Mazmur 16:1--41:13
KonteksA prayer 2 of David.
16:1 Protect me, O God, for I have taken shelter in you. 3
16:2 I say to the Lord, “You are the Lord,
my only source of well-being.” 4
16:3 As for God’s chosen people who are in the land,
and the leading officials I admired so much 5 –
16:4 their troubles multiply,
they desire other gods. 6
I will not pour out drink offerings of blood to their gods, 7
nor will I make vows in the name of their gods. 8
16:5 Lord, you give me stability and prosperity; 9
you make my future secure. 10
16:6 It is as if I have been given fertile fields
or received a beautiful tract of land. 11
16:7 I will praise 12 the Lord who 13 guides 14 me;
yes, during the night I reflect and learn. 15
16:8 I constantly trust in the Lord; 16
because he is at my right hand, I will not be upended.
16:9 So my heart rejoices
and I am happy; 17
My life is safe. 18
16:10 You will not abandon me 19 to Sheol; 20
you will not allow your faithful follower 21 to see 22 the Pit. 23
16:11 You lead me in 24 the path of life; 25
I experience absolute joy in your presence; 26
you always give me sheer delight. 27
A prayer of David.
17:1 Lord, consider my just cause! 29
Pay attention to my cry for help!
Listen to the prayer
I sincerely offer! 30
17:2 Make a just decision on my behalf! 31
Decide what is right! 32
17:3 You have scrutinized my inner motives; 33
you have examined me during the night. 34
You have carefully evaluated me, but you find no sin.
I am determined I will say nothing sinful. 35
17:4 As for the actions of people 36 –
just as you have commanded,
I have not followed in the footsteps of violent men. 37
17:5 I carefully obey your commands; 38
I do not deviate from them. 39
17:6 I call to you for you will answer me, O God.
Listen to me! 40
Hear what I say! 41
17:7 Accomplish awesome, faithful deeds, 42
you who powerfully deliver those who look to you for protection from their enemies. 43
17:8 Protect me as you would protect the pupil of your eye! 44
Hide me in the shadow of your wings! 45
17:9 Protect me from 46 the wicked men who attack 47 me,
my enemies who crowd around me for the kill. 48
they speak arrogantly. 50
17:11 They attack me, now they surround me; 51
they intend to throw me to the ground. 52
17:12 He 53 is like a lion 54 that wants to tear its prey to bits, 55
like a young lion crouching 56 in hidden places.
17:13 Rise up, Lord!
Confront him! 57 Knock him down! 58
Use your sword to rescue me from the wicked man! 59
17:14 Lord, use your power to deliver me from these murderers, 60
from the murderers of this world! 61
They enjoy prosperity; 62
you overwhelm them with the riches they desire. 63
They have many children,
and leave their wealth to their offspring. 64
17:15 As for me, because I am innocent I will see your face; 65
when I awake you will reveal yourself to me. 66
For the music director; by the Lord’s servant David, who sang 68 to the Lord the words of this song when 69 the Lord rescued him from the power 70 of all his enemies, including Saul. 71
“I love 73 you, Lord, my source of strength! 74
18:2 The Lord is my high ridge, 75 my stronghold, 76 my deliverer.
My God is my rocky summit where 77 I take shelter, 78
my shield, the horn that saves me, 79 and my refuge. 80
18:3 I called 81 to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, 82
and I was delivered from my enemies.
18:4 The waves 83 of death engulfed me,
the currents 84 of chaos 85 overwhelmed me. 86
18:5 The ropes of Sheol tightened around me, 87
the snares of death trapped me. 88
18:6 In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried out to my God. 89
From his heavenly temple 90 he heard my voice;
he listened to my cry for help. 91
18:7 The earth heaved and shook; 92
the roots of the mountains 93 trembled; 94
they heaved because he was angry.
18:8 Smoke ascended from 95 his nose; 96
fire devoured as it came from his mouth; 97
he hurled down fiery coals. 98
18:9 He made the sky sink 99 as he descended;
a thick cloud was under his feet.
18:10 He mounted 100 a winged angel 101 and flew;
he glided 102 on the wings of the wind. 103
18:11 He shrouded himself in darkness, 104
in thick rain clouds. 105
18:12 From the brightness in front of him came
hail and fiery coals. 106
18:13 The Lord thundered 107 in 108 the sky;
the sovereign One 109 shouted. 110
18:14 He shot his 111 arrows and scattered them, 112
many lightning bolts 113 and routed them. 114
18:15 The depths 115 of the sea 116 were exposed;
the inner regions 117 of the world were uncovered
by 118 your battle cry, 119 Lord,
by the powerful breath from your nose. 120
18:16 He reached down 121 from above and took hold of me;
he pulled me from the surging water. 122
18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, 123
from those who hate me,
for they were too strong for me.
18:18 They confronted 124 me in my day of calamity,
but the Lord helped me. 125
18:19 He brought me out into a wide open place;
he delivered me because he was pleased with me. 126
18:20 The Lord repaid 127 me for my godly deeds; 128
he rewarded 129 my blameless behavior. 130
18:21 For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands; 131
I have not rebelled against my God. 132
18:22 For I am aware of all his regulations, 133
and I do not reject his rules. 134
18:23 I was innocent before him,
and kept myself from sinning. 135
18:24 The Lord rewarded me for my godly deeds; 136
he took notice of my blameless behavior. 137
18:25 You prove to be loyal 138 to one who is faithful; 139
you prove to be trustworthy 140 to one who is innocent. 141
18:26 You prove to be reliable 142 to one who is blameless,
but you prove to be deceptive 143 to one who is perverse. 144
18:27 For you deliver oppressed 145 people,
but you bring down those who have a proud look. 146
18:28 Indeed, 147 you are my lamp, Lord. 148
My God 149 illuminates the darkness around me. 150
18:29 Indeed, 151 with your help 152 I can charge against 153 an army; 154
by my God’s power 155 I can jump over a wall. 156
18:30 The one true God acts in a faithful manner; 157
the Lord’s promise 158 is reliable; 159
he is a shield to all who take shelter 160 in him.
18:31 Indeed, 161 who is God besides the Lord?
Who is a protector 162 besides our God? 163
18:32 The one true God 164 gives 165 me strength; 166
he removes 167 the obstacles in my way. 168
18:33 He gives me the agility of a deer; 169
he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain. 170
18:34 He trains my hands for battle; 171
my arms can bend even the strongest bow. 172
18:35 You give me your protective shield; 173
your right hand supports me; 174
your willingness to help 175 enables me to prevail. 176
my feet 178 do not slip.
18:37 I chase my enemies and catch 179 them;
I do not turn back until I wipe them out.
18:38 I beat them 180 to death; 181
they fall at my feet. 182
18:39 You give me strength 183 for battle;
you make my foes kneel before me. 184
18:40 You make my enemies retreat; 185
I destroy those who hate me. 186
18:41 They cry out, but there is no one to help them; 187
they cry out to the Lord, 188 but he does not answer them.
18:42 I grind them as fine windblown dust; 189
I beat them underfoot 190 like clay 191 in the streets.
18:43 You rescue me from a hostile army; 192
you make me 193 a leader of nations;
people over whom I had no authority are now my subjects. 194
18:44 When they hear of my exploits, they submit to me. 195
Foreigners are powerless 196 before me;
18:45 foreigners lose their courage; 197
they shake with fear 198 as they leave 199 their strongholds. 200
My protector 202 is praiseworthy! 203
The God who delivers me 204 is exalted as king! 205
18:47 The one true God 206 completely vindicates me; 207
he makes nations submit to me. 208
18:48 He delivers me 209 from my enemies;
you snatch me away 210 from those who attack me; 211
you rescue me from violent men.
18:49 So I will give you thanks before the nations, 212 O Lord!
I will sing praises to you! 213
18:50 He 214 gives his chosen king magnificent victories; 215
he is faithful 216 to his chosen ruler, 217
to David and his descendants 218 forever.” 219
For the music director; a psalm of David.
19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; 221
the sky displays his handiwork. 222
19:2 Day after day it speaks out; 223
night after night it reveals his greatness. 224
19:3 There is no actual speech or word,
nor is its 225 voice literally heard.
19:4 Yet its voice 226 echoes 227 throughout the earth;
its 228 words carry 229 to the distant horizon. 230
In the sky 231 he has pitched a tent for the sun. 232
19:5 Like a bridegroom it emerges 233 from its chamber; 234
like a strong man it enjoys 235 running its course. 236
19:6 It emerges from the distant horizon, 237
and goes from one end of the sky to the other; 238
nothing can escape 239 its heat.
19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and preserves one’s life. 240
The rules set down by the Lord 241 are reliable 242
and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. 243
19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair 244
and make one joyful. 245
The Lord’s commands 246 are pure 247
and give insight for life. 248
19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right 249
and endure forever. 250
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just. 251
19:10 They are of greater value 252 than gold,
than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight 253 than honey,
than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.
19:11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; 254
those who obey them receive a rich reward. 255
19:12 Who can know all his errors? 256
Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of. 257
19:13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant 258 sins;
do not allow such sins to control me. 259
Then I will be blameless,
and innocent of blatant 260 rebellion.
19:14 May my words and my thoughts
be acceptable in your sight, 261
O Lord, my sheltering rock 262 and my redeemer. 263
For the music director; a psalm of David.
20:1 May the Lord answer 265 you 266 when you are in trouble; 267
may the God of Jacob 268 make you secure!
20:2 May he send you help from his temple; 269
from Zion may he give you support!
20:3 May he take notice 270 of your offerings;
may he accept 271 your burnt sacrifice! (Selah)
20:4 May he grant your heart’s desire; 272
may he bring all your plans to pass! 273
20:5 Then we will shout for joy over your 274 victory;
we will rejoice 275 in the name of our God!
May the Lord grant all your requests!
20:6 Now I am sure 276 that the Lord will deliver 277 his chosen king; 278
he will intervene for him 279 from his holy heavenly temple, 280
and display his mighty ability to deliver. 281
20:7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, 282
but we 283 depend on 284 the Lord our God.
but we 286 will stand firm. 287
20:9 The Lord will deliver the king; 288
he will answer us 289 when we call to him for help! 290
For the music director; a psalm of David.
21:1 O Lord, the king rejoices in the strength you give; 292
he takes great delight in the deliverance you provide. 293
21:2 You grant 294 him his heart’s desire;
you do not refuse his request. 295 (Selah)
21:3 For you bring him 296 rich 297 blessings; 298
you place a golden crown on his head.
21:4 He asked you to sustain his life, 299
and you have granted him long life and an enduring dynasty. 300
21:5 Your deliverance brings him great honor; 301
you give him majestic splendor. 302
21:6 For you grant him lasting blessings;
you give him great joy by allowing him into your presence. 303
21:7 For the king trusts 304 in the Lord,
and because of the sovereign Lord’s 305 faithfulness he is not upended. 306
21:8 You 307 prevail over 308 all your enemies;
your power is too great for those who hate you. 309
21:9 You burn them up like a fiery furnace 310 when you appear; 311
the Lord angrily devours them; 312
the fire consumes them.
21:10 You destroy their offspring 313 from the earth,
their descendants 314 from among the human race. 315
21:11 Yes, 316 they intend to do you harm; 317
they dream up a scheme, 318 but they do not succeed. 319
21:12 For you make them retreat 320
when you shoot your arrows at them. 321
21:13 Rise up, O Lord, in strength! 322
We will sing and praise 323 your power!
For the music director; according to the tune “Morning Doe;” 325 a psalm of David.
22:1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? 326
I groan in prayer, but help seems far away. 327
22:2 My God, I cry out during the day,
but you do not answer,
and during the night my prayers do not let up. 328
22:3 You are holy;
you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. 329
22:4 In you our ancestors 330 trusted;
they trusted in you 331 and you rescued them.
22:5 To you they cried out, and they were saved;
in you they trusted and they were not disappointed. 332
22:6 But I 333 am a worm, 334 not a man; 335
people insult me and despise me. 336
22:7 All who see me taunt 337 me;
they mock me 338 and shake their heads. 339
“Commit yourself 341 to the Lord!
Let the Lord 342 rescue him!
Let the Lord 343 deliver him, for he delights in him.” 344
22:9 Yes, you are the one who brought me out 345 from the womb
and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.
22:10 I have been dependent on you since birth; 346
from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God. 347
22:11 Do not remain far away from me,
for trouble is near and I have no one to help me. 348
22:12 Many bulls 349 surround me;
powerful bulls of Bashan 350 hem me in.
22:13 They 351 open their mouths to devour me 352
like a roaring lion that rips its prey. 353
22:14 My strength drains away like water; 354
all my bones are dislocated;
my heart 355 is like wax;
it melts away inside me.
22:15 The roof of my mouth 356 is as dry as a piece of pottery;
my tongue sticks to my gums. 357
You 358 set me in the dust of death. 359
22:16 Yes, 360 wild dogs surround me –
a gang of evil men crowd around me;
like a lion they pin my hands and feet. 361
22:17 I can count 362 all my bones;
my enemies 363 are gloating over me in triumph. 364
22:18 They are dividing up my clothes among themselves;
they are rolling dice 365 for my garments.
22:19 But you, O Lord, do not remain far away!
You are my source of strength! 366 Hurry and help me! 367
22:20 Deliver me 368 from the sword!
Save 369 my life 370 from the claws 371 of the wild dogs!
22:21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lion, 372
and from the horns of the wild oxen! 373
You have answered me! 374
22:22 I will declare your name to my countrymen! 375
In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!
22:23 You loyal followers of the Lord, 376 praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! 377
22:24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering 378 of the oppressed; 379
he did not ignore him; 380
when he cried out to him, he responded. 381
22:25 You are the reason I offer praise 382 in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. 383
22:26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled! 384
Let those who seek his help praise the Lord!
May you 385 live forever!
22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! 386
Let all the nations 387 worship you! 388
22:28 For the Lord is king 389
and rules over the nations.
22:29 All of the thriving people 390 of the earth will join the celebration and worship; 391
all those who are descending into the grave 392 will bow before him,
including those who cannot preserve their lives. 393
22:30 A whole generation 394 will serve him;
they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord. 395
22:31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds; 396
they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished. 397
A psalm of David.
23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, 399
I lack nothing. 400
23:2 He takes me to lush pastures, 401
he leads me to refreshing water. 402
23:3 He restores my strength. 403
He leads me down 404 the right paths 405
for the sake of his reputation. 406
23:4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, 407
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff reassure me. 410
23:5 You prepare a feast before me 411
in plain sight of my enemies.
You refresh 412 my head with oil;
my cup is completely full. 413
23:6 Surely your goodness and faithfulness 414 will pursue 415 me all my days, 416
and I will live in 417 the Lord’s house 418 for the rest of my life. 419
A 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 421 it upon the ocean currents. 422
24:3 Who is allowed to ascend 423 the mountain of the Lord? 424
Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?
24:4 The one whose deeds are blameless
and whose motives are pure, 425
who does not lie, 426
or make promises with no intention of keeping them. 427
24:5 Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, 428
and vindicated by the God who delivers them. 429
24:6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor,
Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him. 430 (Selah)
Rise up, 432 you eternal doors!
Then the majestic king 433 will enter! 434
24:8 Who is this majestic king? 435
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! 436
He is the majestic king! (Selah)
By David.
25:1 O Lord, I come before you in prayer. 438
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 439 and humiliated.
25:4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!
Teach me your paths! 440
25:5 Guide me into your truth 441 and teach me.
For you are the God who delivers me;
on you I rely all day long.
25:6 Remember 442 your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,
for you have always acted in this manner. 443
25:7 Do not hold against me 444 the sins of my youth 445 or my rebellious acts!
Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord! 446
25:8 The Lord is both kind and fair; 447
that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live. 448
25:9 May he show 449 the humble what is right! 450
May he teach 451 the humble his way!
25:10 The Lord always proves faithful and reliable 452
to those who follow the demands of his covenant. 453
25:11 For the sake of your reputation, 454 O Lord,
forgive my sin, because it is great. 455
25:12 The Lord shows his faithful followers
the way they should live. 456
25:13 They experience his favor; 457
their descendants 458 inherit the land. 459
25:14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, 460
and he reveals his covenantal demands to them. 461
25:15 I continually look to the Lord for help, 462
for he will free my feet from the enemy’s net. 463
25:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,
for I am alone 464 and oppressed!
25:17 Deliver me from my distress; 465
rescue me from my suffering! 466
25:18 See my pain and suffering!
Forgive all my sins! 467
25:19 Watch my enemies, for they outnumber me;
they hate me and want to harm me. 468
25:20 Protect me 469 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!
25:22 O God, rescue 470 Israel
from all their distress! 471
By David.
26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have integrity, 473
and I trust in the Lord without wavering.
26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me!
Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives! 474
26:3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness, 475
and your loyalty continually motivates me. 476
26:4 I do not associate 477 with deceitful men,
or consort 478 with those who are dishonest. 479
26:5 I hate the mob 480 of evil men,
and do not associate 481 with the wicked.
26:6 I maintain a pure lifestyle, 482
so I can appear before your altar, 483 O Lord,
and to tell about all your amazing deeds. 485
26:8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live, 486
the place where your splendor is revealed. 487
26:9 Do not sweep me away 488 with sinners,
or execute me along with violent people, 489
26:10 who are always ready to do wrong 490
or offer a bribe. 491
26:11 But I have integrity! 492
Rescue me 493 and have mercy on me!
and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.
By David.
27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! 496
I fear no one! 497
The Lord protects my life!
I am afraid of no one! 498
27:2 When evil men attack me 499
to devour my flesh, 500
when my adversaries and enemies attack me, 501
they stumble and fall. 502
27:3 Even when an army is deployed against me,
I do not fear. 503
Even when war is imminent, 504
I remain confident. 505
27:4 I have asked the Lord for one thing –
this is what I desire!
I want to live 506 in the Lord’s house 507 all the days of my life,
so I can gaze at the splendor 508 of the Lord
and contemplate in his temple.
27:5 He will surely 509 give me shelter 510 in the day of danger; 511
he will hide me in his home; 512
he will place me 513 on an inaccessible rocky summit. 514
27:6 Now I will triumph
over my enemies who surround me! 515
I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy! 516
I will sing praises to the Lord!
27:7 Hear me, 517 O Lord, when I cry out!
Have mercy on me and answer me!
27:8 My heart tells me to pray to you, 518
and I do pray to you, O Lord. 519
Do not push your servant away in anger!
You are my deliverer! 521
Do not forsake or abandon me,
O God who vindicates me!
27:10 Even if my father and mother abandoned me, 522
the Lord would take me in. 523
27:11 Teach me how you want me to live; 524
lead me along a level path 525 because of those who wait to ambush me! 526
27:12 Do not turn me over to my enemies, 527
for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me. 528
27:13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience
the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? 529
Be strong and confident! 531
Rely on the Lord!
By David.
28:1 To you, O Lord, I cry out!
My protector, 533 do not ignore me! 534
If you do not respond to me, 535
I will join 536 those who are descending into the grave. 537
28:2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,
when I lift my hands 538 toward your holy temple! 539
28:3 Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly, 540
who talk so friendly to their neighbors, 541
while they plan to harm them! 542
28:4 Pay them back for their evil deeds!
Pay them back for what they do!
Punish them! 543
28:5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,
or the way he carries out justice. 544
The Lord 545 will permanently demolish them. 546
28:6 The Lord deserves praise, 547
for he has heard my plea for mercy! 548
28:7 The Lord strengthens and protects me; 549
I trust in him with all my heart. 550
I am rescued 551 and my heart is full of joy; 552
I will sing to him in gratitude. 553
28:8 The Lord strengthens his people; 554
he protects and delivers his chosen king. 555
28:9 Deliver your people!
Empower 556 the nation that belongs to you! 557
Care for them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms 558 at all times! 559
A psalm of David.
29:1 Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings, 561
acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power! 562
29:2 Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord’s reputation! 563
Worship the Lord in holy attire! 564
29:3 The Lord’s shout is heard over the water; 565
the majestic God thunders, 566
the Lord appears over the surging water. 567
29:4 The Lord’s shout is powerful, 568
the Lord’s shout is majestic. 569
29:5 The Lord’s shout breaks 570 the cedars,
the Lord shatters 571 the cedars of Lebanon. 572
29:6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf
and Sirion 573 like a young ox. 574
29:7 The Lord’s shout strikes 575 with flaming fire. 576
29:8 The Lord’s shout shakes 577 the wilderness,
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 578
29:9 The Lord’s shout bends 579 the large trees 580
and strips 581 the leaves from the forests. 582
Everyone in his temple says, “Majestic!” 583
29:10 The Lord sits enthroned over the engulfing waters, 584
the Lord sits enthroned 585 as the eternal king.
29:11 The Lord gives 586 his people strength; 587
the Lord grants his people security. 588
A psalm – a song used at the dedication of the temple; 590 by David.
30:1 I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up, 591
and did not allow my enemies to gloat 592 over me.
30:2 O Lord my God,
I cried out to you and you healed me. 593
30:3 O Lord, you pulled me 594 up from Sheol;
you rescued me from among those descending into the grave. 595
30:4 Sing to the Lord, you faithful followers 596 of his;
give thanks to his holy name. 597
30:5 For his anger lasts only a brief moment,
and his good favor restores one’s life. 598
One may experience sorrow during the night,
but joy arrives in the morning. 599
30:6 In my self-confidence I said,
“I will never be upended.” 600
30:7 O Lord, in your good favor you made me secure. 601
Then you rejected me 602 and I was terrified.
