Mazmur 6:6

6:6 I am exhausted as I groan;

all night long I drench my bed in tears; ¹ 

my tears saturate the cushion beneath me. ² 

Mazmur 7:5

7:5 may an enemy relentlessly chase ³  me ⁴  and catch me; ⁵ 

may he trample me to death ⁶ 

and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. ⁷  (Selah)

Mazmur 7:17

7:17 I will thank the Lord for ⁸  his justice;

I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord! ⁹ 

Mazmur 9:20

9:20 Terrify them, Lord! ¹⁰ 

Let the nations know they are mere mortals! ¹¹  (Selah)

Mazmur 18:7

18:7 The earth heaved and shook; ¹² 

the roots of the mountains ¹³  trembled; ¹⁴ 

they heaved because he was angry.

Mazmur 18:17

18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, ¹⁵ 

from those who hate me,

for they were too strong for me.

Mazmur 18:37

18:37 I chase my enemies and catch ¹⁶  them;

I do not turn back until I wipe them out.

Mazmur 19:14

19:14 May my words and my thoughts

be acceptable in your sight, ¹⁷ 

O Lord, my sheltering rock ¹⁸  and my redeemer. ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 22:16

22:16 Yes, ²⁰  wild dogs surround me –

a gang of evil men crowd around me;

like a lion they pin my hands and feet. ²¹ 

Mazmur 34:2

34:2 I will boast ²²  in the Lord;

let the oppressed hear and rejoice! ²³ 

Mazmur 34:5

34:5 Those who look to him for help are happy;

their faces are not ashamed. ²⁴ 

Mazmur 34:9-10

34:9 Remain loyal to ²⁵  the Lord, you chosen people of his, ²⁶ 

for his loyal followers ²⁷  lack nothing!

34:10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Mazmur 36:7

36:7 How precious ²⁸  is your loyal love, O God!

The human race finds shelter under your wings. ²⁹ 

Mazmur 41:8

41:8 They say, ³⁰ 

‘An awful disease ³¹  overwhelms him, ³² 

and now that he is bed-ridden he will never recover.’ ³³ 

Mazmur 41:12

41:12 As for me, you uphold ³⁴  me because of my integrity; ³⁵ 

you allow ³⁶  me permanent access to your presence. ³⁷ 

Mazmur 42:3

42:3 I cannot eat, I weep day and night; ³⁸ 

all day long they say to me, ³⁹  “Where is your God?”

Mazmur 45:2

45:2 You are the most handsome of all men! ⁴⁰ 

You speak in an impressive and fitting manner! ⁴¹ 

For this reason ⁴²  God grants you continual blessings. ⁴³ 

Mazmur 46:2

46:2 For this reason we do not fear ⁴⁴  when the earth shakes, ⁴⁵ 

and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 46:4

46:4 The river’s channels bring joy to the city of God, ⁴⁷ 

the special, holy dwelling place of ⁴⁸  the sovereign One. ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 49:11

49:11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence,

their eternal dwelling place. ⁵⁰ 

They name their lands after themselves, ⁵¹ 

Mazmur 49:15

49:15 But ⁵²  God will rescue ⁵³  my life ⁵⁴  from the power ⁵⁵  of Sheol;

certainly ⁵⁶  he will pull me to safety. ⁵⁷  (Selah)

Mazmur 51:13

51:13 Then I will teach ⁵⁸  rebels your merciful ways, ⁵⁹ 

and sinners will turn ⁶⁰  to you.

Mazmur 51:17

51:17 The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit ⁶¹  –

O God, a humble and repentant heart ⁶²  you will not reject. ⁶³ 

Mazmur 54:5

54:5 May those who wait to ambush me ⁶⁴  be repaid for their evil! ⁶⁵ 

As a demonstration of your faithfulness, ⁶⁶  destroy them!

Mazmur 56:7

56:7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape! ⁶⁷ 

In your anger ⁶⁸  bring down the nations, ⁶⁹  O God!

Mazmur 56:9

56:9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; ⁷⁰ 

I know that God is on my side. ⁷¹ 

Mazmur 59:7

59:7 Look, they hurl insults at me

and openly threaten to kill me, ⁷² 

for they say, ⁷³ 

“Who hears?”

