sn Ps 1. In this wisdom psalm the author advises his audience to reject the lifestyle of the wicked and to be loyal to God. The psalmist contrasts the destiny of the wicked with that of the righteous, emphasizing that the wicked are eventually destroyed while the godly prosper under the Lord’s protective care.
¹tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 3; Pss 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
²tn Heb “(Oh) the happiness (of) the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” (Generic “he” is employed in vv. 2-3.) Since the godly man described in the psalm is representative of followers of God (note the plural form <yqydx, “righteous, godly,” in vv. 5-6), one could translate the collective singular with the plural “those” both here and in vv. 2-3, where singular pronouns and verbal forms are utilized in the Hebrew text. However, here the singular form may emphasize that godly individuals are usually outnumbered by the wicked. Retaining the singular allows one to retain this emphasis.
³tn Heb “walk in.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 1 refer in this context to characteristic behavior. The sequence “walk-stand-sit” envisions a progression from relatively casual association with the wicked to complete identification with them.
⁴tn The Hebrew noun most often refers to the “counsel” or “advice” one receives from others. To “walk in the advice of the wicked” means to allow their evil advice to impact and determine one’s behavior.
⁵sn In the psalms the “wicked” (<yuvr) are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps. 37:21).
⁶tn “Pathway” here refers to the lifestyle of sinners. To “stand in the pathway of/with sinners” means to closely associate with them in their sinful behavior.
⁷tn Some translate “seat,” but here the term (bvwm) appears to refer to the whole assembly of evildoers. The word also carries the semantic nuance “assembly” in Ps 107:32, where it is in synonymous parallelism with lhq, “assembly.”
⁸ tn The Hebrew word refers to arrogant (Prov 21:24) individuals who love conflict (Prov 22:10) and vociferously reject wisdom and correction (Prov 1:22; 9:7-8; 13:1; 15:12). To “sit in the assembly” of such people means to completely identify with them in their proud, sinful plans and behavior.
⁹tn <a-yk here introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.
¹⁰tn Heb “his delight (is) in the law of the LORD.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the LORD’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the LORD’s commands.” However, even if one translates this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will.
¹¹tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb hgh actually means “to recite quietly, meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.
¹²tn Or “his law.”
¹³tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form with waw consecutive here carries the same characteristic force as the imperfect in the preceding verse. According to the author, the one who studies and obeys God’s commands typically prospers.
¹⁴tn Heb “channels of water.”
¹⁵tn Heb “which.”
¹⁶tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the typical nature of the actions/states they describe.
¹⁷tn Heb “in its season.”
¹⁸tn Or “fade, wither.”
sn The author compares the godly individual to a tree that has a rich water supply, develops a strong root system, and is filled with leaves and fruit. The simile suggests that the godly have a continual source of life which in turns produces stability and uninterrupted prosperity.
¹⁹tn Heb “and all which he does prospers,” or “and all which he does he causes to prosper.” (The simile of the tree does not extend to this line.) It is not certain if the hiphil verbal form (jylxy) is intransitive-exhibitive (“prospers”) or causative (“causes to prosper”) here. If the verb is intransitive, then lk, “all, everything” is the subject. If the verb is causative, then the godly individual or the LORD himself is the subject and lk is the object. The wording is reminiscent of Josh 1:8, where the Lord tells Joshua: “This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper (lit., “cause your way to prosper”) and be successful.”
²⁰tn <a-yk (cf. v. 2) here introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described in v. 4.
²¹tn Heb “(they are) like the chaff which (the) wind blows about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action described.
sn Wind-driven chaff. In contrast to the well-rooted and productive tree described in v. 3, the wicked are like a dried up plant that has no root system and is blown away by the wind. The simile describes the destiny of the wicked (see vv. 5-6).
²²tn Or “therefore.”
²³tn Heb “arise in,” but the verb is used metonymically here in the sense of “stand, endure,” as in 1 Sam 13:14 and Job 8:15. The negated Hebrew imperfect verbal form is here taken as indicating incapability or lack of potential, though one could understand the verb form as indicating what is typical (“do not withstand”) or what will happen (“will not withstand”).
²⁴tn Heb “the judgment.” The article indicates a judgment that is definite in the mind of the speaker. This probably does not refer to the “final judgment” described in later biblical revelation, but to a temporal/historical judgment which the author anticipates. Periodically during the OT period, God would come in judgment, removing the wicked from the scene, while preserving a godly remnant (see Gen 6-9; Ps 37; Hab 3).
²⁵tn Heb “and sinners in the assembly of (the) godly.” The negative particle and verb from the preceding line are assumed by ellipsis here (“will not arise/stand”).
sn The “assembly (or “circle”) of the godly” is insulated from divine judgment (Ps 37:12-17, 28-29).
²⁶tn The translation understands yk as asseverative. Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 6 as a theological explanation for vv. 3-5, which contrast the respective destinies of the godly and the wicked.
²⁷tn Heb “the LORD knows the way of the godly.” To “know a way” means, in its most basic sense, “to recognize/acknowledge a pathway, route, or prescribed way of life” (see Josh 3:4; Job 21:14; Ps 67:2; Isa 42:16; Jer 5:4-5). Here it probably refers to the LORD recognizing the behavior of the godly and, by metonymy, rewarding their godliness with security and prosperity. Another option is to take the verb in the sense of “mark out” (cf. Job 23:10), which metonymically could mean “watch over, protect.” In this case the “way of the godly” is not their behavior, but their course of life or destiny. The Hebrew active participle (“knows”) has here a characteristic durative force.
²⁸tn Heb “but the way of the wicked perishes.” The “way of the wicked” may refer to their course of life (Ps 146:9; Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1) or their sinful behavior (Prov 12:26; 15:9). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form probably describes here what typically happens, though one could take the form as indicating what will happen (“will perish”).
¹sn Ps 2. In this royal psalm the author asserts the special status of the divinely chosen Davidic king and warns the nations and their rulers to submit to the authority of God and his chosen vice-regent.
¹tn The question is rhetorical. Rather than seeking information, the psalmist expresses his outrage that the nations would have the audacity to rebel against God and his chosen king.
²tn The Hebrew verb vgr occurs only here. In Dan 6:6, 11, 15 the Aramaic cognate verb describes several officials acting as a group. A Hebrew nominal derivative is used in Ps 55:14 of a crowd of people in the temple.
³tn The interrogative hml, “why?” is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
⁴tn Or “peoples.”
⁵tn The Hebrew imperfect form describes the rebellion as underway. The verb hgh, which means “to recite quietly, meditate,” here has the metonymic nuance “devise, plan, plot” (see Ps 38:12; Prov 24:2).
⁶tn Heb “devising emptiness.” The noun qyr, “emptiness,” may characterize their behavior as “worthless, morally bankrupt,” but more likely refers to the outcome of their plots. As the rest of the psalm emphasizes, their rebellion will fail.
⁷sn This refers somewhat hyperbolically to the kings who had been conquered by and were subject to the Davidic king.
⁸tn Or “take their stand.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes their action as underway.
⁹tn Or “conspire together.” The verbal form is a niphal from dsy. BDB (413-14) derive the verb from dsy, “to establish, found,” but KB (417) proposes a homonym meaning “get together, conspire” (an alternate form of dws).
¹⁰tn Heb “and against his anointed one.” The Davidic king is the referent (see vv. 6-7).
¹¹tn The words “they say” are added in the translation for clarification. The rebellious kings are quoted.
¹²tn Heb “their (i.e., the LORD’s and the king’s) shackles.” The kings compare the rule of the Lord and his vice-regent to being imprisoned.
¹³tn Heb “throw off from us.”
¹⁴tn Heb “sitting.” The verb bvy is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12; 123:1).
¹⁵tn As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laughter. The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in vv. 4-5 describe the action from the perspective of an eye-witness who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.
¹⁶tn Or “scoffs at, derides, mocks.”
¹⁷sn And terrifies them in his rage. This line focuses on the effect that God’s angry response has on the rebellious kings.
¹⁸tn The words “he says” are added in the translation for clarification. The Lord is quoted.
¹⁹tn The first person pronoun appears before the first person verbal form for emphasis.
²⁰tn Or perhaps “consecrated” (see KB, 703).
²¹tn The words “the king says” are added in the translation for clarification. The Lord’s chosen king is quoted.
²²tn Or “I will relate the decree. The LORD said to me” (in accordance with the Masoretic accentuation).
²³sn The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 89:26-27). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See Moshe Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” Journal of the American Oriental Society 90 (1970), 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
²⁴sn I will give you the nations. The Lord promises the Davidic king universal dominion.
²⁵tc The LXX has “you will shepherd them.” This reading assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal text and understands the verb as hur, “to shepherd,” rather than uur, “break.” But the presence of Jpn, “smash” in the next line strongly favors the MT reading.
²⁶tn fbv can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.
²⁷sn Potter’s jar. Before the king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.
²⁸sn The psalmist or the Davidic king now addresses the rebellious kings.
²⁹tn The niphal has here a tolerative nuance; the kings are urged to submit themselves to the advice being offered.
³⁰tn The verb “serve” refers here to submitting to the Lord’s sovereignty as expressed through the rule of the Davidic king. Such “service” would involve maintaining allegiance to the Davidic king by paying tribute on a regular basis.
³¹tn Traditionally, “rejoice in trembling.” The verb lyg normally means “rejoice,” but this meaning does not fit well here in conjunction with “in trembling.” Some try to understand “trembling” (and the parallel hary, "fear”) in the sense of “reverential awe” and then take the verbs “serve” and “rejoice” in the sense of “worship.” But hdur, “trembling,” and its related terms consistently refer to utter terror and fear (see Exod 15:15; Job 4:14; Pss 48:6; 55:5; 104:32; Isa 33:14; Dan 10:11) or at least great emotional distress (Ezra 10:9). It seems more likely here that lyg carries its polarized meaning “mourn, lament,” as in Hos 10:5. “Mourn, lament” would then be metonymic in this context for “repent” of one’s rebellious ways. On the meaning of the verb in Hos 10:5, see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea, 556-57.
³²tn Traditionally, “kiss the son.” But rb^ is the Aramaic, not Hebrew, word for “son.” For this reason many regard the reading as suspect. Some propose emendations of vv. 11b-12a. One of the more popular proposals is to read wylgrl wqvn hdurb, “in trembling kiss his feet.” It makes better sense to understand rb^ as an adjective meaning “pure” (see Pss 24:4; 73:1 and BDB, 141) functioning here in an adverbial sense. If read this way, then the syntactical structure of exhortation (imperative followed by adverbial modifier) corresponds to the two preceding lines (see v. 11). The verb qvn, “kiss,” refers metonymically to showing homage (see 1 Sam 10:1; Hos 13:2). The exhortation in v. 12a advocates a genuine expression of allegiance and warns against insincerity. When swearing allegiance, vassal kings would sometimes do so insincerely, with the intent of rebelling when the time was right. The so-called “Vassal Treaties of Esarhaddon” also warn against such an attitude. In this treaty the vassal is told: “If you, as you stand on the soil where this oath (is sworn), swear the oath with your words and lips (only), do not swear with your entire heart, do not transmit it to your sons who will live after this treaty, if you take this curse upon yourselves but do not plan to keep the treaty of Esarhaddon . . . may your sons and grandsons because of this fear in the future.” See J. Pritchard, The Ancient Near East, 2:62.
³³tn The implied subject of the verb is the Lord, mentioned in v. 11. Elsewhere the subject of this verb is consistently the Lord, suggesting it may be a technical term for divine anger. Anger is here used metoymically for judgment, as the following statement makes clear. A Moabite cognate occurs in the Mesha inscription, where it is used of the Moabite god Chemosh’s anger at his people. See J. Pritchard, The Ancient Near East, 1:209.
³⁴tn Heb “and you will perish (in the) way.” The word Jrd, “way,” here refers to their rebellious behavior. It functions syntactically as an adverbial accusative in relation to the verb “perish.”
³⁵tn Or “burns.” The Lord’s anger is compared here to fire, the most destructive force known in ancient Israel.
³⁶tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
³⁷tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
³⁸sn Ps 3. The psalmist acknowledges that he is confronted by many enemies (vv. 1-2). But, alluding to a divine oracle he has received (vv. 4-5), he affirms his confidence in God’s ability to protect him (vv. 3, 6) and requests that God make his promise a reality (vv. 7-8).
³⁹sn According to Jewish tradition, David offered this prayer when he was forced to flee from Jerusalem during his son Absalom’s attempted coup (see 2 Sam 15).
¹tn Hebrew hm, “how,” is used here as an adverbial exclamation (see BDB, 553).
²tn Heb “many rise up against me.”
³tn Heb “there is no deliverance for him in God.”
⁴sn The function of the Hebrew term hls, transliterated here “Selah,” is uncertain. It may be a musical direction of some kind.
⁵tn Heb “a shield round about me.”
⁶tn Heb “my glory,” or “my honor.” The psalmist affirms that the Lord is his source of honor, i.e., the one who gives him honor in the sight of others. According to BDB (459), the phrase refers to God as the one to whom the psalmist gives honor. But the the immediate context focuses on what God does for the psalmist, not vice-versa.
⁷tn Heb “lifts my head.” The weary psalmist’s “head is down,” but he is confident the Lord “will lift his head” by giving him renewed physical strength and emotional vigor. See Ps 110:7.
⁸tn The prefixed verbal form could be an imperfect, yielding the translation “I cry out,” but the verb form in the next line (a waw consecutive with the preterite) suggests this is a brief narrative of what has already happened. Consequently the verb form in v. 4a is better understood as a preterite, “I cried out.” (For another example of the preterite of this same verb form, see Ps 30:8.) Sometime after the crisis arose, the psalmist prayed to the Lord and received an assuring answer. Now he confidently awaits the fulfillment of the divine promise.
⁹sn His holy hill. That is, Zion (see Pss 2:6; 48:1-2). The psalmist recognizes that the Lord dwells in his sanctuary on Zion.
¹⁰tn The three verbal forms that appear in succession here (perfect + waw consecutive with preterite + perfect) are most naturally taken as narratival. When the psalmist received an assuring word from the Lord, he was able to calmly sleep. Because the Lord was protecting him, he awoke safely from his sleep.
¹¹tn Or “supports, sustains.” In this explanatory causal clause the imperfect verbal form probably has a habitual or present progressive nuance, for the psalmist is confident of God’s continual protection (see v. 3). Another option is to take the verb as a preterite, “for the LORD protected me.” In this case, the psalmist focuses specifically on the protection God provided while he slept.
¹²tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s continuing attitude as he faces the crisis at hand.
¹³tn Or perhaps, “troops.” The noun <u sometimes refers to a military contingent or army.
¹⁴tn Heb “who all around take a stand against me.”
¹⁵tn In v. 2 the psalmist describes his enemies as those who “confront” him (<ymq, lit. “rise up against him”). Now, using the same verbal root (<wq) he asks the Lord to rise up (hmwq) in his defense.
¹⁶tn Elsewhere in the psalms the particle yk, when collocated with a perfect verbal form and subordinated to a preceding imperative directed to God, almost always has an explanatory or causal force (“for, because”) and introduces a motivating argument for why God should respond positively to the request (see Pss 5:10; 6:2;12:1; 16:1; 41:4; 55:9; 56:1; 57:1; 60:2; 69:1; 74:20; 119:94; 123:3; 142:6; 143:8). (On three occasions the yk is recitative after a verb of perception (“see/know that,” see Pss 4:3; 25:19; 119:159). If yk is taken as explanatory here, then the psalmist is arguing that God should deliver him now because that is what he characteristically does. However, such a motivating argument is not used in the passages cited above. The motivating argument usually focuses on the nature of the psalmist’s dilemma or the fact that he trusts in the Lord. For this reason it is unlikely that yk has its normal force here. Most understand the particle yk as having an asseverative (emphasizing) function here (“indeed, yes”).
¹⁷tn If yk is taken as explanatory, then the perfect verbal forms in v. 7b would describe God’s characteristic behavior. However, as pointed out in the preceding note, the particle probably has an asseverative force here. If so, the perfects may be taken as indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s assault on his enemies as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm, as expressed before (vv. 3-6) and after this (v. 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“strike . . . break”). See W-O, 494-95. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
¹⁸sn The expression “break the teeth” may envision violent hand-to hand combat, though it is possible that the enemies are pictured here as a dangerous animal (see Job 29:17).
¹⁹sn In the psalms the “wicked” (<yuvr) are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps. 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
²⁰tn Heb “to the LORD (is) deliverance.”
²¹tn Heb “upon your people (is) your blessing.” In this context God’s “blessing” includes deliverance/protection, vindication and sustained life (see Pss 21:3, 6; 24:5).
²²sn Ps 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.
²³tn Heb “God of my vindication.”
²⁴tn Heb “in distress (or, “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). See W-O, 494-95. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
²⁵tn Or “show me favor.”
²⁶tn Heb “hear.”
²⁷tn Heb “sons of man.”
²⁸tn Heb “how long my honor to shame?”
²⁹tn The interrogative construction hm-du, “how long?”, is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
³⁰tn Heb “emptiness.”
³¹tn Heb “a lie.” Some see the metonymic language of v. 2b (“emptiness, lie”) as referring to idols or false gods. However, there is no solid immediate contextual evidence for such an interpretation. It is more likely that the psalmist addresses those who threaten him (see v. 1) and refers in a general way to their sinful lifestyle. (See TDOT, 7:121.) The two terms allude to the fact that sinful behavior is ultimately fruitless and self-destructive.
³²tn Heb “and know that.”
³³tn Heb “that the LORD sets apart a faithful one for himself.” The psalmist states a general principle, though the singular form and the parallel line indicate he has himself in mind as the representative faithful follower. A dysj, “faithful follower,” is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
³⁴tn Heb “hears.”
³⁵sn The psalmist warns his enemies that they need to tremble with fear before God and repudiate their sinful ways.
³⁶tn Heb “say in your heart(s) on your bed(s) and wail/lament.” The verb wmd is understood as a form of <md, “wail, lament” (see KB, 226) in sorrow and repentance. Another option is to take the verb from <md, “be quiet” (see BDB, 198), in which case one might translate, “Do some quiet soul-searching as you lie in bed.”
³⁷tn Or “proper, right.” The phrase also occurs in Deut 33:19 and Ps 51:19.
³⁸sn Trust in the LORD. The psalmist urges his enemies to make peace with God and become his followers.
³⁹tn Heb “lift up upon us the light of your face, LORD.” The verb hsn is apparently an alternate form of acn, “lift up.” See GKC, 217, para 76b. The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
sn Smile upon us. Though many are discouraged, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and transform the situation.
⁴⁰tn Heb “you place joy in my heart.” Another option is to understand the perfect verbal form as indicating certitude, “you will make me happier.”
⁴¹tn Heb “from (i.e., more than) the time (when) their grain and their wine are abundant.”
⁴²tn Heb “in peace at the same time I will lie down and sleep.”
⁴³tn Heb “for you, LORD, solitarily, securely make me dwell.” The translation understands ddbl as modifying the verb; the Lord keeps enemies away from the psalmist so that he is safe and secure. Another option is to take ddbl with what precedes and translate, “you alone, LORD, make me secure.”
⁴⁴sn Ps 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.
⁴⁵tn The meaning of the Hebrew word twlyjn, which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to lylj, “flute.”
¹tn Heb “my words.”
²tn Or “sighing” (see KB, 238). The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.
³sn The “morning” is here viewed as the time of prayer (Pss 59:16; 88:13) and/or of deliverance (Ps 30:5).
⁴tn The imperfect is here understood in a specific future sense; the psalmist is expressing his confidence that God will be willing to hear his request. Another option is to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s wish or request. In this case one might translate, “hear me.”
⁵tn Heb “my voice.”
⁶tn Heb “I will arrange for you.” Some understand a sacrifice or offering as the implied object. The translation above assumes that the implied object is the psalmist’s case/request. See Isa 44:7.
⁷tn Heb “and I will watch.”
⁸tn Or “for.”
⁹tn Heb “not a God (who) delights (in) wickedness (are) you.”
¹⁰tn The Hebrew text has simply the singular form ur, which may be taken as an abstract noun “evil” (the reference to “wickedness” in the preceding line favors this) or as a substantival adjective “evil one” (the references to evil people in the next two verses favor this).
¹¹tn Heb “cannot dwell as a resident alien (with) you.” The negated imperfect verbal form here indicates incapability or lack of permission. They are morally incapable of dwelling in God’s presence and are not permitted to do so.
sn Only the godly are allowed to dwell with the Lord. Arrogant people are excluded. See Ps 15.
¹²tn Heb “before your eyes.”
¹³sn You hate. The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds, and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 11:5.
¹⁴tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.”
¹⁵tn The imperfect verbal form indicates God’s typical response to such individuals. Another option is to translate the verb as future; the psalmist may be envisioning a time of judgment when God will remove the wicked from the scene.
¹⁶tn Heb “those who speak a lie.” In the OT a “lie” does not refer in a general philosophical sense to any statement that fails to correspond to reality. Instead it refers more specifically to a slanderous and/or deceitful statement that promotes one’s own selfish, sinful interests and/or exploits or harms those who are innocent. Note the emphasis on violence and deceit in the following line.
¹⁷tn The imperfect verbal form highlights the Lord’s characteristic attitude toward such individuals.
¹⁸tn Heb “a man of bloodshed and deceit.” The singular vya, “man,” is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural forms in vv. 5-6a.
¹⁹tn By placing the first person pronoun at the beginning of the verse, the psalmist highlights the contrast between the evildoers’ actions and destiny, outlined in the preceding verses, with his own.
²⁰sn I will enter. The psalmist is confident that God will accept him into his presence, in contrast to the evildoers (see v. 5).
²¹tn Heb “in fear (of) you.” The noun hary, “fear,” when used of fearing God, is sometimes used metonymically for what it ideally produces, “worship, reverence, piety.” See BDB, 432; KB, 434.
²²tn “lead me in your vindication.” God’s providential leading is in view. His hqdx is here the deliverance that originates in his justice; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB, 842.
²³tn Heb “because of those who watch me (with evil intent).” See also Pss 27:11; 56:2.
²⁴tn Heb “make level before me your way.” The imperative “make level” is hiphil in the kethib (consonantal text); piel in the qere (marginal reading). God’s “way” is here the way in which he leads the psalmist providentially (see the preceding line, where the psalmist asks the Lord to lead him).
²⁵tn Or “certainly.”
²⁶tn Heb “for there is not in his mouth truthfulness.” The singular pronoun probably refers back to the “man of bloodshed and deceit” mentioned in v. 6. The singular is collective or representative, as the plural in the next line indicates.
²⁷tn Heb “their inward part(s) is destruction.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note at the end of the verse.
²⁸tn Heb “their throat is an open grave.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note at the end of the verse. The metaphor is suggested by the physical resemblance of the human throat to a deeply dug grave; both are dark chasms.
²⁹tn Heb “they make smooth their tongue.” Flattering, deceitful words are in view. See Ps 12:2.
sn The psalmist’s deceitful enemies are compared to the realm of death/Sheol in v. 9b. Sheol was envisioned as a dark region within the earth, the entrance to which was the grave with its steep slopes (cf. Ps 88:4-6). The enemies’ victims are pictured here as slipping down a steep slope (the enemies’ tongues) and falling into an open grave (their throat) that terminates in destruction in the inner recesses of Sheol (their stomach). The enemies’ brq, “inward part,” refers here to their thoughts and motives, which are destructive in their intent. (See BDB, 899.) The throat is where these destructive thoughts are transformed into words, and their tongue is what they use to speak the deceitful words that lead their innocent victims to their demise. As the psalmist walks down the path in which God leads him, he asks the Lord to guide his steps and remove danger from the path (v. 8), because he knows his enemies have “dug a grave” for him, and are ready to use their deceitful words to “swallow him up” like Sheol and bring him to ruin.
³⁰tn Heb “declare/regard them as guilty.” Declaring them guilty is here metonymic for judging them or paying them back for their wrongdoing.
³¹tn Heb “may they fall from their plans.” The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation. The psalmist calls judgment down upon the evildoers. Their plans will be their downfall in that God will judge them for their evil schemes.
³²tn Or “banish them.”
³³tn The noun used here, uvp, refers to rebellious actions. The psalmist pictures his enemies as rebels against God (see the next line).
³⁴sn Take shelter. See the note at 2:12.
³⁵tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer. The psalmist calls upon God to reward his faithful followers.
³⁶tn Or perhaps more hyperbolically, “forever.”
³⁷tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer.
³⁸tn Heb “put a cover over them.” The verb form is a hiphil imperfect from Jks, “cover, shut off.” The imperfect expresses the psalmist’s wish or request.
³⁹tn Heb “the lovers of your name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to the Lord. See Pss 69:36; 119:132; Isa 56:6.
⁴⁰tn The waw with prefixed verbal form following the volitional “shelter them” indicates purpose or result.
⁴¹tn Or “for.”
⁴²tn Or “bless.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line highlight how God characteristically rewards and protects the godly.
⁴³tn Or “innocent.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense.
⁴⁴tn Heb “surrounds.” In 1 Sam 23:26 the verb describes how Saul and his men hemmed David in as they chased him.
⁴⁵tn Heb “him.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense.
⁴⁶tn Or “with favor.” There is no preposition before the noun in the Hebrew text, nor is there a pronoun attached. “Favor” here stands by metonymy for God’s defensive actions on behalf of the one whom he finds acceptable.
⁴⁷sn Ps 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, he then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.
⁴⁸tn The meaning of tynymv is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
¹tn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).
²tn Or “show me favor.”
³tn Normally the verb lhb refers to an emotional response and means “tremble with fear, be terrified” (see vv. 3, 10). Perhaps here the “bones” are viewed as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. However, the verb may describe one of the effects of his physical ailment, perhaps a fever. In Ezek 7:27 the verb describes how the hands of the people will shake with fear when they experience the horrors of divine judgment.
⁴tn Heb “my being is very terrified.” The suffixed form of vpn, “being,” is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
⁵tn Heb “and you, LORD, how long?”The suffering psalmist speaks in broken syntax. He addresses God, but then simply cries out with a brief, but poignant, question.
⁶tn Heb “my being,” or “my life.” The suffixed form of vpn, “being,” is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
⁷sn Though the psalmist is experiencing divine discipline, he realizes that God has made a commitment to him in the past, so he appeals to God’s faithfulness in his request for help.
⁸tn Heb “for there is not in death your remembrance.” The noun rkz, “remembrance,” here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. See KB, 271, and Pss 30:4; 97:12. “Death” here refers to the realm of death where the dead reside. See the reference to Sheol in the next line.
⁹tn The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”
sn According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 30:9; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!
¹⁰tn Heb “I cause to swim through all the night my bed.”
¹¹tn Heb “with my tears my bed I flood/melt.”
¹²tn The Hebrew text has the singular.
¹³tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.” See K-B, 898.
¹⁴tn Or perhaps, “grow old.”
¹⁵sn In his weakened condition he is vulnerable to the taunts and threats of his enemies.
¹⁶tn Heb “all (you) workers of wickedness.” See Ps 5:5.
¹⁷sn The LORD has heard. The psalmist’s mood abruptly changes, because the Lord responded positively to the lament and petition of vv. 1-7 and promised him deliverance.
¹⁸tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a preterite here; it is parallel to a perfect and refers to the fact that the Lord has responded favorably to his request.
¹⁹tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling judgment down on his enemies.
²⁰tn Heb “and may they be very terrified.” The psalmist uses the same expression in v. 3 to describe the terror he was experiencing. Now he asks the Lord to turn the tables and cause his enemies to know what absolute terror feels like.
²¹sn Ps 7. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from his enemies. He protests his innocence and declares his confidence in God’s justice.
²²tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term is uncertain. Some derive the noun from the verbal root hgv, “swerve, reel,” and understand it as referring to a “wild, passionate song, with rapid changes of rhythm” (see BDB, 993). But this proposal is purely speculative. The only other appearance of the noun is in Hab 3:1, where it occurs in the plural.
²³tn Or,”on account of.”
²⁴sn Apparently Cush was one of David’s enemies.
¹tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
²tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew text, even though “all who chase me” in v. 1 refers to a whole group of enemies. The singular is also used in vv. 4-5, but the psalmist returns to the plural in v. 6. The singular is probably collective, emphasizing the united front that the psalmist’s enemies present. This same alternation between a collective singular and a plural referring to enemies appears in Pss 9:3, 6; 13:4; 31:4, 8; 41:6, 10-11; 42:9-10; 55:3; 64:1-2; 74:3-4; 89:22-23; 106:10-11; 143:3, 6, 9.
³tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to vpn is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
⁴tn Heb “tearing (the form is a singular active participle) and there is no one rescuing.”
⁵tn Heb “if I have done this.”
⁶tn Heb “if there is injustice in my hands.” The “hands” suggest deeds or actions.
⁷tn Heb “if I have repaid the one at peace with me evil.” The form ymlwv, “the one at peace with me,” probably refers to a close friend or ally, i.e., one with whom the psalmist has made a formal agreement. See BDB, 1023,
⁸tn The Hebrew text reads, “or rescued my enemy in vain.” The preterite with waw consecutive (the verb form is pseudo-cohortative, see W-O, 576-77) carries on the hypothetical nuance of the perfect in the preceding line. Some regard the statement as a parenthetical assertion that the psalmist is kind to his enemies, while others define Jlj as “despoil,” an otherwise unattested nuance for this verb, or emend it to Jjl, “oppress.” Most construe the adverb <qyr, “emptily, vainly,” with “my enemy,” i.e., the one who is my enemy in vain.” The translation above (1) assumes an emendation of yr]r+ox, “my enemy,” to orr+ox, “his (i.e., the psalmist’s ally’s) enemy,” (2) understands the final mem on <qyr as enclitic, and (3) takes qyr as an adjective modifying “his enemy.” (For other examples of a suffixed noun followed by an attributive adjective without the article, see Pss 18:17 (“my strong enemy”), 99:3 (“your great and awesome name”) and 143:10 (“your good spirit”). The adjective qyr occurs with the sense “lawless” in Judg 9:4; 11:3; 2 Chr 13:7. In this case the psalmist affirms that he has not wronged his ally, nor has he given aid to his ally’s enemies. Ancient Near Eastern treaties typically included such clauses, with one or both parties agreeing not to lend aid to the treaty partner’s enemies.
⁹tn The vocalization of the verb form seems to be a mixture of qal and piel (see GKC, 168, para 63n). The translation assumes the piel, which would emphasize the repetitive nature of the action. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a jussive. The psalmist is so certain that he is innocent of the sins mentioned in vv. 3-4, he pronounces an imprecation on himself for rhetorical effect.
¹⁰tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to vpn is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
¹¹tn Heb “and may he overtake.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. The object “me,” though unexpressed, is understood from the preceding statement.
¹²tn Heb “and may he trample down to the earth my life.”
¹³tn Heb “and my honor in the dust may he cause to dwell.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. Some emend yd!obk=, “my honor,” to yd!b@k=, “my liver” (as the seat of life, see KB, 456), but the term is to be retained since it probably refers to the psalmist’s dignity or honor.
¹⁴tn Heb “in your anger.”
¹⁵tn Heb “Lift yourself up in the angry outbursts of my enemies.” Many understand the preposition prefixed to twrbu, “angry outbursts,” as adversative, “against,” and the following genitive “enemies” as subjective. In this case one might translate, “spring into action against my furious enemies.” The translation above takes the preposition as indicating manner (cf. “in your anger” in the previous line) and understands the plural form of the noun as indicating an abstract quality (“fury”) or excessive degree (“raging fury”)(cf. Job 21:30).
¹⁶tc Heb “Wake up to me (with the) judgment (which) you have commanded.” The LXX understands yl!a@, “my God,” instead of yl^a@, “to me.” If MT is retained, the preposition probably has the sense of “on account of, for the sake of.” The noun fpvm, “judgment,” is probably an adverbial accusative, modifying the initial imperative, “wake up.” In this case tywx, “(which) you have commanded,” is an asyndetic relative clause. Some take the perfect as precative. In this case one might translate the final line, “Wake up for my sake! Decree judgment!” However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
¹⁷tn Heb “and the assembly of the peoples surrounds you.” Some understand the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may the assembly of the peoples surround you.”
¹⁸tn Heb “over it (the feminine suffix refers back to the feminine noun “assembly” in the preceding line) on high return.” Some emend hb*Wv, “return,” to hb*v@, “sit (in judgment),” because they find the implication of “return” problematic. But the psalmist does not mean to imply that God has abandoned his royal throne and needs to regain it. Rather he simply urges God, as sovereign king of the world, to once more occupy his royal seat of judgment and execute judgment, as the OT pictures him periodically doing.
¹⁹tn In hyperbolic fashion the psalmist pictures the nations assembled around the divine throne. He urges God to take his rightful place on the throne and then pictures him making judicial decisions that vindicate the innocent (see vv. 8-16).
²⁰tn Heb “judge me, O LORD, according to my innocence.”
²¹tn Heb “according to my blamelessness.” The imperative “vindicate” governs the second line as well.
²²tn The Hebrew form ylu has been traditionally understood as the preposition lu, “over,” with a first person suffix. But this is syntactically awkward and meaningless. The form is probably a divine title derived from the verbal root hlu, “ascend.” This relatively rare title appears elsewhere in the OT (see KB, 824-25, though this text is not listed) and in Ugaritic as an epithet for Baal (see J. Gibson, CML, 98). See M. Dahood, Psalms I, 44-45, and P. Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 98.
²³sn In the psalms the “wicked” (<yuvr) are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps. 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
²⁴tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing here an imprecation.
²⁵tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.
²⁶tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.
²⁷tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.
²⁸tn Heb “and (the one who) tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order for purposes of English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character. See BDB, 525 and 480, respectively.
²⁹tn Traditionally, “my shield is upon God.” As in v. 8, lu should be understood as a divine title, here compounded with “God.” See M. Dahood, Psalms I, 45-46. The shield metaphor pictures God as a protector against deadly attacks.
³⁰tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
³¹tn Heb “God (the divine name la is used) is angry during all the day.” The verb <uz means “be indignant, angry, curse.” Here it refers metonymically to the judgment that originates in God’s angry response to wrongdoing and injustice.
³²tn Heb “if he does not return, his sword he sharpens.” The subject of the first verb is understood as the sinner who fails to repent of his ways and becomes the target of God’s judgment (vv. 9, 14-16).
³³tn Heb “his bow he treads and prepares it.”
³⁴tn Heb “and for him he prepares the weapons of death.”
³⁵tn Heb “his arrows into flaming (things) he makes.”
³⁶tn Heb “and he conceives harm and gives birth to a lie.”
sn Gives birth. The psalmist metaphorically pictures the typical sinner as a pregnant woman, who is ready to give birth to wicked, destructive schemes and actions.
³⁷tn Heb “a pit he digs and he excavates it.” Apparently the imagery of hunting is employed; he digs this pit to entrap and destroy his intended victim.
³⁸tn The verb forms in vv. 15-16 describe the typical behavior and destiny of those who attempt to destroy others. The image of the evildoer falling into the very trap he set for his intended victim emphasizes the appropriate nature of God’s judgment.
³⁹tn Heb “his harm (i.e., the harm he conceived for others, see v. 14) returns on his head.”
⁴⁰tn Heb “and on his forehead his violence (i.e., the violence he intended to do to others) comes down.”
⁴¹tn Heb “according to.”
⁴²tn Heb “(to) the name of the LORD Most High.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case the compound “LORD Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (/wylu) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
⁴³sn Ps 8. In this hymn to the sovereign creator, the psalmist praises God’s majesty and marvels that God has given mankind dominion over the created order.
⁴⁴tn The precise meaning of tytgh is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or instrument.
¹tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the Lord’s absolute sovereignty.
²tn Or “awesome, majestic.”
³tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
⁴tc The Hebrew text reads, “which, give, your majesty on the heavens.” The verb form hnt (an imperative?) is corrupt. The form should be emended to a second masculine singular perfect (httn) or imperfect (/tt) form. The introductory rva can be taken as a relative pronoun (“you who”) or as a causal conjunction (“because”). One may literally translate, “you who (or, “because you”) place your majesty upon the heavens.” For other uses of the phrase “place majesty upon” see Num 27:20 and 1 Chr 29:25.
⁵tn Heb “from/out of the mouth of children and nursing babies.”
⁶tn Heb “you establish strength because of your foes.” The meaning of the statement is unclear. Perhaps the point is this: In response to the frightened cries that come from the mouths of helpless infants when God’s enemies threaten them, the Lord intervenes and protects them.
⁷tn Heb “to cause to cease an enemy and an avenger.” The singular forms are collective. The hithpael participle of <qn also occurs in Ps 44:16.
⁸tn Heb “when I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and stars which you established.” The verb “I see” is understood by ellipsis in the second half of the verse.
⁹tn The words “I think” are added in the translation to clarify the syntactical and logical conection of this statement to what precedes.
¹⁰tn Heb “What is mankind?” The singular noun vwna is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race.
¹¹tn Heb “remember him.”
¹²tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
¹³tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.
¹⁴tn Heb “and you make him lack a little from (the) gods (or “God”).” The piel form of rsj, “to decrease, be devoid,” is used only here and in Eccl 4:8, where it means “deprive, cause to be lacking.” The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive either carries on the characteristic nuance of the imperfect in v. 5b or indicates a consequence (“so that you make him . . .”) of the preceding statement (see GKC, 328, para. 111m). Some prefer to make this an independent clause and translate it as a new sentence, “You made him . . . .” In this case the statement might refer specifically to the creation of the first human couple (cf Gen 1:26-27). The psalmist does appear to allude to Gen 1:26-27, where mankind is created in the image of God and his angelic assembly. (Note “let us make man in our image” in v. 26.). However, the psalmist’s statement need not be limited in its focus to that historical event, for all mankind shares the image imparted to the first human couple. Consequently the psalmist can speak in general terms of the exalted nature of mankind. The referent of <yhla is unclear. Some understand this as a reference to God alone, but the allusion to Gen 1:26-27 suggests a broader referent, including God and the other heavenly beings (known in other texts as “angels”). <yhla is also used in this way in Gen 3:5, where the serpent says to the woman, “you will be like the heavenly beings who know good and evil.” (Note v. 22, where God says, “the man has become like one of us.”) <yhla may also refer to the members of the heavenly assembly in Ps 82:1, 6. The LXX (the ancient Greek translation of the OT) reads “angels” in Ps 8:5 (see also Heb 2:7).
¹⁵tn Heb “you crown him (with).” The imperfect verbal forms in this and the next line describe God’s characteristic activity.
¹⁶sn Honor and majesty. The terms allude to mankind’s royal status as God’s vice-regents (cf v. 6 and Gen 1:26-30).
¹⁷tn Heb “you cause (i.e., “permit, allow”) him to rule over the works of your hands.”
¹⁸tn The perfect verbal form probably has a present perfect nuance here. It refers to the continuing effects of God’s original mandate (see Gen 1:26-30).
¹⁹tn Heb “under his feet.”
sn This verse affirms that mankind rules over God’s creation as his vice-regent. See Gen 1:26-30.
²⁰tn Heb “and also the beasts of the field.”
²¹tn Heb “paths.”
²²tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the Lord’s absolute sovereignty.
²³tn Or “awesome, majestic.”
²⁴tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
²⁵sn Verse 9. Using the poetic device of inclusio, the psalmist ends the psalm the way he began it.
²⁶sn Ps 9. The psalmist, probably speaking on behalf of Israel or Judah, praises God for delivering him from hostile nations. He celebrates God’s sovereignty and justice, and calls upon others to join him in boasting of God’s greatness. Some ancient manuscripts and versions join Pss 9 and 10.
²⁷tc The meaning of twmlu is uncertain. Some manuscripts divide the form into tWm lu^, “according to the death (of the son),” while the LXX assumes a reading toml%u& lu^, “according to alumoth.” The phrase probably refers to a particular tune or musical style.
¹tn The cohortative forms in vv. 1-2 express the psalmist’s resolve to praise God publicly.
²tn Heb “(to) your name, O Most High.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “Most High.” This divine title (/wylu) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
³tn Or “perish, die.” The imperfect verbal forms in this line either emphasize what typically happens or describe vividly the aftermath of a recent battle in which the Lord defeated the psalmist’s enemies.
⁴tn Heb “for you accomplished my justice and my legal claim.”
⁵tn Heb “you sat on a throne (as) one who judges (with) righteousness.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 4 probably allude to a recent victory (see vv. 5-7). Another option is to understand the verbs as describing what is typical (“you defend . . . sit”).
⁶tn The verb rug is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See TDOT, 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
⁷tn The singular form is collective (note “nations” and “their name”).
sn In the psalms the “wicked” (<yuvr) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps. 37:21). In this context the hostile nations who threaten Israel/Judah are in view.
⁸tn Heb “their name you wiped out forever and ever.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 5 probably refer to a recent victory (definite past or present perfect use), though they might express what is typical (characteristic use).
⁹tn Heb “the enemy—they have come to an end (in) ruins permanently.” The singular form bywa, “enemy,” is collective. It is placed at the beginning of the verse to heighten the contrast with hwhy, “the LORD,” in v. 7.
¹⁰tn Heb “you uprooted cities.”
¹¹tn Heb “it has perished, their remembrance, they.” The independent pronoun at the end of the line is in apposition to the preceding pronominal suffix and lends emphasis. See W-O, 299. The masculine pronoun refers to the nations/enemies (cf v. 5), not the cities (<yru, “cities,” is grammatically feminine).
¹²tn The construction waw + subject highlights the contrast between the exalted Lord and his defeated foes (see v. 6).
¹³tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, see v. 4). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.
¹⁴tn Heb “he establishes for justice his throne.”
¹⁵tn Heb “the peoples.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 8 either describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge . . .”).
¹⁶tn Following the imperfect in v. 9, the construction waw conjunctive + shortened form of the prefixed verb hyh indicates a consequence or result of the preceding statement. The construction functions this same way in Pss 81:15 and 104:20.
¹⁷tn Heb “and the LORD is an elevated place for the oppressed.” The singular form Jd, “oppressed,” is collective here.
¹⁸tn Heb “(he is) an elevated place for times in trouble.”
¹⁹tn Heb “and the ones who know your name trust in you.” The construction waw conjunctive + imperfect at the beginning of the verse expresses another consequence of the statement made in v. 8. “To know” the Lord’s “name” means to recognize his authority and maintain loyalty to him. See Ps 91:14, where “knowing” the Lord’s “name” is associated with loving him.
²⁰tn Heb “the ones who seek you.”
²¹tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, see v. 4). Another option is to translate “lives, dwells.”
²²tn Heb “declare among the nations his deeds.”
²³tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea, “seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form <ymd, “shed blood,” occurs only here as the object of vrd; the singular form <d, “blood,” appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line.
²⁴tn Heb “did not forget.”
²⁵tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.
²⁶tn The words “when they prayed,” though not represented in the Hebrew text, are added in the translation for clarification. The petition in vv. 13-14 is best understood as the cry for help which the oppressed offered to God when the nations threatened. The Lord answered this request, prompting the present song of thanksgiving.
²⁷tn Or “show me favor.”
²⁸tn Heb “see my misery from the ones who hate me.”
²⁹tn Heb “one who lifts me up.”
³⁰tn Or “so that I might.”
³¹tn Heb “all your praise.” “Praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt it. See BDB, 240.
³²sn Daughter Zion is an idiomatic title for Jerusalem. It appears frequently in the prophets, but only here in the Psalms.
³³tn Heb “in your deliverance.”
³⁴tn Heb “sank down.”
³⁵sn Verse 15. Their hostility against God’s people is their downfall, for it prompts God to intervene and destroy them. See as well Ps 7:15-16.
³⁶tn Heb “by the work of his hands (the) wicked (one) was ensnared. The singular form uvr, “wicked,” is collective or representative here (see vv. 15, 17). The form vq@on appears to be an otherwise unattested qal form (active participle) from vqn, but the form should be emended to vq^on, a niphal perfect from vqy. See KB, 432, 723.
³⁷tn This is probably a technical musical term. See KB, 238.
³⁸tn Heb “the wicked turn back to Sheol.” The imperfect verbal form either emphasizes what typically happens or describes vividly the aftermath of the Lord’s victory over the psalmist’s enemies. See v. 3.
³⁹tn The words “this is the destiny of” are added in the translation fror stylistic reasons. The verb “are turned back” is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
⁴⁰tn Heb “forget.” “Forgetting God” refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see also Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 44:20). Their refusal to acknowledge his sovereignty accounts for their brazen attempt to attack and destroy his people.
⁴¹tn Or “forgotten.”
⁴²tn Heb “the hope of the afflicted does (not) perish forever.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The imperfect verbal forms express what typically happens.
⁴³sn Verse 20. The psalm concludes with a petition that the Lord would continue to exercise his justice as he has done in the recent crisis.
⁴⁴tn Or “prevail.”
⁴⁵tn Heb “place, LORD, terror with regard to them.” hrwm, “terror,” is an alternative form of arwm (a reading that appears in some manuscripts and finds support in several ancient textual witnesses).
⁴⁶tn Heb “let the nations know they (are) man(kind).”
⁴⁷sn Ps 10. Many Hebrew manuscripts and the ancient Greek version (LXX) combine Psalms 9 and 10. Taken in isolation, Psalm 10 is a petition for help in which the psalmist urges the Lord to deliver him from his dangerous enemies, whom he describes in vivid and terrifying detail. The psalmist concludes with confidence; he is certain that God’s justice will prevail.
¹tn Heb “you hide for times in trouble.” The interrogative “why” is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The hiphil verbal form “hide” has no expressed object. Some supply “your eyes” by ellipsis (see BDB, 761, and KB, 835) or emend the form to a niphal (“you hide yourself,” see BHS, note “c”).
²tn Heb “because of the pride of (the) wicked he burns (i.e. hotly pursues) (the) oppressed.” The singular forms uvr, “wicked,” and ynu, “oppressed,” are collective and representative, as indicated in the next line, which uses plural verb forms to describe the actions of both.
³tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 2 describe either what typically happens (from the psalmist’s perspective) or what the psalmist was experiencing at the time he offered this prayer.
⁴tn Heb “they are trapped in the schemes which they have thought up.”
⁵tn The translation assumes yk is asseverative, “indeed, certainly.” Another option is to translate “for,” understanding verse 3 as giving the reason why the wicked so arrogantly seek to destroy the helpless.
⁶tn The representative or typical evildoer is described in vv. 3-11, 13, 15. Since the singular form predominates in these verses, we have retained it in the translation.
⁷tn Heb “the wicked (one) boasts on account of the desire of his appetite.” The translation assumes that the preposition lu introduces the reason why the wicked boasts (cf. this use of lu with llh in Ps 119:164 and Ezra 3:11). In this case, the “desire of his appetite” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired.
⁸tn The translation assumes the active participle is substantival, referring to the wicked man mentioned in the preceding line. The substantival participle is then understood as the subject of the following verbs. For other examples of the participle of uxb used of those who desire and/or acquire wealth through dishonest and/or violent means, see Prov 1:19; 15:27; Jer 6:13; 8:10; Hab 2:9.
⁹tn The verb Jrb normally means “to bless,” but in a few cases it exhibits the polarized meaning “to curse” (1 Kgs 21:10, 13; Job 1:5-11; 2:5-9). (Some regard this use of Jrb as a mere euphemism.) The verb refers to the act of pronouncing or calling down a formal curse upon the object of one’s anger.
¹⁰tn The conjunction is supplied in the translation; it does not appear in the Hebrew text.
¹¹tn Another option is to translate, “he blesses one who robs others, (but) he curses the LORD.” In this case the subject of the verbs is “the wicked man” mentioned in the previous line, and “the one who robs others” is the object of the verb Jrb, which is understood in its usual sense of “bless.”
¹²tn Heb “the wicked (one), according to the height of his nose, he does not seek, there is no God, all his thoughts.” The phrase “height of his nose” probably refers to an arrogant or snooty attitude; it likely pictures one with his nose turned upward toward the sky in pride. See KB, 171. One could take the “wicked” as the subject of the negated verb “seek,” in which case the point is that the wicked do not “seek” God. The translation assumes that this statement, along with “there is no God,” is what the wicked man thinks to himself. In this case God is the subject of the verb “seek,” and the point is that God will not hold the wicked man accountable for his actions. Verse 13 strongly favors this interpretation. The statement “there is no God” is not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see v. 11).
¹³tn Heb “they are firm, his ways, at every time.” The verb lyj, “be firm. strong,” occurs only here and in Job 20:21, where it has the sense “endure.” See BDB, 298.
¹⁴tc Heb “(on a) height, your judgments from before him.” If the Hebrew text is retained, then the diea may be that God’s “judgments” are high above (i.e., not recognized) by the wicked man. However, the syntax is awkward. The translation above assumes an emendation of <wrm, “height,” to Wrs*, “(your judgments) are turned aside,” the final mem being dittographic (note the initial mem on the immediately following J%yfpvm, “your judgments”). “Judgments” probably refers here to God’s laws or commands, rather than his judicial decisions or acts of judgment.
¹⁵tn Heb “all his enemies, he snorts against them.” This may picture the wicked man defiantly challenging his enemies because he is confident of success. Another option is to take jypy from the root jpy, “to testify,” and translate “he testifies against all his enemies,” implying that he gets the upper hand on them in legal battles. The noun j^p@y`, “witness,” is attested in biblical Hebrew. See Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3. However the verb is not clearly attested.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “he says in his heart/mind.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.” The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text understands these words with the following line.
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “who, not in calamity.” If rva is taken as a relative pronoun here, then one might translate, “(I) who (am) not in calamity.” Some emend rva to rv#ao, “happiness” (see KB, 99); one might then translate, “(I live in) happiness, not in calamity.” The translation above assumes that rva functions here as a causal conjunction, “because, for.” For this use of rva, see BDB, 83 (our text not cited).
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “(with) a curse his mouth is full, and lies and injury.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “under his tongue are destruction and wickedness.” The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 90:10. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10.
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “he sits in the ambush of the villages.”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “his eyes for an unfortunate person lie hidden.” The language may picture a lion (see v. 9) peering out from its hiding place in anticipation that an unsuspecting victim will soon come strolling along.
<sup>23</sup>tn Or “in its den.”
<sup>24</sup>tn The verb, which also appears in the next line, occurs only here and in Judg 21:21.
<sup>25</sup>tn The singular form is collective (see v. 10) or refers to the typical or representative oppressed individual.
<sup>26</sup>tn Or “when he (the wicked man) pulls in his net.”
sn The background of the imagery is hunting, where the hunter uses a net to entrap an unsuspecting bird or wild animal.
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “he crushes, he is bowed down, and he falls into his strong (ones), (the) unfortunate (ones).” This verse presents several lexical and syntactical difficulties. The first word (hkdy) is an otherwise unattested qal form of the verb hkd, “crush.” (The qere/marginal form is imperfect; the consonantal text has the perfect with a prefixed conjunction waw.) If the wicked man’s victim is the subject, which seems to be the case (note the two verbs which follow), then the form should be emended to a niphal (hk#D*y]). The phrase wymwxub, “into his strong (ones),” poses interpretive problems. The preposition -B= follows the verb lpn, “fall,” so it may very well carry the nuance “into” here, with “his strong (ones)” then referring to something into which the oppressed individual falls. Since a net is mentioned in the preceding verse as the instrument used to entrap the victim, it is possible that “strong (ones)” here refers metonymically to the wicked man’s nets or traps. Ps 35:8 refers to a man falling into a net (tvr), as does Ps 141:10 (where the plural of rmkm, “net,” is used). A hunter’s net (tvr), is associated with snares (jp, <yvqwm) and ropes (<ylbj) in Ps 140:5. The final word in the verse (<yaklj, “unfortunate (ones),” may be an alternate form of jlkj, “unfortunate (one)” (see vv. 8, 14). The marginal reading/qere divides the form into two words, <yak lj, “army/host of disheartened (ones).” The three verb forms in v. 10 are singular because the representative “oppressed” individual is the grammatical subject (see the singular ynu in v. 9).
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “he says in his heart.” See v. 6.
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “God forgets, he hides his face, he never sees.”
<sup>30</sup>sn Rise up, O LORD! The psalmist’s mood changes from lament to petition and confidence.
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “lift up your hand.” Usually “lifting the hand” refers to praying (Pss 28:2; 134:2) or making an oath (Ps 106:26), but here it probably refers to “striking a blow” (see 2 Sam 18:28; 20:21). Note v. 15, where the psalmist asks the Lord to “break the arm of the wicked.” A less likely option is that the psalmist is requesting that the Lord declare by oath his intention to intervene.
<sup>32</sup>tn The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s outrage that the wicked would have the audacity to disdain God.
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “he says in his heart” (see vv. 6, 11). Another option is to understand an ellipsis of the interrogative particle here (cf. the preceding line), “Why does he say in his heart?”
<sup>34</sup>tn He addresses God.
<sup>35</sup>tn Heb “you will not seek.” The verb vrd, “seek,” is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as generalizing about what is typical and translate, “you do not hold (people) accountable.”
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “you see.” One could translate the perfect as generalizing, “you do take notice.”
<sup>37</sup>tn If the preceding perfect is taken as generalizing, then one might understand yk as asseverative, “indeed, certainly.”
<sup>38</sup>tn The imperfect emphasizes God’s typical behavior.
<sup>39</sup>tn Heb “destruction and suffering,” which here refers metonymically to the wicked, who dish out pain and suffering to their victims.
<sup>40</sup>tn Heb “to give into your hand, upon you, he abandons, (the) unfortunate (one).” The syntax is awkward and the meaning unclear. It is uncertain who or what is being given into God’s hand. Elsewhere the idiom “give into the hand” means to deliver into one’s possession. If “to give” goes with what precedes (as the accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests), then this may refer to the wicked man being delivered over to God for judgment. The translation above assumes that “to give” goes with what follows. The verb bzuy here has the nuance “entrust” (see Gen 39:6; Job 39:11); the direct object is implied (see BDB, 737).
<sup>41</sup>tn Or “help.”
<sup>42</sup>tn Heb “(for) one who is fatherless, you are a deliverer.” The noun <wty refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 68:5; 82:3; 94:6; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
<sup>43</sup>sn The “arm” symbolizes their strength, which they use to oppress and exploit the weak.
<sup>44</sup>tn Heb “you seek his wickedness.” As in v. 13, the verb vrd, “seek,” is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as describing a fact, “you hold him accountable,” or as anticipating divine judgment, “you will hold him accountable.” However, since the verb is in apparent parallelism with the preceding imperative (“brerak”), it is better to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s desire or request.
<sup>45</sup>tn Heb “you will not find.” It is uncertain how this statement relates to what precedes. Some take lb, which is used as a negative particle in vv. 4, 6, 11, 18, as asseverative here, “Indeed find (i.e., judge his wickedness).” The translate above assumes that the final words are an asyndetic relative clause which refers back to what the wicked man boasted in God’s face (“you will not find [i.e., my wickedness]”). See v. 13.
<sup>46</sup>tn Heb “the LORD is king forever and ever.”
<sup>47</sup>tn Or “the nations perish from his land.” The perfect verb form may express what is typical or it may express rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude that God’s deliverance is “as good as done.”
sn The nations may be the underlying reality behind the psalmist’s references to the “wicked” in the earlier verses. This reference to the nations may have motivated the combining of Ps 10 with Ps 9 (see Ps 9:5, 15, 19).
<sup>48</sup>sn You have heard. The psalmist is confident that God has responded positively to his earlier petitions for divine intervention. The psalmist apparently prayed the words of vv. 16-18 after the reception of an oracle of deliverance (given in response to the confident petition of vv. 12-15) or after the Lord actually delivered him from his enemies.
<sup>49</sup>tn Heb “desire.”
<sup>50</sup>tn Heb “you make firm their heart, you cause your ear to listen.”
<sup>51</sup>tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or, “by judging (on behalf of).”
<sup>52</sup>tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.
<sup>53</sup>tn Heb “he will not add again (i.e., “he will no longer”) to terrify, man from the earth.” vwna, “man,” refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.
<sup>54</sup>sn Ps 11. The psalmist rejects the advice to flee from his dangerous enemies. Instead he affirms his confidence in God’s just character and calls down judgment on evildoers.
<sup>1</sup>tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
<sup>2</sup>tn The pronominal suffix attached to vpn is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
<sup>3</sup>tc The Hebrew text is corrupt. The consonantal text reads: “flee (masculine plural!) to your (masculine plural!) mountain, bird.” The marginal reading (qere) has “flee” in a feminine singular form, agreeing grammatically with the addressee, “bird.” Rather than being a second masculine plural pronominal suffix, the ending <k- attached to “mountain” is better interpreted as a second feminine singular pronominal suffix followed by an enclitic mem. “Bird” may be taken as vocative (“O bird”) or as an adverbial accusative of manner (“like a bird”). Either way, the psalmist’s advisers compare him to a helpless bird whose only option in the face of danger is to fly away to an inaccessible place.
<sup>4</sup>sn In the psalms the “wicked” (<yuvr) are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps. 37:21). They oppose God and threaten his people (Ps 3:8).
<sup>5</sup>tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form depicts the enemies’ hostile action as underway.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “a bow.”
<sup>7</sup>sn In the darkness. The enemies’ attack, the precise form of which is not indicated, is compared here to a night ambush by archers; the psalmist is defenseless against this deadly attack.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
<sup>9</sup>tn The precise meaning of this rare word is uncertain. An Ugaritic cognate is used of the “bottom” or “base” of a cliff or mountain. See J. C. L. Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47, 159. The noun appears in postbiblical Hebrew with the meaning “foundation” (see M. Jastrow, Dictionary, 1636).
<sup>10</sup>tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure (of heart)” in the previous verse.
<sup>11</sup>tn The quotation of the advisers’ words ends at this point. They advise the psalmist to flee because the enemy is poised to launch a deadly attack. In such a lawless and chaotic situation godly people like the psalmist can accomplish nothing, so they might as well retreat to a safe place.
<sup>12</sup>tn Because of the royal imagery involved here, one could translate “lofty palace.” The Lord’s heavenly temple is in view here (see Mic 1:2-4).
<sup>13</sup>sn The LORD’s throne is in heaven. The psalmist is confident that the LORD reigns as sovereign king, “keeps an eye on” all people, and responds in a just manner to the godly and wicked.
<sup>14</sup>sn His eyes. The anthropomorphic language draws attention to God’s awareness of and interest in the situation on earth. Though the enemies are hidden by the darkness (v. 2), the Lord sees all.
<sup>15</sup>tn The two Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this verse describe the LORD’s characteristic activity.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “eyelids.”
<sup>17</sup>tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 7:9; 26:2; 139:23.
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “test the sons of men.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “examines,” the same verb used in v. 4b. But here it is used in a metonymic sense of “examine and approve” (see Jer 20:12).
<sup>20</sup>tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure (of heart)” in v. 2.
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “his (very) being.” A vpn is also attributed to the Lord in Isa 1:14, where a suffixed form of the noun appears as the subject of the verb “hate.” Both there and here the term is used of the seat of one’s emotions and passions.
<sup>22</sup>sn The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds, and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 5:5.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “the wicked (one) and the lover of violence.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form <yuvr, “wicked (ones)” in vv. 2 and 6.
<sup>24</sup>tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory, not indicative (see also Job 20:23). The psalmist appeals to God to destroy the wicked, rather than simply stating his confidence that he will. In this way he seeks to activate divine judgment by appealing to God’s just character. For an example of the power of such a curse, see Judg 9.
<sup>25</sup>tc The Hebrew text has “traps, fire, and brimstone,” but the image of God raining traps, or snares, down from the sky is bizarre and does not fit the fire and storm imagery of this verse. The noun <yj!P^, “traps, snares,” should be emended to ym@j&P^, “coals of (fire).” The rare noun <j*P,, “coal,” occurs in Prov 26:21 and Isa 44:12; 54:16.
<sup>26</sup>tn The image of God “raining down” brimstone on the objects of his judgment also appears in Gen 19:24 and Ezek 38:22.
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “(may) a wind of rage (be) the portion of their cup.” The precise meaning of the rare noun twpulz is uncertain. It may mean “raging heat” (BDB, 273), or simply “rage” (KB, 272). If one understands the former sense, then one might translate “hot wind.” The translation above assumes the latter nuance, “a wind of rage” (the genitive is attributive) referring to a “whirlwind” symbolic of destructive judgment. In this mixed metaphor, judgment is also likened to an allotted portion of a beverage poured into one’s drinking cup (see Hab 2:15-16).
<sup>28</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Or “righteous.”
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “he loves righteous deeds.” The “righteous deeds” are probably those done by godly people (see v. 5). The Lord “loves” such deeds in the sense that he rewards them. Another option is to take twqdx as referring to God’s acts of justice (see Ps 103:6). In this case one could translate, “he loves to do just deeds.”
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “the upright will see his face.” The singular subject (“upright”) does not agree with the plural verb. However, collective singular nouns can be construed with a plural predicate. See GKC, 462. Another possibility is that the plural verb wzjy is a corruption of an original singular form hzjy. To “see” God’s “face” means to have access to his presence and to experience his favor (see Ps 17:15 and Job 33:26 [where har, not hzj, is used]). On the form wmynp, “his face,” see GKC, 302, note 3.
<sup>32</sup>sn Ps 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.
<sup>33</sup>tn The meaning of tynymv is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
<sup>1</sup>tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful (ones)” in the following line. A dysj, “godly (one),” is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
<sup>2</sup>tn Or “have come to an end.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “the faithful (ones) from the sons of man.”
<sup>4</sup>tn The verb ssp occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “falsehood they speak, a man with his neighbor.” The imperfect verb forms in v. 2 describe what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “(with) a lip of smoothness, with a heart and a heart they speak.” Speaking a “smooth” word refers to deceptive flattery (cf. Ps 5:9; 55:21; Prov 2:16; 5:3; 7:5, 21; 26:28; 28:23; Isa 30:10). “Heart” here refers to their mind, from which their motives and intentions originate. The repetition of the noun indicates diversity (see GKC, 396; W-O, 116, and Deut 25:13, where the phrase “weight and a weight” refers to two different measuring weights). They have two different types of “hearts.” Their flattering words seem to express kind motives and intentions, but this outward display does not really reflect their true motives. Their real “heart” is filled with evil thoughts and destructive intentions. The “heart” that is seemingly displayed through their words is far different from the real “heart” they keep disguised. (For the idea see Ps 28:3.) In 1 Chr 12:33 the phrase “without a heart and a heart” means “undivided loyalty.”
<sup>7</sup>tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory, not indicative (see also Ps 109:15 and Mal 2:12). The psalmist appeals to God to destroy the wicked, rather than simply stating his confidence that he will. In this way he seeks to activate divine judgment by appealing to God’s just character. For an example of the power of such a curse, see Judg 9.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “a tongue speaking great (things).”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “which say.” The plural verb after the relative pronoun indicates a plural antecedent for the pronoun, probably “lips” in v. 3.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “to our tongue we make strong.” The hiphil of rbg, occurs only here and in Dan 9:27, where it refers to making strong, or confirming, a covenant. In Ps 12 the evildoers “make their tongue strong” in the sense that they use their tongue to produce flattering and arrogant words to accomplish their purposes. The preposition -l= prefixed to “our tongue” may be dittographic.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “our lips (are) with us.” This odd expression probably means, “our lips are in our power,” in the sense that they say what they want, whether it be flattery or boasting. For other cases where ta, “with,” has the sense “in the power of,” see Ps 38:10 and other texts listed by BDB, 86 (under 3.a).
<sup>12</sup>tn The rhetorical question expresses their arrogant attitude. As far as they are concerned, they are answerable to no one for how they speak.
<sup>13</sup>tn “Oppressed” is an objective genitive; the oppressed are the recipients/victims of violence.
<sup>14</sup>tn Elsewhere in Psalms this noun is used of the painful groans of prisoners awaiting death (79:11; 102:20). The related verb is used of the painful groaning of those wounded in combat (Jer 51:52; Ezek 26:15) and of the mournful sighing of those in grief (Ezek 9:4; 24:17).
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “I will rise up.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “I will place in deliverance, he pants for it.” The final two words (wl jypy) comprise an asyndetic relative clause, “the one who pants for it.” “The one who pants” is the object of the verb “place” and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix (in the phrase “for it”) is “deliverance.” Another option is to translate, “I will place in deliverance the witness for him,” repointing j^yp!y` (a hiphil imperfect from jwp, “pant”) as j^p@y`, a noun meaning “witness.” In this case the Lord would be promising protection to those who have the courage to support the oppressed in the court of law. However, the first part of the verse focuses on the oppressed, not their advocates.
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “the words of the LORD are pure words,” i.e., untainted by falsehood or deception (in contrast to the flattery of the evildoers, v. 2).
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “(like) silver purified in a furnace of on the ground, refined seven times.” The singular participle qqzm, “refined,” modifies “silver.” The number seven is used rhetorically to express the thorough nature of the action. For other rhetorical/figurative uses of <ytubv, “seven times,” see Gen 4:15, 24; Ps 79:12; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
<sup>19</sup>tn The third person plural pronominal suffix on the verb is masculine, referring back to the “oppressed” and “needy” in v. 5 (both of those nouns are plural in form), suggesting that the verb means “protect” here. The suffix does not refer to twrma, “words” (v. 6), for it is grammatically feminine.
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “you will protect him from this generation permanently.” The third masculine singular suffix on the verb “protect” is probably used in a distributive sense, referring to each one within the group mentioned previously (the oppressed/needy, referred to as “them” in the preceding line). On the grammatical point (our text is not cited), see GKC, 464, para. 145m. (Some Hebrew manuscripts and ancient textual witnesses read “us,” both here and in the preceding line.) The noun rwd, “generation,” refers here to the psalmist’s contemporaries, who were characterized by deceit and arrogance (see vv. 1-2). See BDB, 190, for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “the wicked walk all around.” One could translate v. 8a as an independent clause, in which case it would be a concluding proverbial style observation. The translation above assumes that v. 8a is a subordinate explanatory, or perhaps temporal (“while the wicked walk all around”), clause. The adverb bybs, “around,” in combination with the hithpael form of the verb “walk,” which indicates repeated action, pictures the wicked as ubiquitous. They have seemingly overrun society.
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “when evil is lifted up by the sons of man.” The abstract noun twlz occurs only here. On the basis of evidence from the cognate languages (see K-B, 272), one might propose the meaning “base character,” or “morally foolish behavior.”
<sup>23</sup>sn Ps 13. The psalmist, who is close to death, desperately pleads for God’s deliverance and affirms his trust in God’s faithfulness.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “will you forget me continually.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “will you hide your face from me.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “How long will I put counsel in my being?”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “(with) grief in my heart by day.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “be exalted over me.” Perhaps one could translate, “How long will my enemy defeat me?”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “see.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “Give light (to) my eyes.” The hiphil of rwa, when used elsewhere with “eyes” as object refers to the law of God giving moral enlightenment (Ps 19:9), to God the creator giving literal eyesight to all people (Prov 29:13), and to God giving encouragement to his people (Ezra 9:8). Here the psalmist pictures himself as being on the verge of death. His eyes are falling shut and, if God does not intervene soon, he will “fall asleep” for good.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “or else I will sleep (in?) the death.” Perhaps the statement is elliptical, “I will sleep (the sleep) of death,” or “I will sleep (with the sleepers in) death.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “or else.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “or else.”
<sup>11</sup>tn The grammatical construction (conjunction with independent pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s defeated condition envisioned in v. 4 and confident attitude he displays in v. 5.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “may my heart rejoice in your deliverance.” The verb form is jussive. Having expressed his trust in God’s faithful character and promises, the psalmist prays that his confidence will prove to be well-placed. “Heart” is used here of the seat of the emotions.
<sup>13</sup>tn The verb form is cohortative, indicating the psalmist’s resolve (or vow) to praise the Lord when deliverance arrives.
<sup>14</sup>tn Or “for he will have vindicated me.” The verb form indicates a future perfect here. The idiom lu lmg means “to repay,” here in a positive sense (see BDB, 168).
<sup>15</sup>sn Ps 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
<sup>2</sup>sn The statement “there is no God” is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism—living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions—makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
<sup>5</sup>sn The picture of the LORD looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Or “acts wisely.” The hiphil is exhibitive.
<sup>8</sup>tn That is, who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “everyone turns aside.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-7).
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “there they are afraid (with) fear.” The perfect verbal form is probably used in a rhetorical manner; the psalmist describes the future demise of the oppressors as if it were already occurring. The adverb <v, “there,” is also used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the wicked standing in fear at a spot that vivid in his imagination. See BDB, 1027. The cognate accusative following the verb emphasizes the degree of their terror.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “for God is with a godly generation.” The noun rwd, “generation,” refers here to the general class of people who are characterized by godliness. See BDB, 190, for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “the counsel of the oppressed you put to shame.” Using a second person plural verb form, the psalmist addresses the wicked. Since the context indicates their attempt to harm the godly will be thwarted, the imperfect should be taken in a subjunctive, rather than indicative manner. Here it probably expresses their desire or intent.
<sup>17</sup>tn It is unlikely that yk has a causal force here. The translation above assumes a concessive force; another option is to understand an asseverative use (“certainly, indeed”).
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “his.” The antecedent of the singular pronoun is the singular form ynu, “oppressed,” in the preceding line. The singular is collective or representative here.
<sup>19</sup>tn This refers metonymically to God, the one who lives in Zion and provides deliverance for Israel.
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “turns with a turning (toward) his people.” twbv is apparently a cognate accusative of bwv.
<sup>21</sup>tn The verb form is jussive.
<sup>22</sup>tn Because the parallel verb is jussive, this verb, which is ambiguous in form, should be taken as a jussive as well.
<sup>23</sup>sn Ps 15. This psalm describes the character qualities that one must possess to be allowed access to the divine presence.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “Who may live as a resident alien in your tent?”
<sup>2</sup>sn In this context the Lord’s “holy hill” is probably Zion/Jerusalem. See Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 43:3; 48:1; 87:1; Dan 9:16.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “one who walks blamelessly.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “one who speaks truth in his heart,” or “one who speaks truth (that is) in his heart.” This apparently refers to formulating a truthful statement in one’s mind and then honestly revealing that statement in one’s speech.
<sup>5</sup>tn Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “he does not slander upon his tongue.” For another example of lgr, “slander,” see 2 Sam 19:28.
<sup>7</sup>tn Or “his fellow.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “and he does not lift up an insult against one who is near to him.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “despised in his eyes (is) a rejected (one).” samn, “rejected (one),” apparently refers here to one who has been rejected by God because of his godless behavior. It stands in contrast to “those who fear God” in the following line.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “those who fear the LORD.” The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “he takes an oath to do harm and does not change.” The phrase “to do harm” cannot mean “do harm to others,” for the preceding verse clearly characterizes this individual as one who does not harm others. In this context the phrase must refer to an oath to which a self-imprecation is attached. The godly individual takes his commitments to others so seriously he is willing to “swear to his own hurt.” For an example of such an oath, see Ruth 1:16-17.
<sup>12</sup>sn He does not charge interest. He is truly generous, and not simply concerned with making a profit.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “a bribe against the innocent he does not take.” For other texts condemning the practice of a judge or witness taking a bribe, see Ex 23:8; Deut 16:19; 27:25; 1 Sam 8:3; Ezek 22:12; Prov 17:23
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “does these things.”
<sup>15</sup>sn Ps 16. The psalmist seeks divine protection because he has remained loyal to God. He praises God for his rich blessings, and is confident God will vindicate him and deliver him from death.
<sup>16</sup>tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word <tkm is uncertain. KB (582-83) defines it as “inscription.”
<sup>1</sup>tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results (see 7:1; 11:1). On the significance of “taking shelter” in the Lord, see the note at 2:12.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “my good (is) not beyond you.” For the use of the preposition lu in the sense of “beyond,” see BDB, 755.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “regarding the holy ones who (are) in the land, they; and the mighty (ones) in (whom is/was) all my desire.” The difficult syntax makes the meaning of the verse uncertain. The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s angelic assembly (see Ps 89:5, 7), but the qualifying clause “who are in the land” suggests that here it refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3).
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “their troubles multiply, another, they pay a dowry.” The meaning of the text is unclear. twbxu, “troubles,” appears to be a plural form of tbxu, “pain, wound” (see Job 9:28; Ps 147:3). Because idolatry appearws to be in view (see v. 4b), some prefer to emend the noun to <ybxu, “idols.” “Troubles” may be a wordplay on “idols” or a later alteration designed to emphasize that idolatry leads to trouble. The singular form rja, “another,” is syntactically problematic here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a plural <yrja, “others.” (The final mem could have been lost by haplography; note the mem at the beginning of the next word.) In this case it might be taken as an abbreviated form of the well-attested phrase <yrja <yhla, “other gods.” (In Isa 42:8 the singular form rja, “another,” is used of another god.) The verb rrhm appears in the qal stem; the only other use of a qal verbal form of a root rhm is in Ex 22:15, where the denominative verb rhm, “purchase (a wife),” (cf. the related noun rh^mo, “bride-money, purchase price for a wife”) appears. If that verb is understood here, then the idolaters are pictured as eager bride grooms paying the price to acquire the object of the their desire. Another option is to emend the verb to a piel and translate, “hurry (after).”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood.” The third masculine plural suffix would appear to refer back to the people/leaders mentioned in v. 3. However, if we emend rja, “another,” to the plural <yrja, “other (gods)” in v. 4, the suffix can be understood as referring to these gods—“the drink offerings (made to) them.” The next line favors this interpretation.
sn Perhaps this refers to some type of pagan cultic ritual. Elsewhere wine is the prescribed content of drink offerings. See KB, 703.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “and I will not lift up their names upon my lips.” The expression “lift up the name” probably refers here to swearing an oath in the name of deity (see Ex 20:7; Deut 5:11). If so, the third masculine plural suffix on “names” likely refers to the pagan gods, not the people/leaders. See the preceding note.
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “O LORD, the portion of my possession and my cup,” or “the LORD (is) the portion of my possession and my cup.” The psalmist compares the Lord to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel, and to a cup of wine, which may symbolize a reward (in Ps 11:6 it symbolizes the judgment one deserves) or divine blessing (see Ps 23:5). The metaphor highlights the fact that God is the psalmist’s source of security and prosperity.
<sup>8</sup>tc Heb “you take hold of my lot.” The form Jym!wt should be emended to a participle, Jm@wt. The psalmist pictures the Lord as casting his lot ( a method used to allot landed property) for him, thus assuring that he will receive a fertile piece of land (see v. 6). See BDB, 1069. As in the previous line, land rerpresents security and economic stability.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant (places); yes, property (or, “an inheritance”) is beautiful for me.” (On the dative use of lu, see BDB, 758, no. 8.) Extending the metaphor used in v. 5, the psalmist compares the divine blessings he has received to a rich, beautiful tract of land that one might receive by allotment or inheritance.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “bless,” that is, “proclaim as worthy of praise.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Or “because.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Or “counsels, advises.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “yes, (during) nights my kidneys instruct (or “correct”) me.” The kidneys are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s moral character (see Ps 26:2). In the quiet darkness the Lord speaks to his inner being, as it were, and enables him to grow in moral understanding.