30:8 To you, O Lord, I cried out;
I begged the Lord for mercy: 603
30:9 “What 604 profit is there in taking my life, 605
in my descending into the Pit? 606
Can the dust of the grave 607 praise you?
Can it declare your loyalty? 608
30:10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me!
O Lord, deliver me!” 609
30:11 Then you turned my lament into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy. 610
30:12 So now 611 my heart 612 will sing to you and not be silent;
O Lord my God, I will always 613 give thanks to you.
For the music director; a psalm of David.
31:1 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter!
Never let me be humiliated!
Vindicate me by rescuing me! 615
Quickly deliver me!
Be my protector and refuge, 617
a stronghold where I can be safe! 618
31:3 For you are my high ridge 619 and my stronghold;
for the sake of your own reputation 620 you lead me and guide me. 621
31:4 You will free me 622 from the net they hid for me,
for you are my place of refuge.
31:5 Into your hand I entrust my life; 623
you will rescue 624 me, O Lord, the faithful God.
31:6 I hate those who serve worthless idols, 625
but I trust in the Lord.
31:7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am. 626
31:8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;
you enable me to stand 627 in a wide open place.
31:9 Have mercy on me, for I am in distress!
My eyes grow dim 628 from suffering. 629
I have lost my strength. 630
31:10 For my life nears its end in pain;
my years draw to a close as I groan. 631
My strength fails me because of 632 my sin,
and my bones become brittle. 633
31:11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me; 634
my neighbors are appalled by my suffering 635 –
those who know me are horrified by my condition; 636
those who see me in the street run away from me.
31:12 I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about; 637
I am regarded as worthless, like a broken jar. 638
31:13 For I hear what so many are saying, 639
the terrifying news that comes from every direction. 640
When they plot together against me,
they figure out how they can take my life.
31:14 But I trust in you, O Lord!
I declare, “You are my God!”
31:15 You determine my destiny! 641
Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those who chase me.
31:16 Smile 642 on your servant!
Deliver me because of your faithfulness!
31:17 O Lord, do not let me be humiliated,
for I call out to you!
May evil men be humiliated!
May they go wailing to the grave! 643
31:18 May lying lips be silenced –
lips 644 that speak defiantly against the innocent 645
with arrogance and contempt!
31:19 How great is your favor, 646
which you store up for your loyal followers! 647
In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter 648 in you. 649
31:20 You hide them with you, where they are safe from the attacks 650 of men; 651
you conceal them in a shelter, where they are safe from slanderous attacks. 652
31:21 The Lord deserves praise 653
for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies. 654
31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said, 655
“I am cut off from your presence!” 656
But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers 657 of his!
The Lord protects those who have integrity,
but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. 658
31:24 Be strong and confident, 659
all you who wait on the Lord!
By David; a well-written song. 661
32:1 How blessed 662 is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, 663
whose sin is pardoned! 664
32:2 How blessed is the one 665 whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish, 666
in whose spirit there is no deceit. 667
32:3 When I refused to confess my sin, 668
my whole body wasted away, 669
while I groaned in pain all day long.
32:4 For day and night you tormented me; 670
you tried to destroy me 671 in the intense heat 672 of summer. 673 (Selah)
32:5 Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess 674 my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins. 675 (Selah)
32:6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers 676 should pray to you
while there is a window of opportunity. 677
Certainly 678 when the surging water 679 rises,
it will not reach them. 680
32:7 You are my hiding place;
you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. 681 (Selah)
32:8 I will instruct and teach you 682 about how you should live. 683
I will advise you as I look you in the eye. 684
32:9 Do not be 685 like an unintelligent horse or mule, 686
which will not obey you
unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. 687
32:10 An evil person suffers much pain, 688
but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him. 689
32:11 Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly!
Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright! 690
33:1 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord!
It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.
33:2 Give thanks to the Lord with the harp!
Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument!
33:3 Sing to him a new song! 692
Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him! 693
33:4 For 694 the Lord’s decrees 695 are just, 696
and everything he does is fair. 697
33:5 The Lord promotes 698 equity and justice;
the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth. 699
33:6 By the Lord’s decree 700 the heavens were made;
by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created. 701
33:7 He piles up the water of the sea; 702
he puts the oceans 703 in storehouses.
33:8 Let the whole earth fear 704 the Lord!
Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him!
33:9 For he spoke, and it 705 came into existence,
he issued the decree, 706 and it stood firm.
33:10 The Lord frustrates 707 the decisions of the nations;
he nullifies the plans 708 of the peoples.
33:11 The Lord’s decisions stand forever;
his plans abide throughout the ages. 709
33:12 How blessed 710 is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen to be his special possession. 711
33:13 The Lord watches 712 from heaven;
he sees all people. 713
33:14 From the place where he lives he looks carefully
at all the earth’s inhabitants.
33:15 He is the one who forms every human heart, 714
and takes note of all their actions.
33:16 No king is delivered by his vast army;
a warrior is not saved by his great might.
33:17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; 715
despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.
33:18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, 716
those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness 717
33:19 by saving their lives from death 718
and sustaining them during times of famine. 719
33:20 We 720 wait for the Lord;
he is our deliverer 721 and shield. 722
33:21 For our hearts rejoice in him,
for we trust in his holy name.
33:22 May we experience your faithfulness, O Lord, 723
for 724 we wait for you.
Written by David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away. 726
34:1 I will praise 727 the Lord at all times;
my mouth will continually praise him. 728
34:2 I will boast 729 in the Lord;
let the oppressed hear and rejoice! 730
34:3 Magnify the Lord with me!
Let’s praise 731 his name together!
34:4 I sought the Lord’s help 732 and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
34:5 Those who look to him for help are happy;
their faces are not ashamed. 733
34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him 734 from all his troubles.
34:7 The Lord’s angel camps around
the Lord’s 735 loyal followers 736 and delivers them. 737
34:8 Taste 738 and see that the Lord is good!
How blessed 739 is the one 740 who takes shelter in him! 741
34:9 Remain loyal to 742 the Lord, you chosen people of his, 743
for his loyal followers 744 lack nothing!
34:10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
34:11 Come children! Listen to me!
I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord. 745
34:12 Do you want to really live? 746
Would you love to live a long, happy life? 747
34:13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words 748
or use deceptive speech! 749
34:14 Turn away from evil and do what is right! 750
Strive for peace and promote it! 751
34:15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help. 752
34:16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth. 753
34:17 The godly 754 cry out and the Lord hears;
he saves them from all their troubles. 755
34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers 756 those who are discouraged. 757
34:19 The godly 758 face many dangers, 759
but the Lord saves 760 them 761 from each one of them.
34:20 He protects 762 all his bones; 763
not one of them is broken. 764
34:21 Evil people self-destruct; 765
those who hate the godly are punished. 766
34:22 The Lord rescues his servants; 767
all who take shelter in him escape punishment. 768
By David.
35:1 O Lord, fight 770 those who fight with me!
Attack those who attack me!
35:2 Grab your small shield and large shield, 771
and rise up to help me!
35:3 Use your spear and lance 772 against 773 those who chase me!
Assure me with these words: 774 “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! 775
35:5 May they be 776 like wind-driven chaff,
as the Lord’s angel 777 attacks them! 778
35:6 May their path be 779 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. 780
35:8 Let destruction take them by surprise! 781
Let the net they hid catch them!
Let them fall into destruction! 782
35:9 Then I will rejoice in the Lord
and be happy because of his deliverance. 783
35:10 With all my strength I will say, 784
“O Lord, who can compare to you?
You rescue 785 the oppressed from those who try to overpower them; 786
the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.” 787
35:11 Violent men perjure themselves, 788
and falsely accuse me. 789
35:12 They repay me evil for the good I have done; 790
I am overwhelmed with sorrow. 791
35:13 When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, 792
and refrained from eating food. 793
(If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!) 794
35:14 I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother. 795
I bowed down 796 in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother. 797
35:15 But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together;
they gathered together to ambush me. 798
They tore at me without stopping to rest. 799
35:16 When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly, 800
and tried to bite me. 801
35:17 O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? 802
Rescue 803 me 804 from their destructive attacks;
guard my life 805 from the young lions!
35:18 Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly; 806
I will praise you before a large crowd of people! 807
35:19 Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason 808 gloat 809 over me!
Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes! 810
35:20 For they do not try to make peace with others, 811
but plan ways to deceive those who are unsuspecting. 812
35:21 They are ready to devour me; 813
they say, “Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!” 814
35:22 But you take notice, 815 Lord!
O Lord, do not remain far away from me!
35:23 Rouse yourself, wake up 816 and vindicate me! 817
My God and Lord, defend my just cause! 818
35:24 Vindicate me by your justice, O Lord my God!
Do not let them gloat 819 over me!
35:25 Do not let them say to themselves, 820 “Aha! We have what we wanted!” 821
Do not let them say, “We have devoured him!”
35:26 May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 822
May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! 823
35:27 May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice!
May they continually say, 824 “May the Lord be praised, 825 for he wants his servant to be secure.” 826
35:28 Then I will tell others about your justice, 827
and praise you all day long. 828
For the music director; written by the Lord’s servant, David; an oracle. 830
36:1 An evil man is rebellious to the core. 831
He does not fear God, 832
36:2 for he is too proud
to recognize and give up his sin. 833
36:3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;
he does not care about doing what is wise and right. 834
36:4 He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed;
he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; 835
he does not reject what is evil. 836
36:5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky; 837
your faithfulness to the clouds. 838
36:6 Your justice is like the highest mountains, 839
your fairness like the deepest sea;
you preserve 840 mankind and the animal kingdom. 841
36:7 How precious 842 is your loyal love, O God!
The human race finds shelter under your wings. 843
36:8 They are filled with food from your house,
and you allow them to drink from the river of your delicacies.
36:9 For you are the one who gives
and sustains life. 844
36:10 Extend 845 your loyal love to your faithful followers, 846
and vindicate 847 the morally upright! 848
36:11 Do not let arrogant men overtake me,
or let evil men make me homeless! 849
36:12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen! 850
They have been knocked down and are unable to get up! 851
By David.
37:1 Do not fret 853 when wicked men seem to succeed! 854
Do not envy evildoers!
37:2 For they will quickly dry up like grass,
and wither away like plants. 855
37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!
Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! 856
37:4 Then you will take delight in the Lord, 857
and he will answer your prayers. 858
37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! 859
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. 860
37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,
and publicly defend your just cause. 861
37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! 862
Wait confidently 863 for him!
Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, 864
a man who carries out wicked schemes!
37:8 Do not be angry and frustrated! 865
Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!
37:9 Wicked men 866 will be wiped out, 867
but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land. 868
37:10 Evil men will soon disappear; 869
you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. 870
37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity. 871
37:12 Evil men plot against the godly 872
and viciously attack them. 873
37:13 The Lord laughs in disgust 874 at them,
for he knows that their day is coming. 875
37:14 Evil men draw their swords
and prepare their bows,
to bring down 876 the oppressed and needy,
and to slaughter those who are godly. 877
37:15 Their swords will pierce 878 their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
37:16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than
the wealth of many evil men, 879
37:17 for evil men will lose their power, 880
but the Lord sustains 881 the godly.
37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day 882
and they possess a permanent inheritance. 883
37:19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come; 884
when famine comes they will have enough to eat. 885
37:20 But 886 evil men will die;
the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated 887 –
they will go up in smoke. 888
37:21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt,
but the godly show compassion and are generous. 889
37:22 Surely 890 those favored by the Lord 891 will possess the land,
but those rejected 892 by him will be wiped out. 893
37:23 The Lord grants success to the one
whose behavior he finds commendable. 894
37:24 Even if 895 he trips, he will not fall headlong, 896
for the Lord holds 897 his hand.
37:25 I was once young, now I am old.
I have never seen a godly man abandoned,
or his children 898 forced to search for food. 899
37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, 900
and his children 901 are blessed.
37:27 Turn away from evil! Do what is right! 902
Then you will enjoy lasting security. 903
37:28 For the Lord promotes 904 justice,
and never abandons 905 his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure, 906
but the children 907 of evil men are wiped out. 908
37:29 The godly will possess the land
and will dwell in it permanently.
37:30 The godly speak wise words
and promote justice. 909
37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking; 910
their 911 feet do not slip.
37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly
and try to kill them. 912
37:33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,
or allow them to be condemned in a court of law. 913
37:34 Rely 914 on the Lord! Obey his commands! 915
Then he will permit you 916 to possess the land;
you will see the demise of evil men. 917
37:35 I have seen ruthless evil men 918
growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil. 919
37:36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! 920
I looked for them, but they could not be found.
37:37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! 921
For the one who promotes peace has a future. 922
37:38 Sinful rebels are totally destroyed; 923
evil men have no future. 924
37:39 But the Lord delivers the godly; 925
he protects them in times of trouble. 926
37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, 927
for they seek his protection.
A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention. 929
38:1 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger!
Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury! 930
38:2 For your arrows pierce 931 me,
and your hand presses me down. 932
38:3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment; 933
I am deprived of health because of my sin. 934
38:4 For my sins overwhelm me; 935
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
38:5 My wounds 936 are infected and starting to smell, 937
because of my foolish sins. 938
38:6 I am dazed 939 and completely humiliated; 940
all day long I walk around mourning.
38:7 For I am overcome with shame 941
and my whole body is sick. 942
38:8 I am numb with pain and severely battered; 943
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel. 944
38:9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire; 945
my groaning is not hidden from you.
38:10 My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me;
I can hardly see. 946
38:11 Because of my condition, 947 even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; 948
my neighbors stand far away. 949
38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; 950
those who want to harm me speak destructive words;
all day long they say deceitful things.
38:13 But I am like a deaf man – I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak. 951
38:14 I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense. 952
38:15 Yet 953 I wait for you, O Lord!
You will respond, O Lord, my God!
38:16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me; 954
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me. 955
38:17 For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain. 956
38:18 Yes, 957 I confess my wrongdoing,
and I am concerned about my sins.
38:19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous; 958
those who hate me without cause outnumber me. 959
38:20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;
though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me. 960
38:21 Do not abandon me, O Lord!
My God, do not remain far away from me!
38:22 Hurry and help me, 961 O Lord, my deliverer!
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39:1 I decided, 963 “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. 964
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil man.” 965
I held back the urge to speak. 967
My frustration grew; 968
39:3 my anxiety intensified. 969
As I thought about it, I became impatient. 970
Finally I spoke these words: 971
39:4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life! 972
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass! 973
39:5 Look, you make my days short-lived, 974
and my life span is nothing from your perspective. 975
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor. 976
39:6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. 977
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.” 978
39:7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?
You are my only hope! 979
39:8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion!
Do not make me the object of fools’ insults!
39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth
because of what you have done. 980
39:10 Please stop wounding me! 981
You have almost beaten me to death! 982
39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins; 983
like a moth you slowly devour their strength. 984
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
39:12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cry for help!
Do not ignore my sobbing! 985
For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land;
I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were. 986
39:13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy
before I pass away. 987
For the music director; By David, a psalm.
40:1 I relied completely 989 on the Lord,
and he turned toward me
and heard my cry for help.
40:2 He lifted me out of the watery pit, 990
out of the slimy mud. 991
He placed my feet on a rock
and gave me secure footing. 992
40:3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, 993
praising our God. 994
May many see what God has done,
so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord! 995
40:4 How blessed 996 is the one 997 who trusts in the Lord 998
and does not seek help from 999 the proud or from liars! 1000
40:5 O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things;
you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us. 1001
No one can thwart you! 1002
I want to declare them and talk about them,
but they are too numerous to recount! 1003
40:6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. 1004
You make that quite clear to me! 1005
You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.
40:7 Then I say,
“Look! I come!
What is written in the scroll pertains to me. 1006
40:8 I want to do what pleases you, 1007 my God.
Your law dominates my thoughts.” 1008
40:9 I have told the great assembly 1009 about your justice. 1010
Look! I spare no words! 1011
O Lord, you know this is true.
40:10 I have not failed to tell about your justice; 1012
I spoke about your reliability and deliverance;
I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your loyal love and faithfulness. 1013
40:11 O Lord, you do not withhold 1014 your compassion from me.
May your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me! 1015
40:12 For innumerable dangers 1016 surround me.
My sins overtake me
so I am unable to see;
they outnumber the hairs of my head
so my strength fails me. 1017
40:13 Please be willing, O Lord, to rescue me!
O Lord, hurry and help me! 1018
40:14 May those who are trying to snatch away my life
be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 1019
May those who want to harm me
be turned back and ashamed! 1020
40:15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be humiliated 1021 and disgraced! 1022
40:16 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!
May those who love to experience 1023 your deliverance say continually, 1024
“May the Lord be praised!” 1025
40:17 I am oppressed and needy! 1026
May the Lord pay attention to me! 1027
You are my helper and my deliverer!
O my God, do not delay!
For the music director; a psalm of David.
41:1 How blessed 1029 is the one who treats the poor properly! 1030
When trouble comes, 1031 the Lord delivers him. 1032
41:2 May the Lord protect him and save his life! 1033
May he be blessed 1034 in the land!
Do not turn him over 1035 to his enemies! 1036
41:3 The Lord supports 1037 him on his sickbed;
you completely heal him from his illness. 1038
“O Lord, have mercy on me!
Heal me, for I have sinned against you!
41:5 My enemies ask this cruel question about me, 1040
‘When will he finally die and be forgotten?’ 1041
41:6 When someone comes to visit, 1042 he pretends to be friendly; 1043
he thinks of ways to defame me, 1044
and when he leaves he slanders me. 1045
41:7 All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another; 1046
they plan ways to harm me.
‘An awful disease 1048 overwhelms him, 1049
and now that he is bed-ridden he will never recover.’ 1050
41:9 Even my close friend 1051 whom I trusted,
he who shared meals with me, has turned against me. 1052
41:10 As for you, O Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up,
so I can pay them back!” 1053
41:11 By this 1054 I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does 1055 not triumph 1056 over me.
41:12 As for me, you uphold 1057 me because of my integrity; 1058
you allow 1059 me permanent access to your presence. 1060
41:13 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise 1061
in the future and forevermore! 1062
We agree! We agree! 1063
[16:1] 1 sn Psalm 16. The psalmist seeks divine protection because he has remained loyal to God. He praises God for his rich blessings, and is confident God will vindicate him and deliver him from death.
[16:1] 2 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מִכְתָּם (mikhtam) is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
[16:1] 3 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results (see 7:1; 11:1).
[16:1] sn Taken shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
[16:2] 4 tn Heb “my good [is] not beyond you.” For the use of the preposition עַל (’al) in the sense of “beyond,” see BDB 755 s.v. 2.
[16:3] 5 tn Heb “regarding the holy ones who [are] in the land, they; and the mighty [ones] in [whom is/was] all my desire.” The difficult syntax makes the meaning of the verse uncertain. The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s angelic assembly (see Ps 89:5, 7), but the qualifying clause “who are in the land” suggests that here it refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3).
[16:4] 6 tn Heb “their troubles multiply, another, they pay a dowry.” The meaning of the text is unclear. The Hebrew term עַצְּבוֹתָם (’atsÿvotam, “troubles”) appears to be a plural form of עַצֶּבֶת (’atsÿvet, “pain, wound”; see Job 9:28; Ps 147:3). Because idolatry appears to be in view (see v. 4b), some prefer to emend the noun to עַצְּבִים (’atsÿvim, “idols”). “Troubles” may be a wordplay on “idols” or a later alteration designed to emphasize that idolatry leads to trouble. The singular form אחר (“another”) is syntactically problematic here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a plural אֲחֵרִים (’akherim, “others”). (The final mem [ם] could have been lost by haplography; note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the next word.) In this case it might be taken as an abbreviated form of the well-attested phrase אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים (’elohim ’akherim, “other gods”). (In Isa 42:8 the singular form אַחַר (’akher, “another”) is used of another god.) The verb מָהַר (mahar) appears in the Qal stem; the only other use of a Qal verbal form of a root מָהַר is in Exod 22:15, where the denominative verb מָהֹר (mahor, “purchase [a wife]”) appears; cf. the related noun מֹהַר (mohar, “bride money, purchase price for a wife”). If that verb is understood here, then the idolaters are pictured as eager bridegrooms paying the price to acquire the object of their desire. Another option is to emend the verb to a Piel and translate, “hurry (after).”
[16:4] 7 tn Heb “I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood.” The third masculine plural suffix would appear to refer back to the people/leaders mentioned in v. 3. However, if we emend אֲחֵר (’akher, “another”) to the plural אֲחֵרִים (’akherim, “other [gods]”) in v. 4, the suffix can be understood as referring to these gods – “the drink offerings [made to] them.” The next line favors this interpretation. Perhaps this refers to some type of pagan cultic ritual. Elsewhere wine is the prescribed content of drink offerings.
[16:4] 8 tn Heb “and I will not lift up their names upon my lips.” The expression “lift up the name” probably refers here to swearing an oath in the name of deity (see Exod 20:7; Deut 5:11). If so, the third masculine plural suffix on “names” likely refers to the pagan gods, not the people/leaders. See the preceding note.
[16:5] 9 tn Heb “O
[16:5] 10 tc Heb “you take hold of my lot.” The form תּוֹמִיךְ (tomikh) should be emended to a participle, תוֹמֵךְ (tomekh). The psalmist pictures the
[16:6] 11 tn Heb “measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant [places]; yes, property [or “an inheritance”] is beautiful for me.” On the dative use of עַל, see BDB 758 s.v. II.8. Extending the metaphor used in v. 5, the psalmist compares the divine blessings he has received to a rich, beautiful tract of land that one might receive by allotment or inheritance.
