Mazmur 2:1-12
Konteks2:1 Why 2 do the nations rebel? 3
Why 4 are the countries 5 devising 6 plots that will fail? 7
2:2 The kings of the earth 8 form a united front; 9
the rulers collaborate 10
against the Lord and his anointed king. 11
2:3 They say, 12 “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us! 13
Let’s free ourselves from 14 their ropes!”
2:4 The one enthroned 15 in heaven laughs in disgust; 16
the Lord taunts 17 them.
2:5 Then he angrily speaks to them
and terrifies them in his rage, 18 saying, 19
2:6 “I myself 20 have installed 21 my king
on Zion, my holy hill.”
2:7 The king says, 22 “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: 23
‘You are my son! 24 This very day I have become your father!
2:8 Ask me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, 25
the ends of the earth as your personal property.
2:9 You will break them 26 with an iron scepter; 27
you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” 28
2:10 So now, you kings, do what is wise; 29
you rulers of the earth, submit to correction! 30
2:11 Serve 31 the Lord in fear!
Repent in terror! 32
Otherwise he 34 will be angry, 35
and you will die because of your behavior, 36
when his anger quickly ignites. 37
How blessed 38 are all who take shelter in him! 39
Mazmur 16:9-11
Konteks16:9 So my heart rejoices
and I am happy; 40
My life is safe. 41
16:10 You will not abandon me 42 to Sheol; 43
you will not allow your faithful follower 44 to see 45 the Pit. 46
16:11 You lead me in 47 the path of life; 48
I experience absolute joy in your presence; 49
you always give me sheer delight. 50
Mazmur 22:1-31
KonteksFor the music director; according to the tune “Morning Doe;” 52 a psalm of David.
22:1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? 53
I groan in prayer, but help seems far away. 54
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. 55
22:3 You are holy;
you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. 56
22:4 In you our ancestors 57 trusted;
they trusted in you 58 and you rescued them.
22:5 To you they cried out, and they were saved;
in you they trusted and they were not disappointed. 59
22:6 But I 60 am a worm, 61 not a man; 62
people insult me and despise me. 63
22:7 All who see me taunt 64 me;
they mock me 65 and shake their heads. 66
“Commit yourself 68 to the Lord!
Let the Lord 69 rescue him!
Let the Lord 70 deliver him, for he delights in him.” 71
22:9 Yes, you are the one who brought me out 72 from the womb
and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.
22:10 I have been dependent on you since birth; 73
from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God. 74
22:11 Do not remain far away from me,
for trouble is near and I have no one to help me. 75
22:12 Many bulls 76 surround me;
powerful bulls of Bashan 77 hem me in.
22:13 They 78 open their mouths to devour me 79
like a roaring lion that rips its prey. 80
22:14 My strength drains away like water; 81
all my bones are dislocated;
my heart 82 is like wax;
it melts away inside me.
22:15 The roof of my mouth 83 is as dry as a piece of pottery;
my tongue sticks to my gums. 84
You 85 set me in the dust of death. 86
22:16 Yes, 87 wild dogs surround me –
a gang of evil men crowd around me;
like a lion they pin my hands and feet. 88
22:17 I can count 89 all my bones;
my enemies 90 are gloating over me in triumph. 91
22:18 They are dividing up my clothes among themselves;
they are rolling dice 92 for my garments.
22:19 But you, O Lord, do not remain far away!
You are my source of strength! 93 Hurry and help me! 94
22:20 Deliver me 95 from the sword!
Save 96 my life 97 from the claws 98 of the wild dogs!
22:21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lion, 99
and from the horns of the wild oxen! 100
You have answered me! 101
22:22 I will declare your name to my countrymen! 102
In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!
22:23 You loyal followers of the Lord, 103 praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! 104
22:24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering 105 of the oppressed; 106
he did not ignore him; 107
when he cried out to him, he responded. 108
22:25 You are the reason I offer praise 109 in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. 110
22:26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled! 111
Let those who seek his help praise the Lord!
May you 112 live forever!
22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! 113
Let all the nations 114 worship you! 115
22:28 For the Lord is king 116
and rules over the nations.
22:29 All of the thriving people 117 of the earth will join the celebration and worship; 118
all those who are descending into the grave 119 will bow before him,
including those who cannot preserve their lives. 120
22:30 A whole generation 121 will serve him;
they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord. 122
22:31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds; 123
they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished. 124
Mazmur 40:6-8
Konteks40:6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. 125
You make that quite clear to me! 126
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. 127
40:8 I want to do what pleases you, 128 my God.
Your law dominates my thoughts.” 129
Mazmur 69:1-36
KonteksFor the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” 131 by David.
69:1 Deliver me, O God,
for the water has reached my neck. 132
69:2 I sink into the deep mire
where there is no solid ground; 133
I am in 134 deep water,
and the current overpowers me.
69:3 I am exhausted from shouting for help;
my throat is sore; 135
my eyes grow tired of looking for my God. 136
69:4 Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.
Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, 137 outnumber me. 138
They make me repay what I did not steal! 139
69:5 O God, you are aware of my foolish sins; 140
my guilt is not hidden from you. 141
69:6 Let none who rely on you be disgraced because of me,
O sovereign Lord and king! 142
Let none who seek you be ashamed because of me,
O God of Israel!
