Mazmur 25:1-22
KonteksBy David.
25:1 O Lord, I come before you in prayer. 2
25:2 My God, I trust in you.
Please do not let me be humiliated;
do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!
25:3 Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated.
Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted 3 and humiliated.
25:4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!
Teach me your paths! 4
25:5 Guide me into your truth 5 and teach me.
For you are the God who delivers me;
on you I rely all day long.
25:6 Remember 6 your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,
for you have always acted in this manner. 7
25:7 Do not hold against me 8 the sins of my youth 9 or my rebellious acts!
Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord! 10
25:8 The Lord is both kind and fair; 11
that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live. 12
25:9 May he show 13 the humble what is right! 14
May he teach 15 the humble his way!
25:10 The Lord always proves faithful and reliable 16
to those who follow the demands of his covenant. 17
25:11 For the sake of your reputation, 18 O Lord,
forgive my sin, because it is great. 19
25:12 The Lord shows his faithful followers
the way they should live. 20
25:13 They experience his favor; 21
their descendants 22 inherit the land. 23
25:14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, 24
and he reveals his covenantal demands to them. 25
25:15 I continually look to the Lord for help, 26
for he will free my feet from the enemy’s net. 27
25:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,
for I am alone 28 and oppressed!
25:17 Deliver me from my distress; 29
rescue me from my suffering! 30
25:18 See my pain and suffering!
Forgive all my sins! 31
25:19 Watch my enemies, for they outnumber me;
they hate me and want to harm me. 32
25:20 Protect me 33 and deliver me!
Please do not let me be humiliated,
for I have taken shelter in you!
25:21 May integrity and godliness protect me,
for I rely on you!
from all their distress! 35
Mazmur 34:1-22
KonteksWritten by David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away. 37
34:1 I will praise 38 the Lord at all times;
my mouth will continually praise him. 39
34:2 I will boast 40 in the Lord;
let the oppressed hear and rejoice! 41
34:3 Magnify the Lord with me!
Let’s praise 42 his name together!
34:4 I sought the Lord’s help 43 and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
34:5 Those who look to him for help are happy;
their faces are not ashamed. 44
34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him 45 from all his troubles.
34:7 The Lord’s angel camps around
the Lord’s 46 loyal followers 47 and delivers them. 48
34:8 Taste 49 and see that the Lord is good!
How blessed 50 is the one 51 who takes shelter in him! 52
34:9 Remain loyal to 53 the Lord, you chosen people of his, 54
for his loyal followers 55 lack nothing!
34:10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
34:11 Come children! Listen to me!
I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord. 56
34:12 Do you want to really live? 57
Would you love to live a long, happy life? 58
34:13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words 59
or use deceptive speech! 60
34:14 Turn away from evil and do what is right! 61
Strive for peace and promote it! 62
34:15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help. 63
34:16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth. 64
34:17 The godly 65 cry out and the Lord hears;
he saves them from all their troubles. 66
34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers 67 those who are discouraged. 68
34:19 The godly 69 face many dangers, 70
but the Lord saves 71 them 72 from each one of them.
34:20 He protects 73 all his bones; 74
not one of them is broken. 75
34:21 Evil people self-destruct; 76
those who hate the godly are punished. 77
34:22 The Lord rescues his servants; 78
all who take shelter in him escape punishment. 79
Mazmur 37:1-40
KonteksBy David.
37:1 Do not fret 81 when wicked men seem to succeed! 82
Do not envy evildoers!
37:2 For they will quickly dry up like grass,
and wither away like plants. 83
37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!
Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! 84
37:4 Then you will take delight in the Lord, 85
and he will answer your prayers. 86
37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! 87
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. 88
37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,
and publicly defend your just cause. 89
37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! 90
Wait confidently 91 for him!
Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, 92
a man who carries out wicked schemes!
37:8 Do not be angry and frustrated! 93
Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!
37:9 Wicked men 94 will be wiped out, 95
but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land. 96
37:10 Evil men will soon disappear; 97
you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. 98
37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity. 99
37:12 Evil men plot against the godly 100
and viciously attack them. 101
37:13 The Lord laughs in disgust 102 at them,
for he knows that their day is coming. 103
37:14 Evil men draw their swords
and prepare their bows,
to bring down 104 the oppressed and needy,
and to slaughter those who are godly. 105
37:15 Their swords will pierce 106 their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
37:16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than
the wealth of many evil men, 107
37:17 for evil men will lose their power, 108
but the Lord sustains 109 the godly.