[16:7] 12 tn Heb “bless,” that is, “proclaim as worthy of praise.”
[16:7] 14 tn Or “counsels, advises.”
[16:7] 15 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
[16:8] 16 tn Heb “I set the
[16:9] 17 tn Heb “my glory is happy.” Some view the Hebrew term כְּבוֹדִי (kÿvodiy, “my glory”) 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 (kÿvediy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 30:12; 57:9; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. 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.”
[16:9] 18 tn Heb “yes, my flesh dwells securely.” The psalmist’s “flesh” stands by metonymy for his body and, by extension, his physical life.
[16:10] 19 tn Or “my life.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
[16:10] 20 sn In ancient Israelite cosmology Sheol is the realm of the dead, viewed as being under the earth’s surface. See L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 165-76.
[16:10] 21 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד [khasid], traditionally rendered “holy one”) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10). The psalmist here refers to himself, as the parallel line (“You will not abandon me to Sheol”) indicates.
[16:10] 22 tn That is, “experience.” The psalmist is confident that the Lord will protect him in his present crisis (see v. 1) and prevent him from dying.
[16:10] sn According to Peter, the words of Ps 16:8-11 are applicable to Jesus (Acts 2:25-29). Peter goes on to argue that David, being a prophet, foresaw future events and spoke of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:30-33). Paul seems to concur with Peter in this understanding (see Acts 13:35-37). For a discussion of the NT application of these verses to Jesus’ resurrection, see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “A Theology of the Psalms,” A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, 292-95.
[16:10] 23 tn The Hebrew word שָׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 30:9; 49:9; 55:24; 103:4). Note the parallelism with the previous line.
[16:11] 24 tn Heb “cause me to know”; or “cause me to experience.”
[16:11] 25 tn This is a metaphorical way of saying, “you preserve my life.” The phrase “path of life” stands in contrast to death/Sheol in Prov 2:18-19; 5:5-6; 15:24.
[16:11] 26 tn Heb “abundance of joy [is] with your face.” The plural form of the noun שִׂמְחָה (simkhah, “joy”) occurs only here and in Ps 45:15. It may emphasize the degree of joy experienced.
[16:11] 27 tn Heb “delight [is] in your right hand forever.” The plural form of the adjective נָעִים (na’im, “pleasant, delightful”) may here emphasize the degree of delight experienced (see Job 36:11).
[17:1] 28 sn Psalm 17. The psalmist asks God to intervene on his behalf because his life is threatened by dangerous enemies. He appeals to divine justice, for he is certain of his own innocence. Because he is innocent, he expects to encounter God and receive an assuring word.
[17:1] 29 tn Heb “hear,
[17:1] 30 tn Heb “Listen to my prayer, [made] without lips of deceit.”
[17:2] 31 tn Heb “From before you may my justice come out.” The prefixed verbal form יָצָא (yatsa’) could be taken as an imperfect, but following the imperatives in v. 1, it is better understood as a jussive of prayer.
[17:2] 32 tn Heb “May your eyes look at what is right.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as jussive. (See also the preceding note on the word “behalf.”)
[17:3] 33 tn Heb “you tested my heart.”
[17:3] 34 tn Heb “you visited [at] night.”
[17:3] 35 tc Heb “you tested me, you do not find, I plan, my mouth will not cross over.” The Hebrew verbal form זַמֹּתִי (zammotiy) is a Qal perfect, first person singular from the root זָמַם (zamam, “plan, plan evil”). Some emend the form to a suffixed form of the noun, זִמָּתִי (zimmatiy, “my plan/evil plan”), and take it as the object of the preceding verb “find.” However, the suffix seems odd, since the psalmist is denying that he has any wrong thoughts. If one takes the form with what precedes, it might make better sense to read זִמּוֹת (zimmot, “evil plans”). However, this emendation leaves an unclear connection with the next line. The present translation maintains the verbal form found in the MT and understands it in a neutral sense, “I have decided” (see Jer 4:28). The words “my mouth will not cross over” (i.e., “transgress, sin”) can then be taken as a noun clause functioning as the object of the verb.
[17:4] 36 tn Heb “with regard to the deeds of man[kind].”
[17:4] 37 tn Heb “by the word of your lips, I, I have watched the paths of the violent” (i.e., “watched” in the sense of “watched for the purpose of avoiding”).
[17:5] 38 tn Heb “my steps stay firm in your tracks.” The infinitive absolute functions here as a finite verb (see GKC 347 §113.gg). God’s “tracks” are his commands, i.e., the moral pathways he has prescribed for the psalmist.
[17:5] 39 tn Heb “my footsteps do not stagger.”
[17:6] 40 tn Heb “Turn your ear toward me.”
[17:7] 42 tn Heb “Set apart faithful acts.”
[17:7] 43 tn Heb “[O] one who delivers those who seek shelter from the ones raising themselves up, by your right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver.
[17:7] sn Those who look to you for protection from their enemies. “Seeking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
[17:8] 44 tc Heb “Protect me like the pupil, a daughter of an eye.” The noun בַּת (bat, “daughter”) should probably be emended to בָּבַת (bavat, “pupil”). See Zech 2:12 HT (2:8 ET) and HALOT 107 s.v. *בָּבָה.
[17:8] 45 sn Your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.
[17:9] 46 tn Heb “from before”; or “because.” In the Hebrew text v. 9 is subordinated to v. 8. The words “protect me” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:9] 47 tn Heb “destroy.” The psalmist uses the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of danger. He describes the wicked as being already in the process of destroying him.
[17:9] 48 tn Heb “my enemies, at the risk of life they surround me.” The Hebrew phrase בְּנֶפֶשׁ (bÿnefesh) sometimes has the nuance “at the risk of [one’s] life” (see 1 Kgs 2:23; Prov 7:23; Lam 5:9).
[17:10] 49 tn Heb “their fat they close.” The Hebrew term חֵלֶב (khelev, “fat”) appears to stand by metonymy for their calloused hearts. They attack the psalmist without feeling any pity or remorse. Some propose emending the text to חֵלֶב לִבָּמוֹ (khelev libbamo, “fat of their heart[s]; cf. Ps 119:70, “their heart is insensitive like fat”). This assumes haplography of the לב (lamed-bet) consonantal sequence.
[17:10] 50 tn Heb “[with] their mouth they speak with arrogance.”
[17:11] 51 tc Heb “our steps, now they surround me.” The Kethib (consonantal text) has “surround me,” while the Qere (marginal reading) has “surround us,” harmonizing the pronoun to the preceding “our steps.” The first person plural pronoun does not fit the context, where the psalmist speaks as an individual. In the preceding verses the psalmist uses a first person singular verbal or pronominal form twenty times. For this reason it is preferable to emend “our steps” to אִשְּׁרוּנִי (’ishÿruni, “they attack me”) from the verbal root אָשֻׁר (’ashur, “march, stride, track”).
[17:11] 52 tn Heb “their eyes they set to bend down in the ground.”
[17:12] 53 tn Here the psalmist switches to the singular pronoun; he views his enemies collectively, or singles out a representative of the group, perhaps its leader.
[17:12] 54 tn Heb “his likeness [is] like a lion.”
[17:12] 55 tn Heb “[that] longs to tear.”
[17:13] 57 tn Heb “Be in front of his face.”
[17:13] 58 tn Or “bring him to his knees.”
[17:13] 59 tn Heb “rescue my life from the wicked [one] [by] your sword.”
[17:14] 60 tc Heb “from men [by] your hand,
[17:14] 61 tn Heb “from men, from [the] world.” On the emendation of “men” to “murderers,” see the preceding note on the word “murderers.”
[17:14] 62 tn Heb “their portion, in life.”
[17:14] 63 tn Heb “and [with] your treasures you fill their belly.”
[17:14] sn You overwhelm them with the riches they desire. The psalmist is not accusing God of being unjust; he is simply observing that the wicked often prosper and that God is the ultimate source of all blessings that human beings enjoy (see Matt 5:45). When the wicked are ungrateful for God’s blessings, they become even more culpable and deserving of judgment. So this description of the wicked actually supports the psalmist’s appeal for deliverance. God should rescue him because he is innocent (see vv. 3-5) and because the wicked, though blessed abundantly by God, still have the audacity to attack God’s people.
[17:14] 64 tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] sons and leave their abundance to their children.”
[17:15] 65 tn Heb “I, in innocence, I will see your face.” To “see” God’s “face” means to have access to his presence and to experience his favor (see Ps 11:7; see also Job 33:26 [where רָאָה (ra’ah), not חָזַה (khazah), is used]). Here, however, the psalmist may be anticipating a mystical experience. See the following note on the word “me.”
[17:15] 66 tn Heb “I will be satisfied, when I awake, [with] your form.” The noun תְּמוּנָה (tÿmunah) normally carries the nuance “likeness” or “form.” In Job 4:16 it refers to a ghostlike spiritual entity (see v. 15) that revealed itself to Eliphaz during the night. The psalmist may anticipate a mystical encounter with God in which he expects to see a manifestation of God’s presence (i.e., a theophany), perhaps in conjunction with an oracle of deliverance. During the quiet darkness of the night, God examines the psalmist’s inner motives and finds them to be pure (see v. 3). The psalmist is confident that when he awakens, perhaps sometime during the night or in the morning, he will be visited by God and assured of vindication.
[17:15] sn When I awake you will reveal yourself to me. Some see in this verse an allusion to resurrection. According to this view, when the psalmist awakens from the sleep of death, he will see God. It is unlikely that the psalmist had such a highly developed personal eschatology. As noted above, it is more likely that he is anticipating a divine visitation and mystical encounter as a prelude to his deliverance from his enemies.
[18:1] 67 sn Psalm 18. In this long song of thanks, the psalmist (a Davidic king, traditionally understood as David himself) affirms that God is his faithful protector. He recalls in highly poetic fashion how God intervened in awesome power and delivered him from death. The psalmist’s experience demonstrates that God vindicates those who are blameless and remain loyal to him. True to his promises, God gives the king victory on the battlefield and enables him to subdue nations. A parallel version of the psalm appears in 2 Sam 22:1-51.
[18:1] 69 tn Heb “in the day,” or “at the time.”
[18:1] 71 tn Heb “and from the hand of Saul.”
[18:1] 72 tn A number of translations (e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV) assign the words “he said” to the superscription, in which case the entire psalm is in first person. Other translations (e.g., NAB) include the introductory “he said” at the beginning of v. 1.
[18:1] 73 tn The verb רָחַם (rakham) elsewhere appears in the Piel (or Pual) verbal stem with the basic meaning, “have compassion.” The verb occurs only here in the basic (Qal) stem. The basic stem of the verbal root also occurs in Aramaic with the meaning “love” (see DNWSI 2:1068-69; Jastrow 1467 s.v. רָחַם; G. Schmuttermayr, “rhm: eine lexikalische Studie,” Bib 51 [1970]: 515-21). Since this introductory statement does not appear in the parallel version in 2 Sam 22:1-51, it is possible that it is a later addition to the psalm, made when the poem was revised for use in worship.
[18:1] 74 tn Heb “my strength.” “Strength” is metonymic here, referring to the Lord as the one who bestows strength to the psalmist; thus the translation “my source of strength.”
[18:2] 75 sn My high ridge. This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
[18:2] 76 sn My stronghold. David often found safety in such strongholds. See 1 Sam 22:4-5; 24:22; 2 Sam 5:9, 17; 23:14.
[18:2] 78 sn Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
[18:2] 79 tn Heb “the horn of my salvation”; or “my saving horn.”
[18:2] sn Though some see “horn” as referring to a horn-shaped peak of a hill, or to the “horns” of an altar where one could find refuge, it is more likely that the horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that uses its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36. Ps 18:2 uses the metaphor of the horn in a slightly different manner. Here the Lord himself is compared to a horn. He is to the psalmist what the horn is to the ox, a source of defense and victory.
[18:2] 80 tn Or “my elevated place.” The parallel version of this psalm in 2 Sam 22:3 adds at this point, “my refuge, my savior, [you who] save me from violence.”
[18:3] 81 tn In this song of thanksgiving, where the psalmist recalls how the Lord delivered him, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect.
[18:3] 82 tn Heb “worthy of praise, I cried out [to] the
[18:4] 83 tc Ps 18:4 reads “ropes,” while 2 Sam 22:5 reads “waves.” The reading of the psalm has been influenced by the next verse (note “ropes of Sheol”) and perhaps also by Ps 116:3 (where “ropes of death” appears, as here, with the verb אָפַף, ’afaf). However, the parallelism of v. 4 (note “currents” in the next line) favors the reading “waves.” While the verb אָפַף is used with “ropes” as subject in Ps 116:3, it can also be used with engulfing “waters” as subject (see Jonah 2:5). Death is compared to surging waters in v. 4 and to a hunter in v. 5.
[18:4] 84 tn The Hebrew noun נַחַל (nakhal) usually refers to a river or stream, but in this context the plural form likely refers to the currents of the sea (see vv. 15-16).
[18:4] 85 tn The noun בְלִיַּעַל (vÿliyya’al) is used here as an epithet for death. Elsewhere it is a common noun meaning “wickedness, uselessness.” It is often associated with rebellion against authority and other crimes that result in societal disorder and anarchy. The phrase “man/son of wickedness” refers to one who opposes God and the order he has established. The term becomes an appropriate title for death, which, through human forces, launches an attack against God’s chosen servant.
[18:4] 86 tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. (Note the perfect verbal form in the parallel/preceding line.) The verb בָּעַת (ba’at) sometimes by metonymy carries the nuance “frighten,” but the parallelism (see “engulfed”) favors the meaning “overwhelm” here.
[18:5] 87 tn Heb “surrounded me.”
[18:5] 88 tn Heb “confronted me.”
[18:6] 89 tn In this poetic narrative context the four prefixed verbal forms in v. 6 are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects.
[18:6] 90 tn Heb “from his temple.” Verse 10, which pictures God descending from the sky, indicates that the heavenly temple is in view, not the earthly one.
[18:6] 91 tc Heb “and my cry for help before him came into his ears.” 2 Sam 22:7 has a shorter reading, “my cry for help, in his ears.” It is likely that Ps 18:6 MT as it now stands represents a conflation of two readings: (1) “my cry for help came before him,” (2) “my cry for help came into his ears.” See F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, Studies in Ancient Yahwistic Poetry (SBLDS), 144, n. 13.
[18:7] 92 sn The earth heaved and shook. The imagery pictures an earthquake in which the earth’s surface rises and falls. The earthquake motif is common in OT theophanies of God as warrior and in ancient Near Eastern literary descriptions of warring gods and kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 160-62.
[18:7] 93 tn 2 Sam 22:8 has “heavens” which forms a merism with “earth” in the preceding line. The “foundations of the heavens” would be the mountains. However, the reading “foundations of the mountains” has a parallel in Deut 32:22.
[18:7] 94 tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the three prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive in the verse.
[18:8] 95 tn Heb “within”; or “[from] within.” For a discussion of the use of the preposition -בְּ (bÿ) here, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 163-64.
[18:8] 96 tn Or “in his anger.” The noun אַף (’af) can carry the abstract meaning “anger,” but the parallelism (note “from his mouth”) suggests the more concrete meaning “nose” here. See also v. 15, “the powerful breath of your nose.”
[18:8] 97 tn Heb “fire from his mouth devoured.” In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the two perfect verbal forms in the verse.
[18:8] sn Fire devoured as it came from his mouth. For other examples of fire as a weapon in OT theophanies and ancient Near Eastern portrayals of warring gods and kings, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 165-67.
[18:8] 98 tn Heb “coals burned from him.” Perhaps the psalmist pictures God’s fiery breath igniting coals (cf. Job 41:21), which he then hurls as weapons (cf. Ps 120:4).
[18:9] 99 tn The Hebrew verb נָטָה (natah) can carry the sense “[cause to] bend, bow down.” For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the
[18:10] 100 tn Or “rode upon.”
[18:10] 101 tn Heb “a cherub.” Because of the typical associations of the word “cherub” in English with chubby winged babies, the term has been rendered “winged angel” in the translation.
[18:10] sn Winged angel (Heb “cherub”). Cherubs, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Pss 80:1; 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the
[18:10] 102 tc 2 Sam 22:11 reads “appeared” (from רָאָה, ra’ah); the relatively rare verb דָאָה (da’ah, “glide”) is more difficult and probably the original reading here in Ps 18.
[18:10] 103 sn The wings of the wind. Verse 10 may depict (1) the Lord riding a cherub, which is in turn propelled by the wind current. Another option (2) is that two different vehicles (a cherub and the wind) are envisioned. Yet another option (3) is that the wind is personified as a cherub. For a discussion of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the imagery in v. 10, see M. Weinfeld, “‘Rider of the Clouds’ and ‘Gatherer of the Clouds’,” JANESCU 5 (1973): 422-24.
[18:11] 104 tc Heb “he made darkness his hiding place around him, his covering.” 2 Sam 22:12 reads, “he made darkness around him coverings,” omitting “his hiding place” and pluralizing “covering.” Ps 18:11 may include a conflation of synonyms (“his hiding place” and “his covering”) or 2 Sam 22:12 may be the result of haplography/homoioarcton. Note that three successive words in Ps 18:11 begin with the Hebrew letter samek: סִתְרוֹ סְבִיבוֹתָיו סֻכָּתוֹ (sitro sÿvivotayv sukkato).
[18:11] 105 tc Heb “darkness of water, clouds of clouds.” The noun “darkness” (חֶשְׁכַת, kheshkhat) is probably a corruption of an original reading חשׁרת, a form that is preserved in 2 Sam 22:12. The latter is a construct form of חַשְׁרָה (khashrah, “sieve”) which occurs only here in the OT. A cognate Ugaritic noun means “sieve,” and a related verb חָשַׁר (khashar, “to sift”) is attested in postbiblical Hebrew and Aramaic. The phrase חַשְׁרַת מַיִם (khashrat mayim) means literally “a sieve of water.” It pictures the rain clouds as a sieve through which the rain falls to the ground (see F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, Studies in Ancient Yahwistic Poetry [SBLDS], 146, n. 33).
[18:12] 106 tc Heb “from the brightness in front of him his clouds came, hail and coals of fire.” 2 Sam 22:13 reads, “from the brightness in front of him burned coals of fire.” The Lucianic family of texts within the Greek tradition of 2 Sam 22:13 seems to assume the underlying Hebrew text: מנגה נגדו עברו ברד וגחלי אשׁ, “from the brightness in front of him came hail and coals of fire” (the basis for the present translation). The textual situation is perplexing and the identity of the original text uncertain. The verbs עָבָרוּ (’avaru; Ps 18:12) and בָּעֲרוּ (ba’aru; 2 Sam 22:13) appear to be variants involving a transposition of the first two letters. The noun עָבָיו (’avayv, “his clouds,” Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the following עָבְרוּ, ’avru), or it could have accidentally dropped out from the text of 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ, which might have originally read עָבְרוּ). The noun בָּרָד (barad, “hail,” Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the preceding עָבְרוּ), or it could have dropped out from 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ, which might have originally read עָבְרוּ). For a fuller discussion of the text and its problems, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 74-76.
[18:13] 107 sn Thunder is a common motif in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 179-83.
[18:13] 108 tn 2 Sam 22:14 has “from.”
[18:13] 109 tn Heb “the Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
[18:13] 110 tc The text of Ps 18:13 adds at this point, “hail and coals of fire.” These words are probably accidentally added from v. 12b; they do not appear in 2 Sam 22:14.
[18:13] tn Heb “offered his voice.” In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive in the preceding line.
[18:14] 111 tn 2 Sam 22:15 omits the pronominal suffix (“his”).
[18:14] 112 tn The pronominal suffixes on the verbs “scattered” and “routed” (see the next line) refer to the psalmist’s enemies. Some argue that the suffixes refer to the arrows, in which case one might translate “shot them far and wide” and “made them move noisily,” respectively. They argue that the enemies have not been mentioned since v. 4 and are not again mentioned until v. 17. However, usage of the verbs פוּץ (puts, “scatter”) and הָמַם (hamam, “rout”) elsewhere in Holy War accounts suggests the suffixes refer to enemies. Enemies are frequently pictured in such texts as scattered and/or routed (see Exod 14:24; 23:27; Num 10:35; Josh 10:10; Judg 4:15; 1 Sam 7:10; 11:11; Ps 68:1).
[18:14] 113 sn Lightning is a common motif in in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 190-92.
[18:14] 114 tn Heb “lightning bolts, many.” 2 Sam 22:15 has simply “lightning” (בָּרָק, baraq). The identity of the word רָב (rav) in Ps 18:14 is problematic. (1) It may be a form of a rare verb רָבַב (ravav, “to shoot”), perhaps attested in Gen 49:23 as well. In this case one might translate, “he shot lightning bolts and routed them.” Other options include (2) understanding רָב (rav) as an adverbial use of the adjective, “lightning bolts in abundance,” or (3) emending the form to רַבּוּ (rabbu), from רָבַב (ravav, “be many”) or to רָבוּ (ravu), from רָבָה (ravah, “be many”) – both a haplography of the vav (ו); note the initial vav on the immediately following form – and translating “lightning bolts were in abundance.”
[18:14] sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 77:17-18; 144:6; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” [Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983], 187).
[18:15] 116 tc Ps 18:15 reads “water” (cf. Ps 42:1); “sea” is the reading of 2 Sam 22:16.
[18:15] 117 tn Or “foundations.”
[18:15] 118 tn Heb “from.” The preposition has a causal sense here.
[18:15] 119 tn The noun is derived from the verb גָּעַר (ga’ar), which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
[18:15] 120 tn 2 Sam 22:16 reads “by the battle cry of the
[18:16] 121 tn Heb “stretched.” Perhaps “his hand” should be supplied by ellipsis (see Ps 144:7). In this poetic narrative context the three prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects.