69:7 For I suffer 143 humiliation for your sake 144
and am thoroughly disgraced. 145
69:8 My own brothers treat me like a stranger;
they act as if I were a foreigner. 146
69:9 Certainly 147 zeal for 148 your house 149 consumes me;
I endure the insults of those who insult you. 150
69:10 I weep and refrain from eating food, 151
which causes others to insult me. 152
69:11 I wear sackcloth
and they ridicule me. 153
69:12 Those who sit at the city gate gossip about me;
drunkards mock me in their songs. 154
69:13 O Lord, may you hear my prayer and be favorably disposed to me! 155
O God, because of your great loyal love,
answer me with your faithful deliverance! 156
69:14 Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink!
Deliver me 157 from those who hate me,
from the deep water!
69:15 Don’t let the current overpower me!
Don’t let the deep swallow me up!
Don’t let the pit 158 devour me! 159
69:16 Answer me, O Lord, for your loyal love is good! 160
Because of your great compassion, turn toward me!
69:17 Do not ignore 161 your servant,
for I am in trouble! Answer me right away! 162
69:18 Come near me and redeem me! 163
Because of my enemies, rescue me!
69:19 You know how I am insulted, humiliated and disgraced;
you can see all my enemies. 164
69:20 Their insults are painful 165 and make me lose heart; 166
I look 167 for sympathy, but receive none, 168
for comforters, but find none.
69:21 They put bitter poison 169 into my food,
and to quench my thirst they give me vinegar to drink. 170
69:22 May their dining table become a trap before them!
May it be a snare for that group of friends! 171
69:23 May their eyes be blinded! 172
Make them shake violently! 173
69:24 Pour out your judgment 174 on them!
May your raging anger 175 overtake them!
69:25 May their camp become desolate,
their tents uninhabited! 176
69:26 For they harass 177 the one whom you discipline; 178
they spread the news about the suffering of those whom you punish. 179
69:27 Hold them accountable for all their sins! 180
Do not vindicate them! 181
69:28 May their names be deleted from the scroll of the living! 182
Do not let their names be listed with the godly! 183
69:29 I am oppressed and suffering!
O God, deliver and protect me! 184
69:30 I will sing praises to God’s name! 185
I will magnify him as I give him thanks! 186
69:31 That will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull
with horns and hooves.
69:32 The oppressed look on – let them rejoice!
You who seek God, 187 may you be encouraged! 188
69:33 For the Lord listens to the needy;
he does not despise his captive people. 189
69:34 Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
along with the seas and everything that swims in them!
69:35 For God will deliver Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah,
and his people 190 will again live in them and possess Zion. 191
69:36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it,
and those who are loyal to him 192 will live in it. 193
Mazmur 72:1-20
KonteksFor 195 Solomon.
72:1 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions! 196
Grant the king’s son 197 the ability to make fair decisions! 198
72:2 Then he will judge 199 your people fairly,
and your oppressed ones 200 equitably.
72:3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people,
and the hills will announce justice. 201
72:4 He will defend 202 the oppressed among the people;
he will deliver 203 the children 204 of the poor
and crush the oppressor.
72:5 People will fear 205 you 206 as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,
for generation after generation. 207
72:6 He 208 will descend like rain on the mown grass, 209
like showers that drench 210 the earth. 211
72:7 During his days the godly will flourish; 212
peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky. 213
72:8 May he rule 214 from sea to sea, 215
and from the Euphrates River 216 to the ends of the earth!
72:9 Before him the coastlands 217 will bow down,
and his enemies will lick the dust. 218
72:10 The kings of Tarshish 219 and the coastlands will offer gifts;
the kings of Sheba 220 and Seba 221 will bring tribute.
72:11 All kings will bow down to him;
all nations will serve him.
72:12 For he will rescue the needy 222 when they cry out for help,
and the oppressed 223 who have no defender.
72:13 He will take pity 224 on the poor and needy;
the lives of the needy he will save.
72:14 From harm and violence he will defend them; 225
he will value their lives. 226
72:15 May he live! 227 May they offer him gold from Sheba! 228
May they continually pray for him!
May they pronounce blessings on him all day long! 229
72:16 May there be 230 an abundance 231 of grain in the earth;
on the tops 232 of the mountains may it 233 sway! 234
May its 235 fruit trees 236 flourish 237 like the forests of Lebanon! 238
May its crops 239 be as abundant 240 as the grass of the earth! 241
72:17 May his fame endure! 242
May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky! 243
May they use his name when they formulate their blessings! 244
May all nations consider him to be favored by God! 245
72:18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise! 246
He alone accomplishes amazing things! 247
72:19 His glorious name deserves praise 248 forevermore!
May his majestic splendor 249 fill the whole earth!
We agree! We agree! 250
72:20 This collection of the prayers of David son of Jesse ends here. 251
Mazmur 88:1-18
KonteksA song, a psalm written by the Korahites; for the music director; according to the machalath-leannoth style; 253 a well-written song 254 by Heman the Ezrachite.
88:1 O Lord God who delivers me! 255
By day I cry out
and at night I pray before you. 256
Pay attention 258 to my cry for help!
88:3 For my life 259 is filled with troubles
and I am ready to enter Sheol. 260
88:4 They treat me like 261 those who descend into the grave. 262
I am like a helpless man, 263
88:5 adrift 264 among the dead,
like corpses lying in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
and who are cut off from your power. 265
88:6 You place me in the lowest regions of the pit, 266
in the dark places, in the watery depths.
88:7 Your anger bears down on me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. (Selah)
88:8 You cause those who know me to keep their distance;
you make me an appalling sight to them.
I am trapped and cannot get free. 267
88:9 My eyes grow weak because of oppression.
I call out to you, O Lord, all day long;
I spread out my hands in prayer to you. 268
88:10 Do you accomplish amazing things for the dead?