37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day 110
and they possess a permanent inheritance. 111
37:19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come; 112
when famine comes they will have enough to eat. 113
37:20 But 114 evil men will die;
the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated 115 –
they will go up in smoke. 116
37:21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt,
but the godly show compassion and are generous. 117
37:22 Surely 118 those favored by the Lord 119 will possess the land,
but those rejected 120 by him will be wiped out. 121
37:23 The Lord grants success to the one
whose behavior he finds commendable. 122
37:24 Even if 123 he trips, he will not fall headlong, 124
for the Lord holds 125 his hand.
37:25 I was once young, now I am old.
I have never seen a godly man abandoned,
or his children 126 forced to search for food. 127
37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, 128
and his children 129 are blessed.
37:27 Turn away from evil! Do what is right! 130
Then you will enjoy lasting security. 131
37:28 For the Lord promotes 132 justice,
and never abandons 133 his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure, 134
but the children 135 of evil men are wiped out. 136
37:29 The godly will possess the land
and will dwell in it permanently.
37:30 The godly speak wise words
and promote justice. 137
37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking; 138
their 139 feet do not slip.
37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly
and try to kill them. 140
37:33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,
or allow them to be condemned in a court of law. 141
37:34 Rely 142 on the Lord! Obey his commands! 143
Then he will permit you 144 to possess the land;
you will see the demise of evil men. 145
37:35 I have seen ruthless evil men 146
growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil. 147
37:36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! 148
I looked for them, but they could not be found.
37:37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! 149
For the one who promotes peace has a future. 150
37:38 Sinful rebels are totally destroyed; 151
evil men have no future. 152
37:39 But the Lord delivers the godly; 153
he protects them in times of trouble. 154
37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, 155
for they seek his protection.
Mazmur 145:1-21
KonteksA psalm of praise, by David.
145:1 I will extol you, my God, O king!
I will praise your name continually! 157
145:2 Every day I will praise you!
I will praise your name continually! 158
145:3 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise!
No one can fathom his greatness! 159
145:4 One generation will praise your deeds to another,
and tell about your mighty acts! 160
145:5 I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor,
and your amazing deeds! 161
145:6 They will proclaim 162 the power of your awesome acts!
I will declare your great deeds!
145:7 They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, 163
and sing about your justice. 164
145:8 The Lord is merciful and compassionate;
he is patient 165 and demonstrates great loyal love. 166
145:9 The Lord is good to all,
and has compassion on all he has made. 167
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 168 might acknowledge your mighty acts,
and the majestic splendor of your kingdom.
145:13 Your kingdom is an eternal kingdom, 169
and your dominion endures through all generations.
145:14 170 The Lord supports all who fall,
and lifts up all who are bent over. 171
145:15 Everything looks to you in anticipation, 172
and you provide them with food on a regular basis. 173
145:16 You open your hand,
and fill every living thing with the food they desire. 174
145:17 The Lord is just in all his actions, 175
and exhibits love in all he does. 176
145:18 The Lord is near all who cry out to him,
all who cry out to him sincerely. 177
145:19 He satisfies the desire 178 of his loyal followers; 179
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. 180
Let all who live 181 praise his holy name forever!
[25:1] 1 sn Psalm 25. The psalmist asks for divine protection, guidance and forgiveness as he affirms his loyalty to and trust in the Lord. This psalm is an acrostic; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except for v. 18, which, like v. 19, begins with ר (resh) instead of the expected ק (qof). The final verse, which begins with פ (pe), stands outside the acrostic scheme.
[25:1] 2 tn Heb “to you, O
[25:3] 3 tn Heb “those who deal in treachery in vain.” The adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “in vain”) probably refers to the failure (or futility) of their efforts. Another option is to understand it as meaning “without cause” (cf. NIV “without excuse”; NRSV “wantonly treacherous”).
[25:4] 4 sn Teach me your paths. In this context the
[25:5] 5 sn The
[25:6] 6 tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating.
[25:6] 7 tn Heb “for from antiquity [are] they.”
[25:7] 8 tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing.
[25:7] 9 sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom.
[25:7] 10 tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O
[25:8] 11 tn Heb “good and just.”
[25:8] 12 tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”
[25:9] 13 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.
[25:9] 14 tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” The Hebrew term עֲנָוִים (’anavim, “humble”) usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.
[25:9] 15 tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).
[25:10] 16 tn Heb “all the paths of the
[25:10] 17 tn Heb “to the ones who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”
[25:11] 18 tn Heb “name.” By forgiving the sinful psalmist, the
[25:11] 19 sn Forgive my sin, because it is great. The psalmist readily admits his desperate need for forgiveness.
[25:12] 20 tn Heb “Who is this man, the one who fears the
[25:13] 21 tn Heb “his life in goodness dwells.” The singular is representative (see v. 14).
