Mazmur 138:1--145:21
KonteksBy David.
138:1 I will give you thanks with all my heart;
before the heavenly assembly 2 I will sing praises to you.
138:2 I will bow down toward your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name,
because of your loyal love and faithfulness,
for you have exalted your promise above the entire sky. 3
138:3 When 4 I cried out for help, you answered me.
You made me bold and energized me. 5
138:4 Let all the kings of the earth give thanks 6 to you, O Lord,
when they hear the words you speak. 7
138:5 Let them sing about the Lord’s deeds, 8
for the Lord’s splendor is magnificent. 9
138:6 Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the lowly,
and recognizes the proud from far away.
138:7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, 10 you revive me.
You oppose my angry enemies, 11
and your right hand delivers me.
O Lord, your loyal love endures.
Do not abandon those whom you have made! 13
For the music director, a psalm of David.
139:1 O Lord, you examine me 15 and know.
139:2 You know when I sit down and when I get up;
even from far away you understand my motives.
139:3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; 16
you are aware of everything I do. 17
139:4 Certainly 18 my tongue does not frame a word
without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it. 19
139:5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
139:6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. 20
139:7 Where can I go to escape your spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence? 21
139:8 If I were to ascend 22 to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. 23
139:9 If I were to fly away 24 on the wings of the dawn, 25
and settle down on the other side 26 of the sea,
139:10 even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
139:11 If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, 27
and the light will turn to night all around me,” 28
139:12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, 29
and the night is as bright as 30 day;
darkness and light are the same to you. 31
139:13 Certainly 32 you made my mind and heart; 33
you wove me together 34 in my mother’s womb.
139:14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. 35
You knew me thoroughly; 36
139:15 my bones were not hidden from you,
when 37 I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth. 38
139:16 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. 39
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence. 40
139:17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! 41
How vast is their sum total! 42
139:18 If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you. 43
139:19 If only 44 you would kill the wicked, O God!
Get away from me, you violent men! 45
139:20 They 46 rebel against you 47 and act deceitfully; 48
your enemies lie. 49
139:21 O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you,
and despise those who oppose you? 50
139:22 I absolutely hate them, 51
they have become my enemies!
139:23 Examine me, and probe my thoughts! 52
Test me, and know my concerns! 53
139:24 See if there is any idolatrous tendency 54 in me,
and lead me in the reliable ancient path! 55
For the music director; a psalm of David.
140:1 O Lord, rescue me from wicked men! 57
Protect me from violent men, 58
140:2 who plan ways to harm me. 59
All day long they stir up conflict. 60
140:3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; 61
a viper’s 62 venom is behind 63 their lips. (Selah)
140:4 O Lord, shelter me from the power 64 of the wicked!
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over. 65
140:5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men 66 spread a net by the path;
they set traps for me. (Selah)
140:6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy!
140:7 O sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, 67
you shield 68 my head in the day of battle.
140:8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way! 69
Do not allow their 70 plan to succeed when they attack! 71 (Selah)
140:9 As for the heads of those who surround me –
may the harm done by 72 their lips overwhelm them!
140:10 May he rain down 73 fiery coals upon them!
May he throw them into the fire!
From bottomless pits they will not escape. 74
140:11 A slanderer 75 will not endure on 76 the earth;
calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down. 77
140:12 I know 78 that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed
and vindicates the poor. 79
140:13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;
the morally upright will live in your presence.
A psalm of David.
141:1 O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me!
Pay attention to me when I cry out to you!
141:2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering! 81
141:3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth!
Protect the opening 82 of my lips! 83
141:4 Do not let me have evil desires, 84
or participate in sinful activities
with men who behave wickedly. 85
I will not eat their delicacies. 86
141:5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me!
May my head not refuse 87 choice oil! 88
Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds. 89
141:6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. 90
They 91 will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
141:7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil, 92
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
141:8 Surely I am looking to you, 93 O sovereign Lord.
In you I take shelter.
Do not expose me to danger! 94
141:9 Protect me from the snare they have laid for me,
and the traps the evildoers have set. 95
141:10 Let the wicked fall 96 into their 97 own nets,
while I escape. 98
A well-written song 100 by David, when he was in the cave; 101 a prayer.
