Psalms 115:13

115:13 He will bless his loyal followers, ¹ 

both young and old. ² 

Psalms 115:11

115:11 You loyal followers of the Lord, ³  trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer ⁴  and protector. ⁵ 

Psalms 118:4

118:4 Let the loyal followers of the Lord ⁶  say,

“Yes, his loyal love endures!”

Psalms 15:4

15:4 He despises a reprobate, ⁷ 

but honors the Lord’s loyal followers. ⁸ 

He makes firm commitments and does not renege on his promise. ⁹ 

Psalms 61:5

61:5 For you, O God, hear my vows;

you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 66:16

66:16 Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God! ¹¹ 

I will declare what he has done for me.

Psalms 135:20

135:20 O family of Levi, praise the Lord!

You loyal followers ¹²  of the Lord, praise the Lord!

Psalms 22:23

22:23 You loyal followers of the Lord, ¹³  praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! ¹⁴ 

[115:13]  ¹ tn Heb “the fearers of the Lord.”

[115:13]  ² tn Heb “the small along with the great.” The translation assumes that “small” and “great” here refer to age (see 2 Chr 15:13). Another option is to translate “both the insignificant and the prominent” (see Job 3:19; cf. NEB “high and low alike”).

[115:11]  ³ tn Heb “[you] fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

[115:11]  ⁴ tn Or “[source of] help.”

[115:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “and their shield.”

[118:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

[15:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “despised in his eyes [is] a rejected [one].” The Hebrew term נִמְאָס (nim’as, “rejected [one]”) apparently refers here to one who has been rejected by God because of his godless behavior. It stands in contrast to “those who fear God” in the following line.

[15:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “those who fear the Lord.” The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.

[15:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “he takes an oath to do harm and does not change.” The phrase “to do harm” cannot mean “do harm to others,” for the preceding verse clearly characterizes this individual as one who does not harm others. In this context the phrase must refer to an oath to which a self-imprecation is attached. The godly individual takes his commitments to others so seriously he is willing to “swear to his own hurt.” For an example of such an oath, see Ruth 1:16-17.

[61:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “you grant the inheritance of those who fear your name.” “Inheritance” is normally used of land which is granted as an inheritance; here it refers metaphorically to the blessings granted God’s loyal followers. To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).

[66:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “all of the fearers of God.”

[135:20]  ¹³ tn Heb “fearers.”

[22:23]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “[you] fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

[22:23]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “fear him.”