Psalms 33:9

33:9 For he spoke, and it ¹  came into existence,

he issued the decree, ²  and it stood firm.

Psalms 44:4

44:4 You are my ³  king, O God!

Decree ⁴  Jacob’s ⁵  deliverance!

Psalms 105:8

105:8 He always remembers his covenantal decree,

the promise he made ⁶  to a thousand generations –

Psalms 148:5

148:5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for he gave the command and they came into existence.

Psalms 68:28

68:28 God has decreed that you will be powerful. ⁷ 

O God, you who have acted on our behalf, demonstrate your power,

Psalms 78:5

78:5 He established a rule ⁸  in Jacob;

he set up a law in Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to make his deeds known to their descendants, ⁹ 

Psalms 111:9

111:9 He delivered his people; ¹⁰ 

he ordained that his covenant be observed forever. ¹¹ 

His name is holy and awesome.

Psalms 133:3

133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, ¹² 

which flows down upon the hills of Zion. ¹³ 

Indeed ¹⁴  that is where the Lord has decreed

a blessing will be available – eternal life. ¹⁵ 

[33:9]  ¹ tn That is, “all the earth” in the first line of v. 8. The apparent antecedent of the masculine subject of the verbs in v. 9 (note וַיֶּהִי [vayyehiy] and וַיַּעֲמֹד [vayya’amod]) is “earth” or “world,” both of which are feminine nouns. However, כָּל (kol, “all”) may be the antecedent, or the apparent lack of agreement may be explained by the collective nature of the nouns involved here (see GKC 463 §145.e).

[33:9]  ² tn Heb “he commanded.”

[44:4]  ³ sn The speaker changes here to an individual, perhaps the worship leader or the king. The oscillation between singular (vv. 4, 6) and plural (vv. 1-3, 5, 7-8) in vv. 1-8 may reflect an antiphonal ceremony.

[44:4]  ⁴ tc The LXX assumes a participle here (מְצַוֶּה [mÿtsavveh], “the one who commands/decrees”) which would stand in apposition to “my God.” It is possible that the MT, which has the imperative (צַוֵּה, tsavveh) form, has suffered haplography of the letter mem (ם). Note that the preceding word (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) ends in mem. Another option is that the MT is divided in the wrong place; perhaps one could move the final mem from אֱלֹהִים to the beginning of the next word and read מְצַוֶּה אֱלֹהָי (’elohay mÿtsavveh, “[You are my king,] my God, the one who decrees”).

[44:4]  ⁵ tn That is, Israel. See Pss 14:7; 22:23.

[105:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 10-12 make clear.

[68:28]  ⁷ tn Heb “God has commanded your strength.” The statement is apparently addressed to Israel (see v. 26).

[78:5]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).

[78:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the Lord’s mighty deeds (see vv. 3-4).

[111:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “redemption he sent for his people.”

[111:9]  ¹² tn Heb “he commanded forever his covenant.”

[133:3]  ¹³ sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.

[133:3]  ¹⁴ sn The hills of Zion are those surrounding Zion (see Pss 87:1; 125:2). The psalmist does not intend to suggest that the dew from Mt. Hermon in the distant north actually flows down upon Zion. His point is that the same kind of heavy dew that replenishes Hermon may also be seen on Zion’s hills. See A. Cohen, Psalms (SoBB), 439. “Dew” here symbolizes divine blessing, as the next line suggests.

[133:3]  ¹⁵ tn Or “for.”

[133:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forever.”