Do the departed spirits 269 rise up and give you thanks? (Selah)
88:11 Is your loyal love proclaimed in the grave,
or your faithfulness in the place of the dead? 270
88:12 Are your amazing deeds experienced 271 in the dark region, 272
or your deliverance in the land of oblivion? 273
88:13 As for me, I cry out to you, O Lord;
in the morning my prayer confronts you.
88:14 O Lord, why do you reject me,
and pay no attention to me? 274
88:15 I am oppressed and have been on the verge of death since my youth. 275
I have been subjected to your horrors and am numb with pain. 276
88:16 Your anger overwhelms me; 277
your terrors destroy me.
88:17 They surround me like water all day long;
they join forces and encircle me. 278
88:18 You cause my friends and neighbors to keep their distance; 279
those who know me leave me alone in the darkness. 280
[2:1] 1 sn Psalm 2. In this royal psalm the author asserts the special status of the divinely chosen Davidic king and warns the nations and their rulers to submit to the authority of God and his chosen vice-regent.
[2:1] 2 tn The question is rhetorical. Rather than seeking information, the psalmist expresses his outrage that the nations would have the audacity to rebel against God and his chosen king.
[2:1] 3 tn The Hebrew verb רָגַשׁ (ragash) occurs only here. In Dan 6:6, 11, 15 the Aramaic cognate verb describes several officials acting as a group. A Hebrew nominal derivative is used in Ps 55:14 of a crowd of people in the temple.
[2:1] 4 tn The interrogative לָמָּה (lamah, “why?”) is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
[2:1] 5 tn Or “peoples” (so many English versions).
[2:1] 6 tn The Hebrew imperfect form describes the rebellion as underway. The verb הָגָה (hagah), which means “to recite quietly, meditate,” here has the metonymic nuance “devise, plan, plot” (see Ps 38:12; Prov 24:2).
[2:1] 7 tn Heb “devising emptiness.” The noun רִיק (riq, “emptiness”) may characterize their behavior as “worthless, morally bankrupt” but more likely refers to the outcome of their plots (i.e., failure). As the rest of the psalm emphasizes, their rebellion will fail.
[2:2] 8 sn The expression kings of the earth refers somewhat hyperbolically to the kings who had been conquered by and were subject to the Davidic king.
[2:2] 9 tn Or “take their stand.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes their action as underway.
[2:2] 10 tn Or “conspire together.” The verbal form is a Niphal from יָסַד (yasad). BDB 413-14 s.v. יָסַד defines the verb as “establish, found,” but HALOT 417 s.v. II יסד proposes a homonym meaning “get together, conspire” (an alternate form of סוּד, sud).
[2:2] 11 tn Heb “and against his anointed one.” The Davidic king is the referent (see vv. 6-7).
[2:3] 12 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The quotation represents the words of the rebellious kings.
[2:3] 13 tn Heb “their (i.e., the
[2:3] 14 tn Heb “throw off from us.”
[2:4] 15 tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb יָשַׁב (yashav) is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12; 123:1).
[2:4] 16 tn As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laughter. The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in vv. 4-5 describe the action from the perspective of an eyewitness who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.
[2:4] 17 tn Or “scoffs at”; “derides”; “mocks.”
[2:5] 18 sn And terrifies them in his rage. This line focuses on the effect that God’s angry response (see previous line) has on the rebellious kings.
[2:5] 19 tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification to indicate that the speaker is the Lord (cf. RSV, NIV).
[2:6] 20 tn The first person pronoun appears before the first person verbal form for emphasis, reflected in the translation by “myself.”
[2:6] 21 tn Or perhaps “consecrated.”
[2:7] 22 tn The words “the king says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The speaker is the Lord’s chosen king.
[2:7] 23 tn Or “I will relate the decree. The
[2:7] 24 sn ‘You are my son!’ The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 89:26-27). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
[2:8] 25 sn I will give you the nations. The
[2:9] 26 tc The LXX reads “you will shepherd them.” This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, “to shepherd”) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, “to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, “to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.
[2:9] 27 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.
[2:9] 28 sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.
[2:10] 29 sn The speaker here is either the psalmist or the Davidic king, who now addresses the rebellious kings.
[2:10] 30 tn The Niphal has here a tolerative nuance; the kings are urged to submit themselves to the advice being offered.
[2:11] 31 tn The Hebrew verb translated “serve” refers here to submitting to the Lord’s sovereignty as expressed through the rule of the Davidic king. Such “service” would involve maintaining allegiance to the Davidic king by paying tribute on a regular basis.
[2:11] 32 tn Traditionally, “rejoice with trembling” (KJV). The verb גִּיל (gil) normally means “rejoice,” but this meaning does not fit well here in conjunction with “in trembling.” Some try to understand “trembling” (and the parallel יִרְאָה, yir’ah, “fear”) in the sense of “reverential awe” and then take the verbs “serve” and “rejoice” in the sense of “worship” (cf. NASB). But רְעָדָה (rÿ’adah, “trembling”) and its related terms consistently refer to utter terror and fear (see Exod 15:15; Job 4:14; Pss 48:6; 55:5; 104:32; Isa 33:14; Dan 10:11) or at least great emotional distress (Ezra 10:9). It seems more likely here that גִּיל carries its polarized meaning “mourn, lament,” as in Hos 10:5. “Mourn, lament” would then be metonymic in this context for “repent” (referring to one’s rebellious ways). On the meaning of the verb in Hos 10:5, see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea (AB), 556-57.
