translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: PSA

label: NET study note

text: . The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior and celebrates the fact that God exerts his power on behalf of his people.


text: God is depicted here as a just ruler. In the ancient Near Eastern world a king was responsible for promoting justice, including caring for the weak and vulnerable, epitomized by the fatherless and widows .


text: When you march through the desert . Some interpreters think that v. 7 alludes to Israel’s exodus from Egypt and its subsequent travels in the desert. Another option is that v. 7 , like v. 8 , echoes Judg 5:4 , which describes how the God of Sinai marched across the desert regions to do battle with Sisera and his Canaanite army.


text: The language of vv. 7-8 is reminiscent of Judg 5:4-5 , which tells how the God of Sinai came in the storm and annihilated the Canaanite forces led by Sisera. The presence of allusion does not mean, however, that this is a purely historical reference. The psalmist is describing God’s typical appearance as a warrior in terms of his prior self-revelation as ancient events are reactualized in the psalmist’s experience. (For a similar literary technique, see .)


text: The mountain of Bashan probably refers to Mount Hermon.


text: To celebrate a military victory, women would play tambourines (see Exod 15:20 ; Judg 11:34 ; 1 Sam 18:6 ).


text: Little Benjamin, their ruler . This may allude to the fact that Israel’s first king, Saul, was from the tribe of Benjamin.


text: The wild beast of the reeds probably refers to a hippopotamus, which in turn symbolizes the nation of Egypt.


text: The language of v. 34 echoes that of Deut 33:26 .