Mazmur 59:10

59:10 The God who loves me will help me; ⁷⁴ 

God will enable me to triumph over ⁷⁵  my enemies. ⁷⁶ 

Mazmur 60:3

60:3 You have made your people experience hard times; ⁷⁷ 

you have made us drink intoxicating wine. ⁷⁸ 

Mazmur 60:12

60:12 By God’s power we will conquer; ⁷⁹ 

he will trample down ⁸⁰  our enemies.

Mazmur 61:8

61:8 Then I will sing praises to your name continually, ⁸¹ 

as I fulfill ⁸²  my vows day after day.

Mazmur 63:5

63:5 As if with choice meat ⁸³  you satisfy my soul. ⁸⁴ 

My mouth joyfully praises you, ⁸⁵ 

Mazmur 64:4

64:4 in order to shoot down the innocent ⁸⁶  in secluded places.

They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation. ⁸⁷ 

Mazmur 64:6

64:6 They devise ⁸⁸  unjust schemes;

they disguise ⁸⁹  a well-conceived plot. ⁹⁰ 

Man’s inner thoughts cannot be discovered. ⁹¹ 

Mazmur 68:17

68:17 God has countless chariots;

they number in the thousands. ⁹² 

The Lord comes from Sinai in holy splendor. ⁹³ 

Mazmur 68:21

68:21 Indeed God strikes the heads of his enemies,

the hairy foreheads of those who persist in rebellion. ⁹⁴ 

Mazmur 69:28

69:28 May their names be deleted from the scroll of the living! ⁹⁵ 

Do not let their names be listed with the godly! ⁹⁶ 

Mazmur 69:35-36

69:35 For God will deliver Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

and his people ⁹⁷  will again live in them and possess Zion. ⁹⁸ 

69:36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it,

and those who are loyal to him ⁹⁹  will live in it. ¹⁰⁰ 

Mazmur 75:6

75:6 For victory does not come from the east or west,

or from the wilderness. ¹⁰¹ 

Mazmur 77:15

77:15 You delivered ¹⁰²  your people by your strength ¹⁰³  –

the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)

Mazmur 81:8

81:8 I said, ¹⁰⁴  ‘Listen, my people!

I will warn ¹⁰⁵  you!

O Israel, if only you would obey me! ¹⁰⁶ 

Mazmur 81:12

81:12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires; ¹⁰⁷ 

they did what seemed right to them. ¹⁰⁸ 

Mazmur 81:14

81:14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies,

and attack ¹⁰⁹  their adversaries.”

Mazmur 84:2

84:2 I desperately want to be ¹¹⁰ 

in the courts of the Lord’s temple. ¹¹¹ 

My heart and my entire being ¹¹²  shout for joy

to the living God.

Mazmur 85:13

85:13 Deliverance goes ¹¹³  before him,

and prepares ¹¹⁴  a pathway for him. ¹¹⁵ 

Mazmur 88:10

88:10 Do you accomplish amazing things for the dead?

Do the departed spirits ¹¹⁶  rise up and give you thanks? (Selah)

Mazmur 88:13

88:13 As for me, I cry out to you, O Lord;

in the morning my prayer confronts you.

Mazmur 89:6

89:6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?

Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings, ¹¹⁷ 

Mazmur 89:16

89:16 They rejoice in your name all day long,

and are vindicated ¹¹⁸  by your justice.

Mazmur 102:24

102:24 I say, “O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life! ¹¹⁹ 

You endure through all generations. ¹²⁰ 

Mazmur 102:28

102:28 The children of your servants will settle down here,

and their descendants ¹²¹  will live securely in your presence.” ¹²² 

Mazmur 108:13

108:13 By God’s power we will conquer; ¹²³ 

he will trample down ¹²⁴  our enemies.

Mazmur 140:11

140:11 A slanderer ¹²⁵  will not endure on ¹²⁶  the earth;

calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down. ¹²⁷ 

[6:6]  ¹ tn Heb “I cause to swim through all the night my bed.”