142:1 To the Lord I cry out; 102
to the Lord I plead for mercy. 103
142:2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about 104 my troubles.
142:3 Even when my strength leaves me, 105
you watch my footsteps. 106
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
142:4 Look to the right and see!
No one cares about me. 107
I have nowhere to run; 108
no one is concerned about my life. 109
142:5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security 110 in the land of the living.”
142:6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble! 111
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
142:7 Free me 112 from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble, 113
for you will vindicate me. 114
A psalm of David.
143:1 O Lord, hear my prayer!
Pay attention to my plea for help!
Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me!
143:2 Do not sit in judgment on 116 your servant,
for no one alive is innocent before you. 117
143:3 Certainly 118 my enemies 119 chase me.
They smash me into the ground. 120
They force me to live 121 in dark regions, 122
like those who have been dead for ages.
143:4 My strength leaves me; 123
I am absolutely shocked. 124
143:5 I recall the old days; 125
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on your accomplishments. 126
143:6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer; 127
my soul thirsts for you in a parched 128 land. 129
143:7 Answer me quickly, Lord!
My strength is fading. 130
Do not reject me, 131
or I will join 132 those descending into the grave. 133
143:8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning, 134
for I trust in you.
Show me the way I should go, 135
because I long for you. 136
143:9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord!
I run to you for protection. 137
143:10 Teach me to do what pleases you, 138
for you are my God.
May your kind presence 139
lead me 140 into a level land. 141
143:11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation, 142 revive me! 143
Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble! 144
143:12 As a demonstration of your loyal love, 145 destroy my enemies!
Annihilate 146 all who threaten my life, 147
for I am your servant.
By David.
144:1 The Lord, my protector, 149 deserves praise 150 –
the one who trains my hands for battle, 151
and my fingers for war,
144:2 who loves me 152 and is my stronghold,
my refuge 153 and my deliverer,
my shield and the one in whom I take shelter,
who makes nations submit to me. 154
144:3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race, 155 that you should notice them?
Of what importance is mankind, 156 that you should be concerned about them? 157
144:4 People 158 are like a vapor,
their days like a shadow that disappears. 159
144:5 O Lord, make the sky sink 160 and come down! 161
Touch the mountains and make them smolder! 162
144:6 Hurl lightning bolts and scatter them!
Shoot your arrows and rout them! 163
144:7 Reach down 164 from above!
Grab me and rescue me from the surging water, 165
from the power of foreigners, 166
144:8 who speak lies,
and make false promises. 167
144:9 O God, I will sing a new song to you!
Accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, I will sing praises to you,
144:10 the one who delivers 168 kings,
and rescued David his servant from a deadly 169 sword.
144:11 Grab me and rescue me from the power of foreigners, 170
who speak lies,
and make false promises. 171
144:12 Then 172 our sons will be like plants,
that quickly grow to full size. 173
Our daughters will be like corner pillars, 174
carved like those in a palace. 175
144:13 Our storehouses 176 will be full,
providing all kinds of food. 177
Our sheep will multiply by the thousands
and fill 178 our pastures. 179
144:14 Our cattle will be weighted down with produce. 180
No one will break through our walls,
no one will be taken captive,
and there will be no terrified cries in our city squares. 181
144:15 How blessed are the people who experience these things! 182
How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
A psalm of praise, by David.
145:1 I will extol you, my God, O king!
I will praise your name continually! 184
145:2 Every day I will praise you!
I will praise your name continually! 185
145:3 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise!
No one can fathom his greatness! 186
145:4 One generation will praise your deeds to another,
and tell about your mighty acts! 187
145:5 I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor,
and your amazing deeds! 188
145:6 They will proclaim 189 the power of your awesome acts!
I will declare your great deeds!
145:7 They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, 190
and sing about your justice. 191
145:8 The Lord is merciful and compassionate;
he is patient 192 and demonstrates great loyal love. 193
145:9 The Lord is good to all,
and has compassion on all he has made. 194
145:10 All he has made will give thanks to the Lord.
Your loyal followers will praise you.
145:11 They will proclaim the splendor of your kingdom;
they will tell about your power,
145:12 so that mankind 195 might acknowledge your mighty acts,
and the majestic splendor of your kingdom.
