Mazmur 4:8

4:8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, ¹ 

for you, Lord, make me safe and secure. ² 

Mazmur 5:3

5:3 Lord, in the morning ³  you will hear ⁴  me; ⁵ 

in the morning I will present my case to you ⁶  and then wait expectantly for an answer. ⁷ 

Mazmur 5:12

5:12 Certainly ⁸  you reward ⁹  the godly, ¹⁰  Lord.

Like a shield you protect ¹¹  them ¹²  in your good favor. ¹³ 

Mazmur 10:8

10:8 He waits in ambush near the villages; ¹⁴ 

in hidden places he kills the innocent.

His eyes look for some unfortunate victim. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 10:18--11:1

10:18 You defend ¹⁶  the fatherless and oppressed, ¹⁷ 

so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. ¹⁸ 

Psalm 11 ¹⁹ 

For the music director; by David.

11:1 In the Lord I have taken shelter. ²⁰ 

How can you say to me, ²¹ 

“Flee to a mountain like a bird! ²² 

Mazmur 20:2

20:2 May he send you help from his temple; ²³ 

from Zion may he give you support!

Mazmur 21:11

21:11 Yes, ²⁴  they intend to do you harm; ²⁵ 

they dream up a scheme, ²⁶  but they do not succeed. ²⁷ 

Mazmur 22:22

22:22 I will declare your name to my countrymen! ²⁸ 

In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!

Mazmur 25:5

25:5 Guide me into your truth ²⁹  and teach me.

For you are the God who delivers me;

on you I rely all day long.

Mazmur 25:7

25:7 Do not hold against me ³⁰  the sins of my youth ³¹  or my rebellious acts!

Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord! ³² 

Mazmur 25:9

25:9 May he show ³³  the humble what is right! ³⁴ 

May he teach ³⁵  the humble his way!

Mazmur 27:8

27:8 My heart tells me to pray to you, ³⁶ 

and I do pray to you, O Lord. ³⁷ 

Mazmur 27:11

27:11 Teach me how you want me to live; ³⁸ 

lead me along a level path ³⁹  because of those who wait to ambush me! ⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 32:11

32:11 Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly!

Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright! ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 34:16

34:16 But the Lord opposes evildoers

and wipes out all memory of them from the earth. ⁴² 

Mazmur 35:3

35:3 Use your spear and lance ⁴³  against ⁴⁴  those who chase me!

Assure me with these words: ⁴⁵  “I am your deliverer!”

Mazmur 35:17

35:17 O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? ⁴⁶ 

Rescue ⁴⁷  me ⁴⁸  from their destructive attacks;

guard my life ⁴⁹  from the young lions!

Mazmur 36:10

36:10 Extend ⁵⁰  your loyal love to your faithful followers, ⁵¹ 

and vindicate ⁵²  the morally upright! ⁵³ 

Mazmur 41:6

41:6 When someone comes to visit, ⁵⁴  he pretends to be friendly; ⁵⁵ 

he thinks of ways to defame me, ⁵⁶ 

and when he leaves he slanders me. ⁵⁷ 

Mazmur 41:10

41:10 As for you, O Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up,

so I can pay them back!” ⁵⁸ 

Mazmur 42:9

42:9 I will pray ⁵⁹  to God, my high ridge: ⁶⁰ 

“Why do you ignore ⁶¹  me?

Why must I walk around mourning ⁶² 

because my enemies oppress me?”

Mazmur 44:8

44:8 In God I boast all day long,

and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)

Mazmur 45:16

45:16 Your ⁶³  sons will carry ⁶⁴  on the dynasty of your ancestors; ⁶⁵ 

you will make them princes throughout the land.

Mazmur 46:10

46:10 He says, ⁶⁶  “Stop your striving and recognize ⁶⁷  that I am God!

I will be exalted ⁶⁸  over ⁶⁹  the nations! I will be exalted over ⁷⁰  the earth!”

Mazmur 47:1

Psalm 47 ⁷¹ 

For the music director; by the Korahites; a psalm.

47:1 All you nations, clap your hands!

Shout out to God in celebration! ⁷² 

Mazmur 51:17

51:17 The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit ⁷³  –

O God, a humble and repentant heart ⁷⁴  you will not reject. ⁷⁵ 

Mazmur 55:17

55:17 During the evening, morning, and noontime

I will lament and moan, ⁷⁶ 

and he will hear ⁷⁷  me. ⁷⁸ 

Mazmur 56:4

56:4 In God – I boast in his promise ⁷⁹  –

in God I trust, I am not afraid.

