Psalm 92sn Psalm 92. The psalmist praises God because he defeats the wicked and vindicates his loyal followers.
A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.
and to sing praises to your name, O sovereign One!tn Traditionally “O Most High.”
2 It is fittingtn The words “it is fitting” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Verses 1-3 are actually one long sentence in the Hebrew text, but this has been divided up into two shorter sentences in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style. to proclaim your loyal love in the morning,
and your faithfulness during the night,
3 to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre,
to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.
4 For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work.
I will sing for joy because of what you have done.tn Heb “the works of your hands.”
5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your plans are very intricate!tn Heb “very deep [are] your thoughts.” God’s “thoughts” refer here to his moral design of the world, as outlined in vv. 6-15.
6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;
the fool does not understand this.tn Heb “the brutish man does not know, and the fool does not understand this.” The adjective בַּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish”) refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 49:10; 73:22; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).
7 When the wicked sprout up like grass,
and all the evildoers glisten,tn Or “flourish.”
it is so that they may be annihilated.tn Heb “in order that they might be destroyed permanently.”sn God allows the wicked to prosper temporarily so that he might reveal his justice. When the wicked are annihilated, God demonstrates that wickedness does not pay off.
Indeed,tn Or “for.” look at how your enemies perish!
All the evildoers are scattered!
10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox.sn The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “to exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; Lam 2:17).
I am coveredtn The Hebrew verb בָּלַל (balal) usually has the nuance “to mix.” Here it seems to mean “to smear” or “to anoint.” Some emend the form to בַּלֹּתַנִי (ballotaniy; a second person form of the verb with a first person suffix) and read, “you anoint me.” with fresh oil.
11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me;tn Heb “my eye gazes upon those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2. The form שׁוּרָי (shuray) should be emended to שׁוֹרְרָי (shorÿray).
I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me.tn Heb “those who rise up against me, evil [foes], my ears hear.”
12 The godlytn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view. grow like a palm tree;
they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon.sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.
13 Planted in the Lord’s house,
they grow in the courts of our God.
14 They bear fruit even when they are old;
they are filled with vitality and have many leaves.tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”
15 So they proclaim that the Lord, my protector,
is just and never unfair.tn Heb “so that [they] proclaim that upright [is] the Lord, my rocky summit, and there is no injustice in him.”
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