Mazmur 37:31

37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking; ¹ 

their ²  feet do not slip.

Mazmur 143:10

143:10 Teach me to do what pleases you, ³ 

for you are my God.

May your kind presence ⁴ 

lead me ⁵  into a level land. ⁶ 

[37:31]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “his.” The pronoun has been translated as plural to agree with the representative or typical “godly” in v. 30.

[143:10]  ³ tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.

[143:10]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.