[25:13] 22 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[25:14] 24 tn Heb “the advice of the
[25:14] 25 tn Heb “and his covenant, to make them know.”
[25:15] 26 tn Heb “my eyes continually [are] toward the
[25:15] 27 tn Heb “for he will bring out from a net my feet.” The hostility of the psalmist’s enemies is probably in view (see v. 19).
[25:16] 28 tn That is, helpless and vulnerable.
[25:17] 29 tc Heb “the distresses of my heart, they make wide.” The text makes little if any sense as it stands, unless this is an otherwise unattested intransitive use of the Hiphil of רָחַב (rakhav, “be wide”). It is preferable to emend the form הִרְחִיבוּ (hirkhivu; Hiphil perfect third plural “they make wide”) to הַרְחֵיב (harkhev; Hiphil imperative masculine singular “make wide”). (The final vav [ו] can be joined to the following word and taken as a conjunction.) In this case one can translate, “[in/from] the distresses of my heart, make wide [a place for me],” that is, “deliver me from the distress I am experiencing.” For the expression “make wide [a place for me],” see Ps 4:1.
[25:17] 30 tn Heb “from my distresses lead me out.”
[25:18] 31 tn Heb “lift up all my sins.”
[25:19] 32 tn Heb “see my enemies for they are numerous, and [with] violent hatred they hate me.”
[25:22] 35 tn Heb “his distresses.”
[25:22] sn O God, rescue Israel from all their distress. It is possible that the psalmist speaks on behalf of the nation throughout this entire psalm. Another option is that v. 22 is a later addition to the psalm which applies an original individual lament to the covenant community. If so, it may reflect an exilic setting.
[34:1] 36 sn Psalm 34. In this song of thanksgiving the psalmist praises God for delivering him from distress. He encourages others to be loyal to the Lord, tells them how to please God, and assures them that the Lord protects his servants. The psalm is an acrostic; vv. 1-21 begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. (Verse 6 begins with the letter he (ה) and v. 7 with the letter zayin (ז). The letter vav (ו), which comes between ה and ז, seems to be omitted, although it does appear at the beginning of v. 6b. The final verse of the psalm, which begins with the letter pe (פ), is outside the acrostic scheme.
[34:1] 37 tn Heb “By David, when he changed his sense before Abimelech and he drove him away and he went.”
[34:1] sn Pretended to be insane. The psalm heading appears to refer to the account in 1 Sam 21:10-15 which tells how David, fearful that King Achish of Gath might kill him, pretended to be insane in hopes that the king would simply send him away. The psalm heading names the king Abimelech, not Achish, suggesting that the tradition is confused on this point. However, perhaps “Abimelech” was a royal title, rather than a proper name. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 278.
[34:1] 39 tn Heb “continually [will] his praise [be] in my mouth.”
[34:2] 40 tn Heb “my soul will boast”; or better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.
[34:2] 41 tn The two prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best taken as jussives, for the psalmist is calling his audience to worship (see v. 3).
[34:4] 43 tn Heb “I sought the
[34:5] 44 tc Heb “they look to him and are radiant and their faces are not ashamed.” The third person plural subject (“they”) is unidentified; there is no antecedent in the Hebrew text. For this reason some prefer to take the perfect verbal forms in the first line as imperatives, “look to him and be radiant” (cf. NEB, NRSV). Some medieval Hebrew
[34:6] 45 tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.
[34:7] 46 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the
[34:7] 47 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[34:7] 48 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC 329 §111.u.
[34:8] 49 tn This verb is normally used of tasting or savoring food. The metaphor here appears to compare the
[34:8] 50 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[34:8] 51 tn Heb “man.” The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.”
[34:8] 52 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[34:9] 54 tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”
[34:9] 55 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[34:11] 56 tn Heb “the fear of the
[34:12] 57 tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.
[34:12] 58 tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”
[34:13] 59 tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”
[34:13] 60 tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”
[34:14] 62 tn Heb “seek peace and pursue it.”
[34:15] 63 tn Heb “the eyes of the
[34:16] 64 tn Heb “the face of the
[34:17] 65 tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).
[34:17] 66 tn The three perfect verbal forms are taken in a generalizing sense in v. 17 and translated with the present tense (note the generalizing mood of vv. 18-22).
[34:18] 67 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
[34:18] 68 tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”
[34:19] 69 tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.
[34:19] 71 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
[34:19] 72 tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.
[34:20] 73 tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.
[34:20] 74 tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.
