Mazmur 7:1-17
KonteksA musical composition 2 by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning 3 a Benjaminite named Cush. 4
7:1 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter. 5
Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me!
7:2 Otherwise they will rip 6 me 7 to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me. 8
7:3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say, 9
or am guilty of unjust actions, 10
7:4 or have wronged my ally, 11
or helped his lawless enemy, 12
7:5 may an enemy relentlessly chase 13 me 14 and catch me; 15
may he trample me to death 16
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. 17 (Selah)
7:6 Stand up angrily, 18 Lord!
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! 19
Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them! 20
7:7 The countries are assembled all around you; 21
take once more your rightful place over them! 22
7:8 The Lord judges the nations. 23
Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent, 24
because I am blameless, 25 O Exalted One! 26
7:9 May the evil deeds of the wicked 27 come to an end! 28
But make the innocent 29 secure, 30
O righteous God,
you who examine 31 inner thoughts and motives! 32
7:10 The Exalted God is my shield, 33
the one who delivers the morally upright. 34
7:11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day. 35
7:12 If a person 36 does not repent, God sharpens his sword 37
and prepares to shoot his bow. 38
7:13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; 39
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. 40
7:14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies – 41
and then falls into the hole he has made. 43
7:16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans 44
and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head. 45
7:17 I will thank the Lord for 46 his justice;
I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord! 47
Mazmur 27:1-14
KonteksBy David.
27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! 49
I fear no one! 50
The Lord protects my life!
I am afraid of no one! 51
27:2 When evil men attack me 52
to devour my flesh, 53
when my adversaries and enemies attack me, 54
they stumble and fall. 55
27:3 Even when an army is deployed against me,
I do not fear. 56
Even when war is imminent, 57
I remain confident. 58
27:4 I have asked the Lord for one thing –
this is what I desire!
I want to live 59 in the Lord’s house 60 all the days of my life,
so I can gaze at the splendor 61 of the Lord
and contemplate in his temple.
27:5 He will surely 62 give me shelter 63 in the day of danger; 64
he will hide me in his home; 65
he will place me 66 on an inaccessible rocky summit. 67
27:6 Now I will triumph
over my enemies who surround me! 68
I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy! 69
I will sing praises to the Lord!
27:7 Hear me, 70 O Lord, when I cry out!
Have mercy on me and answer me!
27:8 My heart tells me to pray to you, 71
and I do pray to you, O Lord. 72
Do not push your servant away in anger!
You are my deliverer! 74
Do not forsake or abandon me,
O God who vindicates me!
27:10 Even if my father and mother abandoned me, 75
the Lord would take me in. 76
27:11 Teach me how you want me to live; 77
lead me along a level path 78 because of those who wait to ambush me! 79
27:12 Do not turn me over to my enemies, 80
for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me. 81
27:13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience
the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? 82
Be strong and confident! 84
Rely on the Lord!
Mazmur 31:1-24
KonteksFor the music director; a psalm of David.
31:1 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter!
Never let me be humiliated!
Vindicate me by rescuing me! 86
Quickly deliver me!
Be my protector and refuge, 88
a stronghold where I can be safe! 89
31:3 For you are my high ridge 90 and my stronghold;
for the sake of your own reputation 91 you lead me and guide me. 92
31:4 You will free me 93 from the net they hid for me,
for you are my place of refuge.
31:5 Into your hand I entrust my life; 94
you will rescue 95 me, O Lord, the faithful God.
31:6 I hate those who serve worthless idols, 96
but I trust in the Lord.
31:7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am. 97
31:8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;
you enable me to stand 98 in a wide open place.
31:9 Have mercy on me, for I am in distress!
My eyes grow dim 99 from suffering. 100
I have lost my strength. 101
31:10 For my life nears its end in pain;
my years draw to a close as I groan. 102
My strength fails me because of 103 my sin,
and my bones become brittle. 104
31:11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me; 105
my neighbors are appalled by my suffering 106 –
those who know me are horrified by my condition; 107
those who see me in the street run away from me.
31:12 I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about; 108
I am regarded as worthless, like a broken jar. 109
31:13 For I hear what so many are saying, 110
the terrifying news that comes from every direction. 111
When they plot together against me,
they figure out how they can take my life.