[18:16] 122 tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see v. 4 and Ps 144:7).
[18:17] 123 tn The singular refers either to personified death or collectively to the psalmist’s enemies. The following line, which refers to “those [plural] who hate me,” favors the latter.
[18:18] 124 tn The same verb is translated “trapped” in v. 5. In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.
[18:18] 125 tn Heb “became my support.”
[18:19] 126 tn Or “delighted in me.”
[18:20] 127 tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.
[18:20] 128 tn Heb “according to my righteousness.” As vv. 22-24 make clear, the psalmist refers here to his unwavering obedience to God’s commands. In these verses the psalmist explains that the
[18:20] 129 tn The unreduced Hiphil prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, in which case the psalmist would be generalizing. However, both the preceding and following contexts (see especially v. 24) suggest he is narrating his experience. Despite its unreduced form, the verb is better taken as a preterite. For other examples of unreduced Hiphil preterites, see Pss 55:14a; 68:9a, 10b; 80:8a; 89:43a; 107:38b; 116:6b.
[18:20] 130 tn Heb “according to the purity of my hands he repaid to me.” “Hands” suggest activity and behavior.
[18:21] 131 tn Heb “for I have kept the ways of the
[18:21] 132 tn Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical; the idea is, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”
[18:22] 133 tn Heb “for all his regulations [are] before me.” The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “regulations”) refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf. Deut 17:18-20). See also Pss 19:9 (cf. vv. 7-8); 89:30; 147:20 (cf. v. 19), as well as the numerous uses of the term in Ps 119.
[18:22] 134 tn Heb “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” 2 Sam 22:23 reads, “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; the psalmist here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The Lord’s “rules” are the stipulations of the covenant which the king was responsible to obey (see Ps 89:31; cf. v. 30 and Deut 17:18-20).
[18:23] 135 tn Heb “from my sin,” that is, from making it my own in any way.
[18:23] sn Kept myself from sinning. Leading a blameless life meant that the king would be loyal to God’s covenant, purge the government and society of evil and unjust officials, and reward loyalty to the Lord (see Ps 101).
[18:24] 136 tn Heb “according to my righteousness.”
[18:24] 137 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.
[18:25] 138 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 25-29 draw attention to God’s characteristic actions. Based on his experience, the psalmist generalizes about God’s just dealings with people (vv. 25-27) and about the way in which God typically empowers him on the battlefield (vv. 28-29). The Hitpael stem is used in vv. 26-27 in a reflexive resultative (or causative) sense. God makes himself loyal, etc. in the sense that he conducts or reveals himself as such. On this use of the Hitpael stem, see GKC 149-50 §54.e.
[18:25] 139 tn Or “to a faithful follower.” A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[18:25] 141 tn Heb “a man of innocence.”
[18:26] 142 tn Or “blameless.”
[18:26] 143 tn The Hebrew verb פָתַל (patal) is used in only three other texts. In Gen 30:8 it means literally “to wrestle,” or “to twist.” In Job 5:13 it refers to devious individuals, and in Prov 8:8 to deceptive words.
[18:26] 144 tn The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted, crooked,” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse. It appears frequently in Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6). A righteous king opposes such people (Ps 101:4).
[18:26] sn Verses 25-26 affirm God’s justice. He responds to people in accordance with their moral character. His response mirrors their actions. The faithful and blameless find God to be loyal and reliable in his dealings with them. But deceivers discover he is able and willing to use deceit to destroy them. For a more extensive discussion of the theme of divine deception in the OT, see R. B. Chisholm, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28.
[18:27] 145 tn Or perhaps, “humble” (note the contrast with those who are proud).
[18:27] 146 tn Heb “but proud eyes you bring low.” 2 Sam 22:28 reads, “your eyes [are] upon the proud, [whom] you bring low.”
[18:28] 147 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki)is asseverative here.
[18:28] 148 tn Ps 18:28 reads literally, “you light my lamp,
[18:28] 149 tn 2 Sam 22:29 repeats the name “
[18:28] 150 tn Heb “my darkness.”
[18:29] 151 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
[18:29] 153 tn Heb “I will run.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 29 indicate the subject’s potential or capacity to perform an action. Though one might expect a preposition to follow the verb here, this need not be the case with the verb רוּץ (ruts; see 1 Sam 17:22). Some emend the Qal to a Hiphil form of the verb and translate, “I put to flight [Heb “cause to run”] an army.”
[18:29] 154 tn More specifically, the noun גְּדוּד (gÿdud) refers to a raiding party or to a contingent of troops.
[18:29] sn I can charge against an army. The picture of a divinely empowered warrior charging against an army in almost superhuman fashion appears elsewhere in ancient Near Eastern literature. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 228.
[18:29] 155 tn Heb “and by my God.”
[18:29] 156 sn I can jump over a wall. The psalmist uses hyperbole to emphasize his God-given military superiority.
[18:30] 157 tn Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל (ha’el, “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).
[18:30] 158 sn The
[18:30] 159 tn Heb “the word of the
[18:30] 160 sn Take shelter. See the note on the word “shelter” in v. 2.
[18:31] 162 tn Heb “rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor of divine protection. See v. 2, where the Hebrew term צוּר (tsur) is translated “rocky summit.”
[18:31] 163 tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “No one.” In this way the psalmist indicates that the
[18:32] 164 tn Heb “the God.” The prefixed article emphasizes the
[18:32] 165 tn Heb “is the one who clothes.” For similar language see 1 Sam 2:4; Pss 65:6; 93:1. The psalmist employs a generalizing hymnic style in vv. 32-34; he uses participles in vv. 32a, 33a, and 34a to describe what God characteristically does on his behalf.
[18:32] 166 tn 2 Sam 22:33 reads, “the God is my strong refuge.”
[18:32] sn Gives me strength. As the following context makes clear, this refers to physical and emotional strength for battle (see especially v. 39).
[18:32] 167 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries along the generalizing force of the preceding participle.
[18:32] 168 tn Heb “he made my path smooth.” The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “smooth”) usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36).
[18:33] 169 tn Heb “[the one who] makes my feet like [those of ] a deer.”
[18:33] 170 tn Heb “and on my high places he makes me walk.” The imperfect verbal form emphasizes God’s characteristic provision. The psalmist compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured.
[18:33] sn Habakkuk uses similar language to describe his faith during difficult times. See Hab 3:19.
[18:34] 171 sn He trains my hands. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
[18:34] 172 tn Heb “and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms”; or “my arms bend a bow of bronze.” The verb נָחַת (nakhat) apparently means “pull back, bend” here (see HALOT 692 s.v. נחת). The third feminine singular verbal form appears to agree with the feminine singular noun קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “bow”). In this case the verb must be taken as Niphal (passive). However, it is possible that “my arms” is the subject of the verb and “bow” the object. In this case the verb is Piel (active). For other examples of a feminine singular verb being construed with a plural noun, see GKC 464 §145.k.
[18:34] sn The strongest bow (Heb “bow of bronze”) probably refers to a bow laminated with bronze strips, or to a purely ceremonial or decorative bow made entirely from bronze. In the latter case the language is hyperbolic, for such a weapon would not be functional in battle.
[18:35] 173 tn Heb “and you give to me the shield of your deliverance.”
[18:35] sn You give me your protective shield. Ancient Near Eastern literature often refers to a god giving a king special weapons. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 260-61.
[18:35] 174 tc 2 Sam 22:36 omits this line, perhaps due to homoioarcton. A scribe’s eye may have jumped from the vav (ו) prefixed to “your right hand” to the vav prefixed to the following “and your answer,” causing the copyist to omit by accident the intervening words (“your right hand supports me and”).
[18:35] 175 tn The MT of Ps 18:35 appears to read, “your condescension,” apparently referring to God’s willingness to intervene (cf. NIV “you stoop down”). However, the noun עֲנָוָה (’anavah) elsewhere means “humility” and is used only here of God. The form עַנְוַתְךָ (’anvatÿkha) may be a fully written form of the suffixed infinitive construct of עָנָה (’anah, “to answer”; a defectively written form of the infinitive appears in 2 Sam 22:36). In this case the psalmist refers to God’s willingness to answer his prayer; one might translate, “your favorable response.”
[18:35] 176 tn Heb “makes me great.”
[18:36] 177 tn Heb “you make wide my step under me.” “Step” probably refers metonymically to the path upon which the psalmist walks. Another option is to translate, “you widen my stride.” This would suggest that God gives the psalmist the capacity to run quickly.
[18:36] 178 tn Heb “lower legs.” On the meaning of the Hebrew noun, which occurs only here, see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 112. A cognate Akkadian noun means “lower leg.”
[18:37] 179 tn 2 Sam 22:38 reads “destroy.”
[18:38] 180 tn Or “smash them.” 2 Sam 22:39 reads, “and I wiped them out and smashed them.”
[18:38] 181 tn Heb “until they are unable to rise.” 2 Sam 22:39 reads, “until they do not rise.”
[18:38] 182 sn They fall at my feet. For ancient Near Eastern parallels, see O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 294-97.
[18:39] 183 tn Heb “clothed me.” See v. 32.
[18:39] 184 tn Heb “you make those who rise against me kneel beneath me.”
[18:39] sn My foes kneel before me. For ancient Near Eastern parallels, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 268.
[18:40] 185 tn Heb “and [as for] my enemies, you give to me [the] back [or “neck”].” The idiom “give [the] back” means “to cause [one] to turn the back and run away.” Cf. Exod 23:27.
[18:40] 186 sn Those who hate me. See v. 17, where it is the
[18:41] 187 tn Heb “but there is no deliverer.”
[18:41] 188 tn Heb “to the
[18:41] sn They cry out. This reference to the psalmist’s enemies crying out for help to the
[18:42] 189 tn Heb “I pulverize them like dust upon the face of the wind.” The phrase “upon the face of” here means “before.” 2 Sam 22:43 reads, “like dust of the earth.”
[18:42] 190 tc Ps 18:42 reads, “I empty them out” (Hiphil of ריק), while 2 Sam 22:43 reads, “I crush them, I stomp on them” (juxtaposing the synonyms דקק and רקע). It is likely that the latter is a conflation of variants. One, but not both, of the verbs in 2 Sam 22:43 is probably original; “empty out” does not form as good a parallel with “grind, pulverize” in the parallel line.
[18:43] 192 tn Heb “from the strivings of a people.” In this context the Hebrew term רִיב (riv, “striving”) probably has a militaristic sense (as in Judg 12:2; Isa 41:11), and עָם (’am, “people”) probably refers more specifically to an army (for other examples, see the verses listed in BDB 766 s.v. I עַם, עָם 2.d). Some understand the phrase as referring to attacks by the psalmist’s own countrymen, the “nation” being Israel. However, foreign enemies appear to be in view; note the reference to “nations” in the following line.
[18:43] 193 tn 2 Sam 22:44 reads, “you keep me.”
[18:43] 194 tn Heb “a people whom I did not know serve me.” In this context “know” (יָדַע, yada’) probably refers to formal recognition by treaty. People who were once not under the psalmist’s authority now willingly submit to his rulership to avoid being conquered militarily (see vv. 44-45). The language may recall the events recorded in 2 Sam 8:9-10 and 10:19.
[18:44] 195 tn Heb “at a report of an ear they submit to me.” The report of the psalmist’s exploits is so impressive that those who hear it submit to his rulership without putting up a fight.
[18:44] 196 tn For the meaning “be weak, powerless” for כָּחַשׁ (kakhash), see Ps 109:24. The next line (see v. 45a), in which “foreigners” are also mentioned, favors this interpretation. Another option is to translate “cower in fear” (see Deut 33:29; Pss 66:3; 81:15; cf. NIV “cringe”; NRSV “came cringing”).
[18:45] 197 tn Heb “wither, wear out.”
[18:45] 198 tn The meaning of חָרַג (kharag, “shake”) is established on the basis of cognates in Arabic and Aramaic. 2 Sam 22:46 reads חָגַר (khagar), which might mean here, “[they] come limping” (on the basis of a cognate in postbiblical Hebrew). The normal meaning for חָגַר (“gird”) makes little sense here.
[18:45] 200 tn Heb “their prisons.” The besieged cities of the foreigners are compared to prisons.
[18:46] 201 tn Elsewhere the construction חַי־יְהוָה (khay-yÿhvah) is used exclusively as an oath formula, “as surely as the
[18:46] 202 tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection. See similar phrases in vv. 2, 31.
[18:46] 203 tn Or “blessed [i.e., praised] be.”
[18:46] 204 tn Heb “the God of my deliverance.” 2 Sam 22:48 reads, “the God of the rocky cliff of my deliverance.”
[18:46] 205 tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Elsewhere in the psalms the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”), when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 46:10; 57:5, 11).
[18:47] 206 tn Heb “the God.” See v. 32.
[18:47] 207 tn Heb “is the one who grants vengeance to me.” The plural form of the noun indicates degree here, suggesting complete vengeance or vindication.
[18:47] sn Completely vindicates me. In the ancient Near East military victory was sometimes viewed as a sign that one’s God had judged in favor of the victor, avenging and/or vindicating him. See, for example, Judg 11:27, 32-33, 36.
[18:47] 208 tn Heb “he subdues nations beneath me.” On the meaning of the verb דָּבַר (davar, “subdue,” a homonym of דָּבַר, davar, “speak”), see HALOT 209-10 s.v. I דבר. See also Ps 47:3 and 2 Chr 22:10. 2 Sam 22:48 reads “and [is the one who] brings down nations beneath me.”
[18:48] 209 tn Heb “[the one who] delivers me.” 2 Sam 22:49 reads “and [the one who] brings me out.”
[18:48] 210 tn Heb “lifts me up.” In light of the preceding and following references to deliverance, the verb רום probably here refers to being rescued from danger (see Ps 9:13). However, it could mean “exalt, elevate” here, indicating that the
[18:48] 211 tn Heb “from those who rise against me.”
[18:49] 212 sn I will give you thanks before the nations. This probably alludes to the fact that the psalmist will praise the
[18:49] 213 tn Heb “to your name.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “
[18:50] 214 tn Or “the one who.”
[18:50] 215 tn Heb “magnifies the victories of his king.” “His king” refers to the psalmist, the Davidic king whom God has chosen to rule Israel.
[18:50] 216 tn Heb “[the one who] does loyalty.”
[18:50] 217 tn Heb “his anointed [one],” i.e., the psalmist/Davidic king. See Ps 2:2.
[18:50] 218 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[18:50] 219 sn If David is the author of the psalm (see the superscription), then he here anticipates that God will continue to demonstrate loyalty to his descendants who succeed him. If the author is a later Davidic king, then he views the divine favor he has experienced as the outworking of God’s faithful promises to David his ancestor.
[19:1] 220 sn Psalm 19. The psalmist praises God for his self-revelation in the heavens and in the Mosaic law. The psalmist concludes with a prayer, asking the Lord to keep him from sinning and to approve of his thoughts and words.
[19:1] 221 sn God’s glory refers here to his royal majesty and power.
[19:1] 222 tn Heb “and the work of his hands the sky declares.” The participles emphasize the ongoing testimony of the heavens/sky.
[19:2] 223 tn Heb “it gushes forth a word.” The “sky” (see v. 1b) is the subject of the verb. Though not literally speaking (see v. 3), it clearly reveals God’s royal majesty. The sun’s splendor and its movement across the sky is in view (see vv. 4-6).
[19:2] 224 tn Heb “it [i.e., the sky] declares knowledge,” i.e., knowledge about God’s royal majesty and power (see v. 1). This apparently refers to the splendor and movements of the stars. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 2, like the participles in the preceding verse, combine with the temporal phrases (“day after day” and “night after night”) to emphasize the ongoing testimony of the sky.
[19:3] 225 tn Heb “their.” The antecedent of the plural pronoun is “heavens” (v. 1).
[19:4] 226 tc The MT reads, “their measuring line” (קוּם, qum). The noun קַו (qav, “measuring line”) makes no sense in this context. The reading קוֹלָם (qolam, “their voice”) which is supported by the LXX, is preferable.
[19:4] 227 tn Heb “goes out,” or “proceeds forth.”
[19:4] 228 tn Heb “their” (see the note on the word “its” in v. 3).
[19:4] 229 tn The verb is supplied in the translation. The Hebrew text has no verb; יָצָא (yatsa’, “goes out”) is understood by ellipsis.
[19:4] 230 tn Heb “to the end of the world.”
[19:4] 231 tn Heb “in them” (i.e., the heavens).
[19:4] 232 sn He has pitched a tent for the sun. The personified sun emerges from this “tent” in order to make its daytime journey across the sky. So the “tent” must refer metaphorically to the place where the sun goes to rest during the night.
[19:5] 233 tn The participle expresses the repeated or regular nature of the action.
[19:5] 234 tn The Hebrew noun חֻפָּה (khufah, “chamber”) occurs elsewhere only in Isa 4:5 and Joel 2:16 (where it refers to the bedroom of a bride and groom).
[19:5] sn Like a bridegroom. The metaphor likens the sun to a bridegroom who rejoices on his wedding night.
[19:5] 235 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the regularity of the action.
[19:5] 236 tn Heb “[on] a path.”
[19:5] sn Like a strong man. The metaphorical language reflects the brilliance of the sunrise, which attests to the sun’s vigor.
[19:6] 237 tn Heb “from the end of the heavens [is] its going forth.”
[19:6] 238 tn Heb “and its circuit [is] to their ends.”
[19:6] 239 tn Heb “is hidden from.”
[19:7] 240 tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.
[19:7] 241 tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the
[19:7] 242 tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
[19:7] 243 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.
[19:8] 244 tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.
[19:8] 245 tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.
[19:8] 246 tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.
[19:8] 247 tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.
[19:8] 248 tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.
[19:9] 249 tn Heb “the fear of the
[19:9] 250 tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”
[19:9] 251 sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.
[19:10] 252 tn Heb “more desirable.”
[19:10] 253 tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).
[19:11] 254 tn Heb “moreover your servant is warned by them.”
[19:11] 255 tn Heb “in the keeping of them [there is] a great reward.”
[19:12] 256 tn Heb “Errors who can discern?” This rhetorical question makes the point that perfect moral discernment is impossible to achieve. Consequently it is inevitable that even those with good intentions will sin on occasion.
[19:12] 257 tn Heb “declare me innocent from hidden [things],” i.e., sins. In this context (see the preceding line) “hidden” sins are not sins committed in secret, but sins which are not recognized as such by the psalmist.
[19:13] 258 tn Or “presumptuous.”
[19:13] 259 tn Heb “let them not rule over me.”
[19:14] 261 tn Heb “may the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart be acceptable before you.” The prefixed verbal form at the beginning of the verse is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate the form as an imperfect continuing the thought of v. 14b: “[Then] the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart will be acceptable before you.”
[19:14] 262 tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”
[19:14] 263 tn Heb “and the one who redeems me.” The metaphor casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis.
[20:1] 264 sn Psalm 20. The people pray for the king’s success in battle. When the king declares his assurance that the Lord will answer the people’s prayer, they affirm their confidence in God’s enablement.
[20:1] 265 tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in vv. 1b-5 are interpreted as jussives of prayer (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). Another option is to understand them as imperfects, “the
[20:1] 266 sn May the
[20:1] 267 tn Heb “in a day of trouble.”
[20:1] 268 tn Heb “the name of the God of Jacob.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his very person and to the divine characteristics suggested by his name, in this case “God of Jacob,” which highlights his relationship to Israel.
[20:2] 269 tc Heb “from [the] temple.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix (ן, nun) has probably been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word begins with a prefixed vav (ו). See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 184.
[20:3] 270 tn Or “remember.” For other examples of the verb זָכַר (zakhar) carrying the nuance “take notice of,” see Pss 8:4 and 9:12.
[20:3] 271 tc Heb “consider as fat.” The verbal form should probably be emended to יְדַשְּׁנֶהָ (yÿdashÿneha), the final he (ה) being understood as a third feminine singular pronominal suffix referring back to the feminine noun “burnt sacrifice.”
[20:4] 272 tn Heb “may he give to you according to your heart.” This probably refers to the king’s prayer for protection and victory in battle. See vv. 5-6.
[20:4] 273 sn May he bring all your plans to pass. This probably refers to the king’s strategy for battle.
[20:5] 274 sn Your victory. Here the king is addressed (see v. 1).
[20:5] 275 tc The Hebrew verb דָּגַל (dagal) occurs only here in the Qal. If accepted as original, it may carry the nuance “raise a banner,” but it is preferable to emend the form to נגיל (“we will rejoice”) which provides better parallelism with “shout for joy” and fits well with the prepositional phrase “in the name of our God” (see Ps 89:16).
[20:6] sn Now I am sure. The speaker is not identified. It is likely that the king, referring to himself in the third person (note “his chosen king”), responds to the people’s prayer. Perhaps his confidence is due to the reception of a divine oracle of salvation.
[20:6] 277 tn The perfect verbal form is probably used rhetorically to state that the deliverance is as good as done. In this way the speaker emphasizes the certainty of the deliverance. Another option is to take the statement as generalizing; the psalmist affirms that the
[20:6] 278 tn Heb “his anointed one.” This title refers to the Davidic king. See Pss 2:2 and 18:50.
[20:6] 279 tn Heb “he will answer him.”
[20:6] 280 tn Heb “from his holy heavens.”
[20:6] 281 tn Heb “with mighty acts of deliverance of his right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Ps 17:7).