[6:6]  ² tn Heb “with my tears my bed I flood/melt.”

[7:5]  ³ tn The vocalization of the verb form seems to be a mixture of Qal and Piel (see GKC 168 §63.n). The translation assumes the Piel, which would emphasize the repetitive nature of the action. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a jussive. The psalmist is so certain that he is innocent of the sins mentioned in vv. 3-4, he pronounces an imprecation on himself for rhetorical effect.

[7:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.

[7:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “and may he overtake.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. The object “me,” though unexpressed, is understood from the preceding statement.

[7:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and may he trample down to the earth my life.”

[7:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “and my honor in the dust may he cause to dwell.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. Some emend כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy, “my honor”) to כְבֵדִי (khÿvediy, “my liver” as the seat of life), but the term כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy) is to be retained since it probably refers to the psalmist’s dignity or honor.

[7:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “according to.”

[7:17]  ⁹ tn Heb “[to] the name of the Lord Most High.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case the compound “Lord Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.

[9:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “place, Lord, terror with regard to them.” The Hebrew term מוֹרָה (morah, “terror”) is an alternative form of מוֹרָא (mora’; a reading that appears in some mss and finds support in several ancient textual witnesses).

[9:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “let the nations know they [are] man[kind]”; i.e., mere human beings (as opposed to God).

[18:7]  ¹² sn The earth heaved and shook. The imagery pictures an earthquake in which the earth’s surface rises and falls. The earthquake motif is common in OT theophanies of God as warrior and in ancient Near Eastern literary descriptions of warring gods and kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 160-62.

[18:7]  ¹³ tn 2 Sam 22:8 has “heavens” which forms a merism with “earth” in the preceding line. The “foundations of the heavens” would be the mountains. However, the reading “foundations of the mountains” has a parallel in Deut 32:22.

[18:7]  ¹⁴ tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the three prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive in the verse.

[18:17]  ¹⁵ tn The singular refers either to personified death or collectively to the psalmist’s enemies. The following line, which refers to “those [plural] who hate me,” favors the latter.

[18:37]  ¹⁶ tn 2 Sam 22:38 reads “destroy.”

[19:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “may the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart be acceptable before you.” The prefixed verbal form at the beginning of the verse is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate the form as an imperfect continuing the thought of v. 14b: “[Then] the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart will be acceptable before you.”

[19:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”

[19:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and the one who redeems me.” The metaphor casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis.

[22:16]  ²⁰ tn Or “for.”

[22:16]  ²¹ 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.”

[34:2]  ²² tn Heb “my soul will boast”; or better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.

[34:2]  ²³ tn The two prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best taken as jussives, for the psalmist is calling his audience to worship (see v. 3).

[34:5]  ²⁴ tc Heb “they look to him and are radiant and their faces are not ashamed.” The third person plural subject (“they”) is unidentified; there is no antecedent in the Hebrew text. For this reason some prefer to take the perfect verbal forms in the first line as imperatives, “look to him and be radiant” (cf. NEB, NRSV). Some medieval Hebrew mss and other ancient witnesses (Aquila, the Syriac, and Jerome) support an imperatival reading for the first verb. In the second line some (with support from the LXX and Syriac) change “their faces” to “your faces,” which allows one to retain more easily the jussive force of the verb (suggested by the preceding אַל [’al]): “do not let your faces be ashamed.” It is probable that the verbal construction in the second line is rhetorical, expressing the conviction that the action in view cannot or should not happen. See GKC 322 §109.e.

[34:9]  ²⁵ tn Heb “fear.”

[34:9]  ²⁶ tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”

[34:9]  ²⁷ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[36:7]  ²⁸ tn Or “valuable.”

[36:7]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear.

[41:8]  ³⁰ tn The words “they say” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to make it clear that v. 8 contains a quotation of what the psalmist’s enemies say about him (see v. 7a).

[41:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “thing of worthlessness.” In Ps 101:3 the phrase refers to evil deeds in general, but here it appears to refer more specifically to the illness that plagues the psalmist.

[41:8]  ³² tn Heb “is poured out on him.” The passive participle of יָצַק (yatsaq) is used.

