Boks TemuanPsalms 92:1--97:12
KonteksA psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.
92:1 It is fitting 2 to thank the Lord,
and to sing praises to your name, O sovereign One! 3
92:2 It is fitting 4 to proclaim your loyal love in the morning,
and your faithfulness during the night,
92:3 to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre,
to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.
92:4 For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work.
I will sing for joy because of what you have done. 5
92:5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your plans are very intricate! 6
92:6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;
the fool does not understand this. 7
92:7 When the wicked sprout up like grass,
and all the evildoers glisten, 8
it is so that they may be annihilated. 9
92:8 But you, O Lord, reign 10 forever!
92:9 Indeed, 11 look at your enemies, O Lord!
Indeed, 12 look at how your enemies perish!
All the evildoers are scattered!
92:10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox. 13
I am covered 14 with fresh oil.
92:11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me; 15
I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me. 16
92:12 The godly 17 grow like a palm tree;
they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. 18
92:13 Planted in the Lord’s house,
they grow in the courts of our God.
92:14 They bear fruit even when they are old;
they are filled with vitality and have many leaves. 19
92:15 So they proclaim that the Lord, my protector,
is just and never unfair. 20
93:1 The Lord reigns!
He is robed in majesty,
the Lord is robed,
he wears strength around his waist. 22
Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.
93:2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times;
you have always been king. 23
93:3 The waves 24 roar, O Lord,
the waves roar,
the waves roar and crash. 25
93:4 Above the sound of the surging water, 26
and the mighty waves of the sea,
the Lord sits enthroned in majesty. 27
93:5 The rules you set down 28 are completely reliable. 29
Holiness 30 aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever. 31
94:1 O Lord, the God who avenges!
O God who avenges, reveal your splendor! 33
94:2 Rise up, O judge of the earth!
Pay back the proud!
94:3 O Lord, how long will the wicked,
how long will the wicked celebrate? 34
94:4 They spew out threats 35 and speak defiantly;
all the evildoers boast. 36
94:5 O Lord, they crush your people;
they oppress the nation that belongs to you. 37
94:6 They kill the widow and the one residing outside his native land,
and they murder the fatherless. 38
94:7 Then they say, “The Lord does not see this;
the God of Jacob does not take notice of it.” 39
94:8 Take notice of this, 40 you ignorant people! 41
You fools, when will you ever understand?
94:9 Does the one who makes the human ear not hear?
Does the one who forms the human eye not see? 42
94:10 Does the one who disciplines the nations not punish?
He is the one who imparts knowledge to human beings!
94:11 The Lord knows that
peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt. 43
94:12 How blessed is the one 44 whom you instruct, O Lord,
the one whom you teach from your law,
94:13 in order to protect him from times of trouble, 45
until the wicked are destroyed. 46
94:14 Certainly 47 the Lord does not forsake his people;
he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him. 48
94:15 For justice will prevail, 49
and all the morally upright 50 will be vindicated. 51
94:16 Who will rise up to defend me 52 against the wicked?
Who will stand up for me against the evildoers? 53
94:17 If the Lord had not helped me,
I would have laid down in the silence of death. 54
94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your loyal love, O Lord, supports me.
94:19 When worries threaten to overwhelm me, 55
your soothing touch makes me happy. 56
94:20 Cruel rulers 57 are not your allies,
those who make oppressive laws. 58
94:21 They conspire against 59 the blameless, 60
and condemn to death the innocent. 61
94:22 But the Lord will protect me, 62
and my God will shelter me. 63
94:23 He will pay them back for their sin. 64
He will destroy them because of 65 their evil;
the Lord our God will destroy them.
95:1 Come! Let’s sing for joy to the Lord!
Let’s shout out praises to our protector who delivers us! 67
95:2 Let’s enter his presence 68 with thanksgiving!
Let’s shout out to him in celebration! 69
95:3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great king who is superior to 70 all gods.
95:4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, 71
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
95:5 The sea is his, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
95:6 Come! Let’s bow down and worship! 72
Let’s kneel before the Lord, our creator!