31:14 But I trust in you, O Lord!
I declare, “You are my God!”
31:15 You determine my destiny! 112
Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those who chase me.
31:16 Smile 113 on your servant!
Deliver me because of your faithfulness!
31:17 O Lord, do not let me be humiliated,
for I call out to you!
May evil men be humiliated!
May they go wailing to the grave! 114
31:18 May lying lips be silenced –
lips 115 that speak defiantly against the innocent 116
with arrogance and contempt!
31:19 How great is your favor, 117
which you store up for your loyal followers! 118
In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter 119 in you. 120
31:20 You hide them with you, where they are safe from the attacks 121 of men; 122
you conceal them in a shelter, where they are safe from slanderous attacks. 123
31:21 The Lord deserves praise 124
for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies. 125
31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said, 126
“I am cut off from your presence!” 127
But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers 128 of his!
The Lord protects those who have integrity,
but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. 129
31:24 Be strong and confident, 130
all you who wait on the Lord!
Mazmur 34:1-22
KonteksWritten by David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away. 132
34:1 I will praise 133 the Lord at all times;
my mouth will continually praise him. 134
34:2 I will boast 135 in the Lord;
let the oppressed hear and rejoice! 136
34:3 Magnify the Lord with me!
Let’s praise 137 his name together!
34:4 I sought the Lord’s help 138 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. 139
34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him 140 from all his troubles.
34:7 The Lord’s angel camps around
the Lord’s 141 loyal followers 142 and delivers them. 143
34:8 Taste 144 and see that the Lord is good!
How blessed 145 is the one 146 who takes shelter in him! 147
34:9 Remain loyal to 148 the Lord, you chosen people of his, 149
for his loyal followers 150 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. 151
34:12 Do you want to really live? 152
Would you love to live a long, happy life? 153
34:13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words 154
or use deceptive speech! 155
34:14 Turn away from evil and do what is right! 156
Strive for peace and promote it! 157
34:15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help. 158
34:16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth. 159
34:17 The godly 160 cry out and the Lord hears;
he saves them from all their troubles. 161
34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers 162 those who are discouraged. 163
34:19 The godly 164 face many dangers, 165
but the Lord saves 166 them 167 from each one of them.
34:20 He protects 168 all his bones; 169
not one of them is broken. 170
34:21 Evil people self-destruct; 171
those who hate the godly are punished. 172
34:22 The Lord rescues his servants; 173
all who take shelter in him escape punishment. 174
Mazmur 52:1-9
KonteksFor the music director; a well-written song 176 by David. It was written when Doeg the Edomite went and informed Saul: “David has arrived at the home of Ahimelech.” 177
52:1 Why do you boast about your evil plans, 178 O powerful man?
God’s loyal love protects me all day long! 179
52:2 Your tongue carries out your destructive plans; 180
it is as effective as a sharp razor, O deceiver. 181
52:3 You love evil more than good,
lies more than speaking the truth. 182 (Selah)
52:4 You love to use all the words that destroy, 183
and the tongue that deceives.
52:5 Yet 184 God will make you a permanent heap of ruins. 185
He will scoop you up 186 and remove you from your home; 187
he will uproot you from the land of the living. (Selah)
52:6 When the godly see this, they will be filled with awe,
and will mock the evildoer, saying: 188
52:7 “Look, here is the man who would not make 189 God his protector!
He trusted in his great wealth
and was confident about his plans to destroy others.” 190
52:8 But I 191 am like a flourishing 192 olive tree in the house of God;
I continually 193 trust in God’s loyal love.
52:9 I will continually 194 thank you when 195 you execute judgment; 196
I will rely 197 on you, 198 for your loyal followers know you are good. 199
[7:1] 1 sn Psalm 7. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from his enemies. He protests his innocence and declares his confidence in God’s justice.
[7:1] 2 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שִׁגָּיוֹן (shiggayon; translated here “musical composition”) is uncertain. Some derive the noun from the verbal root שָׁגָה (shagah, “swerve, reel”) and understand it as referring to a “wild, passionate song, with rapid changes of rhythm” (see BDB 993 s.v. שִׁגָּיוֹן). But this proposal is purely speculative. The only other appearance of the noun is in Hab 3:1, where it occurs in the plural.
