Psalms 7:8-10

7:8 The Lord judges the nations. ¹ 

Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent, ² 

because I am blameless, ³  O Exalted One! ⁴ 

7:9 May the evil deeds of the wicked ⁵  come to an end! ⁶ 

But make the innocent ⁷  secure, ⁸ 

O righteous God,

you who examine ⁹  inner thoughts and motives! ¹⁰ 

7:10 The Exalted God is my shield, ¹¹ 

the one who delivers the morally upright. ¹² 

Psalms 18:24-25

18:24 The Lord rewarded me for my godly deeds; ¹³ 

he took notice of my blameless behavior. ¹⁴ 

18:25 You prove to be loyal ¹⁵  to one who is faithful; ¹⁶ 

you prove to be trustworthy ¹⁷  to one who is innocent. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 94:14-15

94:14 Certainly ¹⁹  the Lord does not forsake his people;

he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him. ²⁰ 

94:15 For justice will prevail, ²¹ 

and all the morally upright ²²  will be vindicated. ²³ 

Psalms 97:10-11

97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!

He protects ²⁴  the lives of his faithful followers;

he delivers them from the power ²⁵  of the wicked.

97:11 The godly bask in the light;

the morally upright experience joy. ²⁶ 

Psalms 143:1-2

Psalm 143 ²⁷ 

A psalm of David.

143:1 O Lord, hear my prayer!

Pay attention to my plea for help!

Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me!

143:2 Do not sit in judgment on ²⁸  your servant,

for no one alive is innocent before you. ²⁹ 

Isaiah 51:6-8

51:6 Look up at the sky!

Look at the earth below!

For the sky will dissipate ³⁰  like smoke,

and the earth will wear out like clothes;

its residents will die like gnats.

But the deliverance I give ³¹  is permanent;

the vindication I provide ³²  will not disappear. ³³ 

51:7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,

you people who are aware of my law! ³⁴ 

Don’t be afraid of the insults of men;

don’t be discouraged because of their abuse!

51:8 For a moth will eat away at them like clothes;

a clothes moth will devour them like wool.

But the vindication I provide ³⁵  will be permanent;

the deliverance I give will last.”

Isaiah 51:2

51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,

and Sarah, who gave you birth. ³⁶ 

When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, ³⁷ 

but I blessed him ³⁸  and gave him numerous descendants. ³⁹ 

Isaiah 4:1

4:1 Seven women will grab hold of

one man at that time. ⁴⁰ 

They will say, “We will provide ⁴¹  our own food,

we will provide ⁴²  our own clothes;

but let us belong to you ⁴³  –

take away our shame!” ⁴⁴ 

Isaiah 4:1

4:1 Seven women will grab hold of

one man at that time. ⁴⁵ 

They will say, “We will provide ⁴⁶  our own food,

we will provide ⁴⁷  our own clothes;

but let us belong to you ⁴⁸  –

take away our shame!” ⁴⁹ 

[7:8]  ¹ sn The Lord judges the nations. In hyperbolic fashion the psalmist pictures the nations assembled around the divine throne (v. 7a). He urges God to take his rightful place on the throne (v. 7b) and then pictures him making judicial decisions that vindicate the innocent (see vv. 8-16).

[7:8]  ² tn Heb “judge me, O Lord, according to my innocence.”

[7:8]  ³ tn Heb “according to my blamelessness.” The imperative verb translated “vindicate” governs the second line as well.

[7:8]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew form עָלָי (’alay) has been traditionally understood as the preposition עַל (’al, “over”) with a first person suffix. But this is syntactically awkward and meaningless. The form is probably a divine title derived from the verbal root עָלָה (’alah, “ascend”). This relatively rare title appears elsewhere in the OT (see HALOT 824-25 s.v. I עַל, though this text is not listed) and in Ugaritic as an epithet for Baal (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 98). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:44-45, and P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 98.

[7:9]  ⁵ tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.

[7:9]  ⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation here.

[7:9]  ⁷ tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.

[7:9]  ⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.

[7:9]  ⁹ tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.

[7:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and [the one who] tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order to improve the English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.