[34:20] 75 sn Not one of them is broken. The author of the Gospel of John saw a fulfillment of these words in Jesus’ experience on the cross (see John 19:31-37), for the Roman soldiers, when they saw that Jesus was already dead, did not break his legs as was customarily done to speed the death of crucified individuals. John’s use of the psalm seems strange, for the statement in its original context suggests that the Lord protects the godly from physical harm. Jesus’ legs may have remained unbroken, but he was brutally and unjustly executed by his enemies. John seems to give the statement a literal sense that is foreign to its original literary context by applying a promise of divine protection to a man who was seemingly not saved by God. However, John saw in this incident a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate deliverance and vindication. His unbroken bones were a reminder of God’s commitment to the godly and a sign of things to come. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story; God vindicated him, as John goes on to explain in the following context (John 19:38-20:18).
[34:21] 76 tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.
[34:21] 77 tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.
[34:22] 78 tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.
[34:22] 79 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[37:1] 80 sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
[37:1] 81 tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.
[37:1] 82 tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.
[37:2] 83 tn Heb “like green vegetation.”
[37:3] 84 tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (ra’ah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.
[37:4] 85 tn Following the imperatives of v. 3 the prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) in v. 4 indicate result. Faith and obedience (v. 3) will bring divine blessing (v. 4).
[37:4] 86 tn Or “and he will give you what you desire most.” Heb “and he will grant to you the requests of your heart.”
[37:5] 87 tn Heb “roll your way upon the
[37:5] 88 tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the
[37:6] 89 tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”
[37:7] 90 tn Heb “Be quiet before the
[37:7] 91 tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (vÿhitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (vÿtokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, yÿhvah) and (2) the final lamed (ל) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).
[37:7] 92 tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”
[37:8] 93 tn Heb “Refrain from anger! Abandon rage!”
[37:9] 94 tn Heb “for evil men.” The conjunction כִּי (ki, “for”) relates to the exhortations in v. 8; there is no reason to be frustrated, for the evildoers will be punished in due time.
[37:9] 95 tn Or “cut off, removed.”
[37:9] 96 tn Heb “and those who wait on the
[37:10] 97 tn Heb “and yet, a little, there will be no wicked [one].”
[37:10] 98 tn Heb “and you will carefully look upon his place, but he will not be [there].” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer is in view.
[37:11] 99 tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”
[37:12] 100 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] 101 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.
[37:13] 102 tn Heb “laughs.” As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laughter (see 2:4). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes the action from the perspective of an eye-witness who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.
[37:13] 103 tn Heb “for he sees that his day is coming.” As the following context makes clear (vv. 15, 17, 19-20), “his day” refers to the time when God will destroy evildoers.
[37:14] 104 tn Heb “to cause to fall.”
[37:14] 105 tn Heb “the upright in way,” i.e., those who lead godly lives.
[37:15] 106 tn Heb “enter into.”
[37:16] 107 tn Heb “Better [is] a little to the godly one than the wealth of many evil ones.” The following verses explain why this is true. Though a godly individual may seem to have only meager possessions, he always has what he needs and will eventually possess the land. The wicked may prosper for a brief time, but will eventually be destroyed by divine judgment and lose everything.
[37:17] 108 tn Heb “for the arms of the evil ones will be broken.”
[37:17] 109 tn The active participle here indicates this is characteristically true.
[37:18] 110 tn Heb “the
[37:18] 111 tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”
[37:19] 112 tn Heb “in a time of trouble.”
[37:19] 113 tn Heb “in days of famine they will be satisfied.”
[37:20] 114 tn Or “for,” but Hebrew כי in this case would have to extend all the way back to v. 17a. Another option is to understand the particle as asseverative, “surely” (see v. 22).
[37:20] 115 tc The meaning of the MT (כִּיקַר כָּרִים [kiqar karim], “like what is precious among the pastures/rams”) is uncertain. One possibility is to take the noun כָּרִים as “pastures” and interpret “what is precious” as referring to flowers that blossom but then quickly disappear (see v. 2 and BDB 430 s.v. יָקָר 3). If כָּרִים is taken as “rams,” then “what is precious” might refer to the choicest portions of rams. The present translation follows a reading in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QpPs37), כיקוד כורם (“like the burning of an oven”). The next line, which pictures the
[37:20] 116 tn Heb “they perish in smoke, they perish.” In addition to repeating the verb for emphasis, the psalmist uses the perfect form of the verb to picture the enemies’ demise as if it had already taken place. In this way he draws attention to the certitude of their judgment.
[37:21] 117 tn Heb “an evil [man] borrows and does not repay; but a godly [man] is gracious and gives.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The three active participles and one imperfect (“repay”) draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the two types.
[37:22] 118 tn The particle כִּי is best understood as asseverative or emphatic here.
