Mazmur 25:5

25:5 Guide me into your truth ¹  and teach me.

For you are the God who delivers me;

on you I rely all day long.

Mazmur 25:9

25:9 May he show ²  the humble what is right! ³ 

May he teach ⁴  the humble his way!

Mazmur 43:3

43:3 Reveal ⁵  your light ⁶  and your faithfulness!

They will lead me, ⁷ 

they will escort ⁸  me back to your holy hill, ⁹ 

and to the place where you live. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 139:24

139:24 See if there is any idolatrous tendency ¹¹  in me,

and lead me in the reliable ancient path! ¹² 

Mazmur 143:10-11

143:10 Teach me to do what pleases you, ¹³ 

for you are my God.

May your kind presence ¹⁴ 

lead me ¹⁵  into a level land. ¹⁶ 

143:11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation, ¹⁷  revive me! ¹⁸ 

Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble! ¹⁹ 

[25:5]  ¹ sn The Lord’s commandments are referred to as truth here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will.

[25:9]  ² tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.

[25:9]  ³ tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” The Hebrew term עֲנָוִים (’anavim, “humble”) usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.

[25:9]  ⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).

[43:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “send.”

[43:3]  ⁶ sn God’s deliverance is compared here to a light which will lead the psalmist back home to the Lord’s temple. Divine deliverance will in turn demonstrate the Lord’s faithfulness to his people.

[43:3]  ⁷ tn Or “may they lead me.” The prefixed verbal forms here and in the next line may be taken as jussives.

[43:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “bring.”

[43:3]  ⁹ sn In this context the Lord’s holy hill is Zion/Jerusalem. See Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 48:1; 87:1; Dan 9:16.

[43:3]  ¹⁰ tn Or “to your dwelling place[s].” The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; this is the Lord’s special dwelling place (see Pss 46:4; 84:1; 132:5, 7).

[139:24]  ¹¹ tn Many understand the Hebrew term עֹצֶב (’otsev) as a noun meaning “pain,” and translate the phrase דֶּרֶךְ עֹצֶב (derekh ’otsev) as “of pain,” but this makes little sense here. (Some interpret it to refer to actions which bring pain to others.) It is preferable to take עֹצֶב as “idol” (see HALOT 865 s.v. I עֹצֶב) and understand “way of an idol” to refer to idolatrous actions or tendency. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.

[139:24]  ¹² tn Heb “in the path of antiquity.” This probably refers to the moral path prescribed by the Lord at the beginning of Israel’s history. See Jer 6:16; 18:15, as well as L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.

[143:10]  ¹³ tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.

[143:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “your good spirit.” God’s “spirit” may refer here to his presence (see the note on the word “presence” in Ps 139:7) or to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).

[143:10]  ¹⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. Taking the statement as a prayer fits well with the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.

[143:10]  ¹⁶ sn A level land (where one can walk free of obstacles) here symbolizes divine blessing and protection. See Pss 26:12 and 27:11 for similar imagery.

[143:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[143:11]  ¹⁸ tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 11-12a are understood as expressing the psalmist’s desire. Note the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.

[143:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “by your justice bring out my life from trouble.”