Scholars have debated whether מְשִׁיחוֹ (his [YHWH’s] anointed) refers to a king or to YHWH’s chosen people. This debate has influenced modern Bible translations. The NET, for example, identifies YHWH's anointed as a king translating Ps 28:8b as, "He [YHWH] protects and delivers his chosen king.” Additionally, the NET comments, "The noun מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh, “anointed one”) refers to the Davidic king, who perhaps speaks as representative of the nation in this psalm. See Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17."[2] On the other hand, the NJB favors the position that "his anointed" refers to God's people as a whole. The NJB translates v. 8b as, "[YHWH is] a safe refuge for his anointed," and it explains in a footnote that "the 'anointed' is here the people of God consecrated to his service, see 105:15; Ex. 19:3b; Hab. 3:13; and not the king, Ps. 20:6; or the high priest, Ps. 84:9."[3] The translations agree that the word מְשִׁיחַ refers to a person or group who is "anointed" for a special task, but they disagree on the identity of this person/group.
The argument maps below will explore two possible references for מְשִׁיחוֹ (his [YHWH’s] anointed):
YHWH's king
YHWH’s chosen people
Argument Maps[]
YHWH's king (preferred)[]
The view of the vast majority of scholars[4] is that the מָשִׁיחַ ("anointed") in Ps 28:8b is a king. The NLT is representative of this reading: "The LORD gives his people strength. He is a safe fortress for his anointed king."
YHWH's people[]
Some scholars[5] have argued that the מָשִׁיחַ in Ps 28:8b refers to all of YHWH's people. The NJB, for example, translates v. 8b as, "[YHWH is] a safe refuge for his anointed," and it explains in a footnote that "the 'anointed' is here the people of God consecrated to his service."
Conclusion[]
The "anointed one" in Ps 28:8b probably refers to a king for several reasons. First, the term מָשִׁיחַ usually refers to the king. Second, in the Hebrew Bible, the nation of Israel is never explicitly "called 'the anointed one' (הַמָּשִׁיחֵ) by virtue of its calling to be 'a kingdom of priests' (Exod 19:6)."[6] Furthermore, in David’s time, the term anointed referred to an individual who had been physically anointed, so the psalmist would not have used it to describe the nation of Israel. Third, the combination of עֹז with מָשִׁיחַ shares similarities with Hannah's prayer, in which the anointed one referred to the king (1 Sam 2:10). Fourth, the speaker of Ps 28 is most likely a king who refers to himself as YHWH's anointed one. For example, the psalmist speaks as representative of YHWH's people and considers his well-being to be bound to the people's well-being. This link between king and people is seen through the pattern of extension in vv. 7-9 in which the psalmist (=king) extends YHWH's treatment of himself to the people. For the above reasons, we have chosen to interpret מָשִׁיחַ as referring to a king. We understand Ps 28 to be portraying a close relationship between the king, the people, and YHWH. The king's intimate relationship with YHWH is expressed first in terms of his dependence and trust in YHWH and then in terms of his care for YHWH's people. The king was representative of the people, and his well-being was foundational to the flourishing of the whole society.
Research[]
Translations[]
Ancient[]
LXX: καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴς τῶν σωτηρίων τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν[7] ("and he is a protector of the deliverance of his anointed one").[8]
Symmachus: τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ[9] ("of his anointed one").
Quinta: τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ[10] ("of his anointed one").
Sexta: τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ[11] ("of his anointed one").
Peshitta: ܡܣܝܥܢܐ ܘܦܪܘܩܐ ܕܡܫܝܚܗ ("The helper who saves his anointed").[12]
Jerome (Psalmi Iuxta LXX): et protector salvationum christi sui est[13] ("and he is the protector of the salvation of his anointed").
Jerome (Psalmi Iuxta Hebr.): et robur salutarium christi sui est[14]("and he is a stronghold of salvation for his anointed").
Targum: ועושנא פורקנות משיחיה הוא ("he is the deliverance of his anointed one").[15]
Modern[]
A king[]
English
The LORD protects his people; he defends and saves his chosen king. (GNT)
The Lord strengthens his people; he protects and delivers his chosen king.[16] (NET)
The LORD gives his people strength. He is a safe fortress for his anointed king. (NLT)
French
L’ Eternel est la force de tous les siens[17] il est la forteresse où le roi qui a reçu l’onction de sa part trouve la délivrance. (BDS)
Le Seigneur est la force de son peuple; pour le roi qu'il a mis à part, il est la forteresse où se trouve le salut.[18] (NFC)
Le Seigneur est la force de son peuple, il protège avec puissance le roi qu’il a choisi, il le sauve. (PDV)
Spanish
YHWH es la fuerza de su pueblo, y el refugio salvador para su ungido.[19] (BTX4)
El Señor es la fuerza de su pueblo; es ayuda y refugio de su rey escogido.[20] (DHH)
A priest[]
English
Yahweh is the strength of his people, a safe refuge of his anointed.[21] (NJB)
Secondary Literature[]
Brueggemann, Walter, and William H. Bellinger Jr. 2014. Psalms. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Bullock, C. Hassell. 2015. Psalms. Volume 1: Psalms 1-72. Teach the Text Commentary Series. Edited by Mark Strauss and John Walton. Grand Rapids: BakerBooks.
Buttenwieser, Moses. 1969. The Psalms: Chronologically Treated with A New Translation. New York: KTAV Publishing House, INC.
Eaton, J. H. 1975. Kingship and the Psalms. London: S.C.M. Press.
Krusche, Marcel. 2020. "A Collective Anointed? David and the People in Psalm 89." Journal of Biblical Literature 139, no. 1: 87–105.
Marttila, Marko. 2006. Collective Reinterpretation in the Psalms: A Study of the Redaction History of the Psalter. Germany: Mohr Siebeck.
Patterson, Richard D., and Andrew E. Hill. 2008. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary. Vol 10: Minor Prophets, Hosea–Malachi. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers.
Perowne, J. J. Stewart. 1870. The Book of Psalms: A New Translation with Introductions and Notes, Explanatory and Critical. Vol. I. London: Bell and Daldy.
Robertson, O. Palmer. 1990. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Ross, Allen P. 2011. A Commentary on the Psalms 1-41. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids: Kregel.
Rutherford, J. Alexander. 2021. Habakkuk: An Intermediate Hebrew Reader and Commentary. Airdrie: Teleioteti.
Smith, Ralph L. 1984. Micah–Malachi. Vol. 32. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1984.
Snyman, S. D. 2020. Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.
VanGemeren, Willem. 2008. Psalms: The Expositor's Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Wilson, Gerald H. Wilson. 2002. Psalms. Volume 1. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
↑ Translation footnote: "The noun מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh, “anointed one”) refers to the Davidic king, who perhaps speaks as representative of the nation in this psalm. See Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17" (NET).
↑Translation footnote: "En hébreu: d'eux. Une légère modification de l'hébreu permet de lire: de son peuple."
↑Translation footnote: "son peuple: d'après quelques manuscrits hébreux, ainsi que les anciennes versions grecque et syriaque; texte traditionnel une force pour eux. - le roi qu'il a mis à part ou son Messie."
↑Translation footnote: "para su ungido . . . Esto es, para David."
↑Translation footnote: "su rey escogido: Lit. su ungido. Véase Sal. 2. 2. n."
↑Translation footnote: "The 'anointed' is here the people of God consecrated to his service, see 105:15; Ex. 19:3b; Hab. 3:13; and not the king, Ps. 20:6; or the high priest, Ps. 84:9."