[2:12] 33 tn Traditionally, “kiss the son” (KJV). But בַּר (bar) is the Aramaic word for “son,” not the Hebrew. For this reason many regard the reading as suspect. Some propose emendations of vv. 11b-12a. One of the more popular proposals is to read בִּרְעָדָה נַשְּׁקוּ לְרַגְלָיו (bir’adah nashÿqu lÿraslayv, “in trembling kiss his feet”). It makes better sense to understand בַּר (bar) as an adjective meaning “pure” (see Pss 24:4; 73:1 and BDB 141 s.v. בַּר 3) functioning here in an adverbial sense. If read this way, then the syntactical structure of exhortation (imperative followed by adverbial modifier) corresponds to the two preceding lines (see v. 11). The verb נָשַׁק (nashaq, “kiss”) refers metonymically to showing homage (see 1 Sam 10:1; Hos 13:2). The exhortation in v. 12a advocates a genuine expression of allegiance and warns against insincerity. When swearing allegiance, vassal kings would sometimes do so insincerely, with the intent of rebelling when the time was right. The so-called “Vassal Treaties of Esarhaddon” also warn against such an attitude. In this treaty the vassal is told: “If you, as you stand on the soil where this oath [is sworn], swear the oath with your words and lips [only], do not swear with your entire heart, do not transmit it to your sons who will live after this treaty, if you take this curse upon yourselves but do not plan to keep the treaty of Esarhaddon…may your sons and grandsons because of this fear in the future” (see J. B. Pritchard, ed., The Ancient Near East, 2:62).
[2:12] 34 tn Throughout the translation of this verse the third person masculine pronouns refer to the
[2:12] 35 tn The implied subject of the verb is the
[2:12] 36 tn Heb “and you will perish [in the] way.” The Hebrew word דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) here refers to their rebellious behavior (not to a pathway, as often understood). It functions syntactically as an adverbial accusative in relation to the verb “perish.”
[2:12] 37 tn Or “burns.” The
[2:12] 38 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; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[2:12] 39 sn Who take shelter in him. “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).
[16:9] 40 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] 41 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] 42 tn Or “my life.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
[16:10] 43 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] 44 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] 45 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] 46 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] 47 tn Heb “cause me to know”; or “cause me to experience.”
[16:11] 48 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] 49 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] 50 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] 51 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] 52 tn Heb “according to the doe of the dawn.” Apparently this refers to a particular musical tune or style.
[22:1] 53 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] 54 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] 55 tn Heb “there is no silence to me.”
[22:3] 56 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] 58 tn The words “in you” are supplied in the translation. They are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[22:5] 59 tn Or “were not ashamed.”
[22:6] 60 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] 61 tn The metaphor expresses the psalmist’s self-perception, which is based on how others treat him (see the following line).
[22:6] 62 tn Or “not a human being.” The psalmist perceives himself as less than human.
[22:6] 63 tn Heb “a reproach of man and despised by people.”
[22:7] 64 tn Or “scoff at, deride, mock.”
[22:7] 65 tn Heb “they separate with a lip.” Apparently this refers to their verbal taunting.
[22:7] 66 sn Shake their heads. Apparently this refers to a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 109:25; Lam 2:15.
[22:8] 67 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] 68 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] 69 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
[22:8] 70 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
[22:8] 71 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] 72 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] 73 tn Heb “upon you I was cast from [the] womb.”
[22:10] 74 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] 75 tn Heb “and there is no helper.”
[22:12] 76 sn The psalmist figuratively compares his enemies to dangerous bulls.
[22:12] 77 sn Bashan, located east of the Jordan River, was well-known for its cattle. See Ezek 39:18; Amos 4:1.
[22:13] 78 tn “They” refers to the psalmist’s enemies, who in the previous verse are described as “powerful bulls.”
[22:13] 79 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] 80 tn Heb “a lion ripping and roaring.”
[22:14] 81 tn Heb “like water I am poured out.”
[22:14] 82 sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s strength and courage.
[22:15] 83 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] 84 tn Cf. NEB “my jaw”; NASB, NRSV “my jaws”; NIV “the roof of my mouth.”
[22:15] 85 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] 86 sn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the progressive nature of the action. The psalmist is in the process of dying.
[22:16] 88 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] 89 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 17-18 draw attention to the progressive nature of the action.
[22:17] 90 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] 91 tn Heb “they gaze, they look upon me.”
[22:18] 92 tn Heb “casting lots.” The precise way in which this would have been done is not certain.
[22:19] 93 tn Heb “O my strength.”
[22:19] 94 tn Heb “hurry to my help.”
[22:20] 96 tn The verb “save” is supplied in the translation; it is understood by ellipsis (see “deliver” in the preceding line).
[22:20] 97 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone.
[22:20] 98 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] 99 sn The psalmist again compares his enemies to vicious dogs and ferocious lions (see vv. 13, 16).
[22:21] 100 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] 101 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] 102 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] 103 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the
[22:23] 104 tn Heb “fear him.”
[22:24] 105 tn Or “affliction”; or “need.”
[22:24] 106 sn In this verse the psalmist refers to himself in the third person and characterizes himself as oppressed.
[22:24] 107 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] 109 tn Heb “from with you [is] my praise.”
[22:25] 110 tn Heb “my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.” When asking the
[22:26] 111 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] 112 tn Heb “may your heart[s].”
[22:27] 113 tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the
[22:27] 114 tn Heb “families of the nations.”
[22:27] 115 tn Heb “before you.”
