Mazmur 26:1--28:9
KonteksBy David.
26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have integrity, 2
and I trust in the Lord without wavering.
26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me!
Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives! 3
26:3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness, 4
and your loyalty continually motivates me. 5
26:4 I do not associate 6 with deceitful men,
or consort 7 with those who are dishonest. 8
26:5 I hate the mob 9 of evil men,
and do not associate 10 with the wicked.
26:6 I maintain a pure lifestyle, 11
so I can appear before your altar, 12 O Lord,
and to tell about all your amazing deeds. 14
26:8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live, 15
the place where your splendor is revealed. 16
26:9 Do not sweep me away 17 with sinners,
or execute me along with violent people, 18
26:10 who are always ready to do wrong 19
or offer a bribe. 20
26:11 But I have integrity! 21
Rescue me 22 and have mercy on me!
and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.
By David.
27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! 25
I fear no one! 26
The Lord protects my life!
I am afraid of no one! 27
27:2 When evil men attack me 28
to devour my flesh, 29
when my adversaries and enemies attack me, 30
they stumble and fall. 31
27:3 Even when an army is deployed against me,
I do not fear. 32
Even when war is imminent, 33
I remain confident. 34
27:4 I have asked the Lord for one thing –
this is what I desire!
I want to live 35 in the Lord’s house 36 all the days of my life,
so I can gaze at the splendor 37 of the Lord
and contemplate in his temple.
27:5 He will surely 38 give me shelter 39 in the day of danger; 40
he will hide me in his home; 41
he will place me 42 on an inaccessible rocky summit. 43
27:6 Now I will triumph
over my enemies who surround me! 44
I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy! 45
I will sing praises to the Lord!
27:7 Hear me, 46 O Lord, when I cry out!
Have mercy on me and answer me!
27:8 My heart tells me to pray to you, 47
and I do pray to you, O Lord. 48
Do not push your servant away in anger!
You are my deliverer! 50
Do not forsake or abandon me,
O God who vindicates me!
27:10 Even if my father and mother abandoned me, 51
the Lord would take me in. 52
27:11 Teach me how you want me to live; 53
lead me along a level path 54 because of those who wait to ambush me! 55
27:12 Do not turn me over to my enemies, 56
for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me. 57
27:13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience
the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? 58
Be strong and confident! 60
Rely on the Lord!
By David.
28:1 To you, O Lord, I cry out!
My protector, 62 do not ignore me! 63
If you do not respond to me, 64
I will join 65 those who are descending into the grave. 66
28:2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,
when I lift my hands 67 toward your holy temple! 68
28:3 Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly, 69
who talk so friendly to their neighbors, 70
while they plan to harm them! 71
28:4 Pay them back for their evil deeds!
Pay them back for what they do!
Punish them! 72
28:5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,
or the way he carries out justice. 73
The Lord 74 will permanently demolish them. 75
28:6 The Lord deserves praise, 76
for he has heard my plea for mercy! 77
28:7 The Lord strengthens and protects me; 78
I trust in him with all my heart. 79
I am rescued 80 and my heart is full of joy; 81
I will sing to him in gratitude. 82
28:8 The Lord strengthens his people; 83
he protects and delivers his chosen king. 84
28:9 Deliver your people!
Empower 85 the nation that belongs to you! 86
Care for them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms 87 at all times! 88
[26:1] 1 sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.
[26:1] 2 tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”
[26:2] 3 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] 4 tn Heb “for your faithfulness [is] before my eyes.”
[26:3] 5 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] 7 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] 8 tn Heb “[those who] conceal themselves.”
[26:5] 9 tn Heb “assembly, company.”
[26:5] 10 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] 11 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] 12 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] 13 tn Heb “to cause to be heard the sound of thanksgiving.”
[26:7] 14 tn The two infinitival forms (both with prefixed preposition -לְ, lamed) give the purpose for his appearance at the altar.
[26:8] 15 tn Heb “the dwelling of your house.”
[26:8] 16 tn Heb “the place of the abode of your splendor.”
[26:9] 17 tn Heb “do not gather up my life with.”
[26:9] 18 tn Heb “or with men of bloodshed my life.” The verb is supplied; it is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[26:10] 19 tn Heb “who [have] in their hands evil.”
[26:10] 20 tn Heb “and their right hand is full of a bribe.”
