Psalms 75:10

75:10 God says, ¹ 

“I will bring down all the power of the wicked;

the godly will be victorious.” ² 

Psalms 89:17

89:17 For you give them splendor and strength. ³ 

By your favor we are victorious. ⁴ 

Psalms 92:10

92:10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox. ⁵ 

I am covered ⁶  with fresh oil.

Psalms 112:9

112:9 He generously gives ⁷  to the needy;

his integrity endures. ⁸ 

He will be vindicated and honored. ⁹ 

Psalms 112:1

Psalm 112 ¹⁰ 

112:1 Praise the Lord!

How blessed is the one ¹¹  who obeys ¹²  the Lord,

who takes great delight in keeping his commands. ¹³ 

Psalms 2:1

Psalm 2 ¹⁴ 

2:1 Why ¹⁵  do the nations rebel? ¹⁶ 

Why ¹⁷  are the countries ¹⁸  devising ¹⁹  plots that will fail? ²⁰ 

Luke 1:52

1:52 He has brought down the mighty ²¹  from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; ²² 

[75:10]  ¹ tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in v. 10.

[75:10]  ² tn Heb “and all the horns of the wicked I will cut off, the horns of the godly will be lifted up.” The imagery of the wild ox’s horn is once more utilized (see vv. 4-5).

[89:17]  ³ tn Heb “for the splendor of their strength [is] you.”

[89:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “you lift up our horn,” or if one follows the marginal reading (Qere), “our horn is lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

[92:10]  ⁵ sn The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “to exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; Lam 2:17).

[92:10]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew verb בָּלַל (balal) usually has the nuance “to mix.” Here it seems to mean “to smear” or “to anoint.” Some emend the form to בַּלֹּתַנִי (ballotaniy; a second person form of the verb with a first person suffix) and read, “you anoint me.”

[112:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “he scatters, he gives.”

[112:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “stands forever.”

[112:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “his horn will be lifted up in honor.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

[112:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 112. This wisdom psalm lists some of the benefits of living a godly life. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (twenty-two in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[112:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The individual is representative of a larger group, called the “godly” in vv. 3-4. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in the following verses.

[112:1]  ¹² tn Heb “fears.”

[112:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “in his commands he delights very much.” The words “in keeping” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Taking delight in the law is metonymic here for obeying God’s moral will. See Ps 1:2.

[2:1]  ¹⁴ sn Psalm 2. In this royal psalm the author asserts the special status of the divinely chosen Davidic king and warns the nations and their rulers to submit to the authority of God and his chosen vice-regent.

[2:1]  ¹⁵ tn The question is rhetorical. Rather than seeking information, the psalmist expresses his outrage that the nations would have the audacity to rebel against God and his chosen king.

[2:1]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew verb רָגַשׁ (ragash) occurs only here. In Dan 6:6, 11, 15 the Aramaic cognate verb describes several officials acting as a group. A Hebrew nominal derivative is used in Ps 55:14 of a crowd of people in the temple.

[2:1]  ¹⁷ tn The interrogative לָמָּה (lamah, “why?”) is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

[2:1]  ¹⁸ tn Or “peoples” (so many English versions).

[2:1]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew imperfect form describes the rebellion as underway. The verb הָגָה (hagah), which means “to recite quietly, meditate,” here has the metonymic nuance “devise, plan, plot” (see Ps 38:12; Prov 24:2).

[2:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “devising emptiness.” The noun רִיק (riq, “emptiness”) may characterize their behavior as “worthless, morally bankrupt” but more likely refers to the outcome of their plots (i.e., failure). As the rest of the psalm emphasizes, their rebellion will fail.

[1:52]  ²¹ tn Or “rulers.”

[1:52]  ²² tn Or “those of humble position”