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “I set the LORD before me continually.” This may mean that the psalmist is aware of the Lord’s presence and sensitive to his moral guidance (see v. 7), or that he trusts in the Lord’s protection (see the following line).
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “my glory is happy.” Some view ydwbk, “my glory,” as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB, 459), but it is preferable to emend the form to yd!b@K=, “my liver” (see KB, 456). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 30:12; 57:9; 108:1, as well as Hans W. Wolff, Anthropology in the Old Testament, 64, and Mitchell Dahood, Psalms 1-50, 90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see J. C. L. Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her (Anat’s) liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “yes, my flesh dwells securely.” The psalmist’s “flesh” stands by metonymy for his body and, by extension, his physical life.
<sup>17</sup>tn Or “my life.” The suffixed form of vpn, “being,” is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
<sup>18</sup>sn In ancient Israelite cosmology Sheol is the realm of the dead, viewed as being under the earth’s surface. See Luis I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 165-76.
<sup>19</sup>tn A dysj, “faithful follower,” is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10). The psalmist here refers to himself, as the parallel line (note “my life”/”me”) indicates.
<sup>20</sup>tn That is, “experience.” The psalmist is confident that the Lord will protect him in his present crisis (see v. 1) and prevent him dying.
sn Verses 8-11. According to Peter, the words of vv. 8-11 are applicable to Jesus (Acts 2:25-29). Peter goes on to argue that David, being a prophet, foresaw future events and spoke of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:30-33). Paul seems to concur with Peter (see Acts 13:35-37). For a discussion of the NT application of these verses to Jesus’ resurrection, see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “A Theology of the Psalms,” pp 292-95, in Roy B. Zuck, ed., A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament.
<sup>21</sup>tn tjv, “pit,” is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 30:9; 49:9; 55:24; 103:4).
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “cause me to know (or “experience”).”
<sup>23</sup>tn This is a metaphorical way of saying, “you preserve my life.” The phrase “path of life” stands in contrast to death/Sheol in Prov 2:18-19; 5:5-6; 15:24.
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “abundance of joy (is) with your face.” The plural form of the noun hjmc, “joy,” occurs only here and in Ps 45:15. It may emphasize the degree of joy experienced.
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “delight (is) in your right hand forever.” The plural form of the adjective <yun, “pleasant, delightful,” may here emphasize the degree of delight experienced (see Job 36:11).
<sup>26</sup>sn Ps 17. The psalmist asks God to intervene on his behalf for his life is threatened by dangerous enemies. He appeals to divine justice for he is certain of his own innocence. Because he is innocent, he expects to encounter God and receive an assuring word.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “hear, LORD, what is just.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “Listen to my prayer, (made) without lips of deceit.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “From before you may my justice come out.” The prefixed verbal form axy could be taken as an imperfect, but following the imperatives in v. 1, it is better understood as a jussive of prayer.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “May your eyes look at what is right.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as jussive. (See the preceding note.)
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “you tested my heart.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “you visited (at) night.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “you tested me, you do not find, I plan, my mouth will not cross over.” ytmz is a qal perfect, first person singular verbal form from the root <mz, “plan, plan evil.” Some emend the form to a suffixed form of the noun, yt!M*z], “my plan/evil plan” and take it as the object of the preceding verb “find.” However, the suffix seems odd, since the psalmist is denying that he has any wrong thoughts. If one takes the form with what precedes, it might make better sense to read toMz], “evil plans.” However, this emendation leaves an unclear connection with the next line. The translation above maintains the verbal form and understands it in a neutral sense, “I have decided” (see Jer 4:28). The words “my mouth will not cross over (i.e., “transgress, sin”),” can then be taken as a noun clause functioning as the object of the verb.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “with regard to the deeds of man(kind).”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “by the word of your lips, I, I have watched the paths of the violent” (i.e., “watched” in the sense of “watched for the purpose of avoiding,” see BDB, 1036).
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “my steps stay firm in your tracks.” The infinitive absolute functions here as a finite verb (see GKC, 347, para 113gg). God’s “tracks” are his commands, i.e., the moral pathways he has prescribed for the psalmist.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “my footsteps do not stagger.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “Turn your ear toward me.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “my word.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “Set apart faithful acts.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “(O) one who delivers those who seek shelter from the ones raising themselves up, by your right hand.” For the idea of “seeking shelter” in the Lord, see the note at 2:12. The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver.
<sup>16</sup>tc Heb “Protect me like the pupil, a daughter of an eye.” The noun tb, “daughter,” should probably be emended to tbb, “pupil” (see Zech 2:12, and K-B, 107).
<sup>17</sup>sn Your wings. The metaphor likens God to a protective mother bird.
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “from before,” or “because.” In the Hebrew text v. 9 is subordinated to v. 8. The words “protect me” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “destroy.” The psalmist uses the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of danger. He describes the wicked as being already in the process of destroying him.
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “my enemies, at the risk of life they surround me.” The phrase vpnb sometimes has the nuance, “at the risk of (one’s) life” (see 1 Kgs 2:23; Prov 7:23; Lam 5:9).
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “their fat they close.” blj, “fat,” appears to stand by metonymy for their calloused hearts. They attack the psalmist without feeling any pity or remorse. Some propose emending the text to wmbl blj, “fat of their heart(s) (cf. Ps 119:70, “their heart is insensitive like fat”). This assumes haplography of the bl consonantal sequence.
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “(with) their mouth they speak with arrogance.”
<sup>23</sup>tc Heb “our steps, now they surround me.” (The consonantal text/kethib has “surround me,” while the marginal reading/qere has “surround us,” harmonizing the pronoun to the preceding “our steps.”) The first person plural pronoun does not fit the context, where the psalmist speaks as an individual. In the preceding verses the psalmist uses a first person singular verbal or pronominal form 20 times. For this reason it is preferable to emend “our steps” to yn]WrV=a!, “they attack me,” from the verbal root rva, “march, stride, track” (for this verb, see KB, 97).
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “their eyes they set to bend down in the ground.”
<sup>25</sup>tn The psalmist switches to the singular pronoun; he views his enemies collectively, or singles out a representative of the group, perhaps its leader.
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “his likeness (is) like a lion.”
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “(that) longs to tear.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “sitting.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb Be in front of his face.”
<sup>30</sup>tn Or “bring him to his knees.”
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “rescue my life from the wicked (one by) your sword.”
<sup>32</sup>tc Heb “from men (by) your hand, LORD.” The translation above assumes an emendation of <yt!m=m!, “from men,” to <yt!m!m=m!, “from those who kill.” For other uses of the plural form of the hiphil participle of twm, “die,” see 2 Kgs 17:26 (used with lions as subject), Job 33:22 (apparently referring to the agents of death), and Jer 26:15 (used of those seeking Jeremiah’s life).
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “from men, from (the) world.” On the emendation of “men” to “murderers,” see the preceding note.
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “their portion, in life.”
<sup>35</sup>tn Heb “and (with) your treasures you fill their belly.”
sn You overwhelm them with the riches they desire. The psalmist is not accusing God of being unjust; he is simply observing that the wicked often prosper and that God is the ultimate source of all blessings that human beings enjoy (see Matt 5:45). When the wicked are ungrateful for God’s blessings, they become even more culpable and deserving of judgment. So this description of the wicked actually supports the psalmist’s appeal for deliverance. God should rescue him because he is innocent (see vv. 3-5) and because the wicked, though blessed abundantly by God, still have the audacity to attack God’s people.
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “they are satisfied (with) sons and leave their abundance to their children.”
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “I, in innocence, I will see your face.” To “see” God’s “face” means to have access to his presence and to experience his favor (see Ps 11:7; see also Job 33:26 [where har, not hzj, is used]). Here, however, the psalmist may be anticipating a mystical experience. See the following note.
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “I will be satisfied, when I awake, (with) your form.” The noun hnwmt normally carries the nuance “likeness” or “form” (see BDB, 568). In Job 4:16 it refers to a ghostlike spiritual entity (see v. 15) that revealed itself to Eliphaz during the night. The psalmist may anticipate a mystical encounter with God in which he expects to see a manifestation of God’s presence (i.e., a theophany), perhaps in conjunction with an oracle of deliverance. During the quiet darkness of the night, God examines the psalmist’s inner motives and finds them to be pure (see v. 3). The psalmist is confident that when he awakens, perhaps sometime during the night or in the morning, he will be visited by God and assured of vindication.
sn Verse 15. Some see in this verse an allusion to resurrection. According to this view, when the psalmist awakens from the sleep of death, he will see God. It is unlikely that the psalmist had such a highly developed personal eschatology. As noted above, it is more likely that he is anticipating a divine visitation and mystical encounter as a prelude to his deliverance from his enemies.
<sup>39</sup>sn Ps 18. In this long song of thanks, the psalmist (a Davidic king, traditionally understood as David himself) affirms that God is his faithful protector. He recalls in highly poetic fashion how God intervened in awesome power and delivered him from death. The psalmist’s experience demonstrates that God vindicates those who are blameless and remain loyal to him. True to his promises, God gives the king victory on the battlefield and enables him to subdue nations. A parallel version of the psalm appears in 2 Sam 22.
<sup>40</sup>tn Heb “spoke.”
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “in the day,” or “at the time.”
<sup>42</sup>tn Heb “hand.”
<sup>43</sup>tn Heb “and from the hand of Saul”
<sup>1</sup>tn The verb <jr elsewhere appears in the piel (or pual) verbal stem with the basic meaning, “have compassion.” Here the verb occurs only here in the basic (qal) stem. The basic stem of the verbal root also occurs in Aramaic with the meaning “love” (see DNWSI, 1068-69; Jastrow, 1467; G. Schmuttermayr, Bib 51 (1970), 515-21). Since this introductory statement does not appear in the parallel version in 2 Sam 22, it is possible that it is a later addition to the psalm, made when the poem was revised for use in worship.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “my strength.” “Strength” is metonymic here, referring to the Lord as the one who bestows strength to the psalmist.
<sup>3</sup>tn This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
<sup>4</sup>sn My stronghold. David often found safety in such strongholds. See 1 Sam 22:4-5; 24:22; 2 Sam 5:9, 17; 23:14.
<sup>5</sup>tn Or “in whom.”
<sup>6</sup>sn I take shelter. See the note at 2:12.
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “the horn of my salvation,” or “my saving horn.”
snThough some see “horn” as referring to a horn-shaped peak of a hill, or to the “horns” of an altar where one could find refuge, it is more likely that the horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that uses its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, HTR 60 (1967), 422-25, and R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 135-36. Ps 18:2 uses the metaphor of the horn in a slightly different manner. Here the Lord himself is compared to a horn. He is to the psalmist what the horn is to the ox, a source of defense and victory.
<sup>8</sup>tn Or “my elevated place.” 2 Sam 22:3 adds at this point, “my refuge, my savior, (you who) save me from violence.”
<sup>9</sup>tn In this song of thanksgiving, where the psalmist recalls how the Lord delivered him, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “worthy of praise, I cried out (to) the LORD.” Some take llhm, “worthy of praise,” with what precedes and translate, “the praiseworthy one,” or “praiseworthy.” However, the various epithets in vv. 1-2 have the first person pronominal suffix, unlike llhm. If one follows the traditional verse division and takes llhm with what follows, it is best understood as substantival and as appositional to hwhy, “(to the) praiseworthy one I cried out, (to the) LORD.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Ps 18:4 has the “ropes,” while 2 Sam 22:5 reads “waves.” The reading of the psalm has been influenced by the next verse (note “ropes of Sheol”) and perhaps also by Ps 116:3 (where “ropes of death” appears, as here, with the verb [pa). However, the parallelism of v. 4 (note “currents” in the next line) favors the reading “waves.” While the verb [pa is used with “ropes” as subject in Ps 116:3, it can also be used with engulfing “waters” as subject (see Jon 2:5). Death is compared to surging waters in v. 4 and to a hunter in v. 5.
<sup>12</sup>tn The noun ljn usually refers to a river or stream, but in this context the plural form likely refers to the currents of the sea (see vv. 15-16).
<sup>13</sup>tn The noun luylb is used here as an epithet for death. Elsewhere it is a common noun meaning “wickedness, uselessness” (see KB, 133-34). It is often associated with rebellion against authority and other crimes that result in societal disorder and anarchy. The phrase “man/son of wickedness” refers to one who opposes God and the order he has established. The term becomes an appropriate title for death, which, through human forces, launches an attack against God’s chosen servant.
<sup>14</sup>tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. (Note the perfect verbal form in the parallel/preceding line.) The verb tub sometimes by metonymy carries the nuance “frighten,” but the parallelism (see “engulfed”) favors the meaning “overwhelm” here.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “surrounded me.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “confronted me.”
<sup>17</sup>tn In this poetic narrative context the four prefixed verbal forms in v. 6 are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects.
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “from his temple.” Verse 10, which pictures God descending from the sky, indicates that the heavenly, not earthly, temple is in view.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “and my cry for help before came into his ears.” 2 Sam 22:7 has a shorter reading, “my cry for help, in his ears.” It is likely that Ps 18:6 is a conflation of two readings: (1) “my cry for help came before him,” (2) “my cry for help came into his ears.” See Cross and Freedman, Ancient Yahwistic Poetry, 144, note 13.
<sup>20</sup>sn The earth heaved and shook. The imagery pictures an earthquake, in which the earth’s surface rises and falls. The earthquake motif is common in OT theophanies of God as warrior and in ancient Near eastern literary descriptions of warring gods and kings. See R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 160-62.
<sup>21</sup>tn 2 Sam 22:8 has “heavens” which forms a merism with “earth” in the preceding line. The “foundations of the heavens” would be the mountains. However, the reading “foundations of the mountains” has a parallel in Deut 32:22.
<sup>22</sup>tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the three prefixed verbal forms with waw consecutive in the verse.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “within,” or “(from) within.” For a discussion of the use of the preposition -B= here, see R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 163-64.
<sup>24</sup>tn Or “in his anger.” The noun [a can carry the abstract meaning “anger,” but the parallelism (note “from his mouth”) suggests the more concrete meaning “nose” here. See also v. 15, “the powerful breath of your nose.”
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “fire from his mouth devoured.” In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the two perfect verbal forms in the verse.
sn For other examples of fire as a weapon in OT theophanies and ancient Near Eastern portrayals of warring gods and kings, see R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 165-67.
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “coals burned from him.” Perhaps the psalmist pictures God’s fiery breath igniting coals (cf. Job 41:21), which he then hurls as weapons (cf. Ps 120:4).
<sup>27</sup>tn The verb hfn can carry the sense “(cause to) bend, bow down” (cf. KB, 693). For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the Lord causes the sky, pictured as a dome or vault, to sink down as he descends in the storm.
<sup>28</sup>tn Or “rode upon.”
<sup>29</sup>sn Heb “cherub.” Cherubs, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Ex 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Pss 80:1; 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubs suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubs in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind (see the next line).
<sup>30</sup>tc 2 Sam 22:11 has “appeared” (from har); the relatively rare verb had, “glide” (cf K-B, 207) is more difficult and probably the original reading.
<sup>31</sup>sn Wings of the wind. Verse 10 may depict the Lord mounting a cherub, which is in turn propelled by the wind current. Another option is that two different vehicles (a cherub and the wind) are envisioned. A third option is that the wind is personified as a cherub. For a discussion of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the imagery in v. 10, see M. Weinfeld, JANES 5 (1973), 422-24.
<sup>32</sup>tc Heb “he made darkness his hiding place around him, his covering.” 2 Sam 22:12 reads, “he made darkness around him coverings,” omitting “his hiding place” and pluralizing “covering.” Ps 18:11 may include a conflation of synonyms (“his hiding place” and “his covering”) or 2 Sam 22:12 may be the result of haplography/homoioarchton. Note that three successive words in Ps 18:11 begin with the letter samekh: wtks wytwbybs wrts.
<sup>33</sup>tc Heb “darkness of water, clouds of clouds.” The noun “darkness” (tkvj) is probably a corruption of an original trvj, a form that is preserved in 2 Sam 22:12. The latter is a construct form of hrvj, “sieve,” which occurs only here in the OT. A cognate Ugaritic noun means “sieve,” and a related verb rvj, “to sift,” is attested in post-biblical Hebrew and Aramaic (see KB, 363). The phrase <ym trvj means literally, “a sieve of water.” It pictures the rain clouds as a sieve through which the rain falls to the ground. (See Cross and Freedman, Ancient Yahwistic Poetry, 146, note 33.
<sup>34</sup>tc Heb “from the brightness in front of him his clouds came, hail and coals of fire.” 2 Sam 22:13 reads, “from the brightness in front of him burned coals of fire.” The Lucianic family of texts within the Greek tradition of 2 Sam 22:13 seems to assume the underlying Hebrew text: va yljgw drb wrbu wdgn hgnm, “from the brightness in front of him came hail and coals of fire” (the basis for the translation offered above). The textual situation is perplexing and the identity of the original text uncertain. The verbs wrbu (Ps 18:12) and wrub (2 Sam 22:13) appear to be variants involving a transposition of the first two letters. wybu, “his clouds” (Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the following wrbu), or it could have accidentally dropped from the text of 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding wrub, which might have originally read wrbu). drb, “hail” (Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the preceding wrbu), or it could have dropped from 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding wrub, which might have originally read wrbu). For a fuller discussion of the text, see R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 74-76.
<sup>35</sup>tn 2 Sam 22:14 has “from.”
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “the Most High.” This divine title (/wylu) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “offered his voice.” In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive in the preceding line. The text of Ps 18:13 adds at this point, “hail and coals of fire.” These words are probably accidentally added from v. 12b; they do not appear in 2 Sam 22:14.
sn Verse 13. Thunder is a common motif in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 179-83.
<sup>38</sup>tn 2 Sam 22:15 omits the pronominal suffix.
<sup>39</sup>tn The pronominal suffixes on the verbs “scattered” and “routed” (see the next line) refer to the psalmist’s enemies. Some argue that the suffixes refer to the arrows, in which case one might translate “shot them far and wide” and “made them move noisily,” respectively. They argue that the enemies have not been mentioned since v. 4 and are not again mentioned until v. 17. However, usage of the verbs Jwp, “scatter,” and <mh, “rout,” elsewhere in Holy War accounts suggests the suffixes refer to enemies. Enemies are frequently pictured in such texts as scattered and/or routed (see Ex 14:24; 23:27; Num 10:35; Josh 10:10; Judg 4:15; 1 Sam 7:10; 11:11; Ps 68:1).
<sup>40</sup>sn Lightning is a common motif in in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 190-92.
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “lightning bolts, many.” 2 Sam 22:15 has simply “lightning” (qrb). The identity of the word br in Ps 18:14 is problematic. It may be a form of a rare verb bbr, “to shoot,” perhaps attested in Gen 49:23 as well. In this case one might translate, “he shot lightning bolts and routed them.” Other options include (1) understanding br as an adverbial use of the adjective, “lightning bolts in abundance,” or (2) emending the form to WBr^, from bbr, “be many,” or to Wbr`, from hbr, “be many” (both a haplography of the waw; note the initial waw on the immediately following form) and translating “lightning bolts were in abundance.”
sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 77:17-18; 144:6; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 187).
⁴²tn Or “channels.”
⁴³tn This is the reading of 2 Sam 22:16; Ps 18:15 has “water” (cf Ps 42:1).
⁴⁴tn Or “foundations.”
⁴⁵tn Heb “from.” The preposition has a causal sense here.
⁴⁶tn The noun is derived from the verb rug, which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See TDOT, 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
⁴⁷tn 2 Sam 22:16 has “by the battle cry of the LORD, by the blast of the breath of his nose.” The phrase “blast of the breath” (lit., “breath of breath”) employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, Semitics 2 (1971), 17-81.
⁴⁸tn Heb “stretched.” Perhaps “his hand” should be supplied by ellipsis (see Ps 144:7). In this poetic narrative context the three prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects.
⁴⁹tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see v. 4 and Ps 144:7).
⁵⁰tn The singular refers either to personified death or collectively to the psalmist’s enemies. The following line, which refers to “those (plural) who hate me,” favors the latter.
⁵¹tn The same verb is translated “trapped” in v. 5. In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.
⁵²tn Heb “became my support.”
⁵³tn Or “delighted in me.”
⁵⁴tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.
⁵⁵tn Heb “according to my righteousness.” As vv. 22-24 make clear, the psalmist refers here to his unwavering obedience to God’s commands.
sn Verses 20-24. In vv. 20-24 the psalmist explains that the Lord was pleased with him and willing to deliver him because he had been loyal to God and obedient to his commandments. Ancient Near Eastern literature contains numerous parallels. A superior (a god or king) would typically reward a subject (a king or the servant of a king, respectively) for loyalty and obedience. See R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 211-13.
⁵⁶tn The unreduced hiphil prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, in which case the psalmist would be generalizing. However, both the preceding and following contexts (see especially v. 24) suggest he is narrating his experience. Despite its unreduced form, the verb is better taken as a preterite. For other examples of unreduced hiphil preterites, see Pss 55:14a; 68:9a, 10b; 80:8a; 89:43a; 107:38b; 116:6b.
⁵⁷tn Heb “according to the purity of my hands he repaid to me.” “Hands” suggest activity and behavior.
⁵⁸tn Heb “for I have kept the ways of the LORD.” The phrase “ways of the LORD” refers here to the “conduct required” by the LORD (see KB, 232). In Ps 25 the LORD’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.
⁵⁹tn Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical, the idea being, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”
⁶⁰tn Heb “for all his regulations (are) before me.” <yfpvm, “regulations,” refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf Deut 17:18-20). See also Pss 19:9 (cf vv. 7-8); 89:30; 147:20 (cf v. 19), as well as the numerous uses of the term in Ps 119.
⁶¹tn Heb “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” 2 Sam 22:23 reads, “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; the psalmist here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The Lord’s “rules” are the stipulations of the covenant which the king was responsible to obey (see Ps 89:31; cf v. 30 and Deut 17:18-20).
⁶²tn Heb “from my sin,” that is, from making it my own in any way.
sn Verse 23. Leading a “blameless” life meant that the king would be loyal to God’s covenant, purge the government and society of evil and unjust officials, and reward loyalty to the Lord (see Ps 101).
⁶³tn Heb “according to my righteousness.”
⁶⁴tn Heb “according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.” 2 Sam 22:25 has “according to my purity before his eyes.” The verbal repetition (compare vv. 20 and 24) sets off vv. 20-24 as a distinct sub-unit within the psalm.
⁶⁵tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 25-29 draw attention to God’s characteristic actions. Based on his experience, the psalmist generalizes about God’s just dealings with people (vv. 25-27) and about the way in which God typically empowers him on the battlefield (vv. 28-29). The hithpael stem is used in vv. 26-27 in a reflexive resultative (or causative) sense. God makes himself loyal, etc. in the sense that he conducts or reveals himself as such. On this use of the hithpael stem, see GKC, 149-50, para 54e.
⁶⁶tn Or “to a faithful follower.” A dysj, “faithful follower,” is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
⁶⁷tn Or “innocent.”
⁶⁸tn Heb “a man of innocence.”
⁶⁹tn Or “blameless.”
⁷⁰tn The verb ltp is used in only three other texts. In Gen 30:8 it means literally “to wrestle,” or “to twist.” In Job 5:13 it refers to devious individuals, and in Prov 8:8 to deceptive words.
⁷¹tn The adjective vqu has the basic nuance “twisted, crooked,” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse. It appears frequently in Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20) and life styles (2:15; 28:6). A righteous king opposes such people (Ps 101:4).
sn Verses 25-26 affirm God’s justice. He responds to people in accordance with their moral character. His response mirrors their actions. The faithful and blameless find God to be loyal and reliable in his dealings with them. But deceivers discover he is able and willing to use deceit to destroy them. For a more extensive discussion of the theme of divine deception in the OT, see R. Chisholm, BSac 155 (1998), 11-28.
⁷²tn Or perhaps, “humble” (note the contrast with those who are proud).
⁷³tn Heb “but proud eyes you bring low.” 2 Sam 22:28 reads, “your eyes (are) upon the proud, (whom) you bring low.”
⁷⁴tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that yk is asseverative here.
⁷⁵tn Ps 18 reads literally, “you light my lamp, LORD.” 2 Sam 22:29 has, “you are my lamp, LORD.” The Ps 18 reading may preserve two variants, yrn, “my lamp,” and yrwa, “my light” (cf Ps 27:1). The verb ryat, “you light,” in Ps 18:28 would, in this case, be a corruption of the latter. See Cross and Freedman, Ancient Yahwistic Poetry, 150, note 64. The metaphor, which likens the Lord to a lamp or light, pictures him as the psalmist’s source of life. For other examples of “lamp” used in this way, see Job 18:6; 21:17; Prov 13:9; 20:20; 24:20. For other examples of “light” as a symbol for life, see Job 3:20; 33:30; Ps 56:13.
⁷⁶tn 2 Sam 22:29 repeats “LORD.”
⁷⁷tn Heb “my darkness.”
⁷⁸tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that yk is asseverative here.
⁷⁹tn Heb “by you.”
⁸⁰tn Heb “I will run.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 29 indicate the subject’s potential or capacity to perform an action. Though one might expect a preposition to follow the verb here, this need not be the case with the verb Jwr (see1 Sam 17:22). Some emend the qal to a hiphil form of the verb and translate, “I put to flight (lit., “cause to run”) an army.”
⁸¹tn More specifically, the noun dwdg refers to a raiding party or to a contingent of troops (KB, 177).
sn The picture of a divinely empowered warrior charging against an army in almost superhuman fashion appears elsewhere in ancient Near Eastern literature. See R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 228.
⁸²tn Heb “and by my God.”
⁸³sn I can jump over a wall. The psalmist uses hyperbole to emphasize his God-given military superiority.
⁸⁴tn Heb “(As for) the God, his way is blameless.” lah, “the God,” stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (see BDB, 42, and Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).
⁸⁵tn Heb “the word of the LORD is purified.” The Lord’s “word” probably refers here to his oracle(s) of victory delivered to the psalmist before the battle(s) described in the following context. See also Pss 12:5-7 and 138:2-3. David frequently received such oracles before going into battle (see 1 Sam 23:2, 4-5, 10-12; 30:8; 2 Sam 5:19). The Lord’s word of promise is absolutely reliable; it is compared to metal that has been refined in fire and cleansed of impurities. See Ps 12:6.
sn The LORD’s promise. In the ancient Near East kings would typically seek and receive oracles from their god(s) prior to battle. For examples, see R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 241-42.
⁸⁶tn See v. 2.
⁸⁷tn Or “for.”
⁸⁸tn Heb “rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor of divine protection. See v. 2, where rwx is translated “rocky summit.”
⁸⁹tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “No one.” In this way the psalmist indicates that the Lord is the only true God and reliable source of protection. See also Deut 32:39, where the Lord affirms that he is the only true God. Note as well the emphasis on his role as protector (rwx, lit., “rocky cliff”) in Deut 32:4, 15, 17-18, 30.
⁹⁰tn Heb “the God.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (cf BDB, 42, and Deut 33:26). See v. 30.
⁹¹tn Heb “is the one who clothes.” For similar language see 1 Sam 2:4; Pss 65:6; 93:1. The psalmist employs a generalizing hymnic style in vv. 32-34; he uses participles in vv. 32a, 33a and 34a to describe what God characteristically does on his behalf.
⁹²tn 2 Sam 22:33 reads, “the God is my strong refuge.”
sn As the following context makes clear, this refers to physical and emotional strength for battle (see especially v. 39).
⁹³tn The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive here carries along the generalizing force of the preceding participle.
⁹⁴tn Heb “he made my path smooth.” 2 Sam 22:34 reads, “he sets free (from the verb rtn) (the) blameless, his (kethib/my (qere) way.” <ymt, “smooth,” usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle withour tripping (see vv. 33, 36).
⁹⁵tn Heb “(the one who) makes my feet like (those of ) a deer.”
⁹⁶tn Heb “and on my high places he makes me walk.” The imperfect verbal form emphasizes God’s characteristic provision. The psalmist compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured.
sn Verse 33. Habakkuk uses similar language to describe his faith during difficult times. See Hab 3:19.
⁹⁷sn He trains my hands. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
⁹⁸tn Heb “and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms,” or “my arms bend a bow of bronze.” The verb tjn apparently means “pull back, bend” here (see KB, 692). The third feminine singular verbal form appears to agree with the feminine singular noun tvq, “bow.” In this case the verb must be taken as niphal (passive). However, it is possible that “my arms” is the subject of the verb and “bow” the object. In this case the verb is piel (active). For other examples of a feminine singular verb being construed with a plural noun, see GKC, 464, para 145k.
sn The strongest bow (Heb “bow of bronze”) probably refers to a bow laminated with bronze strips, or to a purely ceremonial or decorative bow made entirely from bronze. In the latter case the language is hyperbolic, for such a weapon would not be functional in battle.
⁹⁹tn Heb “and you give to me the shield of your deliverance.”
sn You give me your protective shield. Ancient Near Eastern literature often refers to a god giving a king special weapons. See R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 260-61.
¹⁰⁰tc 2 Sam 22:36 omits this line, perhaps due to homoioarchton. A scribe’s eye may have jumped from the waw prefixed to “your right hand” to the waw prefixed to the following “and your answer,” causing him to omit by accident the intervening words (“your right hand supports me and”).
¹⁰¹tn The text of Ps 18:35 appears to read, “your condescension,” apparently referring to God’s willingness to intervene. However, the noun hwnu elsewhere means “humility,” and is used only here of God. The form Jtwnu may be a fully written form of the suffixed infinitive construct of hnu, “to answer” (a defectively written form of the infinitive appears in 2 Sam 22:36). In this case the psalmist refers to God’s willingness to answer his prayer; one might translate, “your favorable response.”
¹⁰²tn Heb “makes me great.”
¹⁰³tn Heb “you make wide my step under me.” “Step” probably refers metonymically to the path upon which the psalmist walks. Another option is to translate, “you widen my stride.” This would suggest that God gives him the capacity to run quickly.
¹⁰⁴tn Heb “lower legs.” On the meaning of the Hebrew noun, which occurs only here, see H. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena, 112. A cognate Akkadian noun means “lower leg.”
¹⁰⁵tn 2 Sam 22:38 has “destroy.”
¹⁰⁶tn Or “smash them.” 2 Sam 22:39 reads, “and I wiped them out and smashed them.”
¹⁰⁷tn Heb “until they are unable to rise.” 2 Sam 22:39 reads, “until they do not rise.”
¹⁰⁸sn They fall at my feet. For ancient Near Eastern parallels, see O. Keel, Symbolism of the Biblical World, 294-97.
¹⁰⁹tn Heb “clothed me.” See v. 32.
¹¹⁰tn Heb “you make those who rise against me kneel beneath me.”
sn MY foes kneel before me. For ancient Near Eastern parallels, see R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 268.
¹¹¹tn Heb “and (as for) my enemies, you give to me (the) back (or “neck”).” The idiom “give (the) back” means “to cause (one) to turn the back and run away.” See Ex 23:27 and KB, 888.
¹¹²sn Verse 40. See v. 17.
¹¹³tn Heb “but there is no deliverer.”
¹¹⁴tn Heb “to the LORD.” The words “they cry out” are supplied in the translation, for they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
sn They cry out. This reference to the psalmists’ enemies crying out for help to the LORD suggests that the psalmist refers here to enemies within the covenant community, rather than foreigners. However, the militaristic context suggests foreign enemies are in view. Ancient Near Eastern literature indicates that defeated enemies would sometimes cry out for mercy to the god(s) of their conqueror. See R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 271.
¹¹⁵tn Heb “I pulverize them like dust upon the face of the wind.” The phrase “upon the face of” here means “before” (see BDB, 818). 2 Sam 22:43 reads, “like dust of the earth.”
¹¹⁶tn Ps 18 reads, “I empty them out” (hiphil of qyr), while 2 Sam 22:43 has, “I crush them, I stomp on them” (juxtaposing the synonyms qqd and uqr). It is likely that the latter is a conflation of variants. One, but not both, of the verbs in 2 Sam 22:43 is probably original; “empty out” does not form as good a parallel with “grind, pulverize” in the parallel line.
¹¹⁷tn Or “mud.” See KB, 374.
¹¹⁸tn Heb “from the strivings of a people.” In this context byr, “striving,” probably has a militaristic sense (as in Judg 12:2; Isa 41:11), and <u, “people,” probably refers more specifically to an army (for other examples, see the verses listed in BDB, 766, para 2.d). Some understand the phrase as referring to attacks by the psalmists’ own countrymen, the “nation” being Israel. However, foreign enemies appear to be in view; note the reference to “nations” in the following line.
¹¹⁹tn 2 Sam 22:44 reads, “you keep me.”
¹²⁰tn Heb “a people whom I did not know serve me.” In this context “know” (udy) probably refers to formal recognition by treaty. People who were once not under the psalmist’s authority now willingly submit to his rulership to avoid being conquered militarily (see vv. 44-45). The language may recall the events recorded in 2 Sam 8:9-10 and 10:19.
¹²¹tn Heb “at a report of an ear they submit to me.” The report of the psalmist’s exploits is so impressive that those who hear it submit to his rulership without putting up a fight.
¹²²tn For the meaning “be weak, powerless” for vjk, see Ps 109:24. The next line (see v. 45a), in which “foreigners” are also mentioned, favors this interpretation. Another option is to translate “cower in fear” (see Deut 33:29; Pss 66:3; 81:15).
¹²³tn Heb “wither, wear out.”
¹²⁴tn The meaning of grj, “shake,” is established on the basis of cognates in Arabic and Aaramaic (KB, 350). 2 Sam 22:46 reads rgj, which might mean here, “(they) come limping” (on the basis of a cognate in post-biblical Hebrew). The normal meaning for rgj, “gird,” makes little sense here.
¹²⁵tn Heb “from.”
¹²⁶tn Heb “their prisons.” Their besieged cities are compared to prisons.
¹²⁷tn Elsewhere the construction hwhy yj as used exclusively as an oath formula, “as surely as the LORD lives,” but this is not the case here, for no oath follows. Here the statement is an affirmation of the LORD’s active presence and intervention. In contrast to pagan deities, he demonstrates he is living God by rescuing and empowering the psalmist.
¹²⁸tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection. See vv. 2, 31.
¹²⁹tn Or “blessed (i.e., praised) be.”
¹³⁰tn Heb “the God of my deliverance.” 2 Sam 22:48 reads, “the God of the rocky cliff of my deliverance.”
¹³¹tn The words “as king” are added in the translation for clarification. Elsewhere in Psalms the verb <wr, “be exalted,” when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 46:10; 57:5, 11).
¹³²tn Heb “the God.” See v. 32.
¹³³tn Heb “is the one who grants vengeance to me.” The plural form of the noun indicates degree here, suggesting complete vengeance or vindication.
sn Vindicates me. In the ancient Near East military victory was sometimes viewed as a sign that one’s God had judged in favor of the victor, avenging and/or vindicating him. See, for example, Judg 11:27, 32-33, 36.
¹³⁴tn Heb “he subdues nations beneath me.” On the meaning of the verb rbd, “subdue” (a homonym of rbd, “speak”), see KB, 209-10. See also Ps 47:3 and 2 Chr 22:10. 2 Sam 22:48 reads “and (is the one who) brings down nations beneath me.”
¹³⁵tn Heb “(the one who) delivers me.” 2 Sam 22:49 reads “and (the one who) brings me out.”
¹³⁶tn Heb “lifts me up.” In light of the preceding and following references to deliverance, the verb <wr probably here refers to being rescued from danger (see Ps 9:13). However, it could mean “exalt, elevate” here, indicating that the Lord has given him victory over his enemies and forced them to acknowledge the psalmist’s superiority.
¹³⁷tn Heb “from those who rise against me.”
¹³⁸sn This probably alludes to the fact that the psalmist will praise the Lord in the presence of the defeated nations when they, as his subjects, bring their tribute payments. Ideally the Davidic king was to testify to the nations of God’s greatness. See J. Eaton, Kingship in the Psalms, 182-85.
¹³⁹tn Heb “to your name.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “LORD,” the primary name of Israel’s covenant God which suggests his active presence with his people (see Ex 3:12-15).
¹⁴⁰tn Or “the one who.”
¹⁴¹tn Heb “magnifies the victories of his king.” “His king” refers to the psalmist, the Davidic king whom God has chosen to rule Israel.
¹⁴²tn Heb “(the one who) does loyalty.”
¹⁴³tn Heb “his anointed (one),” i.e., the psalmist/Davidic king. See Ps 2:2.
¹⁴⁴sn If David is the author of the psalm (see the heading), then he here anticipates that God will continue to demonstrate loyalty to his offspring who succeed him. If the author is a later Davidic king, then he views the divine favor he has experienced as the outworking of God’s faithful promises to David.
¹⁴⁵sn Ps 19. The psalmist praises God for his self-revelation in the heavens and in the Mosaic Law. The psalmist concludes with a prayer, asking the Lord to keep him from sinning and to approve of his thoughts and words.
¹tn God’s “glory” refers here to his royal majesty and power.
²tn Heb “and the work of his hands the sky declares.” The participles emphasize the ongoing testimony of the heavens/sky.
³tn Heb “it gushes forth a word.” The “sky” (see v. 1b) is the subject of the verb. Though not literally speaking (see v. 3), it clearly reveals God’s royal majesty. The sun’s splendor and its movement across the sky is in view (see vv. 4-6).
⁴tn Heb “it (i.e., the sky) declares knowledge,” i.e., knowledge about God’s royal majesty and power (see v. 1). This apparently refers to the splendor and movements of the stars. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 2, like the participles in the preceding verse, combine with the temporal phrases (“day after day” and “night after night”) to emphasize the ongoing testimony of the sky.
⁵tn Heb “their.” The antecedent of the plural pronoun is “heavens” (v. 1).
⁶tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “their measuring line” (<wq). The noun wq, “measuring line,” makes no sense in this context. The reading <lwq, “their voice,” which is supported by the LXX, is preferable.
⁷tn Heb “goes out,” or “proceeds forth.”
⁸tn Heb “their” (see the note at v. 3).
⁹tn The verb is supplied in the translation. The Hebrew text has no verb; axy, “goes out,” is understood by ellipsis.
¹⁰tn Heb “to the end of the world.”
¹¹tn Heb “in them” (i.e., the heavens).
¹²sn Verse 5. The personified sun emerges from this “tent” in order to make its daytime journey across the sky. So the “tent” must refer metaphorically to the place where the sun goes to rest during the night.
¹³tn The participle expresses the repeated or regular nature of the action.
¹⁴tn The noun hpj, “chamber,” occurs elsewhere only in Isa 4:5 and Joel 2:16 (where it refers to the bedroom of a bride and groom).
sn Like a bridegroom. The metaphor likens the sun to a bridegroom who emerges from the bedroom thoroughly satisfied and full of joy.
¹⁵tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the regularity of the action.
¹⁶tn Heb “(on) a path.”
sn Like a strong man. The metaphorical language reflects the brilliance of the sunrise, which attests to the sun’s vigor.
¹⁷tn Heb “from the end of the heavens (is) its going forth.”
¹⁸tn Heb “and its circuit (is) to their ends.”
¹⁹tn Heb “is hidden from.”
²⁰tn Heb “(it) restores life.” Elsewhere the hiphil of bwv, “return,” when used with vpn, “life,” as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength (emotionally or physically)” (Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19. Here the point seems to be that the Law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.
²¹tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the LORD.” The noun twdu refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.
²²tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
²³tn Or “the (morally) naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.
²⁴tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.
²⁵tn Heb “(they) make happy (the) heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.
²⁶tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the Law as a whole.
²⁷tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.
²⁸tn Heb (they) enlighten (the) eyes.
²⁹tn Heb “the fear of the LORD is clean.” The phrase “fear of the LORD” probably refers here to the Law, which teaches one how to demonstrate proper reverence for the Lord. See Ps 111:10 for another possible use of the phrase in this sense.
³⁰tn Heb “(it) stands permanently.”
³¹sn The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.
³²tn Heb “more desirable.”
³³tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).
³⁴tn Heb “moreover your servant is warned by them.”
³⁵tn Heb “in the keeping of them (there is) a great reward.”
³⁶tn Heb “Errors who can discern?” This rhetorical question makes the point that perfect moral discernment is impossible to achieve. Consequently it is inevitable that even those with good intentions will sin on occasion.
³⁷tn Heb “declare me innocent from hidden” (things, i.e., sins). In this context (see the preceding line) “hidden” sins are not sins committed in secret, but sins which are not recognized as such by the psalmist.
³⁸tn Or “presumptuous.”
³⁹tn Heb “let them not rule over me.”
⁴⁰tn Heb “great.”
⁴¹tn Heb “may the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart be acceptable before you.” The prefixed verbal form at the beginning of the verse is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate the form as an imperfect continuing the thought of v. 14b: “(Then) the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart will be acceptable before you.”
⁴²tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection.
⁴³tn Or “guardian, redeemer.” The metaphor casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis.
⁴⁴sn Ps 20. The people pray for the king’s success in battle. When the king declares his assurance that the Lord will answer the people’s prayer, they affirm their confidence in God’s enablement.
¹tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in vv. 1b-5 are interpreted as jussives of prayer. Another option is to understand them as imperfects, “the LORD will answer,” etc. In this case the people declare their confidence that the Lord will intervene on behalf of the king and extend to him his favor.
²sn You. The people address the king as they pray to the Lord.
³tn Heb “in a day of trouble.”
⁴tn Heb “the name of the God of Jacob.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his very person and to the divine characteristics suggested by his name, in this case “God of Jacob,” which highlights his relationship to Israel.
⁵tc Heb “from (the) temple.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix (/) has probably been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word begins with a prefixed waw. See Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 184.
⁶tn Or “remember.” For other examples of the verb rkz carrying the nuance “take notice of”, see Pss 8:4 and 9:12.
⁷tc Heb “consider as fat.” See KB, 234. The verbal form should probably be emended to h*n#V=d^y+, the final he being understood as a third feminine singular pronominal suffix referring back to the feminine noun “burnt sacrifice.”
⁸tn Heb “may he give to you according to your heart.” Reference is probably made to the king’s prayer for protection and victory in battle. See vv. 5-6.
⁹sn This probably refers to the king’s strategy for battle.
¹⁰sn The king is addressed (see v. 1).
¹¹tc The verb lgd occurs only here in the qal. If accepted as original, it may carry the nuance “raise a banner,” but it is preferable to emend the form to lygn, “we will rejoice,” which provides better parallelism with “shout for joy” and fits well with the prepositional phrase “in the name of our God” (see Ps 89:16).
¹²tn Or “know.”
sn I am sure. The speaker is not identified. It is likely that the king, referring to himself in the third person (note “his chosen king”), responds to the people’s prayer. Perhaps his confidence is due to the reception of a divine oracle of salvation.
¹³tn The perfect verbal form is probably used rhetorically to state that the deliverance is as good as done. In this way the speaker emphasizes the certainty of the deliverance. Another option is to take the statement as generalizing; the psalmist affirms that the LORD typically delivers the king.
¹⁴tn Heb “his anointed one.” This title refers to the Davidic king. See Pss 2:2 and 18:50.
¹⁵tn Heb “he will answer him.”
¹⁶tn Heb “from his holy heavens.”
¹⁷tn Heb “with mighty acts of deliverance of his right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Ps 17:7).
¹⁸tn Heb “these in chariots and these in horses.” No verb appears; perhaps the verb “invoke” is to be supplied from the following line. In this case the idea would be that some “invoke” (i.e., trust in) their military might for victory. Verse 8 suggests that the “some/others” mentioned here are the nation’s enemies.
¹⁹tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s faithful people and the others mentioned in the previous line.
²⁰tn Heb “we invoke the name of.” The hiphil of rkz, when combined with the phrase “in the name,” means “to invoke” (see Josh 23:7; Isa 48:1; Amos 6:10). By invoking the Lord’s name in prayer, the people demonstrate their trust in him.
²¹tn Or “stumble and fall down.”
²²tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s victorious people and the defeated enemies mentioned in the previous line. The perfect verbal forms either generalize or, more likely, state rhetorically the people’s confidence as they face the approaching battle. They describe the demise of the enemy as being as good as done.
²³tn Or “rise up and remain upright.” On the meaning of the hithpolel of dwu, see KB, 795. The verbal forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with waw consecutive) either generalize or, more likely, state rhetorically the people’s confidence as they face the approaching battle.
²⁴tc The translation assumes an emendation of the verbal form huyvwh. As it stands, the form is an imperative. In this case the people return to the petitionary mood with which the psalm begins. But the immediate context is one of confidence (vv. 6-8), not petition (vv. 1-5). If one takes the final he on the verb “deliver” as dittographic (note the initial he on the following phrase, “the king”), one can repoint the verbal form as a perfect and understand it as expressing the people’s confidence, “the LORD will deliver the king” (see v. 6). The Hebrew scribal tradition takes “the king” with the following line, in which case it would be best interpreted as a divine title, “may the King answer us” or “the king will answer us” (see Pss 98:6; 145:1). However, the poetic parallelism is better balanced if “the king” is taken with the first line. In this case the referent is the Davidic king, who is earlier called the Lord’s “anointed one” (v. 6; see Pss 21:7; 45:5, 11; 63:11).
²⁵tn If the imperative is retained in the preceding line, then the prefixed verbal form is best taken as a jussive of prayer, “may he answer us.” However, if the imperative in the previous line is emended to a perfect, the prefixed form is best taken as imperfect, “he will answer us.”
²⁶tn Heb “in the day we call.”
²⁷sn Ps 21. The psalmist praises the Lord for the way he protects and blesses the Davidic king.
¹tn Heb “in your strength.” The translation interprets the pronominal suffix as subjective, rather than merely descriptive (or attributive).
²tn Heb “and in our deliverance, how greatly he rejoices.”
³tn The translation assumes the perfect verbal forms in v. 2 are generalizing, stating factually what God typically does for the king. Another option is to take them as present perfects, “you have granted . . . you have not refused.” See v. 4, which mentions a specific request for a long reign.
⁴tn Heb “and the request of his lips you do not refuse.”
⁵tn Or “meet him (with).”
⁶tn Heb “good.”
⁷sn The following context indicates that God’s “blessings” include deliverance/protection, vindication, sustained life, and a long, stable reign (see also Pss 3:8; 24:5).
⁸tn Heb “life he asked from you.” Another option is to translate the perfect verbal forms in v. 4 with the present tense, “he asks . . . you grant.”
⁹tn Heb “you have granted him length of days forever and ever.” The phrase “length of days,” when used of human beings, usually refers to a lengthy period of time (such as one’s lifetime). See, for example, Deut 30:20; Job 12:12; Ps 91:16; Prov 3:2, 16; Lam 5:20. The additional phrase “forever and ever” is hyperbolic. It seems to attribute eternal life to the king (see Pss 61:6-7; 72:5 as well); the underlying reality is the king’s enduring dynasty. He will live on, as it were, through his descendents, who will continue to rule over his kingdom long after he has passed off the scene.
¹⁰tn Or “great glory.”
¹¹tn Heb “majesty and splendor you place upon him.” For other uses of the phrase rdhw dwh, “majesty and splendor,” see 1 Chr 16:27; Job 40:10; Pss 96:6; 104:1; 111:3.
¹²tn Heb “you make him happy with joy with (i.e., “close by” or “in”) your presence.” On the idiom “with your face” (i.e., “in your presence”) see Ps 16:11 and BDB, 816.
¹³tn The active participle draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action.
¹⁴tn Traditionally “Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (/wylu) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. Note the focus of vv. 8-12 and see Ps 47:2.
¹⁵tn Another option is to translate the imperfect verbal form as future, “he will not be upended.” Even if one chooses this option, the future tense must be understood in a generalizing sense.
¹⁶tn The king is now addressed. One could argue that the Lord is still being addressed, but verse 9 militates against this proposal, for there the Lord is mentioned in the third person and appears to be distinct from the addressee (unless, of course, one takes “LORD” in verse 9 as vocative; see the note on verse 9b). SeeVerse 7 begins this transition to a new addressee by referring to both the king and the Lord in the third person (in verses 1-6 the Lord is addressed and only the king referred to in the third person).
¹⁷tn Heb “your hand finds.” The idiom pictures the king grabbing hold of his enemies and defeating them (see 1 Sam 23:17). The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 8-12 may be translated with the future tense, as long as the future is understood as generalizing.
¹⁸tn Heb “your right hand finds those who hate you.”
¹⁹tn Heb “you make them like a furnace of fire.” The statement is elliptical. The point is not that he makes them like a furnace, but like an object burned in a furnace.
²⁰tn Heb “at the time of your face.” The “face” of the king here refers to his angry presence. See Lam 4:16.
²¹tn Heb “the LORD, in his anger he swallows them, and fire devours them.” Some take “the LORD” as a vocative, in which case he is addressed in vv. 8-9a. But this makes the use of the third person in v. 9b rather awkward, though the king could be the subject (see vv. 1-7).
²²tn Heb “fruit.” The next line makes it clear that offspring is in view.
²³tn Heb “seed.”
²⁴tn Heb “sons of man.”
²⁵tn Or “for.”
²⁶tn Heb “they extend against you harm.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 11 are taken as generalizing, stating factually what the king’s enemies typically do. Another option is to translate with the past tense (“they intended . . . planned”).
²⁷sn See Ps 10:2.
²⁸tn Heb “they lack ability.”
²⁹tn Heb “you make them a shoulder,” i.e., “you make them turn and run, showing the back of their neck and shoulders.”
³⁰tn Heb “with your bowstrings you fix against their faces,” i.e., “you fix your arrows on the bowstrings to shoot at them.”
³¹tn Heb “in your strength,” but English idiom does not require the pronoun.
sn The psalm concludes with a petition to the Lord, asking him to continue to intervene in strength for the king and nation.
³²tn Heb “sing praise.”
³³sn Ps 22. The psalmist cries out to the Lord for deliverance from his dangerous enemies, who have surrounded him and threaten his life. Confident that the Lord will intervene, he then vows to thank the Lord publically for his help and anticipates a time when all people will recognize the Lord’s greatness and worship him.
³⁴tn Heb “according to the doe of the dawn.” Apparently this refers to a particular musical tune or style.
¹sn From the psalmist’s perspective it seems that God has rejected him, for he fails to answer his cry for help (vv. 1b-2).
²tn Heb “far from my deliverance (are) the words of my groaning.” The noun hgav and its related verb gav are sometimes used of a lion’s roar, but they can also describe human groaning (see Job 3:24 and Pss 32:3 and 38:8.
³tn Heb “there is no silence to me.”
⁴tn Or “holy.” The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” In this context, as often in the OT, the focus seems to be on the Lord’s transcendent sovereignty. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. See the note on Isa 6:3.
⁵tn Heb “(O one who) sits (on) the praises of Israel.” The metaphorical language pictures the Lord as sitting enthroned in his temple, above the praises that his people Israel offer up to him.
⁶tn The words “in you” are added in the translation. They are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
⁷tn Or “were not ashamed.”
⁸tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s experience and that of his ancestors. When he considers God’s past reliability, it only heightens his despair and confusion, for God’s present silence stands in stark contrast to his past saving acts.
⁹tn Or “am.” The metaphor expresses the psalmist’s self-perception, which is based on how others treat him (see the following line).
¹⁰tn Heb “a reproach of man and despised by people.”
¹¹tn Or, “scoff at, deride, mock.”
¹²tn Heb “they separate with a lip.” Apparently this refers to their verbal taunting.
¹³sn Shake their heads. Apparently this refers to a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 109:25; Lam 2:15.
¹⁴tn The words “they say” are added in the translation for clarification and stylistic purposes. The psalmist here quotes the sarcastic taunts of his enemies.
¹⁵tn Heb “roll (yourself).” The verb llg here has the sense of “commit” (see Prov 16:3). The imperatival form in the Hebrew text indicates the enemies here address the psalmist. Since they refer to him in the third person in the rest of the verse, some prefer to emend the verb to a perfect, “he commits himself to the LORD.”
¹⁶tn That is, “for he (the LORD) delights in him (the psalmist).” For other cases where the expression “delight in” refers to God’s delight in a person, see Num 14:8; 1 Kgs 10:9; Pss 18:19; 40:8.
sn This statement does not necessarily reflect the enemies’ actual belief, but it does reflect the psalmist’s confession. They sarcastically appeal to God to help him, because he claims to be an object of divine favor. However, they probably doubted the reality of his claim.
¹⁷tn The verb is derived from either hjg (see KB, 187) or jyg (see BDB, 161) and seems to carry the nuance “burst forth” or “pull out.”
¹⁸tn Heb “upon you I was cast from (the) womb.”
¹⁹tn Heb “from the womb of my mother you (have been) my God.”
sn Despite the enemies’ taunts, the psalmist is certain of his relationship with God, which began from the time of his birth.
²⁰tn Heb “and there is no helper.”
²¹snThe psalmist compares his enemies to dangerous bulls.
²²sn Bashan, located east of the Jordan River, was well-known for its cattle. See Ezek 39:18; Amos 4:1.
²³tn Heb “they open against me their mouth(s).” To “open the mouth against” is a Hebrew idiom associated with eating and swallowing (see Ezek 2:8; Lam 2:16).
²⁴tn Heb “a lion ripping and roaring.”
²⁵tn Heb “like water I am poured out.”
²⁶tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of his strength and courage.
²⁷tc Heb “my strength” (yjk), but many prefer to emend the text to ykj, “my palate,” assuming that an error of transposition has occurred in the traditional Hebrew text.
²⁸tn On the meaning of the Hebrew term, which occurs only here, see KB, 594.
²⁹sn You. The psalmist addresses God and suggests that he is ultimately responsible for what is happening because of his failure to intervene (see vv. 1-2, 11).
³⁰tn Heb “you place me in the dust of death.” The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the progressive nature of the action. The psalmist is in the process of dying.
³¹tn Or “for.”
³²tn Heb “like a lion, my hands and my feet.” This reading is often emended because it is grammatically awkward, but perhaps its awkwardness is by rhetorical design. After all, men being attacked by lions do not usually worry about grammatical correctness. Perhaps its broken syntax conveys the panic and terror felt by the psalmist. The psalmist may envision a lion pinning the hands and feet of its victim to the ground with its paws, a scene depicted in ancient Near Eastern art. The line has been traditionally translated, “they pierce my hands and feet,” and then taken as foreshadowing the crucifixion of Christ. Though Jesus does apppropriate the language of this psalm while on the cross (compare v. 1 with Matt 27:46 and Mk 15;34), the NT does not cite this verse in describing the death of Jesus. (It does refer to vv. 7-8 and 18, however. See Matt 27:35, 39, 43; Mk 15:24, 29; Lk 23:34; Jn 19:23-24). If one were to insist on an emendation of yrak, “like a lion,” to a verb, the most likely verbal root would be hrk, “dig” (see the LXX). In this context this verb could refer to the gnawing and tearing of wild dogs. The ancient Greek version produced by Symmachus reads “bind” here, perhaps understanding a verbal root Jrk, which is attested in later Hebrew and Aramaic and means “to encircle, entwine, embrace” (see KB, 497-98, and Jastrow, 668). Neither one of these proposed verbs can yield a meaning “bore, pierce.” It is best not to interpret this verse as referring to Jesus’ crucifixion in a specific or direct way.
³³tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 17-18 draw attention to the progressive nature of the action.
³⁴sn The violent attack has left him with broken bones and multiple fractures. See v. 14.
³⁵tn Heb “they.” The masculine form indicates the enemies are in view.
³⁶tn Heb “they gaze, they look upon me.”
³⁷tn Heb “casting lots.” The precise way in which this would be done is not certain.
³⁸tn Heb “O my strength.”
³⁹tn Heb “hurry to my help.”
⁴⁰tn Or “my life.”
⁴¹tn The verb “save” is added in the translation; it is understood by ellipsis (see “deliver” in the preceding line).
⁴²tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone.
⁴³sn He again compares his enemies to vicious dogs and ferocious lions (see vv. 13, 16).
⁴⁴tn <ymr appears to be an alternate spelling of <ymar, “wild oxen” (see BDB, 910).
⁴⁵tn Heb “and from the horns of the wild oxen you answer me.” Most take the final verb with the preceding prepositonal phrase. Some understand the verb form as a relatively rare precative perfect, expressing a wish or request. (See W-O, 494-95.) However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew. (See the discussion at Ps 3:7.) Others prefer to take the perfect in its usual indicative sense. The psalmist, perhaps in response to an oracle of salvation, affirms confidently that God has answered him, assuring him that deliverance is on the way. The translation above takes the prepositional phrase as parallel to the preceding “from the mouth of the lion” and as collocated with the verb “rescue” at the beginning of the verse. “You have answered me” is understood as a triumphant shout which marks a sudden shift in tone and introduces the next major section of the psalm. By isolating the statement syntactically, the psalmist highlights the declaration.
⁴⁶tn Or “brothers,” but here the term does not carry a literal familial sense. It refers to the psalmist’s fellow members of the Israelite covenant community (see v. 23).
⁴⁷tn Heb “(you) fearers of the LORD.” See Ps 15:4.
⁴⁸tn Heb “honor him,” or “respect him.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “be afraid of him.”
⁵⁰tn Or “detest.”
⁵¹sn Verse 24. In this verse the psalmist refers to himself in the third person and characterizes himself as oppressed.
⁵²tn Heb “he did not hide his face from him.” For other uses of the idiom “hide the face” meaning “ignore,” see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9. Sometimes the idiom carries the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 27:9; 88:14).
⁵³tn Heb “heard.”
⁵⁴tn Heb “from with you (is) my praise.”
⁵⁵tn Heb “my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.” When asking the Lord for help, the psalmists would typically promise to praise the Lord publically if he intervened and delivered them.
⁵⁶sn Eat and be filled. In addition to praising the Lord, the psalmist also offers a thank offering to the Lord and invites others to share in a communal meal.
⁵⁷tn Heb “may your heart(s) be revived permanently.” See Ps 69:32.
⁵⁸tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the LORD.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27 are understood as jussives. Another option is to take the forms as imperfects and translate, “all the people of the earth will acknowledge and turn . . . and worship.” See vv. 29-32.
⁵⁹tn Heb “families of the nations.”
⁶⁰tn Heb “before you.”
⁶¹tn Heb “for to the LORD (is) dominion.”
⁶²tn Heb “fat (ones).” This apparently refers to those who are healthy and robust. In light of the parallelism, some prefer to emend the form to ynvy, “those who sleep (in the earth),” but ynvd, “fat (ones)” seems to form a merism with ‘all who descend into the grave.” The psalmist envisions all people, whether healthy or dying, joining in worship of the Lord.
⁶³tn Heb “eat and worship.” The verb forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with waw consecutive) are normally used in narrative to relate completed actions. Here the psalmist uses the forms rhetorically as he envisions a time when the Lord will receive universal worship. The mood is one of wishful thinking and anticipation; this is not prophecy in the strict sense.
⁶⁴tn Heb “all of the ones going down (into) the dust.” This group stands in contrast to those mentioned in the previous line. Together the two form a merism encompassing all human beings—the healthy, the dying, and everyone in between.
⁶⁵tn Heb “and his life he does not revive.”
⁶⁶tn Heb “offspring.”
⁶⁷tn Heb “it will be told concerning the Lord to the generation.”
⁶⁸tn Heb “his righteousness.” Here the noun hqdx refers to the Lord’s saving deeds whereby he vindicates the oppressed.
⁶⁹tn Heb “to a people (to be) born that he has acted.” The words “they will tell” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
⁷⁰sn Ps 23. In verses 1-4 the psalmist pictures the Lord as a shepherd who provides for his needs and protects him from danger. The psalmist declares, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and then extends and develops that metaphor, speaking as if he were a sheep. In verses 5-6 the metaphor changes as the psalmist depicts a great royal banquet hosted by the Lord. The psalmist is a guest of honor and recipient of divine favor, who enjoys unlimited access to the divine palace and presence.
¹sn The LORD is my shepherd. The opening metaphor suggests the psalmist is assuming the role of a sheep. In verses 1b-4 the psalmist extends the metaphor and explains exactly how the Lord is like a shepherd to him. At the surface level the language can be understood in terms of a shepherd’s relationship to his sheep. The translation of vv. 1-4 reflects this level. But, of course, each statement also points to an underlying reality.
²tn The imperfect verbal form is best understood as generalizing; the psalmist highlights his typical or ongoing experience as a result of having the Lord as his shepherd (habitual present use). The next verse explains more specifically what he means by this statement.
³tn Heb “he makes me lie down in lush pastures.” The hiphil verb ynxybry has a causative-modal nuance (see W-O, 445-46, on this use of the hiphil) here, meaning “allows me to lie down” (see also Jer 33:12). The point is that the shepherd takes the sheep to lush pastures and lets them eat and rest there. Both imperfect verbal forms in verse 2 are generalizing and highlight the psalmist’s typical experience.
⁴tn Both genitives in verse 3 indicate an attribute of the noun they modify. avd characterizes the pastures as “lush” (i.e., rich with vegetation), while twjnm probably characterizes the water as refreshing (see BDB, 630). In this case the plural indicates an abstract quality. Some take twjnm in the sense of “still, calm” (i.e., as describing calm pools in contrast to dangerous torrents) but it is unlikely that such a pastoral scene is in view. Shepherds usually watered their sheep at wells (see Gen 29:2-3; Ex 2:16-19). Another option is to take twjnm as “resting places” (see KB, 600) and to translate, “water of/at the resting places” (genitive of location, see W-O, 147-48).
sn Within the framework of the metaphor, the psalmist/sheep is declaring in verse 2 that his shepherd provides the essentials for physical life. At a deeper level the psalmist may be referring to more than just physical provision, though that would certainly be included.
⁵tn The appearance of yvpn, traditionally translated “my soul,” might suggest a spiritualized interpretation for the first line of verse 3. However, at the surface level of the shepherd/sheep metaphor, this is unlikely. vpn with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB, 660, cat. 4). In this context, where the statement most naturally refers to the physical provision just described, the form is best translated simply “me.” The accompanying verb (a polel form [factitive use] of bwv), if referring to the physical provision just described, carries the nuance “refresh, restore strength.”
⁶tn The imperfect verbal forms in verse 3 (bbwvy and ynjny), like those in verses 1-2, highlight what is typical of the shepherd/sheep relationship.
⁷tn The attributive genitive qdx is traditionally translated “righteousness” here, as if designating a moral or ethical quality. But this seems unlikely, for it modifies ylgum, “paths.” Within the shepherd/sheep metaphor, the phrase likely refers to “right” or “correct” paths, i.e. ones that lead to pastures, wells, or the fold. While qdx usually does carry a moral or ethical nuance, it can occasionally refer to less abstract things, such as weights and offerings (see BDB, 841). In this context, which emphasizes divine provision and protection, the underlying reality is probably God’s providential guidance. The psalmist is confident that God takes him down paths that will ultimately lead to something beneficial, not destructive.
⁸tn <v, “name” (v. 3) refers here to the shepherd’s reputation. (English “name” is often used the same way.) The statement wmv /uml, “for the sake of his name,” makes excellent sense within the framework of the shepherd/sheep metaphor. Shepherds, who sometimes hired out their services, were undoubtedly concerned about their vocational reputation. To maintain their reputation as competent shepherds, they had to know the “lay of the land” and make sure they led the sheep down the right paths to the proper destinations. The underlying reality is a profound theological truth: God must look out for the best interests of the one he has promised to protect, because if he fails to do so, his faithfulness could legitimately be called into question and his reputation damaged.
⁹tn twmlx has traditionally been understood as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (lx@ + tw#m*, see BDB, 853). Other authorities prefer to vocalize the form tWml=x and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root <lx) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. If the word does indeed mean “darkness,” it modifies ayg, “valley, ravine,” quite naturally. At the metaphorical level, verse 4 pictures the shepherd taking his sheep through a dark ravine where predators might lurk. The life-threatening situations faced by the psalmist are the underlying reality.
¹⁰tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 4, as in vv. 1-3, highlight what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.
¹¹tn ur is traditionally translated “evil” here, perhaps suggesting a moral or ethical nuance. But at the level of the metaphor, the word means “danger, injury, harm,” as a sheep might experience from a predator. The life-threatening dangers faced by the psalmist, especially the enemies mentioned in v. 5, are the underlying reality.
¹²tn The piel of <jn, when used with a human object, means “comfort, console.” But here, within the metaphorical framework, it refers to the way in which a shepherd uses his implements to assure the sheep of his presence and calm their nerves. The underlying reality is the emotional stability God provides the psalmist during life threatening situations.
¹³sn In verse 5 the metaphor switches. (It would be very odd for a sheep to have its head anointed and be served wine.) The background for the imagery is probably the royal banquet. Ancient Near Eastern texts describe such banquets in similar terms to those employed by the psalmist. (See Michael L. Barre and John S. Kselman, “New Exodus, Covenant, and Restoration in Psalm 23,” in The Word of the Lord Shall Go Forth: Essays in Honor of David Noel Freedman, ed. Carol F. Meyers and M. O’Connor [Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1983], 97-127.) The reality behind the imagery is the Lord’s favor. Through his blessings and protection he demonstrates to everyone, including dangerous enemies, that the psalmist has a special relationship with him.
¹⁴tn The imperfect verbal form in v. 5a carries on the generalizing mood of vv. 1-4. However, in v. 5b the psalmist switches to a perfect (tnvd), which may have a generalizing force as well. But then again the perfect is conspicuous here and may be present perfect in sense, indicating that the divine host typically pours oil on his head prior to seating him at the banquet table. The verb /vd (the piel is factitive) is often translated “anoint,” but this is misleading, for it might suggest a symbolic act of initiation into royal status. One would expect the verb jvm in this case; /vd here describes an act of hospitality extended to guests and carries the nuance “refresh” (see KB, 234). In Prov 15:30 it stands parallel to “make happy” and refers to the effect that good news has on the inner being of its recipient.
¹⁵tn The rare noun hywr is derived from the well-attested verb hwr, “be saturated, drink one’s fill.” In this context, where it describes a cup, it must mean “filled up.”
¹⁶tn The noun dsj (v. 6) has been the subject of several monographs. Gordon Clark concludes that dsj “is not merely an attitude or an emotion; it is an emotion that leads to an activity beneficial to the recipient.” He explains that an act of dsj is “a benificent action performed, in the context of a deep and enduring commitment between two persons or parties, by one who is able to render assistance to the needy party who in the circumstances is unable to help him- or herself.” (See Gordon R. Clark, The Word Hesed in the Hebrew Bible [Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1993], 267.) KB (336-37) defines the word as “loyalty,” or “faithfulness.” Other appropriate glosses might be “commitment” and “devotion.”
¹⁷tn The use of [dr, “pursue, chase” with dsjw bwf, “goodness and faithfulness,” as subject is ironic. This is the only place in the entire OT where either of these nouns appears as the subject of this verb [dr, “pursue.” This verb is often used to describe the hostile actions of enemies. One might expect the psalmists’ enemies (see v. 5) to chase him, but ironically God’s “goodness and faithfulness” (which are personified and stand by metonymy for God himself) pursue him instead. The word “pursue” is used outside of its normal context in an ironic manner and creates a unique, but pleasant word picture of God’s favor (or a kind God) “chasing down” the one whom he loves.
¹⁸tn The verb form ytbvw is a qal perfect (with waw consecutive), first common singular, from bwv, “return,” and should be translated, “and I will return.” But this makes no sense when construed with the following phrase, “in the house of the LORD.” bwv appears only here with the following phrase tybb. The form should be emended to yT!b=v!w+ (an infinitive construct from bvy, “live,” with pronominal suffix) or to yT!b=v^y`w+ (a qal perfect with waw consecutive, first common singular, from bvy)(see BHS note “c”). In either case one could then translate, “and I will live (in the house of the LORD).” The phrase “in the house” frequently follows the verb bvy in the OT.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “the house of the LORD.” The phrase may be purely metaphorical here, referring to the royal palace where the royal host of v. 5 holds his banquet and lives. If one takes the phrase more literally, it would refer to the earthly tabernacle (if one accepts Davidic authorship) or the temple (see Judg 19:18; 1 Sam 1:7, 24; 2 Sam 12:20; 1 Kgs 7:12, 40, 45, 51).
<sup>20</sup>tn The phrase <ymy Jra, “length of days” (v. 6), is traditionally translated “forever.” However, this phrase, when used elsewhere of men, usually refers to a lengthy period of time, such as one’s lifetime, and does not mean “forever.” (See KB, 88, and Deut 30:20; Job 12:12; Ps 91:16; Prov 3:2, 16; Lam 5:20.). Furthermore, the parallel phrase “all the days of my life” suggests this more limited meaning. Ps. 21:4, where the phrase is followed by “forever and ever,” may be an exception, though the juxtaposition of the phrases may be an example of intensification, where the second phrase goes beyond the limits of the first, rather than synonymity. Even if one takes both expressions as referring to eternal life, the language is part of the king’s hyperbolic description of the Lord’s blessings and should not be taken literally.
<sup>21</sup>sn Ps 24. The psalmist affirms the universal kingship of the sovereign creator, reminds his people that only the morally pure are qualified to worship him, and celebrates his splendor as a mighty warrior king.
<sup>1</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite, referring to the creation of the world.
<sup>2</sup>sn Verse 2. The description reflects ancient Israelite pre-scientific cosmology, which is based on outward appearances. The language also suggests that God’s creative work involved the subjugation of chaos, symbolized by the sea.
<sup>3</sup>tn The imperfects in v. 3 are modal, expressing potential or permission.
<sup>4</sup>sn In this context the Lord’s “mountain” is probably Zion/Jerusalem (see Isa 2:2-3).
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “the innocent of hands and the pure of heart.” The “hands” allude to one’s actions, the “heart” to one’s thought life and motives.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “who does not lift up for emptiness my life.” The first person pronoun on yvpn, “my life,” makes little sense here; many medieval Hebrew manuscripts support the ancient versions in reading a third person pronoun “his.” The idiom “lift the life” here means to “long for” or “desire strongly” (see KB, 725). In this context (note the reference to an oath in the following line) “emptiness” probably refers to speech (see Ps 12:2).
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “and does not swear an oath deceitfully.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “he (the righteous individual described in v. 4) lifts up a blessing from the LORD.” The singular subject is representative here, as v. 6 makes clear. The imperfect verbal form is generalizing; such people are typically rewarded for their deeds.
<sup>9</sup>tn “and vindication from the God of his deliverance.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “this (is the) generation of the ones seeking him, the ones seeking your face, Jacob.” To “seek the Lord’s face” means to seek his favor through prayer (see 2 Sam 21:1; Pss 27:8; 105:4).
sn This verse presents a somewhat idealized view of Jacob’s descendents as devoted worshipers of the Lord.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “lift up your heads.” The gates of the Lord’s dwelling place are here personified. The idiom “lift up the head” often means “be confident, bold” (see Judg 8:28; Job 10:15; Ps 83:2; Zech 1:21).
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “lift yourselves up.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Or “king of glory.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Following the imperatives of the preceding lines, the prefixed verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
<sup>15</sup>sn Who is this majestic king? Perhaps the personified gates/doors ask this question, in response to the command given in v. 7.
<sup>16</sup>tn Traditionally, “the LORD of Hosts,” a title which here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle.
<sup>17</sup>sn Ps 25. The psalmist asks for divine protection, guidance and forgiveness as he affirms his loyalty to and trust in the Lord. Ps 25 is an acrostic; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except for v. 18, which, like v. 19, begins with resh instead of the expected qoph. The final verse, which begins with pe, stands outside the acrostic scheme.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “to you, O LORD, my life I lift up.” To “lift up” one’s “life” to the Lord means to express one’s trust in him through prayer. See Pss 86:4; 143:8.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “those who deal in treachery in vain.” The adverb <qyr, “in vain,” probably refers to the failure (or futility) of their efforts. Another option is to understand it as meaning “without cause.”
<sup>3</sup>sn In this context the Lord’s “ways” and “paths” refer to the moral principles which the Lord prescribes for his followers. See vv. 8-10.
<sup>4</sup>sn The Lord’s commandments are referred to as “truth” here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will.
<sup>5</sup>tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “for from antiquity (are) they.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing.
<sup>8</sup>sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “good and just.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”
<sup>12</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” <ywnu, “humble,” usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.
<sup>14</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “all the paths of the LORD are faithful and trustworthy.” The LORD’s “paths” refer here to his characteristic actions.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “to the ones who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “name.” By forgiving the sinful psalmist, the Lord’s reputation as a merciful God will be enhanced.
<sup>18</sup>sn Forgive my sin. The psalmist readily admits his desperate need for forgiveness.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “Who is this man, the one who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.” The singular (note “man”) is representative here (see v. 14, where the plural is used).
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “his life in goodness dwells.” The singular is representative (see v. 14).
<sup>21</sup>tn Or “earth.”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “the advice of the LORD belongs to those who fear him.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “and his covenant, to make them know.”
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “my eyes continually (are) toward the LORD.”
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “for he will bring out from a net my feet.” His enemies’ hostility is probably in view (see v. 19).
<sup>26</sup>tn That is, helpless and vulnerable.
<sup>27</sup>tc Heb “the distresses of my heart, they make wide.” The text makes little if any sense as it stands, unless this is an otherwise unattested intransitive use of the hiphil of bjr, “be wide.” It is preferable to emend the form wbyjrh (hiphil perfect, third plural) , “they make wide,” to byjrh (hiphil imperative, masculine singular), “make wide.” (The final waw can be joined to the following word and taken as a conjunction.) In this case one can translate, “(in/from) the distresses of my heart, make wide (a place for me),” that is, “deliver me from the distress I am experiencing.” For the expression “make wide (a place) for me,” see Ps 4:1.
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “from my distresses lead me out.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “lift up all my sins.”
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “see my enemies for they are numerous, and (with) violent hatred they hate me.”
<sup>31</sup>tn Or “my life.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Or “redeem.”
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “his distresses.”
sn Verse 22. It is possible that the psalmist speaks on behalf of the nation throughout this psalm. Another option is that v. 22 is a later addition to the psalm which applies an original individual lament to the covenant community. If so, it may reflect an exilic setting.
<sup>34</sup>sn The author of Ps 26 invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “evaluate my kidneys and my heart.”
sn The kidneys and heart were viewed as the seat of one’s motives and moral character. See the note at 7:9.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “for your faithfulness (is) before my eyes.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “and I walk about in your loyalty.”
sn The psalmist’s awareness of the Lord’s faithfulness toward him motivates him to remain loyal to the Lord and to maintain his moral purity.