[26:11] 21 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.
[26:12] 23 tn Heb “my foot stands in a level place.”
[27:1] 24 sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.
[27:1] 25 tn Heb “the
[27:1] 26 tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
[27:1] 27 tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
[27:2] 28 tn Heb “draw near to me.”
[27:2] 29 sn To devour my flesh. The psalmist compares his enemies to dangerous, hungry predators (see 2 Kgs 9:36; Ezek 39:17).
[27:2] 30 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] 31 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] 32 tn Heb “my heart does not fear.”
[27:3] 33 tn Heb “if war rises up against me.”
[27:3] 34 tn Heb “in this [i.e., “during this situation”] I am trusting.”
[27:4] 36 sn The
[27:5] 38 tn Or “for he will.” The translation assumes the כִּי (ki) is asseverative here, rather than causal.
[27:5] 39 tn Heb “he will hide me in his hut.”
[27:5] 42 tn The three imperfect verb forms in v. 5 anticipate a positive response to the prayer offered in vv. 7-12.
[27:5] 43 tn Heb “on a rocky summit he lifts me up.” The
[27:6] 44 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] 45 tn Heb “I will sacrifice in his tent sacrifices of a shout for joy” (that is, “sacrifices accompanied by a joyful shout”).
[27:8] 47 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] 48 tn Heb “your face, O
[27:9] 49 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] 50 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[27:10] 51 tn Or “though my father and mother have abandoned me.”
[27:10] 52 tn Heb “gather me in”; or “receive me.”
[27:11] 53 tn Heb “teach me your way.” The
[27:11] 54 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] 55 tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 54:5; 56:2.
[27:12] 56 tn Heb “do not give me over to the desire of my enemies.”
[27:12] 57 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] 58 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is incomplete: “If I had not believed [I would] see the goodness of the
[27:14] 60 tn Heb “be strong and let your heart be confident.”
[28:1] 61 sn Psalm 28. The author looks to the Lord for vindication, asks that the wicked be repaid in full for their evil deeds, and affirms his confidence that the Lord will protect his own.
[28:1] 62 tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.
[28:1] 63 tn Heb “do not be deaf from me.”
[28:1] 64 tn Heb “lest [if] you are silent from me.”
[28:1] 65 tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
[28:1] 66 tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.
[28:2] 67 sn I lift my hands. Lifting one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer.
[28:2] 68 tn The Hebrew term דְּבִיר (dÿvir, “temple”) actually refers to the most holy place within the sanctuary.
[28:3] 69 tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
[28:3] 70 tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”
[28:3] 71 tn Heb “and evil [is] in their heart[s].”
[28:4] 72 tn Heb “Give to them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds. According to the work of their hands give to them. Return their due to them.” The highly repetitive style reflects the psalmist’s agitated emotional state and draws attention to his yearning for justice.
[28:5] 73 tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context “the
[28:5] 74 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[28:5] 75 tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.
[28:6] 76 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[28:6] 77 sn He has heard my plea for mercy. The psalmist’s mood abruptly changes at this point, because the Lord responded positively to his petition and assured him that he would deliver him.
[28:7] 78 tn Heb “The
[28:7] 79 tn Heb “in him my heart trusts.”
[28:7] 80 tn Or “I am helped.”
[28:7] 81 tn Heb “and my heart exults.”
[28:7] 82 tn Heb “and from my song I will thank him.” As pointed in the Hebrew text, מִשִּׁירִי (mishiri) appears to be “from my song,” but the preposition “from” never occurs elsewhere with the verb “to thank” (Hiphil of יָדָה, yadah). Perhaps משׁיר is a noun form meaning “song.” If so, it can be taken as an adverbial accusative, “and [with] my song I will thank him.” See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 236.
[28:8] 83 tn Heb “the
[28:8] 84 tn Heb “he [is] a refuge of help for his anointed one.” The noun מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh, “anointed one”) refers to the Davidic king, who perhaps speaks as representative of the nation in this psalm. See Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17.
[28:9] 86 tn Heb “your inheritance.” The parallelism (note “your people”) indicates that Israel is in view.
[28:9] 87 tn Heb “shepherd them and lift them up.”
[28:9] sn The shepherd metaphor is sometimes associated with royal responsibility. See 2 Sam 5:2; 7:7; Mic 5:2-4).
