Boks TemuanPsalms 60:1--66:20
KonteksFor the music director; according to the shushan-eduth style; 2 a prayer 3 of David written to instruct others. 4 It was written when he fought against Aram Naharaim and Aram-Zobah. That was when Joab turned back and struck down 5 12,000 Edomites 6 in the Valley of Salt. 7
60:1 O God, you have rejected us. 8
You suddenly turned on us in your anger. 9
Please restore us! 10
60:2 You made the earth quake; you split it open. 11
Repair its breaches, for it is ready to fall. 12
60:3 You have made your people experience hard times; 13
you have made us drink intoxicating wine. 14
60:4 You have given your loyal followers 15 a rallying flag,
so that they might seek safety from the bow. 16 (Selah)
60:5 Deliver by your power 17 and answer me, 18
so that the ones you love may be safe. 19
60:6 God has spoken in his sanctuary: 20
“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem;
the Valley of Succoth I will measure off. 21
60:7 Gilead belongs to me,
as does Manasseh! 22
Ephraim is my helmet, 23
Judah my royal scepter. 24
I will make Edom serve me. 26
I will shout in triumph over Philistia.” 27
60:9 Who will lead me into the fortified city?
Who will bring me to Edom? 28
60:10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
O God, you do not go into battle with our armies.
60:11 Give us help against the enemy,
for any help men might offer is futile. 29
60:12 By God’s power we will conquer; 30
he will trample down 31 our enemies.
For the music director; to be played on a stringed instrument; written by David.
61:1 O God, hear my cry for help!
Pay attention to my prayer!
61:2 From the most remote place on earth 33
I call out to you in my despair. 34
Lead me 35 up to an inaccessible rocky summit! 36
61:3 Indeed, 37 you are 38 my shelter,
a strong tower that protects me from the enemy. 39
61:4 I will be a permanent guest in your home; 40
I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. 41 (Selah)
61:5 For you, O God, hear my vows;
you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers. 42
61:6 Give the king long life!
Make his lifetime span several generations! 43
61:7 May he reign 44 forever before God!
Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness should protect him. 45
61:8 Then I will sing praises to your name continually, 46
as I fulfill 47 my vows day after day.
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
62:1 For God alone I patiently wait; 49
he is the one who delivers me. 50
62:2 He alone is my protector 51 and deliverer.
He is my refuge; 52 I will not be upended. 53
62:3 How long will you threaten 54 a man?
All of you are murderers, 55
as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence. 56
62:4 They 57 spend all their time planning how to bring him 58 down. 59
They love to use deceit; 60
they pronounce blessings with their mouths,
but inwardly they utter curses. 61 (Selah)
62:5 Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! 62
For he is the one who gives me confidence. 63
62:6 He alone is my protector 64 and deliverer.
He is my refuge; 65 I will not be upended. 66
62:7 God delivers me and exalts me;
God is my strong protector and my shelter. 67
62:8 Trust in him at all times, you people!
Pour out your hearts before him! 68
God is our shelter! (Selah)
62:9 Men are nothing but a mere breath;
human beings are unreliable. 69
When they are weighed in the scales,
all of them together are lighter than air. 70
62:10 Do not trust in what you can gain by oppression! 71
Do not put false confidence in what you can gain by robbery! 72
If wealth increases, do not become attached to it! 73
62:11 God has declared one principle;
two principles I have heard: 74
God is strong, 75
62:12 and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love. 76
For you repay men for what they do. 77
A psalm of David, written when he was in the Judean wilderness. 79
63:1 O God, you are my God! I long for you! 80
My soul thirsts 81 for you,
my flesh yearns for you,
in a dry and parched 82 land where there is no water.
63:2 Yes, 83 in the sanctuary I have seen you, 84
and witnessed 85 your power and splendor.
63:3 Because 86 experiencing 87 your loyal love is better than life itself,
my lips will praise you.
63:4 For this reason 88 I will praise you while I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands. 89
63:5 As if with choice meat 90 you satisfy my soul. 91
My mouth joyfully praises you, 92
63:6 whenever 93 I remember you on my bed,
and think about you during the nighttime hours.
63:7 For you are my deliverer; 94
under your wings 95 I rejoice.
63:8 My soul 96 pursues you; 97
your right hand upholds me.
