Psalms 119:78

119:78 May the arrogant be humiliated, for they have slandered me! ¹ 

But I meditate on your precepts.

Psalms 146:9

146:9 The Lord protects those residing outside their native land;

he lifts up the fatherless and the widow, ² 

but he opposes the wicked. ³ 

[119:78]  ¹ tn Heb “for [with] falsehood they have denied me justice.”

[146:9]  ² sn God is depicted here as a just ruler. In the ancient Near Eastern world a king was responsible for promoting justice, including caring for the weak and vulnerable, epitomized by resident aliens, the fatherless, and widows.

[146:9]  ³ tn Heb “he makes the way of the wicked twisted.” The “way of the wicked” probably refers to their course of life (see Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1). God makes their path tortuous in the sense that he makes them pay the harmful consequences of their actions.