:8; 2 Sam 8:8; 12:2; 1 Kgs 4:29; 10:10-11; 2 Chr 14:13; 32:27; Jer 40:12.) Here the noun “reward” is in apposition to “shield” and refers by metonymy to God as the source of the reward. Some translate here “your reward will be very great” (cf. NASB, NRSV), taking the statement as an independent clause and understanding the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a substitute for a finite verb. However, the construction הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ is never used this way elsewhere, where it either modifies a noun (see the texts listed above) or serves as an adverb in relation to a finite verb (see Josh 13:1; 1 Sam 26:21; 2 Sam 12:30; 2 Kgs 21:16; 1 Chr 20:2; Neh 2:2).

[3:3]  ³ tn Heb “a shield round about me.”

[3:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “my glory,” or “my honor.” The psalmist affirms that the Lord is his source of honor, i.e., the one who gives him honor in the sight of others. According to BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 7, the phrase refers to God as the one to whom the psalmist gives honor. But the immediate context focuses on what God does for the psalmist, not vice-versa.

[3:3]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Or “For.”

[5:12]  ⁷ tn Or “bless.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line highlight how God characteristically rewards and protects the godly.

[5:12]  ⁸ tn Or “innocent.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense.

[5:12]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “him.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense and is thus translated “them.”

[5:12]  ¹¹ 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.

[28:7]  ¹² tn Heb “The Lord [is] my strength and my shield.”

[28:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “in him my heart trusts.”

[28:7]  ¹⁴ tn Or “I am helped.”

[28:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and my heart exults.”

[28:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and from my song I will thank him.” As pointed in the Hebrew text, מִשִּׁירִי (mishiri) appears to be “from my song,” but the preposition “from” never occurs elsewhere with the verb “to thank” (Hiphil of יָדָה, yadah). Perhaps משׁיר is a noun form meaning “song.” If so, it can be taken as an adverbial accusative, “and [with] my song I will thank him.” See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 236.

[84:9]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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 Or “grace.”

[84:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those walking in integrity.”

[115:9]  ²² tn Or “[source of] help.”

[115:9]  ²³ tn Heb “and their shield.”

[115:10]  ²⁴ tn Heb “house.”

[115:10]  ²⁵ tn Or “[source of] help.”

[115:10]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and their shield.”

[115:11]  ²⁷ tn Heb “[you] fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

[115:11]  ²⁸ tn Or “[source of] help.”

[115:11]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and their shield.”

[30:5]  ³⁰ 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 Lord.

[30:5]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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.