Mazmur 103:1-22
KonteksBy David.
103:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
With all that is within me, praise 2 his holy name!
103:2 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Do not forget all his kind deeds! 3
103:3 He is the one who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases, 4
103:4 who delivers 5 your life from the Pit, 6
who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,
103:5 who satisfies your life with good things, 7
so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s. 8
103:6 The Lord does what is fair,
and executes justice for all the oppressed. 9
103:7 The Lord revealed his faithful acts 10 to Moses,
his deeds to the Israelites.
103:8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful;
he is patient 11 and demonstrates great loyal love. 12
103:9 He does not always accuse,
and does not stay angry. 13
103:10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve; 14
he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve. 15
103:11 For as the skies are high above the earth,
so his loyal love towers 16 over his faithful followers. 17
103:12 As far as the eastern horizon 18 is from the west, 19
so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions 20 from us.
103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, 21
so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers. 22
103:14 For he knows what we are made of; 23
he realizes 24 we are made of clay. 25
103:15 A person’s life is like grass. 26
Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
103:16 but when the hot wind 27 blows by, it disappears,
and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.
103:17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers, 28
and is faithful to their descendants, 29
103:18 to those who keep his covenant,
who are careful to obey his commands. 30
103:19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven;
his kingdom extends over everything. 31
103:20 Praise the Lord, you angels of his,
you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees
and obey his orders! 32
103:21 Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his, 33
you servants of his who carry out his desires! 34
103:22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made, 35
in all the regions 36 of his kingdom!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Mazmur 108:1--110:7
KonteksA song, a psalm of David.
108:1 I am determined, 38 O God!
I will sing and praise you with my whole heart. 39
108:2 Awake, O stringed instrument and harp!
I will wake up at dawn! 40
108:3 I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord!
I will sing praises to you before foreigners! 41
108:4 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, 42
and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
108:5 Rise up 43 above the sky, O God!
May your splendor cover the whole earth! 44
108:6 Deliver by your power 45 and answer me,
so that the ones you love may be safe. 46
108:7 God has spoken in his sanctuary: 47
“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem,
the valley of Succoth I will measure off. 48
108:8 Gilead belongs to me,
as does Manasseh! 49
Ephraim is my helmet, 50
Judah my royal scepter. 51
108:9 Moab is my wash basin. 52
I will make Edom serve me. 53
I will shout in triumph over Philistia.”
108:10 Who will lead me into the fortified city?
Who will bring me to Edom? 54
108:11 Have you not rejected us, O God?
O God, you do not go into battle with our armies.
108:12 Give us help against the enemy,
for any help men might offer is futile. 55
108:13 By God’s power we will conquer; 56
he will trample down 57 our enemies.
For the music director, a psalm of David.
109:1 O God whom I praise, do not ignore me! 59
109:2 For they say cruel and deceptive things to me;
they lie to me. 60
109:3 They surround me and say hateful things; 61
they attack me for no reason.
109:4 They repay my love with accusations, 62
but I continue to pray. 63
109:5 They repay me evil for good, 64
and hate for love.
109:6 65 Appoint an evil man to testify against him! 66
May an accuser stand 67 at his right side!
109:7 When he is judged, he will be found 68 guilty! 69
Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.
May another take his job! 71
109:9 May his children 72 be fatherless,
and his wife a widow!
109:10 May his children 73 roam around begging,
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home! 74
109:11 May the creditor seize 75 all he owns!
May strangers loot his property! 76
109:12 May no one show him kindness! 77
May no one have compassion 78 on his fatherless children!
109:13 May his descendants 79 be cut off! 80
May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives! 81
109:14 May his ancestors’ 82 sins be remembered by the Lord!
May his mother’s sin not be forgotten! 83
109:15 May the Lord be constantly aware of them, 84
and cut off the memory of his children 85 from the earth!
