Psalms 33:12-15

33:12 How blessed ¹  is the nation whose God is the Lord,

the people whom he has chosen to be his special possession. ² 

33:13 The Lord watches ³  from heaven;

he sees all people. ⁴ 

33:14 From the place where he lives he looks carefully

at all the earth’s inhabitants.

33:15 He is the one who forms every human heart, ⁵ 

and takes note of all their actions.

[33:12]  ¹ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[33:12]  ² tn Heb “inheritance.”

[33:13]  ³ tn The Hebrew perfect verbal forms in v. 13 state general facts.

[33:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “all the sons of men.”

[33:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “the one who forms together their heart[s].” “Heart” here refers to human nature, composed of intellect, emotions and will. The precise force of יָחַד (yakhad, “together”) is unclear here. The point seems to be that the Lord is the creator of every human being.