Discovery BoxPsalms 18:13
Context18:13 The Lord thundered 1 in 2 the sky;
the sovereign One 3 shouted. 4
Psalms 29:11
Context29:11 The Lord gives 5 his people strength; 6
the Lord grants his people security. 7
Psalms 49:7
Context49:7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother; 8
he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price 9
Psalms 55:6
Context55:6 I say, 10 “I wish I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and settle in a safe place!
Psalms 55:22
Context55:22 Throw your burden 11 upon the Lord,
and he will sustain you. 12
He will never allow the godly to be upended. 13
Psalms 68:33
Context68:33 to the one who rides through the sky from ancient times! 14
Look! He thunders loudly. 15
[18:13] 1 sn Thunder is a common motif in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 179-83.
[18:13] 2 tn 2 Sam 22:14 has “from.”
[18:13] 3 tn Heb “the Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
[18:13] 4 tc The text of Ps 18:13 adds at this point, “hail and coals of fire.” These words are probably accidentally added from v. 12b; they do not appear in 2 Sam 22:14.
[29:11] 5 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 11 are either descriptive or generalizing.
[29:11] 6 sn Strength. This probably refers to military power; see the use of the noun in 1 Sam 2:10 and Ps 86:16.
[29:11] 7 tn Heb “blesses his people with peace.” The Hebrew term שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) probably refers here to the protection and prosperity experienced by God’s people after the
[49:7] 9 tn Heb “a brother, he surely does not ransom, a man.” The sequence אִישׁ...אָח (’akh...’ish, “a brother…a man”) is problematic, for the usual combination is אָח...אָח (“a brother…a brother”) or אִישׁ...אִישׁ (“a man…a man”). When אִישׁ and אָח are combined, the usual order is אָח...אִישׁ (“a man…a brother”), with “brother” having a third masculine singular suffix, “his brother.” This suggests that “brother” is the object of the verb and “man” the subject. (1) Perhaps the altered word order and absence of the suffix can be explained by the text’s poetic character, for ellipsis is a feature of Hebrew poetic style. (2) Another option, supported by a few medieval Hebrew
[49:7] 10 tn Heb “he cannot pay to God his ransom price.” Num 35:31 may supply the legal background for the metaphorical language used here. The psalmist pictures God as having a claim on the soul of the individual. When God comes to claim the life that ultimately belongs to him, he demands a ransom price that is beyond the capability of anyone to pay. The psalmist’s point is that God has ultimate authority over life and death; all the money in the world cannot buy anyone a single day of life beyond what God has decreed.
[55:6] 13 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the descriptive (present progressive) force of the verbs in v. 5.
[55:22] 17 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here.
[55:22] 18 tn The pronoun is singular; the psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually.
[55:22] 19 tn Heb “he will never allow swaying for the righteous.”
[68:33] 21 tc Heb “to the one who rides through the skies of skies of ancient times.” If the MT is retained, one might translate, “to the one who rides through the ancient skies.” (שְׁמֵי [shÿmey, “skies of”] may be accidentally repeated.) The present translation assumes an emendation to בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִקֶּדֶם (bashamayim miqqedem, “[to the one who rides] through the sky from ancient times”), that is, God has been revealing his power through the storm since ancient times.
[68:33] 22 tn Heb “he gives his voice a strong voice.” In this context God’s “voice” is the thunder that accompanies the rain (see vv. 8-9, as well as Deut 33:26).
