Mazmur 7:10-11

7:10 The Exalted God is my shield, ¹ 

the one who delivers the morally upright. ² 

7:11 God is a just judge;

he is angry throughout the day. ³ 

Mazmur 9:3

9:3 When my enemies turn back,

they trip and are defeated ⁴  before you.

Mazmur 9:17

9:17 The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol; ⁵ 

this is the destiny of ⁶  all the nations that ignore ⁷  God,

Mazmur 17:2

17:2 Make a just decision on my behalf! ⁸ 

Decide what is right! ⁹ 

Mazmur 18:32

18:32 The one true God ¹⁰  gives ¹¹  me strength; ¹² 

he removes ¹³  the obstacles in my way. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 18:47

18:47 The one true God ¹⁵  completely vindicates me; ¹⁶ 

he makes nations submit to me. ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 22:3

22:3 You are holy;

you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 25:16

25:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,

for I am alone ¹⁹  and oppressed!

Mazmur 26:11

26:11 But I have integrity! ²⁰ 

Rescue me ²¹  and have mercy on me!

Mazmur 33:3

33:3 Sing to him a new song! ²² 

Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him! ²³ 

Mazmur 33:21

33:21 For our hearts rejoice in him,

for we trust in his holy name.

Mazmur 37:6

37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,

and publicly defend your just cause. ²⁴ 

Mazmur 37:11-12

37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land

and enjoy great prosperity. ²⁵ 

37:12 Evil men plot against the godly ²⁶ 

and viciously attack them. ²⁷ 

Mazmur 44:20

44:20 If we had rejected our God, ²⁸ 

and spread out our hands in prayer to another god, ²⁹ 

Mazmur 44:26

44:26 Rise up and help us!

Rescue us ³⁰  because of your loyal love!

Mazmur 48:9

48:9 We reflect on your loyal love, O God,

within your temple.

Mazmur 51:18

51:18 Because you favor Zion, do what is good for her! ³¹ 

Fortify ³²  the walls of Jerusalem! ³³ 

Mazmur 55:2

55:2 Pay attention to me and answer me!

I am so upset ³⁴  and distressed, ³⁵  I am beside myself, ³⁶ 

Mazmur 56:2

56:2 Those who anticipate my defeat ³⁷  attack me all day long.

Indeed, ³⁸  many are fighting against me, O Exalted One. ³⁹ 

Mazmur 59:9

59:9 You are my source of strength! I will wait for you! ⁴⁰ 

For God is my refuge. ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 60:11

60:11 Give us help against the enemy,

for any help men might offer is futile. ⁴² 

Mazmur 61:1

Psalm 61 ⁴³ 

For the music director; to be played on a stringed instrument; written by David.

61:1 O God, hear my cry for help!

Pay attention to my prayer!

Mazmur 65:2

65:2 You hear prayers; ⁴⁴ 

all people approach you. ⁴⁵ 

Mazmur 66:10

66:10 For ⁴⁶  you, O God, tested us;

you purified us like refined silver.

Mazmur 67:3

67:3 Let the nations thank you, O God!

Let all the nations thank you! ⁴⁷ 

Mazmur 69:10

69:10 I weep and refrain from eating food, ⁴⁸ 

which causes others to insult me. ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 72:1

Psalm 72 ⁵⁰ 

For ⁵¹  Solomon.

72:1 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions! ⁵² 

Grant the king’s son ⁵³  the ability to make fair decisions! ⁵⁴ 

Mazmur 73:17

73:17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple, ⁵⁵ 

and understood the destiny of the wicked. ⁵⁶ 

Mazmur 75:2

75:2 God says, ⁵⁷ 

“At the appointed times, ⁵⁸ 

I judge ⁵⁹  fairly.

Mazmur 75:9

75:9 As for me, I will continually tell what you have done; ⁶⁰ 

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob!

Mazmur 77:4

77:4 You held my eyelids open; ⁶¹ 

I was troubled and could not speak. ⁶² 

Mazmur 78:37

78:37 They were not really committed to him, ⁶³ 

and they were unfaithful to his covenant.

Mazmur 81:4

81:4 For observing the festival is a requirement for Israel; ⁶⁴ 

it is an ordinance given by the God of Jacob.