[41:8]  ³³ tn Heb “and he who lies down will not again arise.”

[41:12]  ³⁴ tn Or “have upheld.” The perfect verbal form can be taken as generalizing/descriptive (present) or as a present perfect.

[41:12]  ³⁵ sn Because of my integrity. See Pss 7:8; 25:21; 26:1, 11.

[41:12]  ³⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect. It is either generalizing/descriptive (present) or has a present perfect nuance (“you have allowed”).

[41:12]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and you cause me to stand before you permanently.”

[42:3]  ³⁸ tn Heb “My tears have become my food day and night.”

[42:3]  ³⁹ tn Heb “when [they] say to me all the day.” The suffixed third masculine plural pronoun may have been accidentally omitted from the infinitive בֶּאֱמֹר (be’ÿmor, “when [they] say”). Note the term בְּאָמְרָם (bÿ’omram, “when they say”) in v. 10.

[45:2]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “you are handsome from the sons of man.” The preposition “from” is used in a comparative (“more than”) sense. The peculiar verb form יָפְיָפִיתָ (yafyafita) is probably the result of dittography of yod-pe (יפ) and should be emended to יָפִיתָ (yafita). See GKC 152 §55.e.

[45:2]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “favor is poured out on your lips.” “Lips” probably stands by metonymy for the king’s speech. Some interpret the Hebrew term חֵן (khen) as referring here to “gracious (i.e., kind and polite) speech”, but the word probably refers more generally to “attractive” speech that is impressively articulated and fitting for the occasion. For other instances of the term being used of speech, see Prov 22:11 and Eccl 10:12.

[45:2]  ⁴² tn Or “this demonstrates.” The construction עַל־כֵּן (’al-ken, “therefore”) usually indicates what logically follows from a preceding statement. However, here it may infer the cause from the effect, indicating the underlying basis or reason for what precedes (see BDB 487 s.v. I כֵּן 3.f; C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 1:386).

[45:2]  ⁴³ tn Or “blesses you forever.” Here “bless” means to “endue with the power and skill to rule effectively,” as the following verses indicate.

[46:2]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ 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.

[46:4]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “A river, its channels cause the city of God to be glad.”

[46:4]  sn The city of God is Jerusalem (see Pss 48:1-2; 87:2-3). The river’s “channels” are probably irrigation ditches vital to growing crops. Some relate the imagery to the “waters of Shiloah” (see Isa 8:6), which flowed from the Gihon spring to the pool of Siloam. In Isa 8:6-8 these waters are contrasted with the flood waters symbolizing Assyria. Even if this is the reality behind the imagery, the picture of a river flowing through Jerusalem is idealized and exaggerated. The river and irrigation ditches symbolize the peace and prosperity that the Lord provides for Jerusalem, in contrast to the havoc produced by the turbulent waters (symbolic of the nations) outside the city. Some see here an adaptation of Canaanite (or, more specifically, Jebusite) mythical traditions of rivers/springs flowing from the high god El’s dwelling place. The Songs of Zion do utilize such imagery at times (see Ps 48:2). The image of a river flowing through Zion may have inspired prophetic visions of an eschatological river flowing from the temple (see Ezek 47:1-12; Joel 3:18).

[46:4]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “the holy [place] of the dwelling places of.” The adjective “holy” is used here in a substantival manner and placed in construct with the following noun (see GKC 428 §132.c). Origen’s transliterated text assumes the reading קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holiness; holy place”), while the LXX assumes a Piel verbal form קִדֵּשׁ (qidesh, “makes holy”) and takes the following form as “his dwelling place.” The plural form מִשְׁכְּנֵי (mishkÿney, “dwelling places of”) is probably a plural of degree, emphasizing the special character of this dwelling place. See GKC 397 §124.b. The form stands as an appositional genitive in relation to the preceding construct noun.

[46:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.

[49:11]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ sn Naming their lands after themselves is a claim of possession.

[49:15]  ⁵² tn Or “certainly.”

[49:15]  ⁵³ tn Or “redeem.”

[49:15]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “me.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[49:15]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “hand.”