145:13 Your kingdom is an eternal kingdom, 196
and your dominion endures through all generations.
145:14 197 The Lord supports all who fall,
and lifts up all who are bent over. 198
145:15 Everything looks to you in anticipation, 199
and you provide them with food on a regular basis. 200
145:16 You open your hand,
and fill every living thing with the food they desire. 201
145:17 The Lord is just in all his actions, 202
and exhibits love in all he does. 203
145:18 The Lord is near all who cry out to him,
all who cry out to him sincerely. 204
145:19 He satisfies the desire 205 of his loyal followers; 206
he hears their cry for help and delivers them.
145:20 The Lord protects those who love him,
but he destroys all the wicked.
145:21 My mouth will praise the Lord. 207
Let all who live 208 praise his holy name forever!
[138:1] 1 sn Psalm 138. The psalmist vows to thank the Lord for his deliverance and protection.
[138:1] 2 tn The referent of the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is unclear. It refers either to the angelic assembly (see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5) or to the pagan gods (see Pss 82:1, 6; 86:8; 97:7), in which case the psalmist’s praise takes on a polemical tone.
[138:2] 3 tc The MT reads, “for you have made great over all your name your word.” If retained, this must mean that God's mighty intervention, in fulfillment of his word of promise, surpassed anything he had done prior to this. However, the statement is odd and several emendations have been proposed. Some read, “for you have exalted over everything your name and your word,” while others suggest, “for you have exalted over all the heavens your name and your word.” The translation assumes an emendation of “your name” to “your heavens” (a construction that appears in Pss 8:3 and 144:5). The point is that God has been faithful to his promise and the reliability of that promise is apparent to all. For a fuller discussion of these options, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 244.
[138:3] 4 tn Heb “in the day.”
[138:3] 5 tn Heb “you made me bold in my soul [with] strength.”
[138:4] 6 tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in the following verse are understood as jussives, for the psalmist appears to be calling upon the kings to praise God. Another option is to take them as imperfects and translate, “the kings of the earth will give thanks…and will sing.” In this case the psalmist anticipates a universal response to his thanksgiving song.
[138:4] 7 tn Heb “the words of your mouth.”
[138:7] 11 tn Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”
[138:8] 12 tn Heb “avenges on my behalf.” For the meaning “to avenge” for the verb גָּמַר (gamar), see HALOT 197-98 s.v. גמר.
[138:8] 13 tn Heb “the works of your hands.” Many medieval Hebrew
[139:1] 14 sn Psalm 139. The psalmist acknowledges that God, who created him, is aware of his every action and thought. He invites God to examine his motives, for he is confident they are pure.
[139:1] 15 tn The statement is understood as generalizing – the psalmist describes what God typically does.
[139:3] 16 tn Heb “my traveling and my lying down you measure.” The verb זָרָה (zarah, “to measure”) is probably here a denominative from זָרָת (zarat, “a span; a measure”), though some derive it from זָרָה (zarat, “to winnow; to sift”; see BDB 279-80 s.v. זָרָה).
[139:3] 17 tn Heb “all my ways.”
[139:4] 19 tn Heb “look, O
[139:6] 20 tn Heb “too amazing [is this] knowledge for me, it is elevated, I cannot attain to it.”
[139:7] 21 tn Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29-30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
[139:8] 22 tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).
[139:8] 23 tn Heb “look, you.”
[139:9] 25 sn On the wings of the dawn. This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel.
[139:9] 26 tn Heb “at the end.”
[139:11] 27 tn The Hebrew verb שׁוּף (shuf), which means “to crush; to wound,” in Gen 3:15 and Job 9:17, is problematic here. For a discussion of attempts to relate the verb to Arabic roots, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 251. Many emend the form to יְשׂוּכֵּנִי (yesukkeniy), from the root שׂכך (“to cover,” an alternate form of סכך), a reading assumed in the present translation.
[139:11] 28 tn Heb “and night, light, around me.”
[139:12] 29 tn The words “to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[139:12] 30 tn Heb “shines like.”
[139:12] 31 tn Heb “like darkness, like light.”
