Psalms 119:89

ל (Lamed)

119:89 O Lord, your instructions endure;

they stand secure in heaven. ¹ 

Psalms 41:12

41:12 As for me, you uphold ²  me because of my integrity; ³ 

you allow ⁴  me permanent access to your presence. ⁵ 

Psalms 78:13

78:13 He divided the sea and led them across it;

he made the water stand in a heap.

Psalms 45:9

45:9 Princesses ⁶  are among your honored guests, ⁷ 

your bride ⁸  stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir. ⁹ 

Psalms 74:17

74:17 You set up all the boundaries ¹⁰  of the earth;

you created the cycle of summer and winter. ¹¹ 

Psalms 82:1

Psalm 82 ¹² 

A psalm of Asaph.

82:1 God stands in ¹³  the assembly of El; ¹⁴ 

in the midst of the gods ¹⁵  he renders judgment. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 39:5

39:5 Look, you make my days short-lived, ¹⁷ 

and my life span is nothing from your perspective. ¹⁸ 

Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor. ¹⁹ 

[119:89]  ¹ tn Heb “Forever, O Lord, your word stands firm in heaven,” or “Forever, O Lord, [is] your word; it stands firm in heaven.” The translation assumes that “your word” refers here to the body of divine instructions contained in the law (note the frequent references to the law in vv. 92-96). See vv. 9, 16-17, 57, 101, 105, 130, 139 and 160-61. The reference in v. 86 to God’s law being faithful favors this interpretation. Another option is that “your word” refers to God’s assuring word of promise, mentioned in vv. 25, 28, 42, 65, 74, 81, 107, 114, 147 and 169. In this case one might translate, “O Lord, your promise is reliable, it stands firm in heaven.”

[41:12]  ² tn Or “have upheld.” The perfect verbal form can be taken as generalizing/descriptive (present) or as a present perfect.

[41:12]  ³ sn Because of my integrity. See Pss 7:8; 25:21; 26:1, 11.

[41:12]  ⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect. It is either generalizing/descriptive (present) or has a present perfect nuance (“you have allowed”).

[41:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “and you cause me to stand before you permanently.”

[45:9]  ³ tn Heb “daughters of kings.”

[45:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “valuable ones.” The form is feminine plural.

[45:9]  ⁵ tn This rare Hebrew noun apparently refers to the king’s bride, who will soon be queen (see Neh 2:6). The Aramaic cognate is used of royal wives in Dan 5:2-3, 23.

[45:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “a consort stands at your right hand, gold of Ophir.”

[74:17]  ⁴ tn This would appear to refer to geographical boundaries, such as mountains, rivers, and seacoasts. However, since the day-night cycle has just been mentioned (v. 16) and the next line speaks of the seasons, it is possible that “boundaries” here refers to the divisions of the seasons. See C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:156.

[74:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “summer and winter, you, you formed them.”

[82:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 82. The psalmist pictures God standing in the “assembly of El” where he accuses the “gods” of failing to promote justice on earth. God pronounces sentence upon them, announcing that they will die like men. Having witnessed the scene, the psalmist then asks God to establish his just rule over the earth.

[82:1]  ⁶ tn Or “presides over.”

[82:1]  ⁷ tn The phrase עֲדַת אֵל (’adat ’el, “assembly of El”) appears only here in the OT. (1) Some understand “El” to refer to God himself. In this case he is pictured presiding over his own heavenly assembly. (2) Others take אֵל as a superlative here (“God stands in the great assembly”), as in Pss 36:6 and 80:10. (3) The present translation assumes this is a reference to the Canaanite high god El, who presided over the Canaanite divine assembly. (See Isa 14:13, where El’s assembly is called “the stars of El.”) In the Ugaritic myths the phrase ’dt ’ilm refers to the “assembly of the gods,” who congregate in King Kirtu’s house, where Baal asks El to bless Kirtu’s house (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). If the Canaanite divine assembly is referred to here in Ps 82:1, then the psalm must be understood as a bold polemic against Canaanite religion. Israel’s God invades El’s assembly, denounces its gods as failing to uphold justice, and announces their coming demise. For an interpretation of the psalm along these lines, see W. VanGemeren, “Psalms,” EBC 5:533-36.

[82:1]  ⁸ sn The present translation assumes that the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”) here refers to the pagan gods who supposedly comprise El’s assembly according to Canaanite religion. Those who reject the polemical view of the psalm prefer to see the referent as human judges or rulers (אֱלֹהִים sometimes refers to officials appointed by God, see Exod 21:6; 22:8-9; Ps 45:6) or as angelic beings (אֱלֹהִים sometimes refers to angelic beings, see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5).

[82:1]  ⁹ sn The picture of God rendering judgment among the gods clearly depicts his sovereign authority as universal king (see v. 8, where the psalmist boldly affirms this truth).

[39:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “Look, handbreadths you make my days.” The “handbreadth” (equivalent to the width of four fingers) was one of the smallest measures used by ancient Israelites. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 309.

[39:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “is like nothing before you.”

[39:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “surely, all vapor [is] all mankind, standing firm.” Another option is to translate, “Surely, all mankind, though seemingly secure, is nothing but a vapor.”