Psalms 45:3-4

45:3 Strap your sword to your thigh, O warrior! ¹ 

Appear in your majestic splendor! ² 

45:4 Appear in your majesty and be victorious! ³ 

Ride forth for the sake of what is right, ⁴ 

on behalf of justice! ⁵ 

Then your right hand will accomplish mighty acts! ⁶ 

Revelation 11:17-18

11:17 with these words: ⁷ 

“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, ⁸ 

the one who is and who was,

because you have taken your great power

and begun to reign. ⁹ 

11:18 The ¹⁰  nations ¹¹  were enraged,

but ¹²  your wrath has come,

and the time has come for the dead to be judged,

and the time has come to give to your servants, ¹³ 

the prophets, their reward,

as well as to the saints

and to those who revere ¹⁴  your name, both small and great,

and the time has come ¹⁵  to destroy those who destroy ¹⁶  the earth.”

[45:3]  ¹ tn Or “mighty one.”

[45:3]  ² tn The Hebrew text has simply, “your majesty and your splendor,” which probably refers to the king’s majestic splendor when he appears in full royal battle regalia.

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

[45:4]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.

[11:17]  ⁷ tn Grk “saying.”

[11:17]  ⁸ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[11:17]  ⁹ tn The aorist verb ἐβασίλευσας (ebasileusa") has been translated ingressively.

[11:18]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[11:18]  ¹¹ tn Or “The Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[11:18]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[11:18]  ¹³ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[11:18]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “who fear.”

[11:18]  ¹⁵ tn The words “the time has come” do not occur except at the beginning of the verse; the phrase has been repeated for emphasis and contrast. The Greek has one finite verb (“has come”) with a compound subject (“your wrath,” “the time”), followed by three infinitive clauses (“to be judged,” “to give,” “to destroy”). The rhetorical power of the repetition of the finite verb in English thus emulates the rhetorical power of its lone instance in Greek.

[11:18]  ¹⁶ tn Or “who deprave.” There is a possible wordplay here on two meanings for διαφθείρω (diafqeirw), with the first meaning “destroy” and the second meaning either “to ruin” or “to make morally corrupt.” See L&N 20.40.