[22:28] 116 tn Heb “for to the
[22:29] 117 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] 118 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] 119 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] 120 tn Heb “and his life he does not revive.”
[22:30] 121 tn Heb “offspring.”
[22:30] 122 tn Heb “it will be told concerning the Lord to the generation.” The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[22:31] 123 tn Heb “his righteousness.” Here the noun צִדָקָה (tsidaqah) refers to the Lord’s saving deeds whereby he vindicates the oppressed.
[22:31] 124 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.
[40:6] 125 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] 126 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] 127 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] 129 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.
[69:1] 130 sn Psalm 69. The psalmist laments his oppressed condition and asks the Lord to deliver him by severely judging his enemies.
[69:1] 131 tn Heb “according to lilies.” See the superscription to Ps 45.
[69:1] 132 tn The Hebrew term נפשׁ (nefesh) here refers to the psalmist’s throat or neck. The psalmist compares himself to a helpless, drowning man.
[69:2] 133 tn Heb “and there is no place to stand.”
[69:2] 134 tn Heb “have entered.”
[69:3] 135 tn Or perhaps “raw”; Heb “burned; enflamed.”
[69:3] 136 tn Heb “my eyes fail from waiting for my God.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision.
[69:4] 137 tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Pss 35:19; 38:19).
[69:4] 138 tn The Hebrew verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority; note the parallel verb רָבַב (ravav, “be many”).
[69:4] 139 tn Heb “that which I did not steal, then I restore.” Apparently אָז (’az, “then”) is used here to emphasize the verb that follows.
[69:4] sn They make me repay what I did not steal. The psalmist’s enemies falsely accuse him and hold him accountable for alleged crimes he did not even commit.
[69:5] 140 tn Heb “you know my foolishness.”
[69:5] 141 sn The psalmist is the first to admit that he is not perfect. But even so, he is innocent of the allegations which his enemies bring against him (v. 5b). God, who is aware of his foolish sins and guilt, can testify to the truth of his claim.
[69:6] 142 tn Heb “O Master,
[69:7] 143 tn Heb “carry, bear.”
[69:7] 144 tn Heb “on account of you.”
[69:7] 145 tn Heb “and shame covers my face.”
[69:8] 146 tn Heb “and I am estranged to my brothers, and a foreigner to the sons of my mother.”
[69:9] 147 tn Or “for.” This verse explains that the psalmist’s suffering is due to his allegiance to God.
[69:9] 148 tn Or “devotion to.”
[69:9] 149 sn God’s house, the temple, here represents by metonymy God himself.
[69:9] 150 tn Heb “the insults of those who insult you fall upon me.”
[69:9] sn Jn 2:17 applies the first half of this verse to Jesus’ ministry in the context of John’s account of Jesus cleansing the temple.
[69:10] 151 sn Fasting was a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
[69:10] 152 tn Heb “and it becomes insults to me.”
[69:11] 153 tn Heb “and I am an object of ridicule to them.”
[69:12] 154 tn Heb “the mocking songs of the drinkers of beer.”
[69:13] 155 tn Heb “as for me, [may] my prayer be to you, O
[69:13] 156 tn Heb “O God, in the abundance of your loyal love, answer me in the faithfulness of your deliverance.”
[69:14] 157 tn Heb “let me be delivered.”
[69:15] 158 tn Heb “well,” which here symbolizes the place of the dead (cf. Ps 55:23).
[69:15] 159 tn Heb “do not let the well close its mouth upon me.”
[69:16] 160 tn Or “pleasant”; or “desirable.”
[69:17] 161 tn Heb “do not hide your face from.” The Hebrew idiom “hide the face” can (1) mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
[69:18] 163 tn Heb “come near my life and redeem it.” The verb “redeem” casts the
[69:19] 164 tn Heb “before you [are] all my enemies.”
[69:20] 165 tn Heb “break my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the origin of the psalmist’s emotions.
[69:20] 166 tn The verb form appears to be a Qal preterite from an otherwise unattested root נוּשׁ (nush), which some consider an alternate form of אָנַשׁ (’anash, “be weak; be sick”; see BDB 60 s.v. I אָנַשׁ). Perhaps the form should be emended to a Niphal, וָאֵאָנְשָׁה (va’e’onshah, “and I am sick”). The Niphal of אָנַשׁ occurs in 2 Sam 12:15, where it is used to describe David’s sick child.
[69:20] 168 tn Heb “and I wait for sympathy, but there is none.” The form נוּד (nud) is an infinitive functioning as a verbal noun:, “sympathizing.” Some suggest emending the form to a participle נָד (nad, “one who shows sympathy”). The verb נוּד (nud) also has the nuance “show sympathy” in Job 2:11; 42:11 and Isa 51:19.
[69:21] 169 tn According to BDB 912 s.v. II רֹאשׁ the term can mean “a bitter and poisonous plant.”
[69:21] 170 sn John 19:28-30 appears to understand Jesus’ experience on the cross as a fulfillment of this passage (or Ps 22:15). See the study note on the word “thirsty” in John 19:28.
[69:22] 171 tc Heb “and to the friends for a snare.” The plural of שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is used in Ps 55:20 of one’s “friends.” If the reading of the MT is retained here, the term depicts the psalmist’s enemies as a close-knit group of friends who are bound together by their hatred for the psalmist. Some prefer to revocalize the text as וּלְשִׁלּוּמִים (ulÿshillumim, “and for retribution”). In this case the noun stands parallel to פַּח (pakh, “trap”) and מוֹקֵשׁ (moqesh, “snare”), and one might translate, “may their dining table become a trap before them, [a means of] retribution and a snare” (cf. NIV).
