Mazmur 10:4

10:4 The wicked man is so arrogant he always thinks,

“God won’t hold me accountable; he doesn’t care.” ¹ 

Mazmur 14:4

14:4 All those who behave wickedly ²  do not understand – ³ 

those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,

and do not call out to the Lord.

Mazmur 16:7

16:7 I will praise ⁴  the Lord who ⁵  guides ⁶  me;

yes, during the night I reflect and learn. ⁷ 

Mazmur 18:24

18:24 The Lord rewarded me for my godly deeds; ⁸ 

he took notice of my blameless behavior. ⁹ 

Mazmur 18:38

18:38 I beat them ¹⁰  to death; ¹¹ 

they fall at my feet. ¹² 

Mazmur 21:4

21:4 He asked you to sustain his life, ¹³ 

and you have granted him long life and an enduring dynasty. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 22:31

22:31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds; ¹⁵ 

they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 30:6

30:6 In my self-confidence I said,

“I will never be upended.” ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 31:21

31:21 The Lord deserves praise ¹⁸ 

for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies. ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 32:9

32:9 Do not be ²⁰  like an unintelligent horse or mule, ²¹ 

which will not obey you

unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. ²² 

Mazmur 34:15

34:15 The Lord pays attention to the godly

and hears their cry for help. ²³ 

Mazmur 37:22

37:22 Surely ²⁴  those favored by the Lord ²⁵  will possess the land,

but those rejected ²⁶  by him will be wiped out. ²⁷ 

Mazmur 37:33

37:33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,

or allow them to be condemned in a court of law. ²⁸ 

Mazmur 37:35

37:35 I have seen ruthless evil men ²⁹ 

growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil. ³⁰ 

Mazmur 37:40

37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;

he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, ³¹ 

for they seek his protection.

Mazmur 55:21

55:21 His words are as smooth as butter, ³² 

but he harbors animosity in his heart. ³³ 

His words seem softer than oil,

but they are really like sharp swords. ³⁴ 

Mazmur 58:3

58:3 The wicked turn aside from birth; ³⁵ 

liars go astray as soon as they are born. ³⁶ 

Mazmur 64:8

64:8 Their slander will bring about their demise. ³⁷ 

All who see them will shudder, ³⁸ 

Mazmur 66:6

66:6 He turned the sea into dry land; ³⁹ 

they passed through the river on foot. ⁴⁰ 

Let us rejoice in him there! ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 68:3

68:3 But the godly ⁴²  are happy;

they rejoice before God

and are overcome with joy. ⁴³ 

Mazmur 69:35

69:35 For God will deliver Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

and his people ⁴⁴  will again live in them and possess Zion. ⁴⁵ 

Mazmur 76:3

76:3 There he shattered the arrows, ⁴⁶ 

the shield, the sword, and the rest of the weapons of war. ⁴⁷  (Selah)

Mazmur 77:8

77:8 Has his loyal love disappeared forever?

Has his promise ⁴⁸  failed forever?

Mazmur 78:13

78:13 He divided the sea and led them across it;

he made the water stand in a heap.

Mazmur 78:15

78:15 He broke open rocks in the wilderness,

and gave them enough water to fill the depths of the sea. ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 78:31

78:31 when the anger of God flared up against them.

He killed some of the strongest of them;

he brought the young men of Israel to their knees.

Mazmur 78:71

78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, ⁵⁰ 

and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,

and of Israel, his chosen nation. ⁵¹ 

Mazmur 80:5

80:5 You have given them tears as food; ⁵² 

you have made them drink tears by the measure. ⁵³ 

Mazmur 83:4

83:4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation! ⁵⁴ 

Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”

Mazmur 89:51

89:51 Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults;

they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps. ⁵⁵ 

Mazmur 102:14

102:14 Indeed, ⁵⁶  your servants take delight in her stones,

and feel compassion for ⁵⁷  the dust of her ruins. ⁵⁸ 

Mazmur 105:37

105:37 He brought his people ⁵⁹  out enriched ⁶⁰  with silver and gold;

none of his tribes stumbled.

