Psalms 89:1

Psalm 89 ¹ 

A well-written song ²  by Ethan the Ezrachite.

89:1 I will sing continually ³  about the Lord’s faithful deeds;

to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness. ⁴ 

Psalms 97:8

97:8 Zion hears and rejoices,

the towns ⁵  of Judah are happy,

because of your judgments, O Lord.

Psalms 103:6-8

103:6 The Lord does what is fair,

and executes justice for all the oppressed. ⁶ 

103:7 The Lord revealed his faithful acts ⁷  to Moses,

his deeds to the Israelites.

103:8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful;

he is patient ⁸  and demonstrates great loyal love. ⁹ 

Psalms 136:10-22

136:10 to the one who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,

for his loyal love endures,

136:11 and led Israel out from their midst,

for his loyal love endures,

136:12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,

for his loyal love endures,

136:13 to the one who divided ¹⁰  the Red Sea ¹¹  in two, ¹² 

for his loyal love endures,

136:14 and led Israel through its midst,

for his loyal love endures,

136:15 and tossed ¹³  Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,

for his loyal love endures,

136:16 to the one who led his people through the wilderness,

for his loyal love endures,

136:17 to the one who struck down great kings,

for his loyal love endures,

136:18 and killed powerful kings,

for his loyal love endures,

136:19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,

for his loyal love endures,

136:20 Og, king of Bashan,

for his loyal love endures,

136:21 and gave their land as an inheritance,

for his loyal love endures,

136:22 as an inheritance to Israel his servant,

for his loyal love endures,

Romans 9:15-18

9:15 For he says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁴  9:16 So then, ¹⁵  it does not depend on human desire or exertion, ¹⁶  but on God who shows mercy. 9:17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh: ¹⁷  “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” ¹⁸  9:18 So then, ¹⁹  God ²⁰  has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden. ²¹ 

Romans 9:22-23

9:22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects ²²  of wrath ²³  prepared for destruction? ²⁴  9:23 And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the objects ²⁵  of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory –

Romans 11:22

11:22 Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God – harshness toward those who have fallen, but ²⁶  God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; ²⁷  otherwise you also will be cut off.

Revelation 15:3-4

15:3 They ²⁸  sang the song of Moses the servant ²⁹  of God and the song of the Lamb: ³⁰ 

“Great and astounding are your deeds,

Lord God, the All-Powerful! ³¹ 

Just ³²  and true are your ways,

King over the nations! ³³ 

15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord,

and glorify ³⁴  your name, because you alone are holy? ³⁵ 

All nations ³⁶  will come and worship before you

for your righteous acts ³⁷  have been revealed.”

Revelation 19:1-3

19:1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

19:2 because his judgments are true and just. ³⁸ 

For he has judged ³⁹  the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,

and has avenged the blood of his servants ⁴⁰  poured out by her own hands!” ⁴¹ 

19:3 Then ⁴²  a second time the crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from her forever and ever. ⁴³ 

[89:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 89. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign creator of the world. He recalls God’s covenant with David, but then laments that the promises of the covenant remain unrealized. The covenant promised the Davidic king military victories, but the king has now been subjected to humiliating defeat.

[89:1]  ² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 88.

[89:1]  ³ tn Or “forever.”

[89:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “to a generation and a generation I will make known your faithfulness with my mouth.”

[97:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).

[103:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “the Lord does fairness, and [acts of] justice for all the oppressed.”

[103:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “made known his ways.” God’s “ways” in this context are his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 18:30; 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 138:5; 145:17).

[103:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Ps 86:15).

[103:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Ps 86:15).

[136:13]  ¹⁰ tn Or “cut.”

[136:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in v. 15). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.

[136:13]  ¹² tn Heb “into pieces.”

[136:15]  ¹³ tn Or “shook off.”

[9:15]  ¹⁴ sn A quotation from Exod 33:19.

[9:16]  ¹⁵ sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[9:16]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “So then, [it does] not [depend] on the one who desires nor on the one who runs.”

[9:17]  ¹⁷ sn Paul uses a typical rabbinic formula here in which the OT scriptures are figuratively portrayed as speaking to Pharaoh. What he means is that the scripture he cites refers (or can be applied) to Pharaoh.

[9:17]  ¹⁸ sn A quotation from Exod 9:16.

[9:18]  ¹⁹ sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[9:18]  ²⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:18]  ²¹ tn Grk “So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.”

[9:22]  ²² tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

[9:22]  ²³ tn Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orghs) could be taken as a genitive of destination.

