Mazmur 36:1--39:13
KonteksFor the music director; written by the Lord’s servant, David; an oracle. 2
36:1 An evil man is rebellious to the core. 3
He does not fear God, 4
36:2 for he is too proud
to recognize and give up his sin. 5
36:3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;
he does not care about doing what is wise and right. 6
36:4 He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed;
he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; 7
he does not reject what is evil. 8
36:5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky; 9
your faithfulness to the clouds. 10
36:6 Your justice is like the highest mountains, 11
your fairness like the deepest sea;
you preserve 12 mankind and the animal kingdom. 13
36:7 How precious 14 is your loyal love, O God!
The human race finds shelter under your wings. 15
36:8 They are filled with food from your house,
and you allow them to drink from the river of your delicacies.
36:9 For you are the one who gives
and sustains life. 16
36:10 Extend 17 your loyal love to your faithful followers, 18
and vindicate 19 the morally upright! 20
36:11 Do not let arrogant men overtake me,
or let evil men make me homeless! 21
36:12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen! 22
They have been knocked down and are unable to get up! 23
By David.
37:1 Do not fret 25 when wicked men seem to succeed! 26
Do not envy evildoers!
37:2 For they will quickly dry up like grass,
and wither away like plants. 27
37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!
Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! 28
37:4 Then you will take delight in the Lord, 29
and he will answer your prayers. 30
37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! 31
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. 32
37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,
and publicly defend your just cause. 33
37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! 34
Wait confidently 35 for him!
Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, 36
a man who carries out wicked schemes!
37:8 Do not be angry and frustrated! 37
Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!
37:9 Wicked men 38 will be wiped out, 39
but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land. 40
37:10 Evil men will soon disappear; 41
you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. 42
37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity. 43
37:12 Evil men plot against the godly 44
and viciously attack them. 45
37:13 The Lord laughs in disgust 46 at them,
for he knows that their day is coming. 47
37:14 Evil men draw their swords
and prepare their bows,
to bring down 48 the oppressed and needy,
and to slaughter those who are godly. 49
37:15 Their swords will pierce 50 their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
37:16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than
the wealth of many evil men, 51
37:17 for evil men will lose their power, 52
but the Lord sustains 53 the godly.
37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day 54
and they possess a permanent inheritance. 55
37:19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come; 56
when famine comes they will have enough to eat. 57
37:20 But 58 evil men will die;
the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated 59 –
they will go up in smoke. 60
37:21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt,
but the godly show compassion and are generous. 61
37:22 Surely 62 those favored by the Lord 63 will possess the land,
but those rejected 64 by him will be wiped out. 65
37:23 The Lord grants success to the one
whose behavior he finds commendable. 66
37:24 Even if 67 he trips, he will not fall headlong, 68
for the Lord holds 69 his hand.
37:25 I was once young, now I am old.
I have never seen a godly man abandoned,
or his children 70 forced to search for food. 71
37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, 72
and his children 73 are blessed.
37:27 Turn away from evil! Do what is right! 74
Then you will enjoy lasting security. 75
37:28 For the Lord promotes 76 justice,
and never abandons 77 his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure, 78
but the children 79 of evil men are wiped out. 80
37:29 The godly will possess the land
and will dwell in it permanently.
37:30 The godly speak wise words
and promote justice. 81
37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking; 82
their 83 feet do not slip.
37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly
and try to kill them. 84
37:33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,
or allow them to be condemned in a court of law. 85
37:34 Rely 86 on the Lord! Obey his commands! 87
Then he will permit you 88 to possess the land;
you will see the demise of evil men. 89
37:35 I have seen ruthless evil men 90
growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil. 91
37:36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! 92
I looked for them, but they could not be found.
37:37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! 93
For the one who promotes peace has a future. 94
37:38 Sinful rebels are totally destroyed; 95
evil men have no future. 96
37:39 But the Lord delivers the godly; 97
he protects them in times of trouble. 98
37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, 99
for they seek his protection.
A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention. 101
38:1 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger!
Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury! 102
38:2 For your arrows pierce 103 me,
and your hand presses me down. 104
38:3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment; 105
I am deprived of health because of my sin. 106
38:4 For my sins overwhelm me; 107
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
38:5 My wounds 108 are infected and starting to smell, 109
because of my foolish sins. 110
38:6 I am dazed 111 and completely humiliated; 112
all day long I walk around mourning.
38:7 For I am overcome with shame 113
and my whole body is sick. 114
38:8 I am numb with pain and severely battered; 115
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel. 116
38:9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire; 117
my groaning is not hidden from you.
38:10 My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me;
I can hardly see. 118
38:11 Because of my condition, 119 even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; 120
my neighbors stand far away. 121
38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; 122
those who want to harm me speak destructive words;
all day long they say deceitful things.
38:13 But I am like a deaf man – I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak. 123
38:14 I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense. 124
38:15 Yet 125 I wait for you, O Lord!
You will respond, O Lord, my God!
38:16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me; 126
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me. 127
38:17 For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain. 128
38:18 Yes, 129 I confess my wrongdoing,
and I am concerned about my sins.
38:19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous; 130
those who hate me without cause outnumber me. 131
38:20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;
though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me. 132
38:21 Do not abandon me, O Lord!
My God, do not remain far away from me!
38:22 Hurry and help me, 133 O Lord, my deliverer!
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39:1 I decided, 135 “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. 136
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil man.” 137
I held back the urge to speak. 139
My frustration grew; 140
39:3 my anxiety intensified. 141
As I thought about it, I became impatient. 142
Finally I spoke these words: 143
39:4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life! 144
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass! 145
39:5 Look, you make my days short-lived, 146
and my life span is nothing from your perspective. 147
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor. 148
39:6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. 149
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.” 150
39:7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?
You are my only hope! 151
39:8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion!
Do not make me the object of fools’ insults!
39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth
because of what you have done. 152
39:10 Please stop wounding me! 153
You have almost beaten me to death! 154
39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins; 155
like a moth you slowly devour their strength. 156
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
39:12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cry for help!
Do not ignore my sobbing! 157
For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land;
I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were. 158
39:13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy
before I pass away. 159
[36:1] 1 sn Psalm 36. Though evil men plan to harm others, the psalmist 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.
[36:1] 2 tn In the Hebrew text the word נאם (“oracle”) appears at the beginning of the next verse (v. 2 in the Hebrew text because the superscription is considered v. 1). The resulting reading, “an oracle of rebellion for the wicked [is] in the midst of my heart” (cf. NIV) 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 נאם (nÿ’um, “oracle”) with the superscription. For another example of a Davidic poem being labeled an “oracle,” see 2 Sam 23:1.
[36:1] 3 tn Heb “[the] rebellion of an evil man [is] in the midst of my heart.” The translation assumes a reading “in the midst of his heart” (i.e., “to the core”) instead of “in the midst of my heart,” a change which finds support in a a few medieval Hebrew
[36:1] 4 tn 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.
[36:2] 5 tn 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. His attitude also prevents him from recognizing and repudiating his sinful ways.
[36:3] 6 tn Heb “he ceases to exhibit wisdom to do good.” The Hiphil forms are exhibitive, indicating the outward expression of an inner attitude.
[36:4] 7 tn Heb “he takes a stand in a way [that is] not good.” The word “way” here refers metaphorically to behavior or life style.
[36:4] 8 tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 highlight the characteristic behavior of the typical evildoer.
[36:5] 9 tn Heb “[is] in the heavens.”
[36:5] 10 sn 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).
[36:6] 11 tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.
[36:6] 13 sn 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.
[36:7] 15 tn 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.
[36:9] 16 tn 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.
[36:10] 17 tn Heb “draw out to full length.”
[36:10] 18 tn Heb “to those who know you.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “know”) is used here of those who “know” the
[36:10] 19 tn Heb “and your justice to.” The verb “extend” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
[36:10] 20 tn 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).
[36:11] 21 tn 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.”
[36:12] 22 tn Heb “there the workers of wickedness have fallen.” The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the evildoers lying fallen at a spot that is vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.).
