Mazmur 20:1

Psalm 20 ¹ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

20:1 May the Lord answer ²  you ³  when you are in trouble; ⁴ 

may the God of Jacob ⁵  make you secure!

Mazmur 20:7

20:7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, ⁶ 

but we ⁷  depend on ⁸  the Lord our God.

Mazmur 21:7

21:7 For the king trusts ⁹  in the Lord,

and because of the sovereign Lord’s ¹⁰  faithfulness he is not upended. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 22:8

22:8 They say, ¹² 

“Commit yourself ¹³  to the Lord!

Let the Lord ¹⁴  rescue him!

Let the Lord ¹⁵  deliver him, for he delights in him.” ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 22:30

22:30 A whole generation ¹⁷  will serve him;

they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 24:3

24:3 Who is allowed to ascend ¹⁹  the mountain of the Lord? ²⁰ 

Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?

Mazmur 34:6

34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;

he saved him ²¹  from all his troubles.

Mazmur 41:10

41:10 As for you, O Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up,

so I can pay them back!” ²² 

Mazmur 41:13

41:13 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise ²³ 

in the future and forevermore! ²⁴ 

We agree! We agree! ²⁵ 

Mazmur 46:11

46:11 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ²⁶ 

The God of Jacob ²⁷  is our protector! ²⁸  (Selah)

Mazmur 48:1

Psalm 48 ²⁹ 

A song, a psalm by the Korahites.

48:1 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise

in the city of our God, ³⁰  his holy hill.

Mazmur 68:26

68:26 In your large assemblies praise God,

the Lord, in the assemblies of Israel! ³¹ 

Mazmur 74:18

74:18 Remember how ³²  the enemy hurls insults, O Lord, ³³ 

and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name!

Mazmur 84:8

84:8 O Lord, sovereign God, ³⁴ 

hear my prayer!

Listen, O God of Jacob! (Selah)

Mazmur 89:6

89:6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?

Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings, ³⁵ 

Mazmur 90:17

90:17 May our sovereign God extend his favor to us! ³⁶ 

Make our endeavors successful!

Yes, make them successful! ³⁷ 

Mazmur 99:8

99:8 O Lord our God, you answered them.

They found you to be a forgiving God,

but also one who punished their sinful deeds. ³⁸ 

Mazmur 102:18

102:18 The account of his intervention ³⁹  will be recorded for future generations;

people yet to be born will praise the Lord.

Mazmur 118:27

118:27 The Lord is God and he has delivered us. ⁴⁰ 

Tie the offering ⁴¹  with ropes

to the horns of the altar! ⁴² 

Mazmur 132:2

132:2 and how he made a vow to the Lord,

and swore an oath to the powerful ruler of Jacob. ⁴³ 

Mazmur 145:21

145:21 My mouth will praise the Lord. ⁴⁴ 

Let all who live ⁴⁵  praise his holy name forever!

Mazmur 146:8

146:8 The Lord gives sight to the blind.

The Lord lifts up all who are bent over. ⁴⁶ 

The Lord loves the godly.

Mazmur 147:1

Psalm 147 ⁴⁷ 

147:1 Praise the Lord,

for it is good to sing praises to our God!

Yes, ⁴⁸  praise is pleasant and appropriate!

[20:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 20. The people pray for the king’s success in battle. When the king declares his assurance that the Lord will answer the people’s prayer, they affirm their confidence in God’s enablement.

[20:1]  ² tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in vv. 1b-5 are interpreted as jussives of prayer (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). Another option is to understand them as imperfects, “the Lord will answer,” etc. In this case the people declare their confidence that the Lord will intervene on behalf of the king and extend to him his favor.

[20:1]  ³ sn May the Lord answer you. The people address the king as they pray to the Lord.

[20:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “in a day of trouble.”

[20:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “the name of the God of Jacob.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his very person and to the divine characteristics suggested by his name, in this case “God of Jacob,” which highlights his relationship to Israel.

[20:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “these in chariots and these in horses.” No verb appears; perhaps the verb “invoke” is to be supplied from the following line. In this case the idea would be that some “invoke” (i.e., trust in) their military might for victory (cf. NEB “boast”; NIV “trust”; NRSV “take pride”). Verse 8 suggests that the “some/others” mentioned here are the nation’s enemies.

[20:7]  ⁷ tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s faithful people and the others mentioned in the previous line.

[20:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “we invoke the name of.” The Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar), when combined with the phrase “in the name,” means “to invoke” (see Josh 23:7; Isa 48:1; Amos 6:10). By invoking the Lord’s name in prayer, the people demonstrate their trust in him.

[21:7]  ⁹ tn The active participle draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action.

[21:7]  ¹⁰ tn Traditionally “the Most High’s.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. Note the focus of vv. 8-12 and see Ps 47:2.

[21:7]  ¹¹ tn Another option is to translate the imperfect verbal form as future, “he will not be upended” (cf. NRSV “he shall not be moved”). Even if one chooses this option, the future tense must be understood in a generalizing sense.

[22:8]  ¹² tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. The psalmist here quotes the sarcastic taunts of his enemies.