[139:13] 33 tn Heb “my kidneys.” The kidneys were sometimes viewed as the seat of one’s emotions and moral character (cf. Pss 7:9; 26:2). A number of translations, recognizing that “kidneys” does not communicate this idea to the modern reader, have generalized the concept: “inmost being” (NAB, NIV); “inward parts” (NASB, NRSV); “the delicate, inner parts of my body” (NLT). In the last instance, the focus is almost entirely on the physical body rather than the emotions or moral character. The present translation, by using a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms), links the concepts of emotion (heart) and moral character (mind).
[139:13] 34 tn The Hebrew verb סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave together”) is an alternate form of שָׂכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave”) used in Job 10:11.
[139:14] 35 tc Heb “because awesome things, I am distinct, amazing [are] your works.” The text as it stands is syntactically problematic and makes little, if any, sense. The Niphal of פָּלָה (pala’) occurs elsewhere only in Exod 33:16. Many take the form from פָלָא (pala’; see GKC 216 §75.qq), which in the Niphal perfect means “to be amazing” (see 2 Sam 1:26; Ps 118:23; Prov 30:18). Some, following the LXX and some other ancient witnesses, also prefer to emend the verb from first to second person, “you are amazing” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 249, 251). The present translation assumes the text conflates two variants: נפלאים, the otherwise unattested masculine plural participle of פָלָא, and נִפְלָאוֹת (nifla’ot), the usual (feminine) plural form of the Niphal participle. The latter has been changed to a verb by later scribes in an attempt to accommodate it syntactically. The original text likely read, נוראות נפלאותים מעשׂיך (“your works [are] awesome [and] amazing”).
[139:14] 36 tc Heb “and my being knows very much.” Better parallelism is achieved (see v. 15a) if one emends יֹדַעַת (yoda’at), a Qal active participle, feminine singular form, to יָדַעְתָּ (yada’ta), a Qal perfect second masculine singular perfect. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252.
[139:15] 37 tc The Hebrew term אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) should probably be emended to כֲּאַשֶׁר (ka’asher, “when”). The kaf (כ) may have been lost by haplography (note the kaf at the end of the preceding form).
[139:15] 38 sn The phrase depths of the earth may be metaphorical (euphemistic) or it may reflect a prescientific belief about the origins of the embryo deep beneath the earth’s surface (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 96-97). Job 1:21 also closely associates the mother’s womb with the earth.
[139:16] 39 tn Heb “Your eyes saw my shapeless form.” The Hebrew noun גֹּלֶם (golem) occurs only here in the OT. In later Hebrew the word refers to “a lump, a shapeless or lifeless substance,” and to “unfinished matter, a vessel wanting finishing” (Jastrow 222 s.v. גּוֹלֶם). The translation employs the dynamic rendering “when I was inside the womb” to clarify that the speaker was still in his mother’s womb at the time he was “seen” by God.
[139:16] 40 tn Heb “and on your scroll all of them were written, [the] days [which] were formed, and [there was] not one among them.” This “scroll” may be the “scroll of life” mentioned in Ps 69:28 (see the note on the word “living” there).
[139:17] 41 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] 42 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.
[139:18] 43 tc Heb “I awake and I [am] still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to הֲקִצּוֹתִי (haqitsoti), a Hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb קָצַץ (qatsats) understood as a denominative of קֵץ (qets, “end”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252-53.
[139:19] 44 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] 45 tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”
[139:20] 47 tc Heb “they speak [of] you.” The suffixed form of the verb אָמַר (’amar, “to speak”) is peculiar. The translation assumes an emendation to יַמְרֻךָ (yamrukha), a Hiphil form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”; see Ps 78:40).
[139:20] 48 tn Heb “by deceit.”
[139:20] 49 tc Heb “lifted up for emptiness, your cities.” The Hebrew text as it stands makes no sense. The form נָשֻׂא (nasu’; a Qal passive participle) should be emended to נָשְׂאוּ (nosÿu; a Qal perfect, third common plural, “[they] lift up”). Many emend עָרֶיךָ (’arekha, “your cities”) to עָלֶיךָ (’alekha, “against you”), but it is preferable to understand the noun as an Aramaism and translate “your enemies” (see Dan 4:16 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 253).