[20:7] 282 tn Heb “these in chariots and these in horses.” No verb appears; perhaps the verb “invoke” is to be supplied from the following line. In this case the idea would be that some “invoke” (i.e., trust in) their military might for victory (cf. NEB “boast”; NIV “trust”; NRSV “take pride”). Verse 8 suggests that the “some/others” mentioned here are the nation’s enemies.
[20:7] 283 tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s faithful people and the others mentioned in the previous line.
[20:7] 284 tn Heb “we invoke the name of.” The Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar), when combined with the phrase “in the name,” means “to invoke” (see Josh 23:7; Isa 48:1; Amos 6:10). By invoking the
[20:8] 285 tn Or “stumble and fall down.”
[20:8] 286 tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s victorious people and the defeated enemies mentioned in the previous line. The perfect verbal forms either generalize or, more likely, state rhetorically the people’s confidence as they face the approaching battle. They describe the demise of the enemy as being as good as done.
[20:8] 287 tn Or “rise up and remain upright.” On the meaning of the Hitpolel of עוּד (’ud), see HALOT 795 s.v. I עוד. The verbal forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) either generalize or, more likely, state rhetorically the people’s confidence as they face the approaching battle.
[20:9] 288 tc This translation assumes an emendation of the verbal form הוֹשִׁיעָה (hoshi’ah). As it stands, the form is an imperative. In this case the people return to the petitionary mood with which the psalm begins (“O
[20:9] 289 tn If the imperative is retained in the preceding line, then the prefixed verbal form is best taken as a jussive of prayer, “may he answer us.” However, if the imperative in the previous line is emended to a perfect, the prefixed form is best taken as imperfect, “he will answer us” (see the note on the word “king” at the end of the previous line).
[20:9] 290 tn Heb “in the day we call.”
[21:1] 291 sn Psalm 21. The psalmist praises the Lord for the way he protects and blesses the Davidic king.
[21:1] 292 tn Heb “in your strength.” The translation interprets the pronominal suffix as subjective, rather than merely descriptive (or attributive).
[21:1] 293 tn Heb “and in your deliverance, how greatly he rejoices.”
[21:2] 294 tn The translation assumes the perfect verbal forms in v. 2 are generalizing, stating factually what God typically does for the king. Another option is to take them as present perfects, “you have granted…you have not refused.” See v. 4, which mentions a specific request for a long reign.
[21:2] 295 tn Heb “and the request of his lips you do not refuse.”
[21:3] 296 tn Or “meet him [with].”
[21:3] 298 sn You bring him rich blessings. The following context indicates that God’s “blessings” include deliverance/protection, vindication, sustained life, and a long, stable reign (see also Pss 3:8; 24:5).
[21:4] 299 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] 300 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.
[21:5] 301 tn Or “great glory.”
[21:5] 302 tn Heb “majesty and splendor you place upon him.” For other uses of the phrase הוֹד וְהָדָר (hod vÿhadar, “majesty and splendor”) see 1 Chr 16:27; Job 40:10; Pss 96:6; 104:1; 111:3.
[21:6] 303 tn Heb “you make him happy with joy with [i.e., “close by” or “in”] your face.” On the idiom “with your face” (i.e., “in your presence”) see Ps 16:11 and BDB 816 s.v. פָּנֻה II.2.a.
[21:7] 304 tn The active participle draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action.
[21:7] 305 tn Traditionally “the Most High’s.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. Note the focus of vv. 8-12 and see Ps 47:2.
[21:7] 306 tn Another option is to translate the imperfect verbal form as future, “he will not be upended” (cf. NRSV “he shall not be moved”). Even if one chooses this option, the future tense must be understood in a generalizing sense.
[21:8] 307 tn The king is now addressed. One could argue that the
[21:8] 308 tn Heb “your hand finds.” The idiom pictures the king grabbing hold of his enemies and defeating them (see 1 Sam 23:17). The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 8-12 may be translated with the future tense, as long as the future is understood as generalizing.
[21:8] 309 tn Heb “your right hand finds those who hate you.”
[21:9] 310 tn Heb “you make them like a furnace of fire.” Although many modern translations retain the literal Hebrew, the statement is elliptical. The point is not that he makes them like a furnace, but like an object burned in a furnace (cf. NEB, “at your coming you shall plunge them into a fiery furnace”).
[21:9] 311 tn Heb “at the time of your face.” The “face” of the king here refers to his angry presence. See Lam 4:16.
[21:9] 312 tn Heb “the
[21:10] 313 tn Heb “fruit.” The next line makes it clear that offspring is in view.
[21:10] 315 tn Heb “sons of man.”
[21:11] 317 tn Heb “they extend against you harm.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 11 are taken as generalizing, stating factually what the king’s enemies typically do. Another option is to translate with the past tense (“they intended…planned”).
[21:11] 319 tn Heb “they lack ability.”
[21:12] 320 tn Heb “you make them a shoulder,” i.e., “you make them turn and run, showing the back of their neck and shoulders.”
[21:12] 321 tn Heb “with your bowstrings you fix against their faces,” i.e., “you fix your arrows on the bowstrings to shoot at them.”
[21:13] 322 tn Heb “in your strength,” but English idiom does not require the pronoun.
[21:13] sn The psalm concludes with a petition to the Lord, asking him to continue to intervene in strength for the king and nation.
[21:13] 323 tn Heb “sing praise.”
[22:1] 324 sn Psalm 22. The psalmist cries out to the Lord for deliverance from his dangerous enemies, who have surrounded him and threaten his life. Confident that the Lord will intervene, he then vows to thank the Lord publicly for his help and anticipates a time when all people will recognize the Lord’s greatness and worship him.
[22:1] 325 tn Heb “according to the doe of the dawn.” Apparently this refers to a particular musical tune or style.
[22:1] 326 sn From the psalmist’s perspective it seems that God has abandoned him, for he fails to answer his cry for help (vv. 1b-2).
[22:1] 327 tn Heb “far from my deliverance [are] the words of my groaning.” The Hebrew noun שְׁאָגָה (shÿ’agah) and its related verb שָׁאַג (sha’ag) are sometimes used of a lion’s roar, but they can also describe human groaning (see Job 3:24 and Pss 32:3 and 38:8.
[22:2] 328 tn Heb “there is no silence to me.”
[22:3] 329 tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the
[22:4] 331 tn The words “in you” are supplied in the translation. They are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[22:5] 332 tn Or “were not ashamed.”
[22:6] 333 tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s experience and that of his ancestors. When he considers God’s past reliability, it only heightens his despair and confusion, for God’s present silence stands in stark contrast to his past saving acts.
[22:6] 334 tn The metaphor expresses the psalmist’s self-perception, which is based on how others treat him (see the following line).
[22:6] 335 tn Or “not a human being.” The psalmist perceives himself as less than human.
[22:6] 336 tn Heb “a reproach of man and despised by people.”
[22:7] 337 tn Or “scoff at, deride, mock.”
[22:7] 338 tn Heb “they separate with a lip.” Apparently this refers to their verbal taunting.
[22:7] 339 sn Shake their heads. Apparently this refers to a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 109:25; Lam 2:15.
[22:8] 340 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. The psalmist here quotes the sarcastic taunts of his enemies.
[22:8] 341 tn Heb “roll [yourself].” The Hebrew verb גלל here has the sense of “commit” (see Prov 16:3). The imperatival form in the Hebrew text indicates the enemies here address the psalmist. Since they refer to him in the third person in the rest of the verse, some prefer to emend the verb to a perfect, “he commits himself to the
[22:8] 342 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
[22:8] 343 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
[22:8] 344 tn That is, “for he [the
[22:8] sn This statement does not necessarily reflect the enemies’ actual belief, but it does reflect the psalmist’s confession. The psalmist’s enemies sarcastically appeal to God to help him, because he claims to be an object of divine favor. However, they probably doubted the reality of his claim.
[22:9] 345 tn Or “the one who pulled me.” The verb is derived from either גָחָה (gakhah; see HALOT 187 s.v. גחה) or גִּיחַ (giyakh; see BDB 161 s.v. גִּיחַ) and seems to carry the nuance “burst forth” or “pull out.”
[22:10] 346 tn Heb “upon you I was cast from [the] womb.”
[22:10] 347 tn Heb “from the womb of my mother you [have been] my God.”
[22:10] sn Despite the enemies’ taunts, the psalmist is certain of his relationship with God, which began from the time of his birth (from the time I came out of my mother’s womb).
[22:11] 348 tn Heb “and there is no helper.”
[22:12] 349 sn The psalmist figuratively compares his enemies to dangerous bulls.
[22:12] 350 sn Bashan, located east of the Jordan River, was well-known for its cattle. See Ezek 39:18; Amos 4:1.
[22:13] 351 tn “They” refers to the psalmist’s enemies, who in the previous verse are described as “powerful bulls.”
[22:13] 352 tn Heb “they open against me their mouth[s].” To “open the mouth against” is a Hebrew idiom associated with eating and swallowing (see Ezek 2:8; Lam 2:16).
[22:13] 353 tn Heb “a lion ripping and roaring.”
[22:14] 354 tn Heb “like water I am poured out.”
[22:14] 355 sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s strength and courage.
[22:15] 356 tc Heb “my strength” (כֹּחִי, kokhiy), but many prefer to emend the text to חִכִּי (khikiy, “my palate”; cf. NEB, NRSV “my mouth”) assuming that an error of transposition has occurred in the traditional Hebrew text.
[22:15] 357 tn Cf. NEB “my jaw”; NASB, NRSV “my jaws”; NIV “the roof of my mouth.”
[22:15] 358 sn Here the psalmist addresses God and suggests that God is ultimately responsible for what is happening because of his failure to intervene (see vv. 1-2, 11).
[22:15] 359 sn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the progressive nature of the action. The psalmist is in the process of dying.
[22:16] 361 tn Heb “like a lion, my hands and my feet.” This reading is often emended because it is grammatically awkward, but perhaps its awkwardness is by rhetorical design. Its broken syntax may be intended to convey the panic and terror felt by the psalmist. The psalmist may envision a lion pinning the hands and feet of its victim to the ground with its paws (a scene depicted in ancient Near Eastern art), or a lion biting the hands and feet. The line has been traditionally translated, “they pierce my hands and feet,” and then taken as foreshadowing the crucifixion of Christ. Though Jesus does appropriate the language of this psalm while on the cross (compare v. 1 with Matt 27:46 and Mark 15:34), the NT does not cite this verse in describing the death of Jesus. (It does refer to vv. 7-8 and 18, however. See Matt 27:35, 39, 43; Mark 15:24, 29; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24.) If one were to insist on an emendation of כָּאֲרִי (ka’ariy, “like a lion”) to a verb, the most likely verbal root would be כָּרָה (karah, “dig”; see the LXX). In this context this verb could refer to the gnawing and tearing of wild dogs (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV). The ancient Greek version produced by Symmachus reads “bind” here, perhaps understanding a verbal root כרך, which is attested in later Hebrew and Aramaic and means “to encircle, entwine, embrace” (see HALOT 497-98 s.v. כרך and Jastrow 668 s.v. כָּרַךְ). Neither one of these proposed verbs can yield a meaning “bore, pierce.”
[22:17] 362 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 17-18 draw attention to the progressive nature of the action.
[22:17] 363 tn Heb “they.” The masculine form indicates the enemies are in view. The referent (the psalmist’s enemies) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:17] 364 tn Heb “they gaze, they look upon me.”
[22:18] 365 tn Heb “casting lots.” The precise way in which this would have been done is not certain.
[22:19] 366 tn Heb “O my strength.”
[22:19] 367 tn Heb “hurry to my help.”
[22:20] 369 tn The verb “save” is supplied in the translation; it is understood by ellipsis (see “deliver” in the preceding line).
[22:20] 370 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone.
[22:20] 371 tn Heb “from the hand.” Here “hand” is understood by metonymy as a reference to the “paw” and thus the “claws” of the wild dogs.
[22:21] 372 sn The psalmist again compares his enemies to vicious dogs and ferocious lions (see vv. 13, 16).
[22:21] 373 tn The Hebrew term רֵמִים (remim) appears to be an alternate spelling of רְאֵמִים (rÿ’emim, “wild oxen”; see BDB 910 s.v. רְאֵם).
[22:21] 374 tn Heb “and from the horns of the wild oxen you answer me.” Most take the final verb with the preceding prepositional phrase. Some understand the verb form as a relatively rare precative perfect, expressing a wish or request (see IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew. (See the discussion at Ps 3:7.) Others prefer to take the perfect in its usual indicative sense. The psalmist, perhaps in response to an oracle of salvation, affirms confidently that God has answered him, assuring him that deliverance is on the way. The present translation takes the prepositional phrase as parallel to the preceding “from the mouth of the lion” and as collocated with the verb “rescue” at the beginning of the verse. “You have answered me” is understood as a triumphant shout which marks a sudden shift in tone and introduces the next major section of the psalm. By isolating the statement syntactically, the psalmist highlights the declaration.
[22:22] 375 tn Or “brothers,” but here the term does not carry a literal familial sense. It refers to the psalmist’s fellow members of the Israelite covenant community (see v. 23).
[22:23] 376 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the
[22:23] 377 tn Heb “fear him.”
[22:24] 378 tn Or “affliction”; or “need.”
[22:24] 379 sn In this verse the psalmist refers to himself in the third person and characterizes himself as oppressed.
[22:24] 380 tn Heb “he did not hide his face from him.” For other uses of the idiom “hide the face” meaning “ignore,” see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9. Sometimes the idiom carries the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 27:9; 88:14).
[22:25] 382 tn Heb “from with you [is] my praise.”
[22:25] 383 tn Heb “my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.” When asking the
[22:26] 384 sn Eat and be filled. In addition to praising the Lord, the psalmist also offers a thank offering to the Lord and invites others to share in a communal meal.
[22:26] 385 tn Heb “may your heart[s].”
[22:27] 386 tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the
[22:27] 387 tn Heb “families of the nations.”
[22:27] 388 tn Heb “before you.”
[22:28] 389 tn Heb “for to the
[22:29] 390 tn Heb “fat [ones].” This apparently refers to those who are healthy and robust, i.e., thriving. In light of the parallelism, some prefer to emend the form to יְשֵׁנֵי (yÿsheney, “those who sleep [in the earth]”; cf. NAB, NRSV), but דִּשְׁנֵי (dishney, “fat [ones]”) seems to form a merism with “all who descend into the grave” in the following line. The psalmist envisions all people, whether healthy or dying, joining in worship of the
[22:29] 391 tn Heb “eat and worship.” The verb forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) are normally used in narrative to relate completed actions. Here the psalmist uses the forms rhetorically as he envisions a time when the
[22:29] 392 tn Heb “all of the ones going down [into] the dust.” This group stands in contrast to those mentioned in the previous line. Together the two form a merism encompassing all human beings – the healthy, the dying, and everyone in between.
[22:29] 393 tn Heb “and his life he does not revive.”
[22:30] 394 tn Heb “offspring.”
[22:30] 395 tn Heb “it will be told concerning the Lord to the generation.” The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[22:31] 396 tn Heb “his righteousness.” Here the noun צִדָקָה (tsidaqah) refers to the Lord’s saving deeds whereby he vindicates the oppressed.
[22:31] 397 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.
[23:1] 398 sn Psalm 23. In vv. 1-4 the psalmist pictures the Lord as a shepherd who provides for his needs and protects him from danger. The psalmist declares, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and then extends and develops that metaphor, speaking as if he were a sheep. In vv. 5-6 the metaphor changes as the psalmist depicts a great royal banquet hosted by the Lord. The psalmist is a guest of honor and recipient of divine favor, who enjoys unlimited access to the divine palace and the divine presence.
[23:1] 399 sn The LORD is my shepherd. The opening metaphor suggests the psalmist is assuming the role of a sheep. In vv. 1b-4 the psalmist extends the metaphor and explains exactly how the LORD is like a shepherd to him. At the surface level the language can be understood in terms of a shepherd’s relationship to his sheep. The translation of vv. 1-4 reflects this level. But, of course, each statement also points to an underlying reality.
[23:1] 400 tn The imperfect verbal form is best understood as generalizing; the psalmist highlights his typical or ongoing experience as a result of having the LORD as his shepherd (habitual present use). The next verse explains more specifically what he means by this statement.
[23:2] 401 tn Heb “he makes me lie down in lush pastures.” The Hiphil verb יַרְבִּיצֵנִי (yarbitseniy) has a causative-modal nuance here (see IBHS 445-46 §27.5 on this use of the Hiphil), meaning “allows me to lie down” (see also Jer 33:12). The point is that the shepherd takes the sheep to lush pastures and lets them eat and rest there. Both imperfect verbal forms in v. 2 are generalizing and highlight the psalmist’s typical experience.
[23:2] 402 tn Both genitives in v. 2 indicate an attribute of the noun they modify: דֶּשֶׁא (deshe’) characterizes the pastures as “lush” (i.e., rich with vegetation), while מְנֻחוֹת (mÿnukhot) probably characterizes the water as refreshing. In this case the plural indicates an abstract quality. Some take מְנֻחוֹת in the sense of “still, calm” (i.e., as describing calm pools in contrast to dangerous torrents) but it is unlikely that such a pastoral scene is in view. Shepherds usually watered their sheep at wells (see Gen 29:2-3; Exod 2:16-19). Another option is to take מְנֻחוֹת as “resting places” and to translate, “water of/at the resting places” (i.e., a genitive of location; see IBHS 147-48 §9.5.2e).
[23:2] sn Within the framework of the metaphor, the psalmist/sheep is declaring in v. 2 that his shepherd provides the essentials for physical life. At a deeper level the psalmist may be referring to more than just physical provision, though that would certainly be included.
[23:3] 403 tn The appearance of the Hebrew term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi), traditionally translated “my soul,” might suggest a spiritualized interpretation for the first line of v. 3. However, at the surface level of the shepherd/sheep metaphor, this is unlikely. When it occurs with a pronominal suffix נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. 4 נֶפֶשׁ.a). In this context, where the statement most naturally refers to the physical provision just described, the form is best translated simply “me.” The accompanying verb (a Polel form [factitive use] of שׁוּב [shuv]), if referring to the physical provision just described, carries the nuance “refresh, restore strength.”
[23:3] 404 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 (יְשׁוֹבֵב [yÿshovev] and יַנְחֵנִי [yakheniy]), like those in vv. 1-2, highlight what is typical of the shepherd/sheep relationship.
[23:3] 405 tn The attributive genitive צֶדֶק (tsedeq) is traditionally translated “righteousness” here, as if designating a moral or ethical quality. But this seems unlikely, for it modifies מַעְגְּלֵי (ma’ggÿley, “paths”). Within the shepherd/sheep metaphor, the phrase likely refers to “right” or “correct” paths, i.e. ones that lead to pastures, wells, or the fold. While צֶדֶק usually does carry a moral or ethical nuance, it can occasionally refer to less abstract things, such as weights and offerings. In this context, which emphasizes divine provision and protection, the underlying reality is probably God’s providential guidance. The psalmist is confident that God takes him down paths that will ultimately lead to something beneficial, not destructive.
[23:3] 406 tn The Hebrew term שֶׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the shepherd’s reputation. (The English term “name” is often used the same way.) The statement לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ (lÿma’an shÿmo, “for the sake of his name”) makes excellent sense within the framework of the shepherd/sheep metaphor. Shepherds, who sometimes hired out their services, were undoubtedly concerned about their vocational reputation. To maintain their reputation as competent shepherds, they had to know the “lay of the land” and make sure they led the sheep down the right paths to the proper destinations. The underlying reality is a profound theological truth: God must look out for the best interests of the one he has promised to protect, because if he fails to do so, his faithfulness could legitimately be called into question and his reputation damaged.
[23:4] 407 tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל [tsel] + מָוֶת [mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צָלַם, tsalam) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. If the word does indeed mean “darkness,” it modifies גַיְא (gay’, “valley, ravine”) quite naturally. At the metaphorical level, v. 4 pictures the shepherd taking his sheep through a dark ravine where predators might lurk. The life-threatening situations faced by the psalmist are the underlying reality behind the imagery.
[23:4] 408 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 4, as in vv. 1-3, highlight what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.
[23:4] 409 tn The Hebrew term רַע (ra’) is traditionally translated “evil” here, perhaps suggesting a moral or ethical nuance. But at the level of the metaphor, the word means “danger, injury, harm,” as a sheep might experience from a predator. The life-threatening dangers faced by the psalmist, especially the enemies mentioned in v. 5, are the underlying reality.
[23:4] 410 tn The Piel of נָחַם (nakham), when used with a human object, means “comfort, console.” But here, within the metaphorical framework, it refers to the way in which a shepherd uses his implements to assure the sheep of his presence and calm their nerves. The underlying reality is the emotional stability God provides the psalmist during life threatening situations.
[23:5] 411 sn In v. 5 the metaphor switches. (It would be very odd for a sheep to have its head anointed and be served wine.) The background for the imagery is probably the royal banquet. Ancient Near Eastern texts describe such banquets in similar terms to those employed by the psalmist. (See M. L. Barre and J. S. Kselman, “New Exodus, Covenant, and Restoration in Psalm 23,” The Word of the Lord Shall Go Forth, 97-127.) The reality behind the imagery is the Lord’s favor. Through his blessings and protection he demonstrates to everyone, including dangerous enemies, that the psalmist has a special relationship with him.
