Mazmur 16:8

16:8 I constantly trust in the Lord; ¹ 

because he is at my right hand, I will not be upended.

Mazmur 26:11

26:11 But I have integrity! ² 

Rescue me ³  and have mercy on me!

Mazmur 56:13

56:13 when you deliver ⁴  my life from death.

You keep my feet from stumbling, ⁵ 

so that I might serve ⁶  God as I enjoy life. ⁷ 

Mazmur 86:11

86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! ⁸ 

Then I will obey your commands. ⁹ 

Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 116:9

116:9 I will serve ¹¹  the Lord

in the land ¹²  of the living.

Mazmur 128:1

Psalm 128 ¹³ 

A song of ascents. ¹⁴ 

128:1 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, ¹⁵ 

each one who keeps his commands! ¹⁶ 

[16:8]  ¹ 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).

[26:11]  ² 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.

[26:11]  ³ tn Or “redeem me.”

[56:13]  ⁴ 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). (2) 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 (3) generalizing (“for you deliver”) or (4) rhetorical (“for you will”).

[56:13]  ⁵ 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.

[56:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “walk before.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254; cf. the same idiom in 2 Kgs 20:3; Isa 38:3.

[56:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “in the light of life.” The phrase is used here and in Job 33:30.

[86:11]  ⁸ tn 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.

[86:11]  ⁹ tn 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.

[86:11]  ¹⁰ tn 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).

[116:9]  ¹¹ tn 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.

[116:9]  ¹² tn Heb “lands, regions.”

[128:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.

[128:1]  ¹⁴ 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.

[128:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “every fearer of the Lord.”

[128:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”