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “sit.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “go.” The psalmist uses the imperfect form of the verb to emphasize that he does not make a practice of associating with such people.
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “(those who) conceal themselves.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “assembly, company.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “sit.” The psalmist uses the imperfect form of the verb to emphasize that he does not make a practice of associating with such people.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “I wash my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image form cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The imperfect verbal emphasizes that this is his habit.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “so I can go around (probably in ritual procession) your altar.” Following the imperfect of the preceding line, the cohortative with waw conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “to cause to be heard the sound of thanksgiving.”
<sup>13</sup>tn The two infinitival forms (both with prefixed preposition -l=) give the purpose for his appearance at the altar.
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “the dwelling of your house.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “the place of the abode of your splendor.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “do not gather up my life with.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “or with men of bloodshed my life.” The verb is supplied; it is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “who (have) in their hands evil.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “and their right hand is full of a bribe.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “and I in my integrity walk.” The psalmist uses the imperfect verbal form to emphasize this is his practice. The construction at the beginning of the verse (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist and the sinners mentioned in vv. 9-10.
<sup>21</sup>tn Or “redeem me.”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “my foot stands in a level place.”
<sup>23</sup>sn The author of Ps 27 is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “the LORD (is) my light and my deliverance.” “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Another option is that “light” refers here to divine guidance (see Ps 43:3).
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “draw near to me.”
<sup>5</sup>sn To devour my flesh. The psalmist compares his enemies to dangerous, hungry predators (see 2 Kgs 9:36; Ezek 39:17).
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “my adversaries and my enemies against me.” The verb “draw near” (that is, “attack”) is understood by ellipsis; see the previous line.
<sup>7</sup>tn The Hebrew verbal forms are perfects. The translation assumes the psalmist is generalizing here, but another option is to take this as a report of past experience, “when evil men attacked me . . ., they stumbled and fell.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “my heart does not fear.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “if war rises up against me.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “in this (i.e., “during this situation”) I am trusting.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “my living.”
<sup>12</sup>sn House. This probably refers to the tabernacle (if one accepts Davidic authorship) or the temple (see Judg 19:18; 1 Sam 1:7, 24; 2 Sam 12:20; 1 Kgs 7:12, 40, 45, 51).
<sup>13</sup>tn Or “beauty.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Or “for he will.” The translation assumes the yk is asseverative here, rather than causal.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “he will hide me in his hut.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Or “trouble.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “tent.”
<sup>18</sup>tn The three imperfect verb forms in v. 5 anticipate a positive response to the prayer offered in vv. 7-12.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “on a rocky summit he lifts me up.” The Lord places the psalmist in an inaccessible place where his enemies cannot reach him. See Ps 18:2.
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “and now my head will be lifted up over my enemies all around me.”
sn In vv. 1-3 the psalmist generalizes, but here we discover that he is facing a crisis and is under attack from enemies (see vv. 11-12).
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “I will sacrifice in his tent sacrifices of a shout for joy” (that is, “sacrifices accompanied by a joyful shout”).
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “my voice.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “concerning you my heart says, ‘Seek my face.’“ The verb form “seek” is plural, but this makes no sense here, for the psalmist is addressed. The verb should be emended to a singular form. The first person pronominal suffix on “face” also makes little sense, unless it is the voice of the Lord he hears. But his “heart” is viewed as speaking, so it is better to emend the form to wynp, “his face.”
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “your face, O LORD, I seek.” To “seek the Lord’s face” means to seek his favor through prayer (see 2 Sam 21:1; Pss 24:6; 105:4).
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
<sup>26</sup>tn Or “(source of) help.”
<sup>27</sup>tn Or “though my father and mother have abandoned me.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “gather me in,” or “receive me.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles which he expects the psalmist to follow. See Ps 25:4.
<sup>30</sup>sn The “level path” refers to God’s moral principles (see the parallel line), which, if followed, will keep the psalmist blameless before his accusers (see v. 12).
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “because of those who watch me (with evil intent).” See also Pss 5:8; 54:5; 56:2.
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “do not give me over to the desire of my enemies.”
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “for they have risen up against me, lying witnesses and a testifier of violence.” The form jpy is traditionally understood as a verb, meaning “snort, breathe out.” A better option is to take the form as a noun meaning “witness.” See Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3.
<sup>34</sup>tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is incomplete, “If I had not believed (I would ) see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living . . .” The words “Where would I be” are added in the translation to clarify the intent of the statement.
<sup>35</sup>tn Or “wait.”
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “be strong and let your heart be confident.”
<sup>37</sup>sn The author of Ps 28 looks to the Lord for vindication, asks that the wicked be repaid in full for their evil deeds, and affirms his confidence that the Lord will protect his own.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “do not be deaf from me.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “lest (if) you are silent from me.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “the pit.” The noun rwb, “pit, cistern,” is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.
<sup>6</sup>sn Lifting one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer.
<sup>7</sup>tn Hebrew rybd, “temple,” actually refers to the most holy place within the sanctuary. See K-B, 208.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “and evil (is) in their heart(s).”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “Give to them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds. According to the work of their hands give to them. Return their due to them.” The highly repetitive style reflects the psalmist’s agitated emotional state and draws attention to his yearning for justice.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context the “LORD’s actions” and the “work of his hands” probably refer to the way he carries out justice by vindicating the godly and punishing the wicked. (Note the final line of the verse, which refers to divine judgment. See also Ps 92:4-7.) Evil men do not “understand” God’s just ways; they fail to realize he will protect the innocent. Consequently they seek to harm the godly, as if they believe they will never be held accountable for their actions.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “he.” The Lord, who is referred to in the two immediately preceding lines, is the subject.
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “blessed (be) the LORD.”
<sup>16</sup>sn He has heard. The psalmist’s mood abruptly changes, because the Lord responded positively to his petition and assured him that he would deliver him.
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “The LORD (is) my strength and my shield.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “in him my heart trusts.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Or “I am helped.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “and my heart exults.”
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “and from my song I will thank him.” As pointed in the Hebrew text, yryvm! appears to be “from my song,” but the preposition “from” never occurs elsewhere with the verb “to thank” (hiphil of hdy). Perhaps rvm is a noun form meaning “song.” If so, it can be taken as an adverbial accusative, “and (with) my song I will thank him.” See P. Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 236.
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “the LORD (is) strength to them” (or perhaps “to him”). The form wml, “to them/him,” is probably a corruption of an original wmul, “to his people” (see P. Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 236), perhaps due to quiescence of the letter ayin (see P. McCarter, Textual Criticism, 55). Note the reference to the Lord’s “people” in the next verse.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “he (is) a refuge of help for his anointed one.” The noun jyvm, “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.
<sup>24</sup>tn Or “bless.”
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “your inheritance.” The parallelism (note “your people”) indicates that Israel is in view.
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “shepherd them and lift them up.”
sn The shepherd metaphor is sometimes associated with royal responsibility. See 2 Sam 5:2; 7:7; Mic 5:2-4).
<sup>27</sup>tn Or “forever.”
<sup>28</sup>sn Ps 29. In this hymn of praise the psalmist calls upon the heavenly assembly to acknowledge the royal splendor of the Lord. He describes the Lord’s devastating power as revealed in the thunderstorm and affirms that the Lord exerts this awesome might on behalf of his people. In its original context the psalm was a bold polemic against the Canaanite storm god Baal, for it affirms that the Lord is the real king who controls the elements of the storm, contrary to pagan belief. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 150 (1994), 280-82.
<sup>1</sup>tc Heb “sons of gods,” or “sons of God.” Though <yla is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem is actually enclitic, rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8.
sn The phrase <yla ynb, “sons of gods” or “sons of God,” occurs only here and in Ps 89:7. In Ps 89 the “sons of gods/God” are also called “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones.” The heavenly assembly, comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings, appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently borrows the Canaanite phrase and applies it to the supernatural beings that surround the heavenly throne.
<sup>2</sup>tn Or “ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name.”
<sup>4</sup>tn That is, properly dressed for the occasion.
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “the voice of the LORD (is) over the water.” As the next line makes clear, the “voice of the LORD” is here the thunder that accompanies a violent storm. The psalm depicts the Lord in the role of a warrior-king, so the thunder is his battle cry, as it were.
<sup>6</sup>tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form is probably descriptive. In dramatic fashion the psalmist portrays the Lord coming in the storm to do battle with his enemies and to vindicate his people.
<sup>7</sup>tn Traditionally “many waters.” The geographical references in the psalm (see Lebanon, Sirion, Kadesh) suggest this is a reference to the Mediterranean Sea (see Ezek 26:19; 27:26). The psalmist describes a powerful storm moving in from the sea and sweeping over the mountainous areas north of Israel. The “surging waters” may symbolize the hostile enemies of God who seek to destroy his people (see Pss 18:17; 32:6; 77:20; 93:4; 144:7; Isa 17:13; Jer 51:55; Ezek 26:19; Hab 3:15). In this case the Lord is depicted as elevated above and sovereign over the raging waters.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “the voice of the LORD (is) accompanied by strength.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “the voice of the LORD (is) accompanied by majesty.”
<sup>10</sup>tn The Hebrew participial form draws attention to the durative nature of the action being described.
<sup>11</sup>tn The prefixed verbal forms with waw consecutive here and in v. 6a carry on the descriptive function of the preceding participle. See GKC, para. 111u. The verb rbv appears in the qal in the first line of the verse, and in the piel in the second line. The verb, which means “break” in the qal, appears 36 times in the piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative, “make broken” (see W-O, 405).
<sup>12</sup>sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size. Here they may symbolize the arrogant enemies of God (see Isa 2:12-13).
<sup>13</sup>sn Sirion is another name for Mount Hermon (Deut 3:9).
<sup>14</sup>sn Lebanon and Sirion are compared to frisky young animals who skip and jump. The thunderous shout of the Lord is so powerful, one can see the very mountains shake on the horizon.
<sup>15</sup>tn The verb normally means “to hew (stone or wood),” or “to hew out.” In Hos 6:5 it seems to mean “cut in pieces,” “knock down,” or perhaps “hack” (see Andersen and Freedman, Hosea, 428). The Ugaritic cognate can mean “assault.” In v. 7 the verb seems to have a similar meaning, perhaps “attack, strike.” The phrase “flames of fire” is an adverbial accusative; the LORD’s shout is accompanied by “flames of fire,” that is, lightning bolts.
<sup>16</sup>sn Verse 7. The short line has invited textual emendation, but its distinct, brief form may highlight the statement, which serves as the axis of a chiastic structure encompassing vv. 5-9: (a) the Lord’s shout destroys the forest (v. 5), (b) the Lord’s shout shakes the terrain (v. 6), (c) the Lord’s shout is accompanied by destructive lightning (v. 7), (b’) the Lord’s shout shakes the terrain (v. 8), (a’) the Lord’s shout destroys the forest (v. 9).
<sup>17</sup>tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms are descriptive in function; the psalmist depicts the action as underway.
<sup>18</sup>sn The references to Lebanon and Sirion in v. 6 suggest this is a reference to the northern Kadesh, located north of Damascus, not the southern Kadesh mentioned so often in the OT. See M. Dahood, Psalms I, 178.
<sup>19</sup>tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form is descriptive in function; the psalmist depicts the action as underway.
<sup>20</sup>tc Heb “the deer.” Preserving this reading, some translate the preceding verb, “causes (the deer) to give premature birth.” But the polel of lwj/lwj means “give birth,” not “cause to give birth,” and the statement “the LORD’s shout gives birth to deer” is absurd. In light of the parallelism (note “forests” in the next line) and v. 5, it is preferable to emend tolY`a^, “deer,” to tolya@, “large trees,” understanding the latter as an alternate form of the usual plural form <ylya@.
²¹tn The verb is used in Joel 1:7 of locusts stripping the leaves from a tree. The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive here carries the descriptive function of the preceding imperfect. See GKC, para. 111t.
²²tn The usual form of the plural of ruy, “forest,” is <yruy. For this reason some propose an emendation to toluy, “female mountain goats,” which would fit nicely in the parallelism with “deer.” In this case one would have to understand the verb [cj to mean “cause premature birth,” an otherwise unattested homonym of the more common [cj, “strip bare” (see KB, 359).
sn The Lord’s thunderous shout is accompanied by high winds, which damage the trees of the forest.
²³tn Heb “In his temple, all of it says, ‘Glory.’“
²⁴tn The noun lwbm, “flood,” appears only here and in Gen 6-11, where it refers to the Noahic flood. Some see a reference to that event here. The presence of the article (perhaps indicating uniqueness) and the switch to the perfect verbal form (which could be taken as describing a past situation) might support this. However, the immediate context indicates that the referent of lwbm is the “surging waters” mentioned in v. 3. The article indicates waters that definite in the mind of the speaker and the perfect is probably descriptive in function, like “thunders” in v. 3. However, even though the historical flood is not the primary referent here, there may be a literary allusion involved. The psalmist views the threatening chaotic sea as a contemporary manifestation of the destructive waters of old.
²⁵tn The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive here carries the descriptive function of the preceding perfect.
²⁶tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 11 are either descriptive or generalizing.
²⁷sn Strength. This probably refers to military power; see the use of the noun in 1 Sam 2:10 and Ps 86:16.
²⁸tn Heb “blesses his people with peace.”
sn <wlv, “peace,” probably refers here to the protection and prosperity experienced by God’s people after the Lord intervenes in battle on their behalf.
²⁹sn The author of Ps 30 thanks the Lord for delivering him from death and urges others to join him in praise. The psalmist experienced divine discipline for a brief time, but when he cried out for help the Lord intervened and restored his favor.
³⁰tn Heb “a song of the dedication of the house.” The referent of “house” is unclear. It is possible that David wrote this psalm for the dedication ceremony of Solomon’s temple. Another possibility is that the psalm was used on the occasion of the dedication of the second temple following the return from exile, or on the occasion of the rededication of the temple in Maccabean times.
¹tn Elsewhere the verb hld is used of drawing water from a well (Ex 2:16, 19; Prov 20:5). The psalmist was trapped in the pit leading to Sheol (see v. 3), but the Lord yanked him up. The piel stem is used here, perhaps suggesting special exertion on the Lord’s part.
²tn Or “rejoice.”
³sn You healed me. Apparently the psalmist was plagued by a serious illness that threatened his life. See Ps 41.
⁴tn Or “my life.”
⁵tn Heb “you kept me alive from those descending into the pit.” The noun rwb, “pit, cistern,” is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text; the marginal reading (Qere) has, “you kept me alive so that I did not go down into the pit.”
⁶sn A dysj, “faithful follower,” is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
⁷tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The noun rkz, “remembrance,” here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. See K-B, 271, and Pss 6:5; 97:12.The Lord’s “name” is “holy” in the sense that it is a reminder of his uniqueness and greatness.
⁸tn Heb “for (there is) a moment in his anger, (but) life in his favor.” Because of the parallelism with “moment,” some understand <yyj in a quantitative sense, “lifetime.” However, the immediate context, which emphasizes deliverance from death (see v. 3), suggests that <yyj has a qualitative sense, “physical life” or even “prosperous life.”
⁹tn Heb “in the evening weeping comes to lodge, but at morning a shout of joy.” “Weeping” is personified here as a traveler who lodges with one temporarily.
¹⁰sn Verse 6. Here the psalmist begins to fill in the background of the crisis referred to in the earlier verses. He had been arrogant and self-confident, so the Lord withdrew his protection and allowed trouble to invade his life (vv. 8-11).
¹¹tn Heb “in your good favor you caused to stand for my mountain strength.” Apparently this means “you established strength for my mountain” (“mountain” in this case representing his rule, which would be centered on Mt. Zion) or “you established strength as my mountain” (“mountain” in this case being a metaphor for security).
¹²tn Heb “you hid your face.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or, as here, carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Ps 88:14).
¹³tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 8 are probably preterites; the psalmist recalls that he prayed in his time of crisis.
¹⁴sn Verses 9-10 contain the prayer (or an excerpt of the prayer) that the psalmist offered to the Lord during his crisis.
¹⁵tn Heb “What profit (is there) in my blood?” “Blood” here represents his life.
¹⁶tn tjv, “pit,” is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 49:9; 55:24; 103:4).
¹⁷tn Heb “dust.” The words “of the grave” are added in the translation for clarification.
¹⁸sn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “Of course not!” According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 6:5; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!
¹⁹tn Heb “be a helper to me.”
²⁰sn “Joy” probably stands metonymically for festive attire.
²¹tn Heb “so that,” or “in order that.”
²²tn Heb “glory.” Some view dwbk, “glory,” as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB, 459), but it is preferable to emend the form to yd!b@K=, “my liver” (see K-B, 456). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 57:9; 108:1, as well as Hans W. Wolff, Anthropology in the Old Testament, 64, and Mitchell Dahood, Psalms 1-50, 90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see J. C. L. Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her (Anat’s) liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.” “Heart” is used in the translation above for the sake of English idiom; the expression “my liver sings” would be odd.
²³tn Or “forever.”
²⁴sn Ps 31. The psalmist confidently asks the Lord to protect him. Enemies threaten him and even his friends have abandoned him, but he looks to the Lord for vindication. In vv. 19-24, which were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18, he thanks the Lord for delivering him.
¹tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me.”
²tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
³tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of refuge.”
⁴tn Heb “a house of strongholds to deliver me.”
⁵tn This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
⁶tn Heb “name.”
⁷tn The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal forms are generalizing, “you lead me and guide me.” Other options are to take them as an expression of confidence about the future, “you will lead me and guide me,” or as expressing a prayer, “lead me and guide me.”
⁸tn Heb “bring me out.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form expresses the psalmist’s confidence about the future. Another option is to take the form as expressing a prayer, “free me.”
⁹tn Heb “my spirit.” The noun jwr, “spirit,” here refers to the animating spirit that gives the psalmist life.
¹⁰tn Or “redeem.” The perfect verbal form is understood here as anticipatory, indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe his deliverance as if it had already happened. Another option is to take the perfect as precative, expressing a wish or request (“rescue me”). See W-O, 494-95. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
¹¹tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jon 2:9.
¹²tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
¹³tn Heb “you cause my feet to stand.”
¹⁴tn See 6:7.
¹⁵tn Heb “my breath and my stomach (grow weak).” Apparently the verb in the previous line (“grow dim, be weakened”) is to be understood here. The term vpn can mean “life,” or, more specifically, “throat, breath.” The psalmist seems to be lamenting that his breathing is impaired because of the physical and emotional suffering he is forced to endure.
¹⁶tn Heb “and my years in groaning.”
¹⁷tn Heb “stumbles in.”
¹⁸tn Heb “grow weak.”
¹⁹tn Heb “because of all my enemies I am a reproach.”
²⁰tc Heb “and to my neighbors, exceedingly.” If the Hebrew text is retained, then these words probably go with what precedes. However the syntactical awkwardness of the text suggests it is textually corrupt. Craigie (Psalms 1-50, 258) suggests that the initial mem on dam, “exceedingly,” be understood as an enclitic mem which was originally suffixed to the preceding form and then later misinterpreted. da can then be taken as a defectively written form of dya, “calamity.” If one follows this emendation, then the text reads literally, “and to my neighbors (I am one who experiences) calamity.” The noun djp, “(object of) horror,” occurs in the next line; dya and djp appear in parallelism elsewhere (see Prov 1:26-27).
²¹tn Heb “and (an object of ) horror to those known by me.”
²²tn Heb “I am forgotten, like a dead man, from (the) heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the center of one’s thoughts.
²³tn Heb “I am like a broken jar.” One throws away a broken jar without a second thought because it is considered worthless and useless.
²⁴tn Heb “the report of many.”
²⁵tn Heb “the terror from all around.”
²⁶tn Heb “in your hand (are) my times.”
²⁷tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
²⁸tn The verb wmdy is understood as a form of <md, “wail, lament” (see K-B, 226). Another option is to take the verb from <md, “be quiet” (see BDB, 198), in which case one might translate, “May they lie silent in the grave.”
²⁹tn Heb “the (ones which).”
³⁰tn Or “godly.”
³¹tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”
³²tn Heb “for those who fear you.”
³³tn”Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 34:21-22).
³⁴tn Heb “you work (your favor) for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”
³⁵tn The noun sk#ro occurs only here. Its meaning is debated; some suggest “snare,” while others propose “slander” or “conspiracy.”
³⁶tn Heb “you hide them in the hiding place of your face from the attacks of man.” The imperfect verbal forms in this verse draw attention to God’s typical treatment of the faithful.
³⁷tn Heb “you conceal them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.”
³⁸tn Heb “blessed (be) the LORD.”
³⁹tn Heb “for he caused his faithfulness to be amazing to me in a besieged city.” The psalmist probably speaks figuratively here. He compares his crisis to being trapped in a besieged city, but the Lord answered his prayer for help. Verses 19-24 were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of verses 1-18.
⁴⁰tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”
⁴¹tn Heb “from before your eyes.”
⁴²sn Faithful followers. A dysj, “faithful follower,” is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 30:4; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
⁴³tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.
⁴⁴tn Heb “be strong and let your heart(s) be confident.”
⁴⁵sn Ps 32 The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.
⁴⁶tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See the headings of Pss 42, 44-45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88-89, 142, as well as Ps 47:7.
¹tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.
²tn Heb “lifted up.”
³tn Heb “covered over.”
⁴tn Heb “man.” The word-choice reflects the perspective of the psalmist, who is male. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.”
⁵tn Heb “happy (is) the man to whom the LORD does not impute wrongdoing.”
⁶sn No deceit. The point is not that the individual is sinless and pure. In this context, which focuses on confession and forgiveness of sin, the psalmist refers to one who refuses to deny or hide his sin, but instead honestly confesses it to God.
⁷tn Heb “when I was silent.”
⁸tn Heb “my bones became brittle.” (See K-B, 132.) The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.
⁹tn Heb “your hand was heavy upon me.”
¹⁰tn Heb “my ??? was turned.” The meaning of dvl is uncertain. A noun dv*l*, “cake,” is attested in Num 11:8, but it would make no sense to understand that word in this context. It is better to emend the form to yD!v%l=, “to my destruction,” and understand “your hand” as the subject of the verb “was turned.” In this case the text reads, “(your hand) was turned to my destruction.” In Lam 3:3 the author laments that God’s “hand” was “turned” (Jph) against him in a hostile sense.
sn Tried to destroy. The psalmist’s statement reflects his perspective. As far as he was concerned, it seemed as if the Lord was trying to kill him.
¹¹tn The translation assumes the plural form indicates degree. If one understands the form as a true plural, then one might translate, “in the times of drought.”
¹²sn Summer. Perhaps the psalmist suffered during the hot season and perceived the very weather as being an instrument of divine judgment. Another option is that he compares his time of suffering to the uncomfortable and oppressive heat of summer.
¹³tn The hiphil of hdy normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”
¹⁴tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.
¹⁵tn Heb “at a time of finding.” This may mean, “while there is time to ‘find’“ the Lord and seek his forgiveness. Some emend the text by combining axm, “finding,” with the following term qr, “only, surely,” and read either r(w)xm, “distress” (see Ps 31:22) or q(w)xm, “hardship” (see Ps 119:143). In this case, one may translate, “in a time of distress/hardship.”
¹⁶tn Hebrew qr occasionally has an asseverative force. See BDB, 956.
¹⁷sn Surging water. The surging water is here a metaphor for trouble that endangers one’s life.
¹⁸tn Heb “him.”
¹⁹tn Heb “(with) shouts of joy of deliverance you surround me.”
²⁰tn The second person pronominal forms in this verse are singular. The psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually. A less likely option is that the Lord addresses the psalmist in vv. 8-9.
²¹tn Heb “I will instruct you and I will teach you in the way (in) which you should walk.”
²²tn Heb “I will advise, upon you my eye,” that is, “I will offer advice (with) my eye upon you.” In 2 Chr 20:12 the statement “our eye is upon you” means that the speakers are looking to the Lord for intervention. Here the expression “my eye upon you” may simply mean that the psalmist will teach his pupils directly and personally.
²³tn The verb form is plural; the psalmist addresses the whole group.
²⁴tn Heb “like a horse, like a mule without understanding.”
²⁵tn Heb “with a bridle and bit, its ??? to hold, not to come near to you.” The meaning of the noun yduis uncertain. Normally the word refers to “jewelry,” so some suggest the meaning “trappings” here. Some emend the form to <hyjl, “their jawbones,” but it difficult to see how the present Hebrew text, even if corrupt, could have derived from this proposed original reading. Craigie (Psalms 1-50, 265) takes the form from an Arabic root and translates “whose gallop.”
²⁶tn Heb “many (are the) pains of evil (one).” The singular form is representative here; the typical evildoer, representative of the larger group of wicked people, is in view.
²⁷tn Heb “but the one who trusts in the LORD, faithfulness surrounds him.”
²⁸tn Heb “all (you) pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
²⁹sn Ps 33. In this hymn the psalmist praises the Lord as the sovereign creator and just ruler of the world who protects and vindicates those who fear him.
¹sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.
²tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”
³sn For. After the call to praise (vv. 1-3), the psalmist now gives a series of reasons why the Lord is worthy of praise.
⁴tn Heb “word.” In this context, which depicts the Lord as the sovereign creator and ruler of the world, the Lord’s “word” refers to the decrees whereby he governs his dominion.
⁵tn Or “upright.”
⁶tn Heb “and all his work (is) in faithfulness.”
⁷tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of equity and justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world.
⁸tn Heb “fills the earth.”
⁹tn Heb “word.”
¹⁰tn Heb “and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” The words “were created” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons; they are understood by ellipsis (note “were made” in the preceding line). The description is consistent with Gen 1:16, which indicates that God spoke the heavenly luminaries into existence.
¹¹tn Heb “(he) gathers like a pile the waters of the sea.” Some prefer to emend dn}, “heap,” to dn), “bottle” (see K-B, 671), 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.
¹²tn Or “watery depths.” The form twmwht, “watery depths,” is the plural form of <wht, “great deep” (see Gen 1:2).
¹³tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the LORD’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.”
¹⁴tn That is, “all the earth.” The apparent antecedent of the masculine subject of the verbs in v. 9 (note yhyw and dmuyw) is “earth” or “world,” both of which are feminine nouns. However, lk, “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, para 145e).
¹⁵tn Heb “he commanded.”
¹⁶tn Heb “breaks” or “destroys.” The Hebrew perfect verbal forms here and in the next line generalize about the Lord’s activity.
¹⁷tn Heb “thoughts.”
¹⁸tn Heb “the thoughts of his heart for generation to generation.” The verb “abides” is supplied in the translation. The LORD’s “decisions” and “plans” here refer to his decrees and purposes.
¹⁹tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
²⁰tn Heb “inheritance.”
²¹tn The Hebrew perfect verbal forms in v. 13 state general facts.
²²tn Heb “all the sons of men.”
²³tn Heb “the one who forms together their heart(s).” “Heart” here refers to human nature, composed of intellect, emotions and will. The precise force of djy, “together,” is unclear here. The point seems to be that the Lord is the creator of every human being.
²⁴tn Heb “a lie (is) the horse for victory.”
²⁵tn Heb “look, the eye of the LORD (is) toward the ones who fear him.” The expression “the eye . . . (is) toward” here indicates recognition and the bestowing of favor. See Ps 34:15. The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.
²⁶tn Heb “for the ones who wait for his faithfulness.”
²⁷tn Heb “to save from death their live(s).”
²⁸tn Heb “and to keep them alive in famine.”
²⁹tn Or “our lives.” The suffixed form of vpn, “being, life” is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
³⁰tn Or “(source of) help.”
³¹tn Or “protector.”
³²tn Heb “let your faithfulness, O LORD, be on us.”
³³tn Or “just as.”
³⁴sn Ps 34. In this song of thanksgiving the psalmist praises God for delivering him from distress. he encourages others to be loyal to the Lord, tells them how to please God, and assures them that the Lord protects his servants. The psalm is an acrostic; vv. 1-21 begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. (Verse 6 begins with the letter he and verse 7 with the letter zayin. The letter waw, which comes between he and zayin, seems to be omitted, although it does appear at the beginning of v. 6b. The final verse of the psalm, which begins with the letter pe, is outside the acrostic scheme.)
³⁵tn Heb “By David, when he changed his sense before Abimelech and he drove him away and he went.”
sn Pretended to be insane. The psalm heading appears to refer to the account in 1 Sam 21:10-15 which tells how David, fearful that King Achish of Gath might kill him, pretended to be insane in hopes that the king would simply send him away. The psalm heading names the king Abimelech, not Achish, suggesting that the tradition is confused on this point. Perhaps “Abimelech” was a royal title, rather than a proper name. See Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 278.
¹tn Heb “bless.”
²tn Heb “continually (will) his praise (be) in my mouth.”
³tn Heb “my soul will boast,” or, better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.
⁴tn The two prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best taken as jussives, for the psalmist is calling his audience to worship (see v. 3).
⁵tn Or “exalt.”
⁶tn Heb “I sought the LORD.”
⁷tn Heb “they look to him and are radiant and their faces are not ashamed.” The third person plural subject is unidentified. For this reason some prefer to take the perfect verbal forms in the first line as imperatives, “look to him and be radiant.” Some medieval Hebrew manuscripts and other ancient witnesses (Aquila, the Syriac, and the Jerome) support an imperatival reading for the first verb. In the second line some (with support from the LXX and Syriac) change “their faces’ to “your faces,” which allows one to retain more easily the jussive force of the verb (suggested by the preceding la^), “do not let your faces be ashamed.” It is probable that the verbal construction in the second line is rhetorical, expressing the conviction that the action in view cannot or should not happen. See GKC, 322, para 109e, and BDB, 39.
⁸tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.
⁹tn That is, the Lord.
¹⁰tn Heb “those who fear him.”
¹¹tn The prefixed verb with waw consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC, 329, para 111u.
¹²tn This verb is normally used of tasting or savoring food. It appears that the Lord is likened here to a tasty meal.
¹³tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
¹⁴tn Heb “man.” The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.”
¹⁵tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
¹⁶tn Heb “fear.”
¹⁷tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”
¹⁸tn Heb “those who fear him.”
¹⁹tn Heb “the fear of the LORD I will teach you.” In vv. 13-14 the psalmist explains to his audience what it means to “fear” the Lord.
²⁰tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.
²¹tn Heb “(Who) loves days to see good?”
²²tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”
²³tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”
²⁴tn Or “do good.”
²⁵tn Heb “seek peace and pursue it.”
²⁶tn Heb “the eyes of the LORD (are) toward the godly, and his ears (are) toward their cry for help.”
²⁷tn Heb “the face of the LORD (is) against the doers of evil to cut off from the earth memory of them.”
²⁸tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).
²⁹tn The three perfect verbal forms are taken in a generalizing sense in v. 17 and translated with the present tense (note the generalizing mood of vv. 18-22).
³⁰tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the oppressed and needy.
³¹tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”
³²tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.
³³tn Or “trials.”
³⁴tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the godly.
³⁵tn Heb “him.”
³⁶tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.
³⁷tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.
³⁸sn Not one of them is broken. The Apostle John saw a fulfillment of these words in Jesus’ experience on the cross (see John 19:31-37), for the Roman soldiers, when they saw that Jesus was already dead, did not break his legs. John’s use of the psalm seems strange, for the statement in its original context suggests that the Lord protects the godly from physical harm. Jesus’ legs may have remained unbroken, but he was brutally and unjustly executed by his enemies. John seems to give the statement a literal sense that is foreign to its literary context by applying a promise of divine protection to a man who was seemingly not saved by God. However, John saw in this incident a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate deliverance and vindication. His unbroken bones were a reminder of God’s commitment to the godly and a sign of things to come. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story; God vindicated him, as John goes on to explain in the following context (John 19:38-20:18).
³⁹tn Heb “evil kills the wicked (one).” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.
⁴⁰tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.
⁴¹tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.
⁴²tn”Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 31:19).
⁴³sn The author of Ps 35, who faces ruthless enemies who seek his life for no reason, begs the Lord to fight his battles for him and to vindicate him by annihilating his adversaries.
¹tn Or “contend.”
²sn Two different types of shields are mentioned here. See also Ezek 38:4.
³tn On the meaning of this word, which occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, see K-B, 743, and M. Dahood, Psalms 1-50, 210-11.
⁴tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”
⁵tn Heb “say to me,” or “say to my soul.”
⁶tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies. See also the distinct jussive form in v. 6.
⁷tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.
⁸sn See Ps 34:7.
⁹tn Heb “as the LORD’s angel pushes (them).”
¹⁰tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
¹¹tc Heb “for without cause they hid for me a pit of their net, without cause they dug for my life.” It appears that the words “pit” and “net” have been transposed. “Net” goes with the verb “hid” in the first line (see v. 8, as well as Pss 9:15; 31:4), while “pit” goes with the verb “dug” in the second line (see Ps 7:15).
¹²tn Heb “let destruction (which) he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.
¹³tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.
¹⁴tn Heb “then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and be happy in his deliverance.”
¹⁵tn Heb “all my bones will say.”
¹⁶tn Heb “(the one who) rescues.” The substantival participle characterizes God as one who typically rescues the oppressed.
¹⁷tn Heb “from (the one who is) too strong for him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense. The typical oppressed individual and typical oppressor are in view.
¹⁸tn Heb “the oppressed (one) and needy (one) from (the one who) robs him.” As in the previous line, the singular forms are used in a representative sense.
¹⁹tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”
²⁰tn Heb “(that) which I do not know they ask me.”
²¹tn Heb “they repay me evil instead of good.”
²²tn Heb “(there is) bereavement to my soul.”
²³tn Heb “as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.” Sackcloth was worn by mourners. When they were sick, the psalmist was sorrow for their misfortune and mourned for them.
²⁴sn Fasting was also a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities, such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
²⁵tn Heb “and my prayer upon my chest will return.” One could translate, “but my prayer was returning upon my chest,” but the use of the imperfect verbal form sets this line apart from the preceding and following lines (vv. 13a, 14), which use the perfect to describe the psalmist’s past actions.
²⁶tn Heb “like a friend, like a brother to me I walked about.”
²⁷sn Bowing down was a posture for mourning. See Ps 38:6.
²⁸tn Heb “like mourning for a mother (in) sorrow I bowed down.”
²⁹tn Heb “they gathered together against me, stricken (ones), and I did not know.” The form <ykn, “stricken ones” (?) is problematic. Some suggest an emendation to <yrkn(k), “foreigners” or “like foreigners,” which would fit with what follows, “(like) foreigners that I do not recognize.” Perhaps the form should be read as a qal active participle, <yk!n), “ones who strike,” from the verbal root hkn, “to strike.” The qal of this verb is unattested in biblical Hebrew, but the peal (basic) stem appears in Old Aramaic (see KAI 224:12-13, as well as J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire, 114, and DNWSI, 730.) In this case one might translate, “attackers gathered together against me though I was not aware of it.”
³⁰tn Heb “they tore and did not keep quiet.” By using the verb “tear,” the psalmist likens his enemies to a wild animal (see Hos 13:8). In v. 17 he compares them to hungry young lions.
³¹tc The Hebrew text reads “as profane (ones) of mockers of food,” which is non-sensical. The translation assumes (1) an emendation of yp@n+j^B=, “as profane men,” to yp!n+j^B=, “when I tripped” (preposition + qal infinitive construct from [nj II, “limp” [see K-B, 335] + first common singular pronominal suffix) and (2) an emendation of gwum ygul, “mockers of food,” to wgu [<]gul, “(with) taunting they taunted” (masculine plural noun with enclitic mem + qal perfect third common plural from gul, “taunt”).
³²tn Heb “gnashing at me with their teeth.” The infinitive absolute adds a complementary action—they gnashed with their teeth as they taunted.
³³tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”
³⁴tn Heb “bring back, restore.”
³⁵tn Or “my life.”
³⁶tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).
³⁷sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Ps 22:25.
³⁸tn Heb “among numerous people.”
³⁹tn Heb “(with) a lie.” The Hebrew noun rqv, “lie,” is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Ps 38:19).
⁴⁰tn Heb “rejoice.”
⁴¹tn Heb “(do not let) those who hate me without cause pinch (i.e., wink) an eye.” The negative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (see the preceding line). In Proverbs “winking an eye” is associated with deceit and trickery (see 6:13; 10:10; 16:30).
⁴²tn Heb “for they do not speak peace.”
⁴³tn Heb “but against the quiet ones of the land words of deceit they plan.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 20 highlight their characteristic behavior.
⁴⁴tn Heb “and they cause their mouth to be wide against me.” The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive here carries on the generalizing mood of the previous verse. For other examples of this use of the prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive, see GKC, 329, para 111t.
⁴⁵tn Heb “our eye sees.” Apparently this is an idiom meaning to “look in triumph” or “gloat over” (see Ps 54:7.
⁴⁶tn Heb “you see, O LORD.” There is a deliberate play on words. In v. 21 the enemies say, “our eye sees,” but the psalmist is confident that the Lord “sees” as well, so he appeals to him for help (see also v. 17).
⁴⁷sn Though he is confident that the Lord is aware of his situation (see v. 22a), the psalmist compares the Lord’s inactivity to sleep and urges him to wake up.
⁴⁸tn Heb “for my justice.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “for my cause.”
⁵⁰tn Heb “rejoice.”
⁵¹tn Heb “in their heart(s).”
⁵²tn Heb “Aha! Our desire!” Their “desire” is to triumph over the psalmist.
⁵³tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”
⁵⁴tn Heb “may they be clothed with shame and humiliation, the ones who magnify (themselves) against me.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 26 are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-25, where the negative particle la appears before the prefixed verbal foms, indicating they are jussives). The psalmist is callling down judgment on his enemies.
⁵⁵tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27a are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-26).
⁵⁶tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the LORD be magnified (in praise).” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the LORD is great.”
⁵⁷tn Heb “the one who desires the peace of his servant.”
⁵⁸tn Heb “and my tongue will proclaim your justice.”
⁵⁹tn Heb “all the day your praise.” The verb “proclaim” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
⁶⁰sn Though evil men plan to harm others, the author of Ps 36 is confident that the Lord is the just ruler of the earth who gives and sustains all life. He prays for divine blessing and protection and anticipates God’s judgment of the wicked.
⁶¹tn In the Hebrew text the word <an, “oracle,” appears at the beginning of the next verse (v. 2 in the Hebrew text because the heading is considered v. 1). The resulting reading, “an oracle of rebellion for the wicked (is) in the midst of my heart,” apparently means that the psalm, which foresees the downfall of the wicked, is a prophetic oracle about the rebellion of the wicked which emerges from the soul of the psalmist. One could translate, “Here is a poem written as I reflected on the rebellious character of evil men.” Another option, followed in the translation above, is to attach <an, “oracle,” with the heading. For another example of a Davidic poem being labeled an “oracle,” see 2 Sam 23:1.
¹tn Heb “(the) rebellion of an evil man (is) in the midst of my heart.” The translation assumes a reading “his heart,” instead of “my heart,” a change which finds support in a a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts, the Hebrew text of Origen’s Hexapla, and the Syriac.
²tn Heb “there is no dread of God before his eyes.” The phrase “dread of God” refers here to a healthy respect for God which recognizes that he will punish evil behavior.
³tn Heb “for it causes to be smooth to him in his eyes to find his sin to hate.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. Perhaps the point is this: His rebellious attitude makes him reject any notion that God will hold him accountable and prevents him from recognizing and repudiating his sinful ways.
⁴tn Heb “he ceases to exhibit wisdom to do good.” The hiphil forms are exhibitive, indicating the outward expression of an inner attitude.
⁵tn Heb “he takes a stand in a way (that is) not good.” The word “way” here refers metaphorically to behavior or life style.
⁶tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 highlight the characteristic behavior of the typical evildoer.
⁷tn Heb “(is) in the heavens.”
⁸sn The Lord’s loyal love/faithfulness is almost limitless. He is loyal and faithful to his creation and blesses mankind and the animal kingdom with physical life and sustenance (vv. 6-9).
⁹tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name la, “God,” is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative. See K-B, 50.
¹⁰tn Or “deliver.”
¹¹sn God’s justice/fairness is firm and reliable like the highest mountains and as abundant as the water in the deepest sea. The psalmist uses a legal metaphor to describe God’s preservation of his creation. Like a just judge who vindicates the innocent, God protects his creation from destructive forces.
¹²tn Or “valuable.”
¹³tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear.
¹⁴tn Heb “for with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.” Water (note “fountain”) and light are here metaphors for life.
¹⁵tn Heb “draw out to full length.”
¹⁶tn Heb “to those who know you.” The Hebrew verb udy, “know,” is used here of those who “know” the Lord in the sense that they recognize his royal authority and obey his will (see Jer 22:16).
¹⁷tn Heb “and your justice to.” The verb “extend” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
¹⁸tn Heb “the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
¹⁹tn Heb “let not a foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the evil ones cause me to wander as a fugitive.”
²⁰tn Heb “there the workers of wickedness have fallen.” The adverb <v, “there,” is used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions them lying fallen at a spot that vivid in his imagination. See BDB, 1027.
²¹tn The psalmist uses perfect verbal forms in v. 12 to describe the demise of the wicked as if it has already taken place.
²²sn The author of Ps 37 urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
¹tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.
²tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.
³tn Heb “like green vegetation.”
⁴tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb hur, “tend, shepherd,” is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun hnwma, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity,” is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “(feed) securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.
⁵tn Following the imperatives of v. 3 the prefixed verbal forms with waw in v. 4 indicate result. Faith and obedience (v. 3) will bring divine blessing (v. 4).
⁶tn Or “and he will give you what you desire most.” Heb “and he will grant to you the requests of your heart.”
⁷tn Heb “roll your way upon the LORD.” The noun “way” may refer to one’s activities or course of life.
⁸tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the Lord will vindicate those who trust in him.
⁹tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”
¹⁰tn Heb “Be quiet before the LORD!”
¹¹tc The Hebrew text has llwjthw (hithpolel of lyj), “writhe with fear, suffer,” but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to lj@otw+ (hiphil of ljy), “wait” (see K-B, 311). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial hw is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (hwhy) and (2) the final lamed is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, wl).
¹²tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”
¹³tn Heb “Refrain from anger! Abandon rage!”
¹⁴tn Heb “for evil men.” The conjunction yk, “for,” relates to the exhortations in v. 8; there is no reason to be frustrated, for the evildoers will be punished in due time.
¹⁵tn Or “cut off, removed.”
¹⁶tn Heb “and those who wait on the LORD, they will possess the land.”
¹⁷tn Heb “and yet, a little, there will be no wicked (one).”
¹⁸tn Heb “and you will carefully look upon his place, but he will not be (there).” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer is in view.
¹⁹tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”
²⁰tn Or “innocent.” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view.
²¹tn Heb “and gnashes at him with his teeth” (see 35:16). The language may picture the evil men as wild animals. The active participles in v. 12 are used for purposes of dramatic description.
²²tn Heb “laughs.” As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laughter (see 2:4). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes the action from the perspective of an eye-witness who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.
²³tn Heb “for he sees that his day is coming.” As the following context makes clear (vv. 15, 17, 19-20), “his day” refers to the time when God will destroy evildoers.
²⁴tn Heb “to cause to fall.”
²⁵tn Heb “the upright in way,” i.e., those who lead godly lives.
²⁶tn Heb “enter into.”
²⁷tn Heb “Better (is) a little to the godly one than the wealth of many evil ones.” The following verses explain why this is true. Though a godly individual may seem to have only meager possessions, he always has what he needs and will eventually possess the land. The wicked may prosper for a brief time, but will eventually be destroyed by divine judgment and lose everything.
²⁸tn Heb “for the arms of the evil ones will be broken.”
²⁹tn The active participle here indicates this characteristically true.
³⁰tn Heb “the LORD knows the days of the innocent ones.” He “knows” their days in the sense that is intimately aware of and involved in their daily struggles. He meets their needs and sustains them.
³¹tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”
³²tn Heb “in a time of trouble.”
³³tn Heb “in days of famine they will be satisfied.”
³⁴tn Or “for,” but Hebrew yk in this case would have to extend all the way back to v. 17a. Another option is to understand the particle as asseverative, “surely” (see v. 22).
³⁵tc The meaning of the Hebrew text (<yrk rqyk, “like what is precious among the pastures/rams”) is uncertain. One possibility is to take <yrk as “pastures” and interpret “what is precious” as referring to flowers that blossom but then quickly disappear (see v. 2 and BDB, 430). If <yrk is taken as “rams,” then “what is precious” might refer to the choicest portions of rams. The present translation follows a reading in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QpPs37), <rwk dwqyk, “like the burning of an oven” (see K-B, 496). The next line, which pictures the Lord’s enemies being consumed in smoke, supports this reading, which assumes confusion of the Hebrew letters daleth/resh at the end of the first word in the sequence.
³⁶tn Heb “they perish in smoke, they perish.” In addition to repeating the verb for emphasis, the psalmist uses the perfect form of the verb to picture their demise as if it had already taken place. In this way he draws attention to the certitude of their judgment.
³⁷tn Heb “an evil (man) borrows and does not repay; but a godly (man) is gracious and gives.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The three active participles and one imperfect (“repay”) draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the two types.
³⁸tn The particle yk is best understood as asseverative or emphatic here.
³⁹tn Heb “those blessed by him.” The pronoun “him” must refer to the Lord (see vv. 20, 23).
⁴⁰tn Heb “cursed.”
⁴¹tn Or “cut off, removed” (see v. 9).
⁴²tn Heb “from the LORD the steps of a man are established, and in his way he delights.” The second line qualifies the first. The man whose behavior is commendable in God’s sight is the one whose ways are established by God. Another option is that the second line refers to the godly man delighting in God’s “way,” namely the lifestyle which he prescribes for men. In this case one might translate, “The LORD grants success to the one who desires to obey his commands.”
⁴³tn Other translation options for yk in this context are “when” or “though.”
⁴⁴tn Heb “be hurled down.”
⁴⁵tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.
⁴⁶tn Heb “or his offspring searching for food.” The expression “search for food” also appears in Lam 1:11, where Jerusalem’s refugees are forced to search for food and to trade their valuable possessions for something to eat.
⁴⁷tn The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
⁴⁸tn Or “Do good!” The imperatives are singular (see v. 1).
⁴⁹tn Heb “and dwell permanently.” The imperative with waw is best taken here as a result clause after the preceding imperatives.
⁵⁰tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world. The active participle describes characteristic behavior.
⁵¹tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.
⁵²tn Or “protected forever.”
⁵³tn Or “cut off, removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.
⁵⁴tn Heb “The mouth of the godly (one) utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.” The singular form is used in a representative sense; the typical godly individual is in view. The imperfect verbal forms draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the godly.
⁵⁵tn Heb “the law of his God (is) in his heart.” The “heart” is here the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
⁵⁶tn Heb “his.”
⁵⁷tn Heb “an evil (one) watches the godly (one) and seeks to kill him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
⁵⁸tn Heb “the LORD does not abandon him into his hand, or condemn him when he is judged.” The imperfects draw attention to the Lord’s characteristic behavior in this regard.
⁵⁹tn Or “wait.”
⁶⁰tn Heb “keep his way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the “conduct required” by the LORD. In Ps 25 the LORD’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.
⁶¹tn Heb “and he will lift you up.” The prefixed verbal form with waw is best taken here as a result clause following the imperatives in the preceding lines.
⁶²tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”
⁶³tn The Hebrew uses the representative singular again.
⁶⁴tn Heb “being exposed (???) like a native, luxuriant.” The form hrutm appears to be a hithpael participle from hru, “be exposed,” but this makes no sense in this context. Perhaps the form is a dialectal variant of hlutm, “giving oneself an air of importance” (see Jer 51:3 and K-B, 830), from hlu, “go up” (see Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 296). The noun jrza, “native, full citizen,” refers elsewhere to people, but here, where it is collocated with “luxuriant, green,” it probably refers to a tree growing in native soil.
⁶⁵tn Heb “and he passes by and, look, he is not (there).” The subject of the verb “passes by” is probably indefinite, referring to any passerby. Some prefer to change the form to first person, “and I passed by” (note the first person verbal forms in preceding verse and in the following line.
⁶⁶tn Or “upright.”
⁶⁷tn Heb “for (there is) an end for a man of peace.” Some interpret tyrja, “end,” as referring to offspring (see the next verse and Ps 109:13).
⁶⁸tn Or “destroyed together.” In this case the psalmist pictures judgment sweeping them away as a group.
⁶⁹tn Heb “the end of evil men is cut off.” As in v. 37, some interpret tyrja, “end,” as referring to offspring (see Ps 109:13). The perfect verbal forms in v. 38 probably express general truths. Another option is that they are used emphatically to state with certitude that the demise of the wicked is as good as done.
⁷⁰tn Heb “and the deliverance of the godly (ones) (is) from the LORD.”
⁷¹tn Heb “(he is) their place of refuge in a time of trouble.”
⁷²tn The prefixed verbal forms with waw consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.
⁷³sn The author of Ps 38 asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies. He confesses his sin and recognizes that the crisis he faces is the result of divine discipline. Yet he begs the Lord not to reject him.
⁷⁴tn The Hebrew text has simply, “to cause to remember.” The same form (hiphil infinitive of rkz, “remember”) also appears in the heading of Ps 70. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 303).
¹tn The words “continue to” are added in the translation of both lines. The following verses make it clear that he is already experiencing divine rebuke/punishment. He asks that it might cease.
sn Verse 1 is similar to Ps 6:1.
²tn The verb tjn apparently here means “penetrate, pierce” (see K-B, 692; note as well the use of the qal in Prov 17:10). The psalmist pictures the Lord as a warrior who shoots arrows at him (see Ps 7:12-13).
³tn Heb “and your hand ??? upon me.” The meaning of the verb tjn is unclear in this context. It is preferable to emend the form to jntw, from the verb jwn, “rest.” In this case the text would read literally, “and your hand rests upon me” (see Isa 25:10, though the phrase is used in a positive sense there, unlike Ps 38:2).
⁴tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh from before your anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger at his sin.
⁵tn Heb “there is no health in my bones from before my sin.”
⁶tn Heb “pass over my head.”
⁷sn The reference to wounds may be an extension of the metaphorical language of v. 2. The psalmist pictures himself as one whose flesh is ripped and torn by arrows.
⁸tn Heb “my wounds stink, they are festering.”
⁹tn Heb “from before my foolishness.”
¹⁰tn The verb’s precise shade of meaning in this context is not entirely clear. The verb, which literally means, “to bend,” may refer to his posture. In Isa 21:3 it seems to mean “be confused, dazed.”
¹¹tn Heb “I am bowed down to excess.”
¹²tn Heb “for my loins are filled with shame.” The “loins” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. The translation assumes that hlqn is derived from hlq, “be dishonored.” Some derive it instead from a homonymic root hlq, meaning “to roast.” In this case one might translate, “fever.”
¹³tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh” (see v. 3).
¹⁴tn Heb “I am numb and crushed to excess.”
¹⁵tn Heb “I roar because of the moaning of my heart.”
¹⁶tn Heb “O Lord, before you (is) all my desire.”
¹⁷tn Heb “and the light of my eyes, even they, there is not with me.” The “light of the eyes” may refer to physical energy (see 1 Sam 14:27, 29), life itself (Ps 13:3), or the ability to see (Prov 29:23).
¹⁸tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”
¹⁹tn Heb “stand (aloof).”
²⁰tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”
²¹tn Heb “lay snares.”
²²sn The psalmist is like a deaf mute; he is incapable of defending himself and is vulnerable to their deception (see v. 14).
²³tn Heb “and there is not in his mouth arguments.”
²⁴tn Or perhaps “surely.”
²⁵tn Heb “For I said, ‘Lest they rejoice over me.’“ The psalmist recalls the motivating argument of his petition. He probably prefaced this statement with a prayer for deliverance (see Pss 7:1-2; 13:3-4; 28:1).
²⁶tn Heb “they will magnify against me.” See Pss 35:26; 55:13.
²⁷tn Heb “and my pain (is) before me continually.”
²⁸tn Or “for.” The translation assumes the yk is asseverative here.
²⁹tn Heb “and my enemies, life, are many.” The noun <yyj, “life,” fits very awkwardly here. The translation assumes an emendation to <nj, “without reason” (note the parallelism with rqv, “falsely,” and see Pss 35:19; 69:4; Lam 3:52). The verb <xu can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority (note the parallel verb bbr, “be many”).
³⁰tn Heb “are many.”
³¹tn Heb “the ones who repay evil instead of good accuse me, instead of my pursuing good.”
³²tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Ps 22:19.
³³sn The author of Ps 39 laments his frailty and mortality as he begs the Lord to take pity on him and remove his diciplinary hand.
¹tn Heb “I said.”
²tn Heb “I will watch my ways, from sinning with my tongue.”
³sn The psalmist wanted to voice a lament to the Lord (see vv. 4-6), but he hesitated to do so in the presence of evil men, for such words might be sinful if they gave the wicked an occasion to insult God. See C. A. Briggs, Psalms, 1:345.
⁴tn Heb “I was mute (with) silence.”
⁵tn Heb “I was quiet from good.” He kept quiet, resisting the urge to find emotional release and satisfaction by voicing his lament.
sn I held back the urge to speak. For a helpful discussion of the relationship (and tension) between silence and complaint in ancient Israelite lamentation, see E. Gerstenberger, Psalms, Part I, 166-67.
⁶tn Heb “and my pain was stirred up.” Emotional “pain” is in view here.
⁷tn Heb “my heart was hot within me.”
⁸tn Heb “In my reflection fire burned.” The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite (past tense) or an imperfect being used in a past progressive or customary sense (“fire was burning”).
⁹tn Heb “I spoke with my tongue.” The phrase “these words” is added in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
¹⁰tn Heb “Cause me to know, O LORD, my end; and the measure of my days, what it is!”
¹¹tn Heb “Let me know how transient I am!”
¹²tn Heb “Look, handbreadths you make my days.” The “handbreadth” (equivalent to the width of four fingers) was one of the smallest measures used by ancient Israelites. See P. Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 309.
¹³tn Heb “is like nothing before you.”
¹⁴tn Heb “surely, all vapor (is) all mankind, standing firm.” Another option is to translate, “Surely, all mankind, though seemingly secure, is nothing but a vapor.”
¹⁵tn Heb “surely, as an image man walks about.” The prepositon prefixed to “image” indicates identity here.
sn Walking is here used as a metaphor for living. The point is that human beings are here today, gone tomorrow. They have no lasting substance and are comparable to mere images or ghosts.
¹⁶tc Heb “Surely (in) vain they strive, he accumulates and does not know who gathers them.” The Hebrew text as it stands is syntactically awkward. The verb forms switch from singular (“walks about”) to plural (“they strive”) and then back to singular (“accumulates and does not know”), even though the subject (generic “man”) remains the same. Furthermore there is no object for the verb “accumulates” and no plural antecedent for the plural pronoun (“them”) attached to “gathers.” These problems can be erased if one emends the text from /wymhy lbh, “(in) vain they strive,” to /wmh ylbh, “vain things of wealth” (this assumes a misdivision in the Hebrew text and a virtual dittography of waw between the mem and nun of /wmh). The translation above follows this reading.
¹⁷tn Heb “my hope, for you it (is).”
¹⁸tn Heb “because you acted.” The psalmist has in mind God’s disciplinary measures (see vv. 10-13).
¹⁹tn Heb “remove from upon me your wound.”
²⁰tn Heb “from the hostility of your hand I have come to an end.”
²¹tn “with punishments on account of sin you discipline a man.”
²²tn Heb “you cause to dissolve, like a moth, his desired (thing).” The translation assumes an emendation of wdwmj, “his desirable (thing)” to wdmj, “his loveliness, beauty” (see K-B, 325), a reading that is supported by a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts.
²³tn Heb “do not be deaf to my tears.”
²⁴tn Heb “For a resident alien (am) I with you, a sojourner like all my fathers.”
sn Resident aliens were dependent on the mercy and goodwill of others. The Lord was concerned that resident aliens be treated properly. See Deut 24:17-22, Ps 146:9.
²⁵tn Heb “Gaze away from me and I will smile before I go and am not.” The precise identification of the initial verb form, uvh, is uncertain. It could be from the root uuv, “smear,” but “your eyes” would be the expected object in this case (see Isa 6:10). The verb may be an otherwise unattested hiphil form of huv, “to gaze,” meaning “cause your gaze to be.” Some prefer to emend the form to the qal (huv), “gaze” (see Job 14:6). If one does read a form of the verb “to gaze,” the angry divine “gaze” of discipline would seem to be in view (see vv. 10-11). For a similar expression of this sentiment see Job 10:20-21.
²⁶sn Ps 40 combines a song of thanksgiving for a recent act of divine deliverance (vv. 1-11) with a confident petition for renewed divine intervention (vv. 12-17).
¹tn Heb “relying, I relied.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the verbal idea. The emphasis is reflected in the translation through the adverb “completely.” Another option is to translate, “I waited patiently.”
²tn Heb “cistern of roaring.” The Hebrew noun rwb, “cistern, pit” is used metaphorically here of Sheol, the place of death, which is sometimes depicted as a raging sea (see Ps 18:4, 15-16). The noun /wav, “roaring,” refers elsewhere to the crashing sound of the sea’s waves (see Ps 65:7).
³tn Heb “from the slime of mud.” The phrase “slimy mud” (lit., “mud of mud”) employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, Semitics 2 (1971), 17-81.
⁴tn Heb “he established my footsteps.”
⁵sn A new song was appropriate because the Lord had intervened in the psalmist’s experience in a fresh and exciting way.
⁶tn Heb “and he placed in my mouth a new song, praise to our God.”
⁷tn Heb “may many see and fear and trust in the LORD.” The translation assumes that the initial prefixed verbal form is a jussive, rather than an imperfect. The following prefixed verbal forms with waw conjunctive are taken as indicating purpose or result after the introductory jussive.
⁸tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
⁹tn Heb “man.” See the note at Ps 1:1.
¹⁰tn Heb “who has made the LORD his (object of) trust.”
¹¹tn Heb “and does not turn toward.”
¹²tn Heb “those falling away toward a lie.”
¹³tn Heb “many things you have done, you, O LORD my God, your amazing deeds and your thoughts toward us.” The precise meaning of the text is not clear, but the psalmist seems to be recalling the Lord’s miraculous deeds on Israel’s behalf (see Pss 9:1; 26:7), as well as his covenantal decrees and promises (see Ps 33:11).
¹⁴tn Heb “there is none arrayed against you.” The precise meaning of the text is unclear, but the collocation la Jru, “array against,” is used elsewhere of military (Judg 20:30; 1 Chr 19:17) or verbal opposition (Job 32:14).
¹⁵tn Heb “I will declare and I will speak, they are too numerous to recount.” The translation above assumes that the cohortatives are used in a hypothetical manner in a formally unmarked conditional sentence, “Should I try to declare (them) and speak (of them), . . .” For other examples of cohortatives in the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, see GKC, 320, para 108e. (It should be noted, however, that GKC understands this particular verse in a different manner. See para 108f, where they suggest that the cohortatives are part of an apodosis with the protasis being suppressed.) Another option is to take the cohortatives as a declaration of the psalmist’s resolve to announce the truth expressed in the next line. In this case one might translate: “I will declare and speak (the truth): They are too numerous to recount.”
¹⁶tn Heb “sacrifice and offering you do not desire.” The statement is exaggerated for the sake of emphasis (see Ps 51:16 as well). God is pleased with sacrifices, but his first priority is obedience and loyalty (see 1 Sam 15:22). Sacrifices and offerings apart from genuine allegiance are meaningless (see Isa 1:11-20).
¹⁷tn Heb “ears you hollowed out for me.” The meaning of this odd expression (this is the only collocation of “hollowed out” and “ears” in the OT. It may have been an idiomatic expression referring to making a point clear to a listener. The LXX has, “but a body you have prepared for me,” a reading which is followed in Heb 10:5 (see the note there).
¹⁸tn Heb “in the roll of the scroll it is written concerning me.” Apparently the psalmist refers to the Law of God (see v. 8), which contains the commandments God desires him to obey. If this is a distinctly royal psalm, then the psalmist/king may be referring specifically to the regulations of kingship prsecribed in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. See P. Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 315.
¹⁹tn Or “your will.”
²⁰tn Heb “your law (is) in the midst of my inner parts.” The “inner parts” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s thought life and moral decision making.
²¹sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Pss 22:25 and 35:18.
²²tn Heb “I proclaim justice in the great assembly.” Though “justice” appears without a pronoun here, the Lord’s just acts are in view (see v. 10). His qdx is here the deliverance that originates in his justice; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB, 841-42.
²³tn Heb “Look! My lips I do not restrain.”
²⁴tn Heb “your justice I have not hidden in the midst of my heart.”
²⁵tn Heb “I have not hidden your loyal love and reliability.”
²⁶tn Some translate the verb as a request (“do not withhold”), but elsewhere in the Psalms the second masculine singular prefixed form, when addressed to God and preceded by al, is always indicative in mood and never has the force of a prayer (see Pss 16:10; 22:2; 44:9 51:16-17; 60:10; 108:11).
²⁷tn In this line the psalmist makes the transition from confidence to petition (see v. 13). Since the prefixed verbal form in the preceding line is imperfect/indicative, one could take the verb in this line as imperfect as well and translate, “your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me.” However, the yk at the beginning of the next verse, if causal (“because”), is best understood as introducing a motivating argument in support of a petition. For this reason v. 11b is best taken as a prayer with the prefixed form being understood as jussive. For parallels to the proposed construction (jussive followed by yk + perfect introducing motivating argument), see Ps 25:21, as well as Pss 10:2-3; 22:8.
²⁸tn Or “sinful deeds.” The Hebrew term used here can have a non-moral (“dangers”) or moral “sinful deeds”) nuance, depending on the context. The next line (see “sins” seems to favor the moral sense, but the psalmist also speaks of enemies shortly after this (v. 14).
²⁹tn Heb “and my heart abandons me.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of emotional strength and courage. For a similar idea see Ps 38:10.
³⁰tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Pss 22:19; 38:22.
³¹tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones seeking my life to snatch it away.”
³²tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.
sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.
³³tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.
³⁴tn Heb “May they be humiliated according to their shame, those who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!’“
³⁵tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by the Lord.
³⁶tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing upon the godly.
³⁷tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the LORD be magnified (in praise).” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the LORD is great.” See Ps 35:27.
³⁸sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.
³⁹tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a jussive of prayer (see the translation above) or as an imperfect, “The LORD will pay attention to me.” The parallel in Ps 70:5 has, “O God, hurry to me!” For this reason some prefer to emend bvjy, “may he pay attention,” to hvwj, “hurry!” The syntax of the Hebrew text is awkward; elsewhere when the qal of bvj, “reckon, consider,” is collocated with the preposition -l and a pronominal suffix there is an accompanying direct object or additional prepositional phrase/adverbial accusative (see Gen 15:6; 2 Sam 19:19; Job 13:24; 19:11; 33:10; Pss 32:2; 41:7; Amos 6:5).
⁴⁰sn The author of Ps 41 is confident (vv. 11-12) that the Lord has heard his request to be healed (vv. 4-10) and he anticipates the joy he will experience when the Lord intervenes (vv. 1-3). One must assume that the psalmist is responding to a divine oracle of assurance. See P. Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 319-20. The final verse is a fitting conclusion to this psalm, but it is also serves as a fitting conclusion to the first “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the second, third and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 72:19; 89:52; 106:48, respectively).
¹tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
²sn The psalmist is characterizing himself as such an individual and supplying a reason why God has responded favorably to his prayer. The Lord’s attitude toward the merciful mirrors their treatment of the poor.
³tn Heb “in the day of trouble” (see Ps 27:5).
⁴tn That is, the one who has been kind to the poor. The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive of prayer (see v. 2), but the preceding parallel line is a declaration of fact, not a prayer per se. The imperfect can be taken here as future or as generalizing. The parallel line, which has a generalizing tone, favors the latter. At the same time, though the psalmist uses a generalizing style here, he clearly has himself primarily in view.
⁵tn The prefixed verbal forms are taken as jussives in the translation because the jussive is clearly used in the final line of the verse, suggesting that this is a prayer. The psalmist stops to pronounce a prayer of blessing on the godly individual envisioned in v. 1. Of course, he actually has himself primarily in view. He mixes confidence (vv. 1, 3) with petition (v. 2) because he stands in the interval between the word of assurance and the actual intervention by God.
⁶tc The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (kethib), which has a pual (passive) prefixed form, regarded here as a jussive. The pual of the verb rva also appears in Prov 3:18. The marginal reading (qere) assumes a waw consecutive and pual perfect. Some, with the support of the LXX, change the verb to a piel (active) form with an objective pronominal suffix, “and may he bless him,” or “and he will bless him.”
⁷tn The negative particle la before the prefixed verbal form indicates the verb is a jussive and the statement a prayer. Those who want to take v. 2 as a statement of confidence suggest emending the negative particle to al, which is used with the imperfect. See the earlier note on the verbal forms in line one of this verse. According to GKC (322, para 109e), this is a case where the jussive is used rhetorically to “express that something cannot or should not happen” (see also BDB, 39). In this case one might translate, “you will not turn him over to his enemies,” and take the preceding verbal forms as indicative in mood.
⁸tn Heb “do not give him over to the desire of his enemies” (see Ps 27:12).
⁹tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive, continuing the prayer of v. 2, but the parallel line in v. 3b employs the perfect, suggesting that the psalmist is again speaking in the indicative mood again (see v. 1b). The imperfect can be understood as future or as generalizing (see v. 1).
¹⁰tn Heb “all his bed you turn in his illness.” The perfect is used here in a generalizing sense (see v. 1) or in a rhetorical manner to emphasize that the healing is as good as done.
¹¹sn I said. In vv. 4-10 the psalmist recites the prayer of petition and lament he offered to the Lord.
¹²tn Heb “my enemies speak evil concerning me.”
¹³tn Heb “and his name perish.”
¹⁴tn Heb “to see.”
¹⁵tn Heb “he speaks deceitfully.”
¹⁶tn Heb “his heart gathers sin to itself.”
¹⁷tn Heb “he goes outside and speaks.”
¹⁸tn Heb “together against me they whisper, all those who hate me.” The hithpael of vjl refers here to whispering to one another (see 2 Sam 12:19).
¹⁹tn The words “they say” are not in the Hebrew text, but are added in the translation to make it clear that v. 8 contains a quotation of what they say about him (see v. 7a).
²⁰tn Heb “thing of worhlessness.” In Ps 101:3 the phrase refers to evil deeds in general, but here it appears to refer more specifically to the illness that plagues the psalmist.
²¹tn Heb “is poured out on him.” The passive participle of qxy is used.
²²tn Heb “and he who lies down will not again arise.”
²³tn Heb “man of my peace.” The phrase here refers to one’s trusted friend (see Jer 38:22; Obad 7).
²⁴tn Heb “has made a heel great against me.” The precise meaning of this phrase, which appears only here, is uncertain.
sn Ps 41:9. The language of this verse is applied to Judas Iscariot in John 13:18. See the note there.
²⁵tn The cohortative with prefixed waw here indicates purpose or result (“Then I will repay them”) after the preceding imperatives.
²⁶sn By this. Having recalled his former lament and petition, the psalmist returns to the confident mood of vv. 1-3. The basis for his confidence may be a divine oracle of deliverance, assuring him that God would intervene and vindicate him. The demonstrative pronoun “this” may refer to such an oracle, which is assumed here, but not included. See P. Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 319, 321.
²⁷tn Or “will.” One may translate the imperfect verbal form as descriptive (present0 or as anticipatory (future).
²⁸tn Heb “shout.”
²⁹tn Or “have upheld.” The perfect verbal form can be taken as generalizing/descriptive (present) or as a present perfect.
³⁰sn Integrity. See Pss 7:8; 25:21; 26:1, 11.
³¹tn The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect. It is either generalizing/descriptive (present) or has a present perfect nuance (“you have allowed”).
³²tn Heb “and you cause me to stand before you permanently.”
³³tn Heb “(be) blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
³⁴tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.” See 1 Chr 16:36; Neh 9:5; Pss 90:2; 106:48.
³⁵tn Heb /m@a*w+ /m@a*, “surely and surely” (i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.
³⁶sn The author of Ps 42 recalls how he once worshiped in the Lord’s temple, but laments that he is now oppressed by enemies in a foreign land. Some medieval Hebrew manuscripts join Pss 42 and 43.
³⁷tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See Ps 32.
¹tn Since the accompanying verb is feminine in form, the noun lya, “male deer,” should be emended to tlya, “female deer.” Haplography of the letter taw has occurred; note that the following verb begins with taw.
²tn Or “pants (with thirst).”
³tn Or “my soul pants (with thirst).” vpn with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB, 660, cat. 4).
⁴tn Or “my soul thirsts.”
⁵tn The words “I say” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons and clarification.
⁶tn Heb “When will I go and appear (to) the face of God?” Some emend the niphal verbal form ha#r`a@, “I will appear,” to a qal ha#r+a#, “I will see” (see Gen 33:10), but the niphal can be retained if one understands ellipsis of ta before “face” (see Exod 34:24; Deut 31:11).
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “My tears have become my food day and night.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “when (they) say to me all the day.” The suffixed third masculine plural pronoun may have been accidentally omitted from the infinitive rmab, “when (they) say.” See <rmab, “when they say” in v. 10.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “These things I will remember and I will pour out upon myself my soul.” “These things” are identified in the second half of the verse as those times when the psalmist worshiped in the Lord’s temple. The two cohortative forms indicate the psalmist’s resolve to remember and weep. The expression “pour out upon myself my soul” refers to mourning (see Job 30:16).
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “for I was passing by with the throng (?), I was walking with (?) them to the house of God; with a voice of a ringing shout and thanksgiving a multitude was observing a festival.” Hebrew <dda Jsb, “with the throng I was walking with” (??), is particularly problematic. The noun Es* occurs only here. If it corresponds to /wmh, “multitude,” then one can propose a meaning “throng.” The translation above assumes this reading. The form <dda, “I will walk with” (?) is especially problematic. The form can be taken as a hithpael from hdd (this verb possibly appears in Isa 38:15), but the pronominal suffix is problematic. For this reason many emend the form to <(y)rda, “nobles,” or <-r(y)da, “great” (with enclitic mem). The translation above understands the latter and takes the adjective as modifying “throng.” If one emends Es*, “throng” (?) to Eso, “shelter” (see the qere of Ps 27:5), then r(y)da could be taken as a divine epithet, “(in the shelter of) the majestic one,” a reading which may find support in the LXX and Syriac Peshitta.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
<sup>12</sup>sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “and (why) are you in turmoil upon me?” The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive here carries on the descriptive present nuance of the preceding imperfect. See GKC, 329, para 111t.
<sup>14</sup>tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of his face.” The verse division in the Hebrew text is incorrect. yhla, “my God” at the beginning of v. 7 belongs with the end of v. 6 (see the corresponding refrains in 42:11 and 43:5, both of which end with yhla, “my God” after “saving acts of my face”). wynp, “his face,” should be emended to yn}P=, “face of.” The emended text reads, “(for) the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “my God, upon me my soul bows down.” As noted earlier, “my God” belongs with the end of v. 6.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan.” “Remember” is here used metonymically for prayer (see vv. 8-9). As the next line indicates, the region of the upper Jordan, where the river originates, is in view.
<sup>17</sup>tn The plural form of the name occurs only here in the OT. Some suggest the plural refers to multiple mountain peaks, but the final mem is probably dittographic (note that the next form in the text begins with the letter mem) or enclitic. At a later time it was misinterpreted as a plural marker and vocalized accordingly.
<sup>18</sup>tn ruxm is probably a proper name (“Mizar”), designating a particular mountain in the Hermon region. The name appears only here in the OT.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “deep calls to deep.” The Hebrew noun <wht often refers to the deep sea, but here, where it is associated with Hermon, it probably refers to mountain streams. The word can be used of streams and rivers (see Deut 8:7; Ezek 31:4).
<sup>20</sup>tn The noun rwnx, “waterfall,” occurs only here and in 2 Sam 5:8, where it apparently refers to a water shaft. The psalmist alludes to the loud rushing sound of mountain streams and cascading waterfalls. Using the poetic device of personification, he imagines the streams calling out to each other as they hear the sound of the waterfalls.
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “pass over me” (see Jon 2:3). As he hears the sound of the rushing water, the psalmist imagines himself engulfed in the current. By implication he likens his emotional distress to such an experience.
<sup>22</sup>sn The psalmist believes that the Lord has not abandoned him, but continues to extend his loyal love. To this point in the psalm, the author has used the name “God,” but now, as he mentions the divine characteristic of loyal love, he switches to the more personal divine name Yahweh (“the LORD”).
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “his song (is) with me.”
<sup>24</sup>tn A few medieval Hebrew manuscripts have hlht, “praise,” instead of hlpt, “prayer.”
<sup>25</sup>tn The cohortative form indicates the psalmist’s resolve.
<sup>26</sup>tn This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28; Pss 18:2; 31:3.
<sup>27</sup>tn Or “forget.”
<sup>28</sup>sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6.
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “with a shattering in my bones my enemies taunt me.” A few medieval Hebrew manuscripts and Symmachus’s Greek version have “like” instead of “with.”
<sup>30</sup>sn The enemies ask this same question in v. 3.
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
<sup>32</sup>sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read yhla yn}p= tuwvy, “(for) the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is almost identical to the one in v. 5. See also 43:5.
<sup>35</sup>sn Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts combine Ps 43 with Ps 42 as one psalm. Ps 43 is the only psalm in book 2 of the Psalter (Pss 42-72) that does not have a heading, suggesting that it was originally the third and concluding section of Ps 42. Ps 43:5 is identical to the refrain in Ps 42:11 and almost identical to the refrain in Ps 42:5.
<sup>1</sup>tn Or “argue my case.”
<sup>2</sup>tn The imperfect here expresses a request or wish. Note the imperatives in the first half of the verse. See also v. 3.
<sup>3</sup>tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form “man” in a collective sense, as the reference to a “nation” in the parallel line indicates.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “God of my place of refuge,” that is, “God who is my place of refuge.” See Ps 31:4.
<sup>5</sup>sn The question is similar to that of 42:9, but jnz, “reject,” is a stronger verb than jkv, “:forget.”
<sup>6</sup>sn The language is similar to that 42:9, but the hithpael form of the verb Jlh (as opposed to the qal form in 42:9) expresses more forcefully the continuing nature of the psalmist’s distress.
<sup>7</sup>sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “send.”
<sup>9</sup>sn God’s deliverance is compared here to a light which will lead the psalmist back home to the Lord’s temple. Divine deliverance will in turn demonstrate the Lord’s faithfulness to his people.
<sup>10</sup>tn Or “may they lead me.” The prefixed verbal forms here and in the next line may be taken as jussives.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “bring.”
<sup>12</sup>sn In this context the Lord’s “holy hill” is Zion/Jerusalem. See Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 48:1; 87:1; Dan 9:16.
