Psalms 89:28–37
Even if David's sons fail, God says he will not withdraw his steadfast love
Study it word by word28Forever I will keep for him my loyal love, and my covenant will be firm for him.
29And I will set his offspring forever, and his throne like the days of the heavens.
30If his sons forsake my instruction and do not walk in my ordinances,
31if they profane my statutes and do not keep my commandments,
32then I will call to account their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with blows.
33But my loyal love I will not withdraw from him, nor be false to my faithfulness.
34I will not profane my covenant, and what has gone out of my lips I will not change.
35Once I have sworn by my holiness: I will not lie to David.
36His offspring will be forever, and his throne like the sun before me;
37like the moon it will be established forever, and the witness in the cloud is faithful.” Selah.
In its context
26He will call to me, ‘You are my father, my El, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27I also will make him firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
…
38But you have rejected and despised; you have become enraged with your anointed.
39You have repudiated the covenant of your servant; you have profaned to the ground his diadem.
Its words in the original
- עוֹלָםolam· forever, eternal
A very long time whose end cannot be seen: looking forward, "forever"; looking back, "of old", "ancient".
- אֶשְׁמָרeshmar· keep, guard
Keep: watch over, guard, protect; also keep a command or a covenant, observe.
- חַסְדִּchasdi· loyal love
"Chesed": love that stays faithful to a commitment. It is kindness that does not remain a feeling: it acts in favor of the other and does not abandon him. The Bible says it above all of God's love for his people.
- בְרִיתִveriti· covenant
Covenant: a solemn commitment between two parties, with promises and obligations. When God makes it, he is the one who offers it and guarantees it.
- נֶאֱמֶנֶתneemenet· believe, be firm
Be firm, trustworthy; in another form, "believe": lean on someone and trust what he says. It is also said of one who brings up a child. "Amen" comes from this root.
- שַׂמְתִּיsamti· put, set
Put, place, set; appoint, establish; make something into something.
- עַדad· forever
Forever, without end.
- זַרְעzar· offspring, seed
Seed. From there "offspring": the children and generations that come from someone. Also sowing and semen.
- כִסְאchis· throne
Throne: the king's seat, sign of his authority.
- ימֵיyme· day
Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").
- שָׁמָיִםshamayim· heavens, sky
The heavens: what is above, where the clouds, the sun and the stars are seen; also the dwelling of God. In Hebrew it is always plural. With birds, "the sky".
- יַעַזְבוּyaazvu· leave, forsake
Leave, forsake, abandon; also let go, leave behind for someone.
- בָנָיvanay· son
Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).
- תּוֹרָתִtorati· instruction, law
"Torah": instruction, teaching that gives direction; hence "law". Later it is the name of the five books of Moses. This translation uses "instruction", and "law" when the body of laws is meant.
- מִשְׁפָּטַmishpata· justice, judgment
What is right and the decision that establishes it: the judgment of a judge, someone's right, a rule or ordinance, a custom. "Do righteousness and justice" is to treat each one as is due.
- יֵלֵכוּyelechu· go, walk
Go, walk, depart; in the causative form, lead or bring.
- חֻקֹּתַchukota· statute
Statute: a fixed rule, laid down to be kept always.
- יְחַלֵּלוּyechalelu· begin, profane
Begin, start doing something. In other forms the same verb means "profane", treat as common what is holy; also pierce.
- מִצְוֺתַmitsvota· commandment
Commandment: an order given by one in authority; above all, those of God.
- פָקַדְתִּיfakadti· attend to, count
Attend to someone, take note of him. When God does it, he intervenes: for good (to fulfill a promise) or to call to account and punish. Also count, muster, appoint over, put in charge.
- שֵׁבֶטshevet· rod, scepter, tribe
Rod, staff; a king's scepter; also tribe.
- פִּשְׁעָpisha· transgression
A serious wrong against someone: rebellion, transgression.
- נְגָעִיםnegaim· plague, blow
Plague, blow, stroke; also a mark of disease on the skin.
- עֲוֺנָavona· iniquity
Iniquity: wickedness, a serious wrong. The same word covers the wrong, the guilt it leaves and the punishment it brings.
- אָפִירafir· frustrate, break
To frustrate, to undo: to make a plan or an agreement come to nothing.
- אֲשַׁקֵּרashaker· deal falsely
Deal falsely, deceive; break one's word.
- אֱמוּנָתִemunati· faithfulness, steadiness
Steadiness; from there faithfulness, being trustworthy.
- מוֹצָאmotsa· going out, departure, source
What goes out: a going out, a departure, the place from which something comes (a spring, the east); also what comes out of the lips, what is said.
- שְׂפָתַsefata· lip, language, edge
Lip. From there, the way of speaking: speech or language. Also the shore or edge of something.
- אֲשַׁנֶּהashane· repeat; change
Do a second time, repeat. Elsewhere, change; be different.
- אַחַתachat· one
One; only, the same. Also "first" in a series.
- נִשְׁבַּעְתִּיnishbati· swear
Swear: bind oneself solemnly, calling on God as witness; in the causative form, make someone swear. In Hebrew the verb looks like the word "seven".
- קָדְשִׁkadshi· holiness, holy place
Holiness: what is set apart for God. Also a holy place or a holy thing; "the holy of holies" is the most holy place.
- דָוִדdavid· David
David, youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem; the second king of Israel. The name means "beloved."
- אֲכַזֵּבachazev· lie, deceive
Lie, deceive: fail to keep one's word.
- יִהְיֶהyihye· be, become, happen
Be, exist; also "become" or "happen". It is the verb of "there was", "it was" and "it came to pass".
- שֶּׁמֶשׁshemesh· sun
Sun.
- נֶגְדִּnegdi· in front of, counterpart
In front of, opposite, before. The full phrase "as in front of him" means someone who corresponds to him, a counterpart.
- יָרֵחַyareach· moon
Moon.
- יִכּוֹןyikon· be firm, prepare
Be firm, be set, be ready; in the causative form, set up, establish, prepare, make ready.
- עֵדed· witness
Witness: a person or thing that confirms an agreement or testifies.
- שַּׁחַקshachak· clouds, skies
Clouds; the heights of the sky; also fine dust.
- סֶלָהsela· Selah
Selah: a word found at the end of some stanzas of the psalms. It is probably a direction for the music or a pause; its exact sense is unknown, so it is left in Hebrew.