Psalms 29:1

Psalm 29 ¹ 

A psalm of David.

29:1 Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings, ² 

acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power! ³ 

Psalms 31:23

31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers ⁴  of his!

The Lord protects those who have integrity,

but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. ⁵ 

Psalms 33:1

Psalm 33 ⁶ 

33:1 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord!

It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.

Psalms 35:20

35:20 For they do not try to make peace with others, ⁷ 

but plan ways to deceive those who are unsuspecting. ⁸ 

Psalms 88:18

88:18 You cause my friends and neighbors to keep their distance; ⁹ 

those who know me leave me alone in the darkness. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 97:12

97:12 You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord!

Give thanks to his holy name. ¹¹ 

Psalms 145:10

145:10 All he has made will give thanks to the Lord.

Your loyal followers will praise you.

[29:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 29. In this hymn of praise the psalmist calls upon the heavenly assembly to acknowledge the royal splendor of the Lord. He describes the Lord’s devastating power as revealed in the thunderstorm and affirms that the Lord exerts this awesome might on behalf of his people. In its original context the psalm was a bold polemic against the Canaanite storm god Baal, for it affirms that the Lord is the real king who controls the elements of the storm, contrary to pagan belief. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 150 (1994): 280-82.

[29:1]  ² tc Heb “sons of gods,” or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the MT, it is likely that the final mem is actually enclitic, rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8.

[29:1]  ³ tn Or “ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.”

[31:23]  ⁴ tn 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).

[31:23]  ⁵ tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.

[33:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 33. In this hymn the psalmist praises the Lord as the sovereign creator and just ruler of the world who protects and vindicates those who fear him.

[35:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for they do not speak peace.”

[35:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “but against the quiet ones of the land words of deceit they plan.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 20 highlight their characteristic behavior.

[88:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “you cause to be far from me friend and neighbor.”

[88:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “those known by me, darkness.”

[97:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זָכַר (zakhar, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 6:5; 30:4. The Lord’s “name” is “holy” in the sense that it is a reminder of his uniqueness and greatness.