[139:21] 50 tc Heb “who raise themselves up against you.” The form וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvitqomÿmekha) should be emended to וּבְמִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvÿmitqomÿmekha), a Hitpolel participle (the prefixed mem [מ] of the participle is accidentally omitted in the MT, though a few medieval Hebrew
[139:22] 51 tn Heb “[with] completeness of hatred I hate them.”
[139:23] 52 tn Heb “and know my heart.”
[139:23] 53 tn The Hebrew noun שַׂרְעַפַּי (sar’apay, “concerns”) is used of “worries” in Ps 94:19.
[139:24] 54 tn Many understand the Hebrew term עֹצֶב (’otsev) as a noun meaning “pain,” and translate the phrase דֶּרֶךְ עֹצֶב (derekh ’otsev) as “of pain,” but this makes little sense here. (Some interpret it to refer to actions which bring pain to others.) It is preferable to take עֹצֶב as “idol” (see HALOT 865 s.v. I עֹצֶב) and understand “way of an idol” to refer to idolatrous actions or tendency. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.
[139:24] 55 tn Heb “in the path of antiquity.” This probably refers to the moral path prescribed by the
[140:1] 56 sn Psalm 140. The psalmist asks God to deliver him from his deadly enemies, calls judgment down upon them, and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
[140:1] 57 tn Heb “from a wicked man.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).
[140:1] 58 tn Heb “a man of violent acts.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).
[140:2] 59 tn Heb “they devise wicked [plans] in [their] mind.”
[140:2] 60 tc Heb “they attack [for] war.” Some revocalize the verb (which is a Qal imperfect from גּוּר, gur, “to attack”) as יְגָרוּ (yÿgaru), a Piel imperfect from גָרָה (garah, “stir up strife”). This is followed in the present translation.
[140:3] 61 tn Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” Ps 64:3 reads, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues [like a sword],” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”
[140:3] 62 tn The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT.
[140:4] 65 tn Heb “to push down my steps.”
[140:5] 66 tn Heb “and ropes,” but many prefer to revocalize the noun as a participle (חֹבְלִים, khovÿlim) from the verb חָבַל (khaval, “act corruptly”).
[140:7] 67 tn Heb “the strength of my deliverance.”
[140:8] 69 tn Heb “do not grant the desires of the wicked.”
[140:8] 70 tn Heb “his.” The singular is used in a representative sense (see v. 1).
[140:8] 71 tn Heb “his plot do not promote, they rise up.” The translation understands the final verb as being an unmarked temporal clause. Another option is to revocalize the verb as a Hiphil and take the verb with the next verse, “those who surround me lift up [their] head,” which could refer to their proud attitude as they anticipate victory (see Ps 27:6).
[140:9] 72 tn Heb “harm of their lips.” The genitive here indicates the source or agent of the harm.
[140:10] 73 tn The verb form in the Kethib (consonantal Hebrew text) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוּט (mut, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in Ps 55:3, where it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). In Ps 140:10 the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read.
[140:10] 74 tn Heb “into bottomless pits, they will not arise.” The translation assumes that the preposition -בְּ (bet) has the nuance “from” here. Another option is to connect the line with what precedes, take the final clause as an asyndetic relative clause, and translate, “into bottomless pits [from which] they cannot arise.” The Hebrew noun מַהֲמֹרָה (mahamorah, “bottomless pit”) occurs only here in the OT.
[140:11] 75 tn Heb “a man of a tongue.”
[140:11] 76 tn Heb “be established in.”
[140:11] 77 tn Heb “for blows.” The Hebrew noun מַדְחֵפֹה (madkhefoh, “blow”) occurs only here in the OT.
[140:12] 78 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[140:12] 79 tn Heb “and the just cause of the poor.”
[141:1] 80 sn Psalm 141. The psalmist asks God to protect him from sin and from sinful men.
[141:2] 81 tn Heb “may my prayer be established [like] incense before you, the uplifting of my hands [like] an evening offering.”
[141:3] 82 tn Heb “door.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.
[141:3] 83 sn My mouth…my lips. The psalmist asks God to protect him from speaking inappropriately or sinfully.