95:7 For he is our God;
we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep he owns. 73
Today, if only you would obey him! 74
95:8 He says, 75 “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, 76
like they were that day at Massah 77 in the wilderness, 78
95:9 where your ancestors challenged my authority, 79
and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.
95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted 80 with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; 81
they do not obey my commands.’ 82
95:11 So I made a vow in my anger,
‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’” 83
96:1 Sing to the Lord a new song! 85
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
96:2 Sing to the Lord! Praise his name!
Announce every day how he delivers! 86
96:3 Tell the nations about his splendor!
Tell 87 all the nations about his amazing deeds!
96:4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;
he is more awesome than all gods. 88
96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, 89
but the Lord made the sky.
96:6 Majestic splendor emanates from him; 90
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful. 91
96:7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!
96:8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves! 92
Bring an offering and enter his courts!
96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire! 93
Tremble before him, all the earth!
96:10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
The world is established, it cannot be moved.
He judges the nations fairly.”
96:11 Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy!
Let the sea and everything in it shout!
96:12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!
Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy
96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!
For he comes to judge the earth!
He judges the world fairly, 94
and the nations in accordance with his justice. 95
97:1 The Lord reigns!
Let the earth be happy!
Let the many coastlands rejoice!
97:2 Dark clouds surround him;
equity and justice are the foundation of his throne. 97
97:3 Fire goes before him;
on every side 98 it burns up his enemies.
97:4 His lightning bolts light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
97:5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of the whole earth.
97:6 The sky declares his justice,
and all the nations see his splendor.
97:7 All who worship idols are ashamed,
those who boast about worthless idols.
All the gods bow down before him. 99
97:8 Zion hears and rejoices,
the towns 100 of Judah are happy,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
97:9 For you, O Lord, are the sovereign king 101 over the whole earth;
you are elevated high above all gods.
97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects 102 the lives of his faithful followers;
he delivers them from the power 103 of the wicked.
97:11 The godly bask in the light;
the morally upright experience joy. 104
97:12 You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord!
Give thanks to his holy name. 105
[92:1] 1 sn Psalm 92. The psalmist praises God because he defeats the wicked and vindicates his loyal followers.
[92:1] 3 tn Traditionally “O Most High.”
[92:2] 4 tn The words “it is fitting” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Verses 1-3 are actually one long sentence in the Hebrew text, but this has been divided up into two shorter sentences in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.
[92:4] 7 tn Heb “the works of your hands.”
[92:5] 10 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.
[92:6] 13 tn Heb “the brutish man does not know, and the fool does not understand this.” The adjective בַּעַר (ba’ar, “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).
[92:7] 17 tn Heb “in order that they might be destroyed permanently.”
[92:8] 19 tn Heb “[are elevated] on high.”
[92:10] 25 sn The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “to exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; Lam 2:17).
[92:10] 26 tn The Hebrew verb בָּלַל (balal) usually has the nuance “to mix.” Here it seems to mean “to smear” or “to anoint.” Some emend the form to בַּלֹּתַנִי (ballotaniy; a second person form of the verb with a first person suffix) and read, “you anoint me.”
[92:11] 28 tn Heb “my eye gazes upon those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2. The form שׁוּרָי (shuray) should be emended to שׁוֹרְרָי (shorÿray).
[92:11] 29 tn Heb “those who rise up against me, evil [foes], my ears hear.”
[92:12] 31 tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.
[92:12] 32 sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.
[92:14] 34 tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”
[92:15] 37 tn Heb “so that [they] proclaim that upright [is] the
[93:1] 40 sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the
[93:1] 41 sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.
[93:2] 43 tn Heb “from antiquity [are] you.” As the context suggests, this refers specifically to God’s royal position, not his personal existence.
[93:3] 46 tn The Hebrew noun translated “waves” often refers to rivers or streams, but here it appears to refer to the surging waves of the sea (see v. 4, Ps 24:2).
[93:3] 47 tn Heb “the waves lift up, O
[93:4] 49 tn Heb “mighty waters.”
[93:4] 50 tn Heb “mighty on high [is] the
[93:5] 52 tn Traditionally “your testimonies.” The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law. See Ps 19:7.