Mazmur 82:8

82:8 Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth!

For you own ⁶⁵  all the nations.

Mazmur 84:7

84:7 They are sustained as they travel along; ⁶⁶ 

each one appears ⁶⁷  before God in Zion.

Mazmur 87:1

Psalm 87 ⁶⁸ 

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.

87:1 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills. ⁶⁹ 

Mazmur 94:19

94:19 When worries threaten to overwhelm me, ⁷⁰ 

your soothing touch makes me happy. ⁷¹ 

Mazmur 94:21

94:21 They conspire against ⁷²  the blameless, ⁷³ 

and condemn to death the innocent. ⁷⁴ 

Mazmur 98:7

98:7 Let the sea and everything in it shout,

along with the world and those who live in it!

Mazmur 102:23

102:23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life; ⁷⁵ 

he has cut short my days.

Mazmur 103:14

103:14 For he knows what we are made of; ⁷⁶ 

he realizes ⁷⁷  we are made of clay. ⁷⁸ 

Mazmur 105:2

105:2 Sing to him!

Make music to him!

Tell about all his miraculous deeds!

Mazmur 105:16

105:16 He called down a famine upon the earth;

he cut off all the food supply. ⁷⁹ 

Mazmur 105:27-28

105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, ⁸⁰ 

and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.

105:28 He made it dark; ⁸¹ 

they did not disobey his orders. ⁸² 

Mazmur 105:42

105:42 Yes, ⁸³  he remembered the sacred promise ⁸⁴ 

he made to Abraham his servant.

Mazmur 106:13

106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; ⁸⁵ 

they did not wait for his instructions. ⁸⁶ 

Mazmur 106:32

106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,

and Moses suffered ⁸⁷  because of them,

Mazmur 107:32

107:32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people!

Let them praise him in the place where the leaders preside! ⁸⁸ 

Mazmur 111:3

111:3 His work is majestic and glorious, ⁸⁹ 

and his faithfulness endures ⁹⁰  forever.

Mazmur 111:7

111:7 His acts are characterized by ⁹¹  faithfulness and justice;

all his precepts are reliable. ⁹² 

Mazmur 114:2

114:2 Judah became his sanctuary,

Israel his kingdom.

Mazmur 118:21

118:21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me,

and have become my deliverer.

Mazmur 119:2

119:2 How blessed are those who observe his rules,

and seek him with all their heart,

Mazmur 119:124

119:124 Show your servant your loyal love! ⁹³ 

Teach me your statutes!

Mazmur 123:1

Psalm 123 ⁹⁴ 

A song of ascents. ⁹⁵ 

123:1 I look up ⁹⁶  toward you,

the one enthroned ⁹⁷  in heaven.

Mazmur 136:13

136:13 to the one who divided ⁹⁸  the Red Sea ⁹⁹  in two, ¹⁰⁰ 

for his loyal love endures,

Mazmur 136:26

136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,

for his loyal love endures!

Mazmur 139:19

139:19 If only ¹⁰¹  you would kill the wicked, O God!

Get away from me, you violent men! ¹⁰² 

Mazmur 145:20

145:20 The Lord protects those who love him,

but he destroys all the wicked.

Mazmur 147:10

147:10 He is not enamored with the strength of a horse,

nor is he impressed by the warrior’s strong legs. ¹⁰³ 

Mazmur 148:8

148:8 O fire and hail, snow and clouds, ¹⁰⁴ 

O stormy wind that carries out his orders, ¹⁰⁵ 

[7:10]  ¹ tn Traditionally, “my shield is upon God” (cf. NASB). As in v. 8, עַל (’al) should be understood as a divine title, here compounded with “God” (cf. NIV, “God Most High”). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:45-46. The shield metaphor pictures God as a protector against deadly attacks.

[7:10]  ² tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

[7:11]  ³ tn Heb “God (the divine name אֵל [’el] is used) is angry during all the day.” The verb זֹעֵם (zo’em) means “be indignant, be angry, curse.” Here God’s angry response to wrongdoing and injustice leads him to prepare to execute judgment as described in the following verses.