What can mere men ⁸⁰  do to me? ⁸¹ 

Mazmur 56:6

56:6 They stalk ⁸²  and lurk; ⁸³ 

they watch my every step, ⁸⁴ 

as ⁸⁵  they prepare to take my life. ⁸⁶ 

Mazmur 56:12

56:12 I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; ⁸⁷ 

I will give you the thank-offerings you deserve, ⁸⁸ 

Mazmur 57:11

57:11 Rise up ⁸⁹  above the sky, O God!

May your splendor cover the whole earth! ⁹⁰ 

Mazmur 59:4

59:4 Though I have done nothing wrong, ⁹¹  they are anxious to attack. ⁹² 

Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me! ⁹³ 

Mazmur 61:8

61:8 Then I will sing praises to your name continually, ⁹⁴ 

as I fulfill ⁹⁵  my vows day after day.

Mazmur 62:4-5

62:4 They ⁹⁶  spend all their time planning how to bring him ⁹⁷  down. ⁹⁸ 

They love to use deceit; ⁹⁹ 

they pronounce blessings with their mouths,

but inwardly they utter curses. ¹⁰⁰  (Selah)

62:5 Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! ¹⁰¹ 

For he is the one who gives me confidence. ¹⁰² 

Mazmur 63:2

63:2 Yes, ¹⁰³  in the sanctuary I have seen you, ¹⁰⁴ 

and witnessed ¹⁰⁵  your power and splendor.

Mazmur 67:2

67:2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like;

all nations will know how you deliver your people. ¹⁰⁶ 

Mazmur 69:29

69:29 I am oppressed and suffering!

O God, deliver and protect me! ¹⁰⁷ 

Mazmur 69:35

69:35 For God will deliver Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

and his people ¹⁰⁸  will again live in them and possess Zion. ¹⁰⁹ 

Mazmur 71:6

71:6 I have leaned on you since birth; ¹¹⁰ 

you pulled me ¹¹¹  from my mother’s womb.

I praise you continually. ¹¹² 

Mazmur 78:57

78:57 They were unfaithful ¹¹³  and acted as treacherously as ¹¹⁴  their ancestors;

they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow. ¹¹⁵ 

Mazmur 80:17

80:17 May you give support to the one you have chosen, ¹¹⁶ 

to the one whom you raised up for yourself! ¹¹⁷ 

Mazmur 81:11-12

81:11 But my people did not obey me; ¹¹⁸ 

Israel did not submit to me. ¹¹⁹ 

81:12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires; ¹²⁰ 

they did what seemed right to them. ¹²¹ 

Mazmur 83:3

83:3 They carefully plot ¹²²  against your people,

and make plans to harm ¹²³  the ones you cherish. ¹²⁴ 

Mazmur 86:14

86:14 O God, arrogant men attack me; ¹²⁵ 

a gang ¹²⁶  of ruthless men, who do not respect you, seek my life. ¹²⁷ 

Mazmur 91:2

91:2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold,

my God in whom I trust –

Mazmur 99:9

99:9 Praise ¹²⁸  the Lord our God!

Worship on his holy hill,

for the Lord our God is holy!

Mazmur 102:17

102:17 when he responds to the prayer of the destitute, ¹²⁹ 

and does not reject ¹³⁰  their request. ¹³¹ 

Mazmur 108:6

108:6 Deliver by your power ¹³²  and answer me,

so that the ones you love may be safe. ¹³³ 

Mazmur 110:1

Psalm 110 ¹³⁴ 

A psalm of David.

110:1 Here is the Lord’s proclamation ¹³⁵  to my lord: ¹³⁶ 

“Sit down at my right hand ¹³⁷  until I make your enemies your footstool!” ¹³⁸ 

Mazmur 119:69

119:69 Arrogant people smear my reputation with lies, ¹³⁹ 

but I observe your precepts with all my heart.

Mazmur 119:145

ק (Qof)

119:145 I cried out with all my heart, “Answer me, O Lord!

I will observe your statutes.”

Mazmur 126:6

126:6 The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag ¹⁴⁰  of seed,

will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain. ¹⁴¹ 

Mazmur 134:1

Psalm 134 ¹⁴² 

A song of ascents. ¹⁴³ 

134:1 Attention! ¹⁴⁴  Praise the Lord,

all you servants of the Lord,

who serve ¹⁴⁵  in the Lord’s temple during the night.