109:16 For he never bothered to show kindness; 86
he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened. 87
109:17 He loved to curse 88 others, so those curses have come upon him. 89
He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings. 90
109:18 He made cursing a way of life, 91
so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil. 92
109:19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on, 93
or a belt 94 one wears continually!
109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, 95
those who say evil things about 96 me! 97
109:21 O sovereign Lord,
intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation! 98
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!
109:22 For I am oppressed and needy,
and my heart beats violently within me. 99
109:23 I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day; 100
I am shaken off like a locust.
109:24 I am so starved my knees shake; 101
I have turned into skin and bones. 102
109:25 I am disdained by them. 103
When they see me, they shake their heads. 104
109:26 Help me, O Lord my God!
Because you are faithful to me, deliver me! 105
109:27 Then they will realize 106 this is your work, 107
and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.
109:28 They curse, but you will bless. 108
When they attack, they will be humiliated, 109
but your servant will rejoice.
109:29 My accusers will be covered 110 with shame,
and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.
109:30 I will thank the Lord profusely, 111
in the middle of a crowd 112 I will praise him,
109:31 because he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to deliver him from those who threaten 113 his life.
A psalm of David.
110:1 Here is the Lord’s proclamation 115 to my lord: 116
“Sit down at my right hand 117 until I make your enemies your footstool!” 118
110:2 The Lord 119 extends 120 your dominion 121 from Zion.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
110:3 Your people willingly follow you 122 when you go into battle. 123
On the holy hills 124 at sunrise 125 the dew of your youth 126 belongs to you. 127
110:4 The Lord makes this promise on oath 128 and will not revoke it: 129
“You are an eternal priest 130 after the pattern of 131 Melchizedek.” 132
110:5 O sovereign Lord, 133 at your right hand
he strikes down 134 kings in the day he unleashes his anger. 135
110:6 He executes judgment 136 against 137 the nations;
he fills the valleys with corpses; 138
he shatters their heads over the vast battlefield. 139
110:7 From the stream along the road he drinks;
then he lifts up his head. 140
Mazmur 122:1-9
KonteksA song of ascents, 142 by David.
122:1 I was glad because 143 they said to me,
“We will go to the Lord’s temple.”
122:2 Our feet are 144 standing
inside your gates, O Jerusalem.
122:3 Jerusalem 145 is a city designed
to accommodate an assembly. 146
122:4 The tribes go up 147 there, 148
the tribes of the Lord,
where it is required that Israel
give thanks to the name of the Lord. 149
122:5 Indeed, 150 the leaders sit 151 there on thrones and make legal decisions,
on the thrones of the house of David. 152
122:6 Pray 153 for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love her prosper! 154
122:7 May there be peace inside your defenses,
and prosperity 155 inside your fortresses! 156
122:8 For the sake of my brothers and my neighbors
I will say, “May there be peace in you!”
122:9 For the sake of the temple of the Lord our God
I will pray for you to prosper. 157
Mazmur 124:1-8
KonteksA song of ascents, 159 by David.
124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our side” –
let Israel say this! –
124:2 if the Lord had not been on our side,
when men attacked us, 160
124:3 they would have swallowed us alive,
when their anger raged against us.
124:4 The water would have overpowered us;
the current 161 would have overwhelmed 162 us. 163
124:5 The raging water
would have overwhelmed us. 164
124:6 The Lord deserves praise, 165
for 166 he did not hand us over as prey to their teeth.
124:7 We escaped with our lives, 167 like a bird from a hunter’s snare.
The snare broke, and we escaped.
124:8 Our deliverer is the Lord, 168
the Creator 169 of heaven and earth.
[103:1] 1 sn Psalm 103. The psalmist praises God for his mercy and willingness to forgive his people.
[103:1] 2 tn The verb “praise” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).
[103:2] 3 tn Or “his benefits” (see 2 Chr 32:25, where the noun is also used of kind deeds performed by the
[103:3] 4 tn This relatively rare noun refers to deadly diseases (see Deut 29:22; Jer 14:18; 16:4; 2 Chr 21:19).
