Psalms 46:1

Psalm 46 ¹ 

For the music director; by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style; ²  a song.

46:1 God is our strong refuge; ³ 

he is truly our helper in times of trouble. ⁴ 

Psalms 59:16

59:16 As for me, I will sing about your strength;

I will praise your loyal love in the morning.

For you are my refuge ⁵ 

and my place of shelter when I face trouble. ⁶ 

Psalms 68:35

68:35 You are awe-inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple! ⁷ 

It is the God of Israel ⁸  who gives the people power and strength.

God deserves praise! ⁹ 

Psalms 93:1

Psalm 93 ¹⁰ 

93:1 The Lord reigns!

He is robed in majesty,

the Lord is robed,

he wears strength around his waist. ¹¹ 

Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.

[46:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 46. In this so-called “Song Of Zion” God’s people confidently affirm that they are secure because the great warrior-king dwells within Jerusalem and protects it from the nations that cause such chaos in the earth. A refrain (vv. 7, 11) concludes the song’s two major sections.

[46:1]  ² sn The meaning of the Hebrew term עֲלָמוֹת (alamoth, which means “young women”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. Cf. 1 Chr 15:20.

[46:1]  ³ tn Heb “our refuge and strength,” which is probably a hendiadys meaning “our strong refuge” (see Ps 71:7). Another option is to translate, “our refuge and source of strength.”

[46:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “a helper in times of trouble he is found [to be] greatly.” The perfect verbal form has a generalizing function here. The adverb מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “greatly”) has an emphasizing function.

[59:16]  ⁵ tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).

[59:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “and my shelter in the day of my distress.”

[68:35]  ⁹ tn Heb “awesome [is] God from his holy places.” The plural of מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash, “holy places”) perhaps refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 73:17; Jer 51:51).

[68:35]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the God of Israel, he.”

[68:35]  ¹¹ tn Heb “blessed [be] God.”

[93:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the Lord is the king of the universe who preserves order and suppresses the destructive forces in the world.

[93:1]  ¹⁴ sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.