63:9 Enemies seek to destroy my life, 98
but they will descend into the depths of the earth. 99
63:10 Each one will be handed over to the sword; 100
their corpses will be eaten by jackals. 101
63:11 But the king 102 will rejoice in God;
everyone who takes oaths in his name 103 will boast,
for the mouths of those who speak lies will be shut up. 104
For the music director; a psalm of David.
64:1 Listen to me, 106 O God, as I offer my lament!
Protect 107 my life from the enemy’s terrifying attacks. 108
64:2 Hide me from the plots of evil men,
from the crowd of evildoers. 109
64:3 They 110 sharpen their tongues like a sword;
they aim their arrow, a slanderous charge, 111
64:4 in order to shoot down the innocent 112 in secluded places.
They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation. 113
64:5 They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. 114
They plan how to hide 115 snares,
and boast, 116 “Who will see them?” 117
64:6 They devise 118 unjust schemes;
they disguise 119 a well-conceived plot. 120
Man’s inner thoughts cannot be discovered. 121
64:7 But God will shoot 122 at them;
suddenly they will be 123 wounded by an arrow. 124
64:8 Their slander will bring about their demise. 125
All who see them will shudder, 126
64:9 and all people will fear. 127
They will proclaim 128 what God has done,
and reflect on his deeds.
64:10 The godly will rejoice in the Lord
and take shelter in him.
All the morally upright 129 will boast. 130
For the music director; a psalm of David, a song.
65:1 Praise awaits you, 132 O God, in Zion.
Vows made to you are fulfilled.
all people approach you. 134
65:3 Our record of sins overwhelms me, 135
but you forgive 136 our acts of rebellion.
65:4 How blessed 137 is the one whom you choose,
and allow to live in your palace courts. 138
May we be satisfied with the good things of your house –
your holy palace. 139
65:5 You answer our prayers by performing awesome acts of deliverance,
O God, our savior. 140
All the ends of the earth trust in you, 141
as well as those living across the wide seas. 142
65:6 You created the mountains by your power, 143
and demonstrated your strength. 144
65:7 You calm the raging seas 145
and their roaring waves,
as well as the commotion made by the nations. 146
65:8 Even those living in the most remote areas are awestruck by your acts; 147
you cause those living in the east and west to praise you. 148
65:9 You visit the earth and give it rain; 149
you make it rich and fertile 150
with overflowing streams full of water. 151
You provide grain for them, 152
for you prepare the earth to yield its crops. 153
65:10 You saturate 154 its furrows,
and soak 155 its plowed ground. 156
With rain showers you soften its soil, 157
and make its crops grow. 158
65:11 You crown the year with your good blessings, 159
and you leave abundance in your wake. 160
65:12 The pastures in the wilderness glisten with moisture, 161
and the hills are clothed with joy. 162
65:13 The meadows are clothed with sheep,
and the valleys are covered with grain.
They shout joyfully, yes, they sing.
For the music director; a song, a psalm.
66:1 Shout out praise to God, all the earth!
66:2 Sing praises about the majesty of his reputation! 164
Give him the honor he deserves! 165
66:3 Say to God:
“How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power your enemies cower in fear 166 before you.
66:4 All the earth worships 167 you
and sings praises to you!
They sing praises to your name!” (Selah)
66:5 Come and witness 168 God’s exploits! 169
His acts on behalf of people are awesome! 170
66:6 He turned the sea into dry land; 171
they passed through the river on foot. 172
Let us rejoice in him there! 173
66:7 He rules 174 by his power forever;
he watches 175 the nations.
Stubborn rebels should not exalt 176 themselves. (Selah)
66:8 Praise 177 our God, you nations!
Loudly proclaim his praise! 178
66:9 He preserves our lives 179
and does not allow our feet to slip.
66:10 For 180 you, O God, tested us;
you purified us like refined silver.
66:11 You led us into a trap; 181
you caused us to suffer. 182
66:12 You allowed men to ride over our heads;
we passed through fire and water,
but you brought us out into a wide open place. 183
66:13 I will enter 184 your temple with burnt sacrifices;
I will fulfill the vows I made to you,
66:14 which my lips uttered
and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
66:15 I will offer up to you fattened animals as burnt sacrifices,
along with the smell of sacrificial rams.