[103:4] 6 tn The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 55:24.
[103:5] 7 tc 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 עֶדְיֵךְ (’ed’ekh, “your ornaments”) to עֹדֵכִי (’odekhiy, “your duration; your continuance”) that is, “your life” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 18).
[103:5] 8 sn The expression your youth is renewed like an eagle’s may allude to the phenomenon of molting, whereby the eagle grows new feathers.
[103:6] 9 tn Heb “the
[103:7] 10 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).
[103:8] 11 tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Ps 86:15).
[103:8] 12 tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Ps 86:15).
[103:9] 13 tn The Hebrew verb נָטַר (natar) is usually taken to mean “to keep; to guard,” with “anger” being understood by ellipsis. The idiom “to guard anger” is then understood to mean “to remain angry” (see Lev 19:18; Jer 3:5, 12; Nah 1:2). However, it is possible that this is a homonymic root meaning “to be angry” (see HALOT 695 s.v. נטר).
[103:10] 14 tn Heb “not according to our sins does he do to us.”
[103:10] 15 tn Heb “and not according to our misdeeds does he repay us.”
[103:11] 16 tn For this sense of the verb גָבַר (gavar), see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19.
[103:11] 17 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[103:12] 20 tn The Hebrew term פֶּשַׁע (pesha’, rebellious act”) is here used metonymically for the guilt such actions produce.
[103:13] 21 tn Or “sons,” but the Hebrew term sometimes refers to children in general.
[103:13] 22 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[103:14] 23 tn Heb “our form.”
[103:14] 24 tn Heb “remembers.”
[103:14] 25 tn Heb “we [are] clay.”
[103:15] 26 tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.
[103:16] 27 tn Heb “[the] wind.” The word “hot” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[103:17] 28 tn Heb “but the loyal love of the
[103:17] 29 tn Heb “and his righteousness to sons of sons.”
[103:18] 30 tn Heb “to those who remember his precepts to do them.”
[103:19] 31 tn Heb “his kingdom rules over all.”
[103:20] 32 tn Heb “[you] mighty ones of strength, doers of his word, by listening to the voice of his word.”
[103:21] 33 tn Heb “all his hosts.”
[103:21] 34 tn Heb “his attendants, doers of his desire.”
[103:22] 35 tn Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.
[108:1] 37 sn Psalm 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).
[108:1] 38 tn Or perhaps “confident”; Heb “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.
[108:1] 39 tn Heb “also my glory,” but this makes little sense in the context. Some view the term כָּבוֹד (“glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvodiy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 57:9; as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 3:93. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, 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.”
[108:2] 40 tn BDB 1007 s.v. שַׁחַר 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.
[108:3] 41 tn Or “the peoples.”
[108:4] 42 tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”
[108:5] 43 tn Or “be exalted.”
[108:5] 44 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.)
[108:6] 45 tn Heb “right hand.”
[108:6] 46 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.”
[108:7] 47 tn Heb “in his holy place.”
[108:7] 48 sn Shechem stands for the territory west of the Jordan River; the valley of Succoth represents the region east of the Jordan.
[108:8] 49 tn Gilead was located east of the Jordan River. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.
[108:8] 50 tn Heb “the protection of my head.”
[108:8] sn Ephraim, one of Joseph’s sons, was one of two major tribes located west of the Jordan River. By comparing Ephraim to a helmet, the Lord suggests that the Ephraimites played a primary role in the defense of his land.
[108:8] 51 sn Judah, like Ephraim, was the other major tribe west of the Jordan River. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.
[108:9] 52 sn The metaphor of the wash basin, used to rinse one’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.
[108:9] 53 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 עַל (’al) 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.
[108:10] 54 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 of Israel (v. 11).
[108:12] 55 tn Heb “and futile [is] the deliverance of man.”