[93:5] 53 sn The rules you set down. God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
[93:5] 54 sn Holiness refers here to God’s royal transcendence (see vv. 1-4), as well as his moral authority and perfection (see v. 5a).
[93:5] 55 tn Heb “for your house holiness is fitting, O
[94:1] 55 sn Psalm 94. The psalmist asks God to judge the wicked and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
[94:1] 56 tn Heb “shine forth” (see Pss 50:2; 80:1).
[94:4] 61 tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”
[94:4] 62 tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (’amar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).
[94:5] 64 tn Or “your inheritance.”
[94:6] 67 tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) 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).
[94:7] 70 tn Heb “does not understand.”
[94:8] 73 tn Heb “understand.” The verb used in v. 7 is repeated here for rhetorical effect. The people referred to here claim God is ignorant of their actions, but the psalmist corrects their faulty viewpoint.
[94:8] 74 tn Heb “[you] brutish among the people.”
[94:9] 76 tn Heb “The one who plants an ear, does he not hear? The one who forms an eye, does he not see?”
[94:11] 79 tn Heb “the
[94:12] 82 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.
[94:13] 85 tn Heb “to give him rest from the days of trouble.”
[94:13] 86 tn Heb “until a pit is dug for the wicked.”
[94:14] 89 tn Or “his inheritance.”
[94:15] 91 tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.”
[94:15] 92 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
[94:15] 93 tn Heb “and after it [are] the pure of heart.”
[94:16] 95 sn Who will stand up for me…? The questions anticipate the answer, “No one except God” (see v. 17).
[94:17] 97 tn Heb “If the
[94:19] 100 tn Heb “when my worries are many within me.”
[94:19] 101 tn Heb “your comforts cause my soul to delight.”
[94:20] 103 tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.
[94:20] 104 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.
[94:21] 107 tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”
[94:21] 108 tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”
[94:22] 109 tn Heb “and the
[94:22] 110 tn Heb “and my God [has become] a rocky summit of my safety.”
[94:23] 112 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
[95:1] 115 sn Psalm 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.
[95:1] 116 tn Heb “to the rocky summit of our deliverance.”
[95:2] 118 tn Heb “meet his face.”
[95:2] 119 tn Heb “with songs of joy.”
[95:4] 124 tn The phrase “in his hand” means within the sphere of his authority.
[95:6] 127 tn Heb “kneel down.”
[95:7] 130 tn Heb “of his hand.”
[95:7] 131 tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.
[95:8] 133 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).
[95:8] 134 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.
[95:8] 135 sn 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).
[95:8] 136 tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”
[95:9] 136 tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”
[95:10] 139 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.
[95:10] 140 tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”
[95:10] 141 tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the
[95:11] 142 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 compared to sheep (see v. 7).
[96:1] 145 sn Psalm 96. The psalmist summons everyone to praise the Lord, the sovereign creator of the world who preserves and promotes justice in the earth.
[96:1] 146 sn A new song is appropriate because the
[96:2] 148 tn Heb “announce from day to day his deliverance.”
[96:3] 151 tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[96:4] 154 tn Or perhaps “and feared by all gods.” See Ps 89:7.
[96:5] 157 tn The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement.
[96:6] 160 tn Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”
[96:6] 161 tn Heb “strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary.”
[96:8] 163 tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., “due”] his name.”
[96:9] 166 tn Or “in holy splendor.”
[96:13] 169 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, in which case they could be translated “will judge the world.”
[96:13] 170 tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”
[97:1] 172 sn Psalm 97. The psalmist depicts the Lord as the sovereign, just king of the world who comes in power to vindicate his people.
[97:2] 175 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
[97:3] 178 tn Heb “all around.”
[97:7] 181 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
[97:8] 184 tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).
[97:9] 187 tn Traditionally “Most High.”
[97:10] 190 tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the
[97:11] 193 tn Heb “Light is planted for the godly, and for the upright of heart joy.” The translation assumes an emendation of זָרַע (zara’, “planted”) to זָרַח (zara’, “shines”) which collocates more naturally with “light.” “Light” here symbolizes the joy (note the following line) that accompanies deliverance and the outpouring of divine favor.
[97:12] 196 tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זָכַר (zakhar, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the