[49:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “for.”

[49:15]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “he will take me.” To improve the poetic balance of the verse, some move the words “from the power of Sheol” to the following line. The verse would then read: “But God will rescue my life; / from the power of Sheol he will certainly deliver me” (cf. NEB).

[49:15]  sn According to some, the psalmist here anticipates the resurrection (or at least an afterlife in God’s presence). But it is more likely that the psalmist here expresses his hope that God will rescue him from premature death at the hands of the rich oppressors denounced in the psalm. The psalmist is well aware that all (the wise and foolish) die (see vv. 7-12), but he is confident God will lead him safely through the present “times of trouble” (v. 5) and sweep the wicked away to their final destiny. The theme is a common one in the so-called wisdom psalms (see Pss 1, 34, 37, 112). For a fuller discussion of the psalmists’ view of the afterlife, see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “A Theology of the Psalms,” A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, 284-88.

[51:13]  ⁵⁸ tn The cohortative expresses the psalmist’s resolve. This may be a vow or promise. If forgiven, the psalmist will “repay” the Lord by declaring God’s mercy and motivating other sinners to repent.

[51:13]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “your ways.” The word “merciful” is added for clarification. God’s “ways” are sometimes his commands, but in this context, where the teaching of God’s ways motivates repentance (see the next line), it is more likely that God’s merciful and compassionate way of dealing with sinners is in view. Thanksgiving songs praising God for his deliverance typically focus on these divine attributes (see Pss 34, 41, 116, 138).

[51:13]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “return,” i.e., in repentance.

[51:17]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “a broken spirit.”

[51:17]  ⁶² tn Heb “a broken and crushed heart.”

[51:17]  ⁶³ tn Or “despise.”

[54:5]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2.

[54:5]  ⁶⁵ tn The Kethib (consonantal text) reads a Qal imperfect, “the evil will return,” while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Hiphil imperfect, “he will repay.” The parallel line has an imperative (indicating a prayer/request), so it is best to read a jussive form יָשֹׁב (yashov, “let it [the evil] return”) here.

[54:5]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”

[56:7]  ⁶⁷ tc Heb “because of wickedness, deliverance to them.” As it stands, the MT makes no sense. The negative particle אַיִן (’ayin, “there is not,” which is due to dittography of the immediately preceding אָוֶן, ’aven, “wickedness”), should probably be added before “deliverance” (see BHS, note a). The presence of an imperative in the next line (note “bring down”) suggests that this line should be translated as a prayer as well, “may there not be deliverance to them.”

[56:7]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “in anger.” The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[56:7]  ⁶⁹ tn Or perhaps “people” in a general sense.

[56:9]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “then my enemies will turn back in the day I cry out.” The Hebrew particle אָז (’az, “then”) is probably used here to draw attention to the following statement.

[56:9]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “this I know, that God is for me.”

[59:7]  ⁷² tn Heb “look, they gush forth with their mouth, swords [are] in their lips.”

[59:7]  ⁷³ tn The words “for they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The following question (“Who hears?”) is spoken by the psalmist’s enemies, who are confident that no one else can hear their threats against the psalmist. They are aggressive because they feel the psalmist is vulnerable and has no one to help him.

[59:10]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “the God of my [Qere (marginal reading); the Kethib (consonantal text) has “his”] loyal love will meet me.”

[59:10]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “will cause me to look upon.”

[59:10]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 56:2.

[60:3]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “you have caused your people to see [what is] hard.”

[60:3]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “wine of staggering,” that is, intoxicating wine that makes one stagger in drunkenness. Intoxicating wine is here an image of divine judgment that makes its victims stagger like drunkards. See Isa 51:17-23.

[60:12]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “in God we will accomplish strength.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 108:13; 118:15-16).

[60:12]  ⁸⁰ sn Trample down. On this expression see Ps 44:5.

[61:8]  ⁸¹ tn Or “forever.”

[61:8]  ⁸² tn Or perhaps, “and thereby fulfill.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.

[63:5]  ⁸³ tn Heb “like fat and fatness.”

[63:5]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “me.”

[63:5]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “and [with] lips of joy