Psalm 33:6-9
New English Translation
6 By the Lord’s decree[a] the heavens were made,
and by the breath[b] of his mouth all the starry hosts.
7 He piles up the water of the sea;[c]
he puts the oceans[d] in storehouses.
8 Let the whole earth fear[e] the Lord.
Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it[f] came into existence.
He issued the decree,[g] and it stood firm.
Footnotes
- Psalm 33:6 tn Heb “word.”
- Psalm 33:6 tn The word רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit, wind, breath”) is used in the creation account in Gen 1:2 “the Spirit of God was moving.” Here parallel to “decree/word,” it recalls the account of God speaking in order to create (cf. Gen 1:14).
- Psalm 33:7 tn Heb “[he] gathers like a pile the waters of the sea.” Some prefer to emend נֵד (ned, “heap, pile”; cf. NASB) to נֹד (nod, “bottle”; cf. NRSV; NIV “into jars”), but “pile” is used elsewhere to describe water that the Lord confines to one place (Exod 15:8; Josh 3:13, 16; Ps 78:13). This verse appears to refer to Gen 1:9, where God decrees that the watery deep be gathered to one place so that dry land might appear. If so, the participles in this and the following line depict this action with special vividness, as if the reader were present on the occasion. Another option is that the participles picture the confinement of the sea to one place as an ongoing divine activity.
- Psalm 33:7 tn Or “watery depths.” The form תְּהוֹמוֹת (tehomot, “watery depths”) is the plural form of תְּהוֹם (tehom, “great deep”; see Gen 1:2).
- Psalm 33:8 tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.”
- Psalm 33:9 tn That is, “all the earth” in the first line of v. 8. The apparent antecedent of the masculine subject of the verbs in v. 9 (note וַיֶּהִי [vayyehiy] and וַיַּעֲמֹד [vayyaʿamod]) is “earth” or “world,” both of which are feminine nouns. However, כָּל (kol, “all”) may be the antecedent, or the apparent lack of agreement may be explained by the collective nature of the nouns involved here (see GKC 463 §145.e).
- Psalm 33:9 tn Heb “he commanded.”
Psalm 148:1-5
New English Translation
Psalm 148[a]
148 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the sky.
Praise him in the heavens.
2 Praise him, all his angels.[b]
Praise him, all his heavenly assembly.[c]
3 Praise him, O sun and moon.
Praise him, all you shiny stars.[d]
4 Praise him, O highest heaven,
and you waters above the sky.[e]
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he gave the command and they came into existence.
Footnotes
- Psalm 148:1 sn Psalm 148. The psalmist calls upon all creation to praise the Lord, for he is the creator and sovereign king of the world.
- Psalm 148:2 tn Or “heavenly messengers.”
- Psalm 148:2 tn Heb “all his host.”
- Psalm 148:3 tn Heb “stars of light.”
- Psalm 148:4 sn The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. See also Ps 104:3. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 47.
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