[23:5] 412 tn The imperfect verbal form in v. 5a carries on the generalizing mood of vv. 1-4. However, in v. 5b the psalmist switches to a perfect (דִּשַּׁנְתָּ, dishanta), which may have a generalizing force as well. But then again the perfect is conspicuous here and may be present perfect in sense, indicating that the divine host typically pours oil on his head prior to seating him at the banquet table. The verb דָשַׁן (dashan; the Piel is factitive) is often translated “anoint,” but this is misleading, for it might suggest a symbolic act of initiation into royal status. One would expect the verb מָשָׁח (mashan) in this case; דָשַׁן here describes an act of hospitality extended to guests and carries the nuance “refresh.” In Prov 15:30 it stands parallel to “make happy” and refers to the effect that good news has on the inner being of its recipient.
[23:5] 413 tn The rare noun רְַָויָה (rÿvayah) is derived from the well-attested verb רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated, drink one’s fill”). In this context, where it describes a cup, it must mean “filled up,” but not necessarily to overflowing.
[23:6] 414 tn The noun חֶסֶד (khesed; v. 6) has been the subject of several monographs. G. R. Clark concludes that חֶסֶד “is not merely an attitude or an emotion; it is an emotion that leads to an activity beneficial to the recipient.” He explains that an act of חֶסֶד is “a beneficent action performed, in the context of a deep and enduring commitment between two persons or parties, by one who is able to render assistance to the needy party who in the circumstances is unable to help him- or herself.” (See G. R. Clark, The Word Hesed in the Hebrew Bible [JSOTSup], 267.) HALOT 336-37 s.v. defines the word as “loyalty,” or “faithfulness.” Other appropriate meanings might be “commitment” and “devotion.”
[23:6] 415 tn The use of רָדַף (radaf, “pursue, chase”) with טוֹב וָחֶסֶד (tov vakhesed, “goodness and faithfulness”) as subject is ironic. This is the only place in the entire OT where either of these nouns appears as the subject of this verb רָדַף (radaf, “pursue”). This verb is often used to describe the hostile actions of enemies. One might expect the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 5) to chase him, but ironically God’s “goodness and faithfulness” (which are personified and stand by metonymy for God himself) pursue him instead. The word “pursue” is used outside of its normal context in an ironic manner and creates a unique, but pleasant word picture of God’s favor (or a kind God) “chasing down” the one whom he loves.
[23:6] 416 tn Heb “all the days of my life.”
[23:6] 417 tn The verb form וְשַׁבְתִּי (vÿshavtiy) is a Qal perfect (with vav [ו] consecutive), first common singular, from שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) and should be translated, “and I will return.” But this makes no sense when construed with the following phrase, “in the house of the
[23:6] 418 tn Heb “the house of the
[23:6] 419 tn The phrase אֹרֶךְ יָמִים (’orekh yamim, “length of days”) is traditionally translated “forever.” However, this phrase, when used elsewhere of people, usually refers to a lengthy period of time, such as one’s lifetime, and does not mean “forever” in the sense of eternity. (Cf. Deut 30:20; Job 12:12; Ps 91:16; Prov 3:2, 16; Lam 5:20.) Furthermore, the parallel phrase “all the days of my life” suggests this more limited meaning. Psalm 21:4, where the phrase is followed by “forever and ever,” may be an exception, though the juxtaposition of the phrases may be an example of intensification, where the second phrase goes beyond the limits of the first, rather than synonymity. Even if one takes both expressions as referring to eternal life, the language is part of the king’s hyperbolic description of the
[24:1] 420 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] 421 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite, referring to the creation of the world.
[24:2] 422 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] 423 tn The imperfects in v. 3 are modal, expressing potential or permission.
[24:3] 424 sn In this context the Lord’s mountain probably refers to Zion/Jerusalem (see Isa 2:2-3).
[24:4] 425 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] 426 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] 427 tn Heb “and does not swear an oath deceitfully.”
[24:5] 428 tn Heb “he (the righteous individual described in v. 4) lifts up a blessing from the
[24:5] 429 tn “and vindication from the God of his deliverance.”
[24:6] 430 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] 431 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] 432 tn Heb “lift yourselves up.”
[24:7] 433 tn Or “king of glory.”
[24:7] 434 tn Following the imperatives of the preceding lines, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
[24:8] 435 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] 436 tn Traditionally, “the
[25:1] 437 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] 438 tn Heb “to you, O
[25:3] 439 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] 440 sn Teach me your paths. In this context the
[25:5] 441 sn The
[25:6] 442 tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating.
[25:6] 443 tn Heb “for from antiquity [are] they.”
[25:7] 444 tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing.
[25:7] 445 sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom.
[25:7] 446 tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O
[25:8] 447 tn Heb “good and just.”
[25:8] 448 tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”
[25:9] 449 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.
[25:9] 450 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] 451 tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).
[25:10] 452 tn Heb “all the paths of the
[25:10] 453 tn Heb “to the ones who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”
[25:11] 454 tn Heb “name.” By forgiving the sinful psalmist, the
[25:11] 455 sn Forgive my sin, because it is great. The psalmist readily admits his desperate need for forgiveness.
[25:12] 456 tn Heb “Who is this man, the one who fears the
[25:13] 457 tn Heb “his life in goodness dwells.” The singular is representative (see v. 14).
[25:13] 458 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[25:14] 460 tn Heb “the advice of the
[25:14] 461 tn Heb “and his covenant, to make them know.”
[25:15] 462 tn Heb “my eyes continually [are] toward the
[25:15] 463 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] 464 tn That is, helpless and vulnerable.
[25:17] 465 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] 466 tn Heb “from my distresses lead me out.”
[25:18] 467 tn Heb “lift up all my sins.”
[25:19] 468 tn Heb “see my enemies for they are numerous, and [with] violent hatred they hate me.”
[25:22] 471 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] 472 sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.
[26:1] 473 tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”
[26:2] 474 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] 475 tn Heb “for your faithfulness [is] before my eyes.”
[26:3] 476 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] 478 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] 479 tn Heb “[those who] conceal themselves.”
[26:5] 480 tn Heb “assembly, company.”
[26:5] 481 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] 482 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] 483 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] 484 tn Heb “to cause to be heard the sound of thanksgiving.”
[26:7] 485 tn The two infinitival forms (both with prefixed preposition -לְ, lamed) give the purpose for his appearance at the altar.
[26:8] 486 tn Heb “the dwelling of your house.”
[26:8] 487 tn Heb “the place of the abode of your splendor.”
[26:9] 488 tn Heb “do not gather up my life with.”
[26:9] 489 tn Heb “or with men of bloodshed my life.” The verb is supplied; it is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[26:10] 490 tn Heb “who [have] in their hands evil.”
[26:10] 491 tn Heb “and their right hand is full of a bribe.”
[26:11] 492 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.
[26:11] 493 tn Or “redeem me.”
[26:12] 494 tn Heb “my foot stands in a level place.”
[27:1] 495 sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.
[27:1] 496 tn Heb “the
[27:1] 497 tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
[27:1] 498 tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
[27:2] 499 tn Heb “draw near to me.”
[27:2] 500 sn To devour my flesh. The psalmist compares his enemies to dangerous, hungry predators (see 2 Kgs 9:36; Ezek 39:17).
[27:2] 501 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] 502 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] 503 tn Heb “my heart does not fear.”
[27:3] 504 tn Heb “if war rises up against me.”
[27:3] 505 tn Heb “in this [i.e., “during this situation”] I am trusting.”
[27:4] 506 tn Heb “my living.”
[27:4] 507 sn The
[27:5] 509 tn Or “for he will.” The translation assumes the כִּי (ki) is asseverative here, rather than causal.
[27:5] 510 tn Heb “he will hide me in his hut.”
[27:5] 513 tn The three imperfect verb forms in v. 5 anticipate a positive response to the prayer offered in vv. 7-12.
[27:5] 514 tn Heb “on a rocky summit he lifts me up.” The
[27:6] 515 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] 516 tn Heb “I will sacrifice in his tent sacrifices of a shout for joy” (that is, “sacrifices accompanied by a joyful shout”).
[27:8] 518 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] 519 tn Heb “your face, O
[27:9] 520 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] 521 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[27:10] 522 tn Or “though my father and mother have abandoned me.”
[27:10] 523 tn Heb “gather me in”; or “receive me.”
[27:11] 524 tn Heb “teach me your way.” The
[27:11] 525 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] 526 tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 54:5; 56:2.
[27:12] 527 tn Heb “do not give me over to the desire of my enemies.”
[27:12] 528 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] 529 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is incomplete: “If I had not believed [I would] see the goodness of the
[27:14] 531 tn Heb “be strong and let your heart be confident.”
[28:1] 532 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] 533 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] 534 tn Heb “do not be deaf from me.”
[28:1] 535 tn Heb “lest [if] you are silent from me.”
[28:1] 536 tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
[28:1] 537 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] 538 sn I lift my hands. Lifting one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer.
[28:2] 539 tn The Hebrew term דְּבִיר (dÿvir, “temple”) actually refers to the most holy place within the sanctuary.
[28:3] 540 tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
[28:3] 541 tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”
[28:3] 542 tn Heb “and evil [is] in their heart[s].”
[28:4] 543 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] 544 tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context “the
[28:5] 545 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[28:5] 546 tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.
[28:6] 547 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[28:6] 548 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] 549 tn Heb “The
[28:7] 550 tn Heb “in him my heart trusts.”
[28:7] 551 tn Or “I am helped.”
[28:7] 552 tn Heb “and my heart exults.”
[28:7] 553 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] 554 tn Heb “the
[28:8] 555 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] 557 tn Heb “your inheritance.” The parallelism (note “your people”) indicates that Israel is in view.
[28:9] 558 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).
[29:1] 560 sn Psalm 29. In this hymn of praise the psalmist calls upon the heavenly assembly to acknowledge the royal splendor of the Lord. He describes the Lord’s devastating power as revealed in the thunderstorm and affirms that the Lord exerts this awesome might on behalf of his people. In its original context the psalm was a bold polemic against the Canaanite storm god Baal, for it affirms that the Lord is the real king who controls the elements of the storm, contrary to pagan belief. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 150 (1994): 280-82.
[29:1] 561 tc Heb “sons of gods,” or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the MT, it is likely that the final mem is actually enclitic, rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8.
[29:1] tn The phrase בְּנֵי אֵלִים (bÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 89:6 (89:7 HT). In Ps 89 the “sons of gods/God” are also called “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones.” The heavenly assembly, comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings, appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is referred to as “the sons of El.” The OT apparently borrows the Canaanite phrase and applies it to the supernatural beings that surround the heavenly throne.
[29:1] 562 tn Or “ascribe to the
[29:2] 563 tn Heb “ascribe to the
[29:2] 564 tn That is, properly dressed for the occasion.
[29:3] 565 tn Heb “the voice of the
[29:3] 566 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form is probably descriptive. In dramatic fashion the psalmist portrays the
[29:3] 567 tn Traditionally “many waters.” The geographical references in the psalm (Lebanon, Sirion, Kadesh) suggest this is a reference to the Mediterranean Sea (see Ezek 26:19; 27:26). The psalmist describes a powerful storm moving in from the sea and sweeping over the mountainous areas north of Israel. The “surging waters” may symbolize the hostile enemies of God who seek to destroy his people (see Pss 18:17; 32:6; 77:20; 93:4; 144:7; Isa 17:13; Jer 51:55; Ezek 26:19; Hab 3:15). In this case the
[29:4] 568 tn Heb “the voice of the
[29:4] 569 tn Heb “the voice of the
[29:5] 570 tn The Hebrew participial form draws attention to the durative nature of the action being described.
[29:5] 571 tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive here and in v. 6a carry on the descriptive function of the preceding participle (see GKC 329 §111.u). The verb שָׁבַר (shavar) appears in the Qal in the first line of the verse, and in the Piel in the second line. The verb, which means “break” in the Qal, appears thirty-six times in the Piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The Piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative: “make broken” (see IBHS 404-7 §24.3).
[29:5] 572 sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size. Here they may symbolize the arrogant enemies of God (see Isa 2:12-13).
[29:6] 573 sn Sirion is another name for Mount Hermon (Deut 3:9).
[29:6] 574 sn Lebanon and Sirion are compared to frisky young animals (a calf…a young ox) who skip and jump. The thunderous shout of the Lord is so powerful, one can see the very mountains shake on the horizon.
[29:7] 575 tn The verb normally means “to hew [stone or wood],” or “to hew out.” In Hos 6:5 it seems to mean “cut in pieces,” “knock down,” or perhaps “hack” (see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea [AB], 428). The Ugaritic cognate can mean “assault.” In v. 7 the verb seems to have a similar meaning, perhaps “attack, strike.” The phrase “flames of fire” is an adverbial accusative; the
[29:7] 576 sn The
[29:8] 577 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms are descriptive in function; the psalmist depicts the action as underway.
[29:8] 578 sn Kadesh. The references to Lebanon and Sirion in v. 6 suggest this is a reference to the northern Kadesh, located north of Damascus, not the southern Kadesh mentioned so often in the OT. See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:178.
[29:9] 579 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form is descriptive in function; the psalmist depicts the action as underway.
[29:9] 580 tc Heb “the deer.” Preserving this reading, some translate the preceding verb, “causes [the deer] to give premature birth” (cf. NEB, NASB). But the Polel of חוּל/חִיל (khul/khil) means “give birth,” not “cause to give birth,” and the statement “the
[29:9] 581 tn The verb is used in Joel 1:7 of locusts stripping the leaves from a tree. The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the descriptive function of the preceding imperfect. See GKC 329 §111.t.
[29:9] 582 tn The usual form of the plural of יַעַר (ya’ar, “forest”) is יְעָרִים (yÿ’arim). For this reason some propose an emendation to יְעָלוֹת (yÿ’alot, “female mountain goats”) which would fit nicely in the parallelism with “deer” (cf. NEB “brings kids early to birth”). In this case one would have to understand the verb חָשַׂף (khasaf) to mean “cause premature birth,” an otherwise unattested homonym of the more common חָשַׂף (“strip bare”).
[29:9] sn The Lord’s thunderous shout is accompanied by high winds which damage the trees of the forest.
[29:9] 583 tn Heb “In his temple, all of it says, ‘Glory.’”
[29:10] 584 tn The noun מַּבּוּל (mabbul, “flood”) appears only here and in Gen 6-11, where it refers to the Noahic flood. Some see a reference to that event here. The presence of the article (perhaps indicating uniqueness) and the switch to the perfect verbal form (which could be taken as describing a past situation) might support this. However, the immediate context indicates that the referent of מַּבּוּל is the “surging waters” mentioned in v. 3. The article indicates waters that are definite in the mind of the speaker and the perfect is probably descriptive in function, like “thunders” in v. 3. However, even though the historical flood is not the primary referent here, there may be a literary allusion involved. The psalmist views the threatening chaotic sea as a contemporary manifestation of the destructive waters of old.
[29:10] 585 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the descriptive function of the preceding perfect.
[29:11] 586 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 11 are either descriptive or generalizing.
[29:11] 587 sn Strength. This probably refers to military power; see the use of the noun in 1 Sam 2:10 and Ps 86:16.
[29:11] 588 tn Heb “blesses his people with peace.” The Hebrew term שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) probably refers here to the protection and prosperity experienced by God’s people after the
[30:1] 589 sn Psalm 30. The author thanks the Lord for delivering him from death and urges others to join him in praise. The psalmist experienced divine discipline for a brief time, but when he cried out for help the Lord intervened and restored his favor.
[30:1] 590 tn Heb “a song of the dedication of the house.” The referent of “house” is unclear. It is possible that David wrote this psalm for the dedication ceremony of Solomon’s temple. Another possibility is that the psalm was used on the occasion of the dedication of the second temple following the return from exile, or on the occasion of the rededication of the temple in Maccabean times.
[30:1] 591 tn Elsewhere the verb דָּלָה (dalah) is used of drawing water from a well (Exod 2:16, 19; Prov 20:5). The psalmist was trapped in the pit leading to Sheol (see v. 3), but the
[30:2] 593 sn You healed me. Apparently the psalmist was plagued by a serious illness that threatened his life. See Ps 41.
[30:3] 595 tn Heb “you kept me alive from those descending into the pit.” The Hebrew noun בוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (Kethib); the marginal reading (Qere) has, “you kept me alive so that I did not go down into the pit.”
[30:4] 596 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[30:4] 597 tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The noun זֵכֵר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the
[30:5] 598 tn Heb “for [there is] a moment in his anger, [but] life in his favor.” Because of the parallelism with “moment,” some understand חַיִּים (khayyim) in a quantitative sense: “lifetime” (cf. NIV, NRSV). However, the immediate context, which emphasizes deliverance from death (see v. 3), suggests that חַיִּים has a qualitative sense: “physical life” or even “prosperous life” (cf. NEB “in his favour there is life”).
[30:5] 599 tn Heb “in the evening weeping comes to lodge, but at morning a shout of joy.” “Weeping” is personified here as a traveler who lodges with one temporarily.
[30:6] 600 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).
[30:7] 601 tn Heb “in your good favor you caused to stand for my mountain strength.” Apparently this means “you established strength for my mountain” (“mountain” in this case representing his rule, which would be centered on Mt. Zion) or “you established strength as my mountain” (“mountain” in this case being a metaphor for security).
[30:7] 602 tn Heb “you hid your face.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or, as here, carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Ps 88:14).
[30:8] 603 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 8 are probably preterites; the psalmist recalls that he prayed in his time of crisis.
[30:9] 604 sn The following two verses (vv. 9-10) contain the prayer (or an excerpt of the prayer) that the psalmist offered to the Lord during his crisis.
[30:9] 605 tn Heb “What profit [is there] in my blood?” “Blood” here represents his life.
[30:9] 606 tn The Hebrew term שָׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 49:9; 55:24; 103:4).
[30:9] 607 tn Heb “dust.” The words “of the grave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[30:9] 608 tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “Of course not!”
[30:9] sn According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 6:5; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!
[30:10] 609 tn Heb “be a helper to me.”
[30:11] 610 sn Covered me with joy. “Joy” probably stands metonymically for festive attire here.
[30:12] 611 tn Heb “so that”; or “in order that.”
[30:12] 612 tn Heb “glory.” Some view כָבוֹד (khavod, “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 (kÿvediy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 57:9; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. 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.” “Heart” is used in the translation above for the sake of English idiom; the expression “my liver sings” would seem odd indeed to the modern reader.
[31:1] 614 sn Psalm 31. The psalmist confidently asks the Lord to protect him. Enemies threaten him and even his friends have abandoned him, but he looks to the Lord for vindication. In vv. 19-24, which were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18, the psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him.
[31:1] 615 tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me.”
[31:2] 616 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
[31:2] 617 tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of refuge.”
[31:2] 618 tn Heb “a house of strongholds to deliver me.”
[31:3] 619 sn The metaphor of the high ridge pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
[31:3] 620 tn Heb “name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the
[31:3] 621 tn The present translation assumes that the imperfect verbal forms are generalizing, “you lead me and guide me.” Other options are to take them as an expression of confidence about the future, “you will lead me and guide me” (cf. NASB), or as expressing a prayer, “lead me and guide me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[31:4] 622 tn Heb “bring me out.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form expresses the psalmist’s confidence about the future. Another option is to take the form as expressing a prayer, “free me.”
[31:5] 623 tn Heb “my spirit.” The noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) here refers to the animating spirit that gives the psalmist life.
[31:5] 624 tn Or “redeem.” The perfect verbal form is understood here as anticipatory, indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer that he can describe his deliverance as if it had already happened. Another option is to take the perfect as precative, expressing a wish or request (“rescue me”; cf. NIV). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
[31:6] 625 tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jonah 2:9.
[31:7] 626 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
[31:8] 627 tn Heb “you cause my feet to stand.”
[31:9] 628 tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”
[31:9] 629 tn Cf. Ps 6:7, which has a similar line.
[31:9] 630 tn Heb “my breath and my stomach [grow weak].” Apparently the verb in the previous line (“grow dim, be weakened”) is to be understood here. The Hebrew term נפשׁ can mean “life,” or, more specifically, “throat, breath.” The psalmist seems to be lamenting that his breathing is impaired because of the physical and emotional suffering he is forced to endure.
[31:10] 631 tn Heb “and my years in groaning.”
[31:10] 632 tn Heb “stumbles in.”
[31:10] 633 tn Heb “grow weak.”
[31:11] 634 tn Heb “because of all my enemies I am a reproach.”
[31:11] 635 tc Heb “and to my neighbors, exceedingly.” If the MT is retained, then these words probably go with what precedes. However the syntactical awkwardness of the text suggests it is textually corrupt. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 258) suggests that the initial mem (מ) on מְאֹד (me’od, “exceedingly”) be understood as an enclitic mem (ם) which was originally suffixed to the preceding form and then later misinterpreted. The resulting form אֵד (’ed) can then be taken as a defectively written form of אֵיד (’ed, “calamity”). If one follows this emendation, then the text reads literally, “and to my neighbors [I am one who experiences] calamity.” The noun פַחַד (fakhad, “[object of] horror”) occurs in the next line; אֵיד and פַחַד appear in parallelism elsewhere (see Prov 1:26-27).
[31:11] 636 tn Heb “and [an object of ] horror to those known by me.”
[31:12] 637 tn Heb “I am forgotten, like a dead man, from [the] heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the center of one’s thoughts.
[31:12] 638 tn Heb “I am like a broken jar.” One throws away a broken jar without a second thought because it is considered worthless and useless.
[31:13] 639 tn Heb “the report of many.”
[31:13] 640 tn Heb “the terror from all around.”
[31:15] 641 tn Heb “in your hand [are] my times.”
[31:16] 642 tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
[31:17] 643 tn The verb יִדְּמוּ (yiddÿmu) is understood as a form of דָּמַם (damam, “wail, lament”). Another option is to take the verb from דָּמַם (“be quiet”; see BDB 198-99 s.v. I דָּמַם), in which case one might translate, “May they lie silent in the grave.”
