Psalms 45:6

45:6 Your throne, ¹  O God, is permanent. ² 

The scepter ³  of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

Psalms 67:4

67:4 Let foreigners ⁴  rejoice and celebrate!

For you execute justice among the nations,

and govern the people living on earth. ⁵  (Selah)

Psalms 143:10

143:10 Teach me to do what pleases you, ⁶ 

for you are my God.

May your kind presence ⁷ 

lead me ⁸  into a level land. ⁹ 

[45:6]  ¹ sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.

[45:6]  ² tn Or “forever and ever.”

[45:6]  ³ sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.

[67:4]  ⁴ tn Or “peoples.”

[67:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and [as for the] peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule…and govern”).

[143:10]  ⁷ tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.

[143:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “your good spirit.” God’s “spirit” may refer here to his presence (see the note on the word “presence” in Ps 139:7) or to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).

[143:10]  ⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. Taking the statement as a prayer fits well with the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.

[143:10]  ¹⁰ sn A level land (where one can walk free of obstacles) here symbolizes divine blessing and protection. See Pss 26:12 and 27:11 for similar imagery.