I will offer cattle and goats. (Selah)
66:16 Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God! 185
I will declare what he has done for me.
66:17 I cried out to him for help 186
and praised him with my tongue. 187
66:18 If I had harbored sin in my heart, 188
the Lord would not have listened.
66:19 However, God heard;
he listened to my prayer.
66:20 God deserves praise, 189
for 190 he did not reject my prayer
or abandon his love for me! 191
[60:1] 1 sn Psalm 60. The psalmist grieves over Israel’s humiliation, but in response to God’s assuring word, he asks for divine help in battle and expresses his confidence in victory.
[60:1] 2 tn The Hebrew expression means “lily of the testimony.” It may refer to a particular music style or to a tune title.
[60:1] 3 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-59, is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
[60:1] 5 tn In Josh 8:21 and Judg 20:48 the two verbs “turn back” and “strike down” are also juxtaposed. There they refer to a military counter-attack.
[60:1] 6 tn Heb “12,000 of Edom.” Perhaps one should read אֲרַם (’aram, “Aram”) here rather than אֱדוֹם (’edom, “Edom”).
[60:1] 7 sn The heading apparently refers to the military campaign recorded in 2 Sam 10 and 1 Chr 19.
[60:1] 8 sn You have rejected us. See Pss 43:2; 44:9, 23.
[60:1] 9 tn Heb “you broke out upon us, you were angry.”
[60:1] 10 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
[60:2] 11 tn The verb פָּצַם (patsam, “split open”) occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “crack,” and an Aramaic cognate is used in Tg. Jer 22:14 with the meaning “break open, frame.” See BDB 822 s.v. and Jastrow 1205 s.v. פְּצַם.
[60:2] 12 sn It is ready to fall. The earth is compared to a wall that has been broken by the force of the earthquake (note the preceding line) and is ready to collapse.
[60:3] 21 tn Heb “you have caused your people to see [what is] hard.”
[60:3] 22 tn Heb “wine of staggering,” that is, intoxicating wine that makes one stagger in drunkenness. Intoxicating wine is here an image of divine judgment that makes its victims stagger like drunkards. See Isa 51:17-23.
[60:4] 31 tn Heb “those who fear you.”
[60:4] 32 tn There is a ray of hope in that God has allowed his loyal followers to rally under a battle flag. The translation assumes the verb is from the root נוּס (nus, “flee”) used here in the Hitpolel in the sense of “find safety for oneself” (HALOT 681 s.v. נוס) or “take flight for oneself” (BDB 630-31 s.v. נוּס). Another option is to take the verb as a denominative from נֵס (nes, “flag”) and translate “that it may be displayed” (BDB 651 s.v. II נסס) or “that they may assemble under the banner” (HALOT 704 s.v. II נסס). Here קֹשֶׁט (qoshet) is taken as an Aramaized form of קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “bow”; BDB 905-6 s.v. קֶשֶׁת), though some understand the homonymic קֹשְׁטְ (qosht, “truth”) here (see Prov 22:21; cf. NASB). If one follows the latter interpretation, the line may be translated, “so that they might assemble under the banner for the sake of truth.”
[60:5] 41 tn Heb “right hand.”
[60:5] 42 tn The Qere (marginal reading) has “me,” while the Kethib (consonantal text) has “us.”
[60:5] 43 tn Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text, “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”
[60:6] 51 tn Heb “in his holy place.”
[60:6] 52 sn Shechem stands for the territory west of the Jordan, the Valley of Succoth for the region east of the Jordan.
[60:7] 61 sn Gilead was located east of the Jordan. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.
[60:7] 62 tn Heb “the protection of my head.”
[60:7] 63 sn Judah, like Ephraim, was the other major tribe west of the Jordan. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.
[60:8] 71 sn The metaphor of the washbasin, used to rinse one’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 6-7), would be reduced to the status of a servant.
[60:8] 72 tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of,” i.e., “I will take possession of Edom.” Others translate עַל (’al) as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.
[60:8] 73 tc Heb “over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph.” The translation follows the text of Ps 108:9. When the initial עֲלֵיוֹ (’aleyo, “over”) was misread as עָלַי (’alay, “over me”), the first person verb form was probably altered to an imperative to provide better sense to the line.
