Mazmur 4:8
Konteks4:8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, 1
for you, Lord, make me safe and secure. 2
Mazmur 27:3
Konteks27:3 Even when an army is deployed against me,
I do not fear. 3
Even when war is imminent, 4
I remain confident. 5
Mazmur 44:19
Konteks44:19 Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs; 6
you have covered us with darkness. 7
Mazmur 44:22
Konteks44:22 Yet because of you 8 we are killed all day long;
we are treated like 9 sheep at the slaughtering block. 10
Mazmur 46:5
Konteks46:5 God lives within it, 11 it cannot be moved. 12
God rescues it 13 at the break of dawn. 14
Mazmur 49:7
Konteks49:7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother; 15
he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price 16
Mazmur 49:11
Konteks49:11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence,
their eternal dwelling place. 17
They name their lands after themselves, 18
Mazmur 49:13
Konteks49:13 This is the destiny of fools, 19
and of those who approve of their philosophy. 20 (Selah)
Mazmur 55:10
Konteks55:10 Day and night they walk around on its walls, 21
while wickedness and destruction 22 are within it.
Mazmur 55:18
Konteks55:18 He will rescue 23 me and protect me from those who attack me, 24
even though 25 they greatly outnumber me. 26
Mazmur 78:56
Konteks78:56 Yet they challenged and defied 27 the sovereign God, 28
and did not obey 29 his commands. 30
Mazmur 80:4
Konteks80:4 O Lord God, invincible warrior! 31
How long will you remain angry at your people while they pray to you? 32
Mazmur 99:8
Konteks99:8 O Lord our God, you answered them.
They found you to be a forgiving God,
but also one who punished their sinful deeds. 33
Mazmur 102:14
Konteks102:14 Indeed, 34 your servants take delight in her stones,
and feel compassion for 35 the dust of her ruins. 36
Mazmur 105:8
Konteks105:8 He always remembers his covenantal decree,
the promise he made 37 to a thousand generations –
Mazmur 106:8
Konteks106:8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation, 38
that he might reveal his power.
Mazmur 109:28
Konteks109:28 They curse, but you will bless. 39
When they attack, they will be humiliated, 40
but your servant will rejoice.
Mazmur 111:6
Konteks111:6 He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people,
giving them a land that belonged to other nations. 41
Mazmur 138:6
Konteks138:6 Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the lowly,
and recognizes the proud from far away.
[4:8] 1 tn Heb “in peace at the same time I will lie down and sleep.”
[4:8] 2 tn Heb “for you,
[27:3] 3 tn Heb “my heart does not fear.”
[27:3] 4 tn Heb “if war rises up against me.”
[27:3] 5 tn Heb “in this [i.e., “during this situation”] I am trusting.”
[44:19] 6 tn Heb “yet you have battered us in a place of jackals.”
[44:19] 7 tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל+מָוֶת [mavet + tsel]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness” (cf. NIV, NRSV). An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 44:19 darkness symbolizes defeat and humiliation.
[44:22] 8 tn The statement “because of you” (1) may simply indicate that God is the cause of the Israelites’ defeat (see vv. 9-14, where the nation’s situation is attributed directly to God’s activity, and cf. NEB, NRSV), or (2) it may suggest they suffer because of their allegiance to God (see Ps 69:7 and Jer 15:15). In this case one should translate, “for your sake” (cf. NASB, NIV). The citation of this verse in Rom 8:36 follows the LXX (Ps 43:23 LXX), where the Greek term ἕνεκεν (Jeneken; LXX ἕνεκα) may likewise mean “because of” or “for the sake of” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἕνεκα 1).
[44:22] 9 tn Or “regarded as.”
[44:22] 10 tn Heb “like sheep of slaughtering,” that is, sheep destined for slaughter.
[46:5] 11 tn Heb “God [is] within her.” The feminine singular pronoun refers to the city mentioned in v. 4.
[46:5] 12 tn Another option is to translate the imperfect verbal form as future, “it will not be upended.” Even if one chooses this option, the future tense must be understood in a generalizing sense. The verb מוֹט (mot), translated “upended” here, is used in v. 2 of the mountains “tumbling” into the seas and in v. 6 of nations being “upended.” By way of contrast, Jerusalem, God’s dwelling place, is secure and immune from such turmoil and destruction.
[46:5] 13 tn Or “helps her.” The imperfect draws attention to the generalizing character of the statement.
[46:5] 14 tn Heb “at the turning of morning.” (For other uses of the expression see Exod 14:27 and Judg 19:26).
[46:5] sn At the break of dawn. The “morning” is viewed metaphorically as a time of deliverance and vindication after the dark “night” of trouble (see Ps 30:5; Isa 17:14). There may be an allusion here to Exod 14:27 (where the Lord destroyed the Egyptians at the “break of dawn”) or, more likely, to the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian siege, when the people discovered the dead bodies of the Assyrian army in the morning (Isa 37:36).
[49:7] 15 tn Heb “a brother, he surely does not ransom, a man.” The sequence אִישׁ...אָח (’akh...’ish, “a brother…a man”) is problematic, for the usual combination is אָח...אָח (“a brother…a brother”) or אִישׁ...אִישׁ (“a man…a man”). When אִישׁ and אָח are combined, the usual order is אָח...אִישׁ (“a man…a brother”), with “brother” having a third masculine singular suffix, “his brother.” This suggests that “brother” is the object of the verb and “man” the subject. (1) Perhaps the altered word order and absence of the suffix can be explained by the text’s poetic character, for ellipsis is a feature of Hebrew poetic style. (2) Another option, supported by a few medieval Hebrew
[49:7] 16 tn Heb “he cannot pay to God his ransom price.” Num 35:31 may supply the legal background for the metaphorical language used here. The psalmist pictures God as having a claim on the soul of the individual. When God comes to claim the life that ultimately belongs to him, he demands a ransom price that is beyond the capability of anyone to pay. The psalmist’s point is that God has ultimate authority over life and death; all the money in the world cannot buy anyone a single day of life beyond what God has decreed.