<sup>13</sup>tn Or “to your dwelling place(s).” The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; this is the Lord’s special dwelling place (see Pss 46:4; 84:1; 132:5, 7).
<sup>14</sup>tn The cohortative expresses the psalmist’s resolve. Prefixed with the waw conjunctive it also expresses the result or outcome of the preceding verbs “lead” and “escort.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “to God, the joy of my happiness.” The phrase “joy of my happiness” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the degree of the psalmist’s joy. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, Semitics 2 (1971), 17-81.
<sup>16</sup>tn The cohortative with waw conjunctive probably indicates purpose or intention.
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
<sup>18</sup>sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read yhla yn}p= tuwvy, “(for) the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is identical to the one in 42:11. See also 42:5, which differs only slightly.
<sup>21</sup>sn The speakers in Ps 44 (the worshiping community within the nation Israel) were disappointed with God. The psalm begins on a positive note, praising God for leading Israel to past military victories. Verses 1-8 appear to be a song of confidence and petition which the people recited prior to battle. But suddenly the mood changes as the nation laments a recent defeat. The stark contrast between the present and the past only heightens the nation’s confusion. Israel trusted in God for victory, but the Lord rejected them and allowed them to be humiliated in battle. If Israel had been unfaithful to God, their defeat would make sense, but the nation was loyal to the Lord. Likening the Lord to a careless shepherd, the nation urges God to wake up and to extend his compassion to his suffering people.
<sup>22</sup>tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See Ps 32.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “with our ears we have heard.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “the work you worked.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “in the days of old.” This refers specifically to the days of Joshua and Israel’s conquest of the land, as vv. 2-3 indicate.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “you, your hand.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “dispossessed nations and planted them.” The third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1). See Ps 80:8, 15.
<sup>6</sup>tn The verb form in the Hebrew text is a hiphil preterite (without waw consecutive) from uur, “be evil, bad.” If retained it apparently means, “you injured, harmed.” Some prefer to derive the verb from uur, “break,” in which case the form must be revocalized as qal (since this verb is unattested in the hiphil).
<sup>7</sup>tn Or “peoples.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “and you sent them out.” The translation assumes that the third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1), as in the preceding parallel line. See Ps 80:11, where Israel, likened to a vine, “spreads out” its tendrils to the west and east. Another option is to take the “peoples” as the referent of the pronoun and translate, “and you sent them away,” though this does not provide as tight a parallel with the corresponding line.
<sup>9</sup>tn Or “take possession of.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “and their arm did not save them.” The “arm” here symbolizes military strength.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “you right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Pss 17:7; 20:6; 21:8).
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “your arm.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “light of your face.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
<sup>14</sup>tn Or “favorable toward.”
<sup>15</sup>sn The speaker changes here to an individual, perhaps the worship leader or the king. The oscillation between singular (vv. 4, 6) and plural (vv. 1-3, 5, 7-8) in vv. 1-8 may reflect an antiphonal ceremony.
<sup>16</sup>tc The LXX assumes a participle (hwxm) here, “the one who commands/decrees,” which would stand in apposition to “my God.” It is possible that the Hebrew text, which has the imperative (hwx) form, has suffered haplography of the letter mem. Note that the preceding word (<yhla) ends in mem. Another option is that the Hebrew text is divided in the wrong place; perhaps one could move the final mem from <yhla to the beginning of the next word and read hwxm yhla, “(You are my king), my God, the one who decrees.”
tn Or “command.” This may be their petition prior to the battle. See the introductory note to the psalm.
<sup>17</sup>tn That is, Israel. See Pss 14:7; 22:23.
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “by you.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “gore” (like an ox). If this portion of the psalm contains the song of confidence/petition they recited prior to battle, then the imperfects here and in the next line may express their expectation of victory. Another option is that the imperfects function in an emphatic generalizing manner. In this case one might translate, “you always drive back . . . you always trample down.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “in your name.” The Lord’s “name” refers here to his revealed character or personal presence. Specifically in this context his ability to deliver, protect, and energize for battle is in view (see Ps 54:1).
<sup>21</sup>sn The image of the powerful wild ox continues; see “gore” in the preceding line.
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “those who rise up (against) us.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Or “have delivered,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).
<sup>24</sup>tn Or, “have humiliated,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).
<sup>25</sup>tn The particle [a, “but,” is used here as a strong adversative contrasting the following statement with what precedes (see BDB, 65; KB, 76).
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “you did not go out with our armies.” The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without waw consecutive).
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “you caused us to turn backward.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “plunder for themselves.” The prepositional phrase wml, “for themselves,” here has the nuance “at their will” (BDB, 515) or “as they please” (see Ps 80:6).
<sup>29</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without waw consecutive).
<sup>30</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without waw consecutive).
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “for what is not wealth.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “you did not multiply their purchase prices.”
<sup>33</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without waw consecutive).
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “an (object of) taunting and (of) mockery to those around us.”
<sup>35</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without waw consecutive).
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “a proverb,” or “(the subject of) a mocking song.”
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “a shaking of the head among the peoples.” Shaking the head was a derisive gesture (see Jer 18:16; Lam 2:15).
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “all the day my humiliation (is) in front of me.”
<sup>39</sup>tn Heb “and the shame of my face covers me.”
<sup>40</sup>tn Heb “from the voice of one who ridicules and insults, from the face of an enemy and an avenger.” See Ps 8:2.
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “forget.” “Forgetting God” refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see v. 20, as well as Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 9:17).
<sup>42</sup>tn Heb “and we did not deal falsely with your covenant.”
<sup>43</sup>tn Heb “our heart did not turn backward.” See Ps 78:57 and K-B, 744.
<sup>44</sup>tn Heb “and our steps did (not) turn aside from your path.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line). God’s “path” refers to his commands, i.e., the moral pathway he has prescribed for the psalmist. See Pss 17:5; 25:4.
<sup>45</sup>tn Heb “yet you have battered us in a place of jackals.”
<sup>46</sup>tn twmlx has traditionally been understood as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (lx@ + tw#m*, see BDB, 853). Other authorities prefer to vocalize the form tWml=x’ and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root <lx) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 44:19 darkness symbolizes defeat and humiliation.
<sup>47</sup>tn Heb “If we had forgotten the name of our God.” To “forget the name” here refers to rejecting the Lord’s authority (see Jer 23:27) and abandoning him as an object of prayer and worship (see the next line).
<sup>48</sup>tn Heb “and spread out your hands to another god.” Spreading out the hands was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). In its most fundamental sense rz, “another, foreign, strange,” refers to something that is outside one’s circle, often making association with it inappropriate. A “strange” god is an alien deity, an “outside god” (see TDOT, 4:54-55).
<sup>49</sup>tn The active participle describes what is characteristically true.
<sup>50</sup>tn Heb “would not God search out this, for he knows the hidden things of (the) heart?” “Search out” is used metonymically here, referring to discovery, the intended effect of a search. The “heart” (i.e., mind) is here viewed as the seat of one’s thoughts. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he would!” The point seems to be this: There is no way we would reject God and turn to another god, for the omniscient God would easily discover such a sin.
<sup>51</sup>sn This may simply indicate that God is the cause of their defeat (see vv. 9-14, where the nation’s situation is attributed directly to God’s activity), or it may suggest they suffer because of their allegiance to God (see Ps 69:7 and Jer 15:15). In this case one should translate, “for your sake.”
<sup>52</sup>tn Or “regarded as.”
<sup>53</sup>tn Heb “like sheep of slaughtering,” that is, sheep destined for slaughter.
<sup>54</sup>sn Wake up! See Ps 35:23.
<sup>55</sup>tn Heb “Why do you hide your face?” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
<sup>56</sup>tn Or “forget.”
<sup>57</sup>tn Heb “our oppression and our affliction.”
<sup>58</sup>tn Heb “for our being/life sinks down to the dirt, our belly clings to the earth.” The suffixed form of vpn, “being, life,” is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
<sup>59</sup>tn Or “redeem us.” See Pss 25:22; 26:11; 69:18; 119:134.
<sup>60</sup>sn Ps 45 is a romantic poem celebrating the Davidic king’s marriage to a lovely princess. The psalmist praises the king for his military prowess and commitment to justice, urges the bride to be loyal to the king, and anticipates that the marriage will be blessed with royal offspring.
<sup>61</sup>tn Heb “according to lilies.” “Lilies” may be a tune title or musical style, suggestive of romantic love. The imagery of a “lily” appears frequently in the Song of Solomon in a variety of contexts (see 2:1-2, 16; 4:5; 5:13; 6:2-3; 7:2).
<sup>62</sup>tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See the headings of Ps 32.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “(with) a good word.” The “good word” probably refers here to the song that follows.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “my works (are) for a king.” The plural “works” may here indicate degree, referring to the special musical composition that follows.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “my tongue (is) a stylus of a skillful scribe.” Words flow from his tongue just as they do from a scribe’s stylus.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “you are handsome from the sons of man.” The preposition “from” is used in a comparative (“more than”) sense. The peculiar verb form typypy is probably the result of dittography of yod-pe and should be emended to t*yp!y`. See GKC, 152, para 55e, and K-B, 423.
⁵tn Heb “favor is poured out on your lips.” “Lips” probably stands by metonymy for the king’s speech. Some interpret /j as referring here to “gracious” (i.e., kind and polite), but the word probably refers more generally to “attractive” speech that is impressively articulated and fitting for the occasion. For other instances of the word being used of speech, see Prov 22:11 and Eccl 10:12.
⁶tn Or “this demonstrates.” The construction /k-lu, “therefore,” usually indicates what logically follows from a preceding statement. However, here it may infer the cause from the effect, indicating the underlying basis or reason for what precedes (see BDB, 487; Briggs, Psalms, 1:386).
⁷tn Or “blesses you forever.” “Bless” here means to “endue with the power and skill to rule effectively,” as the following verses indicate.
⁸tn Or “mighty one.”
⁹tn The Hebrew text has simply, “your majesty and your splendor,” which probably refers to the king’s majestic splendor when he appears in full royal battle regalia.
¹⁰tn Heb “and your majesty, be successful.” The syntax is awkward. The phrase “and your majesty” at the beginning of the verse may be accidentally repeated (dittography); it appears at the end of v. 3.
¹¹tn Or “for the sake of truth.”
¹²tc The precise meaning of the Hebrew text is uncertain. The form hw`n+u^ occurs only here. One could emend the text to qdxw hw`n`u&, “(for the sake of truth), humility and justice.” In this case “humility” would perhaps allude to the king’s responsibility to “serve” his people by promoting justice. The translation above assumes an emendation to /=uy, “because, on account of,” which would form a suitable parallel to rbd-lu, “because, for the sake of,” in the preceding line. See K-B, 855.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “and your right hand will teach you mighty acts,” or “and may your right hand teach you mighty acts.” After the imperatives in the fisrst half of the verse, the prefixed verbal form with waw conjunctive likely indicates purpose (“so that your right hand might teach you mighty acts”) or result (see the translation above). The “right hand” here symbolizes the king’s military strength. His right hand will “teach” him mighty acts by performing them and thereby causing him to experience their magnificence.
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “your arrows are sharp—peoples beneath you fall—in the heart of the enemies of the king.” The choppy style reflects the poet’s excitement.
<sup>15</sup>sn The king’s throne symbolizes his rule.
<sup>16</sup>tn Or “forever and ever.”
sn O God. The king is clearly the addressee here, as in vv. 2-5 and 7-9. Rather than taking the statement at face value, many prefer to emend the text because the concept of deifying the earthly king is foreign to ancient Israelite thinking. However, it is preferable to retain the text and take this statement as another instance of the royal hyperbole that permeates the royal psalms. Because the Davidic king is God’s vice-regent on earth, the psalmist addresses him as if he were God incarnate. God energizes the king for battle and accomplishes justice through him. A similar use of hyperbole appears in Isa 9:6, where the ideal Davidic king of the eschaton is given the title “Mighty God” (see the note there). Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Ramses II as follows: “No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique.” (See M. Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67) Ps 45:6 and Isa. 9:6 probably envision a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king’s enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself.
<sup>17</sup>sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.
<sup>18</sup>sn To “love justice” means to actively promote it.
<sup>19</sup>sn To “hate evil” means to actively oppose it.
<sup>20</sup>tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“LORD”) is relatively rare in Pss 42-83, where the name Elohim (“God”) predominates, this compounding of Elohim may be an alternative form of the compound name “the LORD my/your/our God.”
<sup>21</sup>sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.
<sup>22</sup>sn The phrase “oil of joy” alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.
sn Ps 45:6-7. These verses are quoted in Heb 1:8-9, where they are applied to Jesus. See the note there.
<sup>24</sup>tn The words “perfumed with” are added in the translation for clarification.
[1660
1661]tn Heb “from the palaces of ivory stringed instrument(s) make you happy.”
sn The phrase “palaces of ivory” refers to palaces that had ivory panels and furniture decorated with ivory inlays. See 1 Kgs 22:39 and Amos 3:15.
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “daughters of kings.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “valuable ones.” The form is feminine plural.
<sup>29</sup>tn This rare Hebrew noun apparently refers to the king’s bride, who will soon be queen (see Neh 2:6). The Aramaic cognate is used of royal wives in Dan 5:2-3, 23.
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “a consort stands at your right hand, gold of Ophir.”
sn Gold from Ophir is also mentioned in Isa 13:12 and Job 28:16. The precise location of Ophir is uncertain; Arabia, India, East Africa and South Africa have been suggested as options. See K-B, 23.
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “daughter.” tb, “daughter,” can sometimes refer to a young woman in a general sense (see TDOT, 2:334).
sn Princess. The poet now addresses the bride.
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “see and turn your ear.” The verb har, “see,” is used here of mental observation (see BDB, 907).
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “your people.”
sn Your homeland. This reference to her “people” suggests she was a foreigner. Perhaps the marriage was arranged as part of a political alliance between Israel (or Judah) and a neighboring state.
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “and the house of your father.”
<sup>35</sup>tn After the preceding imperatives, the jussive verbal form with waw conjunctive is best understood as introducing a purpose (“so that the king might desire your beauty”) or result (see the translation above) clause. The point seems to be this: The bride might tend to be homesick, which in turn might cause her to mourn and diminish her attractiveness. She needs to overcome this temptation and enter into the marriage with joy. Then the king will be drawn to her natural beauty.
<sup>36</sup>tn Or “desire.”
<sup>37</sup>tn Or “bow down.”
<sup>38</sup>sn Submit to him. The poet here makes the point that the young bride is obligated to bring pleasure to her new husband.
<sup>39</sup>tn Heb “and a daughter of Tyre with a gift, your face they will appease, the rich of people.” The phrase “daughter of Tyre” occurs only here in the OT. It could be understood as addressed to the bride, indicating she was a Phoenician. However, often in the OT the word “daughter” when collocated with the name of a city or country, is used to personify the referent (see, for example, “Daughter Zion” in Ps 9:14, and “Daughter Babylon” in Ps 137:8). If that is the case here, then “Daughter Tyre” identifies the city-state of Tyre as the place from which the rich come. The idiom “appease the face” refers to seeking one’s favor (see Exod 32:11; 1 Sam 13:12; 1 Kgs 13:6; 2 Kgs 13:4; 2 Chr 33:12; Job 11:19; Ps 119:58; Prov 19:6; Jer 26:19; Dan 9:13; Zech 7:2; 8:21-22; Mal 1:9).
<sup>40</sup>tn Heb “(the) daughter of a king.”
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “(is) completely glorious.”
<sup>42</sup>tn Heb “within, from settings of gold, her clothing.” hmynp, “within,” if retained, would go with the preceding line and perhaps refer to the bride being “within” the palace or her bridal chamber. Since the next two lines refer to her attire (see also v. 9b), it is preferable to emend the form to hynynp, “her pearls,” or to <ynynp, “pearls.” The mem prefixed to “settings” is probably dittographic.
<sup>43</sup>tn Heb “virgins after her, her companions, are led to you.” Some emend Jl, “to you” to hl, “to her” (i.e., the princess), because the princess is now being spoken of in the third person (vv. 13-14a), rather than being addressed (as in vv. 10-12). However, the ambiguous suffixed form Jl need not be taken as second feminine singular. The suffix can be understood as a pausal second masculine singular form, addressed to the king. The translation assumes this to be the case; note that the king is addressed once more in vv. 16-17, where the second person pronouns are masculine.
<sup>44</sup>tn Heb “they are led with joy and happiness, they enter the house of the king.”
<sup>45</sup>tn The pronoun is second masculine singular, indicating the king is being addressed.
<sup>46</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive and the statement interpreted as a prayer, “May your sons carry one the dynasty of your ancestors!” The next line could then be taken as a relative clause, “(your sons) whom you will make princes throughout the land.”
<sup>47</sup>tn Heb “in place of your fathers will be your sons.”
<sup>48</sup>tn Heb “I will cause your name to be remembered in every generation and generation.” The cohortative verbal form expresses the poet’s resolve. The king’s “name” stands here for his reputation and character, which the poet praised in vv. 2-7.
<sup>49</sup>sn As God’s vice-regent on earth he is deserving of such honor and praise.
<sup>50</sup>sn Ps 46. In this so-called “Song Of Zion” God’s people confidently affirm that they are secure because the great warrior-king dwells within Jerusalem and protects it from the nations that cause such chaos in the earth. A refrain (vv. 7, 11) concludes the song’s two major sections.
<sup>51</sup>sn The meaning of twmlu, “alamoth” (which means “young women”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See K-B, 836, and 1 Chr 15:20.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “our shelter and strength,” which probably means “our strong shelter” (see Ps 71:7). Another option is to translate, “our shelter and source of strength.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “a helper in times of trouble he is found (to be) greatly.” The perfect verbal form has a generalizing function here. The adverb dam, “greatly,” has an emphasizing function.
<sup>3</sup>tn The imperfect is taken in a generalizing sense because the situation described in vv. 2-3 is understood as symbolizing typical world conditions. In this case the imperfect draws attention to the typical nature of the response. The covenant community characteristically responds with confidence, not fear. Another option is to take the situation described as purely hypothetical. In this case one might translate, “We will not fear, even though the earth should shake . . . .”
<sup>4</sup>tn The hiphil infinitival form is normally taken to mean “when (the earth) is altered,” being derived from rwm, “to change.” In this case the hiphil would be intransitive, as in Ps 15:4. K-B (560) emends the form to a niphal and derives it from a homonymic root rwm attested in Arabic with the meaning “shake.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “heart of the seas.” The plural may be used for emphasis, pointing to the deepest sea. Note that the next verse uses a singular pronoun (“its waters,” “its swelling”) in referring back to it.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “its waters.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Or “roar.”
<sup>8</sup>tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the characteristic nature of the activity described.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “at its swelling.” The word often means “pride.” If the sea is symbolic of hostile nations, then this may be a case of double entendre. The surging, swelling sea symbolizes the proud, hostile nations.
sn On the surface the psalmist appears to be depicting a major natural catastrophe, perhaps a tidal wave. If so, then the situation would be hypothetical. However, the repetition of the verbs hmh, “crash, roar” (v. 3) and fwm, “shake” (v. 2) in v. 6, where nations/kingdoms “roar” and “shake,” suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “A river, its channels cause the city of God to be glad.”
sn The “city of God” is Jerusalem (see Pss 48:1-2; 87:2-3). The river’s “channels” are probably irrigation ditches vital to growing crops. Some relate the imagery to the “waters of Shiloah,” (see Isa 8:6), which flowed from the Gihon spring to the pool of Siloam. In Isa 8:6-8 these waters are contrasted with the flood waters symbolizing Assyria. Even if this is the reality behind the imagery, the picture of a river flowing through Jerusalem is idealized and exaggerated. The river and irrigation ditches symbolize the peace and prosperity that the Lord provides for Jerusalem, in contrast to the havoc produced by the turbulent waters (symbolic of the nations) outside the city. Some see here an adaptation of Canaanite (or, more specifically, Jebusite) mythical traditions of rivers/springs flowing from the high god El’s dwelling place. The Songs of Zion do utilize such imagery at times (see Ps 48:2). The image of a river flowing through Zion may have inspired prophetic visions of an eschatological river flowing from the temple (see Ezek 47:1-12; Joel 3:18).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “the holy (place) of the dwelling places of.” The adjective “holy” is used here in a substantival manner and placed in construct with the following noun (see GKC, 428, para 132c). Origen’s transliterated text assumes the reading vd#qo, “holiness, holy place,” while the LXX assumes a piel verbal form vD@q!, “makes holy,” and takes the following form as “his dwelling place.” The plural form ynkvm, “dwelling places of,” is probably a plural of degree, emphasizing the special character of this dwelling place. See GKC, 397, para 124b. The form stands as an appositional genitive in relation to the preceding construct noun.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (/wylu) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “God (is) within her.” The feminine singular pronoun refers to the city mentioned in v. 4.
<sup>14</sup>tn Another option is to translate the imperfect verbal form as future, “it will not be upended.” Even if one chooses this option, the future tense must be understood in a generalizing sense. The verb fwm, translated “upended” here, is used in v. 2 of the mountains “tumbling” into the seas and in v. 6 of nations being “upended.” By way of contrast, Jerusalem, God’s dwelling place, is secure and immune from such turmoil and destruction.
<sup>15</sup>tn Or “helps her.” The imperfect draws attention to the generalizing character of the statement.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “at the turning of morning.” (For other uses of the expression see Exod 14:27 and Judg 19:26).
sn The “morning” is viewed metaphorically as a time of deliverance and vindication after the dark “night” of trouble (see Ps 30:5; Isa 17:14). There may be an allusion here to Exod 14:27 (the Lord destroyed the Egyptians at the “break of dawn”) or, more likely, to the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian siege, when the people discovered the dead bodies of the Assyrian army in the morning (Isa 37:36).
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “nations roar, kingdoms shake.”
sn The verb hmh, “make a commotion,” is used in v. 3 of the waves crashing, while the verb fwm, “upended,” is used in v. 2 of mountains tumbling into the sea (see also v. 5, where the psalm affirms that Jerusalem “cannot be upended”). The repetition of the verbs suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “he.” God is the obvious referent here (see v. 5).
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “offers his voice.” In theophanic texts the phrase refers to God’s thunderous shout which functions as a battle cry (see Pss 18:13; 68:33).
<sup>20</sup>tn Or “melts.” See Amos 9:5. The image depicts the nation’s helplessness before Jerusalem’s defender, who annihilates their armies (see vv. 8-9). The imperfect verbal form emphasizes the characteristic nature of the action described.
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “the LORD of Hosts is with us.” The title “LORD of Hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.
<sup>22</sup>tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).
<sup>24</sup>sn The Lord’s military exploits are in view here (see vv. 8b-9).
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “who sets desolations in the earth” (see Isa 13:9). The active participle describes God’s characteristic activity as a warrior.
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “(the) one who causes wars to cease unto the end of the earth.” The participle continues the description begun in v. 8b and indicates that this is the Lord’s characteristic activity. Ironically, he brings peace to the earth by devastating the warlike, hostile nations (vv. 8, 9b).
<sup>27</sup>tn The verb rbv, “break,” appears in the piel here (see Ps 29:5). In the OT it occurs 36 times in the piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative, “make broken” (see W-O, 405). The imperfect verbal form carries on and emphasizes the generalizing nature of the description.
<sup>28</sup>tn The perfect verbal form with waw consecutive carries along the generalizing emphasis of the preceding imperfect.
<sup>29</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form carries on and emphasizes the generalizing nature of the description.
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “wagons he burns with fire.” Some read “chariots” here, but the word refers to wagons or carts, not chariots, elsewhere in the OT. In this context, where military weapons are mentioned, it is better to revocalize the form as tolg!u&, “round shields,” a word which occurs only here in the OT, but is attested in later Hebrew and Aramaic (see K-B, 784).
<sup>31</sup>tn The words “he says” are added in the translation for clarification.
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “do nothing/be quiet (see 1 Sam 15:16) and know.” This statement may be addressed to the hostile nations, indicating they should cease their efforts to destroy God’s people, or to Judah, indicating they should rest secure in God’s protection. Since the psalm is an expression of Judah’s trust and confidence, it is more likely that the words are directed to the nations, who are actively promoting chaos and are in need of a rebuke.
<sup>33</sup>sn Elsewhere in Psalms the verb <wr, “be exalted,” when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 18:46; 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 57:5, 11).
<sup>34</sup>tn Or “among.”
<sup>35</sup>tn Or “in.”
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “the LORD of Hosts is with us.” The title “LORD of Hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.
<sup>37</sup>tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).
<sup>39</sup>sn Ps 47. In this hymn the covenant community praises the Lord as the exalted king of the earth who has given them victory over the nations and a land in which to live.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “Shout toGod with (the) sound of a ringing cry!”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “the LORD Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (/wylu) pictures the Lord as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked.
<sup>3</sup>tn Or “awesome.”
sn Awe-inspiring. The niphal participle arwn, when used of God in the psalms, focuses on the effect that his royal splendor and powerful deeds have on those witnessing his acts (Pss 66:3, 5; 68:35; 76:7, 12; 89:7; 96:4; 99:3; 111:9). Here it refers to his capacity to fill his defeated foes with terror and his people with fearful respect.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “a great king over all the earth.”
<sup>5</sup>tn On the meaning of the verb rbd, “subdue” (a homonym of rbd, “speak”), see K-B, 209-10. See also Ps 18:47 and 2 Chr 22:10. The preterite form of the verb suggests this is an historical reference and the next verse, which mentions the gift of the land, indicates that the conquest under Joshua is in view.
<sup>6</sup>tn Or “peoples” (see Pss 2:1; 7:7; 9:8; 44:2).
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “he chose for us our inheritance.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite (see “subdued” in v. 3).
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “the pride of.” The phrase is appositional to “our inheritance,” indicating that the land is here described as a source of pride to God’s people.
<sup>9</sup>tn That is, Israel.
<sup>10</sup>sn Loves. The Lord’s covenantal devotion to his people is in view.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “God ascended amid a shout.” The words “his throne” are added in the translation for clarification. The Lord’s coronation as king is described here (see v. 8).
sn Ascended his throne. In the context of vv. 3-4, which refer to the conquest of the land under Joshua, v. 5 is best understood as referring to an historical event. When the Lord conquered the land and placed his people in it, he assumed a position of kingship, as predicted by Moses (see Exod 15:17-18, as well as Ps 114:1-2). That event is here described metaphorically in terms of a typical coronation ceremony for an earthly king (see 2 Sam 15:10; 2 Kgs 9:13). Here the perfect probably has a present perfect function, indicating a completed action with continuing effects. Verses1-2, 8-9 focus on God’s continuing kingship, which extends over all nations.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “the LORD amid the sound of the ram horn.” The verb “ascended” is understood by ellipsis; see the preceding line.
<sup>13</sup>tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See Ps 32. Here, in a context of celebration, the meaning “skillful, well-written” would fit particularly well.
<sup>14</sup>tn When a new king was enthroned, his followers would acclaim him king using this enthronement formula (qal perfect 3ms Jlm, “to reign,” followed by the name of the king). See 2 Sam 15:10; 1 Kgs 1:11, 13, 18; 2 Kgs 9:13, as well as Isa 52:7. In this context the perfect verbal form is generalizing, but the declaration logically follows the historical reference in v. 5 to the Lord’s having ascended his throne.
<sup>15</sup>tn The words “along with” do not appear in the Hebrew text. However, the LXX has “with,” suggesting that the original text may have read <u^ <u!, “along with the people.” In this case the Masoretic text is haplographic (the consonantal sequence ayin-mem being written once instead of twice). Another option is that the LXX is simply and correctly interpreting “people” as an adverbial accusative and supplying the appropriate preposition.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “for to God (belong) the shields of the earth.” Perhaps the rulers are called “shields” because they are responsible for protecting their people. See Ps 84:9, where the Davidic king is called “our shield,” and perhapas also Hos 4:18.
<sup>17</sup>tn The verb hlu, “ascend,” appears once more (see v. 5), though now in the niphal stem.
<sup>18</sup>sn Ps 48. This so-called “Song of Zion” celebrates the greatness and glory of the Lord’s dwelling place, Jerusalem. His presence in the city elevates it above all others and assures its security.
<sup>1</sup>sn The Lord’s “city” is Jerusalem, which is also referred to here as “his holy hill,” that is, Zion (see v. 2, as well as Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; 87:1; Dan 9:16).
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “beautiful of height.” [wn, “height,” is a genitive of specification after the qualitative noun “beautiful.” The idea seems to be that Mt. Zion, because of its lofty appearance, is pleasing to the sight.
<sup>3</sup>sn Whole earth. The language is hyperbolic. Zion, as the dwelling place of the universal king, is pictured as the world’s capital. The prophets anticipated this idealized picture becoming a reality in the eschaton (see Isa 2:1-4).
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “Mount Zion, the peaks of Zaphon.” Like all the preceding phrases in v. 2, both phrases are appositional to “city of our God, his holy hill” in v. 1, suggesting an identification in the poet’s mind between Mount Zion and Zaphon. “Zaphon” usually refers to the “north” in a general sense (see Pss 89:12; 107:3), but here, where it is collocated with “peaks,” it refers specifically to Mount Zaphon, located in the vicinity of ancient Ugarit and viewed as the mountain where the gods assembled (see Isa 14:13). By alluding to West Semitic mythology in this way, the psalm affirms that Mount Zion is the real divine mountain, for it is here that the Lord God of Israel lives and rules over the nations. See P. Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 353, and T. Mettinger, In Search of God, 103.
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “he is known for an elevated place.”
<sup>6</sup>tn The logical connection between vv. 3-4 seems to be this: God is the protector of Zion and reveals himself as the city’s defender—this is necessary because hostile armies threaten the city.
<sup>7</sup>tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 4-6 are understood as descriptive. In dramatic style (note hnh, “look”) the psalm describes an enemy attack against the city as if it were occurring at this very moment. Another option is to take the perfects as narrational, referring to a particular historical event, such as Sennacherib’s siege of the city in 701 B.C. Even if one translates the verses in a dramatic-descriptive manner, the Lord’s victory over the Assyrians was probably in the mind’s eye of the psalmists and served as the inspiration of the description (see v. 8).
<sup>8</sup>sn As soon as they see. The object is omitted, but v. 3b suggests that the Lord’s self-revelation as the city’s defender is what they see.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “they look, so they are shocked.” /k, “so,” has here the force of “in the same measure” (BDB, 486).
<sup>10</sup>tn The translation attempts to reflect the staccato style of the Hebrew text, where the main clauses of vv. 4-6 are simply juxtaposed without connectives.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “trembling seizes them there.” The adverb <v, “there,” is used here, as often in poetic texts, to point “to a spot in which a scene is localized vividly in the imagination” (BDB, 1027).
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “(with) writhing like one giving birth.”
sn 48:5-6. The language of these verse is reminiscent of Exod 15:15.
<sup>13</sup>tn The switch to the imperfect, as well as the introduction of the ship metaphor, perhaps signals a change to a generalizing tone; the Lord typically shatters these large ships, symbolic of the human strength of hostile armies (see the following note on “large ships”). The verb rbv, “break,” appears in the piel here (see Pss 29:5; 46:9). In the OT it occurs 36 times in the piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative, “make broken” (see W-O, 405).
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to and from the distant western port of Tarshish. These ships, which were the best of their class, here symbolize the mere human strength of hostile armies, which are incapable of withstanding the Lord’s divine power (see Isa 2:16).
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “As we have heard, so we have seen.” The community had heard about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history. Having personally witnessed his saving power with their own eyes, they could now affirm that the tradition was not exaggerated or inaccurate.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “the LORD of Hosts.” The title “LORD of Hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Pss 24:10; 46:7, 11).
<sup>17</sup>tn Or “God makes it secure forever.” The imperfect highlights the characteristic nature of the generalizing statement.
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “like your name, O God, so (is) your praise to the ends of the earth.” “Name” here refers to God’s reputation and revealed character.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “your right hand is full of justice.” The “right hand” suggests activity and power.
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “daughters.” The reference is to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 97:8 and TDOT, 2:336).
<sup>21</sup>tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as generalizing imperfects. (For other examples of an imperfect followed by causal /uml, see Ps 23:3; Isa 49:7; 55:5.) Another option is to interpret the forms as jussives, “Let Mount Zion rejoice! Let the towns of Judah be happy!” (Note the imperatives in vv. 12-13.)
<sup>22</sup>sn These acts of judgment are described in vv. 4-7.
<sup>23</sup>tn The verb forms in vv. 12-13 are plural; the entire Judahite community is addressed.
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “set your heart to its rampart.”
<sup>25</sup>tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word, which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain.
<sup>26</sup>sn The city’s towers, defenses and fortresses are outward reminders and tangible symbols of the divine protection the city enjoys.
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “for this is God, our God, forever and ever.” “This” might be paraphrased, “this protector described and praised in the preceding verses.”
<sup>28</sup>tn The imperfect highlights the characteristic nature of the generalizing statement. The
<sup>29</sup>tn In the Hebrew text the psalm ends with the words twm-lu, “upon (unto?) dying,” which makes little, if any, sense. Dahood proposes an otherwise unattested plural form toml*uo (from <lwu, “eternity”),(see Psalms 1-50, 293). This would provide a nice parallel to duw <lwu, “forever,” in the preceding line, but elsewhere the plural of <lwu appears as <ym!l*uo. It is preferable to understand the phrase as a musical direction of some sort (see twm-lu in the heading of Ps 9) or to emend the text to toml*u&-lu^, “according to the alamoth style” (see the heading of Ps 46). In either case it should be understood as belonging with the heading of the next psalm.
<sup>30</sup>sn In this so-called wisdom psalm (see v. 3) the psalmist states that he will not fear the rich enemies who threaten him, for, despite their wealth, they are mere men who will die like everyone else. The psalmist is confident the Lord will vindicate the godly and protect them from the attacks of their oppressors.
<sup>1</sup>tn The rare noun dlj, “world,” occurs in Ps 17:14 and perhaps also in Isa 38:11 (see the note there).
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “even the sons of mankind, even the sons of man.” Because of the parallel line, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, some treat these expressions as polar opposites, <da ynb referring to the lower classes and vya ynb to higher classes. But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase vya ynb, “sons of man,” appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; 62:9; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand “even the sons of mankind” and “even the sons of man” as synonymous expressions. The repetition emphasizes the need for all people to pay attention, for the psalmist’s message is relevant to everyone.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “my mouth will speak wisdom.” According to BDB (315), the plural twmkj, “wisdom,” indicates degree or emphasis here.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “and the meditation of my heart (i.e., mind) is understanding.” twgh, “meditation,” derived from hgh, “to recite quietly, meditate,” here refers to thoughts that are verbalized (see the preceding line). The plural form twnwbt, “understanding,” indicates degree or emphasis (see GKC, 397, para 124e).
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “I will turn my ear to a wise saying, I will open (i.e., “reveal, explain”) my insightful saying with a harp.” In the first line the psalmist speaks as a pupil who learns a song of wisdom from a sage. This suggests that this insightful song derives from another source, perhaps God himself. Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair hdyj/lvm refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), lessons from history (Ps 78:2), and proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6). Here it appears to refer to the insightful song that follows which reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent the inevitable—death. Another option is that the word pair refers more specifically to the closely related proverbial sayings of vv. 12, 20 (note the use of the verb lvm, “to be like,” in both verses). In this case the psalmist first hears the sayings and then explains (“opens”) their signfiicance (see vv. 5-11, 13-19).
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “days of trouble.” The phrase also occurs in Ps 94:13. The question is rhetorical; there is no reason to be afraid when the rich oppressors threaten the weak (see v. 17). The following verses explain why this is so.
<sup>7</sup>tn The Hebrew text has, “the iniquity of my heels surrounds me.” The clause is best understood as temporal and as elaborating on the preceding phrase “times of trouble.” If the Hebrew text is retained, the genitive “of my heels” would probably indicate location (“the iniquity at my heels”); the sinful actions of the rich threaten to overtake him, as it were. It is better to emend yb^q@u&, “my heels,” to yB^q%u&. “my deceitful ones,” i.e., “those who deceive me” (from the adjective bqou*, “deceitful,” see Jer 17:9) or yb^q=uo, “those who deceive me” (a suffixed active participle from bqu, “betray, deceive”). Origen’s transliteration of the Hebrew text favors the first of these. Either of the emendations provides a much smoother transition to v. 6, for “those who trust in their wealth” would then be appositional to “those who deceive me.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “the ones who trust.” The substantival participle stands in apposition to “those who deceive me” (v. 5).
<sup>9</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form emphasizes their characteristic behavior.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “a brother, he surely does not ransom, a man.” The sequence vya . . . ja, “a brother . . . a man” is problematic, for the usual combination is ja . . . ja, “a brother . . . a brother,” or vya . . . vya, “a man . . . a man.” When vya and ja are combined, the usual order is ja . . . vya, “a man . . . a brother,” with “brother” having a third masculine singular suffix, “his brother.” This suggests that “brother” is the object of the verb and “man” the subject. Perhaps the altered word order and absence of the suffix can be explained by the text’s poetic character, for ellipsis is a feature of Hebrew poetic style. Another option, supported by a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts, is to emend “brother” to the similar sounding Ja, “surely, but,” which occurs in v. 15 before the verb hdp, “ransom.” If this reading is accepted the qal imperfect hD#p=y], “he can(not) ransom,” would need to be emended to a niphal (passive) form, hd#P*y], “he can(not) be ransomed,” unless one understands the subject of the qal verb to be indefinite (“one cannot redeem a man”). (A niphal imperfect can be collocated with a qal infinitive absolute. See GKC, 345, para 113w.) No matter how one decides the textual issues, the imperfect in this case is modal, indicating potential, and the infinitive absolute emphasizes the statement.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “he cannot pay to God his ransom price.” Num 35:31 may supply the legal background for the metaphorical language used here. The psalmist pictures God as having a claim on the soul of the individual. When God comes to claim the life that ultimately belongs to him, he demands a ransom price that is beyond the capability of anyone to pay. The psalmist’s point is that God has ultimate authority over life and death; all the money in the world cannot buy anyone a single day of life beyond what God has decreed.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “their life.” Some emend the text to “his life,” understanding the antecedent of the pronoun as “brother” in v. 7. But since the man and brother of v. 7 are representative of the human race in general, perhaps explaining why a plural pronoun appears in v. 8. Of course, the plural pronoun could refer back to the rich mentioned in v. 6. Another option (the one assumed in the translation above) is that the suffixed mem is enclitic. In this case the “ransom price for human life” is referred to an abstract, general way.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “and one ceases forever.” The translation assumes an indefinite subject which in turn is representative of the entire human race (“one,” that human beings without exception). The verb ldj, “cease,” is understood in the sense of “come to an end, fail” (i.e., die). Another option is to translate, “and one ceases/refrains forever.” In this case the idea is that the living, convinced of the reality of human mortality, give up all hope of “buying off” God and refrain from trying to do so.
<sup>14</sup>tn The jussive verbal form with waw conjunctive is taken as indicating prupose/result in relation to the statement made in v. 8. (On this use of the jussive after an imperfect, see GKC, 322, para 109f.) In this case v. 8 is understood as a parenthetical comment.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “see the Pit.” tjv, “pit,” is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 55:24; 103:4).
<sup>16</sup>tn The particle yk is understood here as asseverative (emphatic).
<sup>17</sup>tn The subject of the verb is probably the typical “man” mentioned in v. 7. The imperfect can be taken here as generalizing or as indicating potential (“surely he/one can see”).
<sup>18</sup>tn The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to what is characteristically true. The waw consecutive with perfect in the third line carries the same force.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “together a fool and a brutish (man) perish.” The adjective rub, “brutish,” refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 73:22; 92:6; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).
<sup>20</sup>sn Death shows no respect for anyone. No matter how wise or foolish an individual happens to be, all pass away.
<sup>21</sup>tc Heb “their inward part (is) their houses (are) permanent, their dwelling places for a generation and a generation.” If one retains the Hebrew text, then brq, “inward part,” must refer to the seat of their thoughts (for other examples of this use of the term, see BDB, 899, though they prefer an emendation in this passage). In this case all three lines of v. 11 expose their arrogant assumption that they will last forever, which then stands in sharp contrast to reality as summarized in v. 12. In this case one might translate the first two lines, “they think that their houses are permanent and that their dwelling places will last forever.” Following the lead of several ancient versions, the translation above assumes an emendation of <brq, “their inward part,” to <yrbq, “graves” (this assumes that beth and resh were accidentally transposed in the Hebrew text). In this case the first two lines support the point made in v. 10, while the third line of v. 11 stands in contrast to v. 12. The phrase <lwu tyb, “permanent house” is used of a tomb in Eccl 12:5 (as well as in Phoenician tomb inscriptions, see DNWSI, 160, for a list of texts) and /kvm, “dwelling place,” refers to a tomb in Isa 22:16.
<sup>22</sup>sn Naming their lands after themselves is a claim of possession (see BDB, 895).
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “but mankind in honor does not remain.” The construction waw + noun at the beginning of the verse can be taken as contrastive in relation to what precedes. rqy, “honor,” probably refers here to the wealth mentioned in the preceding context (see KB, 432). The imperfect verbal form draws attention to what is characteristically true. Some emend /yly, “remains,” to /yby, “understands,” but this is an unecesaary accommodation to the wording of v. 20.
<sup>24</sup>tn Or “cattle.”
<sup>25</sup>tn The verb is derived from hmd, “cease, destroy” (BDB, 198). Another option is to derive the verb from hmd, “be silent” (see KB, 225, which sees two homonymic roots [hmd, “be silent,” and hmd, “destroy”] rather than a single root) and translate, “they are like dumb beasts.” This makes particularly good sense in v. 20, where the preceding line focuses on mankind’s lack of understanding.
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “this (is) their way, (there is) folly (belonging) to them.” “This” could refer back to the preceding verse(s) or ahead to the subsequent statements. The translation assumes the latter, since v. 12 appears to be a refrain that concludes the psalm’s first major section and marks a structural boundary. (A similar refrain [see v. 20] concludes the second half of the psalm.) The noun Jrd, “way,” often refers to one’s lifestyle, but, if it relates to what follows, then here it likely refers metonymically to one’s destiny (the natural outcome of one’s lifestyle). (See the discussion in TDOT, 3:285.) If one prefers the more common nuance (“life style”), then the term would look back to the self-confident attitude described in the earlier verses.
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “and after them, in their mouth they take delight.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is not entirely clear. “After them” is understood here as substantival, “those who come after them” or “those who follow them.” “Their mouth” is taken as a metonymy for the arrogant attitude verbalized by the rich. In the expression “take delight in,” the preposition -b introduces the object/cause of one’s delight (see Pss 147:10; 149:4). So the idea here is that those who come after/follow the rich find the philosophy of life they verbalize and promote to be attractive and desirable.
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “like sheep to Sheol they are appointed.” The verb form wtv is apparently derived from ttv, which appears to be a variant of the more common tyv, “to place, set” (BDB, 1060; GKC, 183, para 67ee). Some emend the text to wjv (from the verbal root jwv, “sink down”) and read “they descend.” The translation above assumes an emendation to wfv (from the verbal root fwv, “go, wander”), “they travel, wander.” (The letter tet and taw sound similar; a scribe transcribing to dictation could easily confuse them.) The perfect verbal form is used in a rhetorical manner to speak of their destiny as if it were already realized (the so-called perfect of certitude or prophetic perfect).
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “death will shepherd them,” that is, death itself (personified here as a shepherd) will lead them like a flock of helpless, unsuspecting sheep to Sheol, the underworld land of the dead.
<sup>30</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive carries the same force as the perfect verbal form in v. 14a. The speaks of this coming event as if it were already accomplished.
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “in the morning.” “Morning” is a metaphor for a time of deliverance and vindication after the dark “night” of trouble (see Pss 30:5; 46:5; 59:16; 90:14; 143:8; Isa 17:14). In this context the psalmist confidently anticipates a day of vindication when the Lord will deliver the oppressed from the rich (see v. 15) and send the oppressors to Sheol.
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “their form (will become an object) for the consuming of Sheol, from a lofty residence, to him.” The meaning of this syntactically difficult text is uncertain. The translation assumes that rwx, “form” (this is the reading of the qere/margin; the kethib has <ryx, “their image”) refers to their physical form or bodies. “Sheol” is taken as the subject of “consume” (on the implied “to become” before the infinitive “to consume” see GKC, 349, para 114k). The preposition /m prefixed to “lofty residence” is understood as privative, “away from, so as not.” The preposition -l is possessive, while the third person pronominal suffix is understood as a representative singular.
<sup>33</sup>tn Or “certainly.”
<sup>34</sup>tn Or “redeem.”
<sup>35</sup>tn Or “me.”
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “hand.”
<sup>37</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “he will take me.” To improve the poetic balance of the verse, some take the words “from the power of Sheol” with what follows. The verse would then read: “But God will rescue my life; from the power of Sheol he will certainly deliver me.”
sn According to some, the psalmist here anticipates the resurrection or at least an afterlife in God’s presence. But it is more likely that the psalmist here expresses his hope that God will rescue him from premature death at the hands of the rich oppressors denounced in the psalm. The psalmist is well aware that all (the wise and foolish) die (see vv. 7-12), but he is confident God will lead him safely through the present “times of trouble” (v. 5) and sweep the wicked away to their final destiny. The theme is a common one in the so-called wisdom psalms (see Pss 1, 34, 37, 112). For a fuller discussion of the psalmists’ view of the afterlife, see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “A Theology of the Psalms,” pp 284-88, in Roy B. Zuck, ed., A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament.
<sup>39</sup>sn When man becomes rich. Why would people fear such a development? The acquisition of wealth makes individuals powerful and enables them to oppress others (see vv. 5-6).
<sup>40</sup>tn Heb “when the glory of his house grows great.”
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “his glory will not go down after him.”
<sup>42</sup>tn Verses 18-19a are one long sentence in the Hebrew text, which reads: “Though he blesses his soul in his life, (saying), ‘And let them praise you, for you do well for yourself,’ it (that is, his soul) will go to the generation of his fathers.”
<sup>43</sup>tn Heb “light.” The words “of day” are added in the translation for clarification.
<sup>44</sup>tn Heb “mankind in honor does not understand.” rqy, “honor,” probably refers here to the wealth mentioned in the preceding context (see KB, 432). The imperfect verbal form draws attention to what is characteristically true. Some emend /yby, “understands,” to /yly, “remains,” but this is an unecesaary accommodation to the wording of v. 12.
<sup>45</sup>tn Or “cattle.”
<sup>46</sup>tn The verb is derived from hmd, “cease, destroy” (BDB, 198). Another option is to derive the verb from hmd, “be silent” (see KB, 225, which sees two homonymic roots [hmd, “be silent,” and hmd, “destroy”] rather than a single root) and translate, “they are like dumb beasts.” This makes particularly good sense here, where the preceding line focuses on mankind’s lack of understanding.
<sup>47</sup>sn This psalm takes the form of a covenant lawsuit in which the Lord comes to confront his people in a formal manner (as in Isa 1:2-20). The Lord emphasizes that he places priority on obedience and genuine worship, not empty ritual.
<sup>1</sup>sn Israel’s God is here identified with three names: la, “El (or “God”) <yhla, “Elohim (or “God”), and hwhy, “Yahweh” (or “the LORD”). There is an obvious allusion here to Josh 22:22, the only other passage where these three names appear in succession. In that passage the Reubenites, Gadites and half-tribe of Manasseh declare, “El, God, the LORD! El, God, the LORD! He knows the truth! Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the LORD, don’t spare us today!” In that context the other tribes had accused the trans-Jordanian tribes of breaking God’s covenant by worshiping idols. The trans-Jordanian tribes appealed to “El, God, the LORD” as their witness that they were innocent of the charges brought against them. Ironically here in Ps 50 “El, God, the LORD” accuses his sinful covenant people of violating the covenant and warns that he will not spare them if they persist in their rebellion.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “and calls (the) earth from the sunrise to its going.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “the perfection of beauty.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Or “shines forth.”
sn Comes in splendor. The psalmist may allude ironically to Deut 33:2, where God “shines forth” from Sinai and comes to superintend Moses’ blessing of the tribes.
<sup>5</sup>tn According to GKC (322, para 109e), the jussive (note the negative particle la) is used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen” (see also BDB, 39).
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “fire before him devours, and around him it is very stormy.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Or perhaps “to testify against his people.”
sn The personified heavens and earth (see v. 1 as well) are summoned to God’s courtroom as witnesses against God’s covenant people (see Isa 1:2). Long before this Moses warned the people that the heavens and earth would be watching their actions (see Deut 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1).
<sup>8</sup>tn The words “he says” are added in the translation for clarification. God’s summons to the defendant follows.
<sup>9</sup>tn Or “Gather to me my covenant people.” <ydysj, “covenant people,” elsewhere in the Psalms is used in a positive sense of God’s loyal followers (see the note at Ps 4:3), but here, as the following line makes clear, the term has a neutral sense and simply refers to those who have outwardly sworn allegiance to God, not necessarily to those whose loyalty is genuine.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “the cutters of my covenant according to sacrifice.” A sacrifice accompanied the covenant-making ceremony and formally ratified the agreement (see Exod 24:3-8).
<sup>11</sup>tn Or “justice.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Or “for God, he is about to judge.” The participle may be taken as substantival (as in the translation above) or as a predicate (indicating imminent future action in this context).
<sup>13</sup>tn The words “he says” are added in the translation for clarification. God’s charges against his people follow.
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “Israel, and I will testify against you.” The imperative “listen” is understood in the second line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
<sup>15</sup>tn Or “rebuking.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “and your burnt sacrifices before me continually.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Or “I will not take.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “(the) animals on a thousand hills.” The words “that graze” are added in the translation for clarification. hmhb, “animal,” refers here to cattle (see Ps 104:14).
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “I know.”
<sup>20</sup>tn The precise referent of the Hebrew word, which occurs only here and in Ps 80:13, is uncertain. Aramaic, Arabic and Akkadian cognates refer to insects, such as locusts or crickets (see KB, 268).
<sup>21</sup>tn The rhetorical questions assume an emphatic negative response, “Of course not!”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (/wylu) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “call (to) me in a day of trouble.”
<sup>24</sup>tn Or “and honor you.”
sn Ps 50:7-15. In vv. 7-15 the Lord makes it clear that he was not rebuking Israel because they had failed to offer sacrifices (v. 8a). On the contrary, they had been faithful in doing so (v. 8b). However, their understanding of the essence of their relationship with God was confused. Apparently they believed that he needed/desired such sacrifices and that offering them would ensure their prosperity. But the Lord owns all the animals of the world and did not need Israel’s meager sacrifices (vv. 9-13). Other aspects of the relationship were more important to the Lord. He desired Israel to be thankful for his blessings (v. 14a), to demonstrate gratitude for his intervention by repaying the vows they made to him (v. 14b), and to acknowledge their absolute dependence on him (v. 15a). Rather than viewing their sacrifices as somehow essential to God’s well-being, they needed to understand their dependence on him.
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “evil (one).” The singular adjective is used here in a representative sense; it refers to those within the larger covenant community who have blatantly violated the Lord’s commandments.
sn In the psalms the “wicked” (<yuvr) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander, and cheat others (Ps. 37:21).
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “What to you to declare my commands and lift up my covenant upon your mouth?” The rhetorical question expresses sarcastic amazement. The Lord is shocked that such evildoers would give lip-service to his covenantal demands, for their lifestyle is completely opposed to his standards (see vv. 18-20).
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “and throw my words behind you.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “you run with him.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “and with adulterers (is) your portion.”
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “your mouth you send with evil.”
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “and your tongue binds together (i.e., “frames”) deceit.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “you sit, against your brother you speak.” To “sit” and “speak” against someone implies plotting against that person (see Ps 119:23).
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “against the son of your mother you give a fault.”
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “these things you did and I was silent.” Some interpret the second clause (“and I was silent”) as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, “(When you do these things), should I keep silent?” See GKC, 335, para 112cc.
sn The Lord “was silent’ in the sense that he delayed punishment. Of course, God’s patience toward sinners eventually runs out. The divine “silence” is only temporary (see v. 3, where the psalmist, having described God’s arrival, observes that “he is not silent”).
<sup>35</sup>tn The infinitive construct (twyh) appears to function like the infinitive absolute here, adding emphasis to the following finite verbal form (hyha). See GKC, 345, para 113a. Some prefer to emend twyh to the infinitive absolute form oyh*.
<sup>36</sup>tn Or “rebuke” (see v. 8).
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “and I will set in order (my case against you) to your eyes.” The cohortative form expresses the Lord’s resolve to accuse and judge the wicked.
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “(you who) forget God.” “Forgetting God” here means forgetting about his commandments and not respecting his moral authority.
<sup>39</sup>sn Elsewhere in the Psalms this verb is used (within a metaphorical framework) of a lion tearing its prey (see Pss 7:2; 17:12; 22:13).
<sup>40</sup>sn The reference to a thank-offering recalls the earlier statement made in v. 14. Gratitude characterizes genuine worship.
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “and (to one who) sets a way I will show the deliverance of God.” Elsewhere the phrase “set a way” simply means “to travel” (see Gen 30:36). The translation above assumes an emendation of Jrd <cw to ykrd rmvw, “and (the one who) keeps my ways (i.e., commands, see Pss 18:21; 37:34). Another option is to read wkrd rmvw, “and (the one who) guards his way,” i.e., “the one who is careful to follow a godly lifestyle” (see Ps 39:1).
<sup>42</sup>sn The psalmist confesses his sinfulness to God and begs for forgiveness and a transformation of his inner character. According to the psalm heading, David offered this prayer when Nathan confronted him with his sin following the king’s affair with Bathsheba (see 2 Sam 11-12). However, the final two verses of the psalm hardly fit this situation, for they assume the walls of Jerusalem have been destroyed and that the sacrificial system has been temporarily suspended. These verses are probably an addition to the psalm made during the period of exile following the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The exiles could relate to David’s experience, for they, like him, and had been forced to confront their sin. They appropriated David’s ancient prayer and applied it to their own circumstances.
<sup>43</sup>tn Heb “a psalm by David, when Nathan the prophet came to him when he had gone to Bathsheba.”
<sup>1</sup>tn Or “according to.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Or “according to.”
<sup>3</sup>sn Wipe away. Because of the reference to washing and cleansing in the next verse, it is likely that the psalmist is comparing forgivenenss to wiping an object clean (note the use of the verb hjm in the sense of “wipe clean, dry” in 2 Kgs 21:13; Prov 30:20; Isa 25:8). Another option is that he is comparing forgiveness to erasing or blotting out names from a register (see Exod 32:32-33). In this case one might translate, “erase all record of my rebellious acts.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “Thoroughly wash me from my wrongdoing.”
<sup>5</sup>sn In vv. 1b-2 the psalmist uses three different words to emphasize the multi-faceted character and degree of his sin. Whatever one wants to call it (rebellion, wrongdoing, sin), he has done it and stands morally polluted in God’s sight. The same three words appear in Exod 34:7, which emphasizes that God is willing to forgive sin in all of its many dimensions. In v. 2 the psalmist compares forgiveness and restoration to physical cleansing. Perhaps he likens spiritual cleansing to the purification rites of priestly law.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “know.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “and my sin (is) in front of me continually.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “only you,” as if the psalmist sinned exclusively against God and no other. Since the verb afj, “to sin,” is used elsewhere of sinful acts against people (see BDB, 306, sect 2a) and David (the presumed author) certainly sinned when he murdered Uriah (2 Sam 12:9), it is likely that the psalmist is overstating the case to suggest that the attack on Uriah was ultimately an attack on God himself. To clarify the point of the hyperbole, the translation uses “especially,” rather than the potentially confusing “only.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Hebrew /uml normally indicates purpose (“in order that”), but here it introduces a logical consequence of the preceding statement. (Taking the clause as indicating purpose here would yield a theologically preposterous idea—the psalmist purposely sinned so that God’s justice might be vindicated!) For other examples of /uml indicating result, see 2 Kgs 22:17; Jer 27:15; Amos 2:7, as well as WO, 638-39.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “when you speak.” In this context he refers to God’s word of condemnation against his sin delivered through Nathan.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “when you judge.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “Look, in wrongdoing I was brought forth, and in sin my mother conceived me.” The prefixed verbal form in the second line is probably a preterite (without waw consecutive), stating a simple historical fact.
sn The psalmist is not suggesting that he was conceived through an inappropriate sexual relationship. His point is that he has been a sinner from the very moment his personal existence began. By going back beyond the time of birth to the moment of conception, the psalmist makes his point more emphatically in the second line.
<sup>13</sup>sn The juxtapositioning of “look” in vv. 5-6 draws attention to the sharp contrast between the sinful reality of the psalmist’s condition and the lofty ideal God has for him.
<sup>14</sup>tn The perfect is used in a generalizing sense here.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “in the covered (places),” i.e., in the inner man.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “in the secret (place) wisdom you cause me to know.” The hiphil verbal form is causative, while the imperfect is used in a modal sense to indicate God’s desire (note the parallel verb “desire”).
sn “Wisdom” does not mean “intelligence” or “learning,” but refers to moral insight and skill.
<sup>17</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “cleanse me with hyssop.”
sn Hyssop was a small plant (see 1 Kgs 4:33) used to apply water (or blood) in purification rites (see Exod 12:22; Lev 14:4-6, 49-52; Num 19:6-18. The psalmist uses the language and imagery of such rites to describe spiritual cleansing through forgiveness.
<sup>19</sup>tn After the preceding imperfect, the imperfect with waw conjunctive indicates result.
<sup>20</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
<sup>21</sup>sn Whiter than snow. Whiteness here symbolizes the moral purity resulting from forgiveness (see Isa 1:18).
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “cause me to hear happiness and joy.” The language is metonymic, the effect of forgiveness (joy) being substituted for its cause. The psalmist probably alludes here to an assuring word from God announcing that his sins are forgiven (a so-called oracle of forgiveness). The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request. The synonyms “happiness” and “joy” are joined together to emphasize the degree of joy he anticipates.
<sup>23</sup>sn The psalmist likens his sinful condition to that of a person who has been physically battered and crushed. Within this metaphorical framework, his “bones” are the seat of his emotional strength.
<sup>24</sup>tn In this context of petitionary prayer, the prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, expressing the psalmist’s wish or request.
<sup>25</sup>sn In this context “hide your face” means “not to hold accountable.”
<sup>26</sup>sn Wipe away. See the note at v. 1.
<sup>27</sup>sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s motives and moral character.
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “and a reliable spirit renew in my inner being.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “do not cast me away from before you.”
<sup>30</sup>sn The personal Spirit of God is mentioned frequently in the OT, but only here and in Isa 63:10-11 is he called “your/his Holy Spirit.”
<sup>31</sup>sn Do not take . . . away. NT believers enjoy the permanent gift of the Holy Spirit and need not make such a request. But in the OT God’s Spirit empowered certain individuals for special tasks and only temporarily resided in them. For example, when God rejected Saul as king and chose David to replace him, the divine Spirit left Saul and came upon David (1 Sam 16:13-14).
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “and (with) a willing spirit sustain me.” The psalmist asks that God make him the kind of person who willingly obeys the divine commandments. The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
<sup>33</sup>tn The cohortative expresses the psalmist’s resolve. This may be a vow or promise. If forgiven, the psalmist will “repay” the Lord by declaring God’s mercy and motivating other sinners to repent.
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “your ways.” The word “merciful” is added for clarification. God’s “ways” are sometimes his commands, but in this context, where the teaching of God’s ways motivates repentance (see the next line), it is more likely that God’s merciful and compassionate way of dealing with sinners is in view. Thanksgiving songs praising God for his deliverance typically focus on these divine attributes (see Pss 34, 41, 116, 138).
<sup>35</sup>tn Or “return,” i.e., in repentance.
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “from bloodshed.” “Bloodshed” here stands by metonymy for the guilt which it produces.
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “my tongue will shout for joy your deliverance.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may my tongue shout for joy.” But the pattern in vv. 12-15 appears to be prayer/request (see vv. 12, 14a, 15a) followed by promise/vow (see vv. 13, 14b, 15b).
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “open my lips.” The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
<sup>39</sup>tn Heb “and my mouth will declare your praise.”
<sup>40</sup>tn Or “for.” The translation assumes the particle is asseverative (emphasizing). If taken as causal or explanatory, the verse would explain why the psalmist is pleading for forgiveness, rather than merely offering a sacrifice.
<sup>41</sup>tn The translation above assumes that the cohortative is used in a hypothetical manner in a formally unmarked conditional sentence, “You do not want a sacrifice, should I offer (it).” For other examples of cohortatives in the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, see GKC, 320, para 108e. (It should be noted, however, that GKC understands this particular verse in a different manner. See para 108f, where they suggest that the cohortative is part of an apodosis with the protasis being suppressed.)
<sup>42</sup>sn You do not desire a burnt sacrifice. The terminology used in v. 16 does not refer to expiatory sacrifices, but to dedication and communion offerings. This is not a categorical denial of the sacrificial system in general or of the importance of such offerings. The psalmist is talking about his specific situation. Dedication and communion offerings have their proper place in worship (see v. 21), but God requires something more fundamental, a repentant and humble attitude (see v. 17), before these offerings can have real meaning.
<sup>43</sup>tn Heb “broken spirit.”
<sup>44</sup>tn Heb “a broken and crushed heart.”
<sup>45</sup>tn Or “despise.”
<sup>46</sup>tn Heb “do what is good for Zion in your favor.”
<sup>47</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
<sup>48</sup>tn Or “desire, take delight in.”
<sup>49</sup>tn Heb “then they will offer up bulls.” The third plural subject is indefinite.
<sup>50</sup>sn Verses 18-19 appear to reflect the exilic period, when the city’s walls lay in ruins and the sacrificial system had been disrupted.
<sup>51</sup>sn The author of Ps 52 confidently confronts his enemy and affirms that God will destroy evildoers and vindicate the godly.
<sup>52</sup>tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See Ps 32.
<sup>53</sup>tn Heb “when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’“
sn According to the heading, David wrote this psalm during the period when Saul was seeking his life. On one occasion Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s head shepherd (1 Sam 21:7), informed Saul of David’s whereabouts (see 1 Sam 21-22).
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “Why do you boast in evil?”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “the loyal love of God (is) all the day.” In this context, where the psalmist is threatened by his enemy, the point seems to be that the psalmist is protected by God’s loyal love at all times.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “destruction your tongue devises.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “like a sharpened razor, doer of deceit.” The masculine participle hcu is understood as a substantival vocative, addressed to the powerful man.
<sup>5</sup>tn Or “deceit more than speaking what is right.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “you love all the words of swallowing.” Traditionally ulb has been taken to mean “swallowing” in the sense of “devouring” or “destructive” (see BDB, 118). KB (135) proposes a homonym here, meaning “confusion.” This would fit the immediate context nicely and provide a close parallel to the following line, which refers to deceptive words.
<sup>7</sup>tn The adverb <g, “also, even,” is translated here in an adversative sense. It highlights the contrastive correspondence between the evildoer’s behavior and God’s response (see BDB, 169).
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “will tear you down forever.”
<sup>9</sup>tn This rare verb (htj) occurs only here and in Prov 6:27; 25:22; Isa 30:14.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “from (your) tent.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “and the godly will see and will fear and at him will laugh.”
<sup>12</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action. The evildoer customarily rejected God and trusted in his own abilities. Another option is to take the imperfect as generalizing, “(here is the man who) does not make.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “he was strong in his destruction.” “Destruction” must refer back to the destructive plans mentioned in v. 2. The verb (derived from the root zzu, “be strong”) as it stands is either an imperfect (if so, probably used in a customary sense) or a preterite (without waw consecutive). However the form should probably be emended to zu*Y`w^, a qal preterite (with waw consecutive) from zzu. Note the preterite form with waw consecutive in the preceding line (jfbyw, “and he trusted”). The prefixed waw was likely omitted by haplography (note the suffixed waw on the preceding wrvu, “his wealth”).
¹⁴tn The disjunctive construction (waw + subject) highlights the contrast between the evildoer’s destiny (vv. 5-7) and that of the godly psalmist’s security.
¹⁵tn Or “luxuriant, green, leafy.”
¹⁶tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever and ever.”
¹⁷tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
¹⁸tn Or “for.”
¹⁹tn Heb “you have acted.” The perfect verbal form probably indicates a future perfect here. The psalmist promises to give thanks when the expected vindication has been accomplished. Other options include a generalizing (“for you act”) or rhetorical (“for you will act”) use.
²⁰tn Or “wait.”
²¹tn Heb “your name.” God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character.
²²tn Heb “for it is good in front of your loyal followers.”
²³sn Ps 53 is very similar to Ps 14. The major difference comes in v. 5, which corresponds to, but deviates quite a bit from, Ps 14:5-6, and in the use of the divine name. Ps 14 uses “the LORD” (hwhy, “Yahweh”) in vv. 2a, 4, 6, and 7, while Ps 53 employs “God” (<yhla) throughout, as one might expect in Pss 42-83, where the name “Yahweh” is relatively rare. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.
²⁴tn The meaning of tljm is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term also appears in the heading of Ps 88.
²⁵tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See Ps 32.
¹tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
²sn The statement “there is no God” is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
³tn Lit., “they act corruptly, they do evil (with) injustice.” Ps 14:1 has hlylu, “a deed,” instead of lwu, “injustice.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism—living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions—makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
⁴tn Lit., “there is none that does good.”
⁵sn The picture of the LORD looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.
⁶tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”
⁷tn Or, “acts wisely.” The hiphil is exhibitive.
⁸tn That is, who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.
⁹tn Heb “all of it turns away.” Ps 14:1 has lkh instead of wlk, and rs, “turn aside,” instead of gs, “turn away.”
¹⁰tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”
¹¹tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
¹²tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8. Ps 14:4 adds lk, “all of,” before “workers of wickedness.”
¹³tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-6).
¹⁴tn Heb “there they are afraid (with) fear.” The perfect verbal form is probably used in a rhetorical manner; the psalmist describes the future demise of the oppressors as if it were already occurring. The adverb <v, “there,” is also used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the wicked standing in fear at a spot that vivid in his imagination. See BDB, 1027. The cognate accusative following the verb emphasizes the degree of their terror.
¹⁵tn Heb “there is no fear.” Apparently this means they are so traumatized with panic (see v. 5b) that they now jump with fear at everything, even those things that would not normally cause fear. Ps 14:5 omits this line.
¹⁶tn Heb “scatters the bones.” The perfect is used in a rhetorical manner, describing this future judgment as if it were already accomplished. Scattering the bones alludes to the aftermath of a battle. God annihilates his enemies, leaving their carcasses spread all over the battlefield. As the bodies are devoured by wild animals and decay, the bones of God’s dead enemies are exposed. See Ps 141:7.
¹⁷tn Heb “(those who) encamp (against) you.” The second person masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to God’s people, viewed as a collective whole.
sn Instead of “for God scatters the bones of those who encamp against you,” Ps 14:5 reads, “for God is with a godly generation.”
¹⁸tn Once again the perfect is used in a rhetorical manner, describing this future judgment as if it were already accomplished. As in the previous line, God’s people are probably addressed. The second person singular verb form is apparently collective, suggesting that the people are viewed here as a unified whole. Ps 14:6 reads here “the counsel of the oppressed you put to shame, even though God is his shelter,” the words being addressed to the wicked.
¹⁹tn This refers metonymically to God, the one who lives in Zion and provides deliverance for Israel.
²⁰tn Heb “turns with a turning (toward) his people.” twbv is apparently a cognate accusative of bwv.
²¹tn The verb form is jussive.
²²tn Because the parallel verb is jussive, this verb, which is ambiguous in form, should be taken as a jussive as well.
²³sn The author of Ps 54 asks God for protection against his enemies, confidently affirms that God will vindicate him, and promises to give thanks to God for his saving intervention.
²⁴tn Heb “Is not David hiding with us?”
sn According to the heading, David wrote this psalm during the period when Saul was seeking his life. On one occasion the Ziphites informed Saul that David was hiding in their territory (see 1 Sam 23:19-20).
¹tn God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character, which would instill the psalmist’s enemies with fear (see C. A. Briggs, Psalms, 2:17).
²tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
³tn Heb “to the words of my mouth.”
⁴tn Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts read <ydz, “proud ones,” rather than <yrz, “foreigners.” (No matter which reading one chooses as original, daleth-resh confusion accounts for the existence of the variant.) <ydz, “proud ones,” occurs in parallelism with <yxyru, “ ,” in Ps 86:14 and Isa 13:11. <yrz, “foreigners,” is parallel to <yxyru, “ ,” in Isa. 25:5; 29:5; Ezek 28:7; 31:12.
⁵tn Heb “rise against me.”
⁶tn Heb “and ruthless ones seek my life, they do not set God in front of them.”
⁷tn Or “my helper.”
⁸tn Or “sustain my life.”
⁹tn Heb “to those who watch me (with evil intent).” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2.
¹⁰tn The consonantal text (kethib) reads a qal imperfect, “the evil will return,” while the marginal reading (qere) has a hiphil imperfect, “he will repay.” The parallel line has an imperative (indicating a prayer/request0, so it is best to read a jussive form bvoy`, “let it (the evil) return,” here.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “in (or “by”) your faithfulness.”
<sup>12</sup>tn The cohortative verbal form expresses the psalmist’s resolve/vow to praise.
<sup>13</sup>tn Or “for,” indicating a more specific reason why he will praise the Lord’s name.
<sup>14</sup>The perfects in v. 7 are probably rhetorical, indicating the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance and his own vindication as if they were occurring or had already happened.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “and on my enemies my eyes look.”
<sup>16</sup>sn The suffering and oppressed author of Ps 55 laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “hide yourself from.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Or “restless” (see Gen 27:40). The hiphil is intransitive-exhibitive, indicating the outward display of an inner attitude.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “in my complaint.”
<sup>4</sup>tn The verb is a hiphil cohortative from <wh, which means “to confuse someone” in the qal and “go wild” in the niphal. An Arabic cognate means “to be out of one’s senses, to wander about” (KB, 242). With the waw conjunctive prefixed to it, the cohortative probably indicates the result or effect of the preceding main verb. Some prefer to emend the form to hm*oha@w+, a niphal of <wh, or to hm#h^a#w+, a qal imperfect from hmh, “to moan.” Many also prefer to take this verb with what follows (see v. 3).
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “because of (the) voice of (the) enemy.”
<sup>6</sup>tn The singular forms “enemy” and “wicked” are collective or representative, as the plural verb forms in the second half the verse indicate.
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “from before the pressure of the wicked.” Some suggest the meaning “screech” (note the parallel “voice”) for the rare noun hqu, “pressure” (see KB, 873).
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “wickedness,” but here the term refers to the destructive effects of their wicked acts.
<sup>9</sup>tn The verb form in the Hebrew text appears to be a hiphil imperfect from the root fwm, “to sway,” but the hiphil occurs only here and in the kethib of Ps 140:10, where the form rfmy, “let him rain down” should probably be read. Here in Ps 55:3 it is preferable to read Wryf!m=y^, “they rain down.” It is odd for “rain down” to be used with an abstract object like “wickedness,” but in Job 20:23God “rains down” anger (unless one emends the text there; see BHS).
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “shakes, trembles.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “the terrors of death have fallen on me.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “fear and trembling enter into me.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “covers.” The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive carries on the descriptive (present progressive) force of the preceding imperfect.
<sup>14</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive carries on the descriptive (present progressive) force of the verbs in v. 5.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “(the) wind (that) sweeps away.” The verb hus, “sweep away,” occurs only here in the OT (see H. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena, 120).
<sup>16</sup>tn Traditionally ulb has been taken to mean “swallow” in the sense of “devour” or “destroy,” but this may be a homonym meaning “confuse” (see BDB, 118; KB, 135). “Their tongue” is the understood object of the verb (see the next line).
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “split their tongue,” which apparently means “confuse their speech,” or, more paraphrastically, “frustrate the plans they devise with their tongues.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “day and night they surround it, upon its walls.” Personified “violence and conflict” are the likely subjects. They are compared to watchmen on the city’s walls.
<sup>19</sup>sn Wickedness and destruction. These terms are also closely associated in Ps 7:14.
<sup>20</sup>tn Or “injury, harm.”
<sup>21</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “(who) magnifies against me.” See Pss 35:26; 38:16.
<sup>23</sup>sn It is you. The psalmist addresses the apparent ringleader of the opposition, an individual who was once his friend.
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “a man according to my value,” i.e., “a person such as I” (see KB, 885).
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “my close friend, one known by me.”
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “who together we would make counsel sweet.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to the ongoing nature of the actions (the so-called customary use of the imperfect). Their relationship was characterized by such intimacy and friendship. See W-O, 503.
<sup>27</sup>tc The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. The kethib (consonantal text) has wmylu twmyvy, “May devastation (be) upon them!” The proposed noun twmyvy occurs only here and perhaps in the place name Beth-Jeshimoth in Num 33:49 (see KB, 447). The qere (marginal text) has wmylu twm yvy. The verbal form yV!y^ is apparently an alternate form of ayV!y^, a hiphil imperfect from avn, “deceive.” In this case one might read “death will come deceptively upon them.” This reading has the advantage of reading twm, “death,” which forms a natural parallel with “Sheol” in the next line. The translation above is based on the following reconstruction of the text: tw#m* <M@v!y+. The verb assumed in the reconstruction is a hiphil jussive third masculine singular from <mv, “be desolate,” with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix attached. This reconstruction assumes that (1) haplography has occurred in the traditional text (the original sequence of three mems was lost with only one mem remaining), resulting in the fusion of originally distinct forms in the kethib, and (2) that wmylu, “upon them,” is a later scribal addition attempting to make sense of a garbled and corrupt text. The preposition lu does occur with the verb <mv, but in such cases the expression means “be appalled at/because of” (see Jer 49:20; 50:45). If one were to retain the prepositional phrase here, one would have to read the text as follows: wmylu twm <yV!y^, “Death will be appalled at them.” The idea seems odd, to say the least. Death is not collocated with this verb elsewhere.
<sup>28</sup>sn Go down alive. This curse imagines a swift and sudden death for the psalmist’s enemies.
<sup>29</sup>tn The first verb is clearly a cohortative form, expressing the psalmist’s resolve. The second verb, while formally ambiguous, should also be understood as cohortative here.
<sup>30</sup>tn The prefixed verb with waw consecutive normally appears in narrational contexts to indicate past action, but here it continues the anticipatory (future) perspective of the preceding line. In Ps 77:6 one finds the same sequence of cohortative + prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive. In this case as well, both forms refer to future actions.
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “my voice.”
<sup>32</sup>tn The perfect verbal form is here used rhetorically to indicate that the action is certain to take place (the so-called perfect of certitude).
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “he will redeem in peace my life from (those who) draw near to me.”
<sup>34</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>35</sup>tn Heb “among many they are against me.” For other examples of the preposition dmu used in the sense of “at, against,” see KB, 842; BDB, 767; WO, 219.