[69:23] 172 tn Heb “may their eyes be darkened from seeing.”
[69:23] 173 tn Heb “make their hips shake continually.”
[69:24] 174 tn Heb “anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger.
[69:24] 175 tn Heb “the rage of your anger.” The phrase “rage of your anger” employs an appositional genitive. 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.
[69:25] 176 tn Heb “in their tents may there not be one who dwells.”
[69:25] sn In Acts 1:20 Peter applies the language of this verse to Judas’ experience. By changing the pronouns from plural to singular, he is able to apply the ancient curse, pronounced against the psalmist’s enemies, to Judas in particular.
[69:26] 177 tn Or “persecute”; Heb “chase.”
[69:26] 178 tn Heb “for you, the one whom you strike, they chase.”
[69:26] 179 tn Heb “they announce the pain of your wounded ones” (i.e., “the ones whom you wounded,” as the parallel line makes clear).
[69:26] sn The psalmist is innocent of the false charges made by his enemies (v. 4), but he is also aware of his sinfulness (v. 5) and admits that he experiences divine discipline (v. 26) despite his devotion to God (v. 9). Here he laments that his enemies take advantage of such divine discipline by harassing and slandering him. They “kick him while he’s down,” as the expression goes.
[69:27] 180 tn Heb “place sin upon their sin.”
[69:27] 181 tn Heb “let them not come into your vindication.”
[69:28] 182 tn Heb “let them be wiped out of the scroll of the living.”
[69:28] sn The phrase the scroll of the living occurs only here in the OT. It pictures a scroll or census list containing the names of the citizens of a community. When an individual died, that person’s name was removed from the list. So this curse is a very vivid way of asking that the enemies die.
[69:28] 183 tn Heb “and with the godly let them not be written.”
[69:28] sn Do not let their names be listed with the godly. This curse pictures a scroll in which God records the names of his loyal followers. The psalmist makes the point that his enemies have no right to be included in this list of the godly.
[69:29] 184 tn Heb “your deliverance, O God, may it protect me.”
[69:30] 185 tn Heb “I will praise the name of God with a song.”
[69:30] 186 tn Heb “I will magnify him with thanks.”
[69:32] 187 sn You who seek God refers to those who seek to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him (see Ps 53:2).
[69:32] 188 tn Heb “may your heart[s] live.” See Ps 22:26.
[69:33] 189 tn Heb “his prisoners he does not despise.”
[69:35] 190 tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[69:35] 191 tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to “Zion” (see Pss 48:12; 102:14); thus the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[69:36] 192 tn Heb “the lovers of his name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to God (cf. v. 35). See Pss 5:11; 119:132; Isa 56:6.
[69:36] 193 sn Verses 35-36 appear to be an addition to the psalm from the time of the exile. The earlier lament reflects an individual’s situation, while these verses seem to reflect a communal application of it.
[72:1] 194 sn Psalm 72. This royal psalm contains a prayer for the Davidic king (note the imperatival form in v. 1 and the jussive forms in vv. 16-17). It is not entirely clear if vv. 2-15 express a prayer or anticipate a future reign. The translation assumes a blend of petition and vision: (I) opening prayer (v. 1), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 2-7); (II) prayer (v. 8), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 9-14); (III) closing prayer (vv. 15-17). Whether a prayer, vision, or combination of the two, the psalm depicts the king’s universal rule of peace and prosperity. As such it is indirectly messianic, for the ideal it expresses will only be fully realized during the Messiah’s earthly reign. Verses 18-19 are a conclusion for Book 2 of the Psalter (Pss 42-72; cf. Ps 41:13, which contains a similar conclusion for Book 1), while v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or an earlier edition of the Psalter.
[72:1] 195 tn The preposition could be understood as indicating authorship (“Of Solomon”), but since the psalm is a prayer for a king, it may be that the superscription reflects a tradition that understood this as a prayer for Solomon.
[72:1] 196 tn Heb “O God, your judgments to [the] king give.”
[72:1] 197 sn Grant the king…Grant the king’s son. It is not entirely clear whether v. 1 envisions one individual or two. The phrase “the king’s son” in the second line may simply refer to “the king” of the first line, drawing attention to the fact that he has inherited his dynastic rule. Another option is that v. 1 envisions a co-regency between father and son (a common phenomenon in ancient Israel) or simply expresses a hope for a dynasty that champions justice.
[72:1] 198 tn Heb “and your justice to [the] son of [the] king.”
[72:2] 199 tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.
[72:2] 200 sn These people are called God’s oppressed ones because he is their defender (see Pss 9:12, 18; 10:12; 12:5).
[72:3] 201 tn Heb “[the] mountains will bear peace to the people, and [the] hills with justice.” The personified mountains and hills probably represent messengers who will sweep over the land announcing the king’s just decrees and policies. See Isa 52:7 and C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:133.
[72:4] 202 tn Heb “judge [for].”
[72:4] 203 tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.
[72:5] 205 tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the
[72:5] 206 tn God is the addressee (see vv. 1-2).
[72:5] 207 tn Heb “with [the] sun, and before [the] moon [for] a generation, generations.” The rare expression דּוֹר דּוֹרִים (dor dorim, “generation, generations”) occurs only here, in Ps 102:24, and in Isa 51:8.
[72:6] 208 tn That is, the king (see vv. 2, 4).
[72:6] 209 tn The rare term zg refers to a sheep’s fleece in Deut 18:4 and Job 31:20, but to “mown” grass or crops here and in Amos 7:1.
