Psalms 76:7-12

76:7 You are awesome! Yes, you!

Who can withstand your intense anger? ¹ 

76:8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be. ² 

The earth ³  was afraid and silent

76:9 when God arose to execute judgment,

and to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. (Selah)

76:10 Certainly ⁴  your angry judgment upon men will bring you praise; ⁵ 

you reveal your anger in full measure. ⁶ 

76:11 Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them!

Let all those who surround him ⁷  bring tribute to the awesome one!

76:12 He humbles princes; ⁸ 

the kings of the earth regard him as awesome. ⁹ 

[76:7]  ¹ tc Heb “and who can stand before you from the time of your anger?” The Hebrew expression מֵאָז (me’az, “from the time of”) is better emended to מֵאֹז (me’oz, “from [i.e., “because of”] the strength of your anger”; see Ps 90:11).

[76:8]  ² tn Heb “a [legal] decision,” or “sentence.”

[76:8]  ³ tn “The earth” stands here by metonymy for its inhabitants.

[76:10]  ⁴ tn Or “for.”

[76:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “the anger of men will praise you.” This could mean that men’s anger (subjective genitive), when punished by God, will bring him praise, but this interpretation does not harmonize well with the next line. The translation assumes that God’s anger is in view here (see v. 7) and that “men” is an objective genitive. God’s angry judgment against men brings him praise because it reveals his power and majesty (see vv. 1-4).

[76:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “the rest of anger you put on.” The meaning of the statement is not entirely clear. Perhaps the idea is that God, as he prepares for battle, girds himself with every last ounce of his anger, as if it were a weapon.

[76:11]  ⁷ tn The phrase “all those who surround him” may refer to the surrounding nations (v. 12 may favor this), but in Ps 89:7 the phrase refers to God’s heavenly assembly.

[76:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to HALOT 148 s.v. II בצר, the Hebrew verb בָּצַר (batsar) is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect tense highlighting God’s typical behavior.

[76:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “[he is] awesome to the kings of the earth.”