[60:9] 81 sn In v. 9 the psalmist speaks again and acknowledges his need for help in battle. He hopes God will volunteer, based on the affirmation of sovereignty over Edom in v. 8, but he is also aware that God has seemingly rejected the nation (v. 10, see also v. 1).
[60:11] 91 tn Heb “and futile [is] the deliverance of man.”
[60:12] 101 tn Heb “in God we will accomplish strength.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 108:13; 118:15-16).
[60:12] 102 sn Trample down. On this expression see Ps 44:5.
[61:1] 111 sn Psalm 61. The psalmist cries out for help and expresses his confidence that God will protect him.
[61:2] 121 tn Heb “from the end of the earth.” This may indicate (1) the psalmist is exiled in a distant land, or (2) it may be hyperbolic (the psalmist feels alienated from God’s presence, as if he were in a distant land).
[61:2] 122 tn Heb “while my heart faints.”
[61:2] 123 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
[61:2] 124 tn Heb “on to a rocky summit [that] is higher than I.”
[61:3] 133 tn Heb “a strong tower from the face of an enemy.”
[61:4] 141 tn Heb “I will live as a resident alien in your tent permanently.” The cohortative is understood here as indicating resolve. Another option is to take it as expressing a request, “please let me live” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[61:4] 142 sn I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.
[61:5] 151 tn Heb “you grant the inheritance of those who fear your name.” “Inheritance” is normally used of land which is granted as an inheritance; here it refers metaphorically to the blessings granted God’s loyal followers. To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).
[61:6] 161 tn Heb “days upon days of the king add, his years like generation and generation.”
[61:7] 171 tn Heb “sit [enthroned].” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive here, expressing the psalmist’s prayer.
[61:7] 172 tn Heb “loyal love and faithfulness appoint, let them protect him.”
[61:8] 182 tn Or perhaps, “and thereby fulfill.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.
[62:1] 191 sn Psalm 62. The psalmist expresses his unwavering confidence in God’s justice and in his ability to protect his people.
[62:1] 192 tn Heb “only for God [is] there silence [to] my soul.”
[62:1] 193 tn Heb “from him [is] my deliverance.”
[62:2] 201 tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
[62:2] 202 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
[62:2] 203 tn The Hebrew text adds רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) at the end of the line. It is unusual for this adverb to follow a negated verb. Some see this as qualifying the assertion to some degree, but this would water down the affirmation too much (see v. 6b, where the adverb is omitted). If the adverb has a qualifying function, it would suggest that the psalmist might be upended, though not severely. This is inconsistent with the confident mood of the psalm. The adverb probably has an emphatic force here, “I will not be greatly upended” meaning “I will not be annihilated.”
[62:3] 211 tn The verb form is plural; the psalmist addresses his enemies. The verb הוּת occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “shout at.”
[62:3] 212 tn The Hebrew text has a Pual (passive) form, but the verb form should be vocalized as a Piel (active) form. See BDB 953-54 s.v. רָצַח.
[62:3] 213 tn Heb “like a bent wall and a broken fence.” The point of the comparison is not entirely clear. Perhaps the enemies are depicted as dangerous, like a leaning wall or broken fence that is in danger of falling on someone (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:69).
[62:4] 221 tn That is, the psalmist’s enemies addressed in the previous verse.
[62:4] 222 tn That is, the generic “man” referred to in the previous verse.
[62:4] 223 tn Heb “only from his lofty place [or perhaps, “dignity”] they plan to drive [him] away.”
[62:4] 224 tn Heb “they delight [in] a lie.”
[62:4] 225 sn The enemies use deceit to bring down their victim. They make him think they are his friends by pronouncing blessings upon him, but inwardly they desire his demise.
[62:5] 231 tn Heb “only for God be silent, my soul.” The wording is similar to that of v. 1a. Here an imperatival form, דּוֹמִּי (dommiy, “be silent”), appears instead of the noun דּוּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”). The psalmist is encouraging himself to maintain his trust in God.
[62:5] 232 tn Heb “for from him [is] my hope.”
[62:6] 241 tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
[62:6] 242 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
[62:6] 243 sn The wording is identical to that of v. 2, except that רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) does not appear in v. 6.