[72:6] 210 tc The form in the Hebrew text appears to be an otherwise unattested noun. Many prefer to emend the form to a verb from the root זָרַף (zaraf). BHS in textual note b on this verse suggests a Hiphil imperfect, third masculine plural יַזְרִיפוּ (yazrifu), while HALOT 283 s.v. *זרף prefers a Pilpel perfect, third masculine plural זִרְזְפוּ (zirzÿfu). The translation assumes the latter.
[72:6] 211 sn The imagery of this verse compares the blessings produced by the king’s reign to fructifying rains that cause the crops to grow.
[72:7] 212 tn Heb “sprout up,” like crops. This verse continues the metaphor of rain utilized in v. 6.
[72:7] 213 tn Heb “and [there will be an] abundance of peace until there is no more moon.”
[72:8] 214 tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.
[72:8] 215 sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.
[72:8] 216 tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.
[72:9] 217 tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.
[72:9] 218 sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.
[72:10] 219 sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.
[72:10] 220 sn Sheba was located in Arabia.
[72:10] 221 sn Seba was located in Africa.
[72:12] 222 tn The singular is representative. The typical needy individual here represents the entire group.
[72:12] 223 tn The singular is representative. The typical oppressed individual here represents the entire group.
[72:13] 224 tn The prefixed verb form is best understood as a defectively written imperfect (see Deut 7:16).
[72:14] 225 tn Or “redeem their lives.” The verb “redeem” casts the
[72:14] 226 tn Heb “their blood will be precious in his eyes.”
[72:15] 227 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. Because the form has the prefixed vav (ו), some subordinate it to what precedes as a purpose/result clause. In this case the representative poor individual might be the subject of this and the following verb, “so that he may live and give to him gold of Sheba.” But the idea of the poor offering gold is incongruous. It is better to take the jussive as a prayer with the king as subject of the verb. (Perhaps the initial vav is dittographic; note the vav at the end of the last form in v. 14.) The statement is probably an abbreviated version of the formula יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ (yÿkhiy hammelekh, “may the king live”; see 1 Sam 10:24; 2 Sam 16:16; 1 Kgs 1:25, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12).
[72:15] 228 tn Heb “and he will give to him some gold of Sheba.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one give”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are the tribute bearers in view here.
[72:15] 229 tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one pray…and may one bless”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are in view here.
[72:16] 230 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. The translation assumes the subject is impersonal (rather than the king).
[72:16] 231 tn The Hebrew noun פִסַּה (pissah; which appears here in the construct form) occurs only here in the OT. Perhaps the noun is related to the verbal root פָּשָׂה (pasah, “to spread,” see BDB 832 s.v.; the root appears as פָּסָה [pasah] in postbiblical Hebrew), which is used in postbiblical Hebrew of the rising sun’s rays spreading over the horizon and a tree’s branches spreading out (see Jastrow 1194 s.v. פסי, פָּסָה, פָּשָׂה). In Ps 72:16 a “spreading of grain” would refer to grain fields extending out over the land. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:139) emend the form to סְפִיחַ (sÿfiakh, “second growth”).
[72:16] 232 tn Heb “top” (singular).
[72:16] 233 tn That is, the grain.
[72:16] 234 tn According to the traditional accentuation of the MT, this verb belongs with what follows. See the translator’s note at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse.
[72:16] 235 tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix is unclear. It is unlikely that the antecedent is אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) because this noun is normally grammatically feminine. Perhaps רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “top [of the mountains]”) is the antecedent. Another option is to understand the pronoun as referring to the king, who would then be viewed as an instrument of divine agricultural blessing (see v. 6).
[72:16] 237 tc According to the traditional accentuation of the MT, this verb belongs with what follows. See the note on the word “earth” at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse. The present translation takes it with the preceding words, “like Lebanon its fruit” and emends the verb form from וְיָצִיצוּ (vÿyatsitsu; Qal imperfect third masculine plural with prefixed vav, [ו]) to יָצִיץ (yatsits; Qal imperfect third masculine singular). The initial vav is eliminated as dittographic (note the vav on the ending of the preceding form פִּרְיוֹ, piryo, “its/his fruit”) and the vav at the end of the form is placed on the following emended form (see the note on the word “crops”), yielding וַעֲמִיר (va’amir, “and [its] crops”).
[72:16] 238 tn Heb “like Lebanon.”
[72:16] 239 tc The MT has “from the city.” The translation assumes an emendation to עֲמִיר (’amir, “crops”).
[72:16] 240 tn The translation assumes that the verb צוץ (“flourish”) goes with the preceding line. The words “be as abundant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[72:16] 241 tc The traditional accentuation and vocalization of the MT differ from the text assumed by the present translation. The MT reads as follows: “May there be an abundance of grain in the earth, / and on the tops of the mountains! / May its [or “his”?] fruit [trees?] rustle like [the trees of] Lebanon! / May they flourish from the city, like the grass of the earth!” If one follows the MT, then it would appear that the “fruit” of the third line is a metaphorical reference to the king’s people, who flow out from the cities to populate the land (see line 4). Elsewhere in the OT people are sometimes compared to grass that sprouts up from the land (see v. 7, as well as Isa 27:6; Pss 92:7; 103:15). The translation understands a different poetic structural arrangement and, assuming the emendations mentioned in earlier notes, interprets each line of the verse to be a prayer for agricultural abundance.
[72:17] 242 tn Heb “may his name [be] permanent.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect.