[141:4] 84 tn Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”
[141:4] 85 tn Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”
[141:4] 86 sn Their delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.
[141:5] 87 tn The form יָנִי (yaniy) appears to be derived from the verbal root נוּא (nu’). Another option is to emend the form to יְנָא (yÿna’), a Piel from נָאָה (na’ah), and translate “may choice oil not adorn my head” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 271). In this case, choice oil, like delicacies in v. 4, symbolize the pleasures of sin.
[141:5] 88 sn May my head not refuse choice oil. The psalmist compares the constructive criticism of the godly (see the previous line) to having refreshing olive oil poured over one’s head.
[141:5] 89 tc Heb “for still, and my prayer [is] against their evil deeds.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult; the sequence -כִּי־עוֹד וּ (kiy-’od u-, “for still and”) occurs only here. The translation assumes an emendation to כִּי עֵד תְפלָּתִי (“indeed a witness [is] my prayer”). The psalmist’s lament about the evil actions of sinful men (see v. 4) testifies against the wicked in the divine court.
[141:6] 90 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] 91 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.
[141:7] 92 tn Heb “like splitting and breaking open in the earth.” The meaning of the statement and the point of the comparison are not entirely clear. Perhaps the psalmist is suggesting that he and other godly individuals are as good as dead; their bones are scattered about like dirt that is dug up and tossed aside.
[141:8] 93 tn Heb “my eyes [are] toward you.”
[141:8] 94 tn Heb “do not lay bare my life.” Only here is the Piel form of the verb collocated with the term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”). In Isa 53:12 the Lord’s servant “lays bare (the Hiphil form of the verb is used) his life to death.”
[141:9] 95 tn Heb “and the traps of the doers of evil.”
[141:10] 96 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate, “the wicked will fall.”
[141:10] 98 tn Heb “at the same [that] I, until I pass by.” Another option is to take יַחַד (yakhad) with the preceding line, “let the wicked fall together into their own nets.”
[142:1] 99 sn Psalm 142. The psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.
[142:1] 100 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
[142:1] 101 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm while in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3. See the superscription of Ps 57.
[142:1] 102 tn Heb “[with] my voice to the
[142:1] 103 tn Heb “[with] my voice to the
[142:2] 104 tn Heb “my trouble before him I declare.”
[142:3] 105 tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
[142:3] 106 tn Heb “you know my path.”
[142:4] 107 tn Heb “there is no one who recognizes me.”
[142:4] 108 tn Heb “ a place of refuge perishes from me.”
[142:4] 109 tn Heb “there is no one who seeks for the sake of my life.”
[142:5] 110 tn Heb “my portion.” The psalmist compares the
[142:6] 111 tn Heb “for I am very low.”
[142:7] 112 tn Heb “bring out my life.”
[142:7] 113 tn Or “gather around.”
[142:7] 114 tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense.
[143:1] 115 sn Psalm 143. As in the previous psalm, the psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.
[143:2] 116 tn Heb “do not enter into judgment with.”
[143:2] 117 tn Heb “for no one living is innocent before you.”
[143:3] 119 tn Heb “an enemy.” The singular is used in a representative sense to describe a typical member of the larger group of enemies (note the plural “enemies” in vv. 9, 12).
[143:3] 120 tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”
[143:3] 122 sn Dark regions refers to Sheol, which the psalmist views as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).
[143:4] 123 tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
[143:4] 124 tn Heb “in my midst my heart is shocked.” For a similar use of the Hitpolel of שָׁמֵם (shamem), see Isa 59:16; 63:5.
[143:5] 125 tn Or “ancient times”; Heb “days from before.”
[143:5] 126 tn Heb “the work of your hands.”
[143:6] 127 tn The words “in prayer” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the psalmist is referring to a posture of prayer.
[143:6] 128 tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” See Ps 63:1.
[143:6] 129 tc Heb “my soul like a faint land for you.” A verb (perhaps “thirsts”) is implied (see Ps 63:1). The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition -כְּ (kÿ, “like”) to -בְּ (bÿ, “in,” see Ps 63:1; cf. NEB “athirst for thee in a thirsty land”). If the MT is retained, one might translate, “my soul thirsts for you, as a parched land does for water/rain” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
[143:7] 130 tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”
[143:7] 131 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” (1) can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) can carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
[143:7] 132 tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
[143:7] 133 tn Heb “the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit; cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See Ps 28:1.
