Psalms 9:4

9:4 For you defended my just cause; ¹ 

from your throne you pronounced a just decision. ² 

Psalms 45:6-7

45:6 Your throne, ³  O God, is permanent. ⁴ 

The scepter ⁵  of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

45:7 You love ⁶  justice and hate evil. ⁷ 

For this reason God, your God ⁸  has anointed you ⁹ 

with the oil of joy, ¹⁰  elevating you above your companions. ¹¹ 

Psalms 48:1

Psalm 48 ¹² 

A song, a psalm by the Korahites.

48:1 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise

in the city of our God, ¹³  his holy hill.

Psalms 89:14

89:14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. ¹⁴ 

Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 94:20

94:20 Cruel rulers ¹⁶  are not your allies,

those who make oppressive laws. ¹⁷ 

Hebrews 4:16

4:16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help. ¹⁸ 

Revelation 20:11

The Great White Throne

20:11 Then ¹⁹  I saw a large ²⁰  white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven ²¹  fled ²²  from his presence, and no place was found for them.

[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”).

[45:6]  ³ sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.

[45:6]  ⁴ tn Or “forever and ever.”

[45:6]  ⁵ sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.

[45:7]  ⁶ sn To love justice means to actively promote it.

[45:7]  ⁷ sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.

[45:7]  ⁸ tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“Lord”) is relatively rare in Pss 42-83, where the name Elohim (“God”) predominates, this compounding of Elohim may be an alternative form of the compound name “the Lord my/your/our God.”

[45:7]  ⁹ sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.

[45:7]  ¹⁰ sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.

[45:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.

[48:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 48. This so-called “Song of Zion” celebrates the greatness and glory of the Lord’s dwelling place, Jerusalem. His presence in the city elevates it above all others and assures its security.

[48:1]  ¹³ sn The city of our God is Jerusalem, which is also referred to here as “his holy hill,” that is, Zion (see v. 2, as well as Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; 87:1; Dan 9:16).

[89:14]  ¹⁴ sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.

[89:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).

[94:20]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.

[94:20]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Is a throne of destruction united to you, one that forms trouble upon a statute?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course not!” The translation, while not preserving the interrogative form of the statement, reflects its rhetorical force.

[4:16]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “for timely help.”

[20:11]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[20:11]  ²⁰ tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.

[20:11]  ²¹ tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.

[20:11]  ²² tn Or “vanished.”