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “God will hear and answer them, even (the) one who sits (from) ancient times.” The prefixed verbal from with waw consecutive carries on the anticipatory force of the preceding imperfect. The verb appears to be a qal form from hnu, “to answer.” If this reading is retained, the point would be that he “answered” them in judgment. The translation above assumes an emendation to the piel (<N}u^y+w^, see 2 Kgs 17:20) and understands the root as hnu, “to afflict” (see also 1 Kgs 8:35).
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “(the ones) for whom there are no changes, and they do not fear God.”
<sup>38</sup>sn He. This must refer to the psalmist’s former friend, who was addressed in vv. 12-14.
<sup>39</sup>tn Heb “stretches out his hand against.”
<sup>40</sup>tn The form should probably be emended to an active participle (wym*l=vo) from the verbal root <lv, “be in a covenant of peace with” (see BDB, 1023). Perhaps the translation “his friends” suggests too intimate a relationship. Another option is to translate, “he attacks those who made agreements with him.”
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “he violates his covenant.”
<sup>42</sup>tn Heb “the butter-like (words) of his mouth are smooth.” The noun tamjm, “butter-like (words),” occurs only here. Many prefer to emend the form to ha*m=j#m@, “from (i.e., “than”) butter.” However, in this case “his mouth” does not agree in number with the plural verb wqlj, “they are smooth.” Therefore some further propose an emendation of wyp, “his mouth,” to wynp, “his face.” The point seems to that his former friend spoke kindly to him and gave the outward indications of friendship.
<sup>43</sup>tn Heb “and war (is in) his heart.”
<sup>44</sup>tn Heb “his words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.”
<sup>45</sup>tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here. See KB, 393.
<sup>46</sup>tn The pronoun is singular; the psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually.
<sup>47</sup>tn Heb “he will never allow swaying for the righteous.”
<sup>48</sup>tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmists’ enemies (see v. 19).
<sup>49</sup>tn Heb “well of the pit.” tjv, “pit,” is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 103:4).
<sup>50</sup>tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”
<sup>51</sup>tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”
<sup>52</sup>sn Despite the threats of his enemies, the author of Ps 56 is confident the Lord will keep his promise to protect and deliver him.
<sup>53</sup>tn The literal meaning of the phrase is “silent dove, distant ones.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument.
<sup>54</sup>tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word <tkm, which also appears in the heading to Pss 16 and 57-60 is uncertain. K-B (582-83) defines it as “inscription.”
<sup>55</sup>sn According to the heading, David wrote this psalm when the Philistines seized him and took him to King Achish of Gath (see 1 Sam 21:11-15).
<sup>1</sup>tn According to BDB (983), the verb is derived from [av, “to trample, crush,” rather than the homonymic verb “pant after.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “a fighter.” The singular is collective for his enemies (see vv. 5-6). The qal of <jl, “fight,” also occurs in Ps 35:1.
<sup>3</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to continuing nature of the enemies’ attacks.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “to those who watch me (with evil intent).” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 59:10.
<sup>5</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Some take <wrm, “on high, above,” as an adverb modifying the preceding participle and translate, “proudly.” The translation above assumes the term is here a divine title. The Lord is pictured as enthroned “on high” in Ps 92:8. (Note the substantival use of the term in Isa 24:4 and see Briggs, Psalms, 2:34, who prefers to place the term at the beginning of the next verse.)
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “(in) a day.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “in God I boast, his word.” The syntax in the Hebrew text is difficult. One option is to translate, “in God I boast, (in) his word.” The translation assumes that the prepositional phrase “in God” goes with the following verb “I boast” (see Ps 44:8) and that “his word” is appositional to “in God” and more specifically identifies the basis for the psalmist’s confidence. God’s “word” is here understood as an assuring promise of protection. Another option is to translate, “in God I will boast (with) a word.” In this case, the “word” is a song of praise. (In this view the pronominal suffix “his” must be omitted as in v. 10.) The translation above reflects a third option. In this case “I praise his word” is a parenthetical statement, with “his word” being the object of the verb. The sentence begun with the prepositional phrase “in God” is then completed in the next line, with the prepositional phrase being repeated after the parenthesis.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “flesh,” which refers by metonymy to human beings (see v. 11, where “man” is used in this same question), envisioned here as mortal and powerless before God (see BDB, 142).
<sup>10</sup>tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “my affairs they disturb.” For other instances of rbd meaning “affairs, business,” see BDB, 183. The piel of bxu, “to hurt,” occurs only here and in Isa 63:10, where it is used of “grieving” (or “offending”) the Lord’s holy Spirit. Here in Ps 56:5, the verb seems to carry the nuance “disturb, upset,” in the sense of “cause trouble.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “against me (are) all their thoughts for harm.”
<sup>13</sup>tn The verb is from the root rwg, which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 59:3.
<sup>14</sup>tn Or “hide.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “my heels.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “according to,” in the sense of “inasmuch as, since,” or “when, while.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “they wait (for) my life.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “because of wickedness, deliverance to them.” As it stands, the Hebrew text makes no sense. The negative particle /ya, “there is not” (which is virtual dittograph of the immediately preceding /wa, “wickedness”), should probably be added before “deliverance” (see BHS, note “a”). The presence of an imperative in the next line (note “bring down”) suggests that this line be translated as a prayer as well, “may there not be deliverance to them.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “in anger.” The pronoun “your” is added in the translation for clarification.
<sup>20</sup>tn Or perhaps “people” in a general sense.
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “my wandering you count, you.” dn, “wandering” (derived from the verbal root dwn, “to wander”) here refers to the psalmist’s “changeable circumstances of life” and may be glossed “misery” (see KB, 671). The verb rps, “count,” probably carries the nuance “assess” here (see KB, 765).
<sup>22</sup>tn Elsewhere the word dan, “leather container,” refers to a container made from animal skin which is used to hold wine or milk (see Josh 9:4, 13; Judg 4:19; 1 Sam 16:20). If such a container is metaphorically in view here, then the psalmist seems to be asking God to store up his tears as a reminder of his suffering.
<sup>23</sup>tn The word “recorded” is added in the translation for clarification. The rhetorical question assumes a positive response (see the first line of the verse).
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “then my enemies will turn back in the day I cry out.” za, “then,” is probably used here to draw attention to the following statement.
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “this I know, that God is for me.”
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “in God I praise a word.” The syntax in the Hebrew text is difficult. The statement is similar to that of v. 4, except that the third person pronominal suffix is omitted here, where the text has simply “a word” instead of “his word.” One could translate, “in God I will boast (with) a word.” In this case, the “word” is a song of praise. If one assumes that God’s word is in view, as in v. 4, then one option is to translate, “in God I boast, (in) his word.” In this case the prepositional phrase “in God” goes with the following verb “I boast” (see Ps 44:8) and “(his) word” is appositional to “in God” and more specifically identifies the basis for the psalmist’s confidence. God’s “word” is here understood as an assuring promise of protection. The translation above reflects a third option. In this case “I praise (his) word” is a parenthetical statement, with “(his) word” being the object of the verb. The sentence begun with the prepositional phrase “in God” is then completed in v. 11, with the prepositional phrase being repeated after the parenthesis.
<sup>27</sup>tn The phrase “in the LORD” parallels “in God” in the first line. Once again the psalmist parenthetically remarks “I boast in (his) word” before completing the sentence in v. 11.
<sup>28</sup>tn The statement is similar to that of v. 4, except “flesh” is used there instead of “man.”
<sup>29</sup>tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “upon me, O God, (are) your vows.”
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “I will repay thank-offerings to you.”
<sup>32</sup>tn The perfect verbal form is probably future perfect; the psalmist promises to make good on his vows once God has delivered him (see Pss 13:5; 52:9). Another option is to understand the final two verses as being added later, after the Lord intervened on the psalmist’s behalf. In this case one may translate, “for you have delivered.” Other options include taking the perfect as generalizing (“for you deliver”) or rhetorical (“for you will”).
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “are not my feet (kept) from stumbling?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course they are!” The question has been translated as an affirmation for the sake of clarification of meaning.
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “walk before.” On the meaning of the Hebrew idiom, see the notes at 2 Kgs 20:3/Isa 38:3.
<sup>35</sup>tn Heb “in the light of life.” The phrase is used here and in Job 33:30.
<sup>36</sup>sn The author of Ps 57 asks for God’s protection and expresses his confidence that his ferocious enemies will be destroyed by their own schemes.
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 58-59, 75.
<sup>38</sup>tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word <tkm, which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56, 58-60 is uncertain. K-B (582-83) defines it as “inscription.”
<sup>39</sup>sn According to the heading, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when he fled from Saul and hid in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “my life has taken shelter.” The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
<sup>2</sup>tn The metaphor likens God to a protective mother bird (see also Pss 17:8; 36:7).
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “to God Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (/wylu) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
<sup>4</sup>tn Or “avenges in favor of.” See KB, 197-98.
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “may he send from heaven and deliver me.” The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. The second verb, which has a waw conjunctive prefixed to it, probably indicates purpose. Another option is to take the forms as imperfects expressing confidence, “he will send from heaven and deliver me.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “he hurls insults, one who crushes me.” The translation assumes that this line identifies those from whom the psalmist seeks deliverance. (The singular is representative; the psalmist is surrounded by enemies, see v. 4.) Another option is to understand God as the subject of the verb [rj, which could then be taken as a homonym (of the more common root [rj, “insult”) meaning “confuse.” In this case “one who crushes me” is the object of the verb. One might translate, “he (God) confuses my enemies.”
<sup>7</sup>tn The cohortative form hbkva, “I lie down,” is problematic, for it does not seem to carry one of the normal functions of the cohortative (resolve or request). According to DHS (p 92, para 65, Rem 5) the cohortative is used here “to express an action which one resigns himself to do, though under external pressure.” WO (pp 576-77) disagree, arguing that the form here is a “pseudo-cohortative” used here in a gnomic sense.
<sup>8</sup>tn The verb fhl is here understood as a hapax legomenon meaning “devour” (see KB, 521), a homonym of the more common verb meaning “to burn.” A more traditional interpretation takes the verb from this latter root and translates, “those who are aflame” (see BDB, 529).
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “my life, in the midst of lions, I lie down, devouring ones, sons of mankind, their teeth a spear and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword.” The syntax of the verse is difficult. Another option is to take “my life” with the preceding verse. For this to make sense, one must add a verb, perhaps “and may he deliver” (see the LXX), before the phrase. One might then translate, “May God send his loyal love and faithfulness and deliver my life.” If one does take “my life” with v. 4, then the parallelism of v. 5 is altered and one might translate: “in the midst of lions I lie down, (among) men who want to devour me, whose teeth . . . .”
<sup>10</sup>tn Or “be exalted.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “over all the earth (be) your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “for my feet.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “my life bends low.” vpn with the first person pronominal suffix is probably equivalent here to a first person pronoun.
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “before me.”
<sup>15</sup>tn The perfect form is used rhetorically here to express the psalmist’s certitude. The demise of the enemies is so certain that he can speak of it as already accomplished.
<sup>16</sup>tn Or perhaps “confident.” The Hebrew text says, “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “my glory,” but this makes little sense. Some view ydwbk, “my glory,” as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB, 459), but it is preferable to emend the form to yd!b@K=, “my liver” (see KB, 456). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 108:1, as well as Hans W. Wolff, Anthropology in the Old Testament, 64, and Mitchell Dahood, Psalms 1-50, 90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see J. C. L. Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her (Anat’s) liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”
<sup>18</sup>tn BDB (1007) takes “dawn” as an adverbial accusative, though others understand it as a personified direct object. “Dawn” is used metaphorically for the time of deliverance and vindication the psalmist anticipates. When salvation “dawns,” the psalmist will “wake up” in praise.
<sup>19</sup>tn Or “the peoples.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “for great upon the sky (or “heavens”) (is) your loyal love.”
<sup>21</sup>tn Or “be exalted.”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “over all the earth (be) your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
<sup>23</sup>sn Ps 58. The psalmist calls upon God to punish corrupt judges because a vivid display of divine judgment will convince observers that God is the just judge of the world who vindicates the godly.
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 57, 59, 75.
<sup>25</sup>tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word <tkm, which also appears in the heading to Pss 16 and 56-57, 59-60 is uncertain. K-B (582-83) defines it as “inscription.”
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “Really (in) silence, what is right do you speak?” <l#a@, “silence,” makes little, if any, sense in this context. Some feel that this is an indictment of the addresses’ failure to promote justice; they are silent when they should make just decisions. The translation above assumes an emendation to <l!a@, which in turn is understood as a defectively written form of <yl!ya@, “rulers” (a metaphorical use of ly]a^, “ram,” see Exod 15:15; Ezek 17:13). The rhetorical question is sarcastic, challenging their claim to be just. Elsewhere the collocation of rbd, “speak,” with qdx, “what is right” as object means “to speak the truth” (see Ps 52:3; Isa 45:19). Here it refers specifically to declaring what is right in a legal setting, as the next line indicates.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “the sons of mankind.” The translation assumes the phrase is the object of the verb “to judge.” Some take it as a vocative, “Do you judge fairly, O sons of mankind?” (See Ezek 20:4; 22:2; 23:36.)
<sup>3</sup>tn The particle [a, “no,” is used here as a strong adversative emphasizing the following statement, which contrasts reality with the rulers’ claim alluded to in the rhetorical questions (see BDB, 65, and Ps 44:9).
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “in the heart unjust deeds you do.” The phrase “in the heart (i.e., “mind”) seems to refer to their plans and motives. hl*w+u^, “injustice,” is collocated with lup, “do,” here and in Job 36:23 and Ps 119:3. Some emend the plural form tlwu, “unjust deeds” (see Ps 64:6) to the singular lw#u*, “injustice” (see Job 34:32), taking the final taw as dittographic (note that the following verbal form begins with taw). Some then understand lw#u*, “injustice,” as a genitive modifying “heart” and translate, “with a heart of injustice you act.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “in the earth the violence of your hands you weigh out.” The imagery is from the economic realm. They measure out violence, rather than justice, and distribute it like a commodity. This may be ironic, since justice was sometimes viewed as a measuring scale (see Job 31:6).
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “from the womb.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “speakers of a lie go astray from the womb.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “(there is) venom to them according to the likeness of venom of a snake.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Or perhaps “cobra.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “(that) stops up its ear.” The apparent hiphil jussive verbal form should be understood as a qal imperfect with “i” theme vowel (see GKC, 168, para 63n).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “does not listen to the voice of.”
<sup>12</sup>tn On the meaning of this rare term see KB, 595. The noun is a metathesized alternative form of twultm (see KB, 654).
<sup>13</sup>tn Following the imperatival forms in v. 6, the prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive expressing the psalmist’s wish. Another option is to take the form as an imperfect (indicative) and translate, “they will scatter” (see v. 9). The verb sam (which is a homonym of the more common sam, “to refuse, reject”) appears only here and in Job 7:5, where it is used of a festering wound from which fluid runs or flows.
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “like water, they go about for themselves.” The translation assumes that “they go about for themselves” is an implied relative clause modifying “water.” Another option is to take the clause as independent and parallel to what precedes. In this case the enemies woulc be the subject and the verb could be taken as jussive, “let them wander about.”
<sup>15</sup>tc The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The text reads literally, “he treads his arrows (following the qere; kethib has “his arrow”), like they are cut off/dry up.” It is not clear if the verbal root is llm, “circumcise” (BDB, 576) or the homonymic llm, “wither” (KB, 593-94). Since the verb llm, “to wither,” is used of vegetation, it is possible that the noun ryxj, “grass” (which is visually similar to wyxj, “his arrows”) originally appeared in the text. The translation above assumes that the text originally was wllmty ryxj wmk, “like grass let them wither.” If original, it could have been accidentally corrupted to wllmty wmk wxj, “his arrow(s) like they dry up,” with Jrd, “to tread,” being added later in an effort to make sense of “his arrow(s).”
<sup>16</sup>tn There is no “to be” verb in the Hebrew text at this point, but a jussive tone can be assumed based on vv. 6-7.
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “like a melting snail (that) moves along.” A. Cohen (Psalms, Soncino Books of the Bible, 184) explains that the text here alludes “to the popular belief that the slimy trail which the snail leaves in its track is the dissolution of its substance.”
<sup>18</sup>tn The words “let them be like” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons. The jussive mood is implied from the the preceding context, and “like” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).
<sup>19</sup>tn This rare word also appears in Job 3:16 and Eccles 6:3.
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “before your pots perceive thorns.”
<sup>21</sup>tn Apparently God (v. 6) is the subject of the verb here.
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “like living, like burning anger he will sweep it away.” The meaning of the text is unclear. The translation assumes that within the cooking metaphor (see the previous line) yj, “living,” refers here to raw meat (as in 1 Sam 2:15, where it modifes rcb, “flesh”) and that /wrj (which always refers to God’s “burning anger” elsewhere) here refers to food that is cooked. (Another option is to emend the form to rwrj, “burned.”) The pronominal suffix on the verb “sweep away” apparently refers back to the “thorns” of the preceding line. The image depicts swift and sudden judgment. Before the fire has been adequately kindled and all the meat cooked, the winds of judgment will sweep away everything in their path.
<sup>23</sup>tn The singular is representative here, as is the singular from “wicked” in the next line.
<sup>24</sup>tn Following the imperfects of v. 10, the prefixed verbal form with waw conjunctive probably indicates a result or consequence of what precedes.
<sup>25</sup>tn “man.”
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “surely (there) is fruit for the godly.”
<sup>27</sup>tn The plural participle is unusual here if the preceding <yhla is here a plural of majesty, referring to the one true God. Occasionally the plural of majesty does take a plural attributive (see GKC, 428-29, para 132h). It is possible that the final mem on the participle is enclitic, and that it was later misunderstood as a plural ending. Another option is to translate, “Yes indeed, there are gods who judge in the earth.” In this case, the statement reflects the polytheistic mindset of pagan observers who, despite their theological ignorance, nevertheless recognize divine retribution when they see it.
<sup>28</sup>sn Ps 59. The psalmist calls down judgment on his foreign enemies, whom he compares to ravenous wild dogs.
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 57-58, 75.
<sup>30</sup>tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word <tkm, which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-58, 60 is uncertain. K-B (582-83) defines it as “inscription.”
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”
sn According to the heading, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when Saul sent assassins to surround David’s house and kill him in the morning (see 1 Sam 19:11). However, the psalm itself mentions foreign enemies (vv. 5, 8). Perhaps these references reflect a later adaptation of an original Davidic psalm.
<sup>1</sup>tn Or “make me secure” (lit., “set me on high”).
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “from those who raise themselves up (against) me.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “from the workers of wickedness.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “from men of bloodshed.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “my life.”
<sup>6</sup>tn The verb is from the root rwg, which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 56:8.
<sup>7</sup>sn The point is that his enemies have no justifiable reason for attacking him. He has neither rebelled or sinned against God.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “without sin.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “they run and they are determined.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “arise to meet me and see.” arq, “to meet, encounter,” here carries the nuance of “to help” (see BDB, 897).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “LORD, God, Hosts.” One expects the construct form yhla before twabx, “hosts” (see Ps 89:9, but <yhla hwhy precedes twabx in Pss 80:4, 19; 84:8 as well.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “wake up to punish” (see Pss 35:23; 44:23).
<sup>13</sup>tn Or “howl” or “bark.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “go around.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “look, they gush forth with their mouth, swords (are) in their lips.”
<sup>16</sup>tn The words “for they say” are added in the translation for clarification. The following question (“Who hears?”) is spoken by the enemies, who are confident that no one else can hear their threats against the psalmist. They are aggressive for they feel the psalmist is vulnerable and has no one to help him.
<sup>17</sup>sn Laugh in disgust. See Pss 2:4; 37:13.
<sup>18</sup>tn Or “scoff at, deride, mock” (see Ps 2:4).
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “his strength, for you I will watch.” “His strength” should be emended to “my strengfth” (see v. 17). Some also emend hrmva, “I will watch,” to hrmza, “I will sing praises (to you)” (see v. 17).
<sup>20</sup>tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “the God of my (qere; the kethib has “his”) loyal love will meet me.”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “will cause me to look upon.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “those who watch me (with evil intent).” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 56:2.
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”
sn My people might forget. Swift, sudden destruction might be quickly forgotten. The psalmist wants God’s judgment to be prolonged so that it might be a continual reminder of divine justice.
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “the sin of their mouth (is) the word of their lips.”
<sup>27</sup>tn Or “howl” or “bark.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “go around.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “if they are not full, they stay through the night.”
<sup>30</sup> tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “and my shelter in the day of my distress.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “my strength, to you I will sing praises.”
<sup>33</sup>tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “the God of my loyal love.”
<sup>35</sup>sn Ps 60. The psalmist grieves over Israel’s humiliation, but, in response to God’s assuring word, he asks for divine help in battle and expresses his confidence in victory.
<sup>36</sup>tn The expression means “lily of the testimony.” It may refer to a particular music style or to a tune title.
<sup>37</sup>tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word <tkm, which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-59, is uncertain. K-B (582-83) defines it as “inscription.”
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “to teach.”
<sup>39</sup>tn In Josh 8:21 and Judg 20:48 the two verbs “turn back” and “strike down” are also juxtaposed. There they refer to a military counter-attack.
<sup>40</sup>tn Perhaps one should read <ra, “Aram,” here, rather than <da, “Edom.”
<sup>41</sup>sn The heading apparently refers to the military campaign recorded in 2 Sam 10/1 Chr 19.
<sup>1</sup>sn Rejected us. See Pss 43:2; 44:9, 23.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “you broke out upon us, you were angry.”
<sup>3</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
<sup>4</sup>tn The verb <xp, “split open,” occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “crack,” and an Aramaic cognate is used in the Targum of Jer 22:14 with the meaning “break open, frame.” See BDB, 822, and Jastrow, 1205.
sn Quake . . . split it open. The psalmist uses the imagery of an earthquake to describe the nation’s defeat.
<sup>5</sup>sn It is ready to fall. The earth is compared to a wall that has been broken by the force of the earthquake (note the preceding line) and is ready to collapse.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “you have caused your people to see (what is) hard.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “wine of staggering,” that is, intoxicating wine that makes one stagger in drunkenness. Intoxicating wine is here an image of divine judgment that makes its victims stagger like drunks. See Isa 51:17-23.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “those who fear you.”
<sup>9</sup>tn There is a ray of hope in that God has allowed his loyal followers to rally under a battle flag. The translation assumes the verb is from the root swn, “flee,” used here in the hithpolel in the sense of “find safety for oneself” (KB, 681) or “take flight for oneself” (BDB, 631). Another option is to take the verb as a denominative from sn, “flag,” and translate “that it may be displayed” (BDB, 651) or “that they may assemble under the banner” (KB, 704). fvq is taken here as an Aramaized form of tvq, “bow” (BDB, 905), though some understand the homonymic fvq, “truth,” here (see Prov 22:21). If one follows the latter interpretation, the line may be translated, “so that they might assemble under the banner for the sake of truth.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “right hand.”
<sup>11</sup>tn The marginal reading (qere) has “me,” while the consonantal text (kethib) has “us.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text, “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “in his holy place.”
<sup>14</sup>sn Shechem stands for the territory west of the Jordan, the valley of Succoth for the region east of the Jordan.
<sup>15</sup>tn Gilead was located east of the Jordan. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “the protection of my head.”
sn Ephraim, one of Joseph’s sons, was one of two major tribes located west of the Jordan. By comparing Ephraim to a helmet, the Lord suggests that the Ephraimites played a primary role in the defense of his land.
<sup>17</sup>sn Judah, like Ephraim was the other major tribe west of the Jordan. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.
<sup>18</sup>sn The metaphor of the wash basin, used to rinse one hand’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 6-7), would be reduced to the status of a servant.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of.” Others translate lu as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.
<sup>20</sup>tc The Hebrew text has “over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph.” The translation above follows the text of Ps 108:9. When the initial oyl@u&, “over,” was misread as yl^u*, “over me,” the first person verb form was probably altered to an imperative to provide better sense to the line.
<sup>21</sup>sn The psalmist speaks again and acknowledges his need for help in battle. He hopes God will volunteer, based on the affirmation of sovereignty over Edom in v. 8, but he is also aware that God has seemingly rejected the nation (v. 10, see also v. 1).
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “and futile (is) the deliverance of man.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “in God we will accomplish strength.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 108:13; 118:15-16).
<sup>24</sup>sn Trample down. See Ps 44:5.
<sup>25</sup>sn Ps 61. The psalmist cries out for help and expresses his confidence that God will protect him.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “from the end of the earth.” This may indicate the psalmist is exiled in a distant land, or it may be hyperbolic—he feels alienated from God’s presence, as if he were in a distant land.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “while my heart faints.”
<sup>3</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “on to a rocky summit (that) is higher than I.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Or “have been.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “a strong tower from the face of an enemy.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “I will live as a resident alien in your tent permanently.” The cohortative is understood here as indicating resolve. Another option is to take it as expressing a request, “please let me live . . .”
<sup>9</sup>sn Your wings. The metaphor likens God to a protective mother bird.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “you grant the inheritance of those who fear your name.” “Inheritance” is normally used of land which is granted as an inheritance; here it refers metaphorically to the blessings granted God’s loyal followers. To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “days upon days of the king add, his years like generation and generation.”
sn It is not certain if the (royal) psalmist is referring to himself in the third person, or if an exile is praying on behalf of the king.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “sit (enthroned.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive here, expressing the psalmist’s prayer.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “loyal love and faithfulness appoint, let them protect him.”
<sup>14</sup>tn On the use of /k, “then,” here, see KB, 483.
<sup>15</sup>tn Or “forever.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Or perhaps, “and thereby fulfill.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance (see KB, 510).
<sup>17</sup>sn Ps 62. The psalmist expresses his unwavering confidence in God’s justice and in his ability to protect his people.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “only for God (is) there silence (to) my soul.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “from him (is) my deliverance.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
<sup>5</sup>tn The Hebrew text adds hbr, “greatly,” at the end of the line. It is unusual for this adverb to follow a negated verb. Some see this as qualifying the assertion to some degree, but this would water down the affirmation too much (see v. 6b, where the adverb is omitted). If the adverb has a qualifying function, it would suggest that the psalmist might be upended, though not severely. This is inconsistent with the confident mood of the psalm. The adverb probably has an emphatic force here, “I will not be greatly upended” meaning “I will not be annihilated.”
<sup>6</sup>tn The verb form is plural; the psalmist addresses his enemies. The verb twh occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “shout at.”
<sup>7</sup>tn The Hebrew text has a pual (passive) form, but the verb form should be vocalized as a piel (active) form. See BDB, 954.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “like a bent wall and a broken fence.” The point of the comparison is not entirely clear. Perhaps the enemies are depicted as dangerous, like a leaning wall or broken fence that is in danger of falling on someone (see Briggs, Psalms, 2:69).
<sup>9</sup>tn That is, the enemies addressed in the previous verse.
<sup>10</sup>tn That is, the generic “man” referred to in the previous verse.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “only from his lofty place (or perhaps “dignity”) they plan to drive (him) away.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “they delight (in) a lie.”
<sup>13</sup>sn The enemies use deceit to bring down their victim. They make him think they are his friends by pronouncing blessings upon him, but inwardly they desire his demise.
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “only for God be silent, my soul.” The wording is similar to that of v. 1a. Here an imperatival form (ymwd, “be silent”) appears instead of the noun hymwd, “silence.” The psalmist is encouraging himself to maintain his trust in the Lord.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “for from him (is) my hope.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
<sup>18</sup>sn The wording is identical to that of v. 2, except that hbr, “greatly,” does not appear in v. 6.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “upon God (is) my deliverance and my glory, the high rocky summit of my strength, my shelter (is) in God.”
<sup>20</sup>tn To “pour out one’s heart” means to offer up to God intense, emotional lamentation and petitionary prayers (see Lam 2:19).
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “only a breath (are) the sons of mankind, a lie (are) the sons of man.” The phrases “sons of mankind” and “sons of man” also appear together in Ps 49:2. Because of the parallel line there, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, some treat these expressions as polar opposites, <da ynb referring to the lower classes and vya ynb to higher classes. But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase vya ynb, “sons of man,” appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand the phrases as synonymous expressions.
<sup>22</sup>tn The noun lbh, translated “a breath” earlier in the verse, appears again.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “do not trust in oppression.” “Oppression” here stands by metonymy for the riches that can be gained by oppressive measures, as the final line of the verse indicates. See BDB, 799, and KB, 897.
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “and in robbery do not place vain hope.” “Robbery” here stands by metonymy for the riches that can be gained by theft, as the next line of the verse indicates.
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “(as for) wealth, when it bears fruit, do not set (your) heart (on it).”
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “one God spoke, two which I heard.” This is a numerical saying utilizing the x // x +1 pattern to facilitate poetic parallelism. (See W. M. W. Roth, Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament, 55-56.) As is typical in such sayings, a list corresponding to the second number (in this case “two”) follows. Another option is to translate, “God has spoken once, twice (he has spoken) that which I have heard.” The terms tja, “one, once,” and <ytv, “two, twice,” are also juxtaposed in 2 Kgs 6:10 (where they refer to an action that was done more than “once or twice”) and in Job 33:14 (where they refer to God speaking “one way” and then in “another manner”).
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “that strength (belongs) to God.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “and to you, O master, (is) loyal love.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “for you pay back to a man according to his deed.” Another option is to understand vv. 11b and 12a as the first principle and v. 12b as the second. In this case one might translate, “God has declared one principle, two principles I have heard, namely, that God is strong, and you, O sovereign Master, demonstrate loyal love, and that you repay men for what they do.”
sn The psalmist views God’s justice as a demonstration of both his power and his loyal love. When God judges evildoers, he demonstrates loyal love to his people.
<sup>30</sup>sn Ps 63. The psalmist expresses his intense desire to be in God’s presence and confidently affirms that God will judge his enemies.
<sup>31</sup>sn According to the psalm heading David wrote the psalm while in the “wilderness of Judah.” Perhaps this refers to the period described in 1 Sam 23-24 or to the incident mentioned in 2 Sam 15:23.
<sup>1</sup>tn Or “I will seek you.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Or “I thirst.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” This may picture the land as such, or it may allude to the effect this dry desert has on those who are forced to live in it.
<sup>4</sup>tn /k is used here to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4).
<sup>5</sup>tn The perfect verbal form is understood here as referring to a past experience which the psalmist desires to be repeated. Another option is to take the perfect as indicating the psalmist’s certitude that he will again stand in the Lord’s presence in the sanctuary. In this case one can translate, “I will see you.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “seeing.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.
<sup>7</sup>tn This line is understood as giving the basis for the praise promised in the following line. Another option is to take yk as asseverative/emphasizing, “Indeed, your loyal love is better . . .”
<sup>8</sup>tn The word “experiencing” is added in the translation for clarification. The psalmist does not speak here of divine loyal love in some abstract sense, but of loyal love revealed and experienced.
<sup>9</sup>tn Or perhaps “then.”
<sup>10</sup>sn Lifting one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer (see Ps 28:2; Lam 2:19) or respect (Ps 119:48).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “like fat and fatness.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Or “me.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “and (with) lips of joy my mouth praises.”
<sup>14</sup>tn <a is used here in the sense of “when, whenever,” as in Ps 78:34.
<sup>15</sup>tn Or “(source of) help.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “in the shadow of your wings.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Or “I.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “clings after.” The expression means “to pursue with determination” (see Judg 20:45; 1 Sam 14:22; 1 Chr 10:2; Jer 42:16).
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “but they for destruction seek my life.” The pronoun “they” must refer here to the psalmists’ enemies, referred to here for the first time in the psalm.
<sup>20</sup>sn The “depths of the earth” refer here to the underworld dwelling place of the dead (see Ezek 26:20; 31:14, 16, 18; 32:18, 24). See L. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 167.
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “they will deliver him over to the sword.” The third masculine plural subject must be indefinite (see GKC, 460, para 144f) and the singular pronominal suffix representative or distributive (emphasizing that each one will be so treated). Active verbs with indefinite subjects may be translated as passives with the object (in the Hebrew text) as subject (in the translation).
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “they will (the) portion of jackals (traditionally, “foxes”).”
<sup>23</sup>sn The psalmist likely refers to himself here.
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “who swears (an oath) by him.”
<sup>25</sup>tn The niphal of this verb occurs only here and in Gen 8:2, where it is used of the Lord “stopping” or “damming up” the great deep as he brought the flood to an end.
<sup>26</sup>sn Ps 64. The psalmist asksGod to protect him from his dangerous enemies and then confidently affirms that God will destroy his enemies and demonstrate his justice in the sight of all observers.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “my voice.”
<sup>2</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s request.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “from the terror of (the) enemy.” “Terror” is used here metonymically for the enemy attacks that produce fear because they threaten the psalmist’s life.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “who.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “a bitter word.”
<sup>7</sup>tn The psalmist uses the singular because he is referring to himself here, as representative of a larger group.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “and are unafraid.” The words “of retaliation” are added in the translation for clarification.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “they give strength to themselves, an evil matter (or “word”).”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “they report about hiding.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “they say.”
<sup>12</sup>tn If this is a direct quote, the pronoun “them” refers to the snares mentioned in the previous line. If it is an indirect quote, then the pronoun may refer to the enemies themselves.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “search out, examine,” which here means (by metonymy) “devise.”
<sup>14</sup>tc The Hebrew text has wnmt, “we are finished,” a qal perfect first common plural form from the verbal root <mt. Some understand this as the beginning of a quotation of the enemies’s words and translate, “we have completed,” but the hiphil would seem to be required in this case. The translation above follows many medieval Hebrew manuscripts in reading wnmf, “they hide,” a qal perfect third common plural form from the verbal root /mf.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “a searched out search,” which is understood as referring here to a thoroughly planned plot to destroy the psalmist.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “and the inner part of man, and a heart (is) deep.” The point seems to be that a man’s inner thoughts are incapable of being discovered. No one is a mind reader! Consequently the psalmist is vulnerable to their well-disguised plots.
<sup>17</sup>tn The prefixed verb with waw consecutive is normally used in narrative contexts to describe completed past actions. It is possible that the conclusion to the psalm (vv. 7-10) was added to the lament after God’s judgment of the wicked in response to the psalmist’s lament (vv. 1-6). The translation assumes that these verses are anticipatory and express the psalmist’s confidence that the Lord would eventually judge the wicked. He uses a narrative style as a rhetorical device to emphasize his certitude. See GKC, 329-30, para 111w; DHS, 73, para 49b.
<sup>18</sup>tn The perfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s certitude about the coming demise of the wicked.
<sup>19</sup>tn The translation follows the traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text. Another option is to translate, “But God will shoot them down with an arrow, suddenly they will be wounded.”
<sup>20</sup>tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and they caused him to stumble, upon them, their tongue.” Perhaps the third plural subject of the verb is indefinite with the third singular pronominal suffix on the verb being distributive (see Ps 63:10). In this case one may translate, “each one will be made to stumble.” The preposition lu might then be taken as adversative, “against them (is) their tongue.” Many prefer to emend the text to <nwvl ylu wmlyvkyw, “and he caused them to stumble over their tongue.” However, if this reading is original, it is difficult to see how the present Hebrew text arose. Furthermore, the preposition is not collocated with the verb lvk elsewhere. It is likely that the Hebrew text is corrupt, but a satisfying emendation has not yet been proposed.
<sup>21</sup>tn The hithpolel verbal form is probably from the root dwn (see KB, 678), which is attested eleewhere in the hithpolel stem, not the root ddn (as proposed by BDB, 622), which does not occur elsewhere in this stem.
<sup>22</sup>tc Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts read waryw (instead of waryyw), “and they will see.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “the work of God,” referring to the judgment described in v. 7.
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “upright in heart.”
<sup>25</sup>tn That is, about the Lord’s accomplishments on their behalf.
<sup>26</sup>sn Ps 65. The psalmist praises God because he forgives sin and blesses his people with an abundant harvest.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “for you, silence, praise.” Many prefer to emend the noun hY`m!WD, “silence,” to a participle hY`m!oD, from the root hmd, “be silent,” understood here in the sense of “wait” (see KB, 217, 225).
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “O one who hears prayer.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “to you all flesh comes.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “the records of sins are too strong for me.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Or “make atonement for.”
<sup>6</sup>tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “(whom) you bring near (so that) he might live (in) your courts.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Or “temple.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “(with) awesome acts in deliverance you answer us, O God of our salvation.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “a source of confidence (for) all the ends of the earth.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “and (the) distant sea.” The plural adjective is problematic after the singular form “sea.” One could emend <y, “sea,” to <ymy, “seas,” or emend the plural form <yqjr, “far,” to the singular qjr. In this case the final mem could be treated as dittographic; note the mem on the beginning of the first word in v. 6.
sn All . . . trust in you. This idealistic portrayl of universal worship is typical hymnic hyperbole, though it does anticipate eschatological reality.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “(the) one who establishes (the) mountains by his power.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “one (who) is girded with strength,” or “one (who) girds himself with strength.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “the roar of the seas.”
<sup>15</sup>sn The raging sea symbolizes the turbulent nations of the earth (see Ps 46:2-3, 6; Isa 17:12).
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “and the inhabitants of the ends fear because of your signs.” God’s “signs” are the “awesome acts” (see v. 5) he performs in the earth.
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “the goings out of the morning and the evening you cause to shout for joy.” The phrase “goings out of the morning and evening” refers to the sunrise/sunset, that is, the east and the west (see BDB, 425).
<sup>18</sup>tn The verb form is a polel from qwv, “be abundant” (BDB, 1003), a verb which appears only here and in Joel 2:24 and 3:13, where it is used in the hiphil stem and means “overflow.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “you greatly enrich it.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “(with) a channel of God full of water.” The divine name is probably used here in a superlative sense to depict a very deep stream (“a stream fit for God,” as it were).
<sup>21</sup>tn The pronoun apparently refers to the people of the earth, mentioned in v. 8.
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “for thus (referring to the provision of rain described in the first half of the verse) you prepare it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix attached to the verb “prepare” refers back to the “earth,” which is a grammatically feminine noun.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “saturating” (the form is an infinitive absolute).
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “flatten, cause to sink” (see KB, 692).
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “trenches,” or “furrows.”
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “it,” that is the earth.
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “its vegetation you bless.” Divine “blessing” often involves an object with special power or capacity (see KB, 160).
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “your good,” which refers here to agricultural blessings.
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “and your paths drip with abundance.”
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “drip.”
<sup>31</sup>tn That is, with rich vegetation that brings joy to those who see it.
<sup>32</sup>sn Ps 66. The psalmist praises God because he has delivered his people from a crisis.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “his name.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “make honorable his praise.”
<sup>3</sup>tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 81:15 for other uses of the verb vjk in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “be weak, powerless” (see also Ps 109:24).
<sup>4</sup>tn Or “bows down to.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are taken as imperfects expressing what is typical. Another option is to interpret them as anticipatory (“all the earth will worship you . . .”) or take them as jussives, expressing a prayer or wish (“may all the earth worship you . . .”).
<sup>5</sup>tn Or “see.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Or “acts” (see Ps 46:8).
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “awesome (is) an act toward the sons of man.” It is unclear how the prepositional phrase relates to what precedes. If collocated with “act,” it may mean “on behalf of” or “toward.” If taken with “awesome” (see 1 Chr 16:25; Pss 89:7; 96:4; Zeph 2:11), one might translate “his awesome acts are beyond human comprehension” or “his awesome acts are superior to anything men can do.”
<sup>8</sup>sn He turned the sea into dry land. The psalmist alludes to Israel’s crossing the Red Sea.
<sup>9</sup>sn Because of the reference to “the river,” some understand this as an allusion to Israel’s crossing the Jordan River. However, rhn does not always refer to a “river” in the technical sense; it can be used of sea currents (see Jon 2:4). So this line may also refer to the Red Sea crossing.
<sup>10</sup>tn The adverb <v, “there,” is used here, as often in poetic texts, to point “to a spot in which a scene is localized vividly in the imagination” (BDB, 1027).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “(the) one who rules.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “his eyes watch.” “Eyes” are attributed to God here to emphasize his awareness of all that happens on earth.
<sup>13</sup>tn The verb form is jussive (note the negative particle la). The kethib (consonantal text) has a hiphil form of the verb, apparently to be understood in an exhibitive sense (“demonstrate stubborn rebellion,” see BDB, 927), while the qere (marginal reading) has a qal form, to be understood in an intransitive sense. The preposition -l with pronominal suffix should be understood in a reflexive sense (“for themselves”) and indicates that the action is performed with the interest of the subject in mind (see BDB, 515-16).
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “bless,” in the sense of declaring “God to be the source of . . . special power” (see KB, 160).
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “cause the voice of his praise to be heard.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “the one who places our soul in life.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Or “indeed.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “you brought us into a net.” This rare word for “net” also occurs in Ezek 12:13; 13:21; 17:20 (see BDB, 845).
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “you placed suffering on our hips.” The noun hquwm, “suffering,” occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 558-59).
<sup>20</sup>tc The Hebrew text has hywr, “saturation,” but this should be emended to hjwr, “wide open place” (i.e., “relief,” see BDB, 926), a reading supported by several ancient versions.
<sup>21</sup>tn The psalmist here switches to the singular; he speaks as the representative of the nation.
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “all of the fearers of God.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “to him (with) my mouth I called.”
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “and he was extolled under my tongue.” The form <m^or appears to be a polal (passive) participle from <wr, “be exalted,” but many prefer to read <m*or, “high praise (was under my tongue).” See BDB, 928.
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “sin if I had seen in my heart.”
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “blessed (be) God.”
<sup>27</sup>tn Or “who.” In a blessing formula after Jwrb, “blessed be,” the form rva, whether taken as a relative pronoun or causal particle, introduces the basis for the blessing/praise.
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “did not turn aside my prayer and his loyal love with me.”
<sup>29</sup>sn Ps 67. The psalmist prays for God’s blessing upon his people and urges the nations to praise him for he is the just ruler of the world.
<sup>1</sup>tn Or “have mercy on us.”
<sup>2</sup>tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. Note the jussive form ra@y` in the next line.
³tn Heb “may he cause his face to shine with us.”
⁴tn Heb “to know in the earth your way, among all nations your deliverance.” The infinitive with -l expresses purpose/result. When God demonstrates his favor to his people, all nations will recognize his character as a God who delivers. Jrd, “way,” refers here to God’s characteristic behavior, more specifically, to the way he typically saves his people.
⁵tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in vv. 3-4a are understood as jussives in this call to praise.
⁶tn Or “peoples.”
⁷tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and (as for the) peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule . . . and govern”).
⁸tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 5 are understood as jussives in this call to praise.
⁹tn The prefixed verb forms in vv. 6b-7a are understood as jussives.
¹⁰tn Heb “will fear him.” After the jussive of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed waw conjunctive is understood as indicating purpose/result. (Note how v. 3 anticipates the universal impact of God showing his people blessing.) Another option is to take the verb as a jussive and translate, “Let all the ends of the earth fear him.”
¹¹sn Ps 68. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior and celebrates the fact that God exerts his power on behalf of his people.
¹tn Or “rises up.” The verb form is an imperfect, not a jussive. The psalmist is describing God’s appearance in battle in a dramatic fashion.
²tn Heb “those who hate him.”
³sn The wording of v. 1 echoes the prayer in Num 10:35: “Spring into action, LORD! Then your enemies will be scattered and your adversaries will run from you .”
⁴tn Heb “as smoke is scattered, you scatter (them).”
⁵tn By placing the subject first the psalmist highlights the contrast between God’s ecstatic people and his defeated enemies (vv. 1-2).
⁶tn Heb “and they are happy with joy.” Some translate the prefixed verbal forms of v. 4 as jussives, “Let the gody be happy, let them rejoice before God, and let them be happy with joy!” (Note the call to praise in v. 4.)
⁷tn Traditionally twbru is taken as “steppe-lands,” but here the form is probably a homonym meaning “clouds” (see KB, 879). Verse 33, which depicts God as the one who “rides on the sky” strongly favors this (see as well Deut 33:26), as does the reference in v. 9 to God as the source of rain. hbru, “cloud,” is cognate with Akkadian urpatu/erpetu and with Ugaritic `rpt. The phrase rkb `rpt, “one who rides on the clouds,” appears in Ugaritic mythological texts as an epithet of the storm god Baal. The non-phonemic interchange of the bilabial consonants b and p is attested elsewhere in roots common to Hebrew and Ugaritic, though the phenomenon is relatively rare.
⁸tc Heb “in the LORD his name.” If the Hebrew text is retained, the preposition -b is introducing the predicate (the so-called beth of identity), “the LORD is his name” (see BDB, 88). However, some prefer to emend the text to wmv hy yk, “for Yah is his name.” This emendation, reflected in the translation above, assumes a confusion of beth and kaph and haplography of yod.
⁹sn 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.
¹⁰tn Heb “God (is) in his holy dwelling place.” He occupies his throne and carries out his royal responsibilities.
¹¹tn Heb “God causes the solitary ones to dwell in a house.” The participle suggests this is what God typically does.
¹²tn Heb “he brings out prisoners into prosperity.” Another option is to translate, “he brings out prisoners with singing.” The participle suggests this is what God typically does.
¹³tn Or “in a parched (land).”
sn God delivers the downtrodden and oppressed, but sinful rebels who oppose his reign are treated appropriately.
¹⁴tn Heb “when you go out before your people.” The idiom “go out before” is used here in a militaristic sense of leading troops into battle (see Judg 4:14; 9:39; 2 Sam 5:24).
¹⁵sn Some feel 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.
¹⁶tn Heb “this one of Sinai.” The phrase is a divine title, perhaps indicating the LORD rules from Sinai.
¹⁷sn The language 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 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 Hab 3.)
¹⁸tn The verb [wn, “cause rain to fall,” is a homonym of the more common [wn, “brandish” (KB, 682).
¹⁹tn Heb “(on) your inheritance.” This refers to Israel as God’s specially chosen people (see Pss 28:9; 33:12; 74:2; 78:62, 71: 79:1; 94:5, 14; 106:40). Some take “your inheritance” with what follows, but the waw prefixed to the following word (note halnw) makes this syntactically unlikely.
²⁰tn Heb “it,” referring to God’s “inheritance.”
²¹tn Heb “it,” referring to God’s “inheritance.”
²²tn The meaning of the text is unclear. The Hebrew text appears to read, “your animals, they live in it,” but this makes little, if any, sense in this context. Some suggest that hyj is a rare homonym here, meaning “community” (BDB, 312) or “dwelling place” (KB, 310). In this case one may take “your community/dwelling place” as appositional to the third feminine singular pronominal suffix at the end of v. 9, the antecedent of which is “your inheritance.” hb-wbvy, “they live in it,” may then be understood as an asyndetic relative clause modifying “your community/dwelling place.” A literal translation of vv. 9b-10a would be, “when it (your inheritance) is tired, you sustain it, your community/dwelling place in (which) they live.”
²³tn Heb “gives a word.” Perhaps this refers to a divine royal decree or battle cry.
²⁴tn Heb “the ones spreading the good news (are) a large army.” The participle translated “the ones spreading the good news” is a feminine plural form. Apparently the good news here is the announcement that enemy kings have been defeated (see v. 12).
²⁵tn The verbal repetition draws attention to the statement.
²⁶tn The Hebrew form appears to be the construct of hwn, “pasture,” but the phrase “pasture of the house” makes no sense here. The translation assumes that the form is an alternative or corruption of hwxn, “beautiful woman” (see KB, 679). A reference to a woman would be appropriate in light of v. 11b.
²⁷tn Or “if.”
²⁸tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “sheepfolds” is uncertain. There may be an echo of Judg 5:16 here.
²⁹tn Heb “and her pinions with the yellow of gold.”
sn The point of the imagery of v. 13 is not certain, though the reference to silver and gold appears to be positive. Both would be part of the loot carried away from battle (see v. 12b).
³⁰sn The divine name used here is yD^v^, “Shaddai.” Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king/judge of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendents. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness.
³¹tn The Hebrew text adds “in it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix may refer back to God’s community/dwelling place (v. 10).
³²tn The verb form appears to be a hiphil jussive from glv, which is usually understood as a denominative verb from gl#v#, “snow,” with an indefinite subject (see BDB, 1017). The form could be taken as a preterite, in which case one might translate, “when the sovereign judge scattered kings, it snowed on Zalmon.” The point of the image is unclear. Perhaps “snow” suggests fertility and blessing (see v. 9 and Isa 55:10), or the image of a snow-capped mountain suggests grandeur.
sn Zalmon was apparently a mountain in the region, perhaps the one mentioned in Judg 9:46 as being in the vicinity of Shechem.
³³sn The mountain of Bashan is probably Mount Hermon.
³⁴tn Heb “a mountain of God.” The divine name is probably used here in a superlative sense to depict a very high mountain (“a mountain fit for God,” as it were).
³⁵tn The meaning of the Hebrew term, which appears only here in the OT, is uncertain. KB (174) suggests “many-peaked,” while BDB (148) suggests “rounded summit.”
³⁶tn The meaning of the verb dxr, translated here “look with envy,” is uncertain; it occurs only here in the OT. See BDB, 952-53. A cognate verb occurs in later Aramaic with the meaning “lie in wait, watch” (Jastrow, 1492).
³⁷tn Perhaps the apparent plural form should be read as a singular with enclitic mem (later misinterpreted as a plural ending). The preceding verse has the singular form.
³⁸tn Heb “(at) the mountain God desires for his dwelling place.” The reference is to Mount Zion/Jerusalem.
³⁹tn [a has an emphasizing function here (see BDB, 64).
⁴⁰tn The word “there” is added in the translation for clarification.
⁴¹tn Heb “thousands of ???.” The meaning of the word /anv, which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Perhaps the form should be emended to /nav, “at ease,” and be translated here, “held in reserve.”
⁴²tc The Hebrew text reads, “the sovereign Master (is) among them, Sinai, in holiness,” which is syntactically difficult. The translation assumes an emendation to ynysm ab ydna (see BHS note “b-b” and Deut 33:2).
⁴³tn Heb “to the elevated place,” or “on high.” This probably refers to his throne on Mount Zion.
⁴⁴tn Heb “you have taken captives captive.”
⁴⁵tn Or “gifts.”
⁴⁶tn Or “among.”
⁴⁷tn Heb “so that the LORD God might live (there).” Many take the infinitive construct with -l as indicating purpose here, but it is unclear how the offering of tribute enables the Lord to live in Zion. This may an occurrence of the relatively rare emphatic lamedh (see KB, 510-11, though this text is not listed). If so, the statement corresponds nicely to the final line of v. 16, which also affirms emphatically that the Lord lives in Zion.
⁴⁸tn Heb “blessed (be) the sovereign Master.”
⁴⁹tn It is possible to take this phrase with what precedes, rather than with what follows.
⁵⁰tn Heb “and to the LORD, the sovereign master, to death, goings out.”
⁵¹tn Heb “the hairy forehead of the one who walks about in his guilt.” The singular is representative.
⁵²tn That is, the enemies mentioned in v. 21. Even if they retreat to distant regions, God will retrieve them and make them taste his judgment.
⁵³tn Some prefer to emend Jjm, “smash, stomp” (see v. 21) to Jjr, “bathe” (see Ps 58:10).
⁵⁴tn Heb “(and) the tongue of your dogs from (the) enemies (may eat) its portion.”
⁵⁵tn The subject is probably indefinite, referring to bystanders in general who witness the procession.
⁵⁶tn The Hebrew text has simply “in holiness.” The words “who marches along” are added in the translation for stylistic purposes.
⁵⁷tn Heb “after (are) the stringed instrument players.”
⁵⁸sn To celebrate a military victory, women would play tambourines (see Ex 15:20; Judg 11:34; 1 Sam 18:6).
⁵⁹tn Heb “from the fountain of Israel,” which makes little, if any, sense here. The translation assumes an emendation to yarqmb, “in the assembles of (Israel).”
⁶⁰sn This may allude to the fact that Israel’s first king, Saul, was from the tribe of Benjamin.
⁶¹tc The Hebrew text has <tmgr, which many derive from <gr, “to kill by stoning,” and translate, “(in) their heaps,” that is, in large numbers. Some emend the text to <tvgr, “(in) their throngs,” or to <tmqr, “(in) their garments.” The latter is assumed in the translation above.
⁶²tn Heb “God has commanded your strength.” The statement is apparently addressed to Israel (see v. 26).
⁶³tn Heb “Be strong, O God, (you) who have acted for us, from your temple in Jerusalem.”
⁶⁴tn The verb rug is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts such as Ps 68 this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See TDOT, 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Ps 106:9 and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
⁶⁵tn This probably refers to a hippopotamus, which in turn symbolizes Egypt.
⁶⁶tn Heb “an assembly of bulls, with calves of the nations.”
⁶⁷tn Heb “humbling himself.” The verb form is a hithpael participle from the root spr, “to trample.” The hithpael of this verb appears only here and in Prov 6:3, where it seems to mean, “humble oneself,” a nuance that fits nicely in this context. The apparent subject is “wild beast” or “assembly,” though both of these nouns are grammatically feminine, while the participle is a masculine form. Perhaps one should emend the participial form to a masculine plural <sprtm and understand “bulls” or “calves” as the subject.
⁶⁸tn Heb “with pieces (???) of silver.” The meaning of yxr is unclear. It is probably best to emend the text to [skw rxb, “(with) gold and silver.” One the rare term rxb, “gold,” see BDB, 131, and KB, 149.
⁶⁹tn That is, God.
⁷⁰tn The verb rzb is an alternative form of rzp, “scatter” (see KB, 118).
⁷¹tn This noun, which occurs only here in the OT, apparently means “red cloth” or “bronze articles” (see KB, 362). Traditionally the word has been taken to refer to “nobles” (see BDB, 365). Another option would be to emend the text to <ynmvh, “the robust ones,” i.e., leaders.
⁷²tn Heb “Cush.”
⁷³tn Heb “causes its hands to run,” which must mean “quickly stretches out its hands” (to present tribute). See BDB, 930.
⁷⁴tn Heb “to the one who rides through the skies of skies of ancient times.” If the text is retained, one might translate, “to the one who rides through the ancient skies.” (ymv, “skies of,” may be accidentally repeated.) The translation above assumes an emendation to <dqm <ymvb, “(to the one who rides) through the sky from ancient times,” that is, he has been revealing his power through the storm since ancient times.
⁷⁵tn Heb “he gives his voice a strong voice.” In this context God’s “voice” is the thunder that accompanies the rain (see vv. 8-9, as well as Deut 33:26).
⁷⁶tn Heb “give strength to God.”
⁷⁷sn The language of v. 34 echoes that of Deut 33:26.
⁷⁸tn Heb “awesome (is) God from his holy places.” The plural of vdqm perhaps refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 73:17; Jer 51:51).
⁷⁹tn Heb “the God of Israel, he.”
⁸⁰tn Heb “blessed (be) God.”
⁸¹sn Ps 69. The psalmist laments his oppressed condition and asks the Lord to deliver him by severely judging his enemies.
⁸²tn Heb “according to lilies.” See the heading to Ps 45.
¹tn Hebrew vpn here refers to the psalmist’s throat or neck (see KB, 712). The psalmist compares himself to a helpless, drowning man.
²tn Heb “and there is no place to stand.”
³tn Heb “have entered.”
⁴tn Or perhaps “raw” (lit., “burned, enflamed”).
⁵tn Heb “my eyes fail from waiting for my God.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision.
⁶tn Heb “(with) a lie.” The Hebrew noun rqv, “lie,” is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Pss 35:19; 38:19).
⁷tn The verb <xu can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority (note the parallel verb bbr, “be many”).
⁸tn Heb “that which I did not steal, then I restore.” Apparently za, “then,” is used here to emphasize the verb that follows.
sn They make me “pay back” what I did not steal. The psalmist’s enemies falsely accuse him and hold him accountable for alleged crimes he did not even commit.
⁹tn Heb “you know my foolishness.”
¹⁰sn The psalmist is the first to admit that he is not perfect. But even so, he is innocent of the allegations which his enemies bring against him (v. 5b). God, who is aware of his foolish sins and faults, can testify to the truth of his claim.
¹¹tn Heb “O master, LORD of Hosts.” Both titles draw attention to God’s sovereign position.
¹²tn Heb “carry, bear.”
¹³tn Heb “on account of you.”
¹⁴tn Heb “and shame covers my face.”
¹⁵tn Heb “and I am estranged to my brothers, and a foreigner to the sons of my mother.”
¹⁶tn Or “for.” This verse explains that the psalmist’s suffering is due to his allegiance to God.
¹⁷tn Or “zeal for.”
¹⁸sn God’s temple here represents by metonymy God himself.
¹⁹tn Heb “the insults of those who insult you fall upon me.”
sn Jn 2:17 applies the first half of this verse to Jesus’ ministry.
²⁰sn Fasting was a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities, such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
²¹tn Heb “and it becomes insults to me.”
²²tn Heb “and I am an object of ridicule to them.”
²³tn Heb “the mocking songs of the drinkers of beer.”
²⁴tn Heb “as for me, (may) my prayer be to you, O LORD, (in) a time of favor.”
²⁵tn Heb “O God, in the abundance of your loyal love, answer me in the faithfulness of your deliverance.”
²⁶tn Heb “let me be delivered.”
²⁷tn Heb “well,” which here symbolizes the place of the dead (see Ps 55:23 and KB, 106).
²⁸tn Heb “do not let the well close its mouth upon me.”
²⁹tn Heb “is good,” that is, “pleasant, desirable.”
³⁰tn Heb “do not hide your face from.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
³¹tn Or “quickly.”
³²tn Heb “come near my life and redeem it.” The verb “redeem” casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).
³³tn Heb “before you (are) all my enemies.”
³⁴tn Heb “break my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the origin of the psalmist’s emotions.
³⁵tn The verb form appears to be a qal preterite from an otherwise unattested root vwn, which some consider an alternate form of vna, “be weak, sick” (see BDB, 60). Perhaps the form should be emended to a niphal, hv*n=a*a@w`, “and I am sick.” The niphal of vna occurs in 2 Sam 12:15, where it is used to describe David’s sick child.
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “wait.”
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “and I wait for sympathy, but there is none.” The form dwn is an infinitive functioning as a verbal noun, “sympathizing.” Some suggest emending the form to a participle dn`, “one who shows sympathy.” The verb dwn also has the nuance “show sympathy” in Job 2:11; 42:11 and Isa 51:19.
³⁸sn John 19:28-30 appears to understand Jesus’s experience on the cross as a fulfillment of this passage. See the study note at Jn 19:28.
³⁹tn Heb “and to the friends for a snare.” The plural of <wlv, “peace,” is used in Ps 55:20 of one’s “friends.” If the reading is retained here, the term depicts the psalmist’s enemies as a close-knit group of friends who are bound together by their hatred for the psalmist. Some prefer to revocalize the text as <ym!WLv!luW, “and for retribution.” In this case the noun stands parallel to jp, “trap,” and vqwm, “snare,” and one might translate, “may their dining table become a trap before them, (a means of) retribution and a snare.”
⁴⁰tn Heb “may their eyes be darkened from seeing.”
⁴¹tn Heb “make their hips shake continually.”
⁴²tn Heb “anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger.
⁴³tn Heb “the rage of your anger.” The phrase “rage of your anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, Semitics 2 (1971), 17-81.
⁴⁴sn In Acts 1:20 Peter applies the language of this verse to Judas’s experience. By changing the pronouns from plural to singular, he is able to apply the ancient curse, pronounced against the psalmist’s enemies, to Judas in particular.
⁴⁵tn Or “persecute” (lit., “chase”).
⁴⁶tn Heb “for you, the one whom you strike, they chase.”
⁴⁷tn Heb “they announce the pain of your wounded ones” (i.e., “the ones whom you wounded,” as the parallel line makes clear).
sn The psalmist is innocent of the false charges made by his enemies (v. 4), but he is also aware of his sinfulness (v. 5) and admits that he experiences divine discipline (v. 26), despite his devotion to God (v. 9). Here he laments that his enemies take advantage of such divine discipline by harassing and slandering him. They “kick him while he’s down.”
⁴⁸tn Heb “place sin upon their sin.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “let them not come into your vindication.”
⁵⁰tn Heb “let them be wiped out of the scroll of life.”
sn The phrase “scroll of life” occurs only here in the OT. It pictures a scroll or census list containing the names of the citizens of a community. When an individual dies, that person’s name is wiped out of the list. So this curse is a very vivid way of asking that the enemies die.
⁵¹tn Heb “and with the godly let them not be written.”
sn This curse pictures a scroll in which God records the names of his loyal followers. The psalmist makes the point that his enemies have no right to be included in this list of the godly.
⁵²tn Heb “your deliverance, O God, may it protect me.”
⁵³tn Heb “I will praise the name of God with a song.”
⁵⁴tn Heb “I will magnify him with thanks.”
⁵⁵tn That is, who seek to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him (see Ps 53:2).
⁵⁶tn Heb “may your heart(s) live.” See Ps 22:26.
⁵⁷tn Heb “his prisoners.” The psalmist here compares the objects of divine discipline (see v. 26) to prisoners.
⁵⁸tn Heb “they.”
⁵⁹tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to “Zion” (see Pss 48:12; 102:14).
⁶⁰tn Heb “the lovers of his name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to the Lord. See Pss 5:11; 119:132; Isa 56:6.
⁶¹sn Verses 35-36 appear to be an addition to the psalm from the time of the exile. The earlier lament reflects an individual’s situation, while these verses seem to reflect a communal application of it.
⁶²sn Ps 70. This psalm is almost identical to Ps 40:13-17. The psalmist asks for God’s help and for divine retribution against his enemies.
⁶³tn The Hebrew text has simply, “to cause to remember.” The same form (hiphil infinitive of rkz, “remember”) also appears in the heading of Ps 38. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 303).
¹tn Heb “O God, to rescue me.” A main verb is obviously missing. hxr, “be willing,” should be supplied (see Ps 40:13). Ps 40:13 uses the divine name “LORD,” rather than “God.”
²tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Pss 22:19; 38:22.
³tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed, the ones seeking my life.” Ps 40:14 has “together” after “ashamed,” and “to snatch it away” after “my life.”
⁴tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.
sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.
⁵tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.
⁶tn Heb “May they be turned back according to their shame, those who say, ‘Aha! Aha!’“ Ps 40:15 has the verb “humiliated” instead of “driven back” and adds “to me” after “say.”
⁷tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by the Lord.
⁸tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing upon the godly.
⁹tn Ps 40:16 uses the divine name “LORD” here instead of “God.”
¹⁰tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the LORD be magnified (in praise).” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the LORD is great.” See Ps 35:27.
¹¹sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.
¹²tn Ps 40:17 has “may the sovereign Master pay attention to me.”
¹³tn Ps 40:17 has “my God” instead of “LORD.”
¹⁴sn Ps 71. The psalmist prays for divine intervention and expresses his confidence that God will protect and vindicate him. The first three verses are very similar to Ps 31:1-3a.
¹tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me and deliver me.” Ps 31:1 omits “and deliver me.”
²tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
³tn Ps 31:2 adds “quickly” before “deliver.”
⁴tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of a dwelling place.” /wum, “dwelling place,” should probably be emended to zwum, “refuge” (see Ps 31:2).
⁵tn Heb “to enter continually, you commanded to deliver me.” tywx dymt awbl, “to enter continually, you commanded,” should be emended to twdwxm tybl, “a house of strongholds” (see Ps 31:2).
⁶tn This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
⁷tn Heb “hand.”
⁸tn Heb “for you(are) my hope.”
⁹tn Heb “O LORD, my source of confidence from my youth.”
¹⁰tn Heb “from the womb.”
¹¹tn The form in the Hebrew text is derived from hzg, “to cut off,” perhaps picturing God as the one who severed the psalmist’s umbilical cord (see KB, 186). Some prefer to emend the text to yjg, from jwg or jyg, “pull out” (see Ps 22:9) or to yzwu, “my strength.”
¹²tn Heb “in you (is) my praise continually.”
¹³tn Heb “like a sign (i.e., portent or bad omen) I am to many.”
¹⁴tn Heb “my mouth is filled (with) your praise, all the day (with) your splendor.”
¹⁵tn Heb “do not cast me away at the time of old age.”
¹⁶tn Heb “those who watch for my life consult together.”
¹⁷tn Heb “saying.”
¹⁸tn Heb “hurry to my help.”
¹⁹tn Heb “those who seek my harm.”
²⁰tn Heb “and I add to all your praise.”
²¹tn Heb “my mouth declares your vindication, all the day your deliverance.
²²tn Heb “though I do not know (the) numbers,” that is, of God’s just and saving acts (see BDB, 708). KB (768) understands the plural noun to mean “the art of writing.”
²³tn Heb “I will come with.”
²⁴tn Heb “and until now I am declaring.”
²⁵tn Heb “and even unto old age and gray hair.”
²⁶tn Heb “until I declare your arm to a generation, to everyone who comes your power.” God’s “arm” here symbolizes his great strength.
²⁷tn Heb “your justice, O God, (is) unto the height.” <wrm, “height,” is here a title for the sky/heavens.
sn Extends to the skies above. Similar statements are made in Pss 36:5 and 57:10.
²⁸tn Heb “you who have done great things.”
²⁹tn Or “Who is like you?”
³⁰tn Heb “you who have caused me to see many harmful distresses.”
³¹tn Heb “you return, you give me life.” bwv, “return,” is used here in an adverbial sense, indicating repetition of the action described by the following verb. The imperfects are understood here as expressing the psalmist’s prayer or wish. (Note the use of a distinctly jussive form at the beginning of v. 21.) Another option is to understand this as a statement of confidence, “you will revive me once again.”
³²tn Heb “you return, you bring me up.” bwv, “return,” is used here in an adverbial sense, indicating repetition of the action described by the following verb. The imperfects are understood here as expressing the psalmist’s prayer or wish. (Note the use of a distinctly jussive form at the beginning of v. 21.) Another option is to understand this as a statement of confidence, “you will bring me up once again.”
³³tn Heb “increase my greatness.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer or wish. The psalmist’s request for “greatness” (or “honor”) is not a boastful, self-serving prayer for prominence, but, rather, a request that God would vindicate by elevating him over those who are trying to humiliate him.
³⁴tn The imperfects are understood here as expressing the psalmist’s prayer or wish. (Note the use of a distinctly jussive form at the beginning of v. 21.)
³⁵tn The word “praising” is added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
³⁶tn Or “Holy One of Israel.”
sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. See the study note at Isa 6:3.
³⁷tn Or “when.” The translation assumes that yk has an emphasizing (asseverative) function here.
³⁸tn Heb “and my life (or “soul”) which you will have redeemed.” The perfect verbal form functions here as a future perfect. The psalmist anticipates praising God, for God will have rescued him by that time.
³⁹tn Heb “those who seek my harm.”
⁴⁰tn Heb “will have become embarrassed and ashamed.” The perfect verbal forms function here as future perfects, indicating future actions which will precede chronologically the action expressed by the main verb in the preceding line.
⁴¹sn Ps 72. This royal psalm contains a prayer for the Davidic king (note the imperatival form in v. 1 and the jussive forms in vv. 16-17). It is not entirely clear if vv. 2-15 express a prayer or anticipate a future reign. The translation assumes a blend of petition and vision: (I) opening prayer (v. 1)/anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 2-7), (II) prayer (v. 8)/anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 9-14), (III) closing prayer (vv. 15-17). Whether a prayer, vision, or combination of the two, the psalm depicts the king’s universal rule of peace and prosperity. As such it is indirectly messianic, for the ideal it expresses will only be fully realized during the Messiah’s earthly reign. Verses 18-19 are a conclusion for Book II of the Psalter (Pss 42-72; cf. Ps 41:13, which contains a similar conclusion for Book I), while v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or edition of the Psalter.
⁴²tn The preposition could be understood as indicating authorship, but since the psalm is a prayer for a king, it may be that the heading reflects a tradition that understood this as a prayer for Solomon.
¹tn Heb “O God, your judgments to (the) king give.”
²tn Heb “and your justice to (the) son of (the) king.”
sn It is not entirely clear if v. 1 envisions one individual or two. The phrase “the king’s son” in the second line may simply refer to “the king” of the first line, drawing attention to the fact that he has inherited his dynastic rule. Another option is that v. 1 envisions a co-regency between father and son (a common phenomenon in ancient Israel) or simply expresses a hope for a dynasty that champions justice.
³tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.
⁴sn They are called God’s “oppressed ones” because he is their defender (see Pss 9:12, 18; 10:12; 12:5).
⁵tn Heb “(the) mountains will bear peace to the people, and (the) hills with justice.”
sn The personified mountains/hills probably represent messengers who will sweep over the land announcing the king’s just decrees and policies. See Isa 52:7 and Briggs, Psalms, 133.
⁶tn Heb “judge (for).”
⁷tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.
⁸tn Heb “sons.”
⁹tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the LORD’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.” See Ps 33:8. Some, with the support of the LXX, prefer to read Jyrayw, “and he (the king in this case) will prolong (days),” that is, “live a long time.”
¹⁰tn God is the addressee (see vv. 1-2).
¹¹tn Heb “with (the) sun, and before (the) moon (for) a generation, generations.” The rare expression <yrwd rwd, “generation, generations,” occurs only here, Ps 102:24, and Isa 51:8.
¹²tn That is, the king (see vv. 2, 4).
¹³tn The rare term zg refers to a sheep’s fleece in Deut 18:4 and Job 31:20, but to “mown” grass or crops here and in Amos 7:1. See KB, 185.
¹⁴tc The verb [rz, “drench,” occurs only here. The form in the Hebrew text appears to be a hiphil imperfect, third masculine singular (with God as subject), but the form should probably be emended to [yrzy (see BDB, 284). Some emend the form to a third masculine plural hiphil (see BHS, note “b”), while others prefer emending it to a pilpel perfect (wpzrz), third masculine plural (see KB, 283).
¹⁵sn This verse compares the blessings produced by the king’s reign to fructifying rains that cause the crops to grow.
¹⁶tn Heb “sprout up,” like crops. This verse continues the metaphor of rain utilized in v. 6.
¹⁷tn Heb “and (there will be an) abundance of peace until there is no more moon.”
¹⁸tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.
¹⁹sn Sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.
²⁰tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates. See KB, 677.
²¹tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those who dwell in these regions.
²²sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.
²³sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.
²⁴sn Sheba was located in Arabia.
²⁵sn Seba was located in Africa.
²⁶tn The singular is representative. The typical needy individual here represents the entire group.
²⁷tn The singular is representative. The typical needy individual here represents the entire group.
²⁸tn The prefixed verb form is best understood as a defectively written imperfect (see Deut 7:16).
²⁹tn Or “redeem their lives.” The verb “redeem” casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Pss 19:14; 69:18).
³⁰tn Heb “their blood will be precious in his eyes.”
³¹tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. Because the form has the prefixed waw, some subordinate it to what precedes as a purpose/result clause. In this case the representative poor individual might be the subject of this and the following verb, “so that he may live and give to him gold of Sheba.” But the idea of the poor offering gold is incongruous. It is better to take the jussive as a prayer with the king as subject of the verb. (Perhaps the initial waw is dittographic; note the waw at the end of the last form in v. 14.) The statement is probably an abbreviated version of the formula Jlmh yjy, “may the king live” (see 1 Sam 10:24; 2 Sam 16:16; 1 Kgs 1:25, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12).
³²tn Heb “and he will give to him some gold of Sheba.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one give”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are the tribute bearers in view here.
³³tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one pray . . . and may one bless”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are in view here.
³⁴tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. The translation assumes the subject is impersonal (rather than the king).
³⁵tn The noun hsp (which appears here in the construct form) occurs only here in the OT (see BDB, 821). Perhaps the noun is related to the verbal root hcp, “to spread” (see BDB, 832; the root appears as hsp in post-biblical Hebrew), which is used in post-biblical Hebrew of the rising sun’s rays spreading over the horizon and a tree’s branches spreading out (see Jastrow, 1194). In Ps 72:16 a “spreading of grain” would refer to grain fields extending out over the land. Briggs (Psalms, 139) emends the form to jyps, “second growth.”
³⁶tn Heb “top” (singular).
³⁷tn That is, the grain.
³⁸tn According to the traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text, this verb belongs with what follows. See the translator’s note at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse.
³⁹tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix in unclear. It is unlikely that the antececent is Jra, “earth,” because this noun is normally grammatically feminine. Perhaps var, “top (of the mountains),” is the antecedent. Another option is to understand the pronoun as referring to the king, who would then be viewed as an instrument of divine agricultural blessing (see v. 6).
⁴⁰tn Heb “fruit.”
⁴¹tc According to the traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text, this verb belongs with what follows. See the translator’s note at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse. The trsanslation takes it with the preceding words, “like Lebanon its fruit” and emends the verb form from wxyxyw (qal imperfect third masculine plural with prefixed waw) to Jyxy (qal imperfect third masculine singular). The initial waw is eliminated as dittographic (note the waw on the ending of the preceding form wyrp, “its/his fruit”) and the waw at the end of the form is placed on the following emended form (see the note below), yielding rymuw, “and (its) crops.”
⁴²tn Heb “like Lebanon.”
⁴³tc The Hebrew text has “from the city.” The translation assumes an emendation to rymu, “crops.”
⁴⁴tn The translation assumes that the verb Jwx, “flourish,” goes with the preceding line. The words “be as abundant” are added in the translation for clarification.
⁴⁵tc The traditional accentuation and vocalization of the Hebrew text differ from the text assumed by the above translation. The Hebrew text reads as follows: “May there be an abundance of grain in the earth, and on the tops of the mountains! May its (or “his”?) fruit (trees?) rustle like (the trees of) Lebanon! May they flourish from the city, like the grass of the earth! If one follows the traditional text, then it would appear that the “fruit” of the third line is a metaphorical reference to the king’s people, who flow out from the cities to populate the land (see line 4). Elsewhere in the OT people are sometimes compared to grass that sprouts up from the land (see v. 7, as well as Isa 27:6; Pss 92:7; 103:15). The translation above understands a different poetic structural arrangement and, assuming the emendations mentioned in earlier notes, interprets each line of the verse to be a prayer for agricultural abundance.
⁴⁶tn Heb “may his name (be) permanent.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect.
⁴⁷tn Heb “before the sun may his name increase.” The consonantal text (kethib) assumes /yn!y` (a hiphil of the verbal root /yn) or /y}n^y+ (a piel form), while the marginal reading (qere) assumes /oNy] (a niphal form). The verb /yn occurs only here, though a derived noun, meaning “offspring,” appears elsewhere (see Isa 14:22). The verb appears to mean “propagate, increase” (BDB, 630) or “produce shoots, get descendants” (KB, 696). In this context this appears to be a prayer for a lasting dynasty that will keep the king’s name and memory alive.
