Mazmur 20:5

20:5 Then we will shout for joy over your ¹  victory;

we will rejoice ²  in the name of our God!

May the Lord grant all your requests!

Mazmur 30:12

30:12 So now ³  my heart ⁴  will sing to you and not be silent;

O Lord my God, I will always ⁵  give thanks to you.

Mazmur 40:3

40:3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, ⁶ 

praising our God. ⁷ 

May many see what God has done,

so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord! ⁸ 

Mazmur 46:1

Psalm 46 ⁹ 

For the music director; by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style; ¹⁰  a song.

46:1 God is our strong refuge; ¹¹ 

he is truly our helper in times of trouble. ¹² 

Mazmur 52:7

52:7 “Look, here is the man who would not make ¹³  God his protector!

He trusted in his great wealth

and was confident about his plans to destroy others.” ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 54:3

54:3 For foreigners ¹⁵  attack me; ¹⁶ 

ruthless men, who do not respect God, seek my life. ¹⁷  (Selah)

Mazmur 55:1

Psalm 55 ¹⁸ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song ¹⁹  by David.

55:1 Listen, O God, to my prayer!

Do not ignore ²⁰  my appeal for mercy!

Mazmur 59:13

59:13 Angrily wipe them out! Wipe them out so they vanish!

Let them know that God rules

in Jacob and to the ends of the earth! (Selah)

Mazmur 61:5

61:5 For you, O God, hear my vows;

you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers. ²¹ 

Mazmur 65:1

Psalm 65 ²² 

For the music director; a psalm of David, a song.

65:1 Praise awaits you, ²³  O God, in Zion.

Vows made to you are fulfilled.

Mazmur 68:1

Psalm 68 ²⁴ 

For the music director; by David, a psalm, a song.

68:1 God springs into action! ²⁵ 

His enemies scatter;

his adversaries ²⁶  run from him. ²⁷ 

Mazmur 68:16

68:16 Why do you look with envy, ²⁸  O mountains ²⁹  with many peaks,

at the mountain where God has decided to live? ³⁰ 

Indeed ³¹  the Lord will live there ³²  permanently!

Mazmur 69:1

Psalm 69 ³³ 

For the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” ³⁴  by David.

69:1 Deliver me, O God,

for the water has reached my neck. ³⁵ 

Mazmur 70:4

70:4 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!

May those who love to experience ³⁶  your deliverance say continually, ³⁷ 

“May God ³⁸  be praised!” ³⁹ 

Mazmur 71:22

71:22 I will express my thanks to you with a stringed instrument,

praising ⁴⁰  your faithfulness, O my God!

I will sing praises to you accompanied by a harp,

O Holy One of Israel! ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 78:8

78:8 Then they will not be like their ancestors,

who were a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation that was not committed

and faithful to God. ⁴² 

Mazmur 84:3

84:3 Even the birds find a home there,

and the swallow ⁴³  builds a nest,

where she can protect her young ⁴⁴ 

near your altars, O Lord who rules over all,

my king and my God.

Mazmur 100:3

100:3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

He made us and we belong to him; ⁴⁵ 

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Mazmur 106:47

106:47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God!

Gather us from among the nations!

Then we will give thanks ⁴⁶  to your holy name,

and boast about your praiseworthy deeds. ⁴⁷ 

Mazmur 123:2

123:2 Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress, ⁴⁸ 

so my eyes will look to the Lord, our God, until he shows us favor.

[20:5]  ¹ sn Your victory. Here the king is addressed (see v. 1).

[20:5]  ² tc The Hebrew verb דָּגַל (dagal) occurs only here in the Qal. If accepted as original, it may carry the nuance “raise a banner,” but it is preferable to emend the form to נגיל (“we will rejoice”) which provides better parallelism with “shout for joy” and fits well with the prepositional phrase “in the name of our God” (see Ps 89:16).

[30:12]  ³ tn Heb “so that”; or “in order that.”

[30:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “glory.” Some view כָבוֹד (khavod, “glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvediy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 57:9; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.” “Heart” is used in the translation above for the sake of English idiom; the expression “my liver sings” would seem odd indeed to the modern reader.

[30:12]  ⁵ tn Or “forever.”

[40:3]  ⁶ sn A new song was appropriate because the Lord had intervened in the psalmist’s experience in a fresh and exciting way.

[40:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he placed in my mouth a new song, praise to our God.”

[40:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “may many see and fear and trust in the Lord.” The translation assumes that the initial prefixed verbal form is a jussive (“may many see”), rather than an imperfect (“many will see”). The following prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) conjunctive are taken as indicating purpose or result (“so that they might swear allegiance…and trust”) after the introductory jussive.

[46:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 46. In this so-called “Song Of Zion” God’s people confidently affirm that they are secure because the great warrior-king dwells within Jerusalem and protects it from the nations that cause such chaos in the earth. A refrain (vv. 7, 11) concludes the song’s two major sections.

[46:1]  ¹⁰ sn The meaning of the Hebrew term עֲלָמוֹת (alamoth, which means “young women”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. Cf. 1 Chr 15:20.

[46:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “our refuge and strength,” which is probably a hendiadys meaning “our strong refuge” (see Ps 71:7). Another option is to translate, “our refuge and source of strength.”

