Psalms 15:4

15:4 He despises a reprobate, ¹ 

but honors the Lord’s loyal followers. ² 

He makes firm commitments and does not renege on his promise. ³ 

Psalms 22:25

22:25 You are the reason I offer praise ⁴  in the great assembly;

I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. ⁵ 

Psalms 34:9

34:9 Remain loyal to ⁶  the Lord, you chosen people of his, ⁷ 

for his loyal followers ⁸  lack nothing!

Psalms 61:5

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

you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers. ⁹ 

Psalms 66:16

66:16 Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God! ¹⁰ 

I will declare what he has done for me.

Psalms 103:11

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

so his loyal love towers ¹¹  over his faithful followers. ¹² 

Psalms 103:17

103:17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers, ¹³ 

and is faithful to their descendants, ¹⁴ 

Psalms 135:20

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

You loyal followers ¹⁵  of the Lord, praise the Lord!

[15:4]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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.

[22:25]  ⁴ tn Heb “from with you [is] my praise.”

[22:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.” When asking the Lord for help, the psalmists would typically promise to praise the Lord publicly if he intervened and delivered them.

[34:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “fear.”

[34:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”

[34:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[61:5]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “all of the fearers of God.”

[103:11]  ¹⁶ tn For this sense of the verb גָבַר (gavar), see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19.

[103:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[103:17]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “but the loyal love of the Lord [is] from everlasting to everlasting over those who fear him.”

[103:17]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and his righteousness to sons of sons.”

[135:20]  ²² tn Heb “fearers.”