<sup>48</sup>tn Heb “may they bless one another by him,” that is, use his name in their blessing formulae because he is a prime example of one blessed by God (for examples of such blessing formulae, see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11). There is some debate on whether the hithpael form of Jrb, “bless,” is reflexive-reciprocal (as assumed in the translation above) or passive. The hithpael of Jrb occurs in five other passages, including the hotly debated Gen 22:18 and 26:4. In these two texts one could understand the verb form as passive and translate, “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring,” or one could take the hithpael as reflexive or reciprocal and translate, “all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings (on themselves or one another) by your offspring.” In the first instance Abraham’s/Isaac’s offspring are viewed as a channel of divine blessing. In the second instance they are viewed as a prime example of blessing that will appear as part of the nations’ blessing formulae, but not necessarily as a channel of blessing to the nations. In Deuteronomy 29:18 one reads: “When one hears the the words of this covenant (or “oath”) and invokes a blessing on himself (hithpael of Jrb) in his heart, saying: ‘I will have peace, even though I walk with a rebellious heart.’“ In this case the hithpael is clearly reflexive, as the phrases “in his heart” and “I will have peace” indicate. The hithpael of Jrb appears twice in Isaiah 65:16: “The one who invokes a blessing on himself (see Deut. 29:18) in the land will invoke that blessing by the God of truth; and the one who makes an oath in the land will make that oath by the God of truth.” A passive nuance does not fit here. The parallel line, which mentions making an oath, suggests that the hithpael of Jrb refers here to invoking a blessing. Both pronouncements of blessing and oaths will appeal to God as the one who rewards and judges, respectively. Jeremiah 4:2 states: “If you swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ with truth, integrity, and honesty, then the nations will pronounce blessings by him and boast in him.” A passive nuance might work (“the nations will be blessed”), but the context refers to verbal pronouncements (swearing an oath, boasting), suggesting that the hithpael of Jrb refers here to invoking a blessing. The logic of the verse seems to be as follows: If Israel conducts its affairs with integrity, the nation will be favored by the Lord, which will in turn attract the surrounding nations to Israel’s God. To summarize, while the evidence might leave the door open for a passive interpretation, there is no clear cut passive use. Usage favors a reflexive or reciprocal understanding of the hithpael of Jrb. In Ps 72:17 the hithpael of Jrb is followed by the prepositional phrase wb, “by him.” The verb could theoretically be taken as passive, “may all the nations be blessed through him,” for the preceding context describes the positive effects of this king’s rule on the inhabitants of the earth. But the parallel line, which employs the piel of rva in a factitive/declarative sense, “regard as happy, fortunate,” suggests a reflexive or reciprocal nuance for the hithpael of Jrb. If the nations regard the ideal king as a prime example of one who is fortunate or blessed, it is understandable that they would use his name in their pronouncements of blessing.
<sup>49</sup>tn Heb “all the nations, may they regard him as happy.” The piel is used here in a delocutive sense (“regard as . . .”).
<sup>50</sup>tn Heb “(be) blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21; 41:13.
<sup>51</sup>tn Heb “(the) one who does amazing things by himself.”
<sup>52</sup>tn Heb “(be) blessed.”
<sup>53</sup>tn Or “glory.”
<sup>54</sup>tn Heb /m@a*w+ /m@a*, “surely and surely” (i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.
<sup>55</sup>tn Heb “the prayers of David, son of Jesse, are concluded.” As noted earlier, v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or edition of the Psalter. In the present arrangement of the Book of Psalms, not all psalms prior to this are attributed to David (see Pss 1-2, 10, 33, 42-50, 66-67, 71-72) and several psalms attributed to David appear after this (see Pss 86, 101, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 138-145).
<sup>56</sup>sn Ps 73. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist offers a personal testimony of his struggle with the age-old problem of the prosperity of the wicked. As he observed evil men prosper, he wondered if a godly lifestyle really pays off. In the midst of his discouragement, he reflected upon spiritual truths and realities. He was reminded that the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary. God will eventually vindicate his people.
<sup>1</sup>tn Since the psalm appears to focus on an individual’s concerns, not the situation of Israel, this introduction may be a later addition designed to apply the psalm’s message to the entire community. To provide a better parallel with the next line, some emend <yhla larcyl, “to Israel, God,” to <yhla (or la) rv*Y`l*, “God (is good) to the upright one.”
²tn Heb “to the pure of heart.”
³tn The Hebrew verb normally means “pour out,” but here it must have the nuance “slide.”
sn The language is metaphorical. As the following context makes clear, the psalmist almost “slipped” in a spiritual sense. As he began to question God’s justice, he came close to abandoning his faith.
⁴tn The imperfect verbal form here depicts the action as continuing in a past time frame.
⁵tn Heb <wlv, “peace.”
⁶tn In Isa 58:6, the only other occurrence of this word in the OT, the term refers to “bonds” or “ropes.” In Ps 73:4 it is used metaphorically of pain and suffering that restricts one’s enjoyment of life.
⁷tn Or “bellies” (see BDB, 17; KB, 21).
⁸tc Or “fat.” The Hebrew text of v. 4 reads as follows: “for there are no pains at their death, and fat (is) their body.” Since a reference to the death of the wicked seems incongruous in the immediate context (note v. 5) and premature in the argument of the psalm (see vv. 18-20, 27), some prefer to emend the text by redividing it. <twml, “at their death,” is changed to <T* oml*, “(there are no pains) to them, strong (and fat are their bodies).” <t. “complete, sound,” is used of physical beauty in Song 5:2; 6:9. This emendation is the basis for the translation above. However, in defense of the traditional Hebrew text, one may point to an Aramaic inscription from Nerab which views a painful death as a curse and a non-painful death in one’s old age as a sign of divine favor. See Pritchard, ANET, 661.
⁹tn Heb “in the trouble of man they are not, and with mankind they are not afflicted.”
¹⁰sn The metaphor suggests that their arrogance is something they “wear” proudly. It draws attention to them, just as a beautiful necklace does to its owner.
¹¹tn Heb “a garment of violence covers them.” The metaphor suggests that violence is habitual for them. They “wear” it like clothing; when you look at them, violence is what you see.
¹²tc The Hebrew text has “it goes out from fatness their eye,” which might be paraphrased, “their eye protrudes because of fatness.” This in turn might refer to their greed; their eyes “bug out” when they see rich food or produce (the noun blj, “fatness,” sometimes refers to such food or produce, see BDB, 316-17). However, when used with the verb axy, “go out,” the preposition /m, “from,” more naturally indicates source. For this reason it is preferable to emend wmnyu, “their eye,” to omn`ou&, “their sin,” and read, “and their sin proceeds forth from fatness,” that is, their prosperity gives rise to their sinful attitudes. If one follows this textual reading, another interpretive option is to take blj, “fatness,” in the sense of “unreceptive, insensitive” (see its use in Ps 17:10). In this case, their sin proceeds forth from their spiritual insensitivity.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “the thoughts of (their) heart (i.e., mind) cross over” (i.e. violate God’s moral boundary, see Ps 17:3).
<sup>14</sup>tn The verb qwm, “mock,” occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 559).
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “and speak with evil.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “oppression from an elevated place they speak.” The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text places “oppression” with the preceding line. In this case, one might translate, “they mock and speak with evil (of) oppression, from an elevated place (i.e., proudly) they speak.” By placing “oppression” with the what follows, one achieves better poetic balance in the parallelism.
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “they set in heaven their mouth, and their tongue walks through the earth.” The meaning of the text is uncertain. Perhaps the idea is that they lay claim to heaven/speak as if they were ruling in heaven, and move through the earth declaring their superiority and exerting their influence. Some take the preposition -b the first line as adversative and translate, “they set their mouth against heaven,” that is, they defy God.
<sup>18</sup>tc Heb “therefore his people return (the marginal reading/qere; the consonantal text/kethib has “he brings back”) to here, and waters of abundance are sucked up by them.” The traditional Hebrew text defies explanation. The translation above reflects Dahood’s proposed emendations (see Psalms II, 190) and reads the Hebrew text as follows: oml* WXmoy` al@m* ym@W <j#l# <Wub=c=y] /k@l*, “therefore they are filled with food, and waters of abundance they suck up for themselves.” The reading <j#l# <Wub=c=y], “they are filled with food,” assumes (1) an emendation of wmu byvy, “he will bring back his people,” to <Wub=c=y], “they will be filled” (a qal imperfect third masculine plural form from ubc, with enclitic mem), and (2) an emendation of <lh, “to here,” to <j#l#, “food.” The expression “be filled/fill with food” appears elsewhere at least ten times (see Ps 132:15, for example). In the second line the niphal form WxM*y] (derived from hxm, “drain”) is emended to a qal form WXmoy`, derived from Jxm, “to suck.” In Isa 66:11 the verbs ubc (proposed in Ps 73:10a) and Jxm (proposed in Ps 73:10b) are parallel. The point of the emended text is this: Because they are seemingly sovereign (v. 9), they become greedy and grab up eveything they need and more.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “How does God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High?” They appear to be practical atheists, who acknowledge God’s existence and sovereignty in theory, but deny his involvement in the world (see Pss 10:4, 11; 14:1).
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “Look, these (are) the wicked.”
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “the ones who are always at ease (who) increase wealth.”
<sup>22</sup>tn The words “I concluded” are added in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image form cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “If I had said, ‘I will speak out like this.’“
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “look, the generation of your sons I would have betrayed.” The phrase “generation of your (God’s) sons” occurs only here in the OT. Some equate the phrase with “generation of the godly” (Ps 14:5), “generation of the ones seeking him” (Ps 24:6), and “generation of the upright” (Ps 112:2). In Deut 14:1 the Israelites are referred to as God’s “sons.” Perhaps the psalmist refers here to those who are “Israelites” in the true sense because of their loyalty to God (note the juxtaposition of “Israel” with “the pure in heart” in v. 1).
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “and (when) I pondered to understand this, troubling it (was) in my eyes.”
<sup>28</sup>tn The plural of vdqm probably refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 68:35; Jer 51:51).
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “I discerned their end.” At the temple the psalmist perhaps received an oracle of deliverance announcing his vindication and the demise of the wicked (see Ps 12) or heard songs of confidence (for example, Ps 11), wisdom psalms (for example, Pss 1, 37), and hymns (for example, Ps 112) that describe the eventual downfall of the proud and wealthy.
<sup>30</sup>sn The use of Ja, “surely,” here literarily counteracts its use in v. 13. The repetition draws attention to the contrast between the two statements. The first of which expresses the psalmist’s earlier despair; the second his newly discovered confidence.
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “cause them to fall.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “they come to an end, they are finished, from terrors.”
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “like a dream from awakening.” They lack any real substance; their prosperity will last for only a brief time.
<sup>34</sup>sn When yu awake. The psalmist compares God’s inactivity to sleep and the time of judgment to awakening from sleep.
<sup>35</sup>tn Heb “you will despise their form.” <lx, “form, image,” also suggests their shortlived nature. Rather than having real substance, they are like the mere images that populate one’s dreams. Note the similar use of the term in Ps 39:6.
<sup>36</sup>tn Or perhaps “when.”
<sup>37</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form here describes a continuing attitude in a past time frame.
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “and (in) my kidneys I was pierced.” The imperfect verbal form here describes a continuing condition in a past time frame.
<sup>39</sup>tn Or “brutish, stupid.”
<sup>40</sup>tn Heb “and I was not knowing.”
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “an animal I was with you.”
<sup>42</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form here suggests this is the psalmist’s ongoing experience.
<sup>43</sup>tn Heb “and afterward (to) glory you will take me.” Some interpret this as the psalmist’s confidence in an afterlife in God’s presence and understand dwbk as a metonymic reference to God’s presence in heaven. But this seems unlikely in this context. The psalmist anticipates a time of vindication, when the wicked are destroyed and he is honored by God for his godly life style. The verb jql, “take,” here carries the nuance “lead, guide, conduct,” as in Nub 23:14, 27-28; Josh 24:3 and Prov 24:11.
<sup>44</sup>tn Heb “Who (is there) for me in heaven? And besides you I do not desire (anyone) in the earth.” The psalmist uses a merism (heaven/earth) to emphasize that God is the sole object of his desire and worship in the entire universe.
<sup>45</sup>tn The verb hlk, “fail, grow weak,” does not refer here to physical death per se, but to the physical weakness that sometimes precedes death (see Job 33:21; Pss 71:9; 143:7; Prov 5:11).
<sup>46</sup>tn Or “forever.”
<sup>47</sup>tn Heb “is the rocky summit of my heart and my portion.” The psalmist compares the Lord to a rocky summit where one could go for protection and to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel.
<sup>48</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>49</sup>sn The next line defines this phrase in a spiritual sense. Those “far” from God are those who are unfaithful and disloyal to him.
<sup>50</sup>tn Heb “everyone who commits adultery from you.”
<sup>51</sup>tn Heb “but as for me, the nearness of God for me (is) good.”
<sup>52</sup>tn The infinitive construct with -l is understood here as indicating an attendant circumstance. Another option is to take it as indicating purpose (“so that I might declare”) or result (“with the result that I declare”).
<sup>53</sup>sn Ps 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 BC, asks God to consider Israel’s sufferings and intervene on behalf of his people. He describes the ruined temple, recalls God’s mighty deeds in the past, begs for mercy, and calls for judgment upon God’s enemies.
<sup>54</sup>tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See the headings of Pss 32, 42, 44-45, 52-55, 78, 88-89, 142, as well as Ps 47:7.
<sup>1</sup>sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in ths psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “lift up your steps to,” which may mean “run, hurry.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “everything (the) enemy has damaged in the holy place.”
<sup>8</sup>tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “your meeting place.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “they set up their banners (as) banners.” The noun twa, “sign,” here refers to the enemy army’s battle flags and banners (see Num 2:12).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “it is known like one bringing upwards, in a thicket of wood, axes.” The Babylonian invaders destroyed the woodwork in the temple.
<sup>12</sup>tn This is the reading of the qere (marginal reading). The consonantal text (kethib) has “and a time.”
<sup>13</sup>tn The imperfect verbal form vividly describes the act as underway.
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “its engravings together.”
<sup>15</sup>tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 502, and H. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena, 49-50).
<sup>16</sup>tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 472). An Akkadian cognate refers to a “pickaxe.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “to the ground they desecrate the dwelling place of your name.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “in their heart.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “??? altogether.” The form <nyn is problematic. It could be understood as the noun /yn, “offspring,” but the statement “their offspring altogether” would make no sense here. Briggs (Psalms, 2:159) emends djy, “altogether,” to dyjy, “alone,” and translates, “let their offspring be solitary” (i.e., exiled). Another option is to understand the form as a qal imperfect first common plural from hny, “oppress,” with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix, “we will oppress them.” However, this verb, when used in the finite form, always appears in the hiphil. Therefore, it is preferable to emend the form to the hiphil <n}on, “we will oppress them” (see KB, 416).
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “they burn down all the meeting places of God in the land.”
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “our signs we do not see.” Because of the reference to a prophet in the next line, it is likely that the “signs” in view here include the evidence of God’s presence as typically revealed through the prophets. These could include miraculous acts performed by the prophets (see, for example, Isa 38:7-8) or object lessons which they acted out (see, for example, Isa 20:3).
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “there is not still a prophet.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “and (there is) not with us one who knows how long.”
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? From the midst of your chest, destroy!” The psalmist pictures God as having placed his right hand (symbolic of activity and strength) into inside his robe against his chest. He prays that God would pull his hand out from under his robe and use it to destroy the enemy.
<sup>25</sup>tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative.
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “in the midst of the earth.”
<sup>27</sup>tn The derivation and meaning of the polel verb form rrp are uncertain. The form may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “break, shatter,” though the biblical Hebrew cognate of this verb always appears in the hiphil or hophal stem. BDB (830) suggests a homonym here, meaning “split, divide.” A hithpolel form of a root rrp appears in Isa 24:19 with the meaning “shake violently.”
<sup>28</sup>tn The Hebrew text has the plural form, “sea monsters,” but it is likely that an original enclitic mem has been misunderstood as a plural ending. The imagery of the mythological sea monster is utilized here. See the study note on Leviathan (v. 14).
<sup>29</sup>sn The imagery of verses 13-14 originates in west Semitic mythology. The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon (Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew /ynt, translated “sea monster” in v. 13) vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling (Ugaritic `qltn, cognate to Hebrew /wtlqu, translated “squirming” in Isa 27:1) serpent, the tyrant with seven heads (note the use of the plural “heads” here and in v. 13).” (See CTA 3 iii 38-39 in Gibson, CML, 50.) (2) “for all that you smote Leviathan the slippery (Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew jrb, translated “fast moving” in Isa 27:1) serpent, (and) made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5 i 1-3 in Gibson, CML, 68.) In the myths Leviathan is a sea creature that symbolizes the destructive water of the sea and in turn the forces of chaos that threaten the established order. In the OT, the battle with the sea motif is applied to Yahweh’s victories over the forces of chaos at creation and in history (see Pss 74:13-14; 77:16-20; 89:9-10; Isa 51:9-10). Yahweh’s subjugation of the chaos waters is related to His kingship (see Pss 29:3, 10; 93:3-4). Isa 27:1 applies imagery from Canaanite mythology to Yahweh’s eschatological victory over his enemies. Apocalyptic literature employs the imagery as well. The beasts of Dan 7 emerge from the sea, while Rev 13 speaks of a seven-headed beast coming from the sea. Here in Ps 74:13-14 the primary referent is unclear. The psalmist may be describing God’s creation of the world (note vv. 16-17 and see Ps 89:9-12), when he brought order out of a watery mass, or the exodus (see Isa 51:9-10), when he created Israel by destroying the Egyptians in the waters of the sea.
³⁰tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite in this narrational context.
³¹sn Fed him to the people. This pictures the fragments of Leviathan’s dead corpse washing up on shore and being devoured by those who find them. If the exodus is in view, then it may allude to the bodies of the dead Egyptians which washed up on the shore of the Red Sea (see Ex 14:30).
³²sn Spring and stream. Perhaps this alludes to the way in which God provided water for the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness following the exodus (see Ps 78:15-16, 20; 105:41).
³³sn Perpetually flowing rivers contain water year round, unlike the seasonal streams that flow only during the rainy season. Perhaps the psalmist here alludes to the drying up of the Jordan River when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan under Joshua (see Josh 3-4).
³⁴tn Heb “To you (is) day, also to you (is) night.”
³⁵tn Heb “you established (the) light and (the) sun.” Following the reference to “day and night” and in combination with “sun,” it is likely that rwam, “light,” refers here to the moon. See BDB, 22.
³⁶tn This would appear to refer to geographical boundaries, such as mountains, rivers and seacoasts. However, since the day-night cycle has just been mentioned (v. 16) and the next line speaks of the seasons, it is possible that “boundaries” here refers to the divisions of the seasons. See Briggs, Psalms, 2:156.
³⁷tn Heb “summer and winter, you, you formed them.”
³⁸tn Heb “remember this.”
³⁹tn Or “(how) the enemy insults the LORD.”
⁴⁰sn The psalmist compares weak and vulnerable Israel to a helpless dove.
⁴¹tn Heb “do not forget forever.”
⁴²tn Heb “look at the covenant.” The LXX reads “your covenant,” which seems to assume a second person pronominal suffix. The suffix may have been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word (yk) begins with kaph.
⁴³tn Heb “for the dark places of the earth are full of dwelling places of violence.” The “dark regions” are probably the lands where the people have been exiled (see Briggs, Psalms, 2:157). In some contexts “dark regions” refers to Sheol (Ps 88:6) or to hiding places likened to Sheol (Ps 143:3; Lam 3:6).
⁴⁴sn The statement is metonymic. The point is this: May the oppressed be delivered from their enemies! Then they will have ample reason to praise God.
⁴⁵tn Or “defend your cause.”
⁴⁶tn Heb “remember your reproach from a fool all the day.”
⁴⁷tn Or “forget.”
⁴⁸tn Heb ‘the voice of your enemies.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “the roar of those who rise up against you, which ascends continually.”
⁵⁰sn Ps 75. The psalmist celebrates God’s just rule, which guarantees that the godly will be vindicated and the wicked destroyed.
⁵¹tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 57-59.
¹tn Heb “and near (is) your name.”
²tn The words “God says” do not appear in the Hebrew text. They are added in the translation to clarify that God speaks in vv. 2-3.
³tn Heb “when I take an appointed time.”
⁴tn Heb “I, (in) fairness, I judge.” The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically executes fair judgment as he governs the world. One could take this as referring to an anticipated judgment, “I will judge.”
⁵tn Heb “melt.”
⁶tn The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically prevents the world from being overrun by chaos. One could take this as referring to an anticipated event, “I will make its pillars secure.”
⁷tn The identity of the speaker in vv. 4-6 is unclear. The translation assumes that the psalmist, who also speaks in vv. 7-9 (where God/the LORD is spoken of in the third person) here addresses the proud and warns them of God’s judgment. The presence of yk, “for,” at the beginning of both vv. 6-7 seems to indicate that vv. 4-9 are a unit. However, there is no formal indication of a new speaker in v. 4 (or in v. 10, where God appears to speak). Another option is to see God speaking in vv. 2-6 and v. 10 and to take only vv. 7-9 as the words of the psalmist. In this case one must interpret yk at the beginning of v. 7 in an asseverative or emphatic sense (“surely, indeed”).
⁸tn Heb “do not lift up a horn.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Here the idiom seems to refer to an arrogant attitude that assumes victory has been achieved.
⁹tn Heb “do not lift up on high your horn.”
¹⁰tn Heb “(do not) speak with unrestrained neck.” The negative particle is understood in this line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
sn The image behind the language of vv. 4-5 is that of a powerful wild ox that confidently raises its head before its enemies.
¹¹tn Heb “for not from the east or from the west, and not from the wilderness of the mountains.” If one follows this reading the sentence is elliptical. One must supply “does help come,” or some comparable statement. However, it is possible to take <yrh, as a hiphil infinitive from <wr, the same verb used in vv. 4-5 of “lifting up” a horn. In this case one may translate the form with “victory.” In this case the point is that victory does not come from alliances with other nations.
¹²tn Or “judges.”
¹³tn The imperfects here emphasize the generalizing nature of the statement.
¹⁴tn Heb “for a cup (is) in the hand of the LORD, and wine foams, it is full of a spiced drink.” The noun Jsm refers to a “mixture” of wine and spices (see KB, 605).
¹⁵tn Heb “and he pours out from this.”
¹⁶tn Heb “surely its dregs they slurp up and drink, all the wicked of the earth.”
sn The psalmist pictures God as forcing the wicked to gulp down an intoxicating drink that will leave them stunned and vulnerable. Divine judgment is also depicted this way in Ps 60:3; Isa 51:17-23; and Hab 2:16.
¹⁷tn Heb “I will declare forever.” The object needs to be supplied; God’s just judgment is in view.
¹⁸tn The words “God says” do not appear in the Hebrew text. They are added in the translation to clarify that God speaks in v. 10.
¹⁹tn Heb “and all the horns of the wicked I will cut off, the horns of the godly will be lifted up.” The imagery of the wild ox’s horn is once more utilized (see vv. 4-5).
²⁰sn Ps 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.
¹tn Or “God is known in Judah.”
²tn Heb “name.”
³tn Heb “and his place of refuge is in Salem, and his lair in Zion.” God may be likened here to a lion (see v. 4).
sn Salem is a shorter name for Jerusalem (see Gen 14:18).
⁴tn Heb “flames of the bow,” i.e., arrows (see BDB, 958).
⁵tn Heb “shield and sword and battle.” “Battle” probably here stands by metonymy for the weapons of war in general.
sn Verse 3. This verse may allude to the miraculous defeat of the Assyrians in 701 BC (see Isa 36-37).
⁶tn Heb “radiant (are) you, majestic from the hills of prey.” God is depicted as a victorious king and as a lion that has killed its victims.
⁷tn Heb “strong of heart.” In Isa 46:12, the only other text where this phrase appears, it refers to those who are stubborn, but here it seems to describe brave warriors (see the next line).
⁸tn The verb is a rare Aramaized form of the hithpolel (see GKC 149, para 54a, note 2); the root is llv, “to plunder.”
⁹tn Heb “they slept (in) their sleep.” “Sleep” here refers to the “sleep” of death.
¹⁰tn Heb “and all the men of strength did not find their hands.”
¹¹tn Heb “from your shout.” The noun is derived from the verb rug, which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See TDOT, 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 18:15; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
¹²tn Or “chariot,” but even so the term is metonymic for the charioteer.
¹³tn Heb “he fell asleep, and (the) chariot and (the) horse.” Once again (see v. 5) “sleep” refers here to the “sleep” of death.
¹⁴tn Heb “and who can stand before you from the time of your anger?” The phrase za*m@, “from the time of,” is better emended to zaom@, “from (i.e., “because of”) the strength of your anger” (see Ps 90:11).
¹⁵tn Heb “a (legal) decision,” or “sentence.”
¹⁶tn The earth stands here by metonymy for its inhabitants.
¹⁷tn Or “for.”
¹⁸tn Heb “the anger of men will praise you.” This could mean that men’s anger, when punished by God, will bring him praise, but this interpretation does not harmonize well with the next line. The translation assumes that God’s anger is in view here (see v. 7) and that “men” is an objective genitive. God’s angry judgment against men brings him praise because it reveals his power and majesty (see vv. 1-4).
¹⁹tn Heb “the rest of anger you put on.” The meaning of the statement is not entirely clear. Perhaps the idea is that God, as he prepares for battle, girds himself with every last ounce of his anger, as if it were a weapon.
²⁰tn This may refer to the surrounding nations (v. 12 may favor this), but in Ps 89:7 the phrase refers to God’s heavenly assembly.
²¹tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to KB (148), rxb is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect highlighting God typical behavior.
²²tn Heb “(he is) awesome to the kings of the earth.”
²³sn Ps 77. The psalmist recalls how he suffered through a time of doubt, but tells how he found encouragement and hope as he recalled the way in which God delivered Israel at the Red Sea.
¹tn Heb “my voice to God.” The verb arq, “call out,” should probably be understood by ellipsis (see Ps 3:4).
²tn Heb “my voice to God.” The verb arq, “call out,” should probably be understood by ellipsis (see Ps 3:4).
³tn The perfect with waw consecutive is best taken as future here. The psalmist expresses his confidence that God will respond to his prayer. This mood of confidence seems premature (see vv. 3-4), but verse 1 probably reflects the psalmist’s attitude at the end of the prayer (see vv. 13-20). Having opened with an affirmation of confidence, he then retraces how he gained confidence during his trial (see vv. 2-12).
⁴tn The psalmist refers back to the very recent past, when he began to pray for divine help.
⁵tn Heb “my hand (at) night was extended and was not growing numb.” The verb rgn, which can mean “flow” in certain contexts, here has the nuance “be extended” (see KB, 669-70). The imperfect form (gwpt, “to be numb”) is used here to describe continuous action in the past.
⁶tn Or “my soul.”
⁷tn Heb “I will remember God and I will groan, I will reflect and my spirit will grow faint.” The first three verbs are cohortatives, the last a perfect with waw consecutive. The psalmist’s statement in v. 4 could be understood as concurrent with v. 1, or, more likely, as a quotation of what he said earlier as he prayed to God (see v. 2). The words “I said” are added at the beginning of the verse to reflect this interpretation (see v. 10).
⁸tn Heb “you held fast the guards of my eyes.” The “guards of the eyes apparently refers to his eyelids. The psalmist seems to be saying that God would not bring him relief, which would have allowed him to shut his eyes and get some sleep (see v. 2).
⁹tn The imperfect is used in the second clause to emphasize that this was an ongoing condition in the past.
¹⁰tn Heb “the years of antiquity.”
¹¹tn Heb “I will remember my song in the night, with my heart I will reflect. And my spirit searched.” As in v. 4, the words of v. 6a are understood as what the psalmist said earlier. Consequently the words “I said” are added in the translation for clarification (see v. 10). The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive at the beginning of the final line is taken as sequential to the perfect “I thought” in v. 6.
¹²tn As in vv. 4 and 6a, the words of vv. 7-9 are understood as a quotation of what the psalmist said earlier. Therefore the words “I asked” are added in the translation for clarification.
¹³tn Heb “word,” which may refer her to his word of promise (note the reference to “loyal love” in the preceding line).
¹⁴tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (/wylu) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
¹⁵tn Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’“ The form yt!oLj^ appears to be a qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root llj, “pierce, wound” (see BDB, 319). The translation assumes an emendation to yt!olj&, a qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root hlj, “be sick, weak” (see BDB, 317). The form t.nv is understood as a qal infinitive construct from hnv, “to change,” rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.
¹⁶tn Heb “yes, I will remember from old your wonders.”
sn The psalmist refuses to allow skepticism to win out. God has revealed himself to his people in tangible, incontrovertible ways in the past and the psalmist vows to remember the historical record as a source of hope for the future.
¹⁷sn Verses 13-20 are the content of the psalmist’s reflection (see vv. 11-12). As he thought about God’s work in Israel’s past, he reached the place where he could confidently cry out for God’s help (see v. 1).
¹⁸tn Heb “O God, in holiness (is) your way.” God’s “way” here refers to his actions. “Holiness” is used here in the sense of “set apart, unique,” rather than in a moral/ethical sense. As the next line and the next verse emphasize, God’s deeds are incomparable and set him apart as the one true God.
¹⁹tn Heb “Who (is) a great god like God?” The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “No one!”
²⁰tn Or “redeemed.”
²¹tn Heb “with (your) arm.”
²²tn The waters of the Red Sea are here personified.
²³tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
²⁴tn The words “of the sea” are added for stylistic reasons.
²⁵tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
²⁶tn Heb “water.”
²⁷tn Heb “a sound the clouds gave.”
²⁸sn The lightning accompanying the storm is viewed as the Lord’s “arrows” (see v. 18).
²⁹tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
sn Verses 16-18 depict the Lord coming in the storm to battle his enemies and subdue the sea. There is no record of such a storm in the historical account of the Red Sea crossing. The language is stereotypical and originates in Canaanite myth, where the storm god Baal subdues the sea in his quest for kingship.
³⁰tn Heb “in the sea (was) your way.”
³¹tn Heb “and your paths (were) in the mighty waters.”
³²tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”
³³sn Ps 78. The author of this lengthy didactic psalm rehearses Israel’s history. He praises God for his power, goodness and patience, but also reminds his audience that sin angers God and prompts his judgment. In the conclusion to the psalm the author elevates Jerusalem as God’s chosen city and David as his chosen king.
³⁴tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See the headings of Pss 32, 42, 44-45, 52-55, 74, 88-89, 142, as well as Ps 47:7.
¹tn Heb “Turn your ear to the words of my mouth.”
²tn Heb “I will open with a wise saying my mouth, I will utter insightful sayings from long ago.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair hdyj/lvm refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6), and an insightful song that reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent death Ps 49:4).
³tn Or “known.”
⁴tn Heb “and our fathers told to us.”
⁵tn The pronominal suffix refers back to the “fathers” (v. 3).
⁶tn Heb “to a following generation telling the praises of the LORD.” “Praises” stand by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. See BDB, 240, and Ps 9:14.
⁷tn The noun twdu refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).
⁸tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the Lord’s mighty deeds (see vv. 3-4).
⁹tn Heb “in order that they might know, a following generation, sons (who) will be born, they will arise and will tell to their sons.”
¹⁰tn Heb “keep.”
¹¹tn Heb “a generation that did not make firm its heart and whose spirit was not faithful with God.” The expression “make firm the heart” means “to be committed, devoted” (see 1 Sam 7:3).
¹²tn Heb “the sons of Ephraim.” Ephraim probably stands here by synecdoche (part for whole) for the northern kingdom of Israel (see BDB, 68).
¹³tn Heb “ones armed, shooters of bow.” It is possible that yqvwn, “ones armed (with),” is an interpretive gloss for the rare ymwr, “shooters of” (on the latter see BDB, 941). The phrase tvq yqvwn, “ones armed with a bow,” appears in 1 Chr 12:2; 2 Chr 17:17.
¹⁴sn They retreated. This could refer to the northern tribes’ failure to conquer completely their allotted territory (see Judg 1), or it could refer generally to the typical consequence (military defeat) of their sin (see vv. 10-11).
¹⁵tn Heb “the covenant of God.”
¹⁶tn Heb “walk in.”
¹⁷tn Heb “his deeds.”
¹⁸sn Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta, where the enslaved Israelites lived (see Num 13:22; Isa 19:11, 13; 30:4; Ezek 30:14).
¹⁹tn Heb “and caused them to drink, like the depths, abundantly.”
²⁰tn Heb “rebelling (against) the Most High.”
²¹tn Heb “and they tested God in their heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the center of their volition.
²²tn Heb “they spoke against God, they said.”
²³tn Heb “to arrange a table (for food).”
²⁴tn Heb “look.”
²⁵tn Heb “therefore.”
²⁶tn Heb “and also anger went up.”
²⁷tn Heb “and they did not trust his deliverance.”
²⁸sn Manna was shaped like a seed (Exod 16:31), perhaps explaining why it is here compared to grain.
²⁹sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that “mighty ones” refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here.
³⁰tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”
³¹tn Heb “and like the sand of the seas winged birds.”
³²tn Heb “and they ate and were very satisfied.”
³³tn Heb “they were not separated from their desire.”
³⁴tn Heb “and did not believe in his amazing deeds.”
³⁵tn Heb “and he ended in vanity their days.”
³⁶tn Heb “and their years in terror.”
³⁷tn Or “killed them,” that is, large numbers of them.
³⁸tn Heb “they sought him.”
³⁹tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
⁴⁰tn Heb “and (that) God Most High (was) their redeemer.”
⁴¹tn Heb “with their mouth.”
⁴²tn Heb “and with their tongue they lied to him.”
⁴³tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”
⁴⁴tn One could translate verse 38 in the past tense, but the imperfect verbal forms are probably best understood as generalizing. Verse 38 steps back briefly from the narratival summary of Israel’s history and lays the theological basis for verse 39, which focuses on God’s mercy toward sinful Israel.
⁴⁵tn The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive signals a return to the narrative.
⁴⁶tn Heb “and he remembered that they (were) flesh, a wind (that) goes and does not return.”
⁴⁷tn Or “caused him pain.”
⁴⁸tn Heb “and they returned and tested God.” The verb bwv, “return,” is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate that an earlier action was repeated.
⁴⁹tn Or “wounded, hurt.” The verb occurs only here in the OT (see BDB, 1063).
⁵⁰tn Or “Holy One of Israel.”
sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. See the study note at Isa 6:3.
⁵¹tn Heb “his hand,” symbolizing his saving activity and strength, as the next line makes clear.
⁵²tn Heb “(the) day (in) which he ransomed them from (the) enemy.”
⁵³tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).
⁵⁴tn Or “portents, omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are in view (see vv. 44-51).
⁵⁵tn Heb “and he sent an insect swarm against them and it devoured them.”
⁵⁶tn Heb “and a swarm of frogs and it destroyed them.”
⁵⁷tn Heb “and he turned over to the hail their cattle.”
⁵⁸tn Heb “and their livestock to the flames.” “Flames” here refer to the lightning bolts that accompanied the storm.
⁵⁹tn Heb “he sent against them the rage of his anger.” The phrase “rage of his anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, Semitics 2 (1971), 17-81.
⁶⁰tn Heb “fury and indignation and trouble, a sending of messengers of disaster.”
⁶¹tn Heb “he leveled a path for his anger.” There were no obstacles to impede its progress; it moved swiftly and destructively.
⁶²tn Or perhaps “(the) plague.”
⁶³tn Heb “the beginning of strength.” If retained, the plural form <ynwa, “strength,” probably indicates degree (“great strength”), but many ancient witnesses have “their strength,” which presupposes an emendation to <n`wa (singular form of the noun with third masculine plural pronominal suffix).
<sup>64</sup>tn Heb “this mountain.” The whole land of Canaan seems to be referred to here. In Exod 15:17 the promised land is called the “mountain of your (God’s) inheritance.”
<sup>65</sup>sn The “right hand” here symbolizes God’s miltary strength (see v. 55).
<sup>66</sup>tn Heb “he assigned (lit., “caused to fall”) them with a measuring line an inheritance.”
<sup>67</sup>tn Heb “and caused the tribes of Israel to settle down in their tents.”
<sup>68</sup>tn Or “tested and rebelled against.”
<sup>69</sup>tn Heb “God, the Most High.”
<sup>70</sup>tn Or “keep.”
<sup>71</sup>tn Heb “his testimonies” (see Ps 25:10).
<sup>72</sup>tn Heb “they turned back.”
<sup>73</sup>tn Or “acted treacherously like their fathers.”
<sup>74</sup>tn Heb “they turned aside like a deceitful bow.”
<sup>75</sup>tn Traditionally, “high places.”
<sup>76</sup>tn Or “rejected.”
<sup>77</sup>tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” “His strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.
<sup>78</sup>tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” “His splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.
<sup>79</sup>sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4).
<sup>80</sup>tn Heb “his inheritance.”
<sup>81</sup>tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
<sup>82</sup>tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
<sup>83</sup>tn Heb “were not praised,” that is, in wedding songs. The young men died in masses, leaving no husbands for the young women.
<sup>84</sup>tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
<sup>85</sup>tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
<sup>86</sup>sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.
<sup>87</sup>tn Heb “and the master awoke like one sleeping.” The Lord’s apparent inactivity during the time of judgment is compared to sleep.
<sup>88</sup>tn Heb “like a warrior overcome with wine.” The verb /wr, “overcome,” occurs only here in the OT (see BDB, 929). The phrase “overcome with wine” could picture a drunken warrior controlled by his emotions and passions (see the translation above), or it could refer to a warrior who awakes from a drunken stupor.
<sup>89</sup>tn Heb “a permanent reproach he made them.”
<sup>90</sup>tn Heb “and he built like the exalting (ones) his sanctuary.” The phrase <ymr-wmk, “like the exalting (ones),” is a poetic form of the comparative preposition followed by a participial form of <wr, “be exalted.” The text should be emended to <ym!rom=K!, “like the (heavenly) heights.” See Ps 148:1, where “heights” refers to the heavens above.
<sup>91</sup>tn Heb “like the earth, (which) he established permanently.” The feminine singular suffix on the verb dsy, “establish,” refers to the grammatically feminine noun “earth.”
<sup>92</sup>tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”
<sup>93</sup>tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”
<sup>94</sup>tn That is, David, God’s chosen king.
<sup>95</sup>tn Heb “and he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart.”
<sup>96</sup>tn Heb “and with the understanding of his hands he led them.”
<sup>97</sup>sn Ps 79. The author laments how the invading nations have destroyed the temple and city of Jerusalem. He asks God to forgive his people and to pour out his vengeance on those who have mistreated them.
<sup>1</sup>tn Or “nations.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “have come into your inheritance.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “(as) food for the birds of the sky.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “they have poured out their blood like water, all around Jerusalem, and there is no one burying.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “an (object of) taunting and (of) mockery to those around us.” See Ps 44:13.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “How long, O LORD?”
<sup>7</sup>tn Or “jealous anger.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “which do not know you.” “Know” here means “to acknowledge the authority of.”
<sup>9</sup>sn They pray to other gods, not the Lord, because they do not recognize his authority over them.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “do not remember against us sins, former.” Some understand “former” as an attributive adjective modifying sins, “former (i.e., chronologically prior) sins” (see BDB, 911). The translation assumes that <ynvar, “former,” here refers to those who lived formerly, that is, the people’s ancestors (see Lam 5:7). The word is used in this way in Lev 26:45; Deut 19:14 and Eccl 1:11.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “may your compassion quickly confront us.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating a tone of prayer.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “for we are very low.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “the glory of your name.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “your name.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “may it be known among the nations, to our eyes, the vengeance of the shed blood of your servants.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “may the painful cry of the prisoner come before you.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “according to the greatness of your arm leave the sons of death.” God’s “arm” here symbolizes his strength to deliver. The verbal form rt@oh is a hiphil imperative from rty, “remain, be left over.” Here it must mean “leave over, preserve.” However, it is preferable to emend the form to rT@h^, a hiphil imperative from rtn, “be free.” The hiphil form is used in Ps 105:20 of Pharoah freeing Joseph from prison. The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 102:21) is idiomatic for those condemned to die (see BDB, 121).
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “Return to our neighbors sevenfold into their lap.” The number seven is used rhetorically to express the thorough nature of the action. For other rhetorical/figurative uses of <ytubv, “seven times,” see Gen 4:15, 24; Ps 12:6; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “their reproach with which they reproached you, O master.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “to a generation and a generation we will report your praise.” “Praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. See BDB, 240, and Ps 9:14.
<sup>22</sup>sn Ps 80. The psalmist laments Israel’s demise and asks the Lord to show favor toward his people, as he did in earlier times.
<sup>23</sup>tn The expression means “lily of the testimony.” It may refer to a particular music style or to a tune title. See the heading to Ps 60.
<sup>1</sup>sn Heb “cherubs.” Cherubs, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Ex 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubs suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubs in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “shine forth.”
sn Reveal your splendor. The psalmist may allude to Deut 33:2, where God “shines forth” from Sinai and comes to superintend Moses’ blessing of the tribes.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “stir up, arouse.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “come for our deliverance.”
<sup>5</sup>tn The idiom “cause your face to shine” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “cause your face to shine in order that we may be delivered.” After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed waw indicates purpose/result.
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “LORD, God, Hosts.” One expects the construct form yhla before twabx, “hosts” (see Ps 89:9, but <yhla hwhy precedes twabx in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “How long will you remain angry during the prayer of your people.” Some take the preposition -b in an adversative sense here (“at/against the prayer of your people”), but the temporal sense is preferable. The psalmist expects persistent prayer to pacify God.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “you have fed them the food of tears.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “(by) the third part (of a measure).” vylv, “third part (of a measure),” occurs only here and in Isa 40:12.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “you have made us an object of contention to our neighbors.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “O God, Hosts.” One expects the construct form yhla before twabx, “hosts” (see Ps 89:9, but <yhla precedes twabx in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well.
<sup>13</sup>tn The idiom “cause your face to shine” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “cause your face to shine in order that we may be delivered.” After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed waw indicates purpose/result.
<sup>15</sup>sn The vine is here a metaphor for Israel (see Ezek 17:6-10; Hos 10:1).
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “you cleared away before it.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “and it took root (with) its roots.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “cedars of God.” The divine name la, “God,” is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative. See K-B, 50.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “to (the) sea . . . to (the) river.” The “sea” refers here to the Mediterranean Sea, while the “river” is the Euphrates. Israel expanded to the west and east.
<sup>20</sup>sn The protective walls of the metaphorical vineyard are in view here (see Isa 5:5).
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “pluck it.”
<sup>22</sup>tn The verb <srk, “eat away, ruin,” occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 499).
<sup>23</sup>tn The precise referent of the Hebrew word, which occurs only here and in Ps 50:11, is uncertain. Aramaic, Arabic and Akkadian cognates refer to insects, such as locusts or crickets (see KB, 268).
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “O God, Hosts.” One expects the construct form yhla before twabx, “hosts” (see Ps 89:9, but <yhla precedes twabx in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well.
<sup>25</sup>tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT. KB (483) emends the form to HN`K^, “its shoot.”
²⁶tn Heb “and upon a son you strengthened for yourself.” In this context, where the extended metaphor of the vine dominates, /b, “son,” probably refers to the shoots that grow from the vine. See Gen 49:22 and BDB, 121.
²⁷tn Heb “burned with fire.”
²⁸tn Heb “because of the rebuke of your face they perish.”
²⁹tn Heb “may your hand be upon the man of your right hand.” The referent of the otherwise unattested phrase “man of your right hand,” is unclear. It may refer to the nation collectively as a man. (See the note on v. 17b.)
³⁰tn Heb “upon the son of man you strengthened for yourself.” In its only other use in the Book of Psalms, the phrase “son of man” refers to the human race in general (see Ps 8:4). Here the phrase may refer to the nation collectively as a man. Note the use of the statement “you strengthened for yourself” both here and in v. 15, where the “son” (i.e., branch of the vine) refers to Israel.
³¹tn Heb “and in your name we will call.”
³²tn Heb “O LORD, God, Hosts.” One expects the construct form yhla before twabx, “hosts” (see Ps 89:9, but <yhla precedes twabx in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well.
³³tn The idiom “cause your face to shine” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
³⁴tn Heb “cause your face to shine in order that we may be delivered.” After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed waw indicates purpose/result.
³⁵sn Ps 81. The psalmist calls God’s people to assemble for a festival and then proclaims God’s message to them. The divine speech (vv. 6-16) recalls how God delivered the people from Egypt, reminds Israel of their rebellious past, expresses God’s desire for his people to obey him, and promises divine protection in exchange for obedience.
³⁶tn The precise meaning of tytgh is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or instrument. See the heading to Ps 8.
¹tn Heb “lift up.”
²tn Heb “at the new moon.”
sn New moon festivals were a monthly ritual in Israel (see R. deVaux, Ancient Israel, 2: 469-70). In this context the New Moon festival of the seventh month, when the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated (note the reference to a “festival” in the next line), may be in view.
³tn Heb “at the full moon on the day of our festival.” hsk is an alternate spelling of ask, “full moon” (see BDB, 490; KB, 487).
sn The festival in view is probably the Feast of Tabernacles, which began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month when the moon was full. See Lev 23:34; Num 29:12.
⁴tn Heb “because a statute for Israel (is) it.”
⁵tn Heb “in his going out against the land of Egypt.” This apparently refers to the general time period of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. The LXX reads, “from Egypt,” in which case “Joseph” (see the preceding line) would be the subject of the verb, “when he (Jospeh = Israel) left Egypt.”
⁶tn Heb “a lip I did not know, I heard.” “Lip” probably stands here for speech or a voice. Apparently the psalmist speaks here and refers to God’s voice, which makes the speech recorded in the following verses.
⁷tn The words “it said” are not in the Hebrew text. They are added in the translation for clarification.
⁸sn I removed the burden. The Lord speaks metaphorically of how he delivered his people from Egyptian bondage. The reference to a basket/burden probably alludes to the hard labor of the Israelites in Egypt, where they had to carry loads of bricks (see Exod 1:14).
⁹tn Heb “I answered you in the hidden place of thunder.” This may allude to God’s self-revelation at Mount Sinai, where he appeared in a dark could accompanied by thunder (see Exod 19:16).
¹⁰sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.
¹¹tn The words “I said” are added in the translation for clarification. Verses 8-10 appear to recall what the Lord commanded the generation of Israelites that experienced the events described in v. 7. Note the statement in v. 11, “my people did not listen to me.”
¹²tn Or perhaps “command.”
¹³tn The particle <a, “if,” and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see BDB, 50; KB, 60; GKC, 321, para 109b). Note that the apodosis (“then” part of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.
¹⁴tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 9 have a modal function, expressing what is obligatory.
¹⁵tn Heb “different, illicit.”
¹⁶tn Heb “did not listen to my voice.”
¹⁷tn The expression yl hba means “submit to me” (see Deut 13:8).
¹⁸tn Heb “and I sent him away in the stubbornness of their heart.”
¹⁹tn Heb “they walked in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite (“walked”) or a customary imperfect (“were walking”).
²⁰tn Heb “if only my people were listening to me.” The particle wl, “if not,” introduces a purely hypothetical or contrary to fact condition (see 2 Sam 18:12).
²¹tn Heb “(and if only) Israel would walk in my ways.”
²²tn Heb “turn my hand against.” The idiom “turn the hand against” has the nuance of “strike with the hand, attack” (see Isa 1:25; Ezek 38:12; Am 1:8; Zech 13:7).
²³tn “Those who hate the LORD” are also mentioned in 2 Chr 19:2 and Ps 139:21.
²⁴tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 66:3 for other uses of the verb vjk in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “be weak, powerless” (see also Ps 109:24). The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, parallel to the jussive form in the next line.
²⁵tn Heb “and may their time be forever.” The verb form at the beginning of the line is jussive, indicating that this is a prayer. <tu, “their time,” must refer here to the “time” of their demise and humiliation. Some propose an emendation to <ttub (or <tub), “their terror” (“may their terror last forever”), but the omission of beth in the present Hebrew text is difficult to explain, making the proposal unlikely.
sn The translation assumes that v. 15 is a parenthetical “curse” offered by the psalmist. Having heard the reference to Israel’s enemies (v. 14), the psalmist inserts this prayer, reminding the Lord that they are God’s enemies as well.
²⁶tn Heb “and he fed him from the best of the wheat.” The Hebrew text has a third person form of the preterite with a waw consecutive attached. However, it is preferable, in light of the use of the first person in v. 14 and in the next line, to emend the verb to a first person form and understand the waw as conjunctive, continuing the apodosis of the conditional sentence of vv. 13-14. The third masculine singular pronominal suffix refers to Israel, as in v. 6.
sn I would feed. After the parenthetical “curse” in v. 15, the Lord’s speech continues here.
²⁷tn Heb “you.” The second person singular pronominal suffix refers to Israel, as in vv. 7-10.
²⁸sn The language, particularly the references to wheat and honey, is reminiscent of Deut 32:13-14.
²⁹sn Ps 82. The psalmist pictures God standing in the “assembly of El” where he accuses the “gods” of failing to promote justice on earth. He pronounces sentence upon them, announcing that they will die like men. Having witnessed the scene, the psalmist then asks God to establish his just rule over the earth.
¹tn Or “presides over.”
²sn The phrase la tdu, “assembly of El,” appears only here in the OT. Some understand “El” to refer to God himself. In this case he is pictured presiding over his own heavenly assembly. Others take la as a superlative here (“God stands in the great assembly”), as in Pss 36:6 and 80:10. The translation assumes this is a reference to the Canaanite high god El, who presided over the Canaanite divine assembly. (See Isa 14:13, where El’s assembly is called “the stars of El.) In the Ugaritic myths the phrase `dt ‘ilm refers to the “assembly of the gods,” who congregate in King Kirtu’s house, where Baal asks El to bless Kirtu’s house. (See J. C. L. Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91.) If the Canaanite divine assembly is referred to here in Ps 82:1, then the psalm must be understood as a bold polemic against Canaanite religion. Israel’s God invades El’s assembly, denounces its gods as failing to uphold justice, and announces their coming demise. For an interpretation of the psalm along these lines, see W. VanGemeren, “Psalms,” in EBC, 5:533-36.
<sup>3</sup>sn The translation assumes that <yhla, “gods,” here refers to the pagan gods who supposedly comprise El’s assembly. Those who reject the polemical view of the psalm prefer to see the referent as human judges/rulers (<yhla sometimes refers to officials appointed by God, see Exod 21:6; 22:8-9; Ps 45:6) or as angelic beings (<yhla sometimes refers to angelic beings, see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5).
<sup>4</sup>sn The picture of God rendering judgment among the gods clearly depicts his sovereign authority as universal king (see v. 8, where the psalmist boldly affirms this truth).
<sup>5</sup>tn The words “he says” are added in the translation to indicate that the following speech is God’s judicial decision (see v. 1).
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “and the face of the wicked lift up.”
<sup>7</sup>tn The noun <wty refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 94:6; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “hand.”
<sup>9</sup>sn Having addressed the defendants, God now speaks to those who are observing the trial, referring to the gods in the thrid person.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “walk.” The hithpael stem indicates iterative action, picturing these ignorant “judges” as stumbling around in the darkness.
<sup>11</sup>sn These gods, though responsible for justice, neglect their duty. Their self-imposed ignorance (likened to stumbling around in the dark) results in widespread injustice, which threatens the social order (“foundations of the earth”) of the world.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “said.”
<sup>13</sup>sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El (see v. 1, as well as Isa 14:13).
<sup>14</sup>sn You will die. For the concept of a god losing immortality and dying, see Isa 14:12-15, which alludes to a pagan myth in which the petty god “Shining One, son of the Dawn,” is hurled into Sheol for his hubris.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “like one of the rulers.” The comparison does not necessarily imply that they are not rulers. The expression “like one of” can sometimes “as one of” (Gen 49:16; Obad 11) or “as any other of” (Judg 16:7, 11).
<sup>16</sup>tn The translation assumes that the qal of ljn here means “own, possess,” and that the imperfect emphasizes a general truth. Another option is to translate the verb as future, “for you will take possession of all the nations.”
<sup>17</sup>sn Ps 83. The psalmist asks God to deliver Israel from the attacks of foreign nations. Recalling how God defeated Israel’s enemies in the days of Deborah and Gideon, he prays that the hostile nations would be humiliated.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “do not be deaf.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “lift up (their) head(s).” The phrase “lift up (the) head” here means “threaten, be hostile,” as in Judg 8:28.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “they make crafty a plot.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “and consult together against.”
<sup>5</sup>tn The passive participle of /px, “hide,” is used here in the sense of “treasured, cherished” (see BDB, 860).
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “we will cause them to disappear from (being) a nation.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “they consult (with) a heart together.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
<sup>10</sup>tn The words “it includes” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
<sup>11</sup>sn The Hagrites are also mentioned in 1 Chr 5:10, 19-20.
<sup>12</sup>sn Some identify Gebal with the Phoenician coastal city of Byblos (see Ezek 27:9, where the name is spelled differently), though others locate this site south of the Dead Sea (see BDB, 148; KB, 174).
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “they are an arm for the sons of Lot.” The “arm” is here a symbol of military might.
sn The Moabites and Ammonites were the descendents of Lot.
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “do to them like Midian.”
<sup>15</sup>sn The psalmist alludes to Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (see Judg 7-8) and to Barak’s victory over Jabin’s army, which was led by his general Sisera (Judg 4-5).
<sup>16</sup>sn Endor is not mentioned in the accounts of Gideon’s or Barak’s victorie, but both battles took place in the general vicinity of the town. (See Y. Aharoni and M. Avi-Yonah, The Macmillan Bible Atlas, 46, 54.) Because Sisera and Jabin are mentioned in v. 9b, many understand them to be the subject of the verbs in v. 10, though relate v. 10 to Gideon’s victory, which is referred to in v. 9a, 11. (See, for example, Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 263.)
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “they were manure.” In addition to this passage, corpses are compared to manure in 2 Kgs 9:37; Jer 8:2; 9:21; 16:4; 25:33.
<sup>18</sup>sn Oreb and Zeeb were the generals of the Midianite army that was defeated by Gideon. The Ephraimites captured and executed both of them and sent their heads to Gideon (Judg 7:24-25).
<sup>19</sup>sn Zebah and Zalmunna were the Midianite kings. Gideon captured them and executed them (Judg 8:1-21).
<sup>20</sup>tn The translation assumes that “Zebah and Zalmunna” are the antecedents of the relative pronoun. Another option is to take “their nobles . . . all their rulers” as the antecedent and to translate, “those who say.”
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “let’s take possession for ourselves.”
<sup>22</sup>tn Or “tumbleweed.” The noun lglg refers to a “wheel” or, metaphorically, to a whirling wind (see Ps 77:18). If taken in the latter sense here, one could understand the term as a metonymical reference to dust blown by a whirlwind. However, KB (190) understands the noun as a homonym referring to a “dead thistle” here and in Isa 17:13. The parallel line (which refers to vq, “chaff”) favors this interpretation.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “before.”
<sup>24</sup>sn The imagery of fire suggests unrelenting, destructive judgment.
<sup>25</sup>tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 15 express the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “fill.”
<sup>27</sup>tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed waw indicates purpose or result (“then they will seek”).
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “your name,” which stands here for God’s person.
<sup>29</sup>tn Lit., “and may they be terrified to perpetuity.” The expression du-ydu, “to perpetuity,” can mean “forevermore” (see Pss 92:7; 132:12, 14), but here it may be used hyperbolically, for the psalmist asks that the experience of judgment might lead the nations to recognize (v. 18) and even seek (v. 16) God.
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “may they be ashamed and perish.” The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling severe judgment down on his enemies. The strong language of the imprecation seems to run contrary to the positive outcome of divine judgment envisioned in v. 16b. Perhaps the language of v. 17 is overstated for effect. Another option is that v. 16b expresses an ideal, while the strong imprecation of vv. 17-18 anticipates reality. It would be nice if the defeated nations actually pursued a relationship with God, but if judgment does not bring them to that point, the psalmist longs asks that they be annihilated so that they might at least be forced to acknowledge God’s power.
<sup>31</sup>tn After the preceding jussives (v. 17), the prefixed verbal form with prefixed waw indicates purpose (“so that they may know”) or result.
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “that you, your name (is) the LORD, you alone.”
<sup>33</sup>tn Traditionally “Most High.”
<sup>34</sup>sn Ps 84. The psalmist expresses his desire to be in God’s presence in the Jerusalem temple, for the Lord is the protector of his people.
<sup>35</sup>tn The precise meaning of tytgh is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or instrument.
<sup>1</sup>tn Or “your dwelling place(s).” The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; this is the Lord’s special dwelling place (see Pss 43:3; 46:4; 132:5, 7).
<sup>2</sup>tn Traditionally, “LORD of Hosts.” The title draws attention to God’s sovereign position (see Ps 69:6).
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “my soul longs, it even pines for.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “the courts of the LORD” (see Ps 65:4).
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “my flesh,” which stands for his whole person and being.
<sup>6</sup>tn The word occurs only here and in Prov 26:2 (see KB, 230).
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “even a bird finds a home, and a swallow a nest for herself, (in) which she places her young.”
sn The psalmist here romanticizes the temple as a place of safety. As he thinks of the birds nesting near its roof, he envisions them finding protection in God’s presence.
<sup>8</sup>tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 12 and Pss 1:1; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
<sup>9</sup>tn Lit., “(Oh) the happiness (of) the man.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here was certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the plural “those.” The individual referred to in v. 5a is representative of followers of God, as the use of plural forms in vv. 5b-7 indicates.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “roads (are) in their heart(s).” The roads are here those that lead to Zion (see v. 7).
<sup>11</sup>tn The translation assumes that akbh qmu is the name of an otherwise unknown arid valley through which pilgrims to Jerusalem passed. akb may be the name of a particular type of plant or shrub that grew in this valley (see KB, 129). (O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 130, suggests it is the black mulberry.). Some take the phrase as purely metaphorical and relate akb to the root hkb, “to weep.” In this case one might translate, “the valley of weeping,” or “the valley of affliction.”
<sup>12</sup>tc The Hebrew text has “a spring they make it,” but this makes little sense. Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts, as well as the LXX, understand God to be the subject and the valley to be the object, “he (God) makes it (the valley) (into) a spring.”
<sup>13</sup>tn This rare word may refer to the early (or autumn) rains (see Joel 2:23).
<sup>14</sup>tc The Hebrew text has tokr`B=, “blessings,” but the preceding reference to a “spring” favors an emendation to tokr}B=, “pools” (see KB, 161).
sn Because water is so necessary for life, it makes an apt symbol for divine favor and blessing. As the pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem, God provided for their physical needs and gave them a token of his favor and of the blessings awaiting them at the temple.
¹⁵tn Heb “they go from strength to strength.” The phrase “from strength to strength” occurs only here in the OT. With a verb of motion, the expression “from (common noun) to (same common noun)” normally suggests movement from one point to another or through successive points (see Num 36:7; 1 Chr 16:20; 17:5; Ps 105:13; Jer 25:32). Ps 84:7 may be emphasizing that the pilgrims move successively from one “place of strength” to another as they travel toward Jerusalem. All along the way they find adequate provisions and renewed energy for the trip.
¹⁶tn The psalmist returns to the singular (see v. 5a), which he uses in either a representative or distributive (“each one” ) sense.
¹⁷tn Heb “LORD, God, Hosts.” One expects the construct form yhla before twabx, “hosts” (see Ps 89:9, but <yhla hwhy precedes twabx in Pss 59:5 and 80:4, 19 as well.
¹⁸tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “your anointed one” here and with “our king” in Ps 89:18.
¹⁹tn Heb “look (on) the face of your anointed one.” Jjyvm, “your anointed one,” refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17).
²⁰tn Or “for.”
²¹tn Heb “better is a day in your courts than a thousand (spent elsewhere).”
²²tn The verb rwd, “live,” occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 217).
²³tn Heb “I choose being at the the entrance of the house of my God over living in the tents of the wicked.” The verb [ps appears only here in the OT; it is derived from the noun [s, “threshold.” Traditionally some have interpreted this as a reference to being a doorkeeper at the temple, though some understand it to mean “lie as a beggar at the entrance to the temple” (see KB, 765).
²⁴tn Heb “(is) a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritis texts, the Amarna letters and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 131, note 2.
²⁵tn Or “grace.”
²⁶tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those waling in integrity.”
²⁷tn Traditionally “LORD of Hosts.”
²⁸tn Lit., “(Oh) the happiness (of) the man (who) trusts in you.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the plural “those.” The individual referred to here is representative of all followers of God, as the use of the plural form in v. 12b indicates.
²⁹sn Ps 85. God’s people recall how he forgave their sins in the past, pray that he might now restore them to his favor, and anticipate renewed blessings.
¹tn Heb “you turned with a turning (toward) Jacob.” twbv is apparently a cognate accusative of bwv. See Pss 14:7; 53:6.
²tn Heb “lifted up.”
³tn Heb “covered over.”
⁴tn Heb “the rage of your anger.” The phrase “rage of your anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, Semitics 2 (1971), 17-81. See Pss 69:24; 78:49.
⁵tn Heb “break your displeasure with us.” Some prefer to emend rph, “break,” to rsh, “turn aside.”
⁶tn Heb “Will your anger stretch to a generation and a generation?”
⁷sn I will listen. Having asked for the Lord’s favor, the psalmist (who here represents the nation) anticipates a divine word of assurance.
⁸tn Heb “speak.” The idiom “speak peace” refers to establishing or maintaining peaceful relations with someone (see Gen 37:4; Zech 9:10; cf. Ps 122:8).
⁹tn Heb “to his people and to his faithful followers.” The translation assumes that “his people” and “his faithful followers” are viewed as identical here.
¹⁰tn Or “yet let them not.” After the negative particle la, the prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating the speaker’s desire or wish.
¹¹tn Heb “certainly his deliverance (is) near to those who fear him.”
¹²tn Heb “to dwell, glory, in our land.” “Glory” is the subject of the infinitive. The infinitive with -l=, “to dwell,” probably indicates result here. When God delivers his people and renews his relationship with them, he will once more reveal his royal splendor in the land.
¹³tn The psalmist probably uses the perfect verbal forms in v. 10 in a dramatic or rhetorical manner, describing what he anticipates as if it were already occurring or had already occurred.
¹⁴sn The psalmist personifies these abstract qualities to emphasize that God’s loyal love and faithfulness will yield deliverance and peace for his people.
¹⁵sn The psalmist already sees undeniable signs of God’s faithfulness and expects deliverance to arrive soon.
¹⁶tn Heb “what is good.”
¹⁷tn Both “bestow” and “yield” translate the same Hebrew verb (/tn). The word repetition emphasizes that agricultural prosperity is the direct result of divine blessing.
¹⁸tn Or “will go.”
¹⁹tn Or “will prepare.”
²⁰tn Heb “and it prepares for a way his footsteps.” Some suggest emending <cyw, “and prepares,” to <wlvw, “and peace,” since “deliverance” and “peace” are closely related earlier in v. 13. In this case one might translate, “and peace (goes ahead, making) a pathway for his footsteps.”
²¹sn Ps 86. The psalmist appeals to God’s mercy as he asks for deliverance from his enemies.
¹tn Heb “turn your ear.”
²tn Heb “my life.”
³tn Or “show me favor.”
⁴tn Heb “the soul of your servant.”
⁵tn Heb “I lift up my soul.”
⁶tn Or “for.”
⁷tn Heb “good.”
⁸tn Heb “and there are none like your acts.”
⁹tn Or “bow down before you.”
¹⁰tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles he expects the psalmist to follow. See Pss 25:4; 27:11.
¹¹tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The Lord’s commandments are referred to as “truth” here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will. See Ps 25:5.
¹²tn Heb “Bind my heart to the fearing of your name.” The verb translated “bind” occurs only here in the piel stem. It appears twice in the qal, meaning “be joined” in both cases (Gen 49:6; Isa 14:20). To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for him which in turn motivates one to obey his commands (see Pss 61:5; 102:15).
¹³tn Or “forever.”
¹⁴tn Heb “for your loyal love (is) great over me.”
¹⁵tn Or “for he will have delivered my life.” The verb form indicates a future perfect here.
¹⁶tn Or, “lower Sheol.”
¹⁷tn Heb “rise up against me.”
¹⁸tn Or “assembly.”
¹⁹tn Heb “seek my life and do not set you before them.” See Ps 54:3.
²⁰tn Heb “slow to anger.”
²¹tn Heb “and great of loyal love and faithfulness.”
sn Verse 15. The psalmist’s confession of faith echoes Exod 34:6.
²²tn Heb “the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 116:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the Lord has such a secondary wife or concubine! It is used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant.
²³tn Heb “Work with me a sign for good.” The expression “work a sign” also occurs in Judg 6:17.
²⁴tn After the imperative in the preceding line (“work”), the prefixed verb forms with prefixed waw conjunctive indicate purpose or result.
²⁵tn The perfect verbal forms are understood here as dramatic/rhetorical, expressing the psalmist’s certitude that such a sign from the Lord will be followed by his intervention. Another option is to understand the forms as future perfects (“for you, O LORD, will have helped me and comforted me”).
²⁶sn Ps 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.
¹tn Heb “his foundation (is) in the hills of holiness.” “His foundation” refers here by metonymy to the Lord’s dwelling place in Zion. The “hills” are those surrounding Zion (see Pss 125:2; 133:3).
²tn Heb “glorious things are spoken about you.” The translation assumes this is a general reference to compliments paid to Zion by those who live within her walls and by those who live in the surrounding areas and lands. Another option is that this refers to a prophetic oracle about the city’s glorious future. In this case one might translate, “wonderful things are announced concerning you.”
³sn “Rahab,” which means “proud one,” is used here as a title for Egypt (see Isa 30:7).
⁴tn Heb “to those who know me” (see Ps 36:10). Apparently the Lord speaks here. The verbal construction (hiphil of rkz, “remember,” followed by the preposition -l with a substantive) is rare, but the prepositional phrase is best understood as indicating the recipient of the announcement (see Jer 4:16). Some take the preposition in the sense of “among” and translate, “among those who know me.” In this case these foreigners are viewed as the Lord’s people and the psalm is interpreted as anticipating a time when all nations will worship the Lord (see Ps 86:9) and be considered citizens of Zion.
⁵tn Heb “look.”
⁶tn Heb “Cush.”
⁷tn Heb “and this one was born there.” The words “It is said of them,” are added for clarification and stylistic purposes (see v. 5). Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand “there” as referring to Zion, but it seems more likely that the adverb refers to the nations just mentioned. The foreigners are identified by their native lands.
⁸tn Heb “and of Zion it is said.” Another option is to translate, “and to Zion it is said.” In collocation with the niphal of rma, the preposition -l can introduce the recipient of the statement (see Josh 2:2; Jer 4:11; Hos 1:10; Zeph 3:16), carry the nuance “concerning, of” (see Num 23:23), or mean “ be named” (see Isa 4:3; 62:4).
⁹tn Heb “a man and a man.” The idiom also appears in Est 1:8. The translation assumes that the phrase refers to each of Zion’s residents, in contrast to the foreigners mentioned in v. 4 . Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand this as a reference to each of the nations, including those mentioned in v. 4.
¹⁰tn Traditionally “Most High.”
¹¹tn Heb “and he makes her secure, the Most High.”
¹²tn Heb “the LORD records in the writing of the nations.”
¹³sn As noted in v. 4, the translation assumes a contrast between “there” (the various foreign lands) and “in her” (Zion). In contrast to foreigners, the citizens of Zion have special status because of their birthplace (v. 5). In this case vv. 4 and 6 form a structural frame around v. 5.
¹⁴tc Heb “and singers, like pipers, all my springs (are) in you.” The participial form <yllj appears to be from a denominative verb meaning “play the pipe” (see BDB, 320), though some derive the form from lwj, “dance” (in this case the duplicated lamed requires an emendation to <ylljm, a polel form). The words are addressed to Zion. As it stands, the Hebrew text makes little, if any, sense. “Springs” are often taken here as a symbol of divine blessing and life, but this reading does not relate to the preceding line in any apparent way. The translation above assumes an emendation of ynyum-lk,”all my springs,” to Wnu* <L*K%, “all of them sing” (the form wnu being derived from hnu, “sing”).
¹⁵sn Ps 88. The psalmist cries out in pain to the Lord, begging him for relief from his intense and constant suffering. The psalmist regards God as the ultimate cause of his distress, but nevertheless clings to God in hope.
¹⁶tn The phrase twnul tljm may mean “illness to afflict.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term tljm also appears in the heading of Ps 53.
¹⁷tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See Ps 32.
¹tn Heb “O LORD God of my deliverance.” In light of the content of the psalm, this reference to God as the one who delivers seems overly positive. For this reason some emend the text to yT!u=W^v! yh^loa^, “(O LORD) my God, I cry out.” See v. 13.
²tn Heb “(by) day I cry out, in the night before you.”
³tn Heb “may my prayer come before you.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s desire or prayer.
⁴tn Heb “turn your ear.”
⁵tn Or “my soul.”
⁶tn Heb “and my life approaches Sheol.”
⁷tn Heb “I am considered with.”
⁸tn Heb “the pit.” The noun rwb, “pit, cistern,” is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.
⁹tn Heb “I am like a man (for whom) there is no help.”
¹⁰tn Heb “set free.”
¹¹tn Heb “from your hand.”
¹²sn The noun rwb, “pit, cistern,” is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See v. 4.
¹³tn Heb “(I am) confined and I cannot go out.”
¹⁴tn Heb “I spread out my hands to you.” Spreading out the hands toward God was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15).
¹⁵tn Heb “Rephaim,” a term that refers to those who occupy the land of the dead (see Isa 14:9; 26:14, 19).
¹⁶tn Heb “Abaddon,” a name for Sheol (see BDB, 2). The noun is derived from a verbal root meaning “perish, die.”
¹⁷tn Heb “known.”
¹⁸tn Heb “darkness,” here a title for Sheol.
¹⁹tn Heb “forgetfulness.” The noun, which occurs only here in the OT, is derived from a verbal root meaning “forget” (BDB, 674).
sn The rhetorical questions in vv. 10-12 expect the answer, “Of course not!”
²⁰tn Heb “(why) do you hide your face from me?”
²¹tn Heb “and am dying from youth.”
²²tn Heb “I carry your horrors ???.” The meaning of the form hnwpa, which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. It may be an adverb meaning “very much” (BDB, 67), though some prefer to emend the text to hgwpa, “I am numb,” from the verb gwp (see Pss 38:8; 77:2).
²³tn Heb “passes over me.”
²⁴tn Heb “they encircle me together.”
²⁵tn Heb “you cause to be far from me friend and neighbor.”
²⁶tn Heb “those known by me, darkness.”
²⁷sn Ps 89. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign creator of the world, He recalls God’s covenant with David, but then laments that the promises of the covenant remain unrealized. The covenant promised the Davidic king military victories, but the king has now been subjected to humiliating defeat.
²⁸tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See Ps 32.
¹tn Or “forever.”
²tn Heb “to a generation and a generation I will make known your faithfulness with my mouth.”
³tn Heb “built.”
⁴sn Your faithfulness. This may allude to the Lord’s heavenly throne, which symbolizes his just rule and from which the Lord decrees his unconditional promises (see vv. 8, 14).
⁵tn The words “the LORD said” are added in the translation for clarification. It is clear that the words of vv. 3-4 are spoken by the Lord, in contrast to vv. 1-2, which are spoken by the psalmist.
⁶tn Heb “forever I will establish your offspring.”
⁷tn Heb “and I will build to a generation and a generation your throne.”
⁸tn As the following context makes clear, the personified “heavens” here stand by metonymy for the angelic beings that surround God’s heavenly throne.
⁹tn Heb “in the assembly of the holy ones.” The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3), but here it refers to God’s heavenly assembly and the angels that surround his throne (see vv. 6-7).
¹⁰tn Heb “sons of gods,” or “sons of God.” Though <yla is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem is actually enclitic, rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8.
sn The phrase <yla ynb, “sons of gods” or “sons of God,” occurs only here and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here associated with “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones,” the heavenly assembly, comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings, appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently borrows the Canaanite phrase and applies it to the supernatural beings that surround the heavenly throne.
¹¹tn Heb “feared.”
¹²tn Heb “in the great assembly of the holy ones.”
¹³tn Or perhaps “feared by.”
¹⁴tn Traditionally “God of Hosts.” The title here pictures the Lord as enthroned in the midst of the angelic hosts of heaven.
¹⁵tn Heb “the majesty of the sea.”
¹⁶tn Heb “rise up.”
¹⁷tn Heb “Rahab.”
sn The name Rahab means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the Exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.
¹⁸tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”
¹⁹tn Heb “the world and its fullness, you established them.”
²⁰sn Tabor and Hermon were two of the most prominent mountains in Palestine.
²¹sn The Lord’s arm, hand and right hand all symbolize his activities, especially his exploits in war.
²²tn Heb “is lifted up.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:42; 118:16
²³sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
²⁴tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).
²⁵tn Heb “who know the shout.” “Shout” here refers to the shouts of the Lord’s worshipers (see Pss 27:6; 33:3; 47:5).
²⁶tn Heb “in the light of your face they walk.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; Dan 9:17).
²⁷tn Heb “are lifted up.”
²⁸tn Heb “for the splendor of their strength (is) you.”
²⁹tn Heb “you lift up our horn,” or, if one follows the marginal reading (qere), “our horn is lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
³⁰sn/ The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “our king" here and with “your anointed one” in Ps 84:9.
³¹tn Or “Holy One of Israel.”
sn Sovereign ruler. The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. See the study note at Isa 6:3.
³²tn The Lord is addressed. The quotation that follows further develops the announcement of vv. 3-4.
³³tn Many medieval manuscripts read the singular here, “your faithful follower.” In this case the statement refers directly to Nathan’s oracle to David (see 2 Sam 7:17).
³⁴tn Heb “I have placed help upon a warrior.”
³⁵tn Or perhaps “a chosen one.”
³⁶tn The words “as king” are added in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.
³⁷tn Heb “with whom my hand will be firm.”
³⁸tn Heb “an enemy will not exact tribute.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential.
³⁹tn The translation understands the hiphil of avn in the sense of “act as a creditor.” This may allude to the practice of a conqueror forcing his subjects to pay tribute in exchange for “protection.” Another option is to take the verb from a homonymic verbal root meaning “deceive, trick.” Still another option is to emend the form to aC*y], a qal imperfect from acn, “rise up,” and to translate, “an enemy will not rise up against him” (see M. Dahood, Psalms II, 317.
⁴⁰tn Heb “and a son of violence will not oppress him.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential. The reference to a “son of violence” echoes the language of God’s promise to David in 2 Sam 7:10 (see also 1 Chr 17:9).