[37:22] 119 tn Heb “those blessed by him.” The pronoun “him” must refer to the Lord (see vv. 20, 23), so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:22] 121 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed” (see v. 9).
[37:23] 122 tn Heb “from the
[37:24] 123 tn Other translation options for כִּי in this context are “when” (so NASB) or “though” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[37:24] 124 tn Heb “be hurled down.”
[37:24] 125 tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.
[37:25] 126 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:25] 127 tn Heb “or his offspring searching for food.” The expression “search for food” also appears in Lam 1:11, where Jerusalem’s refugees are forced to search for food and to trade their valuable possessions for something to eat.
[37:26] 128 tn The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
[37:26] 129 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:27] 130 tn Or “Do good!” The imperatives are singular (see v. 1).
[37:27] 131 tn Heb “and dwell permanently.” The imperative with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause after the preceding imperatives.
[37:28] 132 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the
[37:28] 133 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.
[37:28] 134 tn Or “protected forever.”
[37:28] 135 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:28] 136 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.
[37:30] 137 tn Heb “The mouth of the godly [one] utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.” The singular form is used in a representative sense; the typical godly individual is in view. The imperfect verbal forms draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the godly.
[37:31] 138 tn Heb “the law of his God [is] in his heart.” The “heart” is here the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
[37:31] 139 tn Heb “his.” The pronoun has been translated as plural to agree with the representative or typical “godly” in v. 30.
[37:32] 140 tn Heb “an evil [one] watches the godly [one] and seeks to kill him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
[37:33] 141 tn Heb “the
[37:34] 143 tn Heb “keep his way.” The
[37:34] 144 tn Heb “and he will lift you up.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause following the imperatives in the preceding lines.
[37:34] 145 tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”
[37:35] 146 tn The Hebrew uses the representative singular again here.
[37:35] 147 tn Heb “being exposed [?] like a native, luxuriant.” The Hebrew form מִתְעָרֶה (mit’areh) appears to be a Hitpael participle from עָרָה (’arah, “be exposed”), but this makes no sense in this context. Perhaps the form is a dialectal variant of מִתְעָלָה (“giving oneself an air of importance”; see Jer 51:3), from עָלָה (’alah, “go up”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 296). The noun אֶזְרָח (’ezrakh, “native, full citizen”) refers elsewhere to people, but here, where it is collocated with “luxuriant, green,” it probably refers to a tree growing in native soil.
[37:36] 148 tn Heb “and he passes by and, look, he is not [there].” The subject of the verb “passes by” is probably indefinite, referring to any passerby. Some prefer to change the form to first person, “and I passed by” (cf. NEB; note the first person verbal forms in preceding verse and in the following line).
[37:37] 150 tn Heb “for [there is] an end for a man of peace.” Some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see the next verse and Ps 109:13; cf. NEB, NRSV).
[37:38] 151 tn Or “destroyed together.” In this case the psalmist pictures judgment sweeping them away as a group.
[37:38] 152 tn Heb “the end of evil men is cut off.” As in v. 37, some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see Ps 109:13). The perfect verbal forms in v. 38 probably express general truths. Another option is that they are used emphatically to state with certitude that the demise of the wicked is as good as done.
[37:39] 153 tn Heb “and the deliverance of the godly [ones] [is] from the
[37:39] 154 tn Heb “[he is] their place of refuge in a time of trouble.”
[37:40] 155 tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.
[145:1] 156 sn Psalm 145. The psalmist praises God because he is a just and merciful king who cares for his people.
[145:1] 157 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
[145:2] 158 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
[145:3] 159 tn Heb “and concerning his greatness there is no searching.”
[145:4] 160 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] 161 tn Heb “the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and the matters of your amazing deeds I will ponder.”
[145:6] 162 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] 163 tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”
[145:7] 164 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] 165 tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
[145:8] 166 tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
[145:9] 167 tn Heb “and his compassion is over all his works.”
[145:12] 168 tn Heb “the sons of man.”
[145:13] 169 tn Heb “a kingdom of all ages.”
[145:14] 170 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] 171 tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).
[145:15] 172 tn Heb “the eyes of all wait for you.”
[145:15] 173 tn Heb “and you give to them their food in its season” (see Ps 104:27).
[145:16] 174 tn Heb “[with what they] desire.”
[145:17] 175 tn Heb “in all his ways.”
[145:17] 176 tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”
[145:18] 177 tn Heb “in truth.”
[145:19] 178 tn In this context “desire” refers to the followers’ desire to be delivered from wicked enemies.
[145:19] 179 tn Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.”
[145:21] 180 tn Heb “the praise of the