[9:22]  ²⁴ tn Or possibly “objects of wrath that have fit themselves for destruction.” The form of the participle could be taken either as a passive or middle (reflexive). ExSyn 417-18 argues strongly for the passive sense (which is followed in the translation), stating that “the middle view has little to commend it.” First, καταρτίζω (katartizw) is nowhere else used in the NT as a direct or reflexive middle (a usage which, in any event, is quite rare in the NT). Second, the lexical force of this verb, coupled with the perfect tense, suggests something of a “done deal” (against some commentaries that see these vessels as ready for destruction yet still able to avert disaster). Third, the potter-clay motif seems to have one point: The potter prepares the clay.

[9:23]  ²⁵ tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

[11:22]  ²⁶ tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[11:22]  ²⁷ tn Grk “if you continue in (the) kindness.”

[15:3]  ²⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[15:3]  ²⁹ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[15:3]  ³⁰ tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[15:3]  ³¹ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[15:3]  ³² tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.

[15:3]  ³³ tc Certain mss (Ì⁴⁷ א*^,2 C 1006 1611 1841 pc) read “ages” (αἰώνων, aiwnwn) instead of “nations” (ἐθνῶν, eqnwn), which itself is supported by several mss (א¹ A 051 Ï). The ms evidence seems to be fairly balanced, though αἰώνων has somewhat better support. The replacement of “ages” with “nations” is possibly a scribal attempt to harmonize this verse with the use of “nations” in the following verse. On the other hand, the idea of “nations” fits well with v. 4 and it may be that “ages” is a scribal attempt to assimilate this text to 1 Tim 1:17: “the king of the ages” (βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων, basileu" twn aiwnwn). The decision is a difficult one since both scenarios deal well with the evidence, though the verbal parallel with 1 Tim 1:17 is exact while the parallel with v. 4 is not. The term “king” occurs 17 other times (most occurrences refer to earthly kings) in Revelation and it is not used with either “ages” or “nations” apart from this verse. Probably the reading “nations” should be considered original due to the influence of 1 Tim 1:17.

[15:4]  ³⁴ tn Or “and praise.”

[15:4]  ³⁵ sn Because you alone are holy. In the Greek text the sentence literally reads “because alone holy.” Three points can be made in connection with John’s language here: (1) Omitting the second person, singular verb “you are” lays stress on the attribute of God’s holiness. (2) The juxtaposition of alone with holy stresses the unique nature of God’s holiness and complete “otherness” in relationship to his creation. It is not just moral purity which is involved in the use of the term holy, though it certainly includes that. It is also the pervasive OT idea that although God is deeply involved in the governing of his creation, he is to be regarded as separate and distinct from it. (3) John’s use of the term holy is also intriguing since it is the term ὅσιος (Josios) and not the more common NT term ἅγιος (Jagios). The former term evokes images of Christ’s messianic status in early Christian preaching. Both Peter in Acts 2:27 and Paul in Acts 13:35 apply Psalm 16:10 (LXX) to Jesus, referring to him as the “holy one” (ὅσιος). It is also the key term in Acts 13:34 (Isa 55:3 [LXX]) where it refers to the “holy blessings” (i.e., forgiveness and justification) brought about through Jesus in fulfillment of Davidic promise. Thus, in Rev 15:3-4, when John refers to God as “holy,” using the term ὅσιος in a context where the emphasis is on both God and Christ, there might be an implicit connection between divinity and the Messiah. This is bolstered by the fact that the Lamb is referred to in other contexts as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (cf. 1:5; 17:14; 19:16 and perhaps 11:15; G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 796-97).

[15:4]  ³⁶ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[15:4]  ³⁷ tn Or perhaps, “your sentences of condemnation.” On δικαίωμα (dikaiwma) in this context BDAG 249 s.v. 2. states, “righteous deed…δι᾿ ἑνὸς δικαιώματος (opp. παράπτωμα) Ro 5:18. – B 1:2 (cp. Wengst, Barnabas-brief 196, n.4); Rv 15:4 (here perh.= ‘sentence of condemnation’ [cp. Pla., Leg. 9, 864e; ins fr. Asia Minor: LBW 41, 2 [κατὰ] τὸ δι[καί]ωμα τὸ κυρω[θέν]= ‘acc. to the sentence which has become valid’]; difft. Wengst, s. above); 19:8.”

[19:2]  ³⁸ tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.

[19:2]  ³⁹ tn Or “has punished.” See BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α, describing the OT background which involves both the vindication of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty.

[19:2]  ⁴⁰ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[19:2]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).

[19:3]  ⁴² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[19:3]  ⁴³ tn Or “her smoke ascends forever and ever.”