Mazmur 57:9
Konteks57:9 I will give you thanks before the nations, O Master!
I will sing praises to you before foreigners! 1
Mazmur 57:1
KonteksFor the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 3 a prayer 4 of David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave. 5
57:1 Have mercy on me, O God! Have mercy on me!
For in you I have taken shelter. 6
In the shadow of your wings 7 I take shelter
until trouble passes.
Mazmur 35:1-28
KonteksBy David.
35:1 O Lord, fight 9 those who fight with me!
Attack those who attack me!
35:2 Grab your small shield and large shield, 10
and rise up to help me!
35:3 Use your spear and lance 11 against 12 those who chase me!
Assure me with these words: 13 “I am your deliverer!”
35:4 May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated!
May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed! 14
35:5 May they be 15 like wind-driven chaff,
as the Lord’s angel 16 attacks them! 17
35:6 May their path be 18 dark and slippery,
as the Lord’s angel chases them!
35:7 I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me
and dug a pit to trap me. 19
35:8 Let destruction take them by surprise! 20
Let the net they hid catch them!
Let them fall into destruction! 21
35:9 Then I will rejoice in the Lord
and be happy because of his deliverance. 22
35:10 With all my strength I will say, 23
“O Lord, who can compare to you?
You rescue 24 the oppressed from those who try to overpower them; 25
the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.” 26
35:11 Violent men perjure themselves, 27
and falsely accuse me. 28
35:12 They repay me evil for the good I have done; 29
I am overwhelmed with sorrow. 30
35:13 When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, 31
and refrained from eating food. 32
(If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!) 33
35:14 I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother. 34
I bowed down 35 in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother. 36
35:15 But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together;
they gathered together to ambush me. 37
They tore at me without stopping to rest. 38
35:16 When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly, 39
and tried to bite me. 40
35:17 O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? 41
Rescue 42 me 43 from their destructive attacks;
guard my life 44 from the young lions!
35:18 Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly; 45
I will praise you before a large crowd of people! 46
35:19 Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason 47 gloat 48 over me!
Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes! 49
35:20 For they do not try to make peace with others, 50
but plan ways to deceive those who are unsuspecting. 51
35:21 They are ready to devour me; 52
they say, “Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!” 53
35:22 But you take notice, 54 Lord!
O Lord, do not remain far away from me!
35:23 Rouse yourself, wake up 55 and vindicate me! 56
My God and Lord, defend my just cause! 57
35:24 Vindicate me by your justice, O Lord my God!
Do not let them gloat 58 over me!
35:25 Do not let them say to themselves, 59 “Aha! We have what we wanted!” 60
Do not let them say, “We have devoured him!”
35:26 May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 61
May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! 62
35:27 May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice!
May they continually say, 63 “May the Lord be praised, 64 for he wants his servant to be secure.” 65
35:28 Then I will tell others about your justice, 66
and praise you all day long. 67
Mazmur 108:2
Konteks108:2 Awake, O stringed instrument and harp!
I will wake up at dawn! 68
Mazmur 108:1
KonteksA song, a psalm of David.
108:1 I am determined, 70 O God!
I will sing and praise you with my whole heart. 71
Mazmur 1:1-6
KonteksBook 1
(Psalms 1-41)
1:1 How blessed 73 is the one 74 who does not follow 75 the advice 76 of the wicked, 77
or stand in the pathway 78 with sinners,
or sit in the assembly 79 of scoffers! 80
1:2 Instead 81 he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; 82
he meditates on 83 his commands 84 day and night.
1:3 He is like 85 a tree planted by flowing streams; 86
it 87 yields 88 its fruit at the proper time, 89
and its leaves never fall off. 90
He succeeds in everything he attempts. 91
1:4 Not so with the wicked!
Instead 92 they are like wind-driven chaff. 93
1:5 For this reason 94 the wicked cannot withstand 95 judgment, 96
nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly. 97
1:6 Certainly 98 the Lord guards the way of the godly, 99
but the way of the wicked ends in destruction. 100
[57:1] 2 sn Psalm 57. The psalmist asks for God’s protection and expresses his confidence that his ferocious enemies will be destroyed by their own schemes.
[57:1] 3 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 58-59, 75.
[57:1] 4 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56, 58-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
[57:1] 5 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when he fled from Saul and hid 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.
[57:1] 6 tn Heb “my life has taken shelter.” The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
[57:1] 7 sn In the shadow of your wings. The metaphor likens God to a protective mother bird (see also Pss 17:8; 36:7).
