Psalms 91:1

Psalm 91 ¹ 

91:1 As for you, the one who lives ²  in the shelter of the sovereign One, ³ 

and resides in the protective shadow ⁴  of the mighty king ⁵  –

Psalms 92:1

Psalm 92 ⁶ 

A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.

92:1 It is fitting ⁷  to thank the Lord,

and to sing praises to your name, O sovereign One! ⁸ 

Psalms 92:8

92:8 But you, O Lord, reign ⁹  forever!

Ecclesiastes 5:8

Government Corruption

5:8 If you see the extortion ¹⁰  of the poor,

or the perversion ¹¹  of justice and fairness in the government, ¹² 

do not be astonished by the matter.

For the high official is watched by a higher official, ¹³ 

and there are higher ones over them! ¹⁴ 

Micah 6:6

6:6 With what should I ¹⁵  enter the Lord’s presence?

With what ¹⁶  should I bow before the sovereign God? ¹⁷ 

Should I enter his presence with burnt offerings,

with year-old calves?

[91:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 91. In this psalm an individual (perhaps a priest) addresses one who has sought shelter in the Lord and assures him that God will protect him from danger (vv. 1-13). In vv. 14-16 God himself promises to keep his loyal follower safe.

[91:1]  ² tn Heb “[O] one who lives.”

[91:1]  ³ tn Traditionally “the Most High.”

[91:1]  ⁴ sn The Lord is compared here to a bird who protects its young under the shadow of its wings (see v. 4).

[91:1]  ⁵ sn The divine name used here is “Shaddai” (שַׁדַּי, shadday; see also Ps 68:14). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the mighty king (sovereign judge) of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness.

[92:1]  ⁶ sn Psalm 92. The psalmist praises God because he defeats the wicked and vindicates his loyal followers.

[92:1]  ⁷ tn Or “good.”

[92:1]  ⁸ tn Traditionally “O Most High.”

[92:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “[are elevated] on high.”

[5:8]  ¹⁰ tn Alternately, “oppression.” The term עֹשֶׁק (’osheq) has a basic two-fold range of meaning: (1) “oppression; brutality” (e.g., Isa 54:14); and (2) “extortion” (e.g., Ps 62:11); see HALOT 897 s.v. עֹשֶׁק; BDB 799 s.v. עֹשֶׁק. The LXX understands the term as “oppression,” as the translation συκοφαντίαν (sukofantian, “oppression”) indicates. Likewise, HALOT 897 s.v. עֹשֶׁק 1 classifies this usage as “oppression” against the poor. However, the context of 5:8-9 [7-8 HT] focuses on corrupt government officials robbing people of the fruit of their labor through extortion and the perversion of justice.

[5:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “robbery.” The noun גֵזֶל (gezel, “robbery”) refers to the wrestling away of righteousness or the perversion of justice (HALOT 186 s.v. גֵּזֶל). The related forms of the root גזל mean “to rob; to loot” (HALOT 186 s.v. גֵּזֶל). The term “robbery” is used as a figure for the perversion of justice (hypocatastasis): just as a thief robs his victims through physical violence, so corrupt government officials “rob” the poor through the perversion of justice.

[5:8]  ¹² tn Heb “in the province.”

[5:8]  ¹³ tn The word “official” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:8]  ¹⁴ sn And there are higher ones over them! This may describe a corrupt system of government in which each level of hierarchy exploits its subordinates, all the way down to the peasants: “Set in authority over the people is an official who enriches himself at their expense; he is watched by a more authoritative governor who also has his share of the spoils; and above them are other officers of the State who likewise have to be satisfied”; see A. Cohen, The Five Megilloth (SoBB), 141.

[6:6]  ¹⁵ sn With what should I enter the Lord’s presence? The prophet speaks again, playing the role of an inquisitive worshiper who wants to know what God really desires from his followers.

[6:6]  ¹⁶ tn The words “with what” do double duty in the parallelism and are supplied in the second line of the translation for clarification.

[6:6]  ¹⁷ tn Or “the exalted God.”