[143:8] 134 tn Heb “cause me to hear in the morning your loyal love.” Here “loyal love” probably stands metonymically for an oracle of assurance promising God’s intervention as an expression of his loyal love.
[143:8] sn The morning is sometimes viewed as the time of divine intervention (see Pss 30:5; 59:16; 90:14).
[143:8] 135 sn The way probably refers here to God’s moral and ethical standards and requirements (see v. 10).
[143:8] 136 tn Heb “for to you I lift up my life.” The Hebrew expression נָאָשׂ נֶפֶשׁ (na’as nefesh, “to lift up [one’s] life”) means “to desire; to long for” (see Deut 24:15; Prov 19:18; Jer 22:27; 44:14; Hos 4:8, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 16).
[143:9] 137 tn Heb “to you I cover,” which makes no sense. The translation assumes an emendation to נַסְתִּי (nastiy, “I flee,” a Qal perfect, first singular form from נוּס, nos). Confusion of kaf (כ) and nun (נ) is attested elsewhere (see P. K. McCarter, Textual Criticism [GBS], 48). The collocation of נוּס (“flee”) with אֶל (’el, “to”) is well-attested.
[143:10] 138 tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.
[143:10] 139 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] 140 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] 141 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.
[143:11] 142 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[143:11] 143 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 11-12a are understood as expressing the psalmist’s desire. Note the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.
[143:11] 144 tn Heb “by your justice bring out my life from trouble.”
[143:12] 145 tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”
[143:12] 146 tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the mood of the preceding imperfect.
[143:12] 147 tn Heb “all the enemies of my life.”
[144:1] 148 sn Psalm 144. The psalmist expresses his confidence in God, asks for a mighty display of divine intervention in an upcoming battle, and anticipates God’s rich blessings on the nation in the aftermath of military victory.
[144:1] 149 tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The
[144:1] 150 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[144:1] 151 sn The one who trains my hands for battle. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement (see Ps 18:34). Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
[144:2] 152 tn Heb “my loyal love,” which is probably an abbreviated form of “the God of my loyal love” (see Ps 59:10, 17).
[144:2] 153 tn Or “my elevated place.”
[144:2] 154 tn Heb “the one who subdues nations beneath me.”
[144:3] 155 tn Heb “What is mankind?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race. See Ps 8:5.
[144:3] 156 tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
[144:3] 157 tn Heb “take account of him.” The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.
[144:4] 158 tn Heb “man,” or “mankind.”
[144:4] 159 tn Heb “his days [are] like a shadow that passes away,” that is, like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness. See Ps 102:11.
[144:5] 160 tn The Hebrew verb נָטָה (natah) can carry the sense “to [cause to] bend; to [cause to] bow down.” For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the
[144:5] 161 tn Heb “so you might come down.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The same type of construction is utilized in v. 6.
[144:5] 162 tn Heb “so they might smolder.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose after the preceding imperative.
[144:6] 163 sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 18:14; 77:17-18; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” [Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983], 187).
[144:7] 164 tn Heb “stretch out your hands.”
[144:7] 165 tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful foreign enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see the next line and Ps 18:16-17).
[144:7] 166 tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
[144:8] 167 tn Heb “who [with] their mouth speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” The reference to the “right hand” is probably a metonymy for an oath. When making an oath, one would raise the hand as a solemn gesture. See Exod 6:8; Num 14:30; Deut 32:40. The figure thus represents the making of false oaths (false promises).
[144:10] 168 tn Heb “grants deliverance to.”
[144:10] 169 tn Heb “harmful.”
[144:11] 170 tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
[144:11] 171 tn Heb “who [with] their mouth speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” See v. 8 where the same expression occurs.