[36:12] 23 tn The psalmist uses perfect verbal forms in v. 12 to describe the demise of the wicked as if it has already taken place.
[37:1] 24 sn Psalm 37. The psalmist 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.
[37:1] 25 tn 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.
[37:1] 26 tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.
[37:2] 27 tn Heb “like green vegetation.”
[37:3] 28 tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (ra’ah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “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.
[37:4] 29 tn Following the imperatives of v. 3 the prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) in v. 4 indicate result. Faith and obedience (v. 3) will bring divine blessing (v. 4).
[37:4] 30 tn Or “and he will give you what you desire most.” Heb “and he will grant to you the requests of your heart.”
[37:5] 31 tn Heb “roll your way upon the
[37:5] 32 tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the
[37:6] 33 tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”
[37:7] 34 tn Heb “Be quiet before the
[37:7] 35 tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (vÿhitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (vÿtokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, yÿhvah) and (2) the final lamed (ל) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).
[37:7] 36 tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”
[37:8] 37 tn Heb “Refrain from anger! Abandon rage!”
[37:9] 38 tn Heb “for evil men.” The conjunction כִּי (ki, “for”) relates to the exhortations in v. 8; there is no reason to be frustrated, for the evildoers will be punished in due time.
[37:9] 39 tn Or “cut off, removed.”
[37:9] 40 tn Heb “and those who wait on the
[37:10] 41 tn Heb “and yet, a little, there will be no wicked [one].”
[37:10] 42 tn 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.
[37:11] 43 tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”
[37:12] 44 tn Or “innocent.” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and the typical godly individual are in view.
[37:12] 45 tn Heb “and gnashes at him with his teeth” (see Ps 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.
[37:13] 46 tn 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.
[37:13] 47 tn 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.
[37:14] 48 tn Heb “to cause to fall.”
[37:14] 49 tn Heb “the upright in way,” i.e., those who lead godly lives.
[37:15] 50 tn Heb “enter into.”
[37:16] 51 tn 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.
[37:17] 52 tn Heb “for the arms of the evil ones will be broken.”
[37:17] 53 tn The active participle here indicates this is characteristically true.
[37:18] 54 tn Heb “the
[37:18] 55 tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”
[37:19] 56 tn Heb “in a time of trouble.”
[37:19] 57 tn Heb “in days of famine they will be satisfied.”
[37:20] 58 tn Or “for,” but Hebrew כי 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).
[37:20] 59 tc The meaning of the MT (כִּיקַר כָּרִים [kiqar karim], “like what is precious among the pastures/rams”) is uncertain. One possibility is to take the noun כָּרִים as “pastures” and interpret “what is precious” as referring to flowers that blossom but then quickly disappear (see v. 2 and BDB 430 s.v. יָקָר 3). If כָּרִים 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), כיקוד כורם (“like the burning of an oven”). The next line, which pictures the
[37:20] 60 tn 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 the enemies’ demise as if it had already taken place. In this way he draws attention to the certitude of their judgment.
[37:21] 61 tn 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.
[37:22] 62 tn The particle כִּי is best understood as asseverative or emphatic here.
[37:22] 63 tn Heb “those blessed by him.” The pronoun “him” must refer to the Lord (see vv. 20, 23), so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:22] 65 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed” (see v. 9).
[37:23] 66 tn Heb “from the
[37:24] 67 tn Other translation options for כִּי in this context are “when” (so NASB) or “though” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[37:24] 68 tn Heb “be hurled down.”
[37:24] 69 tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.
[37:25] 70 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:25] 71 tn 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.
[37:26] 72 tn The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
[37:26] 73 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:27] 74 tn Or “Do good!” The imperatives are singular (see v. 1).
[37:27] 75 tn Heb “and dwell permanently.” The imperative with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause after the preceding imperatives.
[37:28] 76 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the
[37:28] 77 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.
[37:28] 78 tn Or “protected forever.”
[37:28] 79 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:28] 80 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.
[37:30] 81 tn 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.
[37:31] 82 tn Heb “the law of his God [is] in his heart.” The “heart” is here the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
[37:31] 83 tn Heb “his.” The pronoun has been translated as plural to agree with the representative or typical “godly” in v. 30.