Mazmur 107:20

107:20 He sent them an assuring word ⁶¹  and healed them;

he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped. ⁶² 

Mazmur 111:4

111:4 He does ⁶³  amazing things that will be remembered; ⁶⁴ 

the Lord is merciful and compassionate.

Mazmur 111:6

111:6 He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people,

giving them a land that belonged to other nations. ⁶⁵ 

Mazmur 111:10

111:10 To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living; ⁶⁶ 

all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight. ⁶⁷ 

He will receive praise forever. ⁶⁸ 

Mazmur 118:27

118:27 The Lord is God and he has delivered us. ⁶⁹ 

Tie the offering ⁷⁰  with ropes

to the horns of the altar! ⁷¹ 

Mazmur 135:6

135:6 He does whatever he pleases

in heaven and on earth,

in the seas and all the ocean depths.

Mazmur 140:11

140:11 A slanderer ⁷²  will not endure on ⁷³  the earth;

calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down. ⁷⁴ 

Mazmur 145:18

145:18 The Lord is near all who cry out to him,

all who cry out to him sincerely. ⁷⁵ 

Mazmur 146:7-8

146:7 vindicates the oppressed, ⁷⁶ 

and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord releases the imprisoned.

146:8 The Lord gives sight to the blind.

The Lord lifts up all who are bent over. ⁷⁷ 

The Lord loves the godly.

Mazmur 147:8

147:8 He covers ⁷⁸  the sky with clouds,

provides the earth with rain,

and causes grass to grow on the hillsides. ⁷⁹ 

Mazmur 147:20

147:20 He has not done so with any other nation;

they are not aware of his regulations.

Praise the Lord!

[10:4]  ¹ tn Heb “the wicked [one], according to the height of his nose, he does not seek, there is no God, all his thoughts.” The phrase “height of his nose” probably refers to an arrogant or snooty attitude; it likely pictures one with his nose turned upward toward the sky in pride. One could take the “wicked” as the subject of the negated verb “seek,” in which case the point is that the wicked do not “seek” God. The translation assumes that this statement, along with “there is no God,” is what the wicked man thinks to himself. In this case God is the subject of the verb “seek,” and the point is that God will not hold the wicked man accountable for his actions. Verse 13 strongly favors this interpretation. The statement “there is no God” is not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see v. 11).

[14:4]  ² tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8.

[14:4]  ³ tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question (rendered in the translation as a positive affirmation) expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-7).

[16:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “bless,” that is, “proclaim as worthy of praise.”

[16:7]  ⁵ tn Or “because.”

[16:7]  ⁶ tn Or “counsels, advises.”

[16:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “yes, [during] nights my kidneys instruct [or “correct”] me.” The “kidneys” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s moral character (see Ps 26:2). In the quiet darkness the Lord speaks to his inner being, as it were, and enables him to grow in moral understanding.

[18:24]  ⁸ tn Heb “according to my righteousness.”

[18:24]  ⁹ tn Heb “according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.” 2 Sam 22:25 reads “according to my purity before his eyes.” The verbal repetition (compare vv. 20 and 24) sets off vv. 20-24 as a distinct sub-unit within the psalm.

[18:38]  ¹⁰ tn Or “smash them.” 2 Sam 22:39 reads, “and I wiped them out and smashed them.”

[18:38]  ¹¹ tn Heb “until they are unable to rise.” 2 Sam 22:39 reads, “until they do not rise.”

[18:38]  ¹² sn They fall at my feet. For ancient Near Eastern parallels, see O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 294-97.

[21:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “life he asked from you.” Another option is to translate the perfect verbal forms in v. 4 with the present tense, “he asks…you grant.”

[21:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “you have granted him length of days forever and ever.” The phrase “length of days,” when used of human beings, usually refers to a lengthy period of time (such as one’s lifetime). See, for example, Deut 30:20; Job 12:12; Ps 91:16; Prov 3:2, 16; Lam 5:20. The additional phrase “forever and ever” is hyperbolic. While it seems to attribute eternal life to the king (see Pss 61:6-7; 72:5 as well), the underlying reality is the king’s enduring dynasty. He will live on, as it were, through his descendants, who will continue to rule over his kingdom long after he has passed off the scene.

