Mazmur 1:4

1:4 Not so with the wicked!

Instead ¹  they are like wind-driven chaff. ² 

Mazmur 4:1

Psalm 4 ³ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.

4:1 When I call out, answer me,

O God who vindicates me! ⁴ 

Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. ⁵ 

Have mercy on me ⁶  and respond to ⁷  my prayer!

Mazmur 35:23

35:23 Rouse yourself, wake up ⁸  and vindicate me! ⁹ 

My God and Lord, defend my just cause! ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 37:1

Psalm 37 ¹¹ 

By David.

37:1 Do not fret ¹²  when wicked men seem to succeed! ¹³ 

Do not envy evildoers!

Mazmur 94:11

94:11 The Lord knows that

peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 103:6

103:6 The Lord does what is fair,

and executes justice for all the oppressed. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 116:5

116:5 The Lord is merciful and fair;

our God is compassionate.

Mazmur 119:3

119:3 who, moreover, do no wrong,

but follow in his footsteps. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 119:35

119:35 Guide me ¹⁷  in the path of your commands,

for I delight to walk in it. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 119:39

119:39 Take away the insults that I dread! ¹⁹ 

Indeed, ²⁰  your regulations are good.

Mazmur 129:4

129:4 The Lord is just;

he cut the ropes of the wicked.” ²¹ 

[1:4]  ¹ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead,” cf. v. 2) introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described in v. 4.

[1:4]  ² tn Heb “[they are] like the chaff which [the] wind blows about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action described.

[1:4]  sn Wind-driven chaff. In contrast to the well-rooted and productive tree described in v. 3, the wicked are like a dried up plant that has no root system and is blown away by the wind. The simile describes the destiny of the wicked (see vv. 5-6).

[4:1]  ³ sn Psalm 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.

[4:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “God of my righteousness.”

[4:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “in distress (or “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). 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.

[4:1]  ⁶ tn Or “show me favor.”

[4:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “hear.”

[35:23]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “for my justice.”

[35:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for my cause.”

[37:1]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.

[94:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are emptiness.” The psalmist thinks specifically of the “thoughts” expressed in v. 7.

[103:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the Lord does fairness, and [acts of] justice for all the oppressed.”

[119:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[119:35]  ¹⁷ tn Or “make me walk.”

[119:35]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “for in it I delight.”

[119:39]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “my reproach that I fear.”

[119:39]  ²⁰ tn Or “for.”

[129:4]  ²¹ tn The background of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Perhaps the “ropes” are those used to harness the ox for plowing (see Job 39:10). Verse 3 pictures the wicked plowing God’s people as if they were a field. But when God “cut the ropes” of their ox, as it were, they could no longer plow. The point of the metaphor seems to be that God took away the enemies’ ability to oppress his people. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 187.