Mazmur 24:1--26:12
KonteksA psalm of David.
24:1 The Lord owns the earth and all it contains,
the world and all who live in it.
24:2 For he set its foundation upon the seas,
and established 2 it upon the ocean currents. 3
24:3 Who is allowed to ascend 4 the mountain of the Lord? 5
Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?
24:4 The one whose deeds are blameless
and whose motives are pure, 6
who does not lie, 7
or make promises with no intention of keeping them. 8
24:5 Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, 9
and vindicated by the God who delivers them. 10
24:6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor,
Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him. 11 (Selah)
Rise up, 13 you eternal doors!
Then the majestic king 14 will enter! 15
24:8 Who is this majestic king? 16
The Lord who is strong and mighty!
The Lord who is mighty in battle!
24:9 Look up, you gates!
Rise up, you eternal doors!
Then the majestic king will enter!
24:10 Who is this majestic king?
The Lord who commands armies! 17
He is the majestic king! (Selah)
By David.
25:1 O Lord, I come before you in prayer. 19
25:2 My God, I trust in you.
Please do not let me be humiliated;
do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!
25:3 Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated.
Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted 20 and humiliated.
25:4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!
Teach me your paths! 21
25:5 Guide me into your truth 22 and teach me.
For you are the God who delivers me;
on you I rely all day long.
25:6 Remember 23 your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,
for you have always acted in this manner. 24
25:7 Do not hold against me 25 the sins of my youth 26 or my rebellious acts!
Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord! 27
25:8 The Lord is both kind and fair; 28
that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live. 29
25:9 May he show 30 the humble what is right! 31
May he teach 32 the humble his way!
25:10 The Lord always proves faithful and reliable 33
to those who follow the demands of his covenant. 34
25:11 For the sake of your reputation, 35 O Lord,
forgive my sin, because it is great. 36
25:12 The Lord shows his faithful followers
the way they should live. 37
25:13 They experience his favor; 38
their descendants 39 inherit the land. 40
25:14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, 41
and he reveals his covenantal demands to them. 42
25:15 I continually look to the Lord for help, 43
for he will free my feet from the enemy’s net. 44
25:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,
for I am alone 45 and oppressed!
25:17 Deliver me from my distress; 46
rescue me from my suffering! 47
25:18 See my pain and suffering!
Forgive all my sins! 48
25:19 Watch my enemies, for they outnumber me;
they hate me and want to harm me. 49
25:20 Protect me 50 and deliver me!
Please do not let me be humiliated,
for I have taken shelter in you!
25:21 May integrity and godliness protect me,
for I rely on you!
from all their distress! 52
By David.
26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have integrity, 54
and I trust in the Lord without wavering.
26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me!
Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives! 55
26:3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness, 56
and your loyalty continually motivates me. 57
26:4 I do not associate 58 with deceitful men,
or consort 59 with those who are dishonest. 60
26:5 I hate the mob 61 of evil men,
and do not associate 62 with the wicked.
26:6 I maintain a pure lifestyle, 63
so I can appear before your altar, 64 O Lord,
and to tell about all your amazing deeds. 66
26:8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live, 67
the place where your splendor is revealed. 68
26:9 Do not sweep me away 69 with sinners,
or execute me along with violent people, 70
26:10 who are always ready to do wrong 71
or offer a bribe. 72
26:11 But I have integrity! 73
Rescue me 74 and have mercy on me!
and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.
[24:1] 1 sn Psalm 24. The psalmist affirms the universal kingship of the sovereign creator, reminds his people that only the morally pure are qualified to worship him, and celebrates his splendor as a mighty warrior king.
[24:2] 2 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite, referring to the creation of the world.
[24:2] 3 sn He…established it upon the ocean currents. The description reflects ancient Israelite prescientific cosmology, which is based on outward appearances. The language also suggests that God’s creative work involved the subjugation of chaos, symbolized by the sea.
[24:3] 4 tn The imperfects in v. 3 are modal, expressing potential or permission.
[24:3] 5 sn In this context the Lord’s mountain probably refers to Zion/Jerusalem (see Isa 2:2-3).
[24:4] 6 tn Heb “the innocent of hands and the pure of heart.” The “hands” allude to one’s actions, the “heart” to one’s thought life and motives.
[24:4] 7 tn Heb “who does not lift up for emptiness my life.” The first person pronoun on נַפְשִׁי (nafshiy, “my life”) makes little sense here; many medieval Hebrew
[24:4] 8 tn Heb “and does not swear an oath deceitfully.”
[24:5] 9 tn Heb “he (the righteous individual described in v. 4) lifts up a blessing from the
[24:5] 10 tn “and vindication from the God of his deliverance.”
[24:6] 11 tn Heb “this [is the] generation of the ones seeking him, the ones seeking your face, Jacob.” To “seek the
[24:6] sn This verse presents a somewhat idealized view of Jacob’s descendants as devoted worshipers of the Lord.
[24:7] 12 tn Heb “lift up your heads.” The gates of the Lord’s dwelling place are here personified. The idiom “lift up the head” often means “be confident, bold” (see Judg 8:28; Job 10:15; Ps 83:2; Zech 1:21).
[24:7] 13 tn Heb “lift yourselves up.”
[24:7] 14 tn Or “king of glory.”
[24:7] 15 tn Following the imperatives of the preceding lines, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
[24:8] 16 sn Who is this majestic king? Perhaps the personified gates/doors ask this question, in response to the command given in v. 7.