[22:31]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “his righteousness.” Here the noun צִדָקָה (tsidaqah) refers to the Lord’s saving deeds whereby he vindicates the oppressed.

[22:31]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “to a people [to be] born that he has acted.” The words “they will tell” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:6]  ¹⁷ sn In my self-confidence I said… Here the psalmist begins to fill in the background of the crisis referred to in the earlier verses. He had been arrogant and self-confident, so the Lord withdrew his protection and allowed trouble to invade his life (vv. 8-11).

[31:21]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord.”

[31:21]  ¹⁹ 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 Lord answered his prayer for help. Verses 19-24 were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18.

[32:9]  ²⁰ tn The verb form is plural (i.e., “do not all of you be”); the psalmist addresses the whole group.

[32:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “like a horse, like a mule without understanding.”

[32:9]  ²² tn Heb “with a bridle and bit, its [?] to hold, not to come near to you.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun עֲדִי (’adiy) is uncertain. Normally the word refers to “jewelry,” so some suggest the meaning “trappings” here (cf. NASB). Some emend the form to לְחֵיהֶם (lÿkhehem, “their jawbones”) but it is difficult to see how the present Hebrew text, even if corrupt, could have derived from this proposed original reading. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 265) takes the form from an Arabic root and translates “whose gallop.” Cf. also NRSV “whose temper must be curbed.”

[34:15]  ²³ tn Heb “the eyes of the Lord [are] toward the godly, and his ears [are] toward their cry for help.”

[37:22]  ²⁴ tn The particle כִּי is best understood as asseverative or emphatic here.

[37:22]  ²⁵ tn Heb “those blessed by him.” The pronoun “him” must refer to the Lord (see vv. 20, 23), so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:22]  ²⁶ tn Heb “cursed.”

[37:22]  ²⁷ tn Or “cut off”; or “removed” (see v. 9).

[37:33]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the Lord does not abandon him into his hand or condemn him when he is judged.” The imperfects draw attention to the Lord’s characteristic behavior in this regard.

[37:35]  ²⁹ tn The Hebrew uses the representative singular again here.

[37:35]  ³⁰ tn Heb “being exposed [?] like a native, luxuriant.” The Hebrew form מִתְעָרֶה (mit’areh) appears to be a Hitpael participle from עָרָה (’arah, “be exposed”), but this makes no sense in this context. Perhaps the form is a dialectal variant of מִתְעָלָה (“giving oneself an air of importance”; see Jer 51:3), from עָלָה (’alah, “go up”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 296). The noun אֶזְרָח (’ezrakh, “native, full citizen”) refers elsewhere to people, but here, where it is collocated with “luxuriant, green,” it probably refers to a tree growing in native soil.

[37:40]  ³¹ tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.

[55:21]  ³² tn Heb “the butter-like [words] of his mouth are smooth.” The noun מַחְמָאֹת (makhma’ot, “butter-like [words]”) occurs only here. Many prefer to emend the form to מֵחֶמְאָה (mekhem’ah, from [i.e., “than”] butter”), cf. NEB, NRSV “smoother than butter.” However, in this case “his mouth” does not agree in number with the plural verb חָלְקוּ (kholqu, “they are smooth”). Therefore some further propose an emendation of פִּיו (piv, “his mouth”) to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”). In any case, the point seems to that the psalmist’s former friend spoke kindly to him and gave the outward indications of friendship.

[55:21]  ³³ tn Heb “and war [is in] his heart.”

[55:21]  ³⁴ tn Heb “his words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.”

[58:3]  ³⁵ tn Heb “from the womb.”

[58:3]  ³⁶ tn Heb “speakers of a lie go astray from the womb.”

[64:8]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ 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.

[66:6]  ³⁹ sn He turned the sea into dry land. The psalmist alludes to Israel’s crossing the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).

[66:6]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ 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.).

[68:3]  ⁴² tn By placing the subject first the psalmist highlights the contrast between God’s ecstatic people and his defeated enemies (vv. 1-2).

[68:3]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and they are happy with joy” (cf. NEB). Some translate the prefixed verbal forms of v. 3 as jussives, “Let the godly be happy, let them rejoice before God, and let them be happy with joy!” (Cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV; note the call to praise in v. 4.)