[144:12] 172 tn Some consider אֲשֶׁר (’asher) problematic, but here it probably indicates the anticipated consequence of the preceding request. (For other examples of אֲשֶׁר indicating purpose/result, see BDB 83 s.v. and HALOT 99 s.v.) If the psalmist – who appears to be a Davidic king preparing to fight a battle (see vv. 10-11) – is victorious, the whole nation will be spared invasion and defeat (see v. 14) and can flourish. Some prefer to emend the form to אַשְׁרֵי (“how blessed [are our sons]”). A suffixed noun sometimes follows אַשְׁרֵי (’ashrey; see 1 Kgs 10:8; Prov 20:7), but the presence of a comparative element (see “like plants”) after the suffixed noun makes the proposed reading too awkward syntactically.
[144:12] 173 tn Heb “grown up in their youth.” The translation assumes that “grown up” modifies “plants” (just as “carved” modifies “corner pillars” in the second half of the verse). Another option is to take “grown up” as a predicate in relation to “our sons,” in which case one might translate, “they will be strapping youths.”
[144:12] 174 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here and in Zech 9:15, where it refers to the corners of an altar.
[144:12] 175 tn Heb “carved [in] the pattern of a palace.”
[144:13] 176 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here.
[144:13] 177 tn Heb “from kind to kind.” Some prefer to emend the text to מָזוֹן עַל מָזוֹן (mazon ’al mazon, “food upon food”).
[144:13] 178 tn Heb “they are innumerable.”
[144:13] 179 tn Heb “in outside places.” Here the term refers to pastures and fields (see Job 5:10; Prov 8:26).
[144:14] 180 tn Heb “weighted down.” This probably refers (1) to the cattle having the produce from the harvest placed on their backs to be transported to the storehouses (see BDB 687 s.v. סָבַל). Other options are (2) to take this as reference to the cattle being pregnant (see HALOT 741 s.v. סבל pu) or (3) to their being well-fed or fattened (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 288).
[144:14] 181 tn Heb “there [will be] no breach, and there [will be] no going out, and there [will be] no crying out in our broad places.”
[144:15] 182 tn Heb “[O] the happiness of the people who [it is] such to them.”
[145:1] 183 sn Psalm 145. The psalmist praises God because he is a just and merciful king who cares for his people.
[145:1] 184 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
[145:2] 185 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
[145:3] 186 tn Heb “and concerning his greatness there is no searching.”
[145:4] 187 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may one generation praise…and tell about.”
[145:5] 188 tn Heb “the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and the matters of your amazing deeds I will ponder.”
[145:6] 189 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as an imperfect, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they proclaim.”
[145:7] 190 tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”
[145:7] 191 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk…and sing.”
[145:8] 192 tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
[145:8] 193 tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
[145:9] 194 tn Heb “and his compassion is over all his works.”
[145:12] 195 tn Heb “the sons of man.”
[145:13] 196 tn Heb “a kingdom of all ages.”
[145:14] 197 tc Psalm 145 is an acrostic psalm, with each successive verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. However, in the traditional Hebrew (Masoretic) text of Psalm 145 there is no verse beginning with the letter nun. One would expect such a verse to appear as the fourteenth verse, between the mem (מ) and samek (ס) verses. Several ancient witnesses, including one medieval Hebrew manuscript, the Qumran scroll from cave 11, the LXX, and the Syriac, supply the missing nun (נ) verse, which reads as follows: “The Lord is reliable in all his words, and faithful in all his deeds.” One might paraphrase this as follows: “The Lord’s words are always reliable; his actions are always faithful.” Scholars are divided as to the originality of this verse. L. C. Allen argues for its inclusion on the basis of structural considerations (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 294-95), but there is no apparent explanation for why, if original, it would have been accidentally omitted. The psalm may be a partial acrostic, as in Pss 25 and 34 (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 3:335). The glaring omission of the nun line would have invited a later redactor to add such a line.
[145:14] 198 tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).
[145:15] 199 tn Heb “the eyes of all wait for you.”
[145:15] 200 tn Heb “and you give to them their food in its season” (see Ps 104:27).
[145:16] 201 tn Heb “[with what they] desire.”
[145:17] 202 tn Heb “in all his ways.”
[145:17] 203 tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”
[145:18] 204 tn Heb “in truth.”
[145:19] 205 tn In this context “desire” refers to the followers’ desire to be delivered from wicked enemies.
[145:19] 206 tn Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.”
[145:21] 207 tn Heb “the praise of the
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