Psalms 84:9

84:9 O God, take notice of our shield! ¹ 

Show concern for your chosen king! ² 

Psalms 89:18

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

our king to the Holy One of Israel. ⁴ 

Psalms 59:11

59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,

because then my people might forget the lesson. ⁵ 

Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,

O Lord who shields us! ⁶ 

[84:9]  ¹ 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 “your anointed one” here and with “our king” in Ps 89:18.

[84:9]  ² tn Heb “look [on] the face of your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17).

[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.

[59:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”

[59:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”