Mazmur 14:2

14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven ¹  at the human race, ² 

to see if there is anyone who is wise ³  and seeks God. ⁴ 

Mazmur 19:14

19:14 May my words and my thoughts

be acceptable in your sight, ⁵ 

O Lord, my sheltering rock ⁶  and my redeemer. ⁷ 

Mazmur 69:31

69:31 That will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull

with horns and hooves.

Mazmur 84:1

Psalm 84 ⁸ 

For the music director; according to the gittith style; ⁹  written by the Korahites, a psalm.

84:1 How lovely is the place where you live, ¹⁰ 

O Lord who rules over all! ¹¹ 

Mazmur 131:2

131:2 Indeed ¹²  I am composed and quiet, ¹³ 

like a young child carried by its mother; ¹⁴ 

I am content like the young child I carry. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 139:17

139:17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! ¹⁶ 

How vast is their sum total! ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 141:6

141:6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. ¹⁸ 

They ¹⁹  will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.

Mazmur 145:19

145:19 He satisfies the desire ²⁰  of his loyal followers; ²¹ 

he hears their cry for help and delivers them.

[14:2]  ¹ sn The picture of the Lord looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.

[14:2]  ² tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”

[14:2]  ³ tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.

[14:2]  ⁴ sn Anyone who is wise and seeks God refers to the person who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.

[19:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “may the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart be acceptable before you.” The prefixed verbal form at the beginning of the verse is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate the form as an imperfect continuing the thought of v. 14b: “[Then] the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart will be acceptable before you.”

[19:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”

[19:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the one who redeems me.” The metaphor casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis.

[84:1]  ⁸ sn Psalm 84. The psalmist expresses his desire to be in God’s presence in the Jerusalem temple, for the Lord is the protector of his people.

[84:1]  ⁹ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הַגִּתִּית (haggittit) is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or instrument.

[84:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “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 43:3; 46:4; 132:5, 7).

[84:1]  ¹¹ tn Traditionally, “Lord of hosts.” The title draws attention to God’s sovereign position (see Ps 69:6).

[131:2]  ¹² tn Or “but.”

[131:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “I make level and make quiet my soul.”

[131:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “like a weaned [one] upon his mother.”

[131:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “like the weaned [one] upon me, my soul.”

[139:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and to me how precious are your thoughts, O God.” The Hebrew verb יָקַר (yaqar) probably has the sense of “difficult [to comprehend]” here (see HALOT 432 s.v. יקר qal.1 and note the use of Aramaic יַקִּר in Dan 2:11). Elsewhere in the immediate context the psalmist expresses his amazement at the extent of God’s knowledge about him (see vv. 1-6, 17b-18).

[139:17]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “how vast are their heads.” Here the Hebrew word “head” is used of the “sum total” of God’s knowledge of the psalmist.

[141:6]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “they are thrown down by the hands of a cliff, their judges.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The perfect verbal form is understood as rhetorical; the psalmist describes the anticipated downfall of the wicked as if it had already occurred. “Their judges” could be taken as the subject of the verb, but this makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes the judges are the agents and that the wicked, mentioned earlier in the psalm, are the subjects of the verb.

[141:6]  ¹⁹ tn It is unclear how this statement relates to the preceding sentence. Perhaps the judges are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the verb “will listen,” and “my words” are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the phrase “are pleasant.” The psalmist may be affirming here his confidence that he will be vindicated when he presents his case before the judges, while the wicked will be punished.

[145:19]  ²⁰ tn In this context “desire” refers to the followers’ desire to be delivered from wicked enemies.

[145:19]  ²¹ tn Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.”