Mazmur 139:14

139:14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. ¹⁴⁶ 

You knew me thoroughly; ¹⁴⁷ 

Mazmur 139:21

139:21 O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you,

and despise those who oppose you? ¹⁴⁸ 

Mazmur 145:7

145:7 They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, ¹⁴⁹ 

and sing about your justice. ¹⁵⁰ 

Mazmur 145:21

145:21 My mouth will praise the Lord. ¹⁵¹ 

Let all who live ¹⁵²  praise his holy name forever!

[4:8]  ¹ tn Heb “in peace at the same time I will lie down and sleep.”

[4:8]  ² tn Heb “for you, Lord, solitarily, securely make me dwell.” The translation understands לְבָדָד (lÿvadad) as modifying the verb; the Lord keeps enemies away from the psalmist so that he is safe and secure. Another option is to take לְבָדָד with what precedes and translate, “you alone, Lord, make me secure.”

[5:3]  ³ sn In the morning is here viewed as the time of prayer (Pss 59:16; 88:13) and/or of deliverance (Ps 30:5).

[5:3]  ⁴ tn The imperfect is here understood in a specific future sense; the psalmist is expressing his confidence that God will be willing to hear his request. Another option is to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s wish or request. In this case one could translate, “Lord, in the morning hear me.”

[5:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “my voice.”

[5:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “I will arrange for you.” Some understand a sacrifice or offering as the implied object (cf. NEB “I set out my morning sacrifice”). The present translation assumes that the implied object is the psalmist’s case/request. See Isa 44:7.

[5:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “and I will watch.”

[5:12]  ⁸ tn Or “For.”

[5:12]  ⁹ tn Or “bless.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line highlight how God characteristically rewards and protects the godly.

[5:12]  ¹⁰ tn Or “innocent.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense.

[5:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “surround.” In 1 Sam 23:26 the verb describes how Saul and his men hemmed David in as they chased him.

[5:12]  ¹² tn Heb “him.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense and is thus translated “them.”

[5:12]  ¹³ tn Or “with favor” (cf. NRSV). There is no preposition before the noun in the Hebrew text, nor is there a pronoun attached. “Favor” here stands by metonymy for God’s defensive actions on behalf of the one whom he finds acceptable.

[10:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he sits in the ambush of the villages.”

[10:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “his eyes for an unfortunate person lie hidden.” The language may picture a lion (see v. 9) peering out from its hiding place in anticipation that an unsuspecting victim will soon come strolling along.

[10:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”

[10:18]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.

[10:18]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.

[11:1]  ¹⁹ sn Psalm 11. The psalmist rejects the advice to flee from his dangerous enemies. Instead he affirms his confidence in God’s just character and calls down judgment on evildoers.

[11:1]  ²⁰ tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.

[11:1]  ²¹ tn The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.

[11:1]  ²² tc The MT is corrupt here. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads: “flee [masculine plural!] to your [masculine plural!] mountain, bird.” The Qere (marginal reading) has “flee” in a feminine singular form, agreeing grammatically with the addressee, the feminine noun “bird.” Rather than being a second masculine plural pronominal suffix, the ending כֶם- (-khem) attached to “mountain” is better interpreted as a second feminine singular pronominal suffix followed by an enclitic mem (ם). “Bird” may be taken as vocative (“O bird”) or as an adverbial accusative of manner (“like a bird”). Either way, the psalmist’s advisers compare him to a helpless bird whose only option in the face of danger is to fly away to an inaccessible place.

[20:2]  ²³ tc Heb “from [the] temple.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix (ן, nun) has probably been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word begins with a prefixed vav (ו). See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 184.

[21:11]  ²⁴ tn Or “for.”

[21:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “they extend against you harm.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 11 are taken as generalizing, stating factually what the king’s enemies typically do. Another option is to translate with the past tense (“they intended…planned”).

[21:11]  ²⁶ sn See Ps 10:2.

[21:11]  ²⁷ tn Heb “they lack ability.”

[22:22]  ²⁸ 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).

[25:5]  ²⁹ sn The Lord’s commandments are referred to as truth here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will.

[25:7]  ³⁰ tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing.

[25:7]  ³¹ sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom.

[25:7]  ³² tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.”

[25:9]  ³³ tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.

[25:9]  ³⁴ tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” The Hebrew term עֲנָוִים (’anavim, “humble”) usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.

[25:9]  ³⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).