[62:7] 251 tn Heb “upon God [is] my deliverance and my glory, the high rocky summit of my strength, my shelter [is] in God.”
[62:8] 261 tn To “pour out one’s heart” means to offer up to God intense, emotional lamentation and petitionary prayers (see Lam 2:19).
[62:9] 271 tn Heb “only a breath [are] the sons of mankind, a lie [are] the sons of man.” The phrases “sons of mankind” and “sons of man” also appear together in Ps 49:2. Because of the parallel line there, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, a number of interpreters and translators treat these expressions as polar opposites, בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes. But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand the phrases as synonymous expressions.
[62:9] 272 tn The noun הֶבֶל (hevel), translated “a breath” earlier in the verse, appears again here.
[62:10] 281 tn Heb “do not trust in oppression.” Here “oppression” stands by metonymy for the riches that can be gained by oppressive measures, as the final line of the verse indicates.
[62:10] 282 tn Heb “and in robbery do not place vain hope.” Here “robbery” stands by metonymy for the riches that can be gained by theft, as the next line of the verse indicates.
[62:10] 283 tn Heb “[as for] wealth, when it bears fruit, do not set [your] heart [on it].”
[62:11] 291 tn Heb “one God spoke, two which I heard.” This is a numerical saying utilizing the “x” followed by “x + 1” pattern to facilitate poetic parallelism. (See W. M. W. Roth, Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament [VTSup], 55-56.) As is typical in such sayings, a list corresponding to the second number (in this case “two”) follows. Another option is to translate, “God has spoken once, twice [he has spoken] that which I have heard.” The terms אַחַת (’akhat, “one; once”) and שְׁתַּיִם (shÿtayim, “two; twice”) are also juxtaposed in 2 Kgs 6:10 (where they refer to an action that was done more than “once or twice”) and in Job 33:14 (where they refer to God speaking “one way” and then in “another manner”).
[62:11] 292 tn Heb “that strength [belongs] to God.”
[62:12] 301 tn Heb “and to you, O Master, [is] loyal love.”
[62:12] 302 tn Heb “for you pay back to a man according to his deed.” Another option is to understand vv. 11b and 12a as the first principle and v. 12b as the second. In this case one might translate, “God has declared one principle, two principles I have heard, namely, that God is strong, and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love, and that you repay men for what they do.”
[63:1] 311 sn Psalm 63. The psalmist expresses his intense desire to be in God’s presence and confidently affirms that God will judge his enemies.
[63:1] 312 sn According to the psalm superscription David wrote the psalm while in the “wilderness of Judah.” Perhaps this refers to the period described in 1 Sam 23-24 or to the incident mentioned in 2 Sam 15:23.
[63:1] 313 tn Or “I will seek you.”
[63:1] 315 tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” This may picture the land as “faint” or “weary,” or it may allude to the effect this dry desert has on those who are forced to live in it.
[63:2] 321 tn The Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used here to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4).
[63:2] 322 tn The perfect verbal form is understood here as referring to a past experience which the psalmist desires to be repeated. Another option is to take the perfect as indicating the psalmist’s certitude that he will again stand in God’s presence in the sanctuary. In this case one can translate, “I will see you.”
[63:2] 323 tn Heb “seeing.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.
[63:3] 331 tn This line is understood as giving the basis for the praise promised in the following line. Another option is to take the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) as asseverative/emphasizing, “Indeed, your loyal love is better” (cf. NEB, which leaves the particle untranslated).
[63:3] 332 tn The word “experiencing” is supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist does not speak here of divine loyal love in some abstract sense, but of loyal love revealed and experienced.
[63:4] 341 tn Or perhaps “then.”
[63:4] 342 sn I will lift up my hands. Lifting up one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer (see Ps 28:2; Lam 2:19) or respect (Ps 119:48).
[63:5] 351 tn Heb “like fat and fatness.”
[63:5] 353 tn Heb “and [with] lips of joy my mouth praises.”
[63:6] 361 tn The Hebrew term אִם (’im) is used here in the sense of “when; whenever,” as in Ps 78:34.
[63:7] 371 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[63:7] 372 tn Heb “in the shadow of your wings.”
[63:8] 381 tn Or “I.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[63:8] 382 tn Heb “clings after.” The expression means “to pursue with determination” (see Judg 20:45; 1 Sam 14:22; 1 Chr 10:2; Jer 42:16).
