Zechariah 9:8

9:8 Then I will surround my temple ¹  to protect it like a guard ²  from anyone crossing back and forth; so no one will cross over against them anymore as an oppressor, for now I myself have seen it.

Psalms 46:7-11

46:7 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ³ 

The God of Jacob ⁴  is our protector! ⁵  (Selah)

46:8 Come! Witness the exploits ⁶  of the Lord,

who brings devastation to the earth! ⁷ 

46:9 He brings an end to wars throughout the earth; ⁸ 

he shatters ⁹  the bow and breaks ¹⁰  the spear;

he burns ¹¹  the shields with fire. ¹² 

46:10 He says, ¹³  “Stop your striving and recognize ¹⁴  that I am God!

I will be exalted ¹⁵  over ¹⁶  the nations! I will be exalted over ¹⁷  the earth!”

46:11 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ¹⁸ 

The God of Jacob ¹⁹  is our protector! ²⁰  (Selah)

Psalms 48:3

48:3 God is in its fortresses;

he reveals himself as its defender. ²¹ 

Psalms 48:12

48:12 Walk around ²²  Zion! Encircle it!

Count its towers!

Isaiah 4:5

4:5 Then the Lord will create

over all of Mount Zion ²³ 

and over its convocations

a cloud and smoke by day

and a bright flame of fire by night; ²⁴ 

indeed a canopy will accompany the Lord’s glorious presence. ²⁵ 

Isaiah 12:6

12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,

for the Holy One of Israel ²⁶  acts mightily ²⁷  among you!”

Isaiah 26:1-2

Judah Will Celebrate

26:1 At that time ²⁸  this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city!

The Lord’s ²⁹  deliverance, like walls and a rampart, makes it secure. ³⁰ 

26:2 Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter –

one that remains trustworthy.

Isaiah 33:21

33:21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king. ³¹ 

Rivers and wide streams will flow through it; ³² 

no war galley will enter; ³³ 

no large ships will sail through. ³⁴ 

Isaiah 60:18-19

60:18 Sounds of violence ³⁵  will no longer be heard in your land,

or the sounds of ³⁶  destruction and devastation within your borders.

You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’

and your gates, ‘Praise.’

60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,

nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light –

the splendor of your God will shine upon you. ³⁷ 

[9:8]  ¹ tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[9:8]  ² tn Though a hapax legomenon, the מִצָּבָה (mitsavah) of the MT (from נָצַב, natsav, “take a stand”) is preferable to the suggestion מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”) or even מִצָּבָא (mitsava’, “from” or “against the army”). The context favors the idea of the Lord as a protector.

[46:7]  ³ tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:7]  ⁴ tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[46:8]  ⁶ sn In this context the Lord’s exploits are military in nature (see vv. 8b-9).

[46:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “who sets desolations in the earth” (see Isa 13:9). The active participle describes God’s characteristic activity as a warrior.

[46:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “[the] one who causes wars to cease unto the end of the earth.” The participle continues the description begun in v. 8b and indicates that this is the Lord’s characteristic activity. Ironically, he brings peace to the earth by devastating the warlike, hostile nations (vv. 8, 9b).

[46:9]  ⁹ tn The verb שָׁבַר (shavar, “break”) appears in the Piel here (see Ps 29:5). In the OT it occurs thirty-six times in the Piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The Piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative: “make broken” (see IBHS 404-7 §24.3). The imperfect verbal form carries on and emphasizes the generalizing nature of the description.

[46:9]  ¹⁰ tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries along the generalizing emphasis of the preceding imperfect.

[46:9]  ¹¹ tn The imperfect verbal form carries on and emphasizes the generalizing nature of the description.

[46:9]  ¹² tn Heb “wagons he burns with fire.” Some read “chariots” here (cf. NASB), but the Hebrew word refers to wagons or carts, not chariots, elsewhere in the OT. In this context, where military weapons are mentioned, it is better to revocalize the form as עֲגִלוֹת (’agilot, “round shields”), a word which occurs only here in the OT, but is attested in later Hebrew and Aramaic.

[46:10]  ¹³ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[46:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “do nothing/be quiet (see 1 Sam 15:16) and know.” This statement may be addressed to the hostile nations, indicating they should cease their efforts to destroy God’s people, or to Judah, indicating they should rest secure in God’s protection. Since the psalm is an expression of Judah’s trust and confidence, it is more likely that the words are directed to the nations, who are actively promoting chaos and are in need of a rebuke.

[46:10]  ¹⁵ tn Elsewhere in the psalms the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”) when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 18:46; 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 57:5, 11).

[46:10]  ¹⁶ tn Or “among.”

[46:10]  ¹⁷ tn Or “in.”

[46:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:11]  ¹⁹ tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[48:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “he is known for an elevated place.”

[48:12]  ²² tn The verb forms in vv. 12-13 are plural; the entire Judahite community is addressed.

[4:5]  ²³ tn Heb “over all the place, Mount Zion.” Cf. NLT “Jerusalem”; CEV “the whole city.”

[4:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “a cloud by day, and smoke, and brightness of fire, a flame by night.” Though the accents in the Hebrew text suggest otherwise, it might be preferable to take “smoke” with what follows, since one would expect smoke to accompany fire.

[4:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “indeed (or “for”) over all the glory, a canopy.” This may allude to Exod 40:34-35, where a cloud overshadows the meeting tent as it is filled with God’s glory.

[12:6]  ²⁶ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[12:6]  ²⁷ tn Or “is great” (TEV). However, the context emphasizes his mighty acts of deliverance (cf. NCV), not some general or vague character quality.

[26:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “In that day” (so KJV).

[26:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:1]  ³⁰ tn Heb “deliverance he makes walls and a rampart.”

[33:21]  ³¹ tn Heb “But there [as] a mighty one [will be] the Lord for us.”

[33:21]  ³² tn Heb “a place of rivers, streams wide of hands [i.e., on both sides].”

[33:21]  ³³ tn Heb “a ship of rowing will not go into it.”

[33:21]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and a mighty ship will not pass through it.”

[60:18]  ³⁵ tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:18]  ³⁶ tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:19]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”