Psalms 9:4

9:4 For you defended my just cause; ¹ 

from your throne you pronounced a just decision. ² 

Psalms 19:8-9

19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair ³ 

and make one joyful. ⁴ 

The Lord’s commands ⁵  are pure ⁶ 

and give insight for life. ⁷ 

19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right ⁸ 

and endure forever. ⁹ 

The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy

and absolutely just. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 21:3

21:3 For you bring him ¹¹  rich ¹²  blessings; ¹³ 

you place a golden crown on his head.

Psalms 33:4

33:4 For ¹⁴  the Lord’s decrees ¹⁵  are just, ¹⁶ 

and everything he does is fair. ¹⁷ 

Psalms 36:6

36:6 Your justice is like the highest mountains, ¹⁸ 

your fairness like the deepest sea;

you preserve ¹⁹  mankind and the animal kingdom. ²⁰ 

Psalms 48:13

48:13 Consider its defenses! ²¹ 

Walk through ²²  its fortresses,

so you can tell the next generation about it! ²³ 

Psalms 72:1

Psalm 72 ²⁴ 

For ²⁵  Solomon.

72:1 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions! ²⁶ 

Grant the king’s son ²⁷  the ability to make fair decisions! ²⁸ 

Psalms 82:3

82:3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless! ²⁹ 

Vindicate the oppressed and suffering!

Psalms 106:3

106:3 How blessed are those who promote justice,

and do what is right all the time!

Psalms 112:5

112:5 It goes well for the one ³⁰  who generously lends money,

and conducts his business honestly. ³¹ 

Psalms 119:75

119:75 I know, Lord, that your regulations ³²  are just.

You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me. ³³ 

Psalms 119:121

ע (Ayin)

119:121 I do what is fair and right. ³⁴ 

Do not abandon me to my oppressors!

[9:4]  ¹ tn Heb “for you accomplished my justice and my legal claim.”

[9:4]  ² tn Heb “you sat on a throne [as] one who judges [with] righteousness.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 4 probably allude to a recent victory (see vv. 5-7). Another option is to understand the verbs as describing what is typical (“you defend…you sit on a throne”).

[19:8]  ³ tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.

[19:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.

[19:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.

[19:8]  ⁶ tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.

[19:8]  ⁷ tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.

[19:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “the fear of the Lord is clean.” The phrase “fear of the Lord” probably refers here to the law, which teaches one how to demonstrate proper reverence for the Lord. See Ps 111:10 for another possible use of the phrase in this sense.

[19:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”

[19:9]  ⁷ sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.

[21:3]  ⁷ tn Or “meet him [with].”

[21:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “good.”

[21:3]  ⁹ sn You bring him rich blessings. The following context indicates that God’s “blessings” include deliverance/protection, vindication, sustained life, and a long, stable reign (see also Pss 3:8; 24:5).

[33:4]  ⁹ sn For the Lord’s decrees are just… After the call to praise (vv. 1-3), the psalmist now gives a series of reasons why the Lord is worthy of praise.

[33:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “word.” In this context, which depicts the Lord as the sovereign creator and ruler of the world, the Lord’s “word” refers to the decrees whereby he governs his dominion.

[33:4]  ¹¹ tn Or “upright.”

[33:4]  ¹² tn Heb “and all his work [is] in faithfulness.”

[36:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.

[36:6]  ¹² tn Or “deliver.”

[36:6]  ¹³ sn God’s justice/fairness is firm and reliable like the highest mountains and as abundant as the water in the deepest sea. The psalmist uses a legal metaphor to describe God’s preservation of his creation. Like a just judge who vindicates the innocent, God protects his creation from destructive forces.

[48:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “set your heart to its rampart.”

[48:13]  ¹⁴ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word translated “walk through,” which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Cf. NEB “pass…in review”; NIV “view.”

[48:13]  ¹⁵ sn The city’s towers, defenses, and fortresses are outward reminders and tangible symbols of the divine protection the city enjoys.

[72:1]  ¹⁵ sn Psalm 72. This royal psalm contains a prayer for the Davidic king (note the imperatival form in v. 1 and the jussive forms in vv. 16-17). It is not entirely clear if vv. 2-15 express a prayer or anticipate a future reign. The translation assumes a blend of petition and vision: (I) opening prayer (v. 1), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 2-7); (II) prayer (v. 8), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 9-14); (III) closing prayer (vv. 15-17). Whether a prayer, vision, or combination of the two, the psalm depicts the king’s universal rule of peace and prosperity. As such it is indirectly messianic, for the ideal it expresses will only be fully realized during the Messiah’s earthly reign. Verses 18-19 are a conclusion for Book 2 of the Psalter (Pss 42-72; cf. Ps 41:13, which contains a similar conclusion for Book 1), while v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or an earlier edition of the Psalter.

[72:1]  ¹⁶ tn The preposition could be understood as indicating authorship (“Of Solomon”), but since the psalm is a prayer for a king, it may be that the superscription reflects a tradition that understood this as a prayer for Solomon.

[72:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “O God, your judgments to [the] king give.”

[72:1]  ¹⁸ sn Grant the king…Grant the king’s son. It is not entirely clear whether v. 1 envisions one individual or two. The phrase “the king’s son” in the second line may simply refer to “the king” of the first line, drawing attention to the fact that he has inherited his dynastic rule. Another option is that v. 1 envisions a co-regency between father and son (a common phenomenon in ancient Israel) or simply expresses a hope for a dynasty that champions justice.

[72:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and your justice to [the] son of [the] king.”

[82:3]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 94:6; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).

[112:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “man.”

[112:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “he sustains his matters with justice.”

[119:75]  ²¹ tn In this context (note the second line) the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim), which so often refers to the regulations of God’s law elsewhere in this psalm, may refer instead to his decisions or disciplinary judgment.

[119:75]  ²² tn Heb “and [in] faithfulness you afflicted me.”

[119:121]  ²³ tn Heb “do justice and righteousness.”