[7:1] 3 tn Or “on account of.”
[7:1] 4 sn Apparently this individual named Cush was one of David’s enemies.
[7:1] 5 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
[7:2] 6 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew text, even though “all who chase me” in v. 1 refers to a whole group of enemies. The singular is also used in vv. 4-5, but the psalmist returns to the plural in v. 6. The singular is probably collective, emphasizing the united front that the psalmist’s enemies present. This same alternation between a collective singular and a plural referring to enemies appears in Pss 9:3, 6; 13:4; 31:4, 8; 41:6, 10-11; 42:9-10; 55:3; 64:1-2; 74:3-4; 89:22-23; 106:10-11; 143:3, 6, 9.
[7:2] 7 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
[7:2] 8 tn Heb “tearing and there is no one rescuing.” The verbal form translated “tearing” is a singular active participle.
[7:3] 9 tn Heb “if I have done this.”
[7:3] 10 tn Heb “if there is injustice in my hands.” The “hands” figuratively suggest deeds or actions.
[7:4] 11 tn Heb “if I have repaid the one at peace with me evil.” The form שׁוֹלְמִי (sholÿmi, “the one at peace with me”) probably refers to a close friend or ally, i.e., one with whom the psalmist has made a formal agreement. See BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלוֹם 4.a.
[7:4] 12 tn Heb “or rescued my enemy in vain.” The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive (the verb form is pseudo-cohortative; see IBHS 576-77 §34.5.3) carries on the hypothetical nuance of the perfect in the preceding line. Some regard the statement as a parenthetical assertion that the psalmist is kind to his enemies. Others define חָלַץ (khalats) as “despoil” (cf. NASB, NRSV “plundered”; NIV “robbed”), an otherwise unattested nuance for this verb. Still others emend the verb to לָחַץ (lakhats, “oppress”). Most construe the adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “emptily, vainly”) with “my enemy,” i.e., the one who is my enemy in vain.” The present translation (1) assumes an emendation of צוֹרְרִי (tsorÿriy, “my enemy”) to צוֹרְרוֹ (tsorÿro, “his [i.e., the psalmist’s ally’s] enemy”) following J. Tigay, “Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties,” JBL 89 (1970): 178-86, (2) understands the final mem (ם) on רֵיקָם as enclitic, and (3) takes רִיק (riq) as an adjective modifying “his enemy.” (For other examples of a suffixed noun followed by an attributive adjective without the article, see Pss 18:17 (“my strong enemy”), 99:3 (“your great and awesome name”) and 143:10 (“your good spirit”). The adjective רִיק occurs with the sense “lawless” in Judg 9:4; 11:3; 2 Chr 13:7. In this case the psalmist affirms that he has not wronged his ally, nor has he given aid to his ally’s enemies. Ancient Near Eastern treaties typically included such clauses, with one or both parties agreeing not to lend aid to the treaty partner’s enemies.
[7:5] 13 tn The vocalization of the verb form seems to be a mixture of Qal and Piel (see GKC 168 §63.n). The translation assumes the Piel, which would emphasize the repetitive nature of the action. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a jussive. The psalmist is so certain that he is innocent of the sins mentioned in vv. 3-4, he pronounces an imprecation on himself for rhetorical effect.
[7:5] 14 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
[7:5] 15 tn Heb “and may he overtake.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. The object “me,” though unexpressed, is understood from the preceding statement.
[7:5] 16 tn Heb “and may he trample down to the earth my life.”
[7:5] 17 tn Heb “and my honor in the dust may he cause to dwell.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. Some emend כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy, “my honor”) to כְבֵדִי (khÿvediy, “my liver” as the seat of life), but the term כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy) is to be retained since it probably refers to the psalmist’s dignity or honor.
[7:6] 18 tn Heb “in your anger.”