[37:32] 84 tn 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.
[37:33] 85 tn Heb “the
[37:34] 87 tn Heb “keep his way.” The
[37:34] 88 tn Heb “and he will lift you up.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause following the imperatives in the preceding lines.
[37:34] 89 tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”
[37:35] 90 tn The Hebrew uses the representative singular again here.
[37:35] 91 tn Heb “being exposed [?] like a native, luxuriant.” The Hebrew form מִתְעָרֶה (mit’areh) appears to be a Hitpael participle from עָרָה (’arah, “be exposed”), but this makes no sense in this context. Perhaps the form is a dialectal variant of מִתְעָלָה (“giving oneself an air of importance”; see Jer 51:3), from עָלָה (’alah, “go up”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 296). The noun אֶזְרָח (’ezrakh, “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.
[37:36] 92 tn 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” (cf. NEB; note the first person verbal forms in preceding verse and in the following line).
[37:37] 94 tn Heb “for [there is] an end for a man of peace.” Some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see the next verse and Ps 109:13; cf. NEB, NRSV).
[37:38] 95 tn Or “destroyed together.” In this case the psalmist pictures judgment sweeping them away as a group.
[37:38] 96 tn Heb “the end of evil men is cut off.” As in v. 37, some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “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.
[37:39] 97 tn Heb “and the deliverance of the godly [ones] [is] from the
[37:39] 98 tn Heb “[he is] their place of refuge in a time of trouble.”
[37:40] 99 tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.
[38:1] 100 sn Psalm 38. The author 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.
[38:1] 101 tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “to cause to remember.” The same form, the Hiphil infinitive of זָכַר (zakhar, “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 P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 303).
[38:1] 102 tn The words “continue to” are supplied in the translation of both lines. The following verses make it clear that the psalmist is already experiencing divine rebuke/punishment. He asks that it might cease.
[38:1] sn Compare Ps 38:1 with Ps 6:1, which has similar wording.
[38:2] 103 tn The verb Hebrew נָחַת (nakhat) apparently here means “penetrate, pierce” (note the use of the Qal in Prov 17:10). The psalmist pictures the
[38:2] 104 tn Heb “and your hand [?] upon me.” The meaning of the verb נָחַת (nakhat) is unclear in this context. It is preferable to emend the form to וַתָּנַח (vattanakh) from the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “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).
[38:3] 105 tn 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 the psalmist’s sin.
[38:3] 106 tn Heb “there is no health in my bones from before my sin.”
[38:4] 107 tn Heb “pass over my head.”
[38:5] 108 sn 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.
[38:5] 109 tn Heb “my wounds stink, they are festering” (cf. NEB).
[38:5] 110 tn Heb “from before my foolishness.”
[38:6] 111 tn The verb’s precise shade of meaning in this context is not entirely clear. The verb, which literally means “to bend,” may refer to the psalmist’s posture. In Isa 21:3 it seems to mean “be confused, dazed.”
[38:6] 112 tn Heb “I am bowed down to excess.”
[38:7] 113 tn Heb “for my loins are filled with shame.” The “loins” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. The present translation assumes that נִקְלֶה (niqleh) is derived from קָלָה (qalah, “be dishonored”). Some derive it instead from a homonymic root קָלָה (qalah), meaning “to roast.” In this case one might translate “fever” (cf. NEB “my loins burn with fever”).
[38:7] 114 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh” (see v. 3).
[38:8] 115 tn Heb “I am numb and crushed to excess.”
[38:8] 116 tn Heb “I roar because of the moaning of my heart.”
[38:9] 117 tn Heb “O Lord, before you [is] all my desire.”
[38:10] 118 tn 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).
[38:11] 119 tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”
[38:11] 120 tn Heb “stand [aloof].”
[38:11] 121 tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”
[38:12] 122 tn Heb “lay snares.”
[38:13] 123 sn I am like a deaf man…like a mute. The psalmist is like a deaf mute; he is incapable of defending himself and is vulnerable to his enemies’ deception (see v. 14).
