Psalm 89/Notes/Lexical.v. 4.712945
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
- YHWH's "loyalty" and "reliability" mean that he will keep his covenant with David and his descendants (cf. vv. 4, 29, 35, 40). The word "covenant" (בְּרִית) refers to "an enduring agreement which defines a relationship between two parties involving a solemn, binding obligation(s) specified on the part of at least one of the parties toward the other, made by oath under threat of divine curse, and ratified by a visual ritual" (Gentry and Wellum 2012, 132, adapted from Lane 2000, 314). The narrative account of the origin of this agreement is given in 2 Sam 7. Psalm 89 makes clear the covenantal nature of this agreement as well as the obligations that bind each party: David's descendants swear an oath to keep YHWH's instruction (vv. 31-33), and YHWH swears an oath to forever establish David's "kingdom" (lit. "throne") and "dynasty" (lit.: "offspring") (vv. 5, 36-38), i.e., to ensure the permanence of David's kingdom and dynasty.