Psalms 2:11

2:11 Serve ¹  the Lord in fear!

Repent in terror! ² 

Psalms 78:70

78:70 He chose David, his servant,

and took him from the sheepfolds.

Psalms 105:6

105:6 O children ³  of Abraham, ⁴  God’s ⁵  servant,

you descendants ⁶  of Jacob, God’s ⁷  chosen ones!

Psalms 136:22

136:22 as an inheritance to Israel his servant,

for his loyal love endures,

[2:11]  ¹ tn The Hebrew verb translated “serve” refers here to submitting to the Lord’s sovereignty as expressed through the rule of the Davidic king. Such “service” would involve maintaining allegiance to the Davidic king by paying tribute on a regular basis.

[2:11]  ² tn Traditionally, “rejoice with trembling” (KJV). The verb גִּיל (gil) normally means “rejoice,” but this meaning does not fit well here in conjunction with “in trembling.” Some try to understand “trembling” (and the parallel יִרְאָה, yir’ah, “fear”) in the sense of “reverential awe” and then take the verbs “serve” and “rejoice” in the sense of “worship” (cf. NASB). But רְעָדָה (rÿ’adah, “trembling”) and its related terms consistently refer to utter terror and fear (see Exod 15:15; Job 4:14; Pss 48:6; 55:5; 104:32; Isa 33:14; Dan 10:11) or at least great emotional distress (Ezra 10:9). It seems more likely here that גִּיל carries its polarized meaning “mourn, lament,” as in Hos 10:5. “Mourn, lament” would then be metonymic in this context for “repent” (referring to one’s rebellious ways). On the meaning of the verb in Hos 10:5, see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea (AB), 556-57.

[105:6]  ³ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[105:6]  ⁴ tc Some mss have “Israel,” which appears in the parallel version of this psalm in 1 Chr 16:13.

[105:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[105:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “sons.”

[105:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.