Mazmur 46:1-3

Psalm 46 ¹ 

For the music director; by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style; ²  a song.

46:1 God is our strong refuge; ³ 

he is truly our helper in times of trouble. ⁴ 

46:2 For this reason we do not fear ⁵  when the earth shakes, ⁶ 

and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, ⁷ 

46:3 when its waves ⁸  crash ⁹  and foam,

and the mountains shake ¹⁰  before the surging sea. ¹¹  (Selah)

Mazmur 46:7

46:7 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ¹² 

The God of Jacob ¹³  is our protector! ¹⁴  (Selah)

Mazmur 46:11

46:11 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ¹⁵ 

The God of Jacob ¹⁶  is our protector! ¹⁷  (Selah)

Mazmur 56:4

56:4 In God – I boast in his promise ¹⁸  –

in God I trust, I am not afraid.

What can mere men ¹⁹  do to me? ²⁰ 

Mazmur 56:11

56:11 in God I trust, I am not afraid.

What can mere men ²¹  do to me? ²² 

Mazmur 84:11-12

84:11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. ²³ 

The Lord bestows favor ²⁴  and honor;

he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. ²⁵ 

84:12 O Lord who rules over all, ²⁶ 

how blessed are those who trust in you! ²⁷ 

Mazmur 118:6

118:6 The Lord is on my side, ²⁸  I am not afraid!

What can people do to me? ²⁹ 

[46:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 46. In this so-called “Song Of Zion” God’s people confidently affirm that they are secure because the great warrior-king dwells within Jerusalem and protects it from the nations that cause such chaos in the earth. A refrain (vv. 7, 11) concludes the song’s two major sections.

[46:1]  ² sn The meaning of the Hebrew term עֲלָמוֹת (alamoth, which means “young women”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. Cf. 1 Chr 15:20.

[46:1]  ³ tn Heb “our refuge and strength,” which is probably a hendiadys meaning “our strong refuge” (see Ps 71:7). Another option is to translate, “our refuge and source of strength.”

[46:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “a helper in times of trouble he is found [to be] greatly.” The perfect verbal form has a generalizing function here. The adverb מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “greatly”) has an emphasizing function.

[46:2]  ⁵ tn The imperfect is taken in a generalizing sense (cf. NEB) because the situation described in vv. 2-3 is understood as symbolizing typical world conditions. In this case the imperfect draws attention to the typical nature of the response. The covenant community characteristically responds with confidence, not fear. Another option is to take the situation described as purely hypothetical. In this case one might translate, “We will not fear, even though the earth should shake” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[46:2]  ⁶ tn The Hiphil infinitival form is normally taken to mean “when [the earth] is altered,” being derived from מוּר (mur, “to change”). In this case the Hiphil would be intransitive, as in Ps 15:4. HALOT 560 s.v. II מור emends the form to a Niphal and derives it from a homonymic root מוּר attested in Arabic with the meaning “shake.”

[46:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “heart of the seas.” The plural may be used for emphasis, pointing to the deepest sea. Note that the next verse uses a singular pronoun (“its waters,” “its swelling”) in referring back to the plural noun.

[46:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “its waters.”

[46:3]  ⁹ tn Or “roar.”

[46:3]  ¹⁰ tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the characteristic nature of the activity described.

[46:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “at its swelling.” The Hebrew word often means “pride.” If the sea is symbolic of hostile nations, then this may be a case of double entendre. The surging, swelling sea symbolizes the proud, hostile nations. On the surface the psalmist appears to be depicting a major natural catastrophe, perhaps a tidal wave. If so, then the situation would be hypothetical. However, the repetition of the verbs הָמָה (hamah, “crash; roar,” v. 3) and מוֹט (mot, “shake,” v. 2) in v. 6, where nations/kingdoms “roar” and “shake,” suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).

[46:7]  ¹² tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:7]  ¹³ tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[46:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:11]  ¹⁶ tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[56:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in God I boast, his word.” The syntax in the Hebrew text is difficult. (1) The line could be translated, “in God I boast, [in] his word.” Such a translation assumes that the prepositional phrase “in God” goes with the following verb “I boast” (see Ps 44:8) and that “his word” is appositional to “in God” and more specifically identifies the basis for the psalmist’s confidence. God’s “word” is here understood as an assuring promise of protection. Another option (2) is to translate, “in God I will boast [with] a word.” In this case, the “word” is a song of praise. (In this view the pronominal suffix “his” must be omitted as in v. 10.) The present translation reflects yet another option (3): In this case “I praise his word” is a parenthetical statement, with “his word” being the object of the verb. The sentence begun with the prepositional phrase “in God” is then completed in the next line, with the prepositional phrase being repeated after the parenthesis.

[56:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “flesh,” which refers by metonymy to human beings (see v. 11, where “man” is used in this same question), envisioned here as mortal and powerless before God.

[56:4]  ²⁰ tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.

[56:11]  ²¹ tn The statement is similar to that of v. 4, except “flesh” is used there instead of “man.”

[56:11]  ²² tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.

[84:11]  ²³ tn Heb “[is] a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritic texts, the Amarna letters, and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 131, n. 2.

[84:11]  ²⁴ tn Or “grace.”

[84:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those walking in integrity.”

[84:12]  ²⁶ tn Traditionally “Lord of hosts.”

[84:12]  ²⁷ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man [who] trusts in you.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here 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 plural “those.” The individual referred to here is representative of all followers of God, as the use of the plural form in v. 12b indicates.

[118:6]  ²⁸ tn Heb “for me.”

[118:6]  ²⁹ tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. See Ps 56:11.