Mazmur 15:2

15:2 Whoever lives a blameless life, ¹ 

does what is right,

and speaks honestly. ² 

Mazmur 58:2

58:2 No! ³  You plan how to do what is unjust; ⁴ 

you deal out violence in the earth. ⁵ 

Mazmur 72:18

72:18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise! ⁶ 

He alone accomplishes amazing things! ⁷ 

Mazmur 106:21

106:21 They rejected ⁸  the God who delivered them,

the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,

Mazmur 148:8

148:8 O fire and hail, snow and clouds, ⁹ 

O stormy wind that carries out his orders, ¹⁰ 

[15:2]  ¹ tn Heb “one who walks blamelessly.”

[15:2]  ² 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.

[58:2]  ³ tn The particle אַף (’af, “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 Ps 44:9).

[58:2]  ⁴ 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. The Hebrew noun עַוְלָה (’avlah, “injustice”) is collocated with פָּעַל (pa’al, “do”) here and in Job 36:23 and Ps 119:3. Some emend the plural form עוֹלֹת (’olot, “unjust deeds”; see Ps 64:6) to the singular עָוֶל (’avel, “injustice”; see Job 34:32), taking the final tav (ת) as dittographic (note that the following verbal form begins with tav). Some then understand עָוֶל (’avel, “injustice”) as a genitive modifying “heart” and translate, “with a heart of injustice you act.”

[58:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “in the earth the violence of your hands you weigh out.” The imagery is from the economic realm. The addressees 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).

[72:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21; 41:13.

[72:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “[the] one who does amazing things by himself.”

[106:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “forgot.”

[148:8]  ⁹ tn 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.

[148:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[that] does his word.”