[108:13] 56 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).
[108:13] 57 sn On the expression trample down our enemies see Ps 44:5.
[109:1] 58 sn Psalm 109. Appealing to God’s justice, the psalmist asks God to vindicate him and to bring severe judgment down upon his enemies.
[109:1] 59 tn Heb “do not be deaf.”
[109:2] 60 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.”
[109:3] 61 tn Heb “and [with] words of hatred they surround me.”
[109:4] 62 tn Heb “in place of my love they oppose me.”
[109:4] 63 tn Heb “and I, prayer.”
[109:5] 64 tn Heb “and they set upon me evil in place of good.”
[109:6] 65 sn In vv. 6-19 the psalmist calls on 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 v. 6: “They say about me, ‘Appoint an evil man, etc.’” Those supporting this line of interpretation point out that 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 on 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
[109:6] 66 tn Heb “appoint against him an evil [man].”
[109:6] 67 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive here (note the imperative in the preceding line).
[109:7] 68 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.
[109:7] 69 tn Heb “he will go out [as] a criminal” (that is, guilty).
[109:8] 70 tn The prefixed verbal forms (except those with vav [ו] consecutive) in vv. 8-20 are taken as jussives of prayer. Note the distinct jussive forms used in vv. 12-13, 15, 19.
[109:8] 71 tn The Hebrew noun פְּקֻדָּה (pÿquddah) can mean “charge” or “office,” though BDB 824 s.v. suggests that here it refers to his possessions.
[109:10] 74 tn Heb “and roaming, may his children roam and beg, and seek from their ruins.” Some, following the LXX, emend the term וְדָרְשׁוּ (vÿdoreshu, “and seek”) to יְגֹרְשׁוּ (yÿgoreshu; a Pual jussive, “may they be driven away” [see Job 30:5; cf. NIV, NRSV]), but דָּרַשׁ (darash) nicely parallels שִׁאֵלוּ (shi’elu, “and beg”) in the preceding line.
[109:11] 75 tn Heb “lay snares for” (see Ps 38:12).
[109:11] 76 tn Heb “the product of his labor.”
[109:12] 77 tn Heb “may there not be for him one who extends loyal love.”
[109:12] 78 tn Perhaps this refers to being generous (see Ps 37:21).
[109:13] 79 tn Or “offspring.”
[109:13] 80 sn On the expression cut off see Ps 37:28.
[109:13] 81 tn Heb “in another generation may their name be wiped out.”
[109:14] 82 tn Or “fathers’ sins.”
[109:14] 83 tn Heb “not be wiped out.”
[109:14] sn 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 (JSOTSup). (Kaminsky, however, does not deal with Ps 109.)
[109:15] 84 tn Heb “may they [that is, the sins mentioned in v. 14] be before the
[109:15] 85 tn Heb “their memory.” The plural pronominal suffix probably refers back to the children mentioned in v. 13, and for clarity this has been specified in the translation.
[109:16] 86 tn Heb “he did not remember to do loyal love.”
[109:16] 87 tn Heb “and he chased an oppressed and needy man, and one timid of heart to put [him] to death.”
[109:17] 88 sn A curse in OT times consists of 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.
[109:17] 89 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 on his enemies. For this reason some (cf. NIV, NRSV) prefer to repoint the vav (ו) on “it came” as conjunctive and translate the verb as a jussive of prayer (“may it come upon him!”). The prefixed form with vav 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.
[109:17] 90 tn Heb “and he did not delight in a blessing and it is far from him.”
[109:18] 91 tn Heb “he put on a curse as [if it were] his garment.”
[109:18] 92 tn Heb “and it came like water into his inner being, and like oil into his bones.” This may refer to this individual’s 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 vav (ו) on “it came” to a conjunctive vav and interpret the prefixed verb as a jussive, “may it come!”
[109:19] 93 tn Heb “may it be for him like a garment one puts on.”