[49:11] 17 tc Heb “their inward part [is] their houses [are] permanent, their dwelling places for a generation and a generation.” If one follows the MT, then קֶרֶב (qerev, “inward part”) must refer to the seat of these people’s thoughts (for other examples of this use of the term, see BDB 899 s.v., though BDB prefers an emendation in this passage). In this case all three lines of v. 11 expose these people’s arrogant assumption that they will last forever, which then stands in sharp contrast to reality as summarized in v. 12. In this case one might translate the first two lines, “they think that their houses are permanent and that their dwelling places will last forever” (cf. NASB). Following the lead of several ancient versions, the present translation assumes an emendation of קִרְבָּם (qirbam, “their inward part”) to קְבָרִים (qÿvarim, “graves”). This assumes that the letters bet (ב) and resh (ר) were accidentally transposed in the MT. In this case the first two lines support the point made in v. 10, while the third line of v. 11 stands in contrast to v. 12. The phrase בֵּית עוֹלָם (bet ’olam, “permanent house”) is used of a tomb in Eccl 12:5 (as well as in Phoenician tomb inscriptions, see DNWSI 1:160 for a list of texts) and מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan, “dwelling place”) refers to a tomb in Isa 22:16. Cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV.
[49:11] 18 sn Naming their lands after themselves is a claim of possession.
[49:13] 19 tn Heb “this [is] their way, [there is] folly [belonging] to them.” The Hebrew term translated “this” could refer (1) back to the preceding verse[s] or (2) ahead to the subsequent statements. The translation assumes the latter, since v. 12 appears to be a refrain that concludes the psalm’s first major section and marks a structural boundary. (A similar refrain [see v. 20] concludes the second half of the psalm.) The noun דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) often refers to one’s lifestyle, but, if it relates to what follows, then here it likely refers metonymically to one’s destiny (the natural outcome of one’s lifestyle [cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “fate”]). (See the discussion in K. Koch, TDOT 3:285.) If one prefers the more common nuance (“lifestyle”), then the term would look back to the self-confident attitude described in the earlier verses.
[49:13] 20 tn Heb “and after them, in their mouth they take delight.” The meaning of the MT is not entirely clear. “After them” is understood here as substantival, “those who come after them” or “those who follow them.” “Their mouth” is taken as a metonymy for the arrogant attitude verbalized by the rich. In the expression “take delight in,” the preposition -ב (bet) introduces the object/cause of one’s delight (see Pss 147:10; 149:4). So the idea here is that those who come after/follow the rich find the philosophy of life they verbalize and promote to be attractive and desirable.
[55:10] 21 tn Heb “day and night they surround it, upon its walls.” Personified “violence and conflict” are the likely subjects. They are compared to watchmen on the city’s walls.
[55:10] 22 sn Wickedness and destruction. These terms are also closely associated in Ps 7:14.
[55:18] 23 tn The perfect verbal form is here used rhetorically to indicate that the action is certain to take place (the so-called perfect of certitude).
[55:18] 24 tn Heb “he will redeem in peace my life from [those who] draw near to me.”
[55:18] 26 tn Heb “among many they are against me.” For other examples of the preposition עִמָּד (’immad) used in the sense of “at, against,” see HALOT 842 s.v.; BDB 767 s.v.; IBHS 219 §11.2.14b.
[78:56] 27 tn Or “tested and rebelled against.”
[78:56] 28 tn Heb “God, the Most High.”
[78:56] 30 tn Heb “his testimonies” (see Ps 25:10).
[80:4] 31 tn Heb “
[80:4] 32 tn Heb “How long will you remain angry during the prayer of your people.” Some take the preposition -בְּ (bet) in an adversative sense here (“at/against the prayer of your people”), but the temporal sense is preferable. The psalmist expects persistent prayer to pacify God.
[99:8] 33 tn Heb “a God of lifting up [i.e., forgiveness] you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The present translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned (cf. NIV, NRSV). Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form נֹקֵם (noqem, “an avenger”) to נֹקָם (noqam), a rare Qal participial form of נָקַה (naqah, “purify”) with a suffixed pronoun. In this case one could translate, “and one who purified them from their [sinful] deeds” (cf. NEB “and held them innocent”).
[102:14] 35 tn The Poel of חָנַן (khanan) occurs only here and in Prov 14:21, where it refers to having compassion on the poor.
[102:14] 36 tn Heb “her dust,” probably referring to the dust of the city’s rubble.
[105:8] 37 tn Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 10-12 make clear.
[106:8] 38 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[109:28] 39 tn Another option is to translate the imperfect as a prayer/request (“may you bless”).
[109:28] 40 tn The verbal sequence is perfect + prefixed form with vav (ו) consecutive. Since the psalmist seems to be anticipating the demise of his enemies, he may be using these forms rhetorically to describe the enemies’ defeat as if it were already accomplished. Some emend the text to קָמוּ יֵבֹשׁוּ (qamu yevoshu, “may those who attack me be humiliated”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 75.
[111:6] 41 tn Heb “the strength of his deeds he proclaimed to his people, to give to them an inheritance of nations.”
