Psalms 78:68-72

78:68 He chose the tribe of Judah,

and Mount Zion, which he loves.

78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; ¹ 

as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. ² 

78:70 He chose David, his servant,

and took him from the sheepfolds.

78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, ³ 

and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,

and of Israel, his chosen nation. ⁴ 

78:72 David ⁵  cared for them with pure motives; ⁶ 

he led them with skill. ⁷ 

[78:69]  ¹ tc Heb “and he built like the exalting [ones] his sanctuary.” The phrase כְּמוֹ־רָמִים (kÿmo-ramim, “like the exalting [ones]”) is a poetic form of the comparative preposition followed by a participial form of the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”). The text should be emended to כִּמְרֹמִים (kimromim, “like the [heavenly] heights”). See Ps 148:1, where “heights” refers to the heavens above.

[78:69]  ² tn Heb “like the earth, [which] he established permanently.” The feminine singular suffix on the Hebrew verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish”) refers to the grammatically feminine noun “earth.”

[78:71]  ³ tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”

[78:71]  ⁴ tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”

[78:72]  ⁵ tn Heb “He”; the referent (David, God’s chosen king, mentioned in v. 70) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[78:72]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart.”

[78:72]  ⁷ tn Heb “and with the understanding of his hands he led them.”