[31:18] 644 tn Heb “the [ones which].”
[31:19] 646 tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”
[31:19] 647 tn Heb “for those who fear you.”
[31:19] 648 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[31:19] 649 tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”
[31:20] 650 tn The noun רֹכֶס (rokhes) occurs only here. Its meaning is debated; some suggest “snare,” while others propose “slander” or “conspiracy.”
[31:20] 651 tn Heb “you hide them in the hiding place of your face from the attacks of man.” The imperfect verbal forms in this verse draw attention to God’s typical treatment of the faithful.
[31:20] 652 tn Heb “you conceal them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.”
[31:21] 653 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[31:21] 654 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
[31:22] 655 tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”
[31:22] 656 tn Heb “from before your eyes.”
[31:23] 657 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[31:23] 658 tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.
[31:24] 659 tn Heb “be strong and let your heart[s] be confident.”
[32:1] 660 sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.
[32:1] 661 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
[32:1] 662 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, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.
[32:1] 663 tn Heb “lifted up.”
[32:1] 664 tn Heb “covered over.”
[32:2] 665 tn Heb “man.” The word choice reflects the perspective of the psalmist, who is male. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender and age specific “man” has been translated with the more neutral “one.”
[32:2] 666 tn Heb “blessed [is] the man to whom the
[32:2] 667 sn In whose spirit there is no deceit. The point is not that the individual is sinless and pure. In this context, which focuses on confession and forgiveness of sin, the psalmist refers to one who refuses to deny or hide his sin, but instead honestly confesses it to God.
[32:3] 668 tn Heb “when I was silent.”
[32:3] 669 tn Heb “my bones became brittle.” The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.
[32:4] 670 tn Heb “your hand was heavy upon me.”
[32:4] 671 tc Heb “my [?] was turned.” The meaning of the Hebrew term לְשַׁד (lÿshad) is uncertain. A noun לָשָׁד (lashad, “cake”) is attested in Num 11:8, but it would make no sense to understand that word in this context. It is better to emend the form to לְשֻׁדִּי (lÿshuddiy, “to my destruction”) and understand “your hand” as the subject of the verb “was turned.” In this case the text reads, “[your hand] was turned to my destruction.” In Lam 3:3 the author laments that God’s “hand” was “turned” (הָפַךְ, hafakh) against him in a hostile sense.
[32:4] sn You tried to destroy me. The psalmist’s statement reflects his perspective. As far as he was concerned, it seemed as if the Lord was trying to kill him.
[32:4] 672 tn The translation assumes that the plural form indicates degree. If one understands the form as a true plural, then one might translate, “in the times of drought.”
[32:4] 673 sn Summer. Perhaps the psalmist suffered during the hot season and perceived the very weather as being an instrument of divine judgment. Another option is that he compares his time of suffering to the uncomfortable and oppressive heat of summer.
[32:5] 674 tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”
[32:5] 675 tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.
[32:6] 676 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[32:6] 677 tn Heb “at a time of finding.” This may mean, “while there is time to ‘find’ [the
[32:6] 678 tn The Hebrew term רַק (raq) occasionally has an asseverative force.
[32:6] 679 sn The surging water is here a metaphor for trouble that endangers one’s life.
[32:6] 680 tn Heb “him.” The translation uses the plural “them” to agree with the plural “every one of your faithful followers” in the first line of v. 6.
[32:7] 681 tn Heb “[with] shouts of joy of deliverance you surround me.”
[32:8] 682 tn The second person pronominal forms in this verse are singular. The psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually (see also the note on the word “eye” in the next line). A less likely option (but one which is commonly understood) is that the
[32:8] 683 tn Heb “I will instruct you and I will teach you in the way [in] which you should walk.”
[32:8] 684 tn Heb “I will advise, upon you my eye,” that is, “I will offer advice [with] my eye upon you.” In 2 Chr 20:12 the statement “our eye is upon you” means that the speakers are looking to the
[32:9] 685 tn The verb form is plural (i.e., “do not all of you be”); the psalmist addresses the whole group.
[32:9] 686 tn Heb “like a horse, like a mule without understanding.”
[32:9] 687 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.”
[32:10] 688 tn Heb “many [are the] pains of evil [one].” The singular form is representative here; the typical evildoer, representative of the larger group of wicked people, is in view.
[32:10] 689 tn Heb “but the one who trusts in the
[32:11] 690 tn Heb “all [you] pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the
[33:1] 691 sn Psalm 33. In this hymn the psalmist praises the Lord as the sovereign creator and just ruler of the world who protects and vindicates those who fear him.
[33:3] 692 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.
[33:3] 693 tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”
[33:4] 694 sn For the
[33:4] 695 tn Heb “word.” In this context, which depicts the
[33:4] 697 tn Heb “and all his work [is] in faithfulness.”
[33:5] 698 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the
[33:5] 699 tn Heb “fills the earth.”
[33:6] 701 tn Heb “and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” The words “were created” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons; they are understood by ellipsis (note “were made” in the preceding line). The description is consistent with Gen 1:16, which indicates that God spoke the heavenly luminaries into existence.
[33:7] 702 tn Heb “[he] gathers like a pile the waters of the sea.” Some prefer to emend נֵד (ged, “heap, pile”; cf. NASB) to נֹד (nod, “bottle”; cf. NRSV; NIV “into jars”), but “pile” is used elsewhere to describe water that the
[33:7] 703 tn Or “watery depths.” The form תְּהוֹמוֹת (tÿhomot, “watery depths”) is the plural form of תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “great deep”; see Gen 1:2).
[33:8] 704 tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the
[33:9] 705 tn That is, “all the earth” in the first line of v. 8. The apparent antecedent of the masculine subject of the verbs in v. 9 (note וַיֶּהִי [vayyehiy] and וַיַּעֲמֹד [vayya’amod]) is “earth” or “world,” both of which are feminine nouns. However, כָּל (kol, “all”) may be the antecedent, or the apparent lack of agreement may be explained by the collective nature of the nouns involved here (see GKC 463 §145.e).
[33:9] 706 tn Heb “he commanded.”
[33:10] 707 tn Heb “breaks” or “destroys.” The Hebrew perfect verbal forms here and in the next line generalize about the
[33:10] 708 tn Heb “thoughts.”
[33:11] 709 tn Heb “the thoughts of his heart for generation to generation.” The verb “abides” is supplied in the translation. The
[33:12] 710 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; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[33:12] 711 tn Heb “inheritance.”
[33:13] 712 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal forms in v. 13 state general facts.
[33:13] 713 tn Heb “all the sons of men.”
[33:15] 714 tn Heb “the one who forms together their heart[s].” “Heart” here refers to human nature, composed of intellect, emotions and will. The precise force of יָחַד (yakhad, “together”) is unclear here. The point seems to be that the
[33:17] 715 tn Heb “a lie [is] the horse for victory.”
[33:18] 716 tn Heb “look, the eye of the
[33:18] 717 tn Heb “for the ones who wait for his faithfulness.”
[33:19] 718 tn Heb “to save from death their live[s].”
[33:19] 719 tn Heb “and to keep them alive in famine.”
[33:20] 720 tn Or “our lives.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
[33:20] 721 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[33:20] 722 tn Or “protector.”
[33:22] 723 tn Heb “let your faithfulness, O
[34:1] 725 sn Psalm 34. In this song of thanksgiving the psalmist praises God for delivering him from distress. He encourages others to be loyal to the Lord, tells them how to please God, and assures them that the Lord protects his servants. The psalm is an acrostic; vv. 1-21 begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. (Verse 6 begins with the letter he (ה) and v. 7 with the letter zayin (ז). The letter vav (ו), which comes between ה and ז, seems to be omitted, although it does appear at the beginning of v. 6b. The final verse of the psalm, which begins with the letter pe (פ), is outside the acrostic scheme.
[34:1] 726 tn Heb “By David, when he changed his sense before Abimelech and he drove him away and he went.”
[34:1] sn Pretended to be insane. The psalm heading appears to refer to the account in 1 Sam 21:10-15 which tells how David, fearful that King Achish of Gath might kill him, pretended to be insane in hopes that the king would simply send him away. The psalm heading names the king Abimelech, not Achish, suggesting that the tradition is confused on this point. However, perhaps “Abimelech” was a royal title, rather than a proper name. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 278.
[34:1] 728 tn Heb “continually [will] his praise [be] in my mouth.”
[34:2] 729 tn Heb “my soul will boast”; or better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.
[34:2] 730 tn The two prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best taken as jussives, for the psalmist is calling his audience to worship (see v. 3).
[34:4] 732 tn Heb “I sought the
[34:5] 733 tc Heb “they look to him and are radiant and their faces are not ashamed.” The third person plural subject (“they”) is unidentified; there is no antecedent in the Hebrew text. For this reason some prefer to take the perfect verbal forms in the first line as imperatives, “look to him and be radiant” (cf. NEB, NRSV). Some medieval Hebrew
[34:6] 734 tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.
[34:7] 735 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the
[34:7] 736 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[34:7] 737 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC 329 §111.u.
[34:8] 738 tn This verb is normally used of tasting or savoring food. The metaphor here appears to compare the
[34:8] 739 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, 3; 2:12; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[34:8] 740 tn Heb “man.” 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.”
[34:8] 741 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[34:9] 743 tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”
[34:9] 744 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[34:11] 745 tn Heb “the fear of the
[34:12] 746 tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.
[34:12] 747 tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”
[34:13] 748 tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”
[34:13] 749 tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”
[34:14] 751 tn Heb “seek peace and pursue it.”
[34:15] 752 tn Heb “the eyes of the
[34:16] 753 tn Heb “the face of the
[34:17] 754 tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).
[34:17] 755 tn The three perfect verbal forms are taken in a generalizing sense in v. 17 and translated with the present tense (note the generalizing mood of vv. 18-22).
[34:18] 756 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
[34:18] 757 tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”
[34:19] 758 tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.
[34:19] 760 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
[34:19] 761 tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.
[34:20] 762 tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.
[34:20] 763 tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.
[34:20] 764 sn Not one of them is broken. The author of the Gospel of John saw a fulfillment of these words in Jesus’ experience on the cross (see John 19:31-37), for the Roman soldiers, when they saw that Jesus was already dead, did not break his legs as was customarily done to speed the death of crucified individuals. John’s use of the psalm seems strange, for the statement in its original context suggests that the Lord protects the godly from physical harm. Jesus’ legs may have remained unbroken, but he was brutally and unjustly executed by his enemies. John seems to give the statement a literal sense that is foreign to its original literary context by applying a promise of divine protection to a man who was seemingly not saved by God. However, John saw in this incident a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate deliverance and vindication. His unbroken bones were a reminder of God’s commitment to the godly and a sign of things to come. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story; God vindicated him, as John goes on to explain in the following context (John 19:38-20:18).
[34:21] 765 tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.
[34:21] 766 tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.
[34:22] 767 tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.
[34:22] 768 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[35:1] 769 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] 771 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] 772 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] 773 tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”
[35:3] 774 tn Heb “say to me,” or “say to my soul.”
[35:4] 775 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] 776 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.
[35:5] 777 sn See the mention of the
[35:5] 778 tn Heb “as the
[35:6] 779 tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
[35:7] 780 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] 781 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] 782 tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.
[35:9] 783 tn Heb “then my soul will rejoice in the
[35:10] 784 tn Heb “all my bones will say.”
[35:10] 785 tn Heb “[the one who] rescues.” The substantival participle in the Hebrew text characterizes God as one who typically rescues the oppressed.
[35:10] 786 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] 787 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] 788 tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”
[35:11] 789 tn Heb “[that] which I do not know they ask me.”
[35:12] 790 tn Heb “they repay me evil instead of good.”
[35:12] 791 tn Heb “[there is] bereavement to my soul.”
[35:13] 792 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] 793 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] 794 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] 795 tn Heb “like a friend, like a brother to me I walked about.”
[35:14] 796 sn I bowed down. Bowing down was a posture for mourning. See Ps 38:6.
[35:14] 797 tn Heb “like mourning for a mother [in] sorrow I bowed down.”
[35:15] 798 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] 799 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] 800 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] 801 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] 802 tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”
[35:17] 803 tn Heb “bring back, restore.”
[35:17] 805 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] 806 sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Ps 22:25.
[35:18] 807 tn Heb “among numerous people.”
[35:19] 808 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] 810 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] 811 tn Heb “for they do not speak peace.”
[35:20] 812 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] 813 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] 814 tn Heb “our eye sees.” Apparently this is an idiom meaning to “look in triumph” or “gloat over” (see Ps 54:7).
[35:22] 815 tn Heb “you see, O
[35:23] 816 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] 817 tn Heb “for my justice.”
[35:23] 818 tn Heb “for my cause.”
[35:25] 820 tn Heb “in their heart[s].”
[35:25] 821 tn Heb “Aha! Our desire!” The “desire” of the psalmist’s enemies is to triumph over him.
[35:26] 822 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”
[35:26] 823 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] 824 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27a are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-26).
[35:27] 825 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
[35:27] 826 tn Heb “the one who desires the peace of his servant.”
[35:28] 827 tn Heb “and my tongue will proclaim your justice.”
[35:28] 828 tn Heb “all the day your praise.” The verb “proclaim” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
[36:1] 829 sn Psalm 36. Though evil men plan to harm others, the psalmist is confident that the Lord is the just ruler of the earth who gives and sustains all life. He prays for divine blessing and protection and anticipates God’s judgment of the wicked.
[36:1] 830 tn In the Hebrew text the word נאם (“oracle”) appears at the beginning of the next verse (v. 2 in the Hebrew text because the superscription is considered v. 1). The resulting reading, “an oracle of rebellion for the wicked [is] in the midst of my heart” (cf. NIV) apparently means that the psalm, which foresees the downfall of the wicked, is a prophetic oracle about the rebellion of the wicked which emerges from the soul of the psalmist. One could translate, “Here is a poem written as I reflected on the rebellious character of evil men.” Another option, followed in the translation above, is to attach נאם (nÿ’um, “oracle”) with the superscription. For another example of a Davidic poem being labeled an “oracle,” see 2 Sam 23:1.
[36:1] 831 tn Heb “[the] rebellion of an evil man [is] in the midst of my heart.” The translation assumes a reading “in the midst of his heart” (i.e., “to the core”) instead of “in the midst of my heart,” a change which finds support in a a few medieval Hebrew
[36:1] 832 tn Heb “there is no dread of God before his eyes.” The phrase “dread of God” refers here to a healthy respect for God which recognizes that he will punish evil behavior.
[36:2] 833 tn Heb “for it causes to be smooth to him in his eyes to find his sin to hate.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. Perhaps the point is this: His rebellious attitude makes him reject any notion that God will hold him accountable. His attitude also prevents him from recognizing and repudiating his sinful ways.
[36:3] 834 tn Heb “he ceases to exhibit wisdom to do good.” The Hiphil forms are exhibitive, indicating the outward expression of an inner attitude.
[36:4] 835 tn Heb “he takes a stand in a way [that is] not good.” The word “way” here refers metaphorically to behavior or life style.
[36:4] 836 tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 highlight the characteristic behavior of the typical evildoer.
[36:5] 837 tn Heb “[is] in the heavens.”
[36:5] 838 sn The Lord’s loyal love/faithfulness is almost limitless. He is loyal and faithful to his creation and blesses mankind and the animal kingdom with physical life and sustenance (vv. 6-9).
[36:6] 839 tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.
[36:6] 841 sn God’s justice/fairness is firm and reliable like the highest mountains and as abundant as the water in the deepest sea. The psalmist uses a legal metaphor to describe God’s preservation of his creation. Like a just judge who vindicates the innocent, God protects his creation from destructive forces.
[36:7] 843 tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear.
[36:9] 844 tn Heb “for with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.” Water (note “fountain”) and light are here metaphors for life.
[36:10] 845 tn Heb “draw out to full length.”
[36:10] 846 tn Heb “to those who know you.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “know”) is used here of those who “know” the
[36:10] 847 tn Heb “and your justice to.” The verb “extend” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
[36:10] 848 tn Heb “the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
[36:11] 849 tn Heb “let not a foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the evil ones cause me to wander as a fugitive.”
[36:12] 850 tn Heb “there the workers of wickedness have fallen.” The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the evildoers lying fallen at a spot that is vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.).
[36:12] 851 tn The psalmist uses perfect verbal forms in v. 12 to describe the demise of the wicked as if it has already taken place.
[37:1] 852 sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
[37:1] 853 tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.
[37:1] 854 tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.
[37:2] 855 tn Heb “like green vegetation.”
[37:3] 856 tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (ra’ah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.
[37:4] 857 tn Following the imperatives of v. 3 the prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) in v. 4 indicate result. Faith and obedience (v. 3) will bring divine blessing (v. 4).
[37:4] 858 tn Or “and he will give you what you desire most.” Heb “and he will grant to you the requests of your heart.”
[37:5] 859 tn Heb “roll your way upon the
[37:5] 860 tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the
[37:6] 861 tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”
[37:7] 862 tn Heb “Be quiet before the
[37:7] 863 tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (vÿhitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (vÿtokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, yÿhvah) and (2) the final lamed (ל) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).
[37:7] 864 tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”
[37:8] 865 tn Heb “Refrain from anger! Abandon rage!”
[37:9] 866 tn Heb “for evil men.” The conjunction כִּי (ki, “for”) relates to the exhortations in v. 8; there is no reason to be frustrated, for the evildoers will be punished in due time.
[37:9] 867 tn Or “cut off, removed.”
[37:9] 868 tn Heb “and those who wait on the
[37:10] 869 tn Heb “and yet, a little, there will be no wicked [one].”
[37:10] 870 tn Heb “and you will carefully look upon his place, but he will not be [there].” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer is in view.
[37:11] 871 tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”
[37:12] 872 tn Or “innocent.” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and the typical godly individual are in view.
[37:12] 873 tn Heb “and gnashes at him with his teeth” (see Ps 35:16). The language may picture the evil men as wild animals. The active participles in v. 12 are used for purposes of dramatic description.
[37:13] 874 tn Heb “laughs.” As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laughter (see 2:4). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes the action from the perspective of an eye-witness who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.
[37:13] 875 tn Heb “for he sees that his day is coming.” As the following context makes clear (vv. 15, 17, 19-20), “his day” refers to the time when God will destroy evildoers.
[37:14] 876 tn Heb “to cause to fall.”
[37:14] 877 tn Heb “the upright in way,” i.e., those who lead godly lives.
[37:15] 878 tn Heb “enter into.”
[37:16] 879 tn Heb “Better [is] a little to the godly one than the wealth of many evil ones.” The following verses explain why this is true. Though a godly individual may seem to have only meager possessions, he always has what he needs and will eventually possess the land. The wicked may prosper for a brief time, but will eventually be destroyed by divine judgment and lose everything.
[37:17] 880 tn Heb “for the arms of the evil ones will be broken.”
[37:17] 881 tn The active participle here indicates this is characteristically true.
[37:18] 882 tn Heb “the
[37:18] 883 tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”
[37:19] 884 tn Heb “in a time of trouble.”
[37:19] 885 tn Heb “in days of famine they will be satisfied.”
[37:20] 886 tn Or “for,” but Hebrew כי in this case would have to extend all the way back to v. 17a. Another option is to understand the particle as asseverative, “surely” (see v. 22).
[37:20] 887 tc The meaning of the MT (כִּיקַר כָּרִים [kiqar karim], “like what is precious among the pastures/rams”) is uncertain. One possibility is to take the noun כָּרִים as “pastures” and interpret “what is precious” as referring to flowers that blossom but then quickly disappear (see v. 2 and BDB 430 s.v. יָקָר 3). If כָּרִים is taken as “rams,” then “what is precious” might refer to the choicest portions of rams. The present translation follows a reading in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QpPs37), כיקוד כורם (“like the burning of an oven”). The next line, which pictures the
[37:20] 888 tn Heb “they perish in smoke, they perish.” In addition to repeating the verb for emphasis, the psalmist uses the perfect form of the verb to picture the enemies’ demise as if it had already taken place. In this way he draws attention to the certitude of their judgment.
[37:21] 889 tn Heb “an evil [man] borrows and does not repay; but a godly [man] is gracious and gives.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The three active participles and one imperfect (“repay”) draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the two types.
[37:22] 890 tn The particle כִּי is best understood as asseverative or emphatic here.
[37:22] 891 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] 893 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed” (see v. 9).
[37:23] 894 tn Heb “from the
[37:24] 895 tn Other translation options for כִּי in this context are “when” (so NASB) or “though” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[37:24] 896 tn Heb “be hurled down.”
[37:24] 897 tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.
[37:25] 898 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:25] 899 tn Heb “or his offspring searching for food.” The expression “search for food” also appears in Lam 1:11, where Jerusalem’s refugees are forced to search for food and to trade their valuable possessions for something to eat.
[37:26] 900 tn The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
[37:26] 901 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:27] 902 tn Or “Do good!” The imperatives are singular (see v. 1).
[37:27] 903 tn Heb “and dwell permanently.” The imperative with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause after the preceding imperatives.
[37:28] 904 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the
[37:28] 905 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.
[37:28] 906 tn Or “protected forever.”
[37:28] 907 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:28] 908 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.
[37:30] 909 tn Heb “The mouth of the godly [one] utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.” The singular form is used in a representative sense; the typical godly individual is in view. The imperfect verbal forms draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the godly.