[38:14] 124 tn Heb “and there is not in his mouth arguments.”
[38:15] 125 tn Or perhaps “surely.”
[38:16] 126 tn 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).
[38:16] 127 tn Heb “they will magnify against me.” See Pss 35:26; 55:13.
[38:17] 128 tn Heb “and my pain [is] before me continually.”
[38:18] 129 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
[38:19] 130 tn Heb “and my enemies, life, are many.” The noun חַיִּים (khayyim, “life”) fits very awkwardly here. The translation assumes an emendation to חִנָּם (khinam, “without reason”; note the parallelism with שֶׁקֶר [sheqer, “falsely”] and see Pss 35:19; 69:4; Lam 3:52). The verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority (note the parallel verb רָבַב, ravav, “be many”).
[38:19] 131 tn Heb “are many.”
[38:20] 132 tn Heb “the ones who repay evil instead of good accuse me, instead of my pursuing good.”
[38:22] 133 tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Ps 22:19.
[39:1] 134 sn Psalm 39. The psalmist laments his frailty and mortality as he begs the Lord to take pity on him and remove his disciplinary hand.
[39:1] 136 tn Heb “I will watch my ways, from sinning with my tongue.”
[39:1] 137 sn The psalmist wanted to voice a lament to the
[39:2] 138 tn Heb “I was mute [with] silence.”
[39:2] 139 tn Heb “I was quiet from good.” He kept quiet, resisting the urge to find emotional release and satisfaction by voicing his lament.
[39:2] 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. S. Gerstenberger, Psalms, Part I (FOTL), 166-67.
[39:2] 140 tn Heb “and my pain was stirred up.” Emotional pain is in view here.
[39:3] 141 tn Heb “my heart was hot within me.”
[39:3] 142 tn 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”).
[39:3] 143 tn Heb “I spoke with my tongue.” The phrase “these words” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[39:4] 144 tn Heb “Cause me to know, O
[39:4] 145 tn Heb “Let me know how transient I am!”
[39:5] 146 tn 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. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 309.
[39:5] 147 tn Heb “is like nothing before you.”
[39:5] 148 tn 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.”
[39:6] 149 tn Heb “surely, as an image man walks about.” The preposition prefixed to “image” indicates identity here.
[39:6] sn People go through life (Heb “man walks about”). “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.
[39:6] 150 tc Heb “Surely [in] vain they strive, he accumulates and does not know who gathers them.” The MT 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 removed if one emends the text from הֶבֶל יֶהֱמָיוּן (hevel yehemaun, “[in] vain they strive”) to הֶבְלֵי הָמוֹן (hevley hamon, “vain things of wealth”). This assumes a misdivision in the MT and a virtual dittography of vav (ו) between the mem and nun of המון. The present translation follows this emendation.
[39:7] 151 tn Heb “my hope, for you it [is].”
[39:9] 152 tn Heb “because you acted.” The psalmist has in mind God’s disciplinary measures (see vv. 10-13).
[39:10] 153 tn Heb “remove from upon me your wound.”
[39:10] 154 tn Heb “from the hostility of your hand I have come to an end.”
[39:11] 155 tn “with punishments on account of sin you discipline a man.”
[39:11] 156 tc Heb “you cause to dissolve, like a moth, his desired [thing].” The translation assumes an emendation of חֲמוּדוֹ (khamudo, “his desirable [thing]”) to חֶמְדוֹ (khemdo, “his loveliness” [or “beauty”]), a reading that is supported by a few medieval Hebrew
[39:12] 157 tn Heb “do not be deaf to my tears.”
[39:12] 158 tn Heb “For a resident alien [am] I with you, a sojourner like all my fathers.”
[39:12] 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.
[39:13] 159 tn Heb “Gaze away from me and I will smile before I go and am not.” The precise identification of the initial verb form (הָשַׁע, hasha’) is uncertain. It could be from the root שָׁעָע (sha’a’, “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 שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “to gaze”) meaning “cause your gaze to be.” Some prefer to emend the form to the Qal שְׁעֵה (shÿ’eh, “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.