[35:1] 8 sn Psalm 35. The author, who faces ruthless enemies who seek his life for no reason, begs the Lord to fight his battles for him and to vindicate him by annihilating his adversaries.
[35:2] 10 tn Two different types of shields are mentioned here. See also Ezek 38:4. Many modern translations render the first term (translated here “small shield”) as “buckler” (cf. NASB “buckler and shield”; the order is often reversed in the translation, apparently for stylistic reasons: cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “shield and buckler”). The English term “buckler,” referring to a small round shield held on the arm to protect the upper body, is unfamiliar to many modern readers, so the term “small shield” was used in the present translation for clarity.
[35:3] 11 tn Or “javelin.” On the meaning of this word, which occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, see M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:210-11.
[35:3] 12 tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”
[35:3] 13 tn Heb “say to me,” or “say to my soul.”
[35:4] 14 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies. See also the distinct jussive form in v. 6.
[35:5] 15 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.
[35:5] 16 sn See the mention of the
[35:5] 17 tn Heb “as the
[35:6] 18 tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
[35:7] 19 tc Heb “for without cause they hid for me a pit of their net, without cause they dug for my life.” It appears that the words “pit” and “net” have been transposed. “Net” goes with the verb “hid” in the first line (see v. 8, as well as Pss 9:15; 31:4), while “pit” goes with the verb “dug” in the second line (see Ps 7:15).
[35:8] 20 tn Heb “let destruction [which] he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.
[35:8] 21 tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.
[35:9] 22 tn Heb “then my soul will rejoice in the
[35:10] 23 tn Heb “all my bones will say.”
[35:10] 24 tn Heb “[the one who] rescues.” The substantival participle in the Hebrew text characterizes God as one who typically rescues the oppressed.
[35:10] 25 tn Heb “from [the one who is] too strong for him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense. The typical oppressed individual and typical oppressor are in view.
[35:10] 26 tn Heb “the oppressed [one] and needy [one] from [the one who] robs him.” As in the previous line, the singular forms are used in a representative sense.
[35:11] 27 tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”
[35:11] 28 tn Heb “[that] which I do not know they ask me.”
[35:12] 29 tn Heb “they repay me evil instead of good.”
[35:12] 30 tn Heb “[there is] bereavement to my soul.”
[35:13] 31 tn Heb “as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.” Sackcloth was worn by mourners. When the psalmist’s enemies were sick, he was sorry for their misfortune and mourned for them.
[35:13] 32 sn Fasting was also a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities, such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
[35:13] 33 tn Heb “and my prayer upon my chest will return.” One could translate, “but my prayer was returning upon my chest,” but the use of the imperfect verbal form sets this line apart from the preceding and following lines (vv. 13a, 14), which use the perfect to describe the psalmist’s past actions.
[35:14] 34 tn Heb “like a friend, like a brother to me I walked about.”
[35:14] 35 sn I bowed down. Bowing down was a posture for mourning. See Ps 38:6.
[35:14] 36 tn Heb “like mourning for a mother [in] sorrow I bowed down.”
[35:15] 37 tn Heb “they gathered together against me, stricken [ones], and I did not know.” The Hebrew form נֵכִים (nekhim, “stricken ones” ?) is problematic. Some suggest an emendation to נָכְרִים[כְ] (kÿnokhÿrim, “foreigners”) or “like foreigners,” which would fit with what follows, “[like] foreigners that I do not recognize.” Perhaps the form should be read as a Qal active participle, נֹכִים (nokhim, “ones who strike”) from the verbal root נָכָה (nakhah, “to strike”). The Qal of this verb is unattested in biblical Hebrew, but the peal (basic) stem appears in Old Aramaic (J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire [BibOr], 114; DNWSI 1:730.) In this case one might translate, “attackers gathered together against me though I was not aware of it” (cf. NASB “smiters”; NEB, NRSV “ruffians”; NIV “attackers”).
[35:15] 38 tn Heb “they tore and did not keep quiet.” By using the verb “tear,” the psalmist likens his enemies to a wild animal (see Hos 13:8). In v. 17 he compares them to hungry young lions.