[63:9] 391 tn Heb “but they for destruction seek my life.” The pronoun “they” must refer here to the psalmist’s enemies, referred to at this point for the first time in the psalm.
[63:9] 392 sn The depths of the earth refers here to the underworld dwelling place of the dead (see Ezek 26:20; 31:14, 16, 18; 32:18, 24). See L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 167.
[63:10] 401 tn Heb “they will deliver him over to the sword.” The third masculine plural subject must be indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f) and the singular pronominal suffix either representative or distributive (emphasizing that each one will be so treated). Active verbs with indefinite subjects may be translated as passives with the object (in the Hebrew text) as subject (in the translation).
[63:10] 402 tn Heb “they will be [the] portion of jackals”; traditionally, “of foxes.”
[63:11] 411 sn The psalmist probably refers to himself in the third person here.
[63:11] 412 tn Heb “who swears [an oath] by him.”
[63:11] 413 tn The Niphal of this verb occurs only here and in Gen 8:2, where it is used of God “stopping” or “damming up” the great deep as he brought the flood to an end.
[64:1] 421 sn Psalm 64. The psalmist asks God to protect him from his dangerous enemies and then confidently affirms that God will destroy his enemies and demonstrate his justice in the sight of all observers.
[64:1] 423 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s request.
[64:1] 424 tn Heb “from the terror of [the] enemy.” “Terror” is used here metonymically for the enemy’s attacks that produce fear because they threaten the psalmist’s life.
[64:2] 431 tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
[64:3] 441 tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[64:3] 442 tn Heb “a bitter word.”
[64:4] 451 tn The psalmist uses the singular because he is referring to himself here as representative of a larger group.
[64:4] 452 tn Heb “and are unafraid.” The words “of retaliation” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[64:5] 461 tn Heb “they give strength to themselves, an evil matter [or “word”].”
[64:5] 462 tn Heb “they report about hiding.”
[64:5] 464 tn If this is a direct quotation (cf. NASB, NIV), the pronoun “them” refers to the snares mentioned in the previous line. If it is an indirect quotation, then the pronoun may refer to the enemies themselves (cf. NEB, which is ambiguous). Some translations retain the direct quotation but alter the pronoun to “us,” referring clearly to the enemies (cf. NRSV).
[64:6] 471 tn Heb “search out, examine,” which here means (by metonymy) “devise.”
[64:6] 472 tc The MT has תַּמְנוּ (tamnu, “we are finished”), a Qal perfect first common plural form from the verbal root תָּמַם (tamam). Some understand this as the beginning of a quotation of the enemies’ words and translate, “we have completed,” but the Hiphil would seem to be required in this case. The present translation follows many medieval Hebrew
[64:6] 473 tn Heb “a searched-out search,” which is understood as referring here to a thoroughly planned plot to destroy the psalmist.
[64:6] 474 tn Heb “and the inner part of man, and a heart [is] deep.” The point seems to be that a man’s inner thoughts are incapable of being discovered. No one is a mind reader! Consequently the psalmist is vulnerable to his enemies’ well-disguised plots.
[64:7] 481 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive is normally used in narrative contexts to describe completed past actions. It is possible that the conclusion to the psalm (vv. 7-10) was added to the lament after God’s judgment of the wicked in response to the psalmist’s lament (vv. 1-6). The translation assumes that these verses are anticipatory and express the psalmist’s confidence that God would eventually judge the wicked. The psalmist uses a narrative style as a rhetorical device to emphasize his certitude. See GKC 329-30 §111.w.
[64:7] 482 tn The perfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s certitude about the coming demise of the wicked.
[64:7] 483 tn The translation follows the traditional accentuation of the MT. Another option is to translate, “But God will shoot them down with an arrow, suddenly they will be wounded” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
[64:8] 491 tc The MT reads literally, “and they caused him to stumble, upon them, their tongue.” Perhaps the third plural subject of the verb is indefinite with the third singular pronominal suffix on the verb being distributive (see Ps 63:10). In this case one may translate, “each one will be made to stumble.” The preposition עַל (’al) might then be taken as adversative, “against them [is] their tongue.” Many prefer to emend the text to וַיַּכְשִׁילֵמוֹ עֲלֵי לְשׁוֹנָם (vayyakhshilemo ’aley lÿshonam, “and he caused them to stumble over their tongue”). However, if this reading is original, it is difficult to see how the present reading of the MT arose. Furthermore, the preposition is not collocated with the verb כָּשַׁל (kashal) elsewhere. It is likely that the MT is corrupt, but a satisfying emendation has not yet been proposed.