[46:1]  ¹² tn Heb “a helper in times of trouble he is found [to be] greatly.” The perfect verbal form has a generalizing function here. The adverb מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “greatly”) has an emphasizing function.

[52:7]  ¹³ tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action. The evildoer customarily rejected God and trusted in his own abilities. Another option is to take the imperfect as generalizing, “[here is the man who] does not make.”

[52:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he was strong in his destruction.” “Destruction” must refer back to the destructive plans mentioned in v. 2. The verb (derived from the root עָזַז, ’azaz, “be strong”) as it stands is either an imperfect (if so, probably used in a customary sense) or a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive). However the form should probably be emended to וַיָּעָז (vayya’az), a Qal preterite (with vav [ו] consecutive) from עָזַז. Note the preterite form without vav (ו) consecutive in the preceding line (וַיִּבְטַח, vayyivtakh, “and he trusted”). The prefixed vav (ו) was likely omitted by haplography (note the suffixed vav [ו] on the preceding עָשְׁרוֹ, ’oshro, “his wealth”).

[54:3]  ¹⁵ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read זֵדִים (zedim, “proud ones”) rather than זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”). (No matter which reading one chooses as original, dalet-resh confusion accounts for the existence of the variant.) The term זֵדִים (“proud ones”) occurs in parallelism with עָרִיצִים (’aritsim, “violent ones”) in Ps 86:14 and Isa 13:11. However, זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”) is parallel to עָרִיצִים (’aritsim, “violent ones”) in Isa 25:5; 29:5; Ezek 28:7; 31:12.

[54:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “rise against me.”

[54:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and ruthless ones seek my life, they do not set God in front of them.”

[55:1]  ¹⁸ sn Psalm 55. The suffering and oppressed author laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.

[55:1]  ¹⁹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.

[55:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “hide yourself from.”

[61:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “you grant the inheritance of those who fear your name.” “Inheritance” is normally used of land which is granted as an inheritance; here it refers metaphorically to the blessings granted God’s loyal followers. To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).

[65:1]  ²² sn Psalm 65. The psalmist praises God because he forgives sin and blesses his people with an abundant harvest.

[65:1]  ²³ tn Heb “for you, silence, praise.” Many prefer to emend the noun דֻּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”) to a participle דּוֹמִיָּה (domiyyah), from the root דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”), understood here in the sense of “wait.”

[68:1]  ²⁴ sn Psalm 68. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior and celebrates the fact that God exerts his power on behalf of his people.

[68:1]  ²⁵ tn Or “rises up.” The verb form is an imperfect, not a jussive. The psalmist is describing God’s appearance in battle in a dramatic fashion.

[68:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “those who hate him.”

[68:1]  ²⁷ sn The wording of v. 1 echoes the prayer in Num 10:35: “Spring into action, Lord! Then your enemies will be scattered and your adversaries will run from you.”

[68:16]  ²⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb רָצַד (ratsad), translated here “look with envy,” is uncertain; it occurs only here in the OT. See BDB 952-53. A cognate verb occurs in later Aramaic with the meaning “to lie in wait; to watch” (Jastrow 1492 s.v. רְצַד).

[68:16]  ²⁹ tn Perhaps the apparent plural form should be read as a singular with enclitic mem (ם; later misinterpreted as a plural ending). The preceding verse has the singular form.

[68:16]  ³⁰ tn Heb “[at] the mountain God desires for his dwelling place.” The reference is to Mount Zion/Jerusalem.

[68:16]  ³¹ tn The Hebrew particle אַף (’af) has an emphasizing function here.

[68:16]  ³² tn The word “there” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[69:1]  ³³ sn Psalm 69. The psalmist laments his oppressed condition and asks the Lord to deliver him by severely judging his enemies.

[69:1]  ³⁴ tn Heb “according to lilies.” See the superscription to Ps 45.

[69:1]  ³⁵ tn The Hebrew term נפשׁ (nefesh) here refers to the psalmist’s throat or neck. The psalmist compares himself to a helpless, drowning man.

[70:4]  ³⁶ tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by God.

[70:4]  ³⁷ tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing on the godly.

[70:4]  ³⁸ tn Ps 40:16 uses the divine name “Lord” here instead of “God.”

[70:4]  ³⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the Lord be magnified [in praise].” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the Lord is great.” See Ps 35:27.

[71:22]  ⁴⁰ tn The word “praising” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[71:22]  ⁴¹ sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior.

[78:8]  ⁴² tn Heb “a generation that did not make firm its heart and whose spirit was not faithful with God.” The expression “make firm the heart” means “to be committed, devoted” (see 1 Sam 7:3).

[84:3]  ⁴³ tn The word translated “swallow” occurs only here and in Prov 26:2.

[84:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “even a bird finds a home, and a swallow a nest for herself, [in] which she places her young.”

[84:3]  sn The psalmist here romanticizes the temple as a place of refuge and safety. As he thinks of the birds nesting near its roof, he envisions them finding protection in God’s presence.

[100:3]  ⁴⁵ tn The present translation (like most modern translations) follows the Qere (marginal reading), which reads literally, “and to him [are] we.” The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and not we.” The suffixed preposition לו (“to him”) was confused aurally with the negative particle לא because the two sound identical.

[106:47]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.

[106:47]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”

[123:2]  ⁴⁸ sn Servants look to their master for food, shelter, and other basic needs.