⁴¹tn Heb “and my faithfulness and my loyal love (will be) with him.”
⁴²tn Heb “and by my name his horn will be lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
⁴³sn Some identify “the sea” as the Mediterranean and “the rivers” as the Euphrates and its tributaries. However, it is more likely that “the sea” and “rivers” are symbols for hostile powers that oppose God and the king (see v. 9, as well as Ps 93:).
⁴⁴sn You are my father. The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See Moshe Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” Journal of the American Oriental Society 90 (1970), 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
⁴⁵tn Heb “the rocky summit of my deliverance.”
⁴⁶sn The firstborn son typically had special status and received special privileges.
⁴⁷tn Heb “forever I will keep for him my loyal love, and will covenant is secure for him.”
⁴⁸tn Heb “and I will set in place forever his offspring.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “and his throne like the days of the heavens.”
⁵⁰tn Or “desecrate.”
⁵¹tn Heb “I will punish with a club their rebellion.”
sn Despite the harsh image, the language reflects a father-son relationship (see v. 30; 2 Sam 7:14). According to Proverbs, a fbv, “club,” was sometimes utilized to administer corporal punishment to rebellious children (see Prov 13:24; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15).
⁵²tn Heb “with blows their sin.”
⁵³tn Heb “break, make ineffectual.” Some prefer to emend rypa (the hiphil of rrp, “to break”) to rysa (the hiphil of rws, “to turn aside,” a verb that appears in 2 Sam 7:15).
⁵⁴tn Heb “and I will not deal falsely with my faithfulness.”
⁵⁵tn Or “desecrate.”
⁵⁶tn Heb “and what proceeds out of my lips I will not alter.”
⁵⁷tn Or “lie to.”
⁵⁸tn Heb “his offspring forever will be.”
⁵⁹tn Heb “and his throne like the sun before me.”
⁶⁰tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”
⁶¹tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join duw to <lwu in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase duw <lwu, “forever.” In this case one may translate the second line, “(it) will be secure like the skies.” Another option, the one reflected in the translation above, is to take du as a rare noun meaning “throne, dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= ask), “throne,” and `d (= du), “dais,” appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see J. Gibson, CML, 101). Emending qjvb “in the heavens,” to qjvk, “like the heavens” (bet/kaph confusion is widely attested), one can then read, “(his) throne like the heavens (is) firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (<yqjv) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. (Ps 89:29 uses <ymv, “skies,” which frequently appears in parallelism to <yqjv See BDB, 1007.)
<sup>62</sup>tn The Hebrew construction (conjunction + pronoun, followed by the verb) draws attention to the contrast between what follows and what precedes.
<sup>63</sup>tn Heb “your anointed one.” Jjyvm, “your anointed one,” refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 132:10, 17).
<sup>64</sup>tn The Hebrew verb appears only here and in Lam 2:7 (see KB, 658).
<sup>65</sup>tn Heb “the covenant of your servant.”
<sup>66</sup>tn Heb “you dishonor (or “desecrate”) on the ground his crown.”
<sup>67</sup>tn The king here represents the land and cities over which he rules.
<sup>68</sup>tn Heb “all the passersby on the road.”
<sup>69</sup>tn Heb “you have lifted up the right hand of his adversaries.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:13; 118:16).
<sup>70</sup>tn The perfect verbal form predominates in vv. 38-45. The use of the imperfect in this one instance may be for rhetorical effect. The psalmist briefly lapses into dramatic mode, describing the king’s military defeat as if it were happening before his very eyes.
<sup>71</sup>tn Heb “you turn back, rocky summit, his sword.” rwx, “rocky summit,” makes no sense here, unless it is a divine title understood as vocative, “you turn back, O Rocky Summit, his sword.” Some emend the form to rx, “flint,” on the basis of Josh 5:2, which uses the phrase <yrx twbrj, “flint knives.” rx, “flint,” can then be taken as “flint-like edge,” indicating the sharpness of the sword (see BDB, 866). Others emend the form to rjwa, “backward,” or to rxm, “from the adversary.” The translation above reflects the latter, assuming an original wbrj rxm byvt, which was corrupted to wbrj rx byvt by virtual haplography (confusion of beth/mem is well-attested) with rx, “adversary,” then being misinterpreted as rwx in the later tradition.
<sup>72</sup>tn Heb “and you have not caused him to stand in the battle.”
<sup>73</sup>tn The Hebrew text appears to read, “you have brought to an end from his splendor,” but the form wrhfm should be slightly emended (the dagesh should be removed from the tet) and read simply “his splendor” (the initial mem is not the preposition, but a nominal prefix). See KB, 573-74.
<sup>74</sup>tn The verb rgm occurs only here and perhaps in Ezek 21:17 (see KB, 546).
<sup>75</sup>tn Heb “the days of his youth” (see as well Job 33:25).
<sup>76</sup>tn Heb “How long, O LORD, will hide yourself forever?”
<sup>77</sup>tn Heb “remember me, what is (my) lifespan.” dlj is also used of one’s lifespan in Ps 39:5. Because the Hebrew text is so awkward here, some prefer to emend it to read yna ldj hm, “(remember) how transient (that is, “shortlived”) I am” (see Ps 39:4).
<sup>78</sup>tn Heb “For what emptiness do you create all the sons of mankind?” In this context awv refers to mankind’s mortal nature and the brevity of life (see vv. 45, 48).
<sup>79</sup>tn Heb “Who (is) the man (who) can live and not see death, (who) can deliver his life from the hand of Sheol?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
<sup>80</sup>tn The Lord’s “faithful deeds” are also mentioned in Pss 17:7 and 25:6.
<sup>81</sup>tn Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts read here hwhy, “the LORD.”
<sup>82</sup>tn Heb “(which) you swore on oath to David by your faithfulness.”
<sup>83</sup>tn Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts read here hwhy, “the LORD.”
<sup>84</sup>tn Heb “remember, O sovereign master, the taunt against your servants.” Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts read the singular here, “your servant” (that is, the psalmist).
<sup>85</sup>tn Heb “my lifting up in my arms (or “against my chest”) all of the many, peoples.” <ybr, “many,” makes no apparent sense here. For this reason some emend the text to yb@r], “attacks by,” a defectively written plural construct form of byr, “dispute, quarrel.”
<sup>86</sup>tn Heb “(by) which your enemies, O LORD, taunt, (by) which they taunt (at) the heels of your anointed one.”
<sup>87</sup>sn Verse 52. The final verse is a conclusion to this third “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 106:48, respectively).
<sup>88</sup>tn Heb “(be) blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
<sup>89</sup>tn Heb /m@a*w+ /m@a*, “surely and surely” (i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.
<sup>90</sup>sn Ps 90. In this communal lament the worship leader affirms that the eternal God and creator of the world has always been Israel’s protector. But God also causes men, who are as transient as grass, to die, and in his fierce anger he decimates his covenant community, whose brief lives are filled with suffering and end in weakness. The community asks for wisdom, the restoration of God’s favor, a fresh revelation of his power and his blessing upon their labors.
<sup>1</sup>tn Or “place of safety.” See Ps 71:3.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “were born.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “and you gave birth to the earth and world.” The polel verbal form in the Hebrew text pictures God giving birth to the world. The LXX and some other ancient textual witnesses assume a polal (passive) verbal form here. In this case the earth becomes the subject of the verb and the verb is uncerstood as third feminine singular, rather than second masculine singular.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “and from everlasting to everlasting you (are) God.” Instead of la@, “God,” the LXX reads la^, “not,” and joins the negative particle to the following verse, making the verb bvt a jussive. In this case verse 3a reads as a prayer, “do not turn man back to a low place.” However, taking bvt as a jussive is problematic in light of the following wayyiqtol form rmatw, “and you said/say.”
<sup>5</sup>tn In this context the shortened prefix form does not function as a preterite, but indicates what is typical of the world.
<sup>6</sup>tn The form akd carries the basic sense of “crushed.” Elsewhere it refers to those who are “crushed” in spirit or contrite of heart (see Ps 34:18; Isa 57:15). If one understands this nuance here, then v. 3 is observing that God leads mankind to repentance (bwv, “return,” which appears twice in this verse, is sometimes used of repentance.) However, the following context laments mankind’s mortality and the brevity of life, so it doubtful if v. 3 should be understood so positively. It is more likely that akd here refers to “crushed matter,” that is, the dust that fills the grave (see KB, 221; BDB, 194). In this case one may hear an echo of Gen 3:19.
<sup>7</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>8</sup>sn Divisions of the nighttime. The ancient Israelites divided the nighttime into distinct periods, or “watches” (see KB, 96).
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “you bring them to an end (with) sleep.” The verb <rz has traditionally been taken to mean “flood” or “overwhelm” (note the polel form of a root <rz in Ps 77:17, where the verb is used of the clouds pouring down rain). However, the verb form here is qal, not polel, and is better understood as a homonym meaning “to make an end (of life)” (see KB, 281). hnv, “sleep,” can be taken as an adverbial accusative; it is a euphemism here for death (see Ps 76:5-6).
<sup>10</sup>tn Or “flourishes.” The verb is used of a crown shining in Ps 132:18. Perhaps here in Ps 90:6 it refers to the glistening of the grass in the morning dew.
<sup>11</sup>tn The polel form of this verb occurs only here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a qal (which necessitates eliminating the final lamed as dittographic). See Ps 37:2.
<sup>12</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “you set our sins in front of you.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “what we have hidden to the light of your face.” God’s face is compared to a light or lamp that exposes the darkness around it.
<sup>15</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “all our days pass by in your anger.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “we finish our years like a sigh.” In Ezek 2:10 the word hgh elsewhere refers to a grumbling or moaning sound. Here a brief sigh or moan is probably in view (see BDB, 212). If so, the simile pictures one’s lifetime as transient. Another option is that the simile alludes to the weakness that characteristically overtakes a person at the end of one’s lifetime. In this case one might translate, “we end our lives with a painful moan.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “the days of our years, in them (are) seventy years.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “or if (there is) strength, eighty years.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “and their pride (is) destruction and wickedness.” The noun bh^ro occurs only here. BDB assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root bhr, “act sotrmily, boisterously, arrogantly” (923). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).
<sup>21</sup>tn or “for.”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb zwg means “pass” here (see BDB, 157; KB, 182); it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.
<sup>23</sup>sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “Who knows the strength of your anger?”
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “and like your fear (is) your raging fury.” Perhaps one should emend Jtarykw, “and like your fear,” to Jtary, “your fear,” understanding a virtual dittography (Jtarykw Jpa) to have occurred. In this case the psalmist asserts, “your fear (is) your raging fury,” that is, your raging fury is what causes others to fear you. The suffix on “fear” is understood as objective.
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb ‘to number our days,” that is, to be aware of how few they really are.
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “and we will bring a heart of wisdom.” After the imperative of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates purpose/result. “Heart” here refers to the center of one’s thoughts, volition and moral character.
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “Return, O LORD! How long?”
<sup>29</sup>tn Elsewhere the niphal of <jn + the preposition lu + a personal object has the nuance, “be comforted concerning” (the personal object’s death)(see 2 Sam 13:39; Jer 31:15). However, here the context seems to demand “feel sorrow for, have pity on.” In Deut 32:36 and Ps 135:14, where “servants” is also the object of the preposition, this idea is expressed with the hithpael form of the verb.
<sup>30</sup>sn Morning is used metaphorically for a time of renewed joy after affliction (see Pss 30:5; 46:5; 49:14; 59:16; 143:8).
<sup>31</sup>tn After the imperative (see the preceding line) the cohortatives with the prefixed conjunction indicate purpose/result.
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “have seen.”
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “may your work be revealed to your servants.” In this context (note v. 17) the verb form hary is best understood as an unshortened jussive (see Gen 1:9; Isa 47:3).
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “and your majesty to their sons.” The verb “be revealed” is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
<sup>35</sup>tn Heb “and may the delight of the master, our God, be on us.” <un, “delight,” is used in Ps 27:4 of the Lord’s “beauty,” but here it seems to refer to his favor (see BDB, 653) or kindness (KB, 706).
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “and the work of our hands establish over us, and the work of our hands, establish it.”
<sup>37</sup>sn Ps 91. In this psalm an individual (perhaps a priest) addresses one who has sought shelter in the Lord and assures him that God will protect him from danger (vv. 1-13). In vv. 14-16 God himself promises to keep his loyal follower safe.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “(O) one who lives.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Traditionally “Most High.”
<sup>3</sup>sn The Lord is likened here to a bird who protects its young under the shadow of its wings (see v. 4).
<sup>4</sup>sn The divine name used here is yD^v^, “Shaddai” (see also Ps 68:14). Shaddai/El Shaddai is the mighty king/sovereign judge of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendents. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness.
<sup>5</sup>tn The word refers specifically to a fowler, or hunter of birds.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “put a cover over you” (see Ps 5:11).
<sup>7</sup>tc The Hebrew text has the singular, but plural should be read. The final yod of the suffix, which indicates the plural, has dropped off by haplography (note the yod at the beginning of the next word).
<sup>8</sup>tn Traditionally hrjs, which occurs only here in the OT, has been understood to refer to a buckler, or small shield (see BDB, 695). But KB (750), on the basis of evidence from the cognate languages, proposes the meaning “wall.”
<sup>9</sup>tn This probably alludes to a sneak attack by his enemies in the darkness of night (see Song 3:8).
<sup>10</sup>sn As in Deut 32:23-24, vv. 5-6 closely associate military attack and deadly disease. Perhaps the latter alludes to one of the effects of siege warfare on the population of an entrapped city, which was especially vulnerable to the outbreak of epidemics.
<sup>11</sup>tn Apparently the deadly disease mentioned in v. 6b is the understood subject here.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “retribution on the wicked.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “for you, the LORD, my shelter, the Most High, you have made your dwelling place.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Or “confront.”
<sup>15</sup>tn For this sense of ugn see Ps 38:11.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “your tent.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “for his angels he will command concerning you.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “in all your ways.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “so your foot will not strike a stone.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “walk upon.”
<sup>21</sup>tn Or perhaps “cobra” (see Ps 58:4).
<sup>22</sup>tn The words “the LORD says” are added in the translation to clarify that the words that follow are the Lord’s oracle of assurance.
<sup>23</sup>tn Or “make him secure” (lit., “set him on high”).
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “because he knows my name” (see Ps 9:10).
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “length of days.”
<sup>26</sup>sn Ps 92. The psalmist praises God because he defeats the wicked and vindicates his loyal followers.
<sup>1</sup>tn Or “good.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Traditionally “Most High.”
<sup>3</sup>tn The words “it is fitting” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons. Verses 1-3 are actually one long sentence in the Hebrew text.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “the works of your hands.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “very deep (are) your thoughts.” God’s “thoughts” refer here to his moral design of the world, as outlined in vv. 6-15.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “the brutish man does not know, and the fool does not understand this.” The adjective rub, “brutish,” refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 49:10; 73:22; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).
<sup>7</sup>tn Or “flourish.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “in order that they might be destroyed permanently.”
sn God allows the wicked to prosper temporarily so that he might reveal his justice. When the wicked are annihilated, God demonstrates that wickedness does not pay off.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “(are elevated) on high.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>12</sup>sn The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; Lam 2:17).
<sup>13</sup>tn The verb llb usually has the nuance “mix.” Here it seems to mean “smear” or “anoint.” Some emend the form to yntlb, a second person form of the verb with a first person suffix, and read, “you anoint me.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “my eye gazes upon those who watch me (with evil intent).” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2. The form yrwv should be emended to yrrwv.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “those who rise up against me, evil (men), my ears hear.”
<sup>16</sup>tn The singular is used in a representative sense, the typical godly person being in view.
<sup>17</sup>sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “so that (they) proclaim that upright (is) the LORD, my rocky summit, and there is no injustice in him.”
<sup>20</sup>sn Ps 93. The psalmist affirms that the LORD is the king of the universe who preserves order and suppresses the destructive forces in the world.
<sup>1</sup>sn Strength is likened here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “from antiquity (are) you.” As the context suggests, this refers specifically to God’s royal position, not his personal existence.
<sup>3</sup>tn The noun often refers to rivers or streams, but here it apperas to refer to the surging waves of the sea (see v. 4, Ps 24:2).
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “the waves lift up, O LORD, the waves lift up their voice, the waves lift up their crashing.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “mighty waters.” The “surging waters” here symbolize the hostile enemies of God who seek to destroy the order he has established in the world (see Pss 18:17; 29:3; 32:6; 77:20; 144:7; Isa 17:13; Jer 51:55; Ezek 26:19; Hab 3:15). But the Lord is depicted as elevated above and sovereign over these raging waters.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “mighty on high (is) the LORD.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Traditionally, “your testimonies.” The noun twdu refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law. See Ps 19:7.
<sup>8</sup>tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
<sup>9</sup>sn Here “holiness” refers to God’s royal transcendence (see vv. 1-4), as well as his moral authority and perfection (see v. 5a).
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “for your house holiness is fitting, O LORD, for length of days.”
<sup>11</sup>sn Ps 94. The psalmist asks God to judge the wicked and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “shine forth” (see Pss 50:2; 80:1).
<sup>2</sup>tn Or “exult.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “they gush forth (words).”
<sup>4</sup>tn The hithpael of rma occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).
<sup>5</sup>tn Or “your inheritance.”
<sup>6</sup>tn The noun <wty refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 82:3; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “does not understand.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “understand.” The verb used in v. 7 is repeated here for rhetorical effect. They claim God is ignorant of their actions, but the psalmist corrects their faulty viewpoint.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “(you) brutish among the people.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “The one who plants an ear, does he not hear? The one who forms an eye, does he not see?”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “the LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are emptiness.” The psalmist thinks specifically of the “thoughts” expressed in v. 7.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “(Oh) the happiness (of) the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in v. 2.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb ‘to give him rest from the days of trouble.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “until a pit is dug for the wicked.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Or “his inheritance.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “all the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 97:11).
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “and after it (are) the pure of heart.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “for me.”
<sup>21</sup>sn Who will? The questions anticipate the answer, “No one except God” (see v. 17).
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “If the LORD (were) not my help, quickly my life would have lied down in silence.” The psalmist, perhaps speaking as the nation’s representative, recalls God’s past intervention. For other examples of conditional sentences with ylwl, “if not,” in the protasis and a perfect verbal form in the apodosis, see Pss 119:92 and 124:2-5.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “when my worries are many within me.”
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “your comforts cause my soul to delight.”
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “Is a throne of destruction united to you, one that forms trouble upon a statute?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course not!” The translation, while not preserving the interrogative form of the statement, reflects its rhetorical force. “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.
<sup>26</sup>tn Or “attack.”
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “and the LORD has become my elevated place.” The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “and my God (has become) a rocky summit of my safety.”
<sup>31</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form with waw consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
<sup>32</sup>tn Or “in.”
<sup>33</sup>sn Ps 95. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God as the creator of the world and the nation’s protector, but he also reminds the people not to rebel against God.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “to the rocky summit of our deliverance.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “meet his face.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “with songs of joy.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “above.”
<sup>5</sup>tn That is, within the sphere of his authority.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “kneel down.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “of his hand.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The particle <a, “if,” and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Ps 81:8 and BDB, 50). Note that the apodosis (“then” part of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.
<sup>9</sup>tn The words “he says” are added in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “do not harden your heart(s) as (at0 Meribah, as (in) the day of Massah in the wilderness.”
sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them. The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”
<sup>12</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite or an imperfect. If the latter, it emphasizes the ongoing nature of the condition in the past. The translation reflects this interpretation of the verbal form.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart (are) they.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the Lord’s “ways” are his commands, viewed as a pathway from which his people, likened to wayward sheep (se v. 7), wander.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are likened to sheep (see v. 7).
<sup>16</sup>sn Ps 96. The psalmist summons everyone to praise the Lord, the sovereign creator of the world who preserves and promotes justice in the earth.
<sup>1</sup>sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See also Pss 33:3; 40:3; 98:1.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “announce from day to day his deliverance.”
<sup>3</sup>tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
<sup>4</sup>tn Or perhaps “and feared by all gods.” See Ps 89:7.
<sup>5</sup>tn <ylyla, “worthless,” sounds like <yhla, “gods.” The soundplay draws attention to the statement.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “majesty and splendor (are) before him.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “strength and beauty (are) in his sanctuary.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “the splendor of (i.e., due) his name.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Or “in holy splendor.”
<sup>10</sup>tn The verbal forms in v. 13 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge . . .”).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”
<sup>12</sup>sn Ps 97. The psalmist depicts the Lord as the sovereign, just king of the world who comes in power to vindicate his people.
<sup>1</sup>sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “all around.”
<sup>3</sup>tn The translation assumes that the prefixed verbal form in the first line is an imperfect (“are ashamed”) and that the ambiguous form in the third line is a perfect (“bow down”) because the psalmist appears to be describing the effect of the Lord’s mighty theophany on those who witness it (see vv. 5, 8). Another option is to take the prefixed form in line one as a jussive (“let all who worship idols be ashamed”) and the ambiguous form in the third line as an imperative (“All you gods, bow down before him!”).
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “daughters.” The reference is to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and TDOT, 2:336).
<sup>5</sup>tn Traditionally “Most High.”
<sup>6</sup>tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the LORD.” In this case one may translate, “Hate evil, you who love the LORD, the one who protects the lives . . . and delivers . . . .”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “hand.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “Light is planted for the godly, and for the upright of heart joy.” The translation assumes an emendation of urz, “planted,” to jrz, “shines,” which collocates more naturally with “light.” “Light” here symbolizes the joy (note the next line) that accompanies deliverance and the outpouring of divine favor.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The noun rkz, “remembrance,” here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. See KB, 271, and Pss 6:5; 30:4. The Lord’s “name” is “holy” in the sense that it is a reminder of his uniqueness and greatness.
<sup>10</sup>sn Ps 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.
<sup>1</sup>sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.
<sup>2</sup>tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as persent perfects, “has performed . . . has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own—God’s power is incomparable.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “makes known his deliverance.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “he remembers his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “the deliverance of our God,” with “God” being a subjective genitive.
<sup>7</sup>tn The verbal forms in v. 9 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge . . .”).
<sup>8</sup>sn Ps 99. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s just rule and recalls how he revealed himself to Israel’s leaders.
<sup>1</sup>tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 1 are understood here as indicating the nations’ characteristic reponse to the reality of the Lord’s kingship. Another option is to take them as jussives, “let the nations tremble . . . let the earth shake!”
<sup>2</sup>sn Heb “cherubs.” Cherubs, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Ex 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 80:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubs suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubs in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.
<sup>3</sup>tn The verb fwn occurs only here in the OT, but the meaning can be determined on the basis of the parallelism with zgr, “tremble,” and evidence from the cognate languages (see KB, 680, and H. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena, 121).
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “great.”
<sup>5</sup>tn The pronoun refers to the Lord himself (see vv. 5, 9).
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the LORD (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun zuo, “strength,” should probably be revocalized as the adjective zu^, “strong.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “you establish fairness.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Or “exalt.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Or “bow down.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “among those who called on his name.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “those who.” The participle is in apposition to “those who called on” in the preceding line.
<sup>12</sup>sn Pillar of cloud. The psalmist refers to the reality described in Exod 33:9-10; Num 12:5; and Deut 31:15.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “a God of lifting up (i.e., forgiveness) you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned. Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form <q@n), “an avenger,” to <q*n), a rare qal participial form of hqn, “purify,” with a suffixed pronoun (see KB, 720). In this case one may translate, “and one who purified them from their (sinful) deeds.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Or “exalt.”
<sup>15</sup>sn Ps 100. The psalmist celebrates the fact that Israel has a special relationship to God and summons worshipers to praise the Lord for his faithfulness.
<sup>1</sup>tn Or “serve.”
<sup>2</sup>tn The translation follows the marginal reading (qere), which reads literally, “and to him (are) we.” The consonantal text (kethib) has “and not we.” The suffixed preposition wl, “to him,” was confused aurally with the negative particle al, for the two sound identical.
<sup>3</sup>tn Or “is forever.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “and to a generation and a generation (is) his faithfulness.”
<sup>5</sup>sn Ps 101. The psalmist, who appears to be a king, promises to promote justice in his land and vows to rid his royal court of evildoers.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “take notice of.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “the doing of swerving (deeds) I hate.” <yfs is probably an alternate spelling of <yfc, which appears in many medieval Hebrew manuscripts. The form appears to be derived from a verbal root fwc, “to fall away, swerve” (see Ps 40:4).
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “it (i.e., the doing of evil deeds) does not cling to me.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective vqu has the basic nuance “twisted, crooked,” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse (see Ps 18:26). It appears frequently in Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20) and life styles (2:15; 28:6).
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “(one who has) pride of eyes and wideness (i.e., arrogance) of heart, him I will not endure.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “my eyes (are) on the faithful of the land.”
<sup>10</sup>tn The Hebrew text has simply “in order to live with me.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “he will not live in the midst of my house, one who does deceit.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “one who speaks lies will not be established before my eyes.”
<sup>14</sup>sn Ps 102. The psalmist laments his oppressed state, but longs for a day when the Lord will restore Jerusalem and vindicate his suffering people.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “and may my cry for help come to you.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 29:7; 30:7; 88:14).
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “for my days come to an end in smoke.”
<sup>5</sup>tn The Hebrew noun dqwm, “fireplace,” occurs only here, Isa 33:14 (where it refers to the fire itself), and perhaps in Lev 6;2 (see KB, 559).
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “struck, attacked.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “forget.”
sn During his time of mourning, the psalmist refrains from eating. Here he describes metaphorically the physical effects of fasting.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “from the sound of my groaning my bone(s) stick to my flesh.” The preposition at the beginning of the verse is causal; the phrase “sound of my groaning” is metonymic for the anxiety that causes the groaning. The point seems to be this: Anxiety (which causes the psalmist to groan) keeps him from eating (v. 4). This physical deprivation in turn makes him emaciated—he’s turned to “skin and bones,” as it were.
<sup>9</sup>tn taq refers to some type of bird (see Lev.11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14).
<sup>10</sup>tn swk refers to a bird (see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16), probably a type of owl (see KB, 466).
<sup>11</sup>sn By comparing himself to an owl, the psalmist may be highlighting his loneliness (see v. 7), though he may also be comparing his cries for help to the owl’s screech.
<sup>12</sup>tn This probably refers to his inability to sleep. Another option is to translate, “I keep watch,” in which case it might refer to watching for a response for the Lord (see vv. 1-2).
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “by me they swear.” When they call judgment down on others, they hold the psalmist up as a prime example of what they desire their enemies to become.
<sup>14</sup>sn Mourners would sometimes put ashes on their head or roll in ashes (see 2 Sam 13:19; Job 2:8; Isa 58:5).
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “weeping.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “my days (are) like an extended (or “lengthening”) shadow,” that is, like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness.
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “sit” (i.e., enthroned, see Ps 9:7). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “and your remembrance (is) for a generation and a generation.”
<sup>20</sup>tn The imperfect verbal forms are understood as expressing the psalmist’s confidence in God’s intervention. Another option is to take them as expressing the psalmist’s request or wish, “You, rise up and have compassion!”
<sup>21</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>22</sup>tn The poel of /nj occurs only here and in Prov 14:21, where it refers to having compassion on the poor.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “her dust,” probably referring to the dust of the city’s rubble (see KB, 862).
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “will fear the name of the LORD.” To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).
<sup>25</sup>tn The verb “will fear” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).
<sup>26</sup>tn The adjective ruru, “destitute,” occurs only here in the OT. It is derived from the verbal root rru, “strip oneself.”
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “despise.”
<sup>28</sup>tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 16-17 are functioning as future perfects, indicating future actions that will precede the future developments described in v. 15.
<sup>29</sup>tn The Hebrew text has simply “this,” referring to the anticipated divine intervention on behalf of Zion (vv. 13, 16-17).
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “from the height of his sanctuary.”
<sup>31</sup>tn The perfect verbal forms in v. 19 are functioning as future perfects, indicating future actions that will precede the future developments described in v. 18.
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “the sons of death.” The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 79:11) is idiomatic for those condemned to die (see BDB, 121).
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “his praise.”
<sup>34</sup>tn “and the kingdoms to serve the LORD.”
<sup>35</sup>tn Heb “he has afflicted my strength in the way.” “Way” refers here to the course of his life (BDB, 203), which appears to be ending prematurely (vv. 23b-24).
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “do not lift me up in the middle of my days.”
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “in a generation of generations (are) your years.”
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “stand.”
<sup>39</sup>tn The verb [lj occurs twice in this line, once in the hiphil (“you will remove them”) and once in the qal (“they will disappear”). The repetition draws attention to the statement.
<sup>40</sup>tn Heb “you (are) he,” or “you (are) the one.” The statement may echo the Lord’s affirmation “I am he” in Isa 41:4; 43:10, 13; 46:10; 48:12. In each of these passages the affirmation emphasizes the fact that the Lord transcends time limitations, the very point being made in Ps 102:27.
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “before you will be established.”
<sup>42</sup>sn Ps 103. The psalmist praises God for his mercy and willingness to forgive his people.
<sup>1</sup>tn The verb “praise” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).
<sup>2</sup>tn Or “his benefits” (see 2 Chr 32:25, where the noun is also used of kind deeds performed by the Lord).
<sup>3</sup>tn This relatively rare noun refers to deadly diseases (see Deut 29:22; Jer 14:18; 16:4; 2 Chr 21:19).
<sup>4</sup>tn Or “redeems.”
<sup>5</sup>tn tjv, “pit,” is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 55:24.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “who satisfies with the good of your ornaments.” The text as it stands makes little, if any, sense. the translation assumes an emendation of Jydu, “your ornaments,” to yk!d@uo, “your duration, continuance,” that is, “your life” (see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 18).
<sup>7</sup>sn This may allude to the phenomenon of molting, whereby the eagle grows new feathers.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “the LORD does fairness, and (acts of) justice for all the oppressed.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “made known his ways.” God’s “ways” in this context are his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 18:30; 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 138:5; 145:17).
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Ps 86:15).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Ps 86:15).
<sup>12</sup>tn The verb rfn is usually taken to mean “keep, guard,” with “anger” being understood by ellipsis. The idiom “guard anger” is then understood to mean “remain angry” (see Lev 19:18; Jer 3:5, 12; Nah 1:2). However, it is possible that this is a homonymic root meaning “be angry” (see KB, 695).
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “not according to our sins does he do to us.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “and not according to our misdeeds does he repay us.”
<sup>15</sup>tn For this sense of the verb rbg, see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 17, 19.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “those who fear him.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “sunrise.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Or “sunset.”
<sup>19</sup>tn ouvp, “rebellious act,” is here used metonymically for the guilt such actions produce.
<sup>20</sup>tn Or “sons,” but the Hebrew term sometimes refers to children in general.
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “those who fear him.”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “our form.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “remembers.”
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “we (are) clay.”
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “(as for) mankind, like grass (are) his days.” The noun vwna is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “(the) wind.” The word “hot” is added for clarification.
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “but the loyal love of the LORD (is) from everlasting to everlasting over those who fear him.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “and his righteousness to sons of sons.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “to those who remember his precepts to do them.”
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “his kingdom rules over all.”
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “(you) mighty ones of strength, doers of his word, by listening to the voice of his word.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “all his hosts.”
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “his attendants, doers of his desire.”
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.
<sup>35</sup>tn Heb “places.”
<sup>36</sup>sn Ps 104. The psalmist praises God as the ruler of the world who sustains all life.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “very great.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “one who lays the beams on water (in) his upper rooms.”
sn The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 44-45.
<sup>3</sup>sn Verse 3 may depict the Lord mouting a cherub, which is in turn propelled by the wind current. Another option is that the wind is personified as a cherub. See Ps 18:10 and the discussion of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the imagery in M. Weinfeld, JANES 5 (1973), 422-24.
<sup>4</sup>tc Heb “and his attendants a flaming fire.” The lack of agreement between singular “fire” and plural “attendants” has prompted emendations. Some read “fire and flame.” The translation above assumes an emendation to “his attendant” (wy in the Hebrew text being virtually dittographic).
sn In Ugaritic mythology Yam’s messengers appear as flaming fire before the assembly of the gods. See J. Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 42.
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “you covered it.” The masculine suffix is problematic if the grammatically feminine noun “earth” is the antecedent. For this reason some emend the form to a feminine verb with feminine suffix, hT*S^K!, “(the watery deep) covered it (the earth),” a reading assumed by the translation above.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “stood.”
<sup>7</sup>sn Verse 6 refers to the condition described in Gen 1:2 (note the use of <wht, “watery deep,” in both texts).
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “from your shout they fled, from the sound of your thunder they hurried off.”
sn Verses 7-8 poetically depict Gen 1:9-10.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “a boundary you set up, they will not cross, they will not return to cover the earth.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “(the) one who sends springs into streams.” Another option is to translate, “he sends streams (those that originate from springs) into the valleys.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “among the thick foliage they give a sound.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “from his upper rooms.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “from the fruit of your works the earth is full.” The translation assumes that “fruit” is literal here. If “fruit” is understood more abstractly as “product, result,” then one may translate, “the earth flourishes as a result of your deeds.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “causes the grass to sprout up.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “for the service of man” (see Gen 2:5).
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “to cause food to come out from the earth.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “and wine (that) makes the heart of man happy.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “to make (the) face shine from oil.” The verb lhx, “shine,” occurs only here in the OT. It appears to be an alternate form of rhx, a derivative from <yrhx, “noon” (see BDB, 843).
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “and food (that) sustains the heart of man.”
<sup>20</sup>sn The “trees of the LORD” are the cedars of Lebanon (see the next line), which are viewed as special because of their great size and grandeur. The Lebanon forest was viewed as the “garden of God” (see Ezek 31:8).
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “are satisfied,” which means here that they receive abundant rain (see v. 13).
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “(the) heron (in the) evergreens (is) its home.”
sn The cedars and evergreens of the Lebanon forest are frequently associated (see, for example, 2 Chr 2:8; Isa 14:8; 37:24; Ezek 31:8).
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “the high mountains (are) for the goats.”
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “he made (the) moon for appointed times.” The “appointed times” probably refer to the months of the Hebrew lunar calendar.
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb more metaphorically, “knows its setting.”
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “you make darkness, so that it might be night.”
<sup>27</sup>sn The lions’ roaring is viewed as a request for food.
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “lie down.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening.”
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “How many (are) your works, O LORD.” In this case the Lord’s “works” are the creatures he has made, as the preceding and following contexts make clear.
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “all of them with wisdom you have made.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “this (is) the sea, great and broad of hands” (i.e. “sides”).
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “where (there are) swimming things, and without number.”
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “ (and) this Leviathan, (which) you formed to play in it.” Elsewhere Leviathan is a multi-headed sea monster that symbolizes forces hostile to God (see Ps 74:14; Isa 27:1), but here it appears to be a literal marine creature created by God, probably some type of whale.
<sup>35</sup>tn Not just the sea creatures mentioned in vv. 25-26, but all living things (see v. 24).
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb ‘to give their food in its time.”
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “they are satisfied (with) good.”
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “you hide your face, they are terrified.”
<sup>39</sup>tn Heb “be forever.”
<sup>40</sup>tn Or “rejoice in his works.”
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “in my duration.”
<sup>42</sup>tn As expressed in his songs of praise.
<sup>43</sup>tn Or “be destroyed.”
<sup>44</sup>sn Ps 105. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God because he delivered his people from Egypt in fulfillment of his covenantal promises to Abraham. A parallel version of vv. 1-15 appears in 1 Chr 16:8-22.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Some manuscripts have “Israel,” which appears in the parallel version of this psalm in 1 Chr 16:13.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “in all the earth (are) his judgments.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “(the) word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as verses 10-12 make clear.
<sup>5</sup>tn Or “eternal covenant.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “and from a kingdom to another nation.”
<sup>7</sup>tn The word “saying” is added in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “anointed.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “and every staff of food he broke.”
sn The psalmist refers to the famine that occurred in Joseph’s time (see v. 17 and Gen 41:53-57).
<sup>10</sup>tn After the reference to the famine in v. 16, v. 17 flashes back to events that preceded the famine (see Gen 37).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “they afflicted his feet with shackles.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “his neck came (into) iron.” vpn with the suffix could mean simply “he” or “his life.” But the nuance “neck” makes good sense here (note the reference to his “feet” in the preceding line). See KB, 712, and L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 38.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “word,” probably referring to Joseph’s prediction about the fate of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker (see Gen 41:9-14).
<sup>14</sup>tn This line may refer to Joseph’s prediction of the famine in response to Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph emphasized to Pharoah that the interpretation of the dream came from God (see Gen 41:16, 25, 28, 32, 39).
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “refined him.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “(the) king sent and set him free.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “he made him master of his house.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “to bind his officials by his will.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “and his elders he taught wisdom.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “entered.”
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “lived as a resident alien.”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “and he.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “him,” referring to “his people.”
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “his,” referring to “his people.”
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “their heart.”
<sup>26</sup>tn Or “to deal deceptively.” The hithpael of lkn occurs only here and in Gen 37:18, where it is used of Joseph’s brothers “plotting” to kill him.
<sup>27</sup>tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”
sn Made it dark. The psalmist begins with the ninth plague (see Exod 10:21-29).
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “he spoke and flies came.”
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “he gave their rains hail.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “fire of flames (was) in their land.”
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “he spoke and locusts came.”
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “the fruit of their ground.”
<sup>35</sup>tn Heb “the beginning of all their strength,” that is, reproductive power (see Ps 78:51).
sn Verses 28-36. These verses recall the plagues in a different order than the one presented in Exodus: v. 28 (plague 9), v. 29 (plague 1), v. 30 (plague 2), v. 31a (plague 4) v. 31b (plague 3), vv. 32-33 (plague 7), vv. 34-35 (plague 8), v. 36 (plague 10). No reference is made to plagues 5 and 6.
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “them.”
<sup>37</sup>tn The word “enriched” is added in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”
<sup>39</sup>tn Or “curtain.”
<sup>40</sup>tn Heb “he (i.e., his people) asked.” The singular form should probably be emended to a plural wlav, “they asked,” the waw having fallen off by haplography (note the waw at the beginning of the following form).
<sup>41</sup>tn Or “bread of heaven.” The reference is to manna (see Exod 16:4, 13-15).
<sup>42</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>43</sup>tn Heb “his holy word.”
<sup>44</sup>tn Heb “and he led his people out with joy, with a ringing cry, his chosen ones.
<sup>45</sup>tn Heb “and the (product of the) work of peoples they possessed.”
<sup>46</sup>tn Heb “guard.”
<sup>47</sup>sn Ps 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “for forever (is) his loyal love.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb (or) cause to be heard all his praise.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “good.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “in order that (I may) rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “with your inheritance.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “with.”
<sup>7</sup>sn They rebelled. The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “his name.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Or “rebuked.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “hand.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Or “redeemed.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “hand.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “remained.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “his words.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “his works.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “his counsel.”
<sup>17</sup>sn They had an insatiable craving. See Num 11:4-35.
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “they craved (with) a craving.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “they tested God.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”
sn Disease. See Num 11:33-34.
<sup>21</sup>tn Or “envied.”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “the holy one of the LORD.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Or “covered.”
<sup>24</sup>tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”
<sup>25</sup>sn Verses 16-18. See Num 16.
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the Lord states that his people (Israel) exchanged “their glory” (a reference to the Lord) for worthless idols.
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “forgot.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Or “awe-inspiring.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “and he said.”
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “if not,” that is, “(and would have) if (Moses) had not . . .”
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”
sn Verses 19-23. See Exod 32.
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “his word.”
<sup>35</sup>sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to (or, “concerning”) them.” The idiom “lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”
<sup>39</sup>tn Heb “and to cause their offspring to fall.” Some emend the verb to “scatter” to form tighter parallelism with the following line.
<sup>40</sup>tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is added for clarification.
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “joined themselves to.”
sn They worshiped Baal of Peor. See Num 25:3, 5. Baal of Peor was a local manifestation of the Canaanite deity Baal at Peor.
<sup>42</sup>sn The “dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 49).
<sup>43</sup>tn The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts. Perhaps it was accidentally left off, an original whwsyukyw being misread as syukyw.
<sup>44</sup>sn Phinehas . . . intervened. See Num 25:7-8.
<sup>45</sup>tn Heb “and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to a generation and a generation forever.”
sn Brought him a reward. See Num 25:12-13. The verb bvj, “reckon,” is collocated with hqdx, “righteousness,” only in Ps 106:31 and Gen 15:6, where God rewards Abram’s faith with a land grant.
<sup>46</sup>tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”
<sup>47</sup>tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form Wr=mh!, a hiphil from hrm, “to behave rebelliously,” but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized Wrm@h@, a hiphil from rrm, “be bitter.” They “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.
<sup>48</sup>tn Heb “his spirit.”
<sup>49</sup>tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips.”
sn Verses 32-33. See Num 20:1-13.
<sup>50</sup>tn That is, the nations of Canaan.
<sup>51</sup>tn Heb “their deeds.”
<sup>52</sup>tn Or “served.”
<sup>53</sup>sn Snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.
<sup>54</sup>tn The term <ydv, “demons,” occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.
<sup>55</sup>sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.
<sup>56</sup>tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the Lord (see Ps 73:27).
<sup>57</sup>tn Heb “the anger of the LORD burned against his people.”
<sup>58</sup>tn Heb “your inheritance.”
<sup>59</sup>tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
<sup>60</sup>tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”
<sup>61</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).
<sup>62</sup>tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
<sup>63</sup>tn Heb “they sank down.” The verb Jkm, “lower, sink,” occurs only here in the qal (see KB, 580).
<sup>64</sup>tn The niphal of <jn refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.
<sup>65</sup>tn Or “captors.”
<sup>66</sup>tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.
<sup>67</sup>tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”
<sup>68</sup>tn Heb “(be) blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
<sup>69</sup>tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
<sup>70</sup>tn Heb /m@a*, “surely,” traditionally transliterated, “amen.”
<sup>71</sup>sn Verse 48. The final verse is a conclusion to this fourth “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and third “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52, respectively).
<sup>72</sup>sn Ps 107. The psalmist praises God for his kindness to his exiled people.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “for forever (is) his loyal love.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Or “let the redeemed of the LORD say (so).”
<sup>3</sup>tn Or “redeemed.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “hand.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “from lands.” The word “foreign” is added for clarification.
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “and their soul in them fainted.”
<sup>7</sup>sn Level road. See Jer 31:9.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “and (for) his amazing deeds for the sons of man.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “(the) longing throat.” The noun vpn, which frequently refers to one’s very being or soul, here probably refers to one’s parched “throat” (note the parallelism with hbur vpn, “hungry throat”).
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “and (the) hungry throat he has filled (with) good.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “those who sat in darkness and deep darkness.” Synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of “darkness” experienced by the exiles. twmlx, “deep darkness,” has traditionally been understood as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (lx@ + tw#m*, see BDB, 853). Other authorities prefer to vocalize the form tWml=x and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root <lx) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 107:10 the word refers metonymically to a dungeon, which in turn metaphorically depicts the place of Israel’s exile (see vv. 2-3).
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “those bound in suffering and iron.” “Suffering and iron” is a hendiadys (like English “good and angry”), where both words contribute to one idea. In this case the first word characterizes the second; the iron (chains) contribute to the prisoners’ pain and suffering.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “the words of God.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “the counsel of the Most High.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “and he subdued with suffering their heart.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “darkness and deep darkness.” See v. 10.
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “and (for) his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.
<sup>18</sup>sn Verse 16. The language recalls Isa 45:2.
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “fools (they were) because of the way of their rebellion.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Heb “all food their appetite loathed.”
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “he sent his word.” This probably refers to an oracle of assurance which announced his intention to intervene (see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 59).
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “he rescued from their traps.” The word tyjv, “trap,” occurs only here and in Lam 4:20, where it refers to a trap or pit in which one is captured. Because of the rarity of the term and the absence of an object with the verb “rescued,” some prefer to emend the text of Ps 107:20, reading <tyj tjvm, “(he rescued) their lives from the pit.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “and (for) his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “and let them proclaim his works with a ringing cry.”
<sup>25</sup>sn Verses 23-30. These verses, which depict the Lord rescuing sailors from a storm at sea, do not seem to describe the exiles’ situation, unless the word picture is metaphorical. Perhaps the psalmist here broadens his scope and offers an example of God’s kindness to the needy beyond the covenant community.
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “those going down (into).”
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “doers of work on the mighty waters.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “he spoke and caused to stand a stormy wind.”
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb and it stirred up its (the sea’s, see v. 23) waves.”
<sup>30</sup>tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “their (that of the sailors) being.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Or “melted.”
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “from danger.”
<sup>34</sup>tn Only here does the verb ggj (normally meaning “to celebrate”) carry the nuance “sway.”
<sup>35</sup>tn The hithpael of ulb occurs only here in the OT. Traditionally the form is derived from the verbal root ulb, “to swallow,” but KB (135) understands a homonym here, meaning “be confused.”
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “he raised (the) storm to calm.”
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “their waves.” The antecedent of the third masculine plural pronominal suffix is not readily apparent, unless it refers back to “waters” in v. 23.
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “they.”
<sup>39</sup>tn Heb “they.”
<sup>40</sup>tn The noun occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 568).
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “and (for) his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.
<sup>42</sup>tn Heb “in the seat of the elders.”
<sup>43</sup>tn The verbal form appears to be a preterite, which is most naturally taken as narratival. (The use of prefixed forms with waw consecutive in vv. 36-37 favor this.) The psalmist may return to the theme of God’s intervention for the exiles (see vv. 4-22, especially vv. 4-9). However, many regard vv. 33-41 as a hymnic description which generalizes about God’s activities among men. In this case it would be preferable to use the English present tense throughout.
<sup>44</sup>tn Heb “a salty land.”
<sup>45</sup>tn These words are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied for the sake of clarification. The psalmist contrasts God’s judgment on his enemies with his blessing of his people. See the note at v. 39 for further discussion.
<sup>46</sup>tn The verbal form appears to be a preterite, which is most naturally taken as narratival. See the note at v. 33.
<sup>47</sup>tn Heb “sowed seed in.”
<sup>48</sup>tn Heb “fruit (as) produce.”
<sup>49</sup>tn “Bless” here carries the nuance “endue with sexual potency, make fertile.” See Gen 1:28, where the statement “he blessed them” directly precedes the command “be fruitful and populate the earth” (see also 1:22). The verb “bless” carries this same nuance in Gen 17:16 (where God’s blessing of Sarai imparts to her the capacity to bear a child); 48:16 (where God’s blessing of Joseph’s sons is closely associated with their having numerous descendents); and Deut 7:13 (where God’s blessing is associated with fertility in general, including numerous descendents). See also Gen 49:25 (where Jacob uses the noun derivative in referring to “blessings of the breast and womb,” an obvious reference to fertility) and Gen 27:27 (where the verb is used of a field to which God has given the capacity to produce vegetation).
<sup>50</sup>tn The verbal form in this line appears to be an imperfect, which may be taken as customary (drawing attention to typical action in a past time frame) or as generalizing (in which case one should use the English present tense, understanding a move from narrative to present reality).
<sup>51</sup>tn These words are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied for the sake of clarification. Without such clarification, one might think that v. 39 refers to those just mentioned in v. 38 as objects of divine blessing, which would contradict the point just emphasized by the psalmist. The structure of vv. 33-42 is paneled (A-B-A-B). In vv. 33-34 the psalmist describes God’s judgment upon his enemies (perhaps those who had enslaved his people). In vv. 35-38 he contrasts this judgment with the divine blessing poured out on God’s people. (See the note at v. 35.) In vv. 39-40 he contrasts this blessing with the judgment experienced by enemies, before returning in vv. 41-42 to the blessing experienced by God’s people.
<sup>52</sup>tn Heb “from the oppression of calamity.”
<sup>53</sup>tn The active participle is understood as past durative here, drawing attention to typical action in a past time frame. However, it could be taken as generalizing (in which case one should use the English present tense), in which case the pslamist moves from narrative to present reality. Perhaps the participial form appears because the statement is lifted from Job 12:21.
<sup>54</sup>tn Heb “set on high.”
<sup>55</sup>tn Heb “all evil,” which stands metonymically for those who do evil.
<sup>56</sup>sn Ps 108. With some minor variations, this psalm is a composite of Ps 57:7-11 (see vv. 1-5) and Ps 60:5-12 (see vv. 6-13).
<sup>1</sup>tn Or perhaps “confident.” The Hebrew text says, “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “also my glory,” but this makes little sense. Some view ydwbk, “my glory,” as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB, 459), but it is preferable to emend the form to yd!b@K=, “my liver” (see KB, 456). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 57:8, as well as Hans W. Wolff, Anthropology in the Old Testament, 64, and Mitchell Dahood, Psalms 101-150, 93. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see J. C. L. Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her (Anat’s) liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”
<sup>3</sup>tn BDB (1007) takes “dawn” as an adverbial accusative, though others understand it as a personified direct object. “Dawn” is used metaphorically for the time of deliverance and vindication the psalmist anticipates. When salvation “dawns,” the psalmist will “wake up” in praise.
<sup>4</sup>tn Or “the peoples.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “for great upon the sky (or “heavens”) (is) your loyal love.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Or “be exalted.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “over all the earth (be) your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “right hand.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text, “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “in his holy place.”
<sup>11</sup>sn Shechem stands for the territory west of the Jordan, the valley of Succoth for the region east of the Jordan.
<sup>12</sup>tn Gilead was located east of the Jordan. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “the protection of my head.”
sn Ephraim, one of Joseph’s sons, was one of two major tribes located west of the Jordan. By comparing Ephraim to a helmet, the Lord suggests that the Ephraimites played a primary role in the defense of his land.
<sup>14</sup>sn Judah, like Ephraim was the other major tribe west of the Jordan. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.
<sup>15</sup>sn The metaphor of the wash basin, used to rinse one hand’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 7-8), would be reduced to the status of a servant.
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of.” Others translate lu as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.
<sup>17</sup>sn The psalmist speaks again and acknowledges his need for help in battle. He hopes God will volunteer, based on the affirmation of sovereignty over Edom in v. 9, but he is also aware that God has seemingly rejected the nation (v. 11).
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “and futile (is) the deliverance of man.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “in God we will accomplish strength.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 60:12; 118:16-16).
<sup>20</sup>sn Trample down. See Ps 44:5.
<sup>21</sup>sn Ps 109. Appealing to God’s justice, the psalmist asks God to vindicate him and to bring severe judgment down upon his enemies.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “do not be deaf.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “for a mouth of evil and a mouth of deceit against me they open, they speak with me (with) a tongue of falsehood.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “and (with) words of hatred they surround me.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “in place of my love they oppose me.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “and I, prayer.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “and they set upon me evil in place of good.”
<sup>7</sup>sn Verses 6-19. In these verses the psalmist calls upon God to judge his enemies severely. Some attribute this curse-list to the psalmist’s enemies, rather than the psalmist. In this case one should paraphrase verse 6: “They say about me, ‘ Appoint an evil man . . . etc.’“ Those supporting this line of interpretation point out that in vv. 2-5 and 20 refer to the enemies’ attack on the psalmist being a verbal one. Furthermore in vv. 1-5, 20 the psalmist speaks of his enemies in the plural, while vv. 6-19 refer to an individual. This use of the singular in vv. 6-19 could be readily explained if this is the psalmist’s enemies’ curse upon him. However, it is much more natural to understand vv. 6-19 as the psalmist’s prayer against his enemies. There is no introductory quotation formula in v. 6 to indicate that the psalmist is quoting anyone, and the statement “may the LORD repay my accusers in this way” in v. 20 most naturally appears to be a fitting conclusion to the prayer in vv. 6-19. But what about the use of the singular in vv. 6-19? Often in the psalms the psalmist will describe his enemies as a group, but then speak of them as an individual as well, as if viewing his adversaries collectively as one powerful foe. See, for example, Ps 7, where the psalmist uses both the plural (vv. 1, 6) and the singular (vv. 2, 4-5) in referring to enemies. Perhaps by using the singular in such cases, the psalmist wants to single out each enemy for individual attention, or maybe he has one especially hostile enemy in mind who epitomizes the opposition of the whole group. This may well be the case in Ps 109. Perhaps we should understand the singular throughout vv. 6-19 in the sense of “each and every one.” For a lengthy and well-reasoned defense of the opposite view, that vv. 6-19 are a quotation of what the enemies said about the psalmist, see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 72-73.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “appoint against him an evil (man).”
<sup>9</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive here (note the imperative in the preceding line).
<sup>10</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as a jussive, but the use of the imperfect form in the following line suggests that v. 7 anticipates the outcome of the accusation envisioned in v. 6.
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “he will go out (as) a criminal” (that is, guilty).
<sup>12</sup>tn The prefixed verbal forms ( except those with waw consecutive) in vv. 8-20 are taken as jussives of prayer. Note the distinct jussive forms used in vv. 12-13, 15, 19
<sup>13</sup>tn The noun hdqp can mean “charge” or “office,” though BDB (824) suggests that here it refers to his possessions.
<sup>14</sup>tn Or “sons.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Or “sons.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “and roaming, may his children roam and beg, and seek from their ruins.” Some emend wvrdw, “and seek,” to Wvr=g)y+ (see Job 30:5), “may they be driven away” (a pual jussive), but vrd nicely parallels wlav, “and beg,” in the preceding line.
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “lay snares for” (see Ps 38:12).
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “the product of his labor.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “may there not be for him one who extends loyal love.”
<sup>20</sup>tn Perhaps this refers to being generous (see Ps 37:21).
<sup>21</sup>sn Cut off. See Ps 37:28.
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “in another generation may their name be wiped out.”
<sup>23</sup>tn Or “fathers’“
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “not be wiped out.”
sn Verses 9-14. According to ancient Israelite theology and its doctrine of corporate solidarity and responsibility, children could be and often were punished for the sins of their parents. For a discussion of this issue see J. Kaminsky, Corporate Responsibility in the Hebrew Bible. (Kaminsky, however, does not deal with Ps 109.)
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “may they (that is, the sins mentioned in v. 14) be before the LORD continually.”
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “their memory.” The plural pronominal suffix probably refers back to the children mentioned in v. 13.
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “he did not remember to do loyal love.”
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “and he chased an oppressed and needy man, and one timid of heart to put (him) to death.”
<sup>29</sup>sn A curse is a formal appeal to God to bring judgment down upon another. Curses were sometimes justified (such as the one spoken by the psalmist here in vv. 6-19), but when they were not, the one pronouncing the curse was in danger of bringing the anticipated judgment down upon himself.
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “and he loved a curse and it came (upon) him.” A reference to the evil man experiencing a curse seems premature here, for the psalmist is asking God to bring judgment upon his enemies. For this reason some prefer to repoint the waw on “it came” as conjunctive and translate the verb as a jussive of prayer (“may it come upon him!”). The prefixed form with waw consecutive in the next line is emended in the same way and translated, “may it be far from him.” However, the psalmist may be indicating that the evil man’s lifestyle has already begun to yield its destructive fruit.
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “and he did not delight in a blessing and it is far from him.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “he put on a curse as (if it were) his garment.”
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “and it came like water into his inner being, and like oil into his bones.” This may refer to his appetite for cursing. For him cursing was as refreshing as drinking water or massaging oneself with oil. Another option is that the destructive effects of a curse are in view. In this case a destructive curse invades his very being, like water or oil. Some who interpret the verse this way prefer to repoint the waw on “it came” to a conjunctive waw and interpret the prefixed verb as a jussive, “may it come!”
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “may it be for him like a garment one puts on.”
<sup>35</sup>tn The noun jzm, “belt, waistband,” occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 565). The form seems to appear in Isa 23:10 as well, but an emendation is necessary there.
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “(may) this (be) the repayment to my accusers from the LORD.”
<sup>37</sup>tn Or “against.”
<sup>38</sup>tn The suffixed form of vpn, “being, soul,” is probably equivalent to a pronoun here.
<sup>39</sup>tn Heb “but you, LORD, master, do with me for the sake of your name.”
<sup>40</sup>tc The verb in the Hebrew text (llj) appears to be a qal form from the root llj meaning “pierced, wounded.” However, the qal of this root is otherwise unattested. The translation assumes an emendation to lyjy, a qal imperfect from lwj, “tremble,” or to ll^jo, a polal perfect from lwj. See Ps 55:4, which reads ybrqb lyjy ybl, “my heart trembles (that is, “beats violently”) within me.”
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “like a shadow when it is extended I go.” He is like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness. See Ps 102:11.
<sup>42</sup>tn Heb “my knees stagger from fasting.”
<sup>43</sup>tn Heb “and my flesh is lean away from fatness” (that is, “so as not to be fat”).
<sup>44</sup>tn Heb “as for me, I am a reproach to them.”
<sup>45</sup>sn Shake their heads. Apparently shaking the head was a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 22:7; Lam 2:15.
<sup>46</sup>tn Heb “delivere me according to your faithfulness.”
<sup>47</sup>tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
<sup>48</sup>tn Heb “that your hand (is) this.”
<sup>49</sup>tn Another option is to translate the imperfect as a prayer/request (‘may you bless”).
<sup>50</sup>tn The verbal sequence is perfect + prefixed form with waw consecutive. Since the psalmist seems to be anticipating the demise of his enemies, he may be using these forms rhetorically to describe the enemies’ defeat as if it were already accomplished. Some emend the text to wvby ymq, “may those who attack me be humiliated” (see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 75).
<sup>51</sup>tn Heb “clothed.” Another option is to translate the prefixed verbal forms in this line and the next as jussives (“may my accusers be covered with shame . . .”).
<sup>52</sup>tn Heb “I will thank the LORD very much with my mouth.”
<sup>53</sup>tn Heb “many.”
<sup>54</sup>tn Heb “judge.”
<sup>55</sup>sn Ps 110. In this royal psalm the psalmist announces the Lord’s oracle to the Davidic king. The first part of the oracle appears in v. 1, the second in v. 4. In vv. 2-3 the psalmist addresses the king, while in vv. 5-7 he appears to address the Lord.
<sup>1</sup>tn The word <an is used frequently in the OT of a formal divine announcement through a prophet (see KB, 657).
<sup>2</sup>sn My master. In the psalm’s original context the speaker is probably a prophet in the royal court. In the course of time the psalm is applied to each successive king in the dynasty and ultimately to the ideal Davidic king. NT references to the psalm understand David to be speaking about his “master,” the Messiah. (See Matt 22:43-45; Mk 12:36-37; Lk 20:42-44; Acts 2:34-35).
<sup>3</sup>tn To sit at the “right hand” of the king was an honor. See 1 Kgs 2:19. In Ugaritic myth (CTA 4 v. 108-110) the artisan god Kothar-and Khasis is described as sitting at the right hand of the storm god Baal. See J. Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 61-62).
sn The Lord’s invitation to the Davidic king to sit down at his right hand reflects the king’s position as the Lord’s vice-regent.
<sup>4</sup>sn When the Lord made his covenant with David, he promised to subdue the king’s enemies (see 2 Sam 7:9-11; Ps 89:22-23).
<sup>5</sup>tn Since the Lord is mentioned in the third person (note the use of the first person in v. 1), it is likely that these are the psalmist’s words to the king, not a continuation of the oracle per se.
<sup>6</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though it could be taken as future.
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “your strong scepter,” symbolic of the king’s royal authority and dominion.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “your people, free will offerings.” Perhaps the people, in their willingness to volunteer, are compared metaphorically to freewill offerings. Following the LXX, some revocalize the text and read “with you is nobility.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “in the day of your power.”
<sup>10</sup>tc Heb “in splendor of holiness.” The plural construct form ydrh (from rdh, “splendor”) occurs only here; it may indicate degree or perhaps refer by metonymy to garments (see Pss 29:2 and 96:9, where the phrase vdq trdh refers to “holy attire”). If one retains the Hebrew text, this phrase should probably be taken with the preceding line. However, because of the subsequent references to “dawn” and to “dew,” it is better to emend the text to vdq yrrh, “mountains of holiness,” a reading found in many medieval Hebrew manuscripts and in some other ancient witnesses (see Joel 2:2; Ps 133:3, as well as L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 80). The “mountains of holiness” are probably the hills surrounding Zion (see Ps 87:1; 125:2; 133:3).
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “from the womb of dawn.” <jr, “womb,” is probably used here metonymically for “birth” (see BDB, 933). The form rjvm occurs only here and should be emended to rjv, “dawn,” with the mem being understood as dittographic (note the final mem on the preceding word). The phrase “womb (that is, “birth”) of dawn” refers to sunrise.
<sup>12</sup>sn The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. The dew may symbolize the king’s youthful vitality or, more likely (note the parallelism), refer to his army of strong, youthful warriors.
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “to you (is).”
<sup>14</sup>tn Or “swears, vows.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Or “will not change his mind.” The negated niphal imperfect of <jn is a way of marking an announcement as an irrevocable decree. See 1 Sam 15:29; Ezek 24:14, as well as R. Chisholm, “Does God ‘Change His Mind’?” BibSac 152 (1995), 387-99.
<sup>16</sup>sn You are a . . . priest. The Davidic king exercised a non-Levitical priestly role. The king superintended Judah’s cult, had authority over the Levites, and sometimes led in formal worship. David himself instructed the Levites to bring the Ark to Jerusalem (1 Chr 15:11-15), joined the procession, offered sacrifices, wore a priestly ephod, and blessed the people (2 Sam 6:12-19). At the dedication of the temple Solomon led the ceremony, offering sacrifices and praying on behalf of the people (1 Kgs 8).
<sup>17</sup>tn The phrase ytrbd lu is a variant of trbd lu (the final yod being an archaic genitival ending), which in turn is a variant of rbd lu. Both phrases can mean “concerning” or “because of,” but neither of these nuances fits the use of ytrbd lu in Ps 110:4. Here the phrase likely carries the sense, “according to the manner of.” See BDB, 184; KB, 212; L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 81.
<sup>18</sup>sn The Davidic king’s priestly role is analogous to that of Melchizedek, who was both “king of Salem” (that is, Jerusalem) and a “priest of God Most High” in the time of Abraham (Gen 14:18-20). Like Melchizedek, the Davidic king was a royal priest, distinct from the Aaronic line (see Heb 7). The analogy focuses on the king’s priestly role; the language need not imply that Melchizedek was “an eternal priest.”
<sup>19</sup>tn As pointed in the Hebrew text, this title refers to God (many medieval Hebrew manuscripts read hwhy, “LORD,” here). The translation above assumes that the psalmist here addresses the Lord as he celebrates what the king is able to accomplish while positioned at God’s “right hand.” In this view the king is the subject of the third person verb forms in vv. 5b-7. Another option is to understand the king as the addressee (as in vv. 2-3). In this case “the Lord” is the subject of the third person verbs throughout vv. 5-7 and is depicted as a warrior in a very anthropomorphic manner. In this case the Lord is pictured as being at the psalmist’s right hand (just the opposite of v. 1). See Pss 16:8; 121:5. A third option is to revocalize yn`doa&, Lord,” as yn]doa&, “my master” (see v. 1). In this case one may translate, “My master, at his (God’s) right hand, strikes down . . .” In this case the king is the subject of the third person verbs in vv. 5b-7.
²⁰tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 5-6 are understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing. Another option is to take them as rhetorical. In this case the psalmist describes anticipated events as if they had already taken place.
²¹tn Heb “in the day of his anger.”
²²tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 6-7 are understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though they could be taken as future.
²³tn Or “among.”
²⁴tn Heb “he fills (with) corpses,” but one expects a double accusative here. The translation above assumes an emendation to twyag twywg(b) alm or twywg twyag alm (for a similar construction see Ezek 32:5). In the former case twyag has accidentally dropped from the text due to homoioteleuton; in the latter case it has dropped due to homoioarchton.
²⁵tn Heb “he strikes (the verb is Jjm, translated “strikes down” in v. 5) head(s) over a great land.” hbr, “great’ is here used of distance or spatial measurement (see 1 Sam 26:13).
²⁶tn Here the expression “lifts up the head” refers to the renewed physical strength and emotional vigor (see Ps 3:3) provided by the refreshing water. For another example of a victorious warrior being energized by water in the aftermath of battle, see Judg 15:18-19 (see also 1 Sam 30:11-12, where the setting is different, however).
²⁷sn Ps 111. The psalmist praises God for his marvelous deeds, especially the way in which he provides for and delivers his people. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (22 in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
¹tn Heb “sought out.”
²tn For other uses of the phrase rdhw dwh, “majesty and splendor,” see 1 Chr 16:27; Job 40:10; Pss 21:5; 96:6; 104:1.
³tn Or “stands.”
⁴tn Or “did,” if this refers primarily to the events of the Exodus and Conquest period (see vv. 6, 9).
⁵tn Heb “a memorial he had made for his amazing deeds.”
⁶tn Or “gave,” if the events of the Exodus and Conquest period (see v. 6, 9) are primarily in view.
⁷tn Heb “those who fear him.”
⁸tn Or “he remembers his covenant forever” (see Ps 105:8).
⁹tn Heb “the strength of his deeds he proclaimed to his people, to give to them an inheritance of nations.”
¹⁰tn Heb “the deeds of his hands (are).”
¹¹tn That is, fair and for man’s good.
¹²tn Heb “done in faithfulness and uprightness.” The passive participle probably has a gerundive force. See L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 89.
¹³tn Heb “redemption he sent for his people.”
¹⁴tn Heb “he commanded forever his covenant.”
¹⁵tn Heb “the beginning of wisdom (is) the fear of the LORD.”
¹⁶tn Heb “good sense (is) to all who do them.” The third masculine plural pronominal suffix must refer back to the “precepts” mentioned in v. 7. The phrase bwf lkc also occurs in Prov 3:4; 13:15 and 2 Chr 30:22.
¹⁷tn Heb “his praise stands forever.”
¹⁸sn Ps 112. This wisdom psalm lists some of the benefits of living a godly life. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (22 in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
¹tn Heb “(Oh) the happiness (of) the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The individual is representative of a larger group, called the “godly” in vv. 3-4. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in the following verses.
²tn Heb “fears.”
³tn Heb “in his commands he delights very much.” The words “in keeping” are added in the translation for clarification. Taking delight in the law is metonymic here for obeying God’s moral will. See Ps 1:2.
⁴tn Heb “the generation of the godly.” rwd, “generation,” could be taken as parallel to “offspring” and translated “posterity,” but the singular more likely refers to the godly as a class. See BDB, 190, for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.
⁵tn Heb “stands forever.”
⁶tn In this context “light” symbolizes divine blessing in its various forms (see v. 2), including material prosperity and stablility.
⁷tn Heb “merciful and compassionate and just.” The Hebrew text has three singular adjectives, which are probably substantival and in apposition to the “godly” (which is plural, however). By switching to the singular, the psalmist focuses on each individual member of the group known as the “godly.” Note how vv. 5-9, like vv. 1-2a, use the singular to describe the representative godly individual who typifies the whole group.
⁸tn Heb “man.”
⁹tn Heb “he sustains his matters with justice.”
¹⁰tn Heb “for an eternal memorial a just (man) will be.”
¹¹tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition and emotions (see Ps 108:1).
¹²tn The passive participle jwfb expresses a state that results from the subject’s action. See Isa 26:3.
¹³tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition.
¹⁴tn Heb “he scatters, he gives.”
¹⁵tn Heb “stands forever.”
¹⁶tn Heb “his horn will be lifted up in honor.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
¹⁷tn The Hebrew text uses the singular; the representative wicked individual is in view as typifying the group (note the use of the plural form in v. 10).
¹⁸tn Heb “his teeth he will gnash.” In Pss 35:16 and 37:12 this action is associated with a viscious attack.
¹⁹tn This could mean that their desires will go unfulfilled. Another possibility is that “desire” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired. In this case the point is that the wicked will lose what they desired so badly and acquired by evil means (see Ps 10:3).
²⁰sn Ps 113. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign king of the world who reaches down to help the needy.
¹tn Heb “from the rising of the sun to its setting.”
²tn Heb “above the sky (is) his splendor.”
³tn Heb “the one who makes high to sit.”
⁴tn Heb “the one who makes low to see.”
⁵sn The language of verse 7 is almost identical to that of 1 Sam 2:8.
⁶tn Heb “of the house.”
⁷tn Heb “sons.”
⁸sn Ps 114. The psalmist recalls the events of the Exodus and Conquest and celebrates God’s kingship over his covenant people.
¹tn Heb “the house of Jacob from a nation speaking a foreign language.” The verb zul, “speak a foreign language,” occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 533).
²sn The psalmist recalls the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod 14) and of the Jordan River (Josh 3-4).
³sn Verse 6. This may recall the theophany at Sinai when the mountain shook before God’s presence (Exod 19:18).
⁴sn Verse 8. The psalmist recalls the event(s) recorded in Exod 17:6 and/or Num 20:11 (see also Deut 8:15 and Ps 78:15-16, 20).
⁵sn Ps 115. The psalmist affirms that Israel’s God is superior to pagan idols and urges Israel to place their confidence in him.
¹tn Or “give glory.”
²sn The psalmist asks God to demonstrate his loyal love and faithfulness, not simply so Israel may benefit, but primarily so that he will receive honor among the nations, who will recognize, contrary to their present view (see v. 2), that Israel’s God is committed to his people.
³sn He does whatever he pleases. Such sovereignty is characteristic of kings (see Eccl 8:3).
⁴tn The pronominal suffix refers to the “nations” (v. 2).
⁵tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”
⁶tn Heb “they cannot mutter in their throats.” Verse 5a refers to speaking, v. 7c to inarticulate sounds made in the throat (see M. Dahood, Psalms 101-150, 140-41).
⁷tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”
sn Because the idols are lifeless, they cannot help their worshipers in times of crisis. Consequently the worshipers end up as dead as the gods in which they trust.
⁸tn Or “(source of) help.”
⁹tn Heb “and their shield.”
¹⁰tn Heb “house.”
¹¹tn Or “(source of) help.”
¹²tn Heb “and their shield.”
¹³tn Heb “(you) fearers of the LORD.” See Ps 15:4.
¹⁴tn Or “(source of) help.”
¹⁵tn Heb “and their shield.”
¹⁶tn Or “remembers us.”
¹⁷tn Another option is to translate the prefixed form of the verb “bless” in vv. 12-13 as a jussive, “may he bless” (see v. 14).
¹⁸tn Heb “house.”
¹⁹tn Heb ‘the fearers of the LORD.”
²⁰tn Heb “the small along with the great.” The translation assumes that “small” and “great” here refer to age (see 2 Chr 15:13). Another option is to translate “both the insignificant and the prominent” (see Job 3:19).
²¹tn Heb “may he add to you, to you and your sons.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
²²tn Or “maker.”
²³tn Heb “the heavens (are) heavens to the LORD.”
²⁴tn Heb “to the sons of man.”
²⁵tn Heb “silence,” a metonymy here for death (see Ps 94:17).
²⁶sn Ps 116. The psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him from a life threatening crisis and promises to tell the entire covenant community what God has done for him.
¹tn Heb “I love because the LORD heard my volce, my pleas.” It is possible that “the LORD” originally appeared directly after “I love” and was later accidentally misplaced. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls that God heard his cry for help (note the perfect in v. 2a and the narrative in vv. 3-4).
²tn Heb “because he turned his ear to me.”
³tn Heb “and in my days I will cry out.”
⁴tn Lit., “surrounded me.”
⁵tn The noun rxm occurs only here, Ps 118:5 and Lam 1:3. If retained, it refers to Sheol as a place where one is confined or severely restricted. However, KB (624) suggests an emendation to ydxm, “snares of,” a rare noun attested in Job 19:6 and Eccl 7:26 (KB, 622). This proposal, which is reflected in the translation above, produces better parallelism with “ropes” in the preceding line.
⁶tn The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls the crisis from which the Lord delivered him.
⁷tn Heb “guards.” The active participle indicates this is a characteristic of the LORD.
⁸tn Or, “the (morally) naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Ps 19:7.
⁹tn Heb “I was low.”
¹⁰tn Heb “return, my soul, to your place of rest.”
¹¹tn The idiom lu lmg means “to repay,” here in a positive sense (see Ps 13:5 and BDB, 168).
¹²tn Or “for.”
¹³tn “LORD” is added in the translation for clarification.
¹⁴tn Heb “walk before” (see Ps 56:13). On the meaning of the Hebrew idiom, see the notes at 2 Kgs 20:3/Isa 38:3.
¹⁵tn Heb “lands, regions.”
¹⁶tn Heb “I said in my haste.”
¹⁷tn Heb “a cup of deliverance I will lift up.” Perhaps this alludes to a drink offering the psalmist will present as he thanks the Lord for his deliverance (see BDB, 447). See v. 17.
¹⁸tn Heb “precious in the eyes of the LORD (is) the death of his godly ones.” The point is not that God delights in or finds satisfaction in the death of his followers! The psalmist, who has been delivered from death, affirms that the life threatening experiences of God’s followers gets God’s attention, just as a precious or rare object would attract someone’s eye. See Ps 72:14 for a similar expression of this belief.
¹⁹tn Heb “I am your servant, the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 86:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the Lord has such a secondary wife or concubine! It is used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant.
²⁰sn Ps 117. The psalmist tells the nations to praise the Lord for his loyal love and faithfulness.
¹tn Or “peoples” (see Ps 108:3).
²tn For this sense of the verb rbg, see Ps 103:11 and L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 17, 19.
³sn Ps 118. The psalmist thanks God for his deliverance and urges others to join him in praise.
¹tn Or “is forever.”
²tn Heb “house.”
³tn Heb “fearers of the LORD.” See Ps 15:4.
⁴tn Heb “from the distress.” The noun rxm, “distress,” occurs only here and in Lam 1:3. In Ps 116:3 rxm should probably be emended to ydxm, “snares of” (see KB, 624).
⁵tn Heb “the LORD answered me in a wide open place.”
⁶tn Heb “for me.”
⁷tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. See Ps 56:11.
⁸tn Heb “for me.”
⁹tn Heb “among my helpers.” The preposition may indicate identity here, while the plural may be one of majesty or respect. See BDB, 88.
¹⁰tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
¹¹sn The reference to an attack by nations suggests the psalmist may have been a military leader.
¹²tn In this context this means “by the LORD’s power.”
¹³tn Traditionally the verb has been derived from lwm, “circumcise,” and translated “(I) cut (them) off” (see BDB, 557-58). However, it is likely that this is a homonym meaning “fend off” (see KB, 556) or “push away.” In this context, where the psalmist is reporting his past experience, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite.
¹⁴tn Heb “were extinguished.”
¹⁵tn The point seems to be that their hostility is shortlived, like a fire that quickly devours thorns and then burns out. Some, attempting to create a better parallel with the preceding line, emend wkud, “they were extinguished,” to wrub, “they burned.” In this case the statement emphasizes their hostility.