[7:6] 19 tn Heb “Lift yourself up in the angry outbursts of my enemies.” Many understand the preposition prefixed to עַבְרוֹת (’avrot, “angry outbursts”) as adversative, “against,” and the following genitive “enemies” as subjective. In this case one could translate, “rise up against my furious enemies” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The present translation, however, takes the preposition as indicating manner (cf. “in your anger” in the previous line) and understands the plural form of the noun as indicating an abstract quality (“fury”) or excessive degree (“raging fury”). Cf. Job 21:30.
[7:6] 20 tc Heb “Wake up to me [with the] judgment [which] you have commanded.” The LXX understands אֵלִי (’eliy, “my God”) instead of אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”; the LXX reading is followed by NEB, NIV, NRSV.) If the reading of the MT is retained, the preposition probably has the sense of “on account of, for the sake of.” The noun מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “judgment”) is probably an adverbial accusative, modifying the initial imperative, “wake up.” In this case צִוִּיתָ (tsivvita, “[which] you have commanded”) is an asyndetic relative clause. Some take the perfect as precative. In this case one could translate the final line, “Wake up for my sake! Decree judgment!” (cf. NIV). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
[7:7] 21 tn Heb “and the assembly of the peoples surrounds you.” Some understand the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may the assembly of the peoples surround you.”
[7:7] 22 tn Heb “over it (the feminine suffix refers back to the feminine noun “assembly” in the preceding line) on high return.” Some emend שׁוּבָה (shuvah, “return”) to שֵׁבָה (shevah, “sit [in judgment]”) because they find the implication of “return” problematic. But the psalmist does not mean to imply that God has abandoned his royal throne and needs to regain it. Rather he simply urges God, as sovereign king of the world, to once more occupy his royal seat of judgment and execute judgment, as the OT pictures God doing periodically.
[7:8] 23 sn The
[7:8] 24 tn Heb “judge me, O
[7:8] 25 tn Heb “according to my blamelessness.” The imperative verb translated “vindicate” governs the second line as well.
[7:8] 26 tn The Hebrew form עָלָי (’alay) has been traditionally understood as the preposition עַל (’al, “over”) with a first person suffix. But this is syntactically awkward and meaningless. The form is probably a divine title derived from the verbal root עָלָה (’alah, “ascend”). This relatively rare title appears elsewhere in the OT (see HALOT 824-25 s.v. I עַל, though this text is not listed) and in Ugaritic as an epithet for Baal (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 98). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:44-45, and P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 98.
[7:9] 27 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
[7:9] 28 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation here.
[7:9] 29 tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.
[7:9] 30 tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.
[7:9] 31 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.
[7:9] 32 tn Heb “and [the one who] tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order to improve the English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
[7:10] 33 tn Traditionally, “my shield is upon God” (cf. NASB). As in v. 8, עַל (’al) should be understood as a divine title, here compounded with “God” (cf. NIV, “God Most High”). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:45-46. The shield metaphor pictures God as a protector against deadly attacks.
[7:10] 34 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
[7:11] 35 tn Heb “God (the divine name אֵל [’el] is used) is angry during all the day.” The verb זֹעֵם (zo’em) means “be indignant, be angry, curse.” Here God’s angry response to wrongdoing and injustice leads him to prepare to execute judgment as described in the following verses.
[7:12] 36 tn Heb “If he”; the referent (a person who is a sinner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The subject of the first verb is understood as the sinner who fails to repent of his ways and becomes the target of God’s judgment (vv. 9, 14-16).
[7:12] 37 tn Heb “if he does not return, his sword he sharpens.” The referent (God) of the pronominal subject of the second verb (“sharpens”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:12] 38 tn Heb “his bow he treads and prepares it.” “Treading the bow” involved stepping on one end of it in order to string it and thus prepare it for battle.
[7:13] 39 tn Heb “and for him he prepares the weapons of death.”
[7:13] 40 tn Heb “his arrows into flaming [things] he makes.”
[7:14] 41 tn Heb “and he conceives harm and gives birth to a lie.”
[7:14] sn Pregnant with wickedness…gives birth to harmful lies. The psalmist metaphorically pictures the typical sinner as a pregnant woman, who is ready to give birth to wicked, destructive schemes and actions.
