Psalms 33:16-20

33:16 No king is delivered by his vast army;

a warrior is not saved by his great might.

33:17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; ¹ 

despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.

33:18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, ² 

those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness ³ 

33:19 by saving their lives from death ⁴ 

and sustaining them during times of famine. ⁵ 

33:20 We ⁶  wait for the Lord;

he is our deliverer ⁷  and shield. ⁸ 

[33:17]  ¹ tn Heb “a lie [is] the horse for victory.”

[33:18]  ¹ tn Heb “look, the eye of the Lord [is] toward the ones who fear him.” The expression “the eye…[is] toward” here indicates recognition and the bestowing of favor. See Ps 34:15. The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.

[33:18]  ² tn Heb “for the ones who wait for his faithfulness.”

[33:19]  ¹ tn Heb “to save from death their live[s].”

[33:19]  ² tn Heb “and to keep them alive in famine.”

[33:20]  ¹ tn Or “our lives.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.

[33:20]  ² tn Or “[source of] help.”

[33:20]  ³ tn Or “protector.”