[9:3]  ⁴ tn Or “perish”; or “die.” The imperfect verbal forms in this line either emphasize what typically happens or describe vividly the aftermath of a recent battle in which the Lord defeated the psalmist’s enemies.

[9:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “the wicked turn back to Sheol.” The imperfect verbal form either emphasizes what typically happens or describes vividly the aftermath of the Lord’s victory over the psalmist’s enemies. See v. 3.

[9:17]  ⁶ tn The words “this is the destiny of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The verb “are turned back” is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).

[9:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “forget.” “Forgetting God” refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see also Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 44:20). The nations’ refusal to acknowledge God’s sovereignty accounts for their brazen attempt to attack and destroy his people.

[17:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “From before you may my justice come out.” The prefixed verbal form יָצָא (yatsa’) could be taken as an imperfect, but following the imperatives in v. 1, it is better understood as a jussive of prayer.

[17:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “May your eyes look at what is right.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as jussive. (See also the preceding note on the word “behalf.”)

[18:32]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the God.” The prefixed article emphasizes the Lord’s distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). See v. 30.

[18:32]  ¹¹ tn Heb “is the one who clothes.” For similar language see 1 Sam 2:4; Pss 65:6; 93:1. The psalmist employs a generalizing hymnic style in vv. 32-34; he uses participles in vv. 32a, 33a, and 34a to describe what God characteristically does on his behalf.

[18:32]  ¹² tn 2 Sam 22:33 reads, “the God is my strong refuge.”

[18:32]  sn Gives me strength. As the following context makes clear, this refers to physical and emotional strength for battle (see especially v. 39).

[18:32]  ¹³ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries along the generalizing force of the preceding participle.

[18:32]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he made my path smooth.” The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “smooth”) usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36).

[18:47]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the God.” See v. 32.

[18:47]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “is the one who grants vengeance to me.” The plural form of the noun indicates degree here, suggesting complete vengeance or vindication.

[18:47]  sn Completely vindicates me. In the ancient Near East military victory was sometimes viewed as a sign that one’s God had judged in favor of the victor, avenging and/or vindicating him. See, for example, Judg 11:27, 32-33, 36.

[18:47]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he subdues nations beneath me.” On the meaning of the verb דָּבַר (davar, “subdue,” a homonym of דָּבַר, davar, “speak”), see HALOT 209-10 s.v. I דבר. See also Ps 47:3 and 2 Chr 22:10. 2 Sam 22:48 reads “and [is the one who] brings down nations beneath me.”

[22:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the Lord as sitting enthroned as king in his temple, receiving the praises that his people Israel offer up to him.

[25:16]  ¹⁹ tn That is, helpless and vulnerable.

[26:11]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ tn Or “redeem me.”

[33:3]  ²² sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.

[33:3]  ²³ tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”

[37:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”

[37:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”

[37:12]  ²⁶ tn Or “innocent.” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and the typical godly individual are in view.

[37:12]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and gnashes at him with his teeth” (see Ps 35:16). The language may picture the evil men as wild animals. The active participles in v. 12 are used for purposes of dramatic description.

[44:20]  ²⁸ tn Heb “If we had forgotten the name of our God.” To “forget the name” here refers to rejecting the Lord’s authority (see Jer 23:27) and abandoning him as an object of prayer and worship (see the next line).

[44:20]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and spread out your hands to another god.” Spreading out the hands was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). In its most fundamental sense זר (“another; foreign; strange”) refers to something that is outside one’s circle, often making association with it inappropriate. A “strange” god is an alien deity, an “outside god” (see L. A. Snijders, TDOT 4:54-55).

[44:26]  ³⁰ tn Or “redeem us.” See Pss 25:22; 26:11; 69:18; 119:134.

[51:18]  ³¹ tn Heb “do what is good for Zion in your favor.”

[51:18]  ³² tn Or “Build.” The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.

[51:18]  ³³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[55:2]  ³⁴ tn Or “restless” (see Gen 27:40). The Hiphil is intransitive-exhibitive, indicating the outward display of an inner attitude.

[55:2]  ³⁵ tn Heb “in my complaint.”