[7:15] 42 tn Heb “a pit he digs and he excavates it.” Apparently the imagery of hunting is employed; the wicked sinner digs this pit to entrap and destroy his intended victim. The redundancy in the Hebrew text has been simplified in the translation.
[7:15] 43 tn The verb forms in vv. 15-16 describe the typical behavior and destiny of those who attempt to destroy others. The image of the evildoer falling into the very trap he set for his intended victim emphasizes the appropriate nature of God’s judgment.
[7:16] 44 tn Heb “his harm [i.e., the harm he conceived for others, see v. 14] returns on his head.”
[7:16] 45 tn Heb “and on his forehead his violence [i.e., the violence he intended to do to others] comes down.”
[7:17] 46 tn Heb “according to.”
[7:17] 47 tn Heb “[to] the name of the
[27:1] 48 sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.
[27:1] 49 tn Heb “the
[27:1] 50 tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
[27:1] 51 tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
[27:2] 52 tn Heb “draw near to me.”
[27:2] 53 sn To devour my flesh. The psalmist compares his enemies to dangerous, hungry predators (see 2 Kgs 9:36; Ezek 39:17).
[27:2] 54 tn Heb “my adversaries and my enemies against me.” The verb “draw near” (that is, “attack”) is understood by ellipsis; see the previous line.
[27:2] 55 tn The Hebrew verbal forms are perfects. The translation assumes the psalmist is generalizing here, but another option is to take this as a report of past experience, “when evil men attacked me…they stumbled and fell.”
[27:3] 56 tn Heb “my heart does not fear.”
[27:3] 57 tn Heb “if war rises up against me.”
[27:3] 58 tn Heb “in this [i.e., “during this situation”] I am trusting.”
[27:4] 60 sn The
[27:5] 62 tn Or “for he will.” The translation assumes the כִּי (ki) is asseverative here, rather than causal.
[27:5] 63 tn Heb “he will hide me in his hut.”
[27:5] 66 tn The three imperfect verb forms in v. 5 anticipate a positive response to the prayer offered in vv. 7-12.
[27:5] 67 tn Heb “on a rocky summit he lifts me up.” The
[27:6] 68 tn Heb “and now my head will be lifted up over my enemies all around me.”
[27:6] sn In vv. 1-3 the psalmist generalizes, but here we discover that he is facing a crisis and is under attack from enemies (see vv. 11-12).
[27:6] 69 tn Heb “I will sacrifice in his tent sacrifices of a shout for joy” (that is, “sacrifices accompanied by a joyful shout”).
[27:8] 71 tc Heb “concerning you my heart says, ‘Seek my face.’” The verb form “seek” is plural, but this makes no sense here, for the psalmist is addressed. The verb should be emended to a singular form. The first person pronominal suffix on “face” also makes little sense, unless it is the voice of the
[27:8] 72 tn Heb “your face, O
[27:9] 73 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
[27:9] 74 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[27:10] 75 tn Or “though my father and mother have abandoned me.”
[27:10] 76 tn Heb “gather me in”; or “receive me.”
[27:11] 77 tn Heb “teach me your way.” The
[27:11] 78 sn The level path refers to God’s moral principles (see the parallel line), which, if followed, will keep the psalmist blameless before his accusers (see v. 12).
[27:11] 79 tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 54:5; 56:2.
[27:12] 80 tn Heb “do not give me over to the desire of my enemies.”
[27:12] 81 tn Heb “for they have risen up against me, lying witnesses and a testifier of violence.” The form יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) is traditionally understood as a verb meaning “snort, breathe out”: “for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty” (KJV; cf. BDB 422 s.v.). A better option is to take the form as a noun meaning “a witness” (or “testifier”). See Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3.
[27:13] 82 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is incomplete: “If I had not believed [I would] see the goodness of the
[27:14] 84 tn Heb “be strong and let your heart be confident.”
[31:1] 85 sn Psalm 31. The psalmist confidently asks the Lord to protect him. Enemies threaten him and even his friends have abandoned him, but he looks to the Lord for vindication. In vv. 19-24, which were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18, the psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him.
[31:1] 86 tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me.”
[31:2] 87 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
[31:2] 88 tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of refuge.”