¹⁶tn Heb “pushing, you pushed me.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following verbal idea. The psalmist appears to address the nations as if they were an individual enemy. Some find this problematic and emend the verb form (which is a qal perfect second masculine singular with a first person singular suffix) to ytyjdn, a niphal perfect first common singular, “I was pushed.”
¹⁷tn Heb “to fall,” that is, “that (I) might fall.”
¹⁸tn The Hebrew text has, “my strength and protection (is) the LORD.” trmz is traditionally understood as meaning “song,” in which case one might translate, “for the LORD gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing). However, many recent commentators have argued that the noun is here a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See KB, 274.
¹⁹tn Or “salvation.”
²⁰tn Heb “the sound of a ringing shout and deliverance (is) in the tents of the godly.”
²¹tn Heb “does valiantly.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 60:12; 108:13).
²²tn Heb “exalts.”
²³tn Heb “the works of the LORD.”
²⁴tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following verbal idea.
²⁵tn Heb “the gates of justice.” The gates of the Lord’s temple are referred to, as v. 20 makes clear. They are called “gates of justice” because they are the entrance to the just king’s palace.
²⁶tn Or “rejected.”
²⁷tn Heb “the head of the corner.”
sn The metaphor describes the way in which God’s deliverance reversed the psalmist’s circumstances. When he was in distress, he was like a stone which is discarded by builders as useless, but now that he has been vindicated by God, all can see that he is of special importance to God, like the cornerstone of a building.
²⁸tn Heb “it is amazing in our eyes.” The use of the plural pronoun here and in vv. 24-27 suggests that the psalmist may be speaking for the entire nation. However, it is more likely that vv. 22-27 are the people’s response to the psalmist’s thanksgiving song (see especially v. 26). They rejoice with him because his deliverance on the battlefield (see vv. 10-12) had national repercussions.
²⁹tn Heb “this is the day the LORD has made.” Though sometimes applied in a general way, this statement in its context refers to the day of deliverance which the psalmist and people celebrate.
³⁰sn Verse 25. A petition for deliverance seems odd in a psalm thanking God for deliverance, but it is not unique (see Ps 9:19-20). The people ask God to continue to intervene for them as he has for the psalmist.
³¹sn The one who comes in the name of the LORD. The people refer here to the psalmist, who enters the Lord’s temple to thank him publicly (see vv. 19-21).
³²tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural, but the final mem is probably dittographic (note the mem at the beginning of the following form) or enclitic, in which case the suffix may be taken as second masculine singular, referring to the psalmist.
³³tn Heb “from the house of the LORD.”
³⁴tn Heb “and he has given us light.” This may be an elliptical expression, with “his face” being implied as the object (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19). In this case one might translate, “he has smiled on us,” or “he has shown us his favor.” Another option, the opne reflected in the translation above, is that “light” here symbolizes divine blessing in the form of deliverance. “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Some prefer to repoint the form ra@y`w+ (waw conjunctive + jussive) and translate the statement as a prayer, “may he give us light.”
<sup>35</sup>tn The noun gj normally means “festival,” but here it apparently refers metonymically to an offering made at the festival. BDB, 291, interprets the word in this way here, citing as comparable the use of later Hebrew hgygj, which can refer to both a festival and a festival offering (see Jastrow, 424).
<sup>36</sup>sn Verse 27b. The second half of v. 27 has been translated and interpreted in a variety of ways. For a survey of major views, see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 122.
<sup>37</sup>sn My. The psalmist speaks again (see v. 21), responding to the worshipers’ words (vv. 22-27).
<sup>38</sup>tn Or “is forever.”
<sup>39</sup>sn Ps 119. The psalmist celebrates God’s Law and the guidance it provides his people. He expresses his desire to know God’s Law thoroughly so that he might experience the blessings that come to those who obey it. This lengthy psalm exhibits an elaborate acrostic pattern. The psalm is divided into 22 sections (corresponding to the Hebrew alphabet), each of which is comprised of eight verses. Each of the verses in the first section (vv. 1-8) begins with the letter aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This pattern continues throughout the psalm as each new section highlights a successive letter of the alphabet. Each verse in section two (vv. 9-16) begins with the second letter of the alphabet, each verse in section three (vv. 17-24) with the third letter, etc. This rigid pattern creates a sense of order and completeness and may have facilitated memorization.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “(Oh) the happiness of those who are blameless of way.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “walk in.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “walk in his ways.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “you, you commanded your precepts, to keep, very much.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “if only my ways were established.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Or “when.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “I gaze at.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “I will give you thanks with an upright heart.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “do not abandon me to excess.” For other uses of the phrase dam du, “to excess,” see Ps 38:6, 8.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “young man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender specific “young man” with the more neutral “young person.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “purify his path.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts, as well as the LXX, read the plural, “your words.”
<sup>13</sup>tn or “hide.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “your word.” Some medieval Hebrew manuscripts, as well as the LXX, read the plural, “your words.”
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “(are) blessed.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “of your mouth.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “in the way of your rules.”
<sup>18</sup>tn Heb “as upon,” meaning “as if” (see 2 Chr 32:19).
<sup>19</sup>tn Heb “all wealth.” The phrase refers to all kinds of wealth and riches. See Prov 1:13; 6:31; 24:4; Ezek 27:12, 18.
<sup>20</sup>tn The cohortative verbal forms in this verse express the psalmist’s resolve.
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “gaze (at).”
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “your paths.”
<sup>23</sup>tn The imperfects in this verse emphasize the attitude he maintains toward God’s Law. Another option is to translate with the future tense, “I will find delight . . . I will not forget.”
<sup>24</sup>tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts, as well as the LXX, read the plural here.
<sup>25</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a cohortative indicating purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
<sup>26</sup>tn The cohortative with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the imperative that begins the verse.
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts, as well as several ancient versions, read the plural here.
<sup>28</sup>tn The verb form lg is an apocopated piel imperative from hlg (see GKC, 214, para 75cc).
<sup>29</sup>tn The cohortative with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
<sup>30</sup>tn Heb “I am a resident alien in the land.” Resident aliens were especially vulnerable and in need of help. They needed to know the social and legal customs of the land to avoid getting into trouble. The translation (note the addition of “like”) assumes the psalmist is speaking metaphorically, not literally.
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “my soul languishes for longing for.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “accursed.” The traditional punctuation of the Hebrew text takes “accursed” with the previous line (“arrogant, accursed ones”), but it is preferable to take it with the second line as the predicate of the statement.
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “roll away from upon me.” Some derive the imperatival form lg^ from hlg, “uncover” (as in v. 18), but here the form is from llg, “roll” (see Josh 5:9, where hprj, “shame, reproach,” also appears as object of the verb, and KB, 193). Some, following the lead of a Dead Sea scroll (11QPs<sup>a</sup>), emend the form to lGo.
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “though rulers sit, about me they talk together.” (For another example of the niphal of rbd used with a suffixed form of the preposition b, see Ezek 33:30.)
<sup>35</sup>tn Heb “men of my counsel.” That is, God’s rules are like advisers to him for they teach him how to live in a godly manner that refutes the accusations of his enemies.
<sup>36</sup>tn Heb “my soul clings to the dirt.”
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts read the plural “your words.” In this verse the divine “word” appears to be an assuring oracle of deliverance (see v. 26), rather than the divine commands contained in the Law.
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “my ways I proclaimed.”
<sup>39</sup>tn Heb “the way of your precepts make me understand.”
<sup>40</sup>tn The cohortative with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “your amazing things,” which refers here to the teachings of the Law (see v. 18).
<sup>42</sup>tn Some translate “my soul weeps,” taking the verb [ld from a root meaning “drip, drop” (BDB, 196). On the basis of cognate evidence from Arabic and Akkadian, KB proposes a homonymic root here, meaning “be sleepless” (KB, 223). Following L. Allen (see Psalms 101-150, 127, 135), the translation above assumes that the verb is cognate with Ugaritic dlp, “collapse, crumple” in CTA 2 iv. 17, 26. See J. Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 44, 144.
<sup>43</sup>tn Heb “according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts read the plural “your words.” As in v. 25, the divine “word” here appears to be an assuring oracle of deliverance (see v. 26), rather than the divine commands contained in the Law.
<sup>44</sup>tn The “path of deceit” refers to a lifestyle characterized by deceit and disloyalty to God. It stands in contrast to “the way of faithfulness” in v. 30.
<sup>45</sup>tn Heb “be gracious to me.” The verb is used metonymically here for “graciously giving” the Law. (See Gen 33:5, where Jacob uses this verb in describing how God had graciously given him children.)
<sup>46</sup>tn BDB (1000-01) derives the verb hwv from the first homonym listed, meaning “agree with, be like, resemble.” It here means (in the piel stem) “accounted suitable,” which in turn would mean by metonymy “to accept, be committed to.” Some prefer to derive the verb from a homonym meaning “place, set” (see BDB, 1001), but in this case an elliptical prepositional phrase must be understood, “I place your regulations (before me)” (see Ps 16:8).
<sup>47</sup>tn Or “cling to.”
<sup>48</sup>tn Heb “for you make wide my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and understanding. The Lord gives the psalmist the desire and moral understanding that are foundational to the willing obedience depicted metaphorically in the preceding line. In Isa 60:5 the expression “your heart will be wide” means “your heart will swell with pride,” but here the nuance appears to be different.
<sup>49</sup>tn Heb “the way of your statutes.”
<sup>50</sup>tn Heb “and I will keep it to the end.” The prefixed verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative. bqu is understood to mean “end” here (see BDB, 784). Another option is to take bqu as meaning “reward” here (see Ps 19:11) and to translate, “so that I might observe it and be rewarded.”
<sup>51</sup>tn The two prefixed verbal forms with waw conjunctive indicate purpose/result after the introductory imperative.
<sup>52</sup>tn Or “make me walk.”
<sup>53</sup>tn Heb “for in it I delight.”
<sup>54</sup>tn Heb “turn my heart to your rules.”
<sup>55</sup>tn Heb “and not gain.”
<sup>56</sup>tn Heb “Make my eyes pass by from looking at what is worthless.”
<sup>57</sup>tn Heb “by your word.” As in vv. 25 and 28, the divine “word” here appears to be an assuring oracle of deliverance.
<sup>58</sup>tn Heb “word.”
<sup>59</sup>tn Heb “which (is) for your fear,” that is, the promise made to those who exhibit fear of God.
<sup>60</sup>tn Heb “my reproach that I fear.”
<sup>61</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>62</sup>tn Heb “and may your loyal love come to me.”
<sup>63</sup>tn Heb “according to your word.”
<sup>64</sup>tn Heb “and I will answer (the) one who insults me a word.” The prefixed verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the jussive (see v. 41).
<sup>65</sup>tn Heb “your word.”
<sup>66</sup>tn Heb “do not snatch from my mouth a word of truth to excess.” The psalmist wants to be able to give a reliable testimony about the Lord’s loyal love (vv. 41-42), but if God does not intervene, he will be deprived of doing so, for the evidence of such love (deliverance) will be lacking.
<sup>67</sup>tn The cohortative verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the negated jussive (see v. 43).
<sup>68</sup>tn Or “forever and ever.”
<sup>69</sup>tn Heb “and I will walk about in a wide place.” The cohortative with prefixed waw conjunctive gives a further consequence of the anticipated positive divine response (see vv. 43-44). Another option is to take the cohortative as expressing the psalmist’s request. In this case one may translate, “and please give me security.”
<sup>70</sup>tn The series of four cohortatives with prefixed waw conjunctive in vv. 46-48 list further consequences of the anticipated positive divine response to the request made in v. 43.
<sup>71</sup>tn Lifting the hands is often associated with prayer (Pss 28:2; 63:4; Lam 2:19). Because praying to God’s Law borders on the extreme, some prefer to emend the text to “I lift up my hands to you,” eliminating “your commands, which I love” as dittographic. In this view these words were accidentally repeated from the previous verse. However, it is possible that the psalmist closely associates the Law with God himself because he views the Law as the expression of the divine will. Another option is that “lifting the hands” does not refer to prayer here, but to the psalmist’s desire to receive and appropriate the Law.
<sup>72</sup>tn Heb “word.”
<sup>73</sup>tn “This” looks back to the hope just mentioned or forward to the statement in the second line concerning the promise’s power to revive. See the note at the end of the verse for further discussion.
<sup>74</sup>tn The hope generated by the promise (see 49b) brings comfort because (note “for”) the promise revives the psalmist’s spirits. Another option is to take yk at the beginning of the second line in the sense of “that,” in which case “this” refers to the promise’s power to revive.
<sup>75</sup>tn Heb “scoff at me to excess.”
<sup>76</sup>tn Heb “I remember your regulations from of old.” The prepositional phrase apparently modifies “your regulations,” alluding to the fact that God revealed them to Israel in the distant past. Another option is to understand the prepositional phrase as modifying the verb, in which case one might translate, “I have long remembered your regulations.”
<sup>77</sup>tn Or “find comfort.”
<sup>78</sup>tn Heb “songs were your statutes to me.”
<sup>79</sup>tn Heb “in the house of my dwelling place.” Some take the noun rwgm in the sense of “temporary abode,” and see this as a reference to the psalmist’s status as a resident alien (see v. 19). But the noun can refer to a dwelling place in general (see Ps 55:15).
<sup>80</sup>tn The cohortative verbal form expresses the psalmist’s resolve to obey the Law.
<sup>81</sup>tn Heb “this has been to me.” “This” refers back to the practices mentioned in vv. 54-55 or looks forward to the statement in the second line, in which case the yk at the beginning of the second line should be translated “that.”
<sup>82</sup>tn Heb “my portion (is) the LORD.” The psalmist compares the Lord to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel (see Ps 16:5).
<sup>83</sup>tn Heb “I said.”
<sup>84</sup>tn Heb “to keep your words” (see v. 9).
<sup>85</sup>tn Heb “I appease your face.”
<sup>86</sup>tn Heb “according to your word.”
<sup>87</sup>tn Heb “my ways.”
<sup>88</sup>tn Heb “and I turn my feet toward.”
<sup>89</sup>tn Heb “I hurry and I do not delay to keep your commands.”
<sup>90</sup>tn Heb “surround.”
<sup>91</sup>tn The psalmist uses an imperfect verbal form to emphasize that this is his continuing practice.
<sup>92</sup>tn Heb “to all who fear you.”
<sup>93</sup>tn Heb “do good.”
<sup>94</sup>tn Heb “according to your word.”
<sup>95</sup>tn Heb “goodness of taste.” “Taste” refers here to moral and ethical discernment,
<sup>96</sup>tn Heb “for I believe in your commands.”
<sup>97</sup>tn Heb “before I suffered, I was straying off.”
<sup>98</sup>tn Heb “your word.”
<sup>99</sup>tn Heb “smear over me a lie.”
<sup>100</sup>tn Heb “their heart is insensitive like fat.”
<sup>101</sup>tn Heb “better to me (is) the law of your mouth than thousands of gold and silver (shekels).”
<sup>102</sup>tn Heb “made me and established me.” The two verbs also appear together in Deut 32:6, where God, likened to a father, is said to have “made and established” Israel.
<sup>103</sup>tn The cohortative verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
<sup>104</sup>tn Heb “thoise who fear you will see me and rejoice.”
<sup>105</sup>tn In this context (note the second line) <yfpvm, which so often refers to the regulations of God’s Law elsewhere in this psalm, may refer instead to his decisions or disciplinary judgment.
<sup>106</sup>tn Heb “and (in) faithfulness you afflicted me.”
<sup>107</sup>tn Heb “according to your word to your servant.”
<sup>108</sup>tn Heb “and may your compassion come to me.”
<sup>109</sup>tn Heb “for (with) falsehood they have denied me justice.”
<sup>110</sup>tn Heb “those who fear you.”
<sup>111</sup>tn Heb “may my heart be complete in your statutes.”
<sup>112</sup>tn Heb “my soul pines for.” See Ps 84:2.
<sup>113</sup>tn Heb “my eyes fail for your word.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision. See Ps 69:3.
<sup>114</sup>tn Heb “saying.”
<sup>115</sup>tn Or “even though.”
<sup>116</sup>tn The word dan, “leather container,” refers to a container made from animal skin which is used to hold wine or milk (see Josh 9:4, 13; Judg 4:19; 1 Sam 16:20).
<sup>117</sup>tn Heb “in the smoke.”
<sup>118</sup>tn Heb “How long are the days of your servant?”
<sup>119</sup>tn Heb “for me.”
<sup>120</sup>tn Heb “which (is) not according to your law.”
<sup>121</sup>sn God’s commands are a reliable guide to right and wrong. By keeping them the psalmist is doing what is right, yet he is still persecuted.
<sup>122</sup>tn Heb “according to.”
<sup>123</sup>tn The cohortative verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
<sup>124</sup>tn Heb “of your mouth.”
<sup>125</sup>tn Heb “Forever, O LORD, your word stands firm in heaven,” or “Forever, O LORD, (is) your word, it stands firm in heaven.” The translation assumes that “your word” refers here to the body of divine instructions contained in the Law (note the frequent references to the Law in vv. 92-96). See vv. 9, 16-17, 57, 101, 105, 130, 139 and 160-61. The reference in v. 86 to God’s Law being faithful favors this interpretation. Another option is that “your word” refers to God’s assuring word of promise, mentioned in vv. 25, 28, 42, 65, 74, 81, 107, 114, 147 and 169. In this case one might translate, “O LORD, your promise is reliable, its stands firm in heaven.”
<sup>126</sup>tn Heb “to a generation and a generation (is) your faithfulness.”
<sup>127</sup>tn Heb “if your law had not been my delight.”
<sup>128</sup>tn Or “my suffering.”
<sup>129</sup>tn Heb ‘the wicked wait for me to kill me.”
<sup>130</sup>tn Heb “to every perfection I have seen an end, your command is very wide.” God’s Law is beyond full comprehension, which is why the psalmist continually studies it (vv. 95, 97).
<sup>131</sup>tn Heb “your commands.” The plural form needs to be revocalized as a singular in order to agree with the preceding singular verb and the singular pronoun in the next line. The Lord’s “command” refers here to the Law (see Ps 19:8).
<sup>132</sup>tn Heb “I hold back my feet.”
<sup>133</sup>tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts have the plural.
<sup>134</sup>tn Heb “How smooth they are to my palate, your word, more than honey to my mouth.” A few medieval Hebrew manuscripts, as well as several other ancient witnesses, read the plural “your words,” which can then be understood as the subject of the plural verb “they are smooth.”
<sup>135</sup>tn Heb “every false path.”
<sup>136</sup>tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts read the plural.
<sup>137</sup>tn Heb “(is) a lamp for my foot and a light for my path.”
<sup>138</sup>tn Heb “according to your word.”
<sup>139</sup>tn Heb “my life (is) in my hands continually.”
<sup>140</sup>tn Heb “for the joy of my heart (are) they.”
<sup>141</sup>tn Heb “I turn my heart to do.”
<sup>142</sup>tn Heb “divided ones.” The word occurs only here; it appears to be derived from a verbal root, attested in Arabic, meaning “to split” (see KB, 762). Since the psalmist is emphasizing his unswerving allegiance to God and his Law, the term probably refers to those who lack such loyalty. For the translation see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 131.
<sup>143</sup>tn The cohortative verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
<sup>144</sup>tn The psalmist has already declared that he observes God’s commands despite persecution, so here the idea must “so that I might observe the commands of my God unhindered by threats.”
<sup>145</sup>tn Heb “according to your word.”
<sup>146</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
<sup>147</sup>tn Heb “do not make me ashamed of my hope.” After the verb vwb, “be ashamed,” the preposition /m, “from,” often introduces the reason for shame (see BDB, 101).
<sup>148</sup>tn Or “and that I might focus.” The two cohortatives with waw conjunctive indicate purpose/result after the imperative at the beginning of the verse.
<sup>149</sup>tn The verb hls, “disdain,” occurs only here and in Lam 1:15 (see KB, 756). Cognate usage in Aramaic and Akkadian, as well as Lam 1:15, suggest it may have a concrete nuance of “throw away.”
<sup>150</sup>tn Heb “for their deceit (is) falsehood.”
<sup>151</sup>sn The metaphor comes from metallurgy; slag is the substance left over after the metallic ore has been refined.
<sup>152</sup>sn As he explains in the next verse, his fear of judgment motivates him to obey God’s rules.
<sup>153</sup>tn Heb “my flesh.”
<sup>154</sup>tn The verb rms, “tremble,” occurs only here and in Job 4:15 (see KB, 760).
<sup>155</sup>tn Heb “from fear of you.” The pronominal suffix on the noun is an objective genitive.
<sup>156</sup>tn Heb “be surety for your servant for good.”
<sup>157</sup>tn Heb “my eyes fail for your deliverance.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision. See v. 82.
<sup>158</sup>tn Heb “and for the word of your faithfulness.”
<sup>159</sup>tn Heb “do with your servant according to your loyal love.”
<sup>160</sup>tn or “know.” The cohortative verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
<sup>161</sup>tn “For this reason” connects logically with the statement made in v. 126. Because the judgment he fears (see vv. 119-120) is imminent, the psalmist remains loyal to God’s Law.
<sup>162</sup>tn Heb “for this reason all the precepts of everything I regard as right.” The phrase “precepts of everything” is odd. It is preferable to take the kaph on lk, “everything,” with the preceding form as a pronominal suffix, “your precepts,” and the lamed with the following verb as an emphatic particle. See L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 138; KB, 510-11.
<sup>163</sup>tn Heb “every false path.”
<sup>164</sup>tn Heb “the doorway of your words gives light.” God’s “words” refer here to the instructions in his Law (see vv. 9, 57).
<sup>165</sup>tn Heb “it (that is, the doorway) gives.”
<sup>166</sup>tn Or, “the (morally) naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Pss 19:7; 116:6.
<sup>167</sup>tn The verb occurs only here in the OT. See KB, 381.
<sup>168</sup>tn Heb “according to custom toward the lovers of your name.” The “lovers of” God’s “name” are the Lord’s loyal followers. See Pss 5:11; 69:36; Isa 56:6.
<sup>169</sup>tn God’s “word” is here his Law (see v. 11).
<sup>170</sup>tn Or “redeem me.”
<sup>171</sup>tn The cohortative verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
<sup>172</sup>tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
<sup>173</sup>tn Heb “(with) flowing streams my eyes go down.”
<sup>174</sup>tn Heb “you commanded (in) justice your rules.”
<sup>175</sup>tn or “zeal.”
<sup>176</sup>tn Heb “destroys,” in a hyperbolic sense.
<sup>177</sup>tn Heb “your words.”
<sup>178</sup>tn Heb “your justice (is) justtice forever.”
<sup>179</sup>tn or “truth.”
<sup>180</sup>tn Heb “find.”
<sup>181</sup>tn Heb “just are your rules forever.”
<sup>182</sup>tn The cohortative verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
<sup>183</sup>tn The cohortative verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
<sup>184</sup>tn Heb “my voice.”
<sup>185</sup>tn Heb “according to.”
<sup>186</sup>tn Heb “according to your custom.”
<sup>187</sup>tn Heb “those who pursue.”
<sup>188</sup>tn Or “truth.”
<sup>189</sup>tn Heb “long ago I knew concerning your rules, that forever you established them.” See v. 89 for the same idea. The translation above assumes that the preposition /m prefixed to “your rules” introduces the object of the verb udy, as in 1 Sam 23:23. Another option is that the preposition indicates source, in which case one might translate, “Long ago I realized from your rules that forever you established them.”
<sup>190</sup>tn Or “argue my case.”
<sup>191</sup>tn Heb “and redeem me.” The verb “redeem” casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).
<sup>192</sup>tn Heb “far from the wicked (is) deliverance.”
<sup>193</sup>tn Heb “according to your customs.”
<sup>194</sup>tn Heb “many (are) those who chase me and my enemies.”
<sup>195</sup>tn Heb “your word.”
<sup>196</sup>tn Heb “the head of your word is truth, and forever (is) all your just regulation.” “Head” is used here of the “sum total” of God’s instructions. See BDB, 911.
<sup>197</sup>tn Heb “and because of your instructions my heart trembles.” His healthy “fear” of the consequences of violating God’s instructions motivates him to obey them. See v. 120.
<sup>198</sup>tn Heb “like one who finds great loot.” See Judg 5:30. The image is that of a victorious warrior who grabs up all the loot he can hold.
<sup>199</sup>tn The number “seven” is use rhetorically to suggest thoroughness.
<sup>200</sup>tn Heb “great peace (is) to the lovers of your Law.”
<sup>201</sup>tn Heb “and there is no stumbling to them.”
<sup>202</sup>tn Heb “do.”
<sup>203</sup>tn Heb “for all my ways (are) before you.”
<sup>204</sup>tn Heb “may my cry approach before you.”
<sup>205</sup>tn Heb “your word.”
<sup>206</sup>tn Heb “may my appeal for mercy come before you.”
<sup>207</sup>tn Heb “according to your word.”
<sup>208</sup>tn Heb “your word.”
<sup>209</sup>tn The words “to obey” are added for stylistic reasons and clarification.
<sup>210</sup>tn Heb “my life.”
<sup>211</sup>tn God’s regulations will “help” him by giving him moral and ethical guidance.
<sup>212</sup>tn Heb “I stray like a lost sheep.” The psalmist, who is threatened by his enemies, feels as vulnerable as a straying, lost sheep. He is not suggesting that he has wandered from God’s path (see the second half of the verse, as well as v. 110).
<sup>213</sup>sn Ps 120. The genre and structure of this psalm are uncertain. It begins like a thanksgiving psalm, with a brief notice that God has heard his prayer for help and intervened. But v. 2 is a petition for help, followed by a taunt directed towards enemies (vv. 3-4) and a lament (vv. 5-7). Perhaps vv. 2-7 recall his prayer when he cried out to the Lord.
<sup>214</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn The words “I said” are added in the translation for clarification. See the introductory note for this psalm.
<sup>2</sup>tn Or “my life.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “from a lip of falsehood.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “from a tongue of deception.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “What will he give to you, and what will he add to you, O tongue of deception?” The psalmist addresses his deceptive enemies. The Lord is the understood subject of the verbs “give” and “add.” The second part of the question echoes a standard curse formula, “thus the LORD/God will do . . . and thus he will add” (see Ruth 1:17; 1 Sam 3:17; 14:44; 20:13; 25:22; 2 Sam 3:9, 35; 19:13; 1 Kgs 2:23; 2 Kgs 6:31).
<sup>6</sup>tn The words “here’s how” are added in the translation for clarification. In v. 4 the psalmist answers the question he raises in v. 3.
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “with coals of the wood of the broom plant.” The wood of the broom plant was used to make charcoal, which in turn was used to fuel the fire used to forge the arrowheads (see KB, 188).
<sup>8</sup>tn Or “woe to me.” hywa, “woe,” which occurs only here, is an alternate form of ywa (BDB, 17).
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “I live as a resident alien.”
<sup>10</sup>sn Meshech was located in central Anatolia (modern Turkey). See KB, 646. Kedar was located in the desert to east-southeast of Israel (see BDB, 871). Because of the reference to Kedar, it is possible that Ps 120:5 refers to a different Meshech, perhaps one associated with the individual mentioned as a descendent of Aram in 1 Chr 1:17. (However, the LXX reading in 1 Chr 1:17 follows the parallel text in Gen 10:23, which has Mash, not Meshech.) It is, of course, impossible that the psalmist could have been living in both the far north and the east at the same time. For this reason one must assume that he is recalling his experience as a wanderer among the nations or that he is using the geographical terms metaphorically and sarcastically to suggest that the enemies who surround him are like the barbarians who live in these distant regions. For a discussion of the problem, see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 146.
<sup>11</sup>tn The singular participial form probably has a representative function here. The psalmist envisions the typical hater of peace who represents the entire category of such individuals.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “I, peace.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “they (are) for war.”
<sup>14</sup>sn Ps 121. The psalm affirms that the Lord protects his people Israel. Unless the psalmist addresses an observer (note the second person singular forms in vv. 3-8), it appears there are two or three speakers represented in the psalm, depending on how one takes v. 3. The translation assumes that speaker one talks in vv. 1-2, that speaker two responds to him with a prayer in v. 3 (this assumes the verbs are true jussives of prayer), and that speaker three responds with words of assurance in vv. 4-8. If the verbs in v. 3 are taken as as a rhetorical use of the jussive, then there are two speakers. Verses 3-8 are speaker two’s response to the words of speaker one. See the note at v. 3.
<sup>15</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”
<sup>2</sup>tn /yam is interrogative, not relative, in function. Rather than directly stating that his source of help descends from the hills, the psalmist is asking, “From where does my help come?” Nevertheless, the first line does indicate that he is looking toward the hills for help, probably indicating that he is looking up toward the sky in anticipation of supernatural intervention. The psalmist assumes the dramatic role of one needing help. He answers his own question in v. 2.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “my help (is) from with the LORD.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Or “maker.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “the one who guards you.”
<sup>6</sup>tn The prefixed verbal forms following the negative particle la appear to be jussives. As noted above, if they are taken as true jussives of prayer, then the speaker in v. 3 would appear to be distinct from both the speaker in vv. 1-2 and the speaker in vv. 4-8. However, according to GKC (322, para 109e), the jussives are used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen” (see also BDB, 39). In this case one should probably translate, “he will not allow your foot to slip, your protector will not sleep,” and understand just one speaker in vv. 4-8.
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “the one who guards Israel.”
<sup>8</sup>sn One hardly thinks of the moon’s rays being physically harmful, like those of the sun. The reference to the moon may simply lend poetic balance to the verse, but it is likely that the verse reflects an ancient, primitive belief that the moon could have an adverse effect on the mind (note the English expression “moonstruck,” which reflects such a belief). Another possibility is that the sun and moon stand by metonymy for harmful forces characteristic of the day and night, respectively.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “your going out and your coming in.”
<sup>10</sup>sn Ps 122. The psalmist expresses his love for Jerusalem and promises to pray for the city’s security.
<sup>11</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “in the ones saying to me.” After the verb jmc, the preposition b, “in,” usually introduces the reason for joy.
<sup>2</sup>tn or “were.”
<sup>3</sup>tc Heb “Jerusalem, which is built like a city which is joined to her together.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. Many regard this as a description of the compact way in which the city was designed or constructed. The translation above assumes an emendation of the verb hr`B=j%, “is joined,” to a noun hr`b=j#, “association, company.” The text then reads literally, “Jerusalem, which is built like a city which has a company together.” This in turn can be taken as a reference to Jerusalem’s role as a city where people congregated for religious festivals and other civic occasions (see vv. 4-5).
<sup>4</sup>tn Or “went up.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “which is where the tribes go up.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “(it is) a statute for Israel to give thanks to the name of the LORD.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Or “sat.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “Indeed, there they sit (on) thrones for judgment, (on) thrones (belonging) to the house of David.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “ask (for).”
<sup>11</sup>tn Or “be secure.”
<sup>12</sup>tn or “security.”
<sup>13</sup>tn The psalmist uses second feminine singular pronominal forms to address personified Jerusalem.
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “I will seek good for you.” The psalmist will seek Jerusalem’s “good” through prayer.
<sup>15</sup>sn Ps 123. The psalmist, speaking for God’s people, acknowledges his dependence on God in the midst of a crisis.
<sup>16</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “sitting.” The verb bvy is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12).
<sup>3</sup>sn Servants look to their master for food and other basic needs.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “for greatly we are filled (with) humiliation.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “greatly our soul is full to it.”
<sup>6</sup>sn Ps 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.
<sup>7</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “rose up against us.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Or “stream.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “would have passed over.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “our being.” The suffixed form of vpn, “being,” is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “then they would have passed over our being, the raging waters.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “blessed (be) the LORD.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “(the one) who.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “our life escaped.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “our help (is) in the name of the LORD.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Or “maker.”
<sup>11</sup>sn Ps 125. The psalmist affirms his confidence in the Lord’s protection and justice.
<sup>12</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn Or “for.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.
<sup>3</sup>tn Or “rest.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful example can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the people he rules.
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “and the ones making their paths twisted.” A sinful lifestyle is compared to a twisting, winding road.
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “lead them away.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer here (note the prayers directly before and after this). Another option is to translate, “the LORD will remove them.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “peace upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 122:8 for a similar prayer for peace).
<sup>10</sup>sn Ps 126. Recalling the joy of past deliverance, God’s covenant community asks for a fresh display of God’s power and confidently anticipate their sorrow being transformed into joy.
<sup>11</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “turns with a turning (toward) his people.” The noun tbyv occurs only here in the OT. For this reason many want to emend the form to the more common tybv or twbv, both of which are used as a cognate accusative of bwv (see Ps 14:7). However an Aramaic cognate of tbyv appears in an eighth century B. C. Old Aramaic inscription with the verb bwv. This cognate noun appears to mean “return” (see J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Treaties of Sefire, 119-120) or “restoration” (see DNWSI, 1125). Therefore it appears that tbyv should be retained and understood as a cognate accusative of bwv. See Fitzmyer, 119-120, as well as L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 170, who offers the literal translation, “turn with a turning toward.” Allen takes tbyv as construct and understands “Zion” as an objective genitive.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “we were like dreamers.” This could mean they were so overcome with ecstatic joy (see v. 3b) that they were like those fantasize about pleasurable experiences in their sleep (see Isa 29:7-8). Since dreams are more commonly associated in the OT with prophetic visions (see BDB, 321), the community may be comparing their experience of God’s renewed favor to a prophet’s receiving divine visions. Just as a prophetic dream sweeps the individual into a different dimension and sometimes brings one face-to-face with God himself (see Gen 28:11-15; 1 Kgs 3:5-15), so the community was aware of God’s presence in a special way in the day of Zion’s restoration. Though the Hebrew text makes good sense, some choose to understand a homonymic root here meaning “be healthy, strong” (for this root see BDB, 321) and translate, “we were like those restored to health.” This reading appears to have the support of several ancient translations, as well as 11QPs<sup>a</sup>. See L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 170-71, for a discussion of the viewpoints.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “they said among the nations.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “like the streams in the Negev.”
sn Y. Aharoni (The Land of the Bible, 26) writes of the streams in the Negev: “These usually dry wadies collect water on rainly days from vast areas. The situation is also aggravated by floods from the desert mountains and southern Judah. For a day or two or, more frequently, for only a few hours they turn into dangerous torrents.” God’s people were experiencing a “dry season” after a time of past blessing; they pray here for a “flash flood” of his renewed blessing. This does not imply that they are requesting only a brief display of his blessing. Rather point of comparison is the suddenness with which the wadies swell during a rain, as well as the depth and power of these raging waters. The community desires a sudden display of divine favor in which God overwhelms them with blessings.
<sup>6</sup>sn O. Borowski (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54) comments on the passage: “The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing.” Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.
<sup>7</sup>tn The noun occurs only here and in Job 28:18 in the OT. See KB, 646, who give “leather pouch” as the meaning.
<sup>8</sup>tn The noun hmla, “sheaf,” occurs only here and in Gen 37:7 in the OT. See KB, 58.
sn Verse 6. Verse 6 expands the image of v. 5. See the study note there.
<sup>9</sup>sn Ps 127. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist teaches that one does not find security by one’s own efforts, for God alone gives stability and security.
<sup>10</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn The expression “build a house” may have a double meaning here. It may refer on the surface level to a literal physical structure inwhich a family lives, but at a deeper, metaphorical level it refers to building, perpetuating, and maintaining a family line. See Deut 25:9; Ruth 4:11; 1 Sam 2:35; 2 Sam 7:27; 1 Kgs 11:38; 1 Chr 17:10, 25. Having a family line provided security in ancient Israel.
<sup>2</sup>sn The “city” symbolizes community security, which is the necessary framework for family security.
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “(it is) vain for you, you who are early to rise, who delay sitting, who eat the food of hard work.” The three substantival participles are parallel and stand in apposition to the pronominal suffix on the preposition (see <kl, “for you”).
<sup>4</sup>tn /k is used here to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4; Ps 63:2).
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “he gives to his beloved, sleep.” The translation assumes that anv, “sleep” (an alternate form of hnv) is an adverbial accusative. The point seems to be this: Hard work by itself is not what counts, but one’s relationship to God, for God is able to bless an individual even while he sleeps. (There may even be a subtle allusion to the miracle of conception following sexual intercourse. See the reference to the gift of sons in the followig verse.) The statement is not advocating laziness, but utilizing hyperbole to give perspective and to remind the addressees that God must be one’s first priority. Another option is to take “sleep” as the direct object, “yes, he gives sleep to his beloved.” In this case the point is this: Hard work by itself is futile, for only God is able to bless one with sleep, which metonymically refers to having one’s needs met. He blesses on the basis of one’s relationship to him, not on the basis of physical energy expended.
<sup>6</sup>tn or “look.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Some prefer to translate with the gender neutral “children,” but “sons” are clearly in view here, as the following verses make clear. Daughters are certainly wonderful, but in ancient Israel sons were the “arrows” that gave a man security in his old age, for they could defend the family interests at the city gate, where the legal and economic issues of the community were settled.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so (are) sons of youth.” Arrows are used in combat to defend oneself against enemies; sons are viewed here as providing social security and protection (see v. 5). The phrase “sons of youth” is elliptical, meaning “sons (born during the father’s) youth.” Such sons will be mature adults and have children of their own by the time the father reaches old age and becomes vulnerable to enemies. Contrast the phrase “son of old age” in Gen 37:3 (see also 44:20), which refers to Jacob’s age when Joseph was born.
<sup>9</sup>tn Being “put to shame” is here metonymic for being defeated, probably in a legal context, as the reference to the city gate suggests. One could be humiliated (Ps 69:12) or deprived of justice (Amos 5:12) at the gate, but with strong sons to defend the family interests this was less likely to happen.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “speak with.”
<sup>11</sup>sn Ps 128. The psalmist observes that the godly man has genuine happiness for the Lord rewards him with prosperity and numerous children.
<sup>12</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “every fearer of the LORD.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”
<sup>3</sup>tn The psalmist addressees the representative God-fearing man, as the references to “your wife” (v. 3) and “the man” (v. 4), as well as the second masculine singular pronominal and verbal forms in vv. 2-6, indicate.
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “the work of your hands, indeed you will eat.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “how happy you (will be) and it will be good for you.”
<sup>6</sup>sn The metaphor of the fruitful vine pictures her as fertile; she will give her husband numerous children (see the next line).
<sup>7</sup>tn One could translate “sons” (see Ps 127:3 and the note there), but here the term seems to refer more generally to children.
<sup>8</sup>tn Heb “look, indeed thus will the man, the fearer of the LORD, be blessed.”
<sup>9</sup>tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer (note the imperatives that are subordinated to this clause in vv. 5b-6a). Having described the blessings that typically come to the godly, the psalmist concludes by praying that this ideal may become reality for the representative godly man being addressed.
<sup>10</sup>tn The imperative with prefixed waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding jussive.
<sup>11</sup>tn The imperative with prefixed waw conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the jussive in v. 5a.
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “sons to your sons.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “peace upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 125:5).
<sup>14</sup>sn Ps 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.
<sup>15</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn The background of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Perhaps the “ropes” are those used to harness the ox for plowing (see Job 39:10). Verse 3 pictures the wicked plowing God’s people as if they were a field. But when God “cut the ropes” of their ox, as it were, they could no longer plow. The point of the metaphor seems to be that God took away the enemies’ ability to oppress his people. See L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 187.
<sup>2</sup>tn The Hebrew verb [lv normally refers to “drawing (a sword)” or “pulling.” BDB (1025) suggests the meaning “shoot up” here, but it is more likely that the verb here means “pluck, pull up,” a nuance attested for it in later Hebrew and Aramaic (see Jastrow, 1587).
<sup>3</sup>tn The perfect verbal form is used for rhetorical effect; it describes an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
<sup>4</sup>sn Ps 130. The psalmist, confident of the Lord’s forgiveness, cries out to the Lord for help in the midst of his suffering and urges Israel to do the same.
<sup>5</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “depths,” that is, deep waters (see Ps 69:2, 14; Isa 51:10), a metaphor for the life-threatening danger faced by the psalmist.
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “my voice.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “observe.”
<sup>5</sup>tn The words “before you” are added for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer “no one.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Or “surely.”
<sup>7</sup>tn Heb “for with lyou (there is) forgiveness.”
<sup>8</sup>tn Or “consequently you are.”
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “feared.”
<sup>10</sup>tn Or “wait for.”
<sup>11</sup>tn Heb “my soul waits.”
<sup>12</sup>tn Heb “his word.”
<sup>13</sup>tn Heb “my soul for the master.”
<sup>14</sup>tn Heb “more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning.” The words “yes, more” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
<sup>15</sup>tn Heb “for with the LORD (is) loyal love.”
<sup>16</sup>tn Heb “and abundantly with him (is) redemption.”
<sup>17</sup>tn Or “redeem.”
<sup>18</sup>tn The Hebrew noun /wu can refer to sin, the guilt sin produces, or the consequences of sin (see BDB, 730-731). Only here is the noun collocated with the verb hdp, “redeem, deliver.” The psalmist may refer to forgiveness per se (v. 4), but the emphasis in this context is likely on deliverance from the national consequences of sin. See L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 192.
<sup>19</sup>sn Ps 131. The psalmist affirms his humble dependence on the Lord and urges Israel to place its trust in God.
<sup>20</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “and my eyes are not lifted up.”
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “I do not walk in great things, and in things too marvelous for me.”
<sup>3</sup>tn Or “but” (see BDB, 50).
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “I make level and make quiet my soul.”
<sup>5</sup>tn Heb “like a weaned (one) upon his mother.”
<sup>6</sup>tn Heb “like the weaned (one) upon me, my soul.”
<sup>7</sup>sn Ps 132. The psalmist reminds God of David’s devotion and of his promises concerning David’s dynasty and Zion.
<sup>8</sup>sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “all his affliction.” This may refer to David’s strenuous and tireless efforts to make provision for the building of the temple (see 1Chron 22:14). Some prefer to revocalize the text as otw`n^u^, “his humility.”
²tn Heb “the powerful (one) of Jacob.”
³tn The words “he said” are added in the translation above to clarify that David’s vow follows.
⁴tn Heb “the tent of my house.”
⁵tn Heb “go up upon the bed of my couch.”
⁶tn The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; David envisions a special dwelling place (see Pss 43:3; 46:4; 84:1).
⁷tn Heb “the powerful (one) of Jacob.”
⁸tn Rather than having an antecedent, the third feminine singular pronominal suffix here (and in the next line) appears to refer to the ark of the covenant, mentioned in v. 8. (/wra, “ark,” is sometimes construed as grammatically feminine. See 1 Sam 4:17; 2 Chr 8:11.)
⁹sn Some understand this as a reference to Kiriath-jearim because of the apparent allusion to this site in the next line (see the note there). The ark was kept in Kiriath-jearim after the Philistines released it (see 1 Sam 6:21-7:2). However, the switch in verbs from “heard about” to “found” suggests that Ephrathah not be equated with Jair. The group speaking heard about the ark while they were in Ephrath. They then went to retrieve it from Kiriath-jearim. It is more likely that Ephrathah refers to a site near Bethel (Gen 35:16, 19; 48:7) or to Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2).
¹⁰tn Heb “fields of the forest.” ruy, “forest,” is apparently a shortened alternative name for <yruy tyrq, “Kiriath-jearim,” the place where the ark was kept after it was released by the Philistines and from which David and his men retrieved it (see 2 Chr 13:6).
¹¹tn Or “bow down.”
¹²tn Or “righteousness.”
¹³tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”
¹⁴tn Heb “the LORD swore an oath to David (in) truth.”
¹⁵tn Heb “he will not turn back from it.”
¹⁶tn The words “he said” are added in the translation above to clarify that the Lord’s words follow.
¹⁷tn Heb “the fruit of your body.”
¹⁸tn Or “for.”
¹⁹tn Heb “he desired it for his dwelling place.”
²⁰tn The words “he said” are added in the translation above to clarify that the Lord’s words follow.
²¹tn Heb “for I desired it.”
²²tn Heb “I will greatly bless her provision.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.
²³tn Heb “her poor I will satisfy (with) food.”
²⁴tn Heb “and her priests I will clothe (with) deliverance.”
²⁵tn Heb “(with) shouting they will shout.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.
²⁶tn Heb “there I will cause a horn to sprout for David.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Pss 18:2; 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that uses its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, HTR 60 (1967), 422-25, and R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 135-36.
²⁷tn Heb “I have arranged a lamp for my anointed one.” The “lamp” is a metaphor for the Davidic dynasty (see 1 Kgs 11:36).
²⁸tn Heb “his enemies I will clothe (with) shame.”
²⁹sn Ps 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.
³⁰sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
¹sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 212-15.
²tn Heb “(it is) like the good oil on the head, going down on the beard.”
³tn Heb “which goes down in accordance with his measured things.” wytwdm, “his measured things,” refers here to the robes worn by Aaron. KB (546) derives the form from dm, “robe,” rather than hdm, “measured thing.” Ugaritic md means “robe” and is pluralized mdt (see C. Gordon, Ugaritic Textbook, 430).
⁴sn This refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.
⁵sn The “hills” are those surrounding Zion (see Pss 87:1; 125:2). The psalmist does not intend to suggest that the dew from Mt. Hermon in the distant north actually flows down upon Zion. His point is that the same kind of heavy dew that replenishes Hermon may also be seen on Zion’s hills. See A. Cohen, The Psalms, SBTB, 439. “Dew” here symbolizes divine blessing, as the next line suggests.
⁶tn Or “for.”
⁷tn Heb “there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forever.”
⁸sn Ps 134. The psalmist calls upon the temple servants to praise God (vv. 1-2). They in turn pronounce a blessing upon the psalmist (v. 3).
⁹sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-21.
¹tn Heb “look.”
²tn Heb “stand.”
³tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine singular, suggesting that the servants addressed in vv. 1-2 are responding to the psalmist.
⁴tn Heb “may the LORD bless you from Zion, the maker of heaven and earth.”
⁵sn Ps 135. The psalmist urges God’s people to praise him because he is the incomparable God and ruler of the world who has accomplished great things for Israel.
¹tn Heb “stand.”
²tn Heb “for (it is) pleasant.” The translation assumes that it is the Lord’s “name” that is pleasant. Another option is to understand “it” as the act of praising (see Ps 147:1).
³tn Or “for.”
⁴sn His special possession. The language echoes Exod 19:5; Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18. See also Mal 3:17.
⁵tn Or “for.”
⁶tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).
⁷tn Or “portents, omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are in view.
⁸tn Or “is forever.”
⁹tn Heb “O LORD, your remembrance (is) for a generation and a generation.” See Ps 102:12.
¹⁰tn Heb “judges,” but here the idea is that he “judges on behalf of” his people. The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to God’s characteristic actions.
¹¹sn Verse 14. This verse echoes Deut 32:36, where Moses affirms that God mercifully relents from fully judging his wayward people.
¹²tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”
¹³tn Heb “indeed, there is not breath in their mouth.” For the collocation /ya [a, “indeed, there is not,” see Isa 41:26. Another option is to take [a as “nose” (see Ps 115:6), in which case one might translate, “a nose, (but) they have no breath in their mouths.”
¹⁴tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”
sn Because the idols are lifeless, they cannot help their worshipers in times of crisis. Consequently the worshipers end up as dead as the gods in which they trust.
¹⁵tn Heb “house,” here and in the next two lines.
¹⁶tn Heb “fearers.”
¹⁷tn Heb “praised be the LORD from Zion.”
¹⁸sn Ps 136. In this hymn the psalmist affirms that God is praiseworthy because of his enduring loyal love, sovereign authority and compassion. Each verse of the psalm concludes with the refrain “for his loyal love endures.”
¹tn Or “is forever.”
²tn Or “cut.”
³tn Heb “into pieces.”
⁴tn Or “shook off.”
⁵tn Heb “who, in our low condition, remembered us.”
⁶tn Heb “to all flesh,” which can refer to all people (see Pss 65:2; 145:21) or more broadly to mankind and animals (see BDB, 142). Elsewhere the psalms view God as the provider for all living things (see Pss 104:27-28; 145:15).
⁷sn Ps 137. The Babylonian exiles lament their condition, vow to remain loyal to Jerusalem and appeal to God for revenge on their enemies.
¹tn Heb “there we sit down, also we weep.”
²tn Heb “ask us (for) the words of a song.”
³tn Heb “our ??? joy.” The derivation and meaning of wnyllwt, “our ???,” are uncertain. A derivation from llt, “to mock,” fits contextually, but this root occurs only in the hiphil stem (see BDB, 1068). For a discussion of various proposala, see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 236.
⁴tn Heb “from a song of Zion.” Most read, “one of the songs of Zion,” taking the preposition /m, “from,” as partitive and “song” as collective. The translation above assumes the mem is enclitic, being misunderstood later as the prefixed preposition.
⁵tn Heb “may my right hand forget.” In this case one must supply an object, such as “how to move.” The elliptical nature of the text has prompted emendations (see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 236). The translation above assumes an emendation to jv^k=T!, from an otherwise unattested root jvk, meaning “be crippled, lame.” See KB (502), which cites Arabic cognate evidence in support of the proposal. The MT corruption can be explained as due to an error of transposition facilitated by the use of jkv, “forget,” just before this.
⁶tn Heb “if I do not lift up Jerusalem over the top of my joy.”
⁷tn Heb “remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem.”
⁸tn Heb “lay (it) bare, lay (it) bare.”
⁹tn Heb “O devastated daughter of Babylon.” The psalmist dramatically anticipates Babylon’s demise.
¹⁰tn Heb “O the happiness of the one who repays you your wage which you paid to us.”
¹¹sn For other references to the wholesale slaughter of babies in the context of ancient Near Eastern warfare, see 2 Kgs 8:12; Isa 13:16; Hos 13:16; Nah 3:10.
¹²sn Ps 138. The psalmist vows to thank the Lord for his deliverance and protection.
¹tn The referent of <yhla is unclear. It refers either to the angelic assembly (see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5) or to the pagan gods (see Pss 82:1, 6; 86:8; 97:7), in which case the psalmist’s praise takes on a polemical tone.
²tn Heb “in the day.”
³tn Heb “you made me bold in my soul (with) strength.”
⁴tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in the next verse are understood as jussives, for the psalmist appears to be calling upon the kings to praise God. Another option is to take them as imperfects and translate, “the kings of the earth will give thanks . . . and will sing.” In this case the psalmist anticipates a universal response to his thanksgiving song.
⁵tn Heb “the words of my mouth.”
⁶tn Heb “ways.”
⁷tn Heb “great.”
⁸tn Or “distress.”
⁹tn Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”
¹⁰tn Heb “avenges on my behalf.” For the meaning “avenge” for the verb rmg, see KB, 197-98.
¹¹tn Heb “the works of your hands.” Many medieval Hebrew manuscripts read the singular, “work of your hands.”
¹²sn Ps 139. The psalmist acknowledges that God, who created him, is aware of his every actions and thought. He invites God to examine his motives, for he is confident they are pure.
¹tn The statement is understood as generalizing—the psalmist describes what God typically does.
²tn Heb “my traveling and my lying down you measure.” The verb hrz, “measure,” is probably here a denominative from trz, “a span, measure” (see KB, 280), though some derive it from hrz, “winnow, sift” (see BDB, 279-80).
³tn Heb “all my ways.”
⁴tn Or “for.”
⁵tn Heb “look, O LORD, you know all of it.”
⁶tn Heb “too amazing (is this) knowledge for me, it is elevated, I cannot attain to it.”
⁷tn Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29-30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
⁸tn The verb qls, “ascend,” occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 758), but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI, 788-90).
⁹tn Heb “look, you.”
¹⁰tn Heb “rise up.”
¹¹sn This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see J. Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel
¹²tn Heb “at the end.”
¹³tn The verb [wv, which means “crush, wound,” in Gen 3:15 and Job 9:17, is problematic here. For a discussion of attempts to relate the verb to Arabic roots, see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 251. Many emend the form to yn]K@Wcy+, from the root Jkc, “to cover” (an alternate form of Jks), a reading assumed in the translation above.
¹⁴tn Heb “and night, light, around me.”
¹⁵tn The words “to see” are added for clarification and stylistic reasons.
¹⁶tn Heb “shines like.”
¹⁷tn Heb “like darkness, like light.”
¹⁸tn Or “for.”
¹⁹sn The kidneys were sometimes viewed as the seat of one’s emotions and moral character (see Pss 7:9; 26:2, as well as BDB, 480).
²⁰tn The verb Jks, “weave together,” is an alternate form of Jkc, “to weave,” used in Job 10:11.
²¹tn Heb “because awesome things, I am distinct, amazing (are) your works.” The text as it stands is syntactically problematic and makes little, if any, sense. The niphal of hlp occurs elsewhere only in Exod 33:16. Many take the form from alp (see GKC, 216, para 75qq), which in the niphal perfect means “be amazing” (see 2 Sam 1:26; Ps 118:23; Prov 30:18). Some, following the LXX and some other ancient witnesses, also prefer to emend the verb from first to second person, “you are amazing” (see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 249, 251). The translation above assumes the text conflates two variants—<yalpn, the otherwise unattested masculine plural partciple of alp, and twalpn, the usual (feminine) plural form of the niphal participle. The latter has been changed to a verb by later scribes in an attempt to accommodate it syntactically. The original text likely read, Jycum <y/twalpn twarwn, “your works (are) awesome (and) amazing.”
²²tn Heb “and my being knows very much.” Better parallelism is achieved (see v. 15a) if one emends tu^d^y), a qal active participle, feminine singular form, to T*u=d^y`, a qal perfect second masculine singular perfect. See L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 252.
<sup>23</sup>tn rva, “which,” should probably be emended to rvak, “when.” The kaph may have been lost by haplography (note the kaph at the end of the preceding form).
<sup>24</sup>sn The phrase “depths of the earth” may be metaphorical (euphemistic/) or it may reflect a pre-scientific belief about the origins of the embryo deep beneath the earth’s surface (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 96-97). Job 1:21 also closely associates the mother’s womb with the earth.
<sup>25</sup>tn Heb “my shapeless form.” The noun <lg occurs only here in the OT (KB (194). In later Hebrew the word refers to “a lump, a shapeless or lifeless substance,” and to “unfinished matter, a vessel wanting finishing” (Jastrow, 222).
<sup>26</sup>tn Heb “and on your scroll all of them were written, (the) days (which) were formed, and (there was) not one among them.” This “scroll” may be the “scroll of life” mentioned in Ps 69:28 (see the note there).
<sup>27</sup>tn Heb “and to me how precious are your thoughts, O God.” The verb rqy probably has the sense of “difficult (to comprehend)” here (see KB, 432, and note the use of Aramaic rqy in Dan 2:11). Elsewhere in the immediate context the psalmist expresses his amazement at the extent of God’s knowledge about him (see vv. 1-6, 17b-18).
<sup>28</sup>tn Heb “how vast are their heads.” “Head” is used here of the “sum total” of God’s knowledge of the psalmist. See BDB, 911.
<sup>29</sup>tn Heb “I awake and I (am) still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to yt!oXq!h&, a hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb Jxq understood as a denominative of Jq, “end.” See L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 252-53.
<sup>30</sup>tn The particle <a, “if,” and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as BDB, 50; KB, 60; GKC, 321, para 109b).
<sup>31</sup>tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”
<sup>32</sup>tn Heb “who.”
<sup>33</sup>tn Heb “they speak (of) you.” The suffixed form of the verb rma, “speak,” is peculiar. The translation assumes an emendation to Jrmy, a hiphil form from hrm, “rebel” (see Ps 78:40).
<sup>34</sup>tn Heb “by deceit.”
<sup>35</sup>tc Heb “lifted up for emptiness, your cities.” The Hebrew text as it stands makes no sense. ac%n` (a qal passive participle) should be emended to Wac=n` (a qal perfect, third common plural), “(they) lift up.” Many emend Jyru, “your cities,” to Jylu, “against you,” but it is preferable to understand the noun as an Aramaism and translate “your enemies” (see Dan 4:16 and L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 253).
<sup>36</sup>tc Heb “who raise themselves up against you.” The form Jymmwqtbw should be emended to Jymmwqtmbw, a hithpolel participle (the prefixed mem of the participle is accidentally omitted in the Hebrew text, though a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts have it).
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “(with) completeness of hatred I hate them.”
<sup>38</sup>tn Heb “and know my heart.”
<sup>39</sup>tn The noun <ypurc, “concerns,” is used of “worries” in Ps 94:19.
<sup>40</sup>tn Many understand bxu as a noun meaning “pain,” and translate the phrase bxu Jrd as “way of pain,” but this makes little sense here. (Some interpret it to refer to actions which bring pain to others.) Itis preferable to take bxu as “idol” (see KB, 865) and understand “way of an idol” to refer to idolatrous actions or tendency. See L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 253.
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “in the path of antiquity.” This probably refers to the moral path prescribed by the Lord at the beginning of Israel’s history. See Jer 6:16; 18:15, as well as L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 253.
<sup>42</sup>sn Ps 140. The psalmist asks God to deliver him from his deadly enemies, calls judgment down upon them and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
<sup>1</sup>tn Heb “from a wicked man.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).
<sup>2</sup>tn Heb “a man of violent acts.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).
<sup>3</sup>tn Heb “they devise wicked (plans) in (their) mind.”
<sup>4</sup>tn Heb “they attack (for) war.” Some revocalize the verb (which is a qal imperfect from rwg, “to attack”) as Wrg`y+, a piel imperfect from hrg, “stir up strife” (see KB, 202).
⁵tn Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” In Ps 64:3 we read, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues (like a sword),” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”
⁶tn The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT (see KB, 824).
⁷tn Heb “under.”
⁸tn Heb “hands.”
⁹tn Heb “to push down my steps.”
¹⁰tn Heb “and ropes,” but many prefer to revocalize the noun as a participle (<ylb=jo) from the verb lbj, “act corruptly” (see KB, 285).
¹¹tn Heb “the strength of my deliverance.”
¹²tn Heb “cover.”
¹³tn Heb “do not grant the desires of the wicked.”
¹⁴tn Heb “his.” The singular is used in a representative sense (see v. 1).
¹⁵tn Heb “his plot do not promote, they rise up.” The translation understands the final verb as being an unmarked temporal clause. Another option is to rvocalize the verb as a hiphil and take the verb with the next verse, “those who surround me lift up (their) head,” which could refer to their proud attitude as they anticipate victory (see Ps 27:6).
¹⁶tn Heb “harm of their lips.” The genitive here indicates the source or agent of the harm.
¹⁷tn The verb form in the consonantal Hebrew text (kethib) appears to be a hiphil imperfect from the root fwm, “to sway,” but the hiphil occurs only here and in Ps 55:3, where it is preferable to read Wryf!m=y^, “they rain down.” In Ps 140:10 the form rfmy, “let him rain down.” should probably be read (see KB, 555).
¹⁸tn Heb “into bottomless pits, they will not arise.” The translation assumes that the preposition -b has the nuance ‘from” here. Another option is to connect the line with what precedes, take the final clause as an asyndetic relative clause, and translate, “into bottomless pits (from which) they cannot arise.” The noun rmhm, “bottomless pit,” occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 553).
¹⁹tn Heb “a man of a tongue.”
²⁰tn Heb “be established in.”
²¹tn Heb “for blows.” The noun hpjdm, “blow,” occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 548)
²²tc The marginal reading in the Hebrew text (qere) and many medieval Hebrew manuscripts have a first person verb form here. The consonantal text (kethib) has the second person.
²³tn Heb “and the just cause of the poor.”
²⁴sn Ps 141. The psalmist asks God to protect him from sin and from sinful men.
¹tn Heb “may my prayer be established (like) incense before you, the uplifting of my hands (like) an evening offering.”
²tn Heb “door.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT (see KB, 221).
³sn Mouth . . . lips. The psalmist asks God to protect him from speaking inappropriately or sinfully.
⁴tn Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”
⁵tn Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”
⁶sn Delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.
⁷tn The form yny appears to be derived from the verbal root awn. Another option is to emend the from to an`y+, a piel from han, and translate “may choice oil not adorn my head” (see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 271). In this case, choice oil, like delicacies in v. 4, symbolize the pleasures of sin.
⁸sn The psalmist compares the constructive criticism of the godly to having refreshing olive oil poured over one’s head.
⁹tc Heb “for still, and my prayer (is) against their evil deeds.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult; the sequence -w dwu yk, “for still and,” occurs only here. The translation assumes an emendation to ytlpt du@ yk, “indeed a witness (is) my prayer.” The psalmist’s lament about the evil actions of sinful men (see v. 4) testifies against the wicked in the divine court.
¹⁰tn Heb “they are thrown down by the hands of a cliff, their judges.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The perfect verbal form is understood as rhetorical; the psalmist describes the anticipated downfall of the wicked as if it had already occurred. “Their judges” could be taken as the subject of the verb, but this makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes the judges are the agents and that the wicked, mentioned earlier in the psalm, are the subjects of the verb.
¹¹tn It is unclear how this statement relates to the preceding sentence. Perhaps the judges are the subject of “will listen,” and “my words” the subject of “are pleasant.” Perhaps the psalmist here affirms his confidence that he will be vindicated when he presents his case before the judges, while the wicked will be punished.
¹²tn Heb “ like splitting and breaking open in the earth.” The meaning of the statement and the point of the comparison are not entirely clear. Perhaps the psalmist is suggesting that he and other godly individuals are as good as dead; their bones are scattered about like dirt that is dug up and tossed aside.
¹³tn Heb “my eyes (are) toward you.”
¹⁴tn Heb “do not lay bare my life.” Only here is the piel form of the verb collocated with vpn, "life." In Isa 53:12 the Lord’s servant “lays bare (the hiphil form of the verb is used) his life to death.”
¹⁵tn Heb “and the traps of the doers of evil.”
¹⁶tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate, “the wicked will fall.”
¹⁷tn Heb “his.”
¹⁸tn Heb “at the same (that) I, until I pass by.” Another option is to take djy with the preceding line, “let the wicked fall together into their own nets.”
¹⁹sn Ps 142. The psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.
²⁰tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“Maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “be prudent, wise.” See BDB, 968. Options are, “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful (i.e,, well-written) song.” See Ps 32.
²¹sn According to the heading, David wrote this psalm while in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3. See the heading of Ps 57.
¹tn Heb “(with) my voice to the LORD I cry out.”
²tn Heb “(with) my voice to the LORD I plead for mercy.”
³tn Heb “my trouble before him I declare.”
⁴tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
⁵tn Heb “you know my path.”
⁶tn Heb “there is no one who recognizes me.”
⁷tn Heb “ a place of refuge perishes from me.”
⁸tn Heb “there is no one who seeks for the sake of my life.”
⁹tn Heb “my portion.” The psalmist compares the Lord to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel.
¹⁰tn Heb “for I am very low.”
¹¹tn Heb “bring out my life.”
¹²tn Or “gather around.”
¹³tn The idiom lu lmg means “to repay,” here in a positive sense (see BDB, 168).
¹⁴sn Ps 143. As in the previous psalm, the psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.
¹tn Heb “do not enter into judgment with.”
²tn Heb “for no one living is innocent before you.”
³tn Or “for.”
⁴tn Heb “an enemy.” The singular is used in a representative sense to describe a typical member of the larger group of enemies (note the plural “enemies” in vv. 9, 12).
⁵tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”
⁶tn Or “sit.”
⁷sn Dark regions. The psalmist refers to Sheol, which is viewed as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).
⁸tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
⁹tn Heb “in my midst my heart is shocked.” For a similar use of the hithpolel of <mv, see Isa 59:16; 63:5.
¹⁰tn Or “ancient times.” Heb “days from before.”
¹¹tn Heb “the work of your hands.”
¹²tn The words “in prayer” are added to clarify that the psalmist is referring to a posture of prayer.
¹³tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” See Ps 63:1.
¹⁴tn Heb “my soul like a faint land for you.” A verb (perhaps “thirsts”) is implied (see Ps 63:1). The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition -k, “like,” to -b, “in” (see Ps 63:1). If the Hebrew text were retained, one might translate, “my soul thirsts for you, as a parched does for water/rain.”
¹⁵tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”
¹⁶tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
¹⁷tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
¹⁸tn Heb “the pit.” The noun rwb, “pit, cistern,” is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See Ps 28:1.
¹⁹tn Heb “cause me to hear in the morning your loyal love.” “Loyal love” probably stands here metonymically for an oracle of assurance promising God’s intervention as an expression of his loyal love. The “morning” is sometimes viewed as the time of divine intervention (see Pss 30:5; 59:16; 90:14).
²⁰sn The “way” probably refers here to God’s moral and ethical standards and requirements (see v. 10).
²¹tn Heb “for to you I lift up my life.” The expression vpn acn, “to lift up (one’s) life” means “to desire, long for” (see Deut 24:15; Prov 19:18; Jer 22:27; 44:14; Hos 4:8, as well as H. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 16).
²²tn Heb “to you I cover,” which makes no sense. The translation assumes an emendation to yT!s=n^, “I flee” (a qal perfect, first singular form from swn). Confusion of kaph and nun is attested elsewhere (see P. K. McCarter, Textual Criticism, 48). The collocation of swn, “flee,” with la, “to,” is well-attested (see BDB, 630).
²³tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.
²⁴tn Heb “your good spirit.” God’s “spirit” may refer here to his presence (see the note at Ps 139:7) or to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
²⁵tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. Taking the statement as a prayer fits well with the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.
²⁶sn A “level land,” where one can walk free of obstacles, here symbolizes divine blessing and protection. See Pss 26:12 and 27:11 for similar imagery.
²⁷tn Heb “name.”
²⁸tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 11-12a are understood as expressing the psalmist’s desire. Note the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.
²⁹tn Heb “by your justice bring out my life from trouble.”
³⁰tn Heb “in (or “by”) your faithfulness.”
³¹tn The perfect with waw consecutive carries on the mood of the preceding imperfect.
³²tn Heb “all the enemies of my life.”
³³sn Ps 144. The psalmist expresses his confidence in God, asks for a mighty display of divine intervention in an upcoming battle, and anticipates God’s rich blessings on the nation in the aftermath of military victory.
¹tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.
²tn Heb “blessed (be) the LORD, my rocky summit.”
³sn The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement (see Ps 18:34). Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
⁴tn Heb “my loyal love,” which is probably an abbreviated form of “the God of my loyal love” (see Ps 59:10, 17).
⁵tn Or “my elevated place.”
⁶tn Heb “the one who subdues nations beneath me.”
⁷tn Heb “What is mankind?” The singular noun vwna is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race. See Ps 8:5.
⁸tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
⁹tn Heb “take account of him.” The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.
¹⁰tn Heb “man,” or “mankind.”
¹¹tn Heb “his days (are) like a shadow that passes away,” that is, like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness. See Ps 102:11.
¹²tn The verb hfn can carry the sense “(cause to) bend, bow down” (see KB, 693). For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the Lord causes the sky, pictured as a dome or vault, to sink down as he descends in the storm. See Ps 18:9.
¹³tn Heb “so you might come down.” The prefixed verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The same type of construction is utilized in v. 6.
¹⁴tn Heb “so they might smolder.” The prefixed verbal form with waw conjunctive indicates purpose after the preceding imperative.
¹⁵sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 18:14; 77:17-18; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 187).
¹⁶tn Heb “stretch out your hands.”
¹⁷tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful foreign enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see the next line and Ps 18:16-17).
¹⁸tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
¹⁹tn Heb “who (with) their mouth speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” The reference to the “right hand” is probably a metonymy for an oath. When making an oath, one would raise the hand as a solemn gesture. See Exod 6:8; Num 14:30; Deut 32:40.
²⁰tn Heb “grants deliverance to.”
²¹tn Heb “harmful.”
²²tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
²³tn Heb “who (with) their mouth speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” See v. 8.
²⁴tn Some consider rva problematic, but here it probably indicates the anticipated consequence of the preceding request. (For other examples of rva indicating purpose/result, see BDB, 83, and KB, 99.) If the psalmist, who appears to be a Davidic king preparing to fight a battle (see vv. 10-11), is victorious, the whole nation will be spared invasion and defeat (see v. 14) and can flourish. Some prefer to emend the form to yrva, “how happy (are our sons).” A suffixed noun sometimes follows yrva (see 1 Kgs 10:8; Prov 20:7), but the presence of a comparative element (see “like plants”) after the suffixed noun makes the proposed reading too syntactically awkward.
²⁵tn Heb “grown up in their youth.” The translation assumes that “grown up” modifies “plants” (just as “carved” modifies “corner pillars” in the second half of the verse). Another option is to take “grown up” as a predicate in relation to “our sons,” in which case one might translate, “they will be strapping youths.”
²⁶tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here and in Zech 9:15, where it refers to the corners of an altar. See KB, 266.
²⁷tn Heb “carved (in) the pattern of a palace.”
²⁸tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here (see KB, 565).
²⁹tn Heb “from kind to kind.” Some prefer to emend the text to /wzm lu /wzm, “food upon food” (see KB, 274, 565).
³⁰tn Heb “they are innumerable.”
³¹tn Heb “in outside places.” Here the term refers to pastures and fields (see Job 5:10; Prov 8:26).
³²tn Heb “weighted down.” This probably refers to the cattle having the produce from the harvest placed on their backs to be transported to the storehouses (see BDB, 687). Other options are to take this as reference to the cattle being pregnant (see KB, 741) or to their being well-fed or fattened (see L. Allen, Psalms 101-150, 288).
³³tn Heb “there (will be) no breach, and there (will be) no going out, and there (will be) no crying out in our broad places.
³⁴tn Heb “(O) the happiness of the people who (it is) such to them.”
³⁵sn Ps 145. The psalmist praises God because he is a just and merciful king who cares for his people.
¹tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
²tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
³tn Heb “and concerning his greatness there is no searching.”
⁴tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may one generation praise . . . and tell about.”
⁵tn Heb “the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and the matters of your amazing deeds I will ponder.”
⁶tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as an imperfect, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they proclaim.”
⁷tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”
⁸tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk . . . and sing.”
⁹tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
¹⁰tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
¹¹tn Heb “and his compassion is over all his works.”
¹²tn Heb “the sons of man.”
¹³tn Heb “a kingdom of all ages.”
¹⁴tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).
¹⁵tn Heb ‘the eyes of all wait for you.”
¹⁶tn Heb “and you give to them their food in its season” (see Ps 104:27).
¹⁷tn Heb “(with what they) desire.”
¹⁸tn Heb “in all his ways.”
¹⁹tn Heb “and (is) loving in all his deeds.”
²⁰tn Heb “in truth.”
²¹tn In this context “desire” refers to their desire to be delivered from wicked enemies.
²²tn Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.”
²³tn Heb “the praise of the LORD my mouth will speak.”
²⁴tn Heb “all flesh.”
²⁵sn Ps 146. The psalmist urges his audience not to trust in men, but in the LORD, the just king of the world who cares for the needy.
¹tn Heb “in a son of man, to whom there is no deliverance.”
²tn Heb “his spirit goes out, it returns to his ground; in that day his plans die.” The singular refers to the representative man mentioned in v. 3b.
³tn Heb “the one who guards faithfulness forever.”
⁴tn Heb “executes justice for the oppressed.”
⁵tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).
⁶sn 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 resident aliens, the fatherless and widows.
⁷tn Heb “he makes the way of the wicked twisted.” The “way of the wicked” probably refers to their course of life (see Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1). God makes their path tortuous in the sense that he makes them pay the harmful consequences for their actions.
⁸tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.”
⁹sn Ps 147. The psalmist praises the LORD for he is the sovereign ruler of the world who cares for the needs of his covenant people.
¹tn Or “for.”
²tn Heb “the one who heals.”
³tn Heb “and great of strength.”
⁴tn Heb “to his wisdom there is no counting.”
⁵tn Heb “brings down.”
⁶tn Heb “sing to the LORD with thanksgiving.”
⁷tn Heb “the one who covers.”
⁸tn Heb “hills.”
⁹tn Heb “which cry out.”
¹⁰tn Heb “he does not desire the strength of the horse, he does not take delight in the legs of the man.” “The horse” is th war horse, used by ancient Near Eastern chariot forces, and “the man” is the warrior, whose muscular legs epitomize his strength.
¹¹tn Heb “those who fear him.”
¹²tn Heb “your sons.”
¹³tn Heb “the one who.”
¹⁴tn Heb “he makes your boundary peace.”
¹⁵tn Heb “satisfies you with.”
¹⁶tn Heb “the one who.”
¹⁷tn Heb “the one who sends his word, the earth.” Jra, “earth,” is an adverbial accusative; one must supply a preposition before it, such as “through” or “to.”
¹⁸tn Heb “swiftly his word runs.”
¹⁹tn Heb “the one who gives snow like wool, frost like ahses he scatters.”
²⁰tn Heb “his ice.”
²¹tn Heb “Before his cold, who can stand?”
²²tn Heb “he sends his word and melts them.”
²³tn Heb “he blows his breath.”
²⁴sn Ps 148. The psalmist calls upon all creation to praise the Lord for he is the creator and sovereign king of the world.
¹tn Or “heavenly messengers.”
²tn Heb “all his host.”
³tn Heb “stars of light.”
⁴sn 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. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 47.
⁵tn Or “forever and ever.”
⁶tn Heb “and it will not pass away.”
⁷tn In Ps 119:83 the noun refers to “smoke,” but here, where the elements of nature are addressed, the clouds, which resemble smoke, are probably in view.
⁸tn Heb “(that) does his word.”
⁹tn Or “judges.”
¹⁰tn Heb “and he lifted up a horn for his people.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Another option is to take the “horn” as a symbol for the Davidic king, through whom the Lord gives his people military victory.
¹¹tn “(there is) praise for all his loyal followers, to the sons of Israel, the people near him.” “Praise” stands by metonymy for the victory that prompts it.
¹²sn Ps 149. The psalmist calls upon God’s people to him because he is just and avenges them.
¹tn Heb “his praise in the assembly of the godly ones.”
²tn Heb “sons.”
³tn The Lord is the “King” here, as the parallelism (see “their creator”) indicates.
⁴tn Heb “he honors the oppressed (with) deliverance.”
⁵tn Heb “in glory.” “Glory” probably refers here to the “honor” that is theirs as a result of their deliverance (see v. 4).
⁶tn The significance of a reference to “beds” is unclear. Perhaps the point is that they should rejoice at all times, even when falling asleep or awaking.
⁷tn Heb “(May) praises of God (be) in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”
⁸tn Heb “to do.”
⁹tn Heb “to bind.”
¹⁰tn Heb “to do against them judgment (that) is written.”
¹¹tn Heb “it is honor for all his godly ones.” The judgment of the oppressive kings will bring vindication and honor to God’s people (see vv. 4-5).
¹²sn Ps 150. The Psalter concludes with a resounding call for praise from everything that has breath.
¹tn Heb “the sky of his strength.”