[22:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “roll [yourself].” The Hebrew verb גלל here has the sense of “commit” (see Prov 16:3). The imperatival form in the Hebrew text indicates the enemies here address the psalmist. Since they refer to him in the third person in the rest of the verse, some prefer to emend the verb to a perfect, “he commits himself to the Lord.”

[22:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:8]  ¹⁶ tn That is, “for he [the Lord] delights in him [the psalmist].” For other cases where the expression “delight in” refers to God’s delight in a person, see Num 14:8; 1 Kgs 10:9; Pss 18:19; 40:8.

[22:8]  sn This statement does not necessarily reflect the enemies’ actual belief, but it does reflect the psalmist’s confession. The psalmist’s enemies sarcastically appeal to God to help him, because he claims to be an object of divine favor. However, they probably doubted the reality of his claim.

[22:30]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “offspring.”

[22:30]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “it will be told concerning the Lord to the generation.” The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[24:3]  ¹⁹ tn The imperfects in v. 3 are modal, expressing potential or permission.

[24:3]  ²⁰ sn In this context the Lord’s mountain probably refers to Zion/Jerusalem (see Isa 2:2-3).

[34:6]  ²¹ tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.

[41:10]  ²² tn The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) here indicates purpose or result (“Then I will repay them”) after the preceding imperatives.

[41:13]  ²³ tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.

[41:13]  ²⁴ tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.” See 1 Chr 16:36; Neh 9:5; Pss 90:2; 106:48.

[41:13]  ²⁵ tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [’amen vÿ’amen], i.e., “amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.

[46:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:11]  ²⁷ tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[48:1]  ²⁹ sn Psalm 48. This so-called “Song of Zion” celebrates the greatness and glory of the Lord’s dwelling place, Jerusalem. His presence in the city elevates it above all others and assures its security.

[48:1]  ³⁰ sn The city of our God is Jerusalem, which is also referred to here as “his holy hill,” that is, Zion (see v. 2, as well as Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; 87:1; Dan 9:16).

[68:26]  ³¹ tn Heb “from the fountain of Israel,” which makes little, if any, sense here. The translation assumes an emendation to בְּמִקְרָאֵי (bÿmiqra’ey, “in the assemblies of [Israel]”).

[74:18]  ³² tn Heb “remember this.”

[74:18]  ³³ tn Or “[how] the enemy insults the Lord.”

[84:8]  ³⁴ tn Heb “Lord, God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9) but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ’elohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת in Pss 59:5 and 80:4, 19 as well.

[89:6]  ³⁵ tn Heb “sons of gods”; or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem (ם) is actually enclitic rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8. The phrase בְנֵי אֵלִים (vÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here associated with “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones,” the heavenly assembly (comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings) appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently uses the Canaanite phrase, applying it to the supernatural beings that surround the Lord’s heavenly throne.

[90:17]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and may the delight of the Master, our God, be on us.” The Hebrew term נֹעַם (no’am, “delight”) is used in Ps 27:4 of the Lord’s “beauty,” but here it seems to refer to his favor (see BDB 653 s.v.) or kindness (HALOT 706 s.v.).

[90:17]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and the work of our hands establish over us, and the work of our hands, establish it.”

[99:8]  ³⁸ tn Heb “a God of lifting up [i.e., forgiveness] you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The present translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned (cf. NIV, NRSV). Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form נֹקֵם (noqem, “an avenger”) to נֹקָם (noqam), a rare Qal participial form of נָקַה (naqah, “purify”) with a suffixed pronoun. In this case one could translate, “and one who purified them from their [sinful] deeds” (cf. NEB “and held them innocent”).

[102:18]  ³⁹ tn The Hebrew text has simply “this,” referring to the anticipated divine intervention on behalf of Zion (vv. 13, 16-17). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[118:27]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and he has given us light.” This may be an elliptical expression, with “his face” being implied as the object (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19). In this case, “his face has given us light” = “he has smiled on us,” or “he has shown us his favor.” Another option (the one reflected in the translation) is that “light” here symbolizes divine blessing in the form of deliverance. “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Some prefer to repoint the form וְיָאֵר (vÿya’er; vav [ו] conjunctive + jussive) and translate the statement as a prayer, “may he give us light.”

[118:27]  ⁴¹ tn The Hebrew noun חַג (khag) normally means “festival,” but here it apparently refers metonymically to an offering made at the festival. BDB 291 s.v. חַג 2 interprets the word in this way here, citing as comparable the use of later Hebrew חֲגִיגָה, which can refer to both a festival and a festival offering (see Jastrow 424 s.v. חֲגִיגָה).

[118:27]  ⁴² tn The second half of v. 27 has been translated and interpreted in a variety of ways. For a survey of major views, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 122.

[132:2]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.”

[145:21]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the praise of the Lord my mouth will speak.”

[145:21]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[146:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).

[147:1]  ⁴⁷ sn Psalm 147. The psalmist praises the Lord for he is the sovereign ruler of the world who cares for the needs of his covenant people.

[147:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “for.”