Psalms 44:3

44:3 For they did not conquer ¹  the land by their swords,

and they did not prevail by their strength, ² 

but rather by your power, ³  strength ⁴  and good favor, ⁵ 

for you were partial to ⁶  them.

Psalms 10:15

10:15 Break the arm ⁷  of the wicked and evil man!

Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds, ⁸ 

which he thought you would not discover. ⁹ 

Psalms 18:34

18:34 He trains my hands for battle; ¹⁰ 

my arms can bend even the strongest bow. ¹¹ 

Psalms 37:17

37:17 for evil men will lose their power, ¹² 

but the Lord sustains ¹³  the godly.

Psalms 77:15

77:15 You delivered ¹⁴  your people by your strength ¹⁵  –

the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)

Psalms 89:21

89:21 My hand will support him, ¹⁶ 

and my arm will strengthen him.

Psalms 136:12

136:12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,

for his loyal love endures,

Psalms 79:11

79:11 Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners! ¹⁷ 

Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die! ¹⁸ 

Psalms 83:8

83:8 Even Assyria has allied with them,

lending its strength to the descendants of Lot. ¹⁹  (Selah)

Psalms 89:10

89:10 You crushed the Proud One ²⁰  and killed it; ²¹ 

with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

Psalms 89:13

89:13 Your arm is powerful,

your hand strong,

your right hand ²²  victorious. ²³ 

Psalms 71:18

71:18 Even when I am old and gray, ²⁴ 

O God, do not abandon me,

until I tell the next generation about your strength,

and those coming after me about your power. ²⁵ 

Psalms 98:1

Psalm 98 ²⁶ 

A psalm.

98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, ²⁷ 

for he performs ²⁸  amazing deeds!

His right hand and his mighty arm

accomplish deliverance. ²⁹ 

[44:3]  ¹ tn Or “take possession of.”

[44:3]  ² tn Heb “and their arm did not save them.” The “arm” here symbolizes military strength.

[44:3]  ³ tn Heb “your right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Pss 17:7; 20:6; 21:8).

[44:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “your arm.”

[44:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “light of your face.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).

[44:3]  ⁶ tn Or “favorable toward.”

[10:15]  ⁷ sn The arm symbolizes the strength of the wicked, which they use to oppress and exploit the weak.

[10:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “you seek his wickedness.” As in v. 13, the verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as describing a fact, “you hold him accountable,” or as anticipating divine judgment, “you will hold him accountable.” However, since the verb is in apparent parallelism with the preceding imperative (“break”), it is better to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s desire or request.

[10:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “you will not find.” It is uncertain how this statement relates to what precedes. Some take בַל (bal), which is used as a negative particle in vv. 4, 6, 11, 18, as asseverative here, “Indeed find (i.e., judge his wickedness).” The translation assumes that the final words are an asyndetic relative clause which refers back to what the wicked man boasted in God’s face (“you will not find [i.e., my wickedness]”). See v. 13.

[18:34]  ¹³ sn He trains my hands. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.

[18:34]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms”; or “my arms bend a bow of bronze.” The verb נָחַת (nakhat) apparently means “pull back, bend” here (see HALOT 692 s.v. נחת). The third feminine singular verbal form appears to agree with the feminine singular noun קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “bow”). In this case the verb must be taken as Niphal (passive). However, it is possible that “my arms” is the subject of the verb and “bow” the object. In this case the verb is Piel (active). For other examples of a feminine singular verb being construed with a plural noun, see GKC 464 §145.k.

[37:17]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for the arms of the evil ones will be broken.”

[37:17]  ²⁰ tn The active participle here indicates this is characteristically true.

[77:15]  ²⁵ tn Or “redeemed.”

[77:15]  ²⁶ tn Heb “with [your] arm.”

[89:21]  ³¹ tn Heb “with whom my hand will be firm.”

[79:11]  ³⁷ tn Heb “may the painful cry of the prisoner come before you.”

[79:11]  ³⁸ tn Heb “according to the greatness of your arm leave the sons of death.” God’s “arm” here symbolizes his strength to deliver. The verbal form הוֹתֵר (hoter) is a Hiphil imperative from יָתַר (yatar, “to remain; to be left over”). Here it must mean “to leave over; to preserve.” However, it is preferable to emend the form to הַתֵּר (hatter), a Hiphil imperative from נָתַר (natar, “be free”). The Hiphil form is used in Ps 105:20 of Pharaoh freeing Joseph from prison. The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 102:21) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.

[83:8]  ⁴³ tn Heb “they are an arm for the sons of Lot.” The “arm” is here a symbol of military might.

[89:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.

[89:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”

[89:13]  ⁵⁵ sn The Lord’s arm, hand, and right hand all symbolize his activities, especially his exploits in war.

[89:13]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “is lifted up.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:42; 118:16).

[71:18]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and even unto old age and gray hair.”

[71:18]  ⁶² tn Heb “until I declare your arm to a generation, to everyone who comes your power.” God’s “arm” here is an anthropomorphism that symbolizes his great strength.

[98:1]  ⁶⁷ sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.

[98:1]  ⁶⁸ sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.

[98:1]  ⁶⁹ tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.

[98:1]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.