Psalms 33:9-11

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

he issued the decree, ²  and it stood firm.

33:10 The Lord frustrates ³  the decisions of the nations;

he nullifies the plans ⁴  of the peoples.

33:11 The Lord’s decisions stand forever;

his plans abide throughout the ages. ⁵ 

[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.”

[33:10]  ³ tn Heb “breaks” or “destroys.” The Hebrew perfect verbal forms here and in the next line generalize about the Lord’s activity.

[33:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “thoughts.”

[33:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “the thoughts of his heart for generation to generation.” The verb “abides” is supplied in the translation. The Lord’s “decisions” and “plans” here refer to his decrees and purposes.