Psalms 74:12

74:12 But God has been my ¹  king from ancient times,

performing acts of deliverance on the earth. ² 

Psalms 89:18

89:18 For our shield ³  belongs to the Lord,

our king to the Holy One of Israel. ⁴ 

Psalms 149:2

149:2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator!

Let the people ⁵  of Zion delight in their king! ⁶ 

Isaiah 33:22

33:22 For the Lord, our ruler,

the Lord, our commander,

the Lord, our king –

he will deliver us.

[74:12]  ¹ tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative here.

[74:12]  ² tn Heb “in the midst of the earth.”

[89:18]  ³ tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “our king" here and with “your anointed one” in Ps 84:9.

[89:18]  ⁴ sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.

[149:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “sons.”

[149:2]  ⁶ sn The Lord is the king here, as the parallelism in the previous line (“their creator”) indicates.