Psalms 89:1-12

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 

89:2 For I say, “Loyal love is permanently established; ⁵ 

in the skies you set up your faithfulness.” ⁶ 

89:3 The Lord said, ⁷ 

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:

89:4 ‘I will give you an eternal dynasty ⁸ 

and establish your throne throughout future generations.’” ⁹  (Selah)

89:5 O Lord, the heavens ¹⁰  praise your amazing deeds,

as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly. ¹¹ 

89:6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?

Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings, ¹² 

89:7 a God who is honored ¹³  in the great angelic assembly, ¹⁴ 

and more awesome than ¹⁵  all who surround him?

89:8 O Lord, sovereign God! ¹⁶ 

Who is strong like you, O Lord?

Your faithfulness surrounds you.

89:9 You rule over the proud sea. ¹⁷ 

When its waves surge, ¹⁸  you calm them.

89:10 You crushed the Proud One ¹⁹  and killed it; ²⁰ 

with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

89:11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.

You made the world and all it contains. ²¹ 

89:12 You created the north and the south.

Tabor and Hermon ²²  rejoice in your name.

[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.”

[89:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “built.”

[89:2]  ⁶ sn You set up your faithfulness. This may allude to the Lord’s heavenly throne, which symbolizes his just rule and from which the Lord decrees his unconditional promises (see vv. 8, 14).

[89:3]  ⁷ tn The words “the Lord said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. It is clear that the words of vv. 3-4 are spoken by the Lord, in contrast to vv. 1-2, which are spoken by the psalmist.

[89:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “forever I will establish your offspring.”

[89:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “and I will build to a generation and a generation your throne.”

[89:5]  ¹⁰ tn As the following context makes clear, the personified “heavens” here stand by metonymy for the angelic beings that surround God’s heavenly throne.

[89:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in the assembly of the holy ones.” The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3), but here it refers to God’s heavenly assembly and the angels that surround his throne (see vv. 6-7).

[89:6]  ¹² tn Heb “sons of gods”; or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem (ם) is actually enclitic rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8. The phrase בְנֵי אֵלִים (vÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here associated with “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones,” the heavenly assembly (comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings) appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently uses the Canaanite phrase, applying it to the supernatural beings that surround the Lord’s heavenly throne.

[89:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “feared.”

[89:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “in the great assembly of the holy ones.”

[89:7]  ¹⁵ tn Or perhaps “feared by.”

[89:8]  ¹⁶ tn Traditionally “God of hosts.” The title here pictures the Lord as enthroned in the midst of the angelic hosts of heaven.

[89:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the majesty of the sea.”

[89:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “rise up.”

[89:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.

[89:10]  ²⁰ tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”

[89:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “the world and its fullness, you established them.”

[89:12]  ²² sn Tabor and Hermon were two of the most prominent mountains in Palestine.