[109:19] 94 tn The Hebrew noun מֵזַח (mezakh, “belt; waistband”) occurs only here in the OT. The form apparently occurs in Isa 23:10 as well, but an emendation is necessary there.
[109:20] 95 tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the
[109:20] 97 tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[109:21] 98 tn Heb “but you,
[109:22] 99 tc The verb in the Hebrew text (חָלַל, khalal) appears to be a Qal form from the root חלל meaning “pierced; wounded.” However, the Qal of this root is otherwise unattested. The translation assumes an emendation to יָחִיל (yakhil), a Qal imperfect from חוּל (khul, “tremble”) or to חֹלַל (kholal), a polal perfect from חוּל (khul). See Ps 55:4, which reads לִבִּי יָחִיל בְּקִרְבִּי (libbiy yakhil bÿqirbbiy, “my heart trembles [i.e., “beats violently”] within me”).
[109:23] 100 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.
[109:24] 101 tn Heb “my knees stagger from fasting.”
[109:24] 102 tn Heb “and my flesh is lean away from fatness [i.e., “lean so as not to be fat”].”
[109:25] 103 tn Heb “as for me, I am a reproach to them.”
[109:25] 104 sn They shake their heads. Apparently shaking the head was a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 22:7; Lam 2:15.
[109:26] 105 tn Heb “deliver me according to your faithfulness.”
[109:27] 106 tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
[109:27] 107 tn Heb “that your hand [is] this.”
[109:28] 108 tn Another option is to translate the imperfect as a prayer/request (“may you bless”).
[109:28] 109 tn The verbal sequence is perfect + prefixed form with vav (ו) 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 קָמוּ יֵבֹשׁוּ (qamu yevoshu, “may those who attack me be humiliated”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 75.
[109:29] 110 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”).
[109:30] 111 tn Heb “I will thank the
[110:1] 114 sn Psalm 110. In this royal psalm the psalmist announces God’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 God.
[110:1] 115 tn The word נְאֻם (nÿ’um) is used frequently in the OT of a formal divine announcement through a prophet.
[110:1] 116 sn My lord. In the psalm’s original context the speaker is an unidentified prophetic voice 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 “lord,” the Messiah. (See Matt 22:43-45; Mark 12:36-37; Luke 20:42-44; Acts 2:34-35).
[110:1] 117 tn To sit at the “right hand” of the king was an honor (see 1 Kgs 2:19). In Ugaritic myth (CTA 4 v. 108-10) the artisan god Kothar-and Khasis is described as sitting at the right hand of the storm god Baal. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 61-62.
[110:1] 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.
[110:1] 118 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).
[110:2] 119 tn Since the
[110:2] 120 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though it could be taken as future.
[110:2] 121 tn Heb “your strong scepter,” symbolic of the king’s royal authority and dominion.
[110:3] 122 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.”
[110:3] 123 tn Heb “in the day of your power.”
[110:3] 124 tc Heb “in splendor of holiness.” The plural construct form הַדְרֵי (hadrey, from הָדַר, hadar, “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 הַדְרַת קֹדֶשׁ [hadrat qodesh] refers to “holy attire”). If one retains the reading of the MT, 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 הַרְרֵי קֹדֶשׁ (harrey qodesh, “mountains of holiness”), a reading found in many medieval Hebrew
[110:3] 125 tn Heb “from the womb of dawn.” The Hebrew noun רֶחֶם (rekhem, “womb”) is probably used here metonymically for “birth.” The form מִשְׁחָר (mishkhar) occurs only here and should be emended to שַׁחַר (shakhar, “dawn”) with the mem (מ) being understood as dittographic (note the final mem [ם] on the preceding word). The phrase “womb [i.e., “birth”] of dawn” refers to sunrise.
[110:3] 126 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), may refer to his army of strong, youthful warriors.
[110:3] 127 tn Heb “to you [is].”