[55:2]  ³⁶ tn The verb is a Hiphil cohortative from הוּם (hum), which means “to confuse someone” in the Qal and “to go wild” in the Niphal. An Arabic cognate means “to be out of one’s senses, to wander about.” With the vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, the cohortative probably indicates the result or effect of the preceding main verb. Some prefer to emend the form to וְאֵהוֹמָה (vÿ’ehomah), a Niphal of הוּם (hum), or to וְאֶהַמֶה (vÿ’ehameh), a Qal imperfect from הָמָה (hamah, “to moan”). Many also prefer to take this verb with what follows (see v. 3).

[56:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 59:10.

[56:2]  ³⁸ tn Or “for.”

[56:2]  ³⁹ tn Some take the Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “on high; above”) as an adverb modifying the preceding participle and translate, “proudly” (cf. NASB; NIV “in their pride”). The present translation assumes the term is a divine title here. The Lord is pictured as enthroned “on high” in Ps 92:8. (Note the substantival use of the term in Isa 24:4 and see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:34), who prefer to place the term at the beginning of the next verse.)

[59:9]  ⁴⁰ tc Heb “his strength, for you I will watch.” “His strength” should be emended to “my strength” (see v. 17). Some also emend אֶשְׁמֹרָה (’eshmorah, “I will watch”) to אֱזַמֵּרָה (’ezammerah, “I will sing praises [to you]”) See v. 17.

[59:9]  ⁴¹ tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).

[60:11]  ⁴² tn Heb “and futile [is] the deliverance of man.”

[61:1]  ⁴³ sn Psalm 61. The psalmist cries out for help and expresses his confidence that God will protect him.

[65:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “O one who hears prayer.”

[65:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “to you all flesh comes.”

[66:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “indeed.”

[67:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in vv. 3-4a are understood as jussives in this call to praise.

[69:10]  ⁴⁸ sn Fasting was a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.

[69:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and it becomes insults to me.”

[72:1]  ⁵⁰ sn Psalm 72. This royal psalm contains a prayer for the Davidic king (note the imperatival form in v. 1 and the jussive forms in vv. 16-17). It is not entirely clear if vv. 2-15 express a prayer or anticipate a future reign. The translation assumes a blend of petition and vision: (I) opening prayer (v. 1), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 2-7); (II) prayer (v. 8), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 9-14); (III) closing prayer (vv. 15-17). Whether a prayer, vision, or combination of the two, the psalm depicts the king’s universal rule of peace and prosperity. As such it is indirectly messianic, for the ideal it expresses will only be fully realized during the Messiah’s earthly reign. Verses 18-19 are a conclusion for Book 2 of the Psalter (Pss 42-72; cf. Ps 41:13, which contains a similar conclusion for Book 1), while v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or an earlier edition of the Psalter.

[72:1]  ⁵¹ tn The preposition could be understood as indicating authorship (“Of Solomon”), but since the psalm is a prayer for a king, it may be that the superscription reflects a tradition that understood this as a prayer for Solomon.

[72:1]  ⁵² tn Heb “O God, your judgments to [the] king give.”

[72:1]  ⁵³ sn Grant the king…Grant the king’s son. It is not entirely clear whether v. 1 envisions one individual or two. The phrase “the king’s son” in the second line may simply refer to “the king” of the first line, drawing attention to the fact that he has inherited his dynastic rule. Another option is that v. 1 envisions a co-regency between father and son (a common phenomenon in ancient Israel) or simply expresses a hope for a dynasty that champions justice.

[72:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and your justice to [the] son of [the] king.”

[73:17]  ⁵⁵ tn The plural of the term מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash) probably refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 68:35; Jer 51:51).

[73:17]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “I discerned their end.” At the temple the psalmist perhaps received an oracle of deliverance announcing his vindication and the demise of the wicked (see Ps 12) or heard songs of confidence (for example, Ps 11), wisdom psalms (for example, Pss 1, 37), and hymns (for example, Ps 112) that describe the eventual downfall of the proud and wealthy.

[75:2]  ⁵⁷ tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in vv. 2-3.

[75:2]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “when I take an appointed time.”