[27:8]  ³⁶ tc Heb “concerning you my heart says, ‘Seek my face.’” The verb form “seek” is plural, but this makes no sense here, for the psalmist is addressed. The verb should be emended to a singular form. The first person pronominal suffix on “face” also makes little sense, unless it is the voice of the Lord he hears. His “heart” is viewed as speaking, however, so it is better to emend the form to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”).

[27:8]  ³⁷ tn Heb “your face, O Lord, I seek.” To “seek the Lord’s face” means to seek his favor through prayer (see 2 Sam 21:1; Pss 24:6; 105:4).

[27:11]  ³⁸ tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles which he expects the psalmist to follow. See Ps 25:4.

[27:11]  ³⁹ sn The level path refers to God’s moral principles (see the parallel line), which, if followed, will keep the psalmist blameless before his accusers (see v. 12).

[27:11]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 54:5; 56:2.

[32:11]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “all [you] pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

[34:16]  ⁴² tn Heb “the face of the Lord [is] against the doers of evil to cut off from the earth memory of them.”

[35:3]  ⁴³ tn Or “javelin.” On the meaning of this word, which occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, see M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:210-11.

[35:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”

[35:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “say to me,” or “say to my soul.”

[35:17]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”

[35:17]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “bring back, restore.”

[35:17]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “my life.”

[35:17]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).

[36:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “draw out to full length.”

[36:10]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “to those who know you.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “know”) is used here of those who “know” the Lord in the sense that they recognize his royal authority and obey his will (see Jer 22:16).

[36:10]  ⁵² tn Heb “and your justice to.” The verb “extend” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).

[36:10]  ⁵³ tn Heb “the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

[41:6]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “to see.”

[41:6]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “he speaks deceitfully.”

[41:6]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “his heart gathers sin to itself.”

[41:6]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “he goes outside and speaks.”

[41:10]  ⁵⁸ tn The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) here indicates purpose or result (“Then I will repay them”) after the preceding imperatives.

[42:9]  ⁵⁹ tn The cohortative form indicates the psalmist’s resolve.

[42:9]  ⁶⁰ tn This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28; Pss 18:2; 31:3.

[42:9]  ⁶¹ tn Or “forget.”

[42:9]  ⁶² sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar idea.

[45:16]  ⁶³ tn The pronoun is second masculine singular, indicating the king is being addressed from this point to the end of the psalm.

[45:16]  ⁶⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive and the statement interpreted as a prayer, “May your sons carry on the dynasty of your ancestors!” The next line could then be taken as a relative clause, “[your sons] whom you will make princes throughout the land.”

[45:16]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “in place of your fathers will be your sons.”

[46:10]  ⁶⁶ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[46:10]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “do nothing/be quiet (see 1 Sam 15:16) and know.” This statement may be addressed to the hostile nations, indicating they should cease their efforts to destroy God’s people, or to Judah, indicating they should rest secure in God’s protection. Since the psalm is an expression of Judah’s trust and confidence, it is more likely that the words are directed to the nations, who are actively promoting chaos and are in need of a rebuke.

[46:10]  ⁶⁸ tn Elsewhere in the psalms the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”) when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 18:46; 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 57:5, 11).

[46:10]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “among.”

[46:10]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “in.”

[47:1]  ⁷¹ sn Psalm 47. In this hymn the covenant community praises the Lord as the exalted king of the earth who has given them victory over the nations and a land in which to live.

[47:1]  ⁷² tn Heb “Shout to God with [the] sound of a ringing cry!”

[51:17]  ⁷³ tn Heb “a broken spirit.”

[51:17]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “a broken and crushed heart.”

[51:17]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “despise.”

[55:17]  ⁷⁶ tn The first verb is clearly a cohortative form, expressing the psalmist’s resolve. The second verb, while formally ambiguous, should also be understood as cohortative here.

[55:17]  ⁷⁷ tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive normally appears in narrational contexts to indicate past action, but here it continues the anticipatory (future) perspective of the preceding line. In Ps 77:6 one finds the same sequence of cohortative + prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive. In this case as well, both forms refer to future actions.

[55:17]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “my voice.”

[56:4]  ⁷⁹ 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]  ⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸¹ tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.

[56:6]  ⁸² tn The verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 59:3.

[56:6]  ⁸³ tn Or “hide.”

[56:6]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “my heels.”

[56:6]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “according to,” in the sense of “inasmuch as; since,” or “when; while.”