[64:8] 492 tn The Hitpolel verbal form is probably from the root נוּד (nud; see HALOT 678 s.v. נוד), which is attested elsewhere in the Hitpolel stem, not the root נָדַד (nadad, as proposed by BDB 622 s.v. I נָדַד), which does not occur elsewhere in this stem.
[64:9] 501 tc Many medieval Hebrew
[64:9] 502 tn Heb “the work of God,” referring to the judgment described in v. 7.
[64:10] 511 tn Heb “upright in heart.”
[64:10] 512 tn That is, about the
[65:1] 521 sn Psalm 65. The psalmist praises God because he forgives sin and blesses his people with an abundant harvest.
[65:1] 522 tn Heb “for you, silence, praise.” Many prefer to emend the noun דֻּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”) to a participle דּוֹמִיָּה (domiyyah), from the root דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”), understood here in the sense of “wait.”
[65:2] 531 tn Heb “O one who hears prayer.”
[65:2] 532 tn Heb “to you all flesh comes.”
[65:3] 541 tn Heb “the records of sins are too strong for me.”
[65:3] 542 tn Or “make atonement for.”
[65:4] 551 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; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[65:4] 552 tn Heb “[whom] you bring near [so that] he might live [in] your courts.”
[65:5] 561 tn Heb “[with] awesome acts in deliverance you answer us, O God of our salvation.”
[65:5] 562 tn Heb “a source of confidence [for] all the ends of the earth.”
[65:5] 563 tc Heb “and [the] distant sea.” The plural adjective is problematic after the singular form “sea.” One could emend יָם (yam, “sea”) to יָמִים (yamim, “seas”), or emend the plural form רְחֹקִים (rÿkhoqim, “far”) to the singular רָחֹק (rakhoq). In this case the final mem (ם) could be treated as dittographic; note the mem on the beginning of the first word in v. 6.
[65:6] 571 tn Heb “[the] one who establishes [the] mountains by his power.”
[65:6] 572 tn Heb “one [who] is girded with strength”; or “one [who] girds himself with strength.”
[65:7] 581 tn Heb “the roar of the seas.”
[65:7] 582 sn The raging seas…the commotion made by the nations. The raging seas symbolize the turbulent nations of the earth (see Ps 46:2-3, 6; Isa 17:12).
[65:8] 591 tn Heb “and the inhabitants of the ends fear because of your signs.” God’s “signs” are the “awesome acts” (see v. 5) he performs in the earth.
[65:8] 592 tn Heb “the goings out of the morning and the evening you cause to shout for joy.” The phrase “goings out of the morning and evening” refers to the sunrise and sunset, that is, the east and the west.
[65:9] 601 tn The verb form is a Polel from שׁוּק (shuq, “be abundant”), a verb which appears only here and in Joel 2:24 and 3:13, where it is used in the Hiphil stem and means “overflow.”
[65:9] 602 tn Heb “you greatly enrich it.”
[65:9] 603 tn Heb “[with] a channel of God full of water.” The divine name is probably used here in a superlative sense to depict a very deep stream (“a stream fit for God,” as it were).
[65:9] 604 tn The pronoun apparently refers to the people of the earth, mentioned in v. 8.
[65:9] 605 tn Heb “for thus [referring to the provision of rain described in the first half of the verse] you prepare it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix attached to the verb “prepare” refers back to the “earth,” which is a feminine noun with regard to grammatical form.
[65:10] 611 tn Heb “saturating” [the form is an infinitive absolute].
[65:10] 612 tn Heb “flatten, cause to sink.”
[65:10] 613 tn Heb “trenches,” or “furrows.”
[65:10] 614 tn Heb “soften it,” that is, the earth.
[65:10] 615 tn Heb “its vegetation you bless.” Divine “blessing” often involves endowing an object with special power or capacity.
[65:11] 621 tn Heb “your good,” which refers here to agricultural blessings.