[24:10] 17 tn Traditionally, “the
[25:1] 18 sn Psalm 25. The psalmist asks for divine protection, guidance and forgiveness as he affirms his loyalty to and trust in the Lord. This psalm is an acrostic; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except for v. 18, which, like v. 19, begins with ר (resh) instead of the expected ק (qof). The final verse, which begins with פ (pe), stands outside the acrostic scheme.
[25:1] 19 tn Heb “to you, O
[25:3] 20 tn Heb “those who deal in treachery in vain.” The adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “in vain”) probably refers to the failure (or futility) of their efforts. Another option is to understand it as meaning “without cause” (cf. NIV “without excuse”; NRSV “wantonly treacherous”).
[25:4] 21 sn Teach me your paths. In this context the
[25:5] 22 sn The
[25:6] 23 tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating.
[25:6] 24 tn Heb “for from antiquity [are] they.”
[25:7] 25 tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing.
[25:7] 26 sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom.
[25:7] 27 tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O
[25:8] 28 tn Heb “good and just.”
[25:8] 29 tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”
[25:9] 30 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.
[25:9] 31 tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” The Hebrew term עֲנָוִים (’anavim, “humble”) usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.
[25:9] 32 tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).
[25:10] 33 tn Heb “all the paths of the
[25:10] 34 tn Heb “to the ones who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”
[25:11] 35 tn Heb “name.” By forgiving the sinful psalmist, the
[25:11] 36 sn Forgive my sin, because it is great. The psalmist readily admits his desperate need for forgiveness.
[25:12] 37 tn Heb “Who is this man, the one who fears the
[25:13] 38 tn Heb “his life in goodness dwells.” The singular is representative (see v. 14).
[25:13] 39 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[25:14] 41 tn Heb “the advice of the
[25:14] 42 tn Heb “and his covenant, to make them know.”
[25:15] 43 tn Heb “my eyes continually [are] toward the
[25:15] 44 tn Heb “for he will bring out from a net my feet.” The hostility of the psalmist’s enemies is probably in view (see v. 19).
[25:16] 45 tn That is, helpless and vulnerable.
[25:17] 46 tc Heb “the distresses of my heart, they make wide.” The text makes little if any sense as it stands, unless this is an otherwise unattested intransitive use of the Hiphil of רָחַב (rakhav, “be wide”). It is preferable to emend the form הִרְחִיבוּ (hirkhivu; Hiphil perfect third plural “they make wide”) to הַרְחֵיב (harkhev; Hiphil imperative masculine singular “make wide”). (The final vav [ו] can be joined to the following word and taken as a conjunction.) In this case one can translate, “[in/from] the distresses of my heart, make wide [a place for me],” that is, “deliver me from the distress I am experiencing.” For the expression “make wide [a place for me],” see Ps 4:1.
[25:17] 47 tn Heb “from my distresses lead me out.”
[25:18] 48 tn Heb “lift up all my sins.”
[25:19] 49 tn Heb “see my enemies for they are numerous, and [with] violent hatred they hate me.”
[25:22] 52 tn Heb “his distresses.”
[25:22] sn O God, rescue Israel from all their distress. It is possible that the psalmist speaks on behalf of the nation throughout this entire psalm. Another option is that v. 22 is a later addition to the psalm which applies an original individual lament to the covenant community. If so, it may reflect an exilic setting.
[26:1] 53 sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.
[26:1] 54 tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”
[26:2] 55 tn Heb “evaluate my kidneys and my heart.” The kidneys and heart were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
[26:3] 56 tn Heb “for your faithfulness [is] before my eyes.”
[26:3] 57 tn Heb “and I walk about in your loyalty.”
[26:3] sn The psalmist’s awareness of the Lord’s faithfulness and…loyalty toward him motivates him to remain loyal to the Lord and to maintain his moral purity.
[26:4] 59 tn Heb “go.” The psalmist uses the imperfect form of the verb to emphasize that he does not make a practice of associating with such people.
[26:4] 60 tn Heb “[those who] conceal themselves.”
[26:5] 61 tn Heb “assembly, company.”
[26:5] 62 tn Heb “sit.” The psalmist uses the imperfect form of the verb to emphasize that he does not make a practice of associating with such people.
[26:6] 63 tn Heb “I wash my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The imperfect verbal emphasizes that this is his habit.
[26:6] 64 tn Heb “so I can go around your altar” (probably in ritual procession). Following the imperfect of the preceding line, the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
[26:7] 65 tn Heb “to cause to be heard the sound of thanksgiving.”
[26:7] 66 tn The two infinitival forms (both with prefixed preposition -לְ, lamed) give the purpose for his appearance at the altar.
[26:8] 67 tn Heb “the dwelling of your house.”
[26:8] 68 tn Heb “the place of the abode of your splendor.”
[26:9] 69 tn Heb “do not gather up my life with.”
[26:9] 70 tn Heb “or with men of bloodshed my life.” The verb is supplied; it is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[26:10] 71 tn Heb “who [have] in their hands evil.”
[26:10] 72 tn Heb “and their right hand is full of a bribe.”
[26:11] 73 tn Heb “and I in my integrity walk.” The psalmist uses the imperfect verbal form to emphasize this is his practice. The construction at the beginning of the verse (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist and the sinners mentioned in vv. 9-10.