[56:6]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “they wait [for] my life.”

[56:12]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “upon me, O God, [are] your vows.”

[56:12]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “I will repay thank-offerings to you.”

[57:11]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “be exalted.”

[57:11]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)

[59:4]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “without sin.”

[59:4]  ⁹² tn Heb “they run and they are determined.”

[59:4]  ⁹³ tn Heb “arise to meet me and see.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to meet; to encounter”) here carries the nuance of “to help.”

[61:8]  ⁹⁴ tn Or “forever.”

[61:8]  ⁹⁵ tn Or perhaps, “and thereby fulfill.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.

[62:4]  ⁹⁶ tn That is, the psalmist’s enemies addressed in the previous verse.

[62:4]  ⁹⁷ tn That is, the generic “man” referred to in the previous verse.

[62:4]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “only from his lofty place [or perhaps, “dignity”] they plan to drive [him] away.”

[62:4]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “they delight [in] a lie.”

[62:4]  ¹⁰⁰ sn The enemies use deceit to bring down their victim. They make him think they are his friends by pronouncing blessings upon him, but inwardly they desire his demise.

[62:5]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “only for God be silent, my soul.” The wording is similar to that of v. 1a. Here an imperatival form, דּוֹמִּי (dommiy, “be silent”), appears instead of the noun דּוּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”). The psalmist is encouraging himself to maintain his trust in God.

[62:5]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “for from him [is] my hope.”

[63:2]  ¹⁰³ tn The Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used here to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4).

[63:2]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The perfect verbal form is understood here as referring to a past experience which the psalmist desires to be repeated. Another option is to take the perfect as indicating the psalmist’s certitude that he will again stand in God’s presence in the sanctuary. In this case one can translate, “I will see you.”

[63:2]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “seeing.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.

[67:2]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “to know in the earth your way, among all nations your deliverance.” The infinitive with -לְ (lamed) expresses purpose/result. When God demonstrates his favor to his people, all nations will recognize his character as a God who delivers. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) refers here to God’s characteristic behavior, more specifically, to the way he typically saves his people.

[69:29]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “your deliverance, O God, may it protect me.”

[69:35]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[69:35]  ¹⁰⁹ 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.

[71:6]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “from the womb.”

[71:6]  ¹¹¹ tc The form in the MT is derived from גָזָה (gazah, “to cut off”), perhaps picturing God as the one who severed the psalmist’s umbilical cord. Many interpreters and translators prefer to emend the text to גֹחִי (gokhiy), from גוּח (gukh) or גִיח, (gikh, “pull out”; see Ps 22:9; cf. the present translation) or to עוּזִּי (’uzziy, “my strength”; cf. NEB “my protector since I left my mother’s womb”).

[71:6]  ¹¹² tn Heb “in you [is] my praise continually.”

[78:57]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “they turned back.”

[78:57]  ¹¹⁴ tn Or “acted treacherously like.”

[78:57]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “they turned aside like a deceitful bow.”

[80:17]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “may your hand be upon the man of your right hand.” The referent of the otherwise unattested phrase “man of your right hand,” is unclear. It may refer to the nation collectively as a man. (See the note on the word “yourself” in v. 17b.)

[80:17]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “upon the son of man you strengthened for yourself.” In its only other use in the Book of Psalms, the phrase “son of man” refers to the human race in general (see Ps 8:4). Here the phrase may refer to the nation collectively as a man. Note the use of the statement “you strengthened for yourself” both here and in v. 15, where the “son” (i.e., the branch of the vine) refers to Israel.

[81:11]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “did not listen to my voice.”

[81:11]  ¹¹⁹ tn The Hebrew expression אָבָה לִי (’avah liy) means “submit to me” (see Deut 13:8).

[81:12]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “and I sent him away in the stubbornness of their heart.”

[81:12]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “they walked in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite (“walked”) or a customary imperfect (“were walking”).

[83:3]  ¹²² tn Heb “they make crafty a plot.”

[83:3]  ¹²³ tn Heb “and consult together against.”

[83:3]  ¹²⁴ tn The passive participle of the Hebrew verb צָפַן (tsafan, “to hide”) is used here in the sense of “treasured; cherished.”

[86:14]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “rise up against me.”

[86:14]  ¹²⁶ tn Or “assembly.”

[86:14]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “seek my life and do not set you before them.” See Ps 54:3.

[99:9]  ¹²⁸ tn Or “exalt.”