[35:16] 39 tc The MT reads “as profane [ones] of mockers of food,” which is nonsensical. The present translation assumes (1) an emendation of בְּחַנְפֵי (bÿkhanfey, “as profane men”) to בְּחַנְפִי (bekhanfiy, “when I tripped”; preposition + Qal infinitive construct from II חָנַף [“limp”] + first common singular pronominal suffix) and (2) an emendation of לַעֲגֵי מָעוֹג (la’agey ma’og, “mockers of food”) to עָגוּ[ם]לַעְגָּ (la’gam ’agu, “[with] taunting they taunted”; masculine plural noun with enclitic mem + Qal perfect third common plural from לַּעַג [la’ag, “taunt”]).
[35:16] 40 tn Heb “gnashing at me with their teeth.” The infinitive absolute adds a complementary action – they gnashed with their teeth as they taunted.
[35:17] 41 tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”
[35:17] 42 tn Heb “bring back, restore.”
[35:17] 44 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).
[35:18] 45 sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Ps 22:25.
[35:18] 46 tn Heb “among numerous people.”
[35:19] 47 tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Ps 38:19).
[35:19] 49 tn Heb “[do not let] those who hate me without cause pinch [i.e., wink] an eye.” The negative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (see the preceding line). In the Book of Proverbs “winking an eye” is associated with deceit and trickery (see 6:13; 10:10; 16:30).
[35:20] 50 tn Heb “for they do not speak peace.”
[35:20] 51 tn Heb “but against the quiet ones of the land words of deceit they plan.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 20 highlight their characteristic behavior.
[35:21] 52 tn Heb “and they cause their mouth to be wide against me.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the generalizing mood of the previous verse. For other examples of this use of the prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive, see GKC 329 §111.t.
[35:21] 53 tn Heb “our eye sees.” Apparently this is an idiom meaning to “look in triumph” or “gloat over” (see Ps 54:7).
[35:22] 54 tn Heb “you see, O
[35:23] 55 sn Though he is confident that the Lord is aware of his situation (see v. 22a), the psalmist compares the Lord’s inactivity to sleep and urges him to wake up.
[35:23] 56 tn Heb “for my justice.”
[35:23] 57 tn Heb “for my cause.”
[35:25] 59 tn Heb “in their heart[s].”
[35:25] 60 tn Heb “Aha! Our desire!” The “desire” of the psalmist’s enemies is to triumph over him.
[35:26] 61 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”
[35:26] 62 tn Heb “may they be clothed with shame and humiliation, the ones who magnify [themselves] against me.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 26 are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-25, where the negative particle אַל (’al) appears before the prefixed verbal forms, indicating they are jussives). The psalmist is calling down judgment on his enemies.
[35:27] 63 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27a are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-26).
[35:27] 64 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
[35:27] 65 tn Heb “the one who desires the peace of his servant.”
[35:28] 66 tn Heb “and my tongue will proclaim your justice.”
[35:28] 67 tn Heb “all the day your praise.” The verb “proclaim” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
[108:2] 68 tn BDB 1007 s.v. שַׁחַר takes “dawn” as an adverbial accusative, though others understand it as a personified direct object. “Dawn” is used metaphorically for the time of deliverance and vindication the psalmist anticipates. When salvation “dawns,” the psalmist will “wake up” in praise.
[108:1] 69 sn Psalm 108. With some minor variations, this psalm is a composite of Ps 57:7-11 (see vv. 1-5) and Ps 60:5-12 (see vv. 6-13).
[108:1] 70 tn Or perhaps “confident”; Heb “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.
[108:1] 71 tn Heb “also my glory,” but this makes little sense in the context. Some view the term כָּבוֹד (“glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvodiy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 57:9; as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 3:93. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”
[1:1] 72 sn Psalm 1. In this wisdom psalm the author advises his audience to reject the lifestyle of the wicked and to be loyal to God. The psalmist contrasts the destiny of the wicked with that of the righteous, emphasizing that the wicked are eventually destroyed while the godly prosper under the Lord’s protective care.
[1:1] 73 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 3; Pss 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[1:1] 74 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. 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.” (Generic “he” is employed in vv. 2-3). Since the godly man described in the psalm is representative of followers of God (note the plural form צַדִּיקִים [tsadiqim, “righteous, godly”] in vv. 5-6), one could translate the collective singular with the plural “those” both here and in vv. 2-3, where singular pronouns and verbal forms are utilized in the Hebrew text (cf. NRSV). However, here the singular form may emphasize that godly individuals are usually outnumbered by the wicked. Retaining the singular allows the translation to retain this emphasis.