[65:11] 622 tn Heb “and your paths drip with abundance.”
[65:12] 632 tn That is, with rich vegetation that brings joy to those who see it.
[66:1] 641 sn Psalm 66. The psalmist praises God because he has delivered his people from a crisis.
[66:2] 651 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[66:2] 652 tn Heb “make honorable his praise.”
[66:3] 661 tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 81:15 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “be weak, powerless” (see also Ps 109:24).
[66:4] 671 tn Or “bows down to.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are taken (1) as imperfects expressing what is typical. Another option (2) is to interpret them as anticipatory (“all the earth will worship you”) or (3) take them as jussives, expressing a prayer or wish (“may all the earth worship you”).
[66:5] 682 tn Or “acts” (see Ps 46:8).
[66:5] 683 tn Heb “awesome [is] an act toward the sons of man.” It is unclear how the prepositional phrase relates to what precedes. If collocated with “act,” it may mean “on behalf of” or “toward.” If taken with “awesome” (see 1 Chr 16:25; Pss 89:7; 96:4; Zeph 2:11), one might translate “his awesome acts are beyond human comprehension” or “his awesome acts are superior to anything men can do.”
[66:6] 691 sn He turned the sea into dry land. The psalmist alludes to Israel’s crossing the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).
[66:6] 692 tn Because of the reference to “the river,” some understand this as an allusion to Israel’s crossing the Jordan River. However, the Hebrew term נָהָר (nahad) does not always refer to a “river” in the technical sense; it can be used of sea currents (see Jonah 2:4). So this line may also refer to the Red Sea crossing (cf. NEB).
[66:6] 693 tn The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here, as often in poetic texts, to point “to a spot in which a scene is localized vividly in the imagination” (BDB 1027 s.v.).
[66:7] 701 tn Heb “[the] one who rules.”
[66:7] 702 tn Heb “his eyes watch.” “Eyes” are an anthropomorphism, attributed to God here to emphasize his awareness of all that happens on earth.
[66:7] 703 tn The verb form is jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ’al). The Kethib (consonantal text) has a Hiphil form of the verb, apparently to be understood in an exhibitive sense (“demonstrate stubborn rebellion”; see BDB 927 s.v. רוּם Hiph), while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Qal form, to be understood in an intransitive sense. The preposition -לְ (lamed) with pronominal suffix should be understood in a reflexive sense (“for themselves”) and indicates that the action is performed with the interest of the subject in mind.
[66:8] 711 tn Heb “bless,” in the sense of declaring “God to be the source of…special power” (see HALOT 160 s.v. II ברך pi).
[66:8] 712 tn Heb “cause the voice of his praise to be heard.”
[66:9] 721 tn Heb “the one who places our soul in life.”
[66:11] 741 tn Heb “you brought us into a net.” This rare word for “net” also occurs in Ezek 12:13; 13:21; 17:20.
[66:11] 742 tn Heb “you placed suffering on our hips.” The noun מוּעָקָה (mu’aqah, “suffering”) occurs only here in the OT.
[66:12] 751 tc The MT reads רְוָיָה (“saturation”) but this should be emended to רְוָחָה (rÿvakhah, “wide open place”; i.e., “relief”), a reading supported by several ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Jerome, Targum).
[66:13] 761 sn Here the psalmist switches to the singular; he speaks as the representative of the nation.
[66:16] 771 tn Heb “all of the fearers of God.”
[66:17] 781 tn Heb “to him [with] my mouth I called.”
[66:17] 782 tn Heb “and he was extolled under my tongue.” The form רוֹמַם (romam) appears to be a polal (passive) participle from רוּם (rum, “be exalted”), but many prefer to read רוֹמָם, “high praise [was under my tongue]” (cf. NEB). See BDB 928 s.v. רוֹמָם.
[66:18] 791 tn Heb “sin if I had seen in my heart.”
[66:20] 801 tn Heb “blessed [be] God.”
[66:20] 802 tn Or “who.” In a blessing formula after בָּרוּךְ (barukh, “blessed be”) the form אֲשֶׁר (’asher), whether taken as a relative pronoun or causal particle, introduces the basis for the blessing/praise.
[66:20] 803 tn Heb “did not turn aside my prayer and his loyal love with me.”