[102:17]  ¹²⁹ tn The Hebrew adjective עַרְעָר (’arar, “destitute”) occurs only here in the OT. It is derived from the verbal root ערר (“to strip oneself”).

[102:17]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “despise.”

[102:17]  ¹³¹ tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 16-17 are functioning as future perfects, indicating future actions that will precede the future developments described in v. 15.

[108:6]  ¹³² tn Heb “right hand.”

[108:6]  ¹³³ tn Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text: “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”

[110:1]  ¹³⁴ sn Psalm 110. In this royal psalm the psalmist announces God’s oracle to the Davidic king. The first part of the oracle appears in v. 1, the second in v. 4. In vv. 2-3 the psalmist addresses the king, while in vv. 5-7 he appears to address God.

[110:1]  ¹³⁵ tn The word נְאֻם (nÿ’um) is used frequently in the OT of a formal divine announcement through a prophet.

[110:1]  ¹³⁶ sn My lord. In the psalm’s original context the speaker is an unidentified prophetic voice in the royal court. In the course of time the psalm is applied to each successive king in the dynasty and ultimately to the ideal Davidic king. NT references to the psalm understand David to be speaking about his “lord,” the Messiah. (See Matt 22:43-45; Mark 12:36-37; Luke 20:42-44; Acts 2:34-35).

[110:1]  ¹³⁷ tn To sit at the “right hand” of the king was an honor (see 1 Kgs 2:19). In Ugaritic myth (CTA 4 v. 108-10) the artisan god Kothar-and Khasis is described as sitting at the right hand of the storm god Baal. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 61-62.

[110:1]  sn The Lord’s invitation to the Davidic king to sit down at his right hand reflects the king’s position as the Lord’s vice-regent.

[110:1]  ¹³⁸ sn When the Lord made his covenant with David, he promised to subdue the king’s enemies (see 2 Sam 7:9-11; Ps 89:22-23).

[119:69]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “smear over me a lie.”

[126:6]  ¹⁴⁰ tn The noun occurs only here and in Job 28:18 in the OT. See HALOT 646 s.v. I מֶשֶׁךְ which gives “leather pouch” as the meaning.

[126:6]  ¹⁴¹ tn The Hebrew noun אֲלֻמָּה (’alummah, “sheaf”) occurs only here and in Gen 37:7 in the OT.

[126:6]  sn Verse 6 expands the image of v. 5. See the note on the word “harvest” there.

[134:1]  ¹⁴² sn Psalm 134. The psalmist calls on the temple servants to praise God (vv. 1-2). They in turn pronounce a blessing on the psalmist (v. 3).

[134:1]  ¹⁴³ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[134:1]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “Look!”

[134:1]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “stand.”

[139:14]  ¹⁴⁶ tc Heb “because awesome things, I am distinct, amazing [are] your works.” The text as it stands is syntactically problematic and makes little, if any, sense. The Niphal of פָּלָה (pala’) occurs elsewhere only in Exod 33:16. Many take the form from פָלָא (pala’; see GKC 216 §75.qq), which in the Niphal perfect means “to be amazing” (see 2 Sam 1:26; Ps 118:23; Prov 30:18). Some, following the LXX and some other ancient witnesses, also prefer to emend the verb from first to second person, “you are amazing” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 249, 251). The present translation assumes the text conflates two variants: נפלאים, the otherwise unattested masculine plural participle of פָלָא, and נִפְלָאוֹת (nifla’ot), the usual (feminine) plural form of the Niphal participle. The latter has been changed to a verb by later scribes in an attempt to accommodate it syntactically. The original text likely read, נוראות נפלאותים מעשׂיך (“your works [are] awesome [and] amazing”).

[139:14]  ¹⁴⁷ tc Heb “and my being knows very much.” Better parallelism is achieved (see v. 15a) if one emends יֹדַעַת (yoda’at), a Qal active participle, feminine singular form, to יָדַעְתָּ (yada’ta), a Qal perfect second masculine singular perfect. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252.

[139:21]  ¹⁴⁸ tc Heb “who raise themselves up against you.” The form וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvitqomÿmekha) should be emended to וּבְמִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvÿmitqomÿmekha), a Hitpolel participle (the prefixed mem [מ] of the participle is accidentally omitted in the MT, though a few medieval Hebrew mss have it).

[145:7]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”

[145:7]  ¹⁵⁰ tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk…and sing.”

[145:21]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “the praise of the Lord my mouth will speak.”

[145:21]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “all flesh.”