Psalms 99:4

99:4 The king is strong;

he loves justice. ¹ 

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; ² 

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

Psalms 119:121

ע (Ayin)

119:121 I do what is fair and right. ³ 

Do not abandon me to my oppressors!

Psalms 37:30

37:30 The godly speak wise words

and promote justice. ⁴ 

Psalms 81:4

81:4 For observing the festival is a requirement for Israel; ⁵ 

it is an ordinance given by the God of Jacob.

Psalms 106:3

106:3 How blessed are those who promote justice,

and do what is right all the time!

Psalms 119:84

119:84 How long must your servant endure this? ⁶ 

When will you judge those who pursue me?

Psalms 119:160

119:160 Your instructions are totally reliable;

all your just regulations endure. ⁷ 

Psalms 7:6

7:6 Stand up angrily, ⁸  Lord!

Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! ⁹ 

Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them! ¹⁰ 

Psalms 9:16

9:16 The Lord revealed himself;

he accomplished justice;

the wicked were ensnared by their own actions. ¹¹  (Higgaion. ¹²  Selah)

Psalms 94:15

94:15 For justice will prevail, ¹³ 

and all the morally upright ¹⁴  will be vindicated. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 140:12

140:12 I know ¹⁶  that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed

and vindicates the poor. ¹⁷ 

Psalms 146:7

146:7 vindicates the oppressed, ¹⁸ 

and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord releases the imprisoned.

Psalms 149:9

149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies ¹⁹  have been sentenced. ²⁰ 

All his loyal followers will be vindicated. ²¹ 

Praise the Lord!

Psalms 37:28

37:28 For the Lord promotes ²²  justice,

and never abandons ²³  his faithful followers.

They are permanently secure, ²⁴ 

but the children ²⁵  of evil men are wiped out. ²⁶ 

[99:4]  ¹ tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (’oz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (’az, “strong”).

[99:4]  ² tn Heb “you establish fairness.”

[119:121]  ³ tn Heb “do justice and righteousness.”

[37:30]  ⁵ tn Heb “The mouth of the godly [one] utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.” The singular form is used in a representative sense; the typical godly individual is in view. The imperfect verbal forms draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the godly.

[81:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “because a statute for Israel [is] it.”

[119:84]  ⁹ tn Heb “How long are the days of your servant?”

[119:160]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the head of your word is truth, and forever [is] all your just regulation.” The term “head” is used here of the “sum total” of God’s instructions.

[7:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “in your anger.”

[7:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Lift yourself up in the angry outbursts of my enemies.” Many understand the preposition prefixed to עַבְרוֹת (’avrot, “angry outbursts”) as adversative, “against,” and the following genitive “enemies” as subjective. In this case one could translate, “rise up against my furious enemies” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The present translation, however, takes the preposition as indicating manner (cf. “in your anger” in the previous line) and understands the plural form of the noun as indicating an abstract quality (“fury”) or excessive degree (“raging fury”). Cf. Job 21:30.

[7:6]  ¹⁵ tc Heb “Wake up to me [with the] judgment [which] you have commanded.” The LXX understands אֵלִי (’eliy, “my God”) instead of אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”; the LXX reading is followed by NEB, NIV, NRSV.) If the reading of the MT is retained, the preposition probably has the sense of “on account of, for the sake of.” The noun מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “judgment”) is probably an adverbial accusative, modifying the initial imperative, “wake up.” In this case צִוִּיתָ (tsivvita, “[which] you have commanded”) is an asyndetic relative clause. Some take the perfect as precative. In this case one could translate the final line, “Wake up for my sake! Decree judgment!” (cf. NIV). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.

[9:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “by the work of his hands [the] wicked [one] was ensnared. The singular form רָשָׁע (rasha’, “wicked”) is collective or representative here (see vv. 15, 17). The form נוֹקֵשׁ (noqesh) appears to be an otherwise unattested Qal form (active participle) from נָקַשׁ (naqash), but the form should be emended to נוֹקַשׁ (noqash), a Niphal perfect from יָקַשׁ (yaqash).

[9:16]  ¹⁶ tn This is probably a technical musical term.

[94:15]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.”

[94:15]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “all the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 97:11).

[94:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and after it [are] the pure of heart.”

[140:12]  ¹⁹ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading a first person verb form here. The Kethib reads the second person.

[140:12]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and the just cause of the poor.”

[146:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “executes justice for the oppressed.”

[149:9]  ²³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[149:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”

[149:9]  ²⁵ tn Heb “it is honor for all his godly ones.” The judgment of the oppressive kings will bring vindication and honor to God’s people (see vv. 4-5).

[37:28]  ²⁵ tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world. The active participle describes characteristic behavior.

[37:28]  ²⁶ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.

[37:28]  ²⁷ tn Or “protected forever.”

[37:28]  ²⁸ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[37:28]  ²⁹ tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.