[1:1] 75 tn Heb “walk in.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 1 refer in this context to characteristic behavior. The sequence “walk–stand–sit” envisions a progression from relatively casual association with the wicked to complete identification with them.
[1:1] 76 tn The Hebrew noun translated “advice” most often refers to the “counsel” or “advice” one receives from others. To “walk in the advice of the wicked” means to allow their evil advice to impact and determine one’s behavior.
[1:1] 77 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).
[1:1] 78 tn “Pathway” here refers to the lifestyle of sinners. To “stand in the pathway of/with sinners” means to closely associate with them in their sinful behavior.
[1:1] 79 tn Here the Hebrew term מוֹשַׁב (moshav), although often translated “seat” (cf. NEB, NIV), appears to refer to the whole assembly of evildoers. The word also carries the semantic nuance “assembly” in Ps 107:32, where it is in synonymous parallelism with קָהָל (qahal, “assembly”).
[1:1] 80 tn The Hebrew word refers to arrogant individuals (Prov 21:24) who love conflict (Prov 22:10) and vociferously reject wisdom and correction (Prov 1:22; 9:7-8; 13:1; 15:12). To “sit in the assembly” of such people means to completely identify with them in their proud, sinful plans and behavior.
[1:2] 81 tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.
[1:2] 82 tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the
[1:2] 83 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.
[1:3] 85 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same characteristic force as the imperfect in the preceding verse. According to the psalmist, the one who studies and obeys God’s commands typically prospers.
[1:3] 86 tn Heb “channels of water.”
[1:3] 88 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the typical nature of the actions/states they describe.
[1:3] 89 tn Heb “in its season.”
[1:3] 90 tn Or “fade”; “wither.”
[1:3] sn The author compares the godly individual to a tree that has a rich water supply (planted by flowing streams), develops a strong root system, and is filled with leaves and fruit. The simile suggests that the godly have a continual source of life which in turn produces stability and uninterrupted prosperity.
[1:3] 91 tn Heb “and all which he does prospers”; or “and all which he does he causes to prosper.” (The simile of the tree does not extend to this line.) It is not certain if the Hiphil verbal form (יַצְלִיחַ, yatsliakh) is intransitive-exhibitive (“prospers”) or causative (“causes to prosper”) here. If the verb is intransitive, then כֹּל (kol, “all, everything”) is the subject. If the verb is causative, then the godly individual or the Lord himself is the subject and כֹּל is the object. The wording is reminiscent of Josh 1:8, where the Lord tells Joshua: “This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper (literally, “cause your way to prosper”) and be successful.”
[1:4] 92 tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead,” cf. v. 2) introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described in v. 4.
[1:4] 93 tn Heb “[they are] like the chaff which [the] wind blows about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action described.
[1:4] sn Wind-driven chaff. In contrast to the well-rooted and productive tree described in v. 3, the wicked are like a dried up plant that has no root system and is blown away by the wind. The simile describes the destiny of the wicked (see vv. 5-6).
[1:5] 95 tn Heb “arise in,” but the verb is used metonymically here in the sense of “stand”; “endure,” as in 1 Sam 13:14 and Job 8:15. The negated Hebrew imperfect verbal form is here taken as indicating incapability or lack of potential, though one could understand the verb form as indicating what is typical (“do not withstand”) or what will happen (“will not withstand”).
[1:5] 96 tn Heb “the judgment.” The article indicates a judgment that is definite in the mind of the speaker. In the immediate context this probably does not refer to the “final judgment” described in later biblical revelation, but to a temporal/historical judgment which the author anticipates. Periodically during the OT period, God would come in judgment, removing the wicked from the scene, while preserving a godly remnant (see Gen 6-9; Ps 37; Hab 3).
[1:5] 97 tn Heb “and sinners in the assembly (or “circle”) of [the] godly.” The negative particle and verb from the preceding line are assumed by ellipsis here (“will not arise/stand”).
[1:5] sn The assembly of the godly is insulated from divine judgment (Ps 37:12-17, 28-29).
[1:6] 98 tn The translation understands כי as asseverative. Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 6 as a theological explanation for vv. 3-5, which contrasts the respective destinies of the godly and the wicked.
[1:6] 99 tn Heb “the
[1:6] 100 tn Heb “but the way of the wicked perishes.” The “way of the wicked” may refer to their course of life (Ps 146:9; Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1) or their sinful behavior (Prov 12:26; 15:9). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form probably describes here what typically happens, though one could take the form as indicating what will happen (“will perish”).
