Mazmur 73:11-17

73:11 They say, “How does God know what we do?

Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?” ¹ 

73:12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, ² 

those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer. ³ 

73:13 I concluded, ⁴  “Surely in vain I have kept my motives ⁵  pure

and maintained a pure lifestyle. ⁶ 

73:14 I suffer all day long,

and am punished every morning.”

73:15 If I had publicized these thoughts, ⁷ 

I would have betrayed your loyal followers. ⁸ 

73:16 When I tried to make sense of this,

it was troubling to me. ⁹ 

73:17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple, ¹⁰ 

and understood the destiny of the wicked. ¹¹ 

[73:11]  ¹ tn Heb “How does God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High?” They appear to be practical atheists, who acknowledge God’s existence and sovereignty in theory, but deny his involvement in the world (see Pss 10:4, 11; 14:1).

[73:12]  ² tn Heb “Look, these [are] the wicked.”

[73:12]  ³ tn Heb “the ones who are always at ease [who] increase wealth.”

[73:13]  ⁴ tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.

[73:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.

[73:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.

[73:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “If I had said, ‘I will speak out like this.’”

[73:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “look, the generation of your sons I would have betrayed.” The phrase “generation of your [i.e., God’s] sons” occurs only here in the OT. Some equate the phrase with “generation of the godly” (Ps 14:5), “generation of the ones seeking him” (Ps 24:6), and “generation of the upright” (Ps 112:2). In Deut 14:1 the Israelites are referred to as God’s “sons.” Perhaps the psalmist refers here to those who are “Israelites” in the true sense because of their loyalty to God (note the juxtaposition of “Israel” with “the pure in heart” in v. 1).

[73:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “and [when] I pondered to understand this, troubling it [was] in my eyes.”

[73:17]  ¹⁰ tn The plural of the term מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash) probably refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 68:35; Jer 51:51).

[73:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I discerned their end.” At the temple the psalmist perhaps received an oracle of deliverance announcing his vindication and the demise of the wicked (see Ps 12) or heard songs of confidence (for example, Ps 11), wisdom psalms (for example, Pss 1, 37), and hymns (for example, Ps 112) that describe the eventual downfall of the proud and wealthy.