[69:35]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[69:35]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to “Zion” (see Pss 48:12; 102:14); thus the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[76:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “flames of the bow,” i.e., arrows.

[76:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “shield and sword and battle.” “Battle” probably here stands by metonymy for the weapons of war in general.

[76:3]  sn This verse may allude to the miraculous defeat of the Assyrians in 701 b.c. (see Isa 36-37).

[77:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “word,” which may refer here to God’s word of promise (note the reference to “loyal love” in the preceding line).

[78:15]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and caused them to drink, like the depths, abundantly.”

[78:71]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”

[78:71]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”

[80:5]  ⁵² tn Heb “you have fed them the food of tears.”

[80:5]  ⁵³ tn Heb “[by] the third part [of a measure].” The Hebrew term שָׁלִישׁ (shalish, “third part [of a measure]”) occurs only here and in Isa 40:12.

[83:4]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “we will cause them to disappear from [being] a nation.”

[89:51]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “[by] which your enemies, O Lord, taunt, [by] which they taunt [at] the heels of your anointed one.”

[102:14]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “for.”

[102:14]  ⁵⁷ tn The Poel of חָנַן (khanan) occurs only here and in Prov 14:21, where it refers to having compassion on the poor.

[102:14]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “her dust,” probably referring to the dust of the city’s rubble.

[105:37]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Lord’s people) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[105:37]  ⁶⁰ tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[107:20]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “he sent his word.” This probably refers to an oracle of assurance which announced his intention to intervene (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 59).

[107:20]  ⁶² tn Heb “he rescued from their traps.” The Hebrew word שְׁחִית (shekhit, “trap”) occurs only here and in Lam 4:20, where it refers to a trap or pit in which one is captured. Because of the rarity of the term and the absence of an object with the verb “rescued,” some prefer to emend the text of Ps 107:20, reading מִשַׁחַת חַיָּתָם (mishakhat khayyatam, “[he rescued] their lives from the pit”). Note also NIV “from the grave,” which interprets the “pit” as Sheol or the grave.

[111:4]  ⁶³ tn Or “did,” if this refers primarily to the events of the exodus and conquest period (see vv. 6, 9).

[111:4]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “a memorial he had made for his amazing deeds.”

[111:6]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “the strength of his deeds he proclaimed to his people, to give to them an inheritance of nations.”

[111:10]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “the beginning of wisdom [is] the fear of the Lord.”

[111:10]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “good sense [is] to all who do them.” The third masculine plural pronominal suffix must refer back to the “precepts” mentioned in v. 7. In the translation the referent has been specified for clarity. The phrase שֵׂכֶל טוֹב (shekhel tov) also occurs in Prov 3:4; 13:15 and 2 Chr 30:22.

[111:10]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “his praise stands forever.”

[118:27]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he has given us light.” This may be an elliptical expression, with “his face” being implied as the object (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19). In this case, “his face has given us light” = “he has smiled on us,” or “he has shown us his favor.” Another option (the one reflected in the translation) is that “light” here symbolizes divine blessing in the form of deliverance. “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Some prefer to repoint the form וְיָאֵר (vÿya’er; vav [ו] conjunctive + jussive) and translate the statement as a prayer, “may he give us light.”

[118:27]  ⁷⁰ tn The Hebrew noun חַג (khag) normally means “festival,” but here it apparently refers metonymically to an offering made at the festival. BDB 291 s.v. חַג 2 interprets the word in this way here, citing as comparable the use of later Hebrew חֲגִיגָה, which can refer to both a festival and a festival offering (see Jastrow 424 s.v. חֲגִיגָה).

[118:27]  ⁷¹ tn The second half of v. 27 has been translated and interpreted in a variety of ways. For a survey of major views, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 122.

[140:11]  ⁷² tn Heb “a man of a tongue.”

[140:11]  ⁷³ tn Heb “be established in.”

[140:11]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “for blows.” The Hebrew noun מַדְחֵפֹה (madkhefoh, “blow”) occurs only here in the OT.

[145:18]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “in truth.”

[146:7]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “executes justice for the oppressed.”

[146:8]  ⁷⁷ tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).

[147:8]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “the one who covers.”

[147:8]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “hills.”