[72:17] 243 tn Heb “before the sun may his name increase.” The Kethib (consonantal text) assumes יָנִין (yanin; a Hiphil of the verbal root נִין, nin) or יְנַיֵן (yÿnayen; a Piel form), while the Qere (marginal reading) assumes יִנּוֹן (yinnon; a Niphal form). The verb נִין occurs only here, though a derived noun, meaning “offspring,” appears elsewhere (see Isa 14:22). The verb appears to mean “propagate, increase” (BDB 630 s.v. נוּן, נִין) or “produce shoots, get descendants” (HALOT 696 s.v. נין). In this context this appears to be a prayer for a lasting dynasty that will keep the king’s name and memory alive.
[72:17] 244 tn Heb “may they bless one another by him,” that is, use the king’s name in their blessing formulae because he is a prime example of one blessed by God (for examples of such blessing formulae, see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11). There is some debate on whether the Hitpael form of בָּרַךְ (barakh, “bless”) is reflexive-reciprocal (as assumed in the present translation) or passive. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ occurs in five other passages, including the hotly debated Gen 22:18 and 26:4. In these two texts one could understand the verb form as passive and translate, “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring,” or one could take the Hitpael as reflexive or reciprocal and translate, “all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings [i.e., on themselves or one another] by your offspring.” In the first instance Abraham’s (or Isaac’s) offspring are viewed as a channel of divine blessing. In the second instance they are viewed as a prime example of blessing that will appear as part of the nations’ blessing formulae, but not necessarily as a channel of blessing to the nations. In Deut 29:18 one reads: “When one hears the words of this covenant [or “oath”] and invokes a blessing on himself (Hitpael of בָּרַךְ) in his heart, saying: ‘I will have peace, even though I walk with a rebellious heart.’” In this case the Hitpael is clearly reflexive, as the phrases “in his heart” and “I will have peace” indicate. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ appears twice in Isaiah 65:16: “The one who invokes a blessing on himself (see Deut 9:18) in the land will invoke that blessing by the God of truth; and the one who makes an oath in the land will make that oath by the God of truth.” A passive nuance does not fit here. The parallel line, which mentions making an oath, suggests that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. Both pronouncements of blessing and oaths will appeal to God as the one who rewards and judges, respectively. Jer 4:2 states: “If you swear, ‘As surely as the
[72:17] 245 tn Heb “all the nations, may they regard him as happy.” The Piel is used here in a delocutive sense (“regard as”).
[72:18] 246 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21; 41:13.
[72:18] 247 tn Heb “[the] one who does amazing things by himself.”
[72:19] 248 tn Heb “[be] blessed.”
[72:19] 250 tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [’amen vÿ’amen], i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response of agreement to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.
[72:20] 251 tn Heb “the prayers of David, son of Jesse, are concluded.” As noted earlier, v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or an earlier edition of the Psalter. In the present arrangement of the Book of Psalms, not all psalms prior to this are attributed to David (see Pss 1-2, 10, 33, 42-50, 66-67, 71-72) and several psalms attributed to David appear after this (see Pss 86, 101, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 138-145).
[88:1] 252 sn Psalm 88. The psalmist cries out in pain to the Lord, begging him for relief from his intense and constant suffering. The psalmist regards God as the ultimate cause of his distress, but nevertheless clings to God in hope.
[88:1] 253 tn The Hebrew phrase מָחֲלַת לְעַנּוֹת (makhalat lÿ’annot) may mean “illness to afflict.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term מָחֲלַת also appears in the superscription of Ps 53.
[88:1] 254 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.
[88:1] 255 tn Heb “O
[88:1] 256 tn Heb “[by] day I cry out, in the night before you.”
[88:2] 257 tn Heb “may my prayer come before you.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s desire or prayer.
[88:2] 258 tn Heb “turn your ear.”
[88:3] 260 tn Heb “and my life approaches Sheol.”
[88:4] 261 tn Heb “I am considered with.”
[88:4] 262 tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit,” “cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.
[88:4] 263 tn Heb “I am like a man [for whom] there is no help.”
[88:5] 265 tn Heb “from your hand.”
[88:6] 266 tn The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit,” “cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See v. 4.
[88:8] 267 tn Heb “[I am] confined and I cannot go out.”
[88:9] 268 tn Heb “I spread out my hands to you.” Spreading out the hands toward God was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). The words “in prayer” have been supplied in the translation to clarify this.
[88:10] 269 tn Heb “Rephaim,” a term that refers to those who occupy the land of the dead (see Isa 14:9; 26:14, 19).
[88:11] 270 tn Heb “in Abaddon,” a name for Sheol. The noun is derived from a verbal root meaning “to perish,” “to die.”
[88:12] 272 tn Heb “darkness,” here a title for Sheol.
[88:12] 273 tn Heb “forgetfulness.” The noun, which occurs only here in the OT, is derived from a verbal root meaning “to forget.”
[88:12] sn The rhetorical questions in vv. 10-12 expect the answer, “Of course not!”
[88:14] 274 tn Heb “[why] do you hide your face from me?”
[88:15] 275 tn Heb “and am dying from youth.”
[88:15] 276 tn Heb “I carry your horrors [?].” The meaning of the Hebrew form אָפוּנָה (’afunah), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. It may be an adverb meaning “very much” (BDB 67 s.v.), though some prefer to emend the text to אָפוּגָה (’afugah, “I am numb”) from the verb פוּג (pug; see Pss 38:8; 77:2).
[88:16] 277 tn Heb “passes over me.”
[88:17] 278 tn Heb “they encircle me together.”
[88:18] 279 tn Heb “you cause to be far from me friend and neighbor.”
