Mazmur 16:1-11
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
Mazmur 22:1-31
KonteksFor the music director; according to the tune “Morning Doe;” 29 a psalm of David.
22:1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? 30
I groan in prayer, but help seems far away. 31
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. 32
22:3 You are holy;
you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. 33
22:4 In you our ancestors 34 trusted;
they trusted in you 35 and you rescued them.
22:5 To you they cried out, and they were saved;
in you they trusted and they were not disappointed. 36
22:6 But I 37 am a worm, 38 not a man; 39
people insult me and despise me. 40
22:7 All who see me taunt 41 me;
they mock me 42 and shake their heads. 43
“Commit yourself 45 to the Lord!
Let the Lord 46 rescue him!
Let the Lord 47 deliver him, for he delights in him.” 48
22:9 Yes, you are the one who brought me out 49 from the womb
and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.
22:10 I have been dependent on you since birth; 50
from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God. 51
22:11 Do not remain far away from me,
for trouble is near and I have no one to help me. 52
22:12 Many bulls 53 surround me;
powerful bulls of Bashan 54 hem me in.
22:13 They 55 open their mouths to devour me 56
like a roaring lion that rips its prey. 57
22:14 My strength drains away like water; 58
all my bones are dislocated;
my heart 59 is like wax;
it melts away inside me.
22:15 The roof of my mouth 60 is as dry as a piece of pottery;
my tongue sticks to my gums. 61
You 62 set me in the dust of death. 63
22:16 Yes, 64 wild dogs surround me –
a gang of evil men crowd around me;
like a lion they pin my hands and feet. 65
22:17 I can count 66 all my bones;
my enemies 67 are gloating over me in triumph. 68
22:18 They are dividing up my clothes among themselves;
they are rolling dice 69 for my garments.
22:19 But you, O Lord, do not remain far away!
You are my source of strength! 70 Hurry and help me! 71
22:20 Deliver me 72 from the sword!
Save 73 my life 74 from the claws 75 of the wild dogs!
22:21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lion, 76
and from the horns of the wild oxen! 77
You have answered me! 78
22:22 I will declare your name to my countrymen! 79
In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!
22:23 You loyal followers of the Lord, 80 praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! 81
22:24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering 82 of the oppressed; 83
he did not ignore him; 84
when he cried out to him, he responded. 85
22:25 You are the reason I offer praise 86 in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. 87
22:26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled! 88
Let those who seek his help praise the Lord!
May you 89 live forever!
22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! 90
Let all the nations 91 worship you! 92
and rules over the nations.
22:29 All of the thriving people 94 of the earth will join the celebration and worship; 95
all those who are descending into the grave 96 will bow before him,
including those who cannot preserve their lives. 97
22:30 A whole generation 98 will serve him;
they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord. 99
22:31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds; 100
they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished. 101
[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).
[22:1] 28 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] 29 tn Heb “according to the doe of the dawn.” Apparently this refers to a particular musical tune or style.
[22:1] 30 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] 31 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] 32 tn Heb “there is no silence to me.”
[22:3] 33 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] 35 tn The words “in you” are supplied in the translation. They are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[22:5] 36 tn Or “were not ashamed.”
[22:6] 37 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] 38 tn The metaphor expresses the psalmist’s self-perception, which is based on how others treat him (see the following line).
[22:6] 39 tn Or “not a human being.” The psalmist perceives himself as less than human.
[22:6] 40 tn Heb “a reproach of man and despised by people.”
[22:7] 41 tn Or “scoff at, deride, mock.”
[22:7] 42 tn Heb “they separate with a lip.” Apparently this refers to their verbal taunting.
[22:7] 43 sn Shake their heads. Apparently this refers to a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 109:25; Lam 2:15.
[22:8] 44 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] 45 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] 46 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
[22:8] 47 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
[22:8] 48 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] 49 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] 50 tn Heb “upon you I was cast from [the] womb.”
[22:10] 51 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] 52 tn Heb “and there is no helper.”
[22:12] 53 sn The psalmist figuratively compares his enemies to dangerous bulls.
[22:12] 54 sn Bashan, located east of the Jordan River, was well-known for its cattle. See Ezek 39:18; Amos 4:1.
[22:13] 55 tn “They” refers to the psalmist’s enemies, who in the previous verse are described as “powerful bulls.”
[22:13] 56 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] 57 tn Heb “a lion ripping and roaring.”
[22:14] 58 tn Heb “like water I am poured out.”
[22:14] 59 sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s strength and courage.
[22:15] 60 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] 61 tn Cf. NEB “my jaw”; NASB, NRSV “my jaws”; NIV “the roof of my mouth.”
[22:15] 62 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] 63 sn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the progressive nature of the action. The psalmist is in the process of dying.
[22:16] 65 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] 66 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 17-18 draw attention to the progressive nature of the action.
[22:17] 67 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] 68 tn Heb “they gaze, they look upon me.”
[22:18] 69 tn Heb “casting lots.” The precise way in which this would have been done is not certain.
[22:19] 70 tn Heb “O my strength.”
[22:19] 71 tn Heb “hurry to my help.”
[22:20] 73 tn The verb “save” is supplied in the translation; it is understood by ellipsis (see “deliver” in the preceding line).
[22:20] 74 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone.
[22:20] 75 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] 76 sn The psalmist again compares his enemies to vicious dogs and ferocious lions (see vv. 13, 16).
[22:21] 77 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] 78 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] 79 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] 80 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the
[22:24] 82 tn Or “affliction”; or “need.”
[22:24] 83 sn In this verse the psalmist refers to himself in the third person and characterizes himself as oppressed.
[22:24] 84 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] 86 tn Heb “from with you [is] my praise.”
[22:25] 87 tn Heb “my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.” When asking the
[22:26] 88 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] 89 tn Heb “may your heart[s].”
[22:27] 90 tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the
[22:27] 91 tn Heb “families of the nations.”
[22:27] 92 tn Heb “before you.”
[22:28] 93 tn Heb “for to the
[22:29] 94 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] 95 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] 96 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] 97 tn Heb “and his life he does not revive.”
[22:30] 98 tn Heb “offspring.”
[22:30] 99 tn Heb “it will be told concerning the Lord to the generation.” The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[22:31] 100 tn Heb “his righteousness.” Here the noun צִדָקָה (tsidaqah) refers to the Lord’s saving deeds whereby he vindicates the oppressed.
[22:31] 101 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.
