Psalms 125:3

125:3 Indeed, ¹  the scepter of a wicked king ²  will not settle ³ 

upon the allotted land of the godly.

Otherwise the godly might

do what is wrong. ⁴ 

Luke 18:7

18:7 Won’t ⁵  God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out ⁶  to him day and night? ⁷  Will he delay ⁸  long to help them?

[125:3]  ¹ tn Or “for.”

[125:3]  ² tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.

[125:3]  ³ tn Or “rest.”

[125:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful example can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the people he rules.

[18:7]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[18:7]  ⁶ sn The prayers have to do with the righteous who cry out to him to receive justice. The context assumes the righteous are persecuted.

[18:7]  ⁷ tn The emphatic particles in this sentence indicate that God will indeed give justice to the righteous.

[18:7]  ⁸ sn The issue of delay has produced a whole host of views for this verse. (1) Does this assume provision to endure in the meantime? Or (2) does it mean God restricts the level of persecution until he comes? Either view is possible.