Psalms 18:23

18:23 I was innocent before him,

and kept myself from sinning. ¹ 

Psalms 15:2

15:2 Whoever lives a blameless life, ² 

does what is right,

and speaks honestly. ³ 

Psalms 18:25

18:25 You prove to be loyal ⁴  to one who is faithful; ⁵ 

you prove to be trustworthy ⁶  to one who is innocent. ⁷ 

Psalms 18:32

18:32 The one true God ⁸  gives ⁹  me strength; ¹⁰ 

he removes ¹¹  the obstacles in my way. ¹² 

Psalms 119:80

119:80 May I be fully committed to your statutes, ¹³ 

so that I might not be ashamed.

Psalms 18:30

18:30 The one true God acts in a faithful manner; ¹⁴ 

the Lord’s promise ¹⁵  is reliable; ¹⁶ 

he is a shield to all who take shelter ¹⁷  in him.

Psalms 101:2

101:2 I will walk in ¹⁸  the way of integrity.

When will you come to me?

I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. ¹⁹ 

Psalms 101:6

101:6 I will favor the honest people of the land, ²⁰ 

and allow them to live with me. ²¹ 

Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me. ²² 

[18:23]  ¹ tn Heb “from my sin,” that is, from making it my own in any way.

[15:2]  ² tn Heb “one who walks blamelessly.”

[15:2]  ³ tn Heb “one who speaks truth in his heart”; or “one who speaks truth [that is] in his heart.” This apparently refers to formulating a truthful statement in one’s mind and then honestly revealing that statement in one’s speech.

[18:25]  ³ tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 25-29 draw attention to God’s characteristic actions. Based on his experience, the psalmist generalizes about God’s just dealings with people (vv. 25-27) and about the way in which God typically empowers him on the battlefield (vv. 28-29). The Hitpael stem is used in vv. 26-27 in a reflexive resultative (or causative) sense. God makes himself loyal, etc. in the sense that he conducts or reveals himself as such. On this use of the Hitpael stem, see GKC 149-50 §54.e.

[18:25]  ⁴ tn Or “to a faithful follower.” A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[18:25]  ⁵ tn Or “innocent.”

[18:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “a man of innocence.”

[18:32]  ⁴ tn Heb “the God.” The prefixed article emphasizes the Lord’s distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). See v. 30.

[18:32]  ⁵ tn Heb “is the one who clothes.” For similar language see 1 Sam 2:4; Pss 65:6; 93:1. The psalmist employs a generalizing hymnic style in vv. 32-34; he uses participles in vv. 32a, 33a, and 34a to describe what God characteristically does on his behalf.

[18:32]  ⁶ tn 2 Sam 22:33 reads, “the God is my strong refuge.”

[18:32]  ⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries along the generalizing force of the preceding participle.

[18:32]  ⁸ tn Heb “he made my path smooth.” The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “smooth”) usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36).

[119:80]  ⁵ tn Heb “may my heart be complete in your statutes.”

[18:30]  ⁶ tn Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל (ha’el, “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).

[18:30]  ⁷ sn The Lord’s promise. In the ancient Near East kings would typically seek and receive oracles from their god(s) prior to battle. For examples, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 241-42.

[18:30]  ⁸ tn Heb “the word of the Lord is purified.” The Lord’s “word” probably refers here to his oracle(s) of victory delivered to the psalmist before the battle(s) described in the following context. See also Pss 12:5-7 and 138:2-3. David frequently received such oracles before going into battle (see 1 Sam 23:2, 4-5, 10-12; 30:8; 2 Sam 5:19). The Lord’s word of promise is absolutely reliable; it is compared to metal that has been refined in fire and cleansed of impurities. See Ps 12:6.

[18:30]  ⁹ sn Take shelter. See the note on the word “shelter” in v. 2.

[101:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “take notice of.”

[101:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”

[101:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “my eyes [are] on the faithful of the land.”

[101:6]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew text simply reads, “in order to live with me.”

[101:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”