[31:2] 89 tn Heb “a house of strongholds to deliver me.”
[31:3] 90 sn The metaphor of the high ridge pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
[31:3] 91 tn Heb “name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the
[31:3] 92 tn The present translation assumes that the imperfect verbal forms are generalizing, “you lead me and guide me.” Other options are to take them as an expression of confidence about the future, “you will lead me and guide me” (cf. NASB), or as expressing a prayer, “lead me and guide me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[31:4] 93 tn Heb “bring me out.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form expresses the psalmist’s confidence about the future. Another option is to take the form as expressing a prayer, “free me.”
[31:5] 94 tn Heb “my spirit.” The noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) here refers to the animating spirit that gives the psalmist life.
[31:5] 95 tn Or “redeem.” The perfect verbal form is understood here as anticipatory, indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer that he can describe his deliverance as if it had already happened. Another option is to take the perfect as precative, expressing a wish or request (“rescue me”; cf. NIV). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
[31:6] 96 tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jonah 2:9.
[31:7] 97 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
[31:8] 98 tn Heb “you cause my feet to stand.”
[31:9] 99 tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”
[31:9] 100 tn Cf. Ps 6:7, which has a similar line.
[31:9] 101 tn Heb “my breath and my stomach [grow weak].” Apparently the verb in the previous line (“grow dim, be weakened”) is to be understood here. The Hebrew term נפשׁ can mean “life,” or, more specifically, “throat, breath.” The psalmist seems to be lamenting that his breathing is impaired because of the physical and emotional suffering he is forced to endure.
[31:10] 102 tn Heb “and my years in groaning.”
[31:10] 103 tn Heb “stumbles in.”
[31:10] 104 tn Heb “grow weak.”
[31:11] 105 tn Heb “because of all my enemies I am a reproach.”
[31:11] 106 tc Heb “and to my neighbors, exceedingly.” If the MT is retained, then these words probably go with what precedes. However the syntactical awkwardness of the text suggests it is textually corrupt. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 258) suggests that the initial mem (מ) on מְאֹד (me’od, “exceedingly”) be understood as an enclitic mem (ם) which was originally suffixed to the preceding form and then later misinterpreted. The resulting form אֵד (’ed) can then be taken as a defectively written form of אֵיד (’ed, “calamity”). If one follows this emendation, then the text reads literally, “and to my neighbors [I am one who experiences] calamity.” The noun פַחַד (fakhad, “[object of] horror”) occurs in the next line; אֵיד and פַחַד appear in parallelism elsewhere (see Prov 1:26-27).
[31:11] 107 tn Heb “and [an object of ] horror to those known by me.”
[31:12] 108 tn Heb “I am forgotten, like a dead man, from [the] heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the center of one’s thoughts.
[31:12] 109 tn Heb “I am like a broken jar.” One throws away a broken jar without a second thought because it is considered worthless and useless.
[31:13] 110 tn Heb “the report of many.”
[31:13] 111 tn Heb “the terror from all around.”
[31:15] 112 tn Heb “in your hand [are] my times.”
[31:16] 113 tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
[31:17] 114 tn The verb יִדְּמוּ (yiddÿmu) is understood as a form of דָּמַם (damam, “wail, lament”). Another option is to take the verb from דָּמַם (“be quiet”; see BDB 198-99 s.v. I דָּמַם), in which case one might translate, “May they lie silent in the grave.”
[31:18] 115 tn Heb “the [ones which].”
[31:19] 117 tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”
[31:19] 118 tn Heb “for those who fear you.”
[31:19] 119 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[31:19] 120 tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”
[31:20] 121 tn The noun רֹכֶס (rokhes) occurs only here. Its meaning is debated; some suggest “snare,” while others propose “slander” or “conspiracy.”
[31:20] 122 tn Heb “you hide them in the hiding place of your face from the attacks of man.” The imperfect verbal forms in this verse draw attention to God’s typical treatment of the faithful.
[31:20] 123 tn Heb “you conceal them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.”
