Psalms 103:10-14

103:10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve; ¹ 

he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve. ² 

103:11 For as the skies are high above the earth,

so his loyal love towers ³  over his faithful followers. ⁴ 

103:12 As far as the eastern horizon ⁵  is from the west, ⁶ 

so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions ⁷  from us.

103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, ⁸ 

so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers. ⁹ 

103:14 For he knows what we are made of; ¹⁰ 

he realizes ¹¹  we are made of clay. ¹² 

[103:10]  ¹ tn Heb “not according to our sins does he do to us.”

[103:10]  ² tn Heb “and not according to our misdeeds does he repay us.”

[103:11]  ³ tn For this sense of the verb גָבַר (gavar), see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19.

[103:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[103:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “sunrise.”

[103:12]  ⁶ tn Or “sunset.”

[103:12]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term פֶּשַׁע (pesha’, rebellious act”) is here used metonymically for the guilt such actions produce.

[103:13]  ⁸ tn Or “sons,” but the Hebrew term sometimes refers to children in general.

[103:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[103:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “our form.”

[103:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “remembers.”

[103:14]  ¹² tn Heb “we [are] clay.”