[37:31] 910 tn Heb “the law of his God [is] in his heart.” The “heart” is here the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
[37:31] 911 tn Heb “his.” The pronoun has been translated as plural to agree with the representative or typical “godly” in v. 30.
[37:32] 912 tn Heb “an evil [one] watches the godly [one] and seeks to kill him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
[37:33] 913 tn Heb “the
[37:34] 915 tn Heb “keep his way.” The
[37:34] 916 tn Heb “and he will lift you up.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause following the imperatives in the preceding lines.
[37:34] 917 tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”
[37:35] 918 tn The Hebrew uses the representative singular again here.
[37:35] 919 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.
[37:36] 920 tn Heb “and he passes by and, look, he is not [there].” The subject of the verb “passes by” is probably indefinite, referring to any passerby. Some prefer to change the form to first person, “and I passed by” (cf. NEB; note the first person verbal forms in preceding verse and in the following line).
[37:37] 922 tn Heb “for [there is] an end for a man of peace.” Some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see the next verse and Ps 109:13; cf. NEB, NRSV).
[37:38] 923 tn Or “destroyed together.” In this case the psalmist pictures judgment sweeping them away as a group.
[37:38] 924 tn Heb “the end of evil men is cut off.” As in v. 37, some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see Ps 109:13). The perfect verbal forms in v. 38 probably express general truths. Another option is that they are used emphatically to state with certitude that the demise of the wicked is as good as done.
[37:39] 925 tn Heb “and the deliverance of the godly [ones] [is] from the
[37:39] 926 tn Heb “[he is] their place of refuge in a time of trouble.”
[37:40] 927 tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.
[38:1] 928 sn Psalm 38. The author asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies. He confesses his sin and recognizes that the crisis he faces is the result of divine discipline. Yet he begs the Lord not to reject him.
[38:1] 929 tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “to cause to remember.” The same form, the Hiphil infinitive of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”), also appears in the heading of Ps 70. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 303).
[38:1] 930 tn The words “continue to” are supplied in the translation of both lines. The following verses make it clear that the psalmist is already experiencing divine rebuke/punishment. He asks that it might cease.
[38:1] sn Compare Ps 38:1 with Ps 6:1, which has similar wording.
[38:2] 931 tn The verb Hebrew נָחַת (nakhat) apparently here means “penetrate, pierce” (note the use of the Qal in Prov 17:10). The psalmist pictures the
[38:2] 932 tn Heb “and your hand [?] upon me.” The meaning of the verb נָחַת (nakhat) is unclear in this context. It is preferable to emend the form to וַתָּנַח (vattanakh) from the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “rest”). In this case the text would read literally, “and your hand rests upon me” (see Isa 25:10, though the phrase is used in a positive sense there, unlike Ps 38:2).
[38:3] 933 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh from before your anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger at the psalmist’s sin.
[38:3] 934 tn Heb “there is no health in my bones from before my sin.”
[38:4] 935 tn Heb “pass over my head.”
[38:5] 936 sn The reference to wounds may be an extension of the metaphorical language of v. 2. The psalmist pictures himself as one whose flesh is ripped and torn by arrows.
[38:5] 937 tn Heb “my wounds stink, they are festering” (cf. NEB).
[38:5] 938 tn Heb “from before my foolishness.”
[38:6] 939 tn The verb’s precise shade of meaning in this context is not entirely clear. The verb, which literally means “to bend,” may refer to the psalmist’s posture. In Isa 21:3 it seems to mean “be confused, dazed.”
[38:6] 940 tn Heb “I am bowed down to excess.”
[38:7] 941 tn Heb “for my loins are filled with shame.” The “loins” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. The present translation assumes that נִקְלֶה (niqleh) is derived from קָלָה (qalah, “be dishonored”). Some derive it instead from a homonymic root קָלָה (qalah), meaning “to roast.” In this case one might translate “fever” (cf. NEB “my loins burn with fever”).
[38:7] 942 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh” (see v. 3).
[38:8] 943 tn Heb “I am numb and crushed to excess.”
[38:8] 944 tn Heb “I roar because of the moaning of my heart.”
[38:9] 945 tn Heb “O Lord, before you [is] all my desire.”
[38:10] 946 tn Heb “and the light of my eyes, even they, there is not with me.” The “light of the eyes” may refer to physical energy (see 1 Sam 14:27, 29), life itself (Ps 13:3), or the ability to see (Prov 29:23).
[38:11] 947 tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”
[38:11] 948 tn Heb “stand [aloof].”
[38:11] 949 tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”
[38:12] 950 tn Heb “lay snares.”
[38:13] 951 sn I am like a deaf man…like a mute. The psalmist is like a deaf mute; he is incapable of defending himself and is vulnerable to his enemies’ deception (see v. 14).
[38:14] 952 tn Heb “and there is not in his mouth arguments.”
[38:15] 953 tn Or perhaps “surely.”
[38:16] 954 tn Heb “For I said, ‘Lest they rejoice over me.’” The psalmist recalls the motivating argument of his petition. He probably prefaced this statement with a prayer for deliverance (see Pss 7:1-2; 13:3-4; 28:1).
[38:16] 955 tn Heb “they will magnify against me.” See Pss 35:26; 55:13.
[38:17] 956 tn Heb “and my pain [is] before me continually.”
[38:18] 957 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
[38:19] 958 tn Heb “and my enemies, life, are many.” The noun חַיִּים (khayyim, “life”) fits very awkwardly here. The translation assumes an emendation to חִנָּם (khinam, “without reason”; note the parallelism with שֶׁקֶר [sheqer, “falsely”] and see Pss 35:19; 69:4; Lam 3:52). The verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority (note the parallel verb רָבַב, ravav, “be many”).
[38:19] 959 tn Heb “are many.”
[38:20] 960 tn Heb “the ones who repay evil instead of good accuse me, instead of my pursuing good.”
[38:22] 961 tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Ps 22:19.
[39:1] 962 sn Psalm 39. The psalmist laments his frailty and mortality as he begs the Lord to take pity on him and remove his disciplinary hand.
[39:1] 964 tn Heb “I will watch my ways, from sinning with my tongue.”
[39:1] 965 sn The psalmist wanted to voice a lament to the
[39:2] 966 tn Heb “I was mute [with] silence.”
[39:2] 967 tn Heb “I was quiet from good.” He kept quiet, resisting the urge to find emotional release and satisfaction by voicing his lament.
[39:2] sn I held back the urge to speak. For a helpful discussion of the relationship (and tension) between silence and complaint in ancient Israelite lamentation, see E. S. Gerstenberger, Psalms, Part I (FOTL), 166-67.
[39:2] 968 tn Heb “and my pain was stirred up.” Emotional pain is in view here.
[39:3] 969 tn Heb “my heart was hot within me.”
[39:3] 970 tn Heb “In my reflection fire burned.” The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite (past tense) or an imperfect being used in a past progressive or customary sense (“fire was burning”).
[39:3] 971 tn Heb “I spoke with my tongue.” The phrase “these words” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[39:4] 972 tn Heb “Cause me to know, O
[39:4] 973 tn Heb “Let me know how transient I am!”
[39:5] 974 tn Heb “Look, handbreadths you make my days.” The “handbreadth” (equivalent to the width of four fingers) was one of the smallest measures used by ancient Israelites. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 309.
[39:5] 975 tn Heb “is like nothing before you.”
[39:5] 976 tn Heb “surely, all vapor [is] all mankind, standing firm.” Another option is to translate, “Surely, all mankind, though seemingly secure, is nothing but a vapor.”
[39:6] 977 tn Heb “surely, as an image man walks about.” The preposition prefixed to “image” indicates identity here.
[39:6] sn People go through life (Heb “man walks about”). “Walking” is here used as a metaphor for living. The point is that human beings are here today, gone tomorrow. They have no lasting substance and are comparable to mere images or ghosts.
[39:6] 978 tc Heb “Surely [in] vain they strive, he accumulates and does not know who gathers them.” The MT as it stands is syntactically awkward. The verb forms switch from singular (“walks about”) to plural (“they strive”) and then back to singular (“accumulates and does not know”), even though the subject (generic “man”) remains the same. Furthermore there is no object for the verb “accumulates” and no plural antecedent for the plural pronoun (“them”) attached to “gathers.” These problems can be removed if one emends the text from הֶבֶל יֶהֱמָיוּן (hevel yehemaun, “[in] vain they strive”) to הֶבְלֵי הָמוֹן (hevley hamon, “vain things of wealth”). This assumes a misdivision in the MT and a virtual dittography of vav (ו) between the mem and nun of המון. The present translation follows this emendation.
[39:7] 979 tn Heb “my hope, for you it [is].”
[39:9] 980 tn Heb “because you acted.” The psalmist has in mind God’s disciplinary measures (see vv. 10-13).
[39:10] 981 tn Heb “remove from upon me your wound.”
[39:10] 982 tn Heb “from the hostility of your hand I have come to an end.”
[39:11] 983 tn “with punishments on account of sin you discipline a man.”
[39:11] 984 tc Heb “you cause to dissolve, like a moth, his desired [thing].” The translation assumes an emendation of חֲמוּדוֹ (khamudo, “his desirable [thing]”) to חֶמְדוֹ (khemdo, “his loveliness” [or “beauty”]), a reading that is supported by a few medieval Hebrew
[39:12] 985 tn Heb “do not be deaf to my tears.”
[39:12] 986 tn Heb “For a resident alien [am] I with you, a sojourner like all my fathers.”
[39:12] sn Resident aliens were dependent on the mercy and goodwill of others. The Lord was concerned that resident aliens be treated properly. See Deut 24:17-22, Ps 146:9.
[39:13] 987 tn Heb “Gaze away from me and I will smile before I go and am not.” The precise identification of the initial verb form (הָשַׁע, hasha’) is uncertain. It could be from the root שָׁעָע (sha’a’, “smear”), but “your eyes” would be the expected object in this case (see Isa 6:10). The verb may be an otherwise unattested Hiphil form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “to gaze”) meaning “cause your gaze to be.” Some prefer to emend the form to the Qal שְׁעֵה (shÿ’eh, “gaze”; see Job 14:6). If one does read a form of the verb “to gaze,” the angry divine “gaze” of discipline would seem to be in view (see vv. 10-11). For a similar expression of this sentiment see Job 10:20-21.
[40:1] 988 sn Psalm 40. The psalmist combines a song of thanksgiving for a recent act of divine deliverance (vv. 1-11) with a confident petition for renewed divine intervention (vv. 12-17).
[40:1] 989 tn Heb “relying, I relied.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the verbal idea. The emphasis is reflected in the translation through the adverb “completely.” Another option is to translate, “I waited patiently” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[40:2] 990 tn Heb “cistern of roaring.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “cistern, pit”) is used metaphorically here of Sheol, the place of death, which is sometimes depicted as a raging sea (see Ps 18:4, 15-16). The noun שָׁאוֹן (sha’on, “roaring”) refers elsewhere to the crashing sound of the sea’s waves (see Ps 65:7).
[40:2] 991 tn Heb “from the mud of mud.” The Hebrew phrase translated “slimy mud” employs an appositional genitive. Two synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.
[40:2] 992 tn Heb “he established my footsteps.”
[40:3] 993 sn A new song was appropriate because the Lord had intervened in the psalmist’s experience in a fresh and exciting way.
[40:3] 994 tn Heb “and he placed in my mouth a new song, praise to our God.”
[40:3] 995 tn Heb “may many see and fear and trust in the
[40:4] 996 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, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[40:4] 997 tn Heb “man.” See the note on the word “one” in Ps 1:1.
[40:4] 998 tn Heb “who has made the
[40:4] 999 tn Heb “and does not turn toward.”
[40:4] 1000 tn Heb “those falling away toward a lie.”
[40:5] 1001 tn Heb “many things you have done, you, O
[40:5] 1002 tn Heb “there is none arrayed against you.” The precise meaning of the text is unclear, but the collocation עָרַךְ אֶל (’arakh ’el, “array against”) is used elsewhere of military (Judg 20:30; 1 Chr 19:17) or verbal opposition (Job 32:14).
[40:5] 1003 tn Heb “I will declare and I will speak, they are too numerous to recount.” The present translation assumes that the cohortatives are used in a hypothetical manner in a formally unmarked conditional sentence, “Should I try to declare [them] and speak [of them]…” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). For other examples of cohortatives in the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, see GKC 320 §108.e. (It should be noted, however, that GKC understands this particular verse in a different manner. See GKC 320 §108.f, where it is suggested that the cohortatives are part of an apodosis with the protasis being suppressed.) Another option is to take the cohortatives as a declaration of the psalmist’s resolve to announce the truth expressed in the next line. In this case one might translate: “I will declare and speak [the truth]: They are too numerous to recount.”
[40:6] 1004 tn Heb “sacrifice and offering you do not desire.” The statement is exaggerated for the sake of emphasis (see Ps 51:16 as well). God is pleased with sacrifices, but his first priority is obedience and loyalty (see 1 Sam 15:22). Sacrifices and offerings apart from genuine allegiance are meaningless (see Isa 1:11-20).
[40:6] 1005 tn Heb “ears you hollowed out for me.” The meaning of this odd expression is debated (this is the only collocation of “hollowed out” and “ears” in the OT). It may have been an idiomatic expression referring to making a point clear to a listener. The LXX has “but a body you have prepared for me,” a reading which is followed in Heb 10:5.
[40:7] 1006 tn Heb “in the roll of the scroll it is written concerning me.” Apparently the psalmist refers to the law of God (see v. 8), which contains the commandments God desires him to obey. If this is a distinctly royal psalm, then the psalmist/king may be referring specifically to the regulations of kingship prescribed in Deut 17:14-20. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 315.
[40:8] 1007 tn Or “your will.”
[40:8] 1008 tn Heb “your law [is] in the midst of my inner parts.” The “inner parts” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s thought life and moral decision making.
[40:9] 1009 sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Pss 22:25 and 35:18.
[40:9] 1010 tn Heb “I proclaim justice in the great assembly.” Though “justice” appears without a pronoun here, the
[40:9] 1011 tn Heb “Look! My lips I do not restrain.”
[40:10] 1012 tn Heb “your justice I have not hidden in the midst of my heart.”
[40:10] 1013 tn Heb “I have not hidden your loyal love and reliability.”
[40:11] 1014 tn Some (cf. NIV, NRSV) translate the verb as a request (“do not withhold”), but elsewhere in the psalms the second masculine singular prefixed form, when addressed to God and preceded by לֹא (lo’), is always indicative in mood and never has the force of a prayer (see Pss 16:10; 22:2; 44:9 51:16-17; 60:10; 108:11; cf. NEB, NASB).
[40:11] 1015 tn In this line the psalmist makes the transition from confidence to petition (see v. 13). Since the prefixed verbal form in the preceding line is imperfect/indicative, one could take the verb in this line as imperfect as well and translate, “your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me” (cf. NEB). However, the כִּי (ki) at the beginning of the next verse, if causal (“because”), is best understood as introducing a motivating argument in support of a petition. For this reason v. 11b is best taken as a prayer with the prefixed form being understood as jussive (cf. NIV, NRSV). For parallels to the proposed construction (jussive followed by כִּי + perfect introducing motivating argument), see Ps 25:21, as well as Pss 10:2-3; 22:8.
[40:12] 1016 tn Or “sinful deeds.” The Hebrew term used here can have a nonmoral nuance (“dangers”) or a moral one (“sinful deeds”) depending on the context. The next line (see “my sins”) seems to favor the moral sense, but the psalmist also speaks of enemies shortly after this (v. 14).
[40:12] 1017 tn Heb “and my heart abandons me.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of emotional strength and courage. For a similar idea see Ps 38:10.
[40:13] 1018 tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Pss 22:19; 38:22.
[40:14] 1019 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones seeking my life to snatch it away.”
[40:14] 1020 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse (“may those…be…embarrassed and ashamed…may those…be turned back and ashamed”) are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.
[40:14] sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.
[40:15] 1021 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.
[40:15] 1022 tn Heb “May they be humiliated according to their shame, those who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!’”
[40:16] 1023 tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by the
[40:16] 1024 tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing upon the godly.
[40:16] 1025 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
[40:17] 1026 sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.
[40:17] 1027 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a jussive of prayer (as in the present translation; cf. NIV) or as an imperfect, “The
[41:1] 1028 sn Psalm 41. The psalmist is confident (vv. 11-12) that the Lord has heard his request to be healed (vv. 4-10), and he anticipates the joy he will experience when the Lord intervenes (vv. 1-3). One must assume that the psalmist is responding to a divine oracle of assurance (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 319-20). The final verse is a fitting conclusion to this psalm, but it is also serves as a fitting conclusion to the first “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the second, third, and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 72:19, 89:52, and 106:48 respectively).
[41:1] 1029 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, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[41:1] 1030 sn One who treats the poor properly. The psalmist is characterizing himself as such an individual and supplying a reason why God has responded favorably to his prayer. The Lord’s attitude toward the merciful mirrors their treatment of the poor.
[41:1] 1031 tn Heb “in the day of trouble” (see Ps 27:5).
[41:1] 1032 tn That is, the one who has been kind to the poor. The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive of prayer (“may the
[41:2] 1033 tn The prefixed verbal forms are taken as jussives in the translation because the jussive is clearly used in the final line of the verse, suggesting that this is a prayer. The psalmist stops to pronounce a prayer of blessing on the godly individual envisioned in v. 1. Of course, he actually has himself primarily in view. He mixes confidence (vv. 1, 3) with petition (v. 2) because he stands in the interval between the word of assurance and the actual intervention by God.
[41:2] 1034 tc The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (Kethib), which has a Pual (passive) prefixed form, regarded here as a jussive. The Pual of the verb אָשַׁר (’ashar) also appears in Prov 3:18. The marginal reading (Qere) assumes a vav (ו) consecutive and Pual perfect. Some, with the support of the LXX, change the verb to a Piel (active) form with an objective pronominal suffix, “and may he bless him,” or “and he will bless him” (cf. NIV).
[41:2] 1035 tn The negative particle אַל (’al) before the prefixed verbal form indicates the verb is a jussive and the statement a prayer. Those who want to take v. 2 as a statement of confidence suggest emending the negative particle to לֹא (lo’), which is used with the imperfect. See the earlier note on the verbal forms in line one of this verse. According to GKC 322 §109.e, this is a case where the jussive is used rhetorically to “express that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one might translate, “you will not turn him over to his enemies,” and take the preceding verbal forms as indicative in mood.
[41:2] 1036 tn Heb “do not give him over to the desire of his enemies” (see Ps 27:12).
[41:3] 1037 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive, continuing the prayer of v. 2, but the parallel line in v. 3b employs the perfect, suggesting that the psalmist is again speaking in the indicative mood (see v. 1b). The imperfect can be understood as future or as generalizing (see v. 1).
[41:3] 1038 tn Heb “all his bed you turn in his illness.” The perfect is used here in a generalizing sense (see v. 1) or in a rhetorical manner to emphasize that the healing is as good as done.
[41:4] 1039 sn In vv. 4-10 the psalmist recites the prayer of petition and lament he offered to the Lord.
[41:5] 1040 tn Heb “my enemies speak evil concerning me.”
[41:5] 1041 tn Heb “and his name perish.”
[41:6] 1043 tn Heb “he speaks deceitfully.”
[41:6] 1044 tn Heb “his heart gathers sin to itself.”
[41:6] 1045 tn Heb “he goes outside and speaks.”
[41:7] 1046 tn Heb “together against me they whisper, all those who hate me.” The Hitpael of לָחַשׁ (lakhash) refers here to whispering to one another (see 2 Sam 12:19).
[41:8] 1047 tn The words “they say” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to make it clear that v. 8 contains a quotation of what the psalmist’s enemies say about him (see v. 7a).
[41:8] 1048 tn Heb “thing of worthlessness.” In Ps 101:3 the phrase refers to evil deeds in general, but here it appears to refer more specifically to the illness that plagues the psalmist.
[41:8] 1049 tn Heb “is poured out on him.” The passive participle of יָצַק (yatsaq) is used.
[41:8] 1050 tn Heb “and he who lies down will not again arise.”
[41:9] 1051 tn Heb “man of my peace.” The phrase here refers to one’s trusted friend (see Jer 38:22; Obad 7).
[41:9] 1052 tn Heb “has made a heel great against me.” The precise meaning of this phrase, which appears only here, is uncertain.
[41:9] sn The language of this verse is applied to Judas Iscariot in John 13:18.
[41:10] 1053 tn The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) here indicates purpose or result (“Then I will repay them”) after the preceding imperatives.
[41:11] 1054 sn By this. Having recalled his former lament and petition, the psalmist returns to the confident mood of vv. 1-3. The basis for his confidence may be a divine oracle of deliverance, assuring him that God would intervene and vindicate him. The demonstrative pronoun “this” may refer to such an oracle, which is assumed here, though its contents are not included. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 319, 321.
[41:11] 1055 tn Or “will.” One may translate the imperfect verbal form as descriptive (present, cf. NIV) or as anticipatory (future, cf. NEB).
[41:12] 1057 tn Or “have upheld.” The perfect verbal form can be taken as generalizing/descriptive (present) or as a present perfect.
[41:12] 1058 sn Because of my integrity. See Pss 7:8; 25:21; 26:1, 11.
[41:12] 1059 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect. It is either generalizing/descriptive (present) or has a present perfect nuance (“you have allowed”).
[41:12] 1060 tn Heb “and you cause me to stand before you permanently.”
[41:13] 1061 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
[41:13] 1062 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.” See 1 Chr 16:36; Neh 9:5; Pss 90:2; 106:48.
[41:13] 1063 tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [’amen vÿ’amen], i.e., “amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.