[110:4] 128 tn Or “swears, vows.”
[110:4] 129 tn Or “will not change his mind.” The negated Niphal imperfect of נָחַם (nakham) is a way of marking an announcement as an irrevocable decree. See 1 Sam 15:29; Ezek 24:14, as well as R. B. Chisholm, “Does God ‘Change His Mind’?” BSac 152 (1995): 387-99.
[110:4] 130 sn You are an eternal priest. The Davidic king exercised a non-Levitical priestly role. The king superintended Judah’s cultic ritual, had authority over the Levites, and sometimes led in formal worship. David himself instructed the Levites to bring the ark of the covenant 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).
[110:4] 131 tn The phrase עַל־דִּבְרָתִי (’al-divratiy) is a variant of עַל־דִּבְרָת (’al-divrat; the final yod [י] being an archaic genitival ending), which in turn is a variant of עַל דָּבַר (’al davar). Both phrases can mean “concerning” or “because of,” but neither of these nuances fits the use of עַל־דִּבְרָתִי in Ps 110:4. Here the phrase probably carries the sense “according to the manner of.” See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 81.
[110:4] 132 sn The Davidic king’s priestly role is analogous to that of Melchizedek, who was both “king of Salem” (i.e., 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 himself was “an eternal priest.”
[110:5] 133 tn As pointed in the Hebrew text, this title refers to God (many medieval Hebrew
[110:5] 134 tn 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.
[110:5] 135 tn Heb “in the day of his anger.”
[110:6] 136 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 6-7 are understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though they could be taken as future.
[110:6] 138 tn Heb “he fills [with] corpses,” but one expects a double accusative here. The translation assumes an emendation to גְוִיּוֹת גֵאָיוֹת(בִּ) מִלֵּא or מִלֵּא גֵאָיוֹת גְּוִיוֹת (for a similar construction see Ezek 32:5). In the former case גֵאָיוֹת(ge’ayot) has accidentally dropped from the text due to homoioteleuton; in the latter case it has dropped out due to homoioarcton.
[110:6] 139 tn Heb “he strikes [the verb is מָחַץ (makhats), translated “strikes down” in v. 5] head[s] over a great land.” The Hebrew term רַבָּה (rabbah, “great”) is here used of distance or spatial measurement (see 1 Sam 26:13).
[110:7] 140 tn 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).
[122:1] 141 sn Psalm 122. The psalmist expresses his love for Jerusalem and promises to pray for the city’s security.
[122:1] 142 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. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[122:1] 143 tn Heb “in the ones saying to me.” After the verb שָׂמַח (samakh), the preposition בְּ (bet) usually introduces the reason for joy.
[122:3] 145 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[122:3] 146 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 assumes an emendation of the verb חֻבְּרָה (khubbÿrah, “is joined”) to a noun חֶבְרָה (khevrah, “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).
[122:4] 148 tn Heb “which is where the tribes go up.”
[122:4] 149 tn Heb “[it is] a statute for Israel to give thanks to the name of the
[122:5] 152 tn Heb “Indeed, there they sit [on] thrones for judgment, [on] thrones [belonging] to the house of David.”
[122:6] 153 tn Heb “ask [for].”
[122:6] 154 tn Or “be secure.”
[122:7] 156 tn The psalmist uses second feminine singular pronominal forms to address personified Jerusalem.
[122:9] 157 tn Heb “I will seek good for you.” The psalmist will seek Jerusalem’s “good” through prayer.
[124:1] 158 sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.
[124:1] 159 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. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[124:2] 160 tn Heb “rose up against us.”
[124:4] 162 tn Heb “would have passed over.”
[124:4] 163 tn Heb “our being.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[124:5] 164 tn Heb “then they would have passed over our being, the raging waters.”
[124:6] 165 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[124:6] 166 tn Heb “[the one] who.”
[124:7] 167 tn Heb “our life escaped.”
