Psalms 48:11

48:11 Mount Zion rejoices;

the towns ¹  of Judah are happy, ² 

because of your acts of judgment. ³ 

Psalms 60:7

60:7 Gilead belongs to me,

as does Manasseh! ⁴ 

Ephraim is my helmet, ⁵ 

Judah my royal scepter. ⁶ 

Psalms 68:27

68:27 There is little Benjamin, their ruler, ⁷ 

and the princes of Judah in their robes, ⁸ 

along with the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.

Psalms 69:35

69:35 For God will deliver Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

and his people ⁹  will again live in them and possess Zion. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 76:1

Psalm 76 ¹¹ 

For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.

76:1 God has revealed himself in Judah; ¹² 

in Israel his reputation ¹³  is great.

Psalms 78:68

78:68 He chose the tribe of Judah,

and Mount Zion, which he loves.

Psalms 97:8

97:8 Zion hears and rejoices,

the towns ¹⁴  of Judah are happy,

because of your judgments, O Lord.

Psalms 108:8

108:8 Gilead belongs to me,

as does Manasseh! ¹⁵ 

Ephraim is my helmet, ¹⁶ 

Judah my royal scepter. ¹⁷ 

[48:11]  ¹ tn Heb “daughters.” The reference is to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 97:8 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).

[48:11]  ² tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as generalizing imperfects. (For other examples of an imperfect followed by causal לְמַעַן [lÿma’an], see Ps 23:3; Isa 49:7; 55:5.) Another option is to interpret the forms as jussives, “Let Mount Zion rejoice! Let the towns of Judah be happy!” (cf. NASB, NRSV; note the imperatives in vv. 12-13.)

[48:11]  ³ sn These acts of judgment are described in vv. 4-7.

[60:7]  ⁴ sn Gilead was located east of the Jordan. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.

[60:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “the protection of my head.”

[60:7]  ⁶ sn Judah, like Ephraim, was the other major tribe west of the Jordan. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.

[68:27]  ⁷ sn Little Benjamin, their ruler. This may allude to the fact that Israel’s first king, Saul, was from the tribe of Benjamin.

[68:27]  ⁸ tc The MT reads רִגְמָתָם (rigmatam), which many derive from רָגַם (ragam, “to kill by stoning”) and translates, “[in] their heaps,” that is, in large numbers.

[69:35]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[69:35]  ¹¹ tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to “Zion” (see Pss 48:12; 102:14); thus the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[76:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.

[76:1]  ¹⁴ tn Or “God is known in Judah.”

[76:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[97:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).

[108:8]  ¹⁹ tn Gilead was located east of the Jordan River. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.

[108:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the protection of my head.”

[108:8]  ²¹ sn Judah, like Ephraim, was the other major tribe west of the Jordan River. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.