[7:10]  ¹¹ tn Traditionally, “my shield is upon God” (cf. NASB). As in v. 8, עַל (’al) should be understood as a divine title, here compounded with “God” (cf. NIV, “God Most High”). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:45-46. The shield metaphor pictures God as a protector against deadly attacks.

[7:10]  ¹² tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

[18:24]  ¹³ tn Heb “according to my righteousness.”

[18:24]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.” 2 Sam 22:25 reads “according to my purity before his eyes.” The verbal repetition (compare vv. 20 and 24) sets off vv. 20-24 as a distinct sub-unit within the psalm.

[18:25]  ¹⁵ tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 25-29 draw attention to God’s characteristic actions. Based on his experience, the psalmist generalizes about God’s just dealings with people (vv. 25-27) and about the way in which God typically empowers him on the battlefield (vv. 28-29). The Hitpael stem is used in vv. 26-27 in a reflexive resultative (or causative) sense. God makes himself loyal, etc. in the sense that he conducts or reveals himself as such. On this use of the Hitpael stem, see GKC 149-50 §54.e.

[18:25]  ¹⁶ tn Or “to a faithful follower.” A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[18:25]  ¹⁷ tn Or “innocent.”

[18:25]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “a man of innocence.”

[94:14]  ¹⁹ tn Or “for.”

[94:14]  ²⁰ tn Or “his inheritance.”

[94:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.”

[94:15]  ²² tn Heb “all the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 97:11).

[94:15]  ²³ tn Heb “and after it [are] the pure of heart.”

[97:10]  ²⁴ tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the Lord.” In this case one could translate, “Hate evil, you who love the Lord, the one who protects the lives…and delivers them.”

[97:10]  ²⁵ tn Heb “hand.”

[97:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Light is planted for the godly, and for the upright of heart joy.” The translation assumes an emendation of זָרַע (zara’, “planted”) to זָרַח (zara’, “shines”) which collocates more naturally with “light.” “Light” here symbolizes the joy (note the following line) that accompanies deliverance and the outpouring of divine favor.

[143:1]  ²⁷ sn Psalm 143. As in the previous psalm, the psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.

[143:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “do not enter into judgment with.”

[143:2]  ²⁹ tn Heb “for no one living is innocent before you.”

[51:6]  ³⁰ tn Heb “will be torn in pieces.” The perfect indicates the certitude of the event, from the Lord’s rhetorical perspective.

[51:6]  ³¹ tn Heb “my deliverance.” The same Hebrew word can also be translated “salvation” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); cf. CEV “victory.”

[51:6]  ³² tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”].”

[51:6]  ³³ tn Heb “will not be shattered [or “dismayed”].”

[51:7]  ³⁴ tn Heb “people (who have) my law in their heart.”

[51:8]  ³⁵ tn Heb “my vindication”; many English versions “my righteousness”; NRSV, TEV “my deliverance”; CEV “my victory.”

[51:2]  ³⁶ sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.

[51:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”

[51:2]  ³⁸ tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28.

[51:2]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”

[4:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “in that day” (ASV).

[4:1]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “eat” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “buy.”

[4:1]  ⁴² tn Heb “wear” (so NASB, NRSV); NCV “make.”

[4:1]  ⁴³ tn Heb “only let your name be called over us.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28, and BDB 896 s.v. I ָקרָא Niph. 2.d.(4). The language reflects the cultural reality of ancient Israel, where women were legally the property of their husbands.

[4:1]  ⁴⁴ sn This refers to the humiliation of being unmarried and childless. The women’s words reflect the cultural standards of ancient Israel, where a woman’s primary duties were to be a wife and mother.

[4:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “in that day” (ASV).

[4:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “eat” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “buy.”

[4:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “wear” (so NASB, NRSV); NCV “make.”

[4:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “only let your name be called over us.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28, and BDB 896 s.v. I ָקרָא Niph. 2.d.(4). The language reflects the cultural reality of ancient Israel, where women were legally the property of their husbands.

[4:1]  ⁴⁹ sn This refers to the humiliation of being unmarried and childless. The women’s words reflect the cultural standards of ancient Israel, where a woman’s primary duties were to be a wife and mother.