[75:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “I, [in] fairness, I judge.” The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically executes fair judgment as he governs the world. One could take this as referring to an anticipated (future) judgment, “I will judge.”

[75:9]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “I will declare forever.” The object needs to be supplied; God’s just judgment is in view.

[77:4]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “you held fast the guards of my eyes.” The “guards of the eyes” apparently refers to his eyelids. The psalmist seems to be saying that God would not bring him relief, which would have allowed him to shut his eyes and get some sleep (see v. 2).

[77:4]  ⁶² tn The imperfect is used in the second clause to emphasize that this was an ongoing condition in the past.

[78:37]  ⁶³ tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”

[81:4]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “because a statute for Israel [is] it.”

[82:8]  ⁶⁵ tn The translation assumes that the Qal of נָחַל (nakhal) here means “to own; to possess,” and that the imperfect emphasizes a general truth. Another option is to translate the verb as future, “for you will take possession of all the nations” (cf. NIV “all the nations are your inheritance”).

[84:7]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “they go from strength to strength.” The phrase “from strength to strength” occurs only here in the OT. With a verb of motion, the expression “from [common noun] to [same common noun]” normally suggests movement from one point to another or through successive points (see Num 36:7; 1 Chr 16:20; 17:5; Ps 105:13; Jer 25:32). Ps 84:7 may be emphasizing that the pilgrims move successively from one “place of strength” to another as they travel toward Jerusalem. All along the way they find adequate provisions and renewed energy for the trip.

[84:7]  ⁶⁷ tn The psalmist returns to the singular (see v. 5a), which he uses in either a representative or distributive (“each one” ) sense.

[87:1]  ⁶⁸ sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.

[87:1]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “his foundation [is] in the hills of holiness.” The expression “his foundation” refers here by metonymy to the Lord’s dwelling place in Zion. The “hills” are the ones surrounding Zion (see Pss 125:2; 133:3).

[94:19]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “when my worries are many within me.”

[94:19]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “your comforts cause my soul to delight.”

[94:21]  ⁷² tn Or “attack.”

[94:21]  ⁷³ tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”

[94:21]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”

[102:23]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “he has afflicted my strength in the way.” The term “way” refers here to the course of the psalmist’s life, which appears to be ending prematurely (vv. 23b-24).

[103:14]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “our form.”

[103:14]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “remembers.”

[103:14]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “we [are] clay.”

[105:16]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “and every staff of food he broke.” The psalmist refers to the famine that occurred in Joseph’s time (see v. 17 and Gen 41:53-57).

[105:27]  ⁸⁰ tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).

[105:28]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”

[105:28]  sn He made it dark. The psalmist begins with the ninth plague (see Exod 10:21-29).

[105:28]  ⁸² tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.

[105:42]  ⁸³ tn Or “for.”

[105:42]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “his holy word.”

[106:13]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “his works.”

[106:13]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “his counsel.”

[106:32]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”

[107:32]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “in the seat of the elders.”

[111:3]  ⁸⁹ tn For other uses of the Hebrew phrase וְהָדָר-הוֹד (hod-vÿhadar, “majesty and splendor”) see 1 Chr 16:27; Job 40:10; Pss 21:5; 96:6; 104:1.

[111:3]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “stands.”

[111:7]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “the deeds of his hands [are].”

[111:7]  ⁹² tn That is, fair and for man’s good.

[119:124]  ⁹³ tn Heb “do with your servant according to your loyal love.”

[123:1]  ⁹⁴ sn Psalm 123. The psalmist, speaking for God’s people, acknowledges his dependence on God in the midst of a crisis.

[123:1]  ⁹⁵ 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.

[123:1]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”

[123:1]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb יָשַׁב (yashav) is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12).

[136:13]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “cut.”

[136:13]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in v. 15). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.

[136:13]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “into pieces.”

[139:19]  ¹⁰¹ tn The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as GKC 321 §109.b).

[139:19]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”

[147:10]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “he does not desire the strength of the horse, he does not take delight in the legs of the man.” Here “the horse” refers to the war horse used by ancient Near Eastern chariot forces, and “the man” refers to the warrior whose muscular legs epitomize his strength.

[148:8]  ¹⁰⁴ 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]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “[that] does his word.”