[31:21] 124 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[31:21] 125 tn Heb “for he caused his faithfulness to be amazing to me in a besieged city.” The psalmist probably speaks figuratively here. He compares his crisis to being trapped in a besieged city, but the
[31:22] 126 tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”
[31:22] 127 tn Heb “from before your eyes.”
[31:23] 128 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[31:23] 129 tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.
[31:24] 130 tn Heb “be strong and let your heart[s] be confident.”
[34:1] 131 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] 132 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] 134 tn Heb “continually [will] his praise [be] in my mouth.”
[34:2] 135 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] 136 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] 138 tn Heb “I sought the
[34:5] 139 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] 140 tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.
[34:7] 141 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the
[34:7] 142 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[34:7] 143 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] 144 tn This verb is normally used of tasting or savoring food. The metaphor here appears to compare the
[34:8] 145 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] 146 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] 147 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[34:9] 149 tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”
[34:9] 150 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[34:11] 151 tn Heb “the fear of the
[34:12] 152 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] 153 tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”
[34:13] 154 tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”
[34:13] 155 tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”
[34:14] 157 tn Heb “seek peace and pursue it.”
[34:15] 158 tn Heb “the eyes of the
[34:16] 159 tn Heb “the face of the
[34:17] 160 tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).
[34:17] 161 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] 162 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
[34:18] 163 tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”
[34:19] 164 tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.
[34:19] 166 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
[34:19] 167 tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.
[34:20] 168 tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.
[34:20] 169 tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.
[34:20] 170 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] 171 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] 172 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] 173 tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.
[34:22] 174 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[52:1] 175 sn Psalm 52. The psalmist confidently confronts his enemy and affirms that God will destroy evildoers and vindicate the godly.
[52:1] 176 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.
[52:1] 177 tn Heb “when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’”
[52:1] sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm during the period when Saul was seeking his life. On one occasion Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s head shepherd (1 Sam 21:7), informed Saul of David’s whereabouts (see 1 Sam 21-22).
[52:1] 178 tn Heb “Why do you boast in evil?”
[52:1] 179 tn Heb “the loyal love of God [is] all the day.” In this context, where the psalmist is threatened by his enemy, the point seems to be that the psalmist is protected by God’s loyal love at all times.
[52:2] 180 tn Heb “destruction your tongue devises.”
[52:2] 181 tn Heb “like a sharpened razor, doer of deceit.” The masculine participle עָשָׂה (’asah) is understood as a substantival vocative, addressed to the powerful man.
[52:3] 182 tn Or “deceit more than speaking what is right.”
[52:4] 183 tn Heb “you love all the words of swallowing.” Traditionally בַּלַּע (bala’) has been taken to mean “swallowing” in the sense of “devouring” or “destructive” (see BDB 118 s.v. בָּלַע). HALOT 135 s.v. III *בֶּלַע proposes a homonym here, meaning “confusion.” This would fit the immediate context nicely and provide a close parallel to the following line, which refers to deceptive words.
[52:5] 184 tn The adverb גַּם (gam, “also; even”) is translated here in an adversative sense (“yet”). It highlights the contrastive correspondence between the evildoer’s behavior and God’s response.
[52:5] 185 tn Heb “will tear you down forever.”
[52:5] 186 tn This rare verb (חָתָה, khatah) occurs only here and in Prov 6:27; 25:22; Isa 30:14.
[52:5] 187 tn Heb “from [your] tent.”
[52:6] 188 tn Heb “and the godly will see and will fear and at him will laugh.”
[52:7] 189 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] 190 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”).
[52:8] 191 tn The disjunctive construction (vav [ו] + subject) highlights the contrast between the evildoer’s destiny (vv. 5-7) and that of the godly psalmist’s security.
[52:8] 192 tn Or “luxuriant, green, leafy.”
[52:8] 193 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever and ever.”
[52:9] 194 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
[52:9] 196 tn Heb “you have acted.” The perfect verbal form (1) probably indicates a future perfect here. The psalmist promises to give thanks when the expected vindication has been accomplished. Other options include (2) a generalizing (“for you act”) or (3) rhetorical (“for you will act”) use.
[52:9] 198 tn Heb “your name.” God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character.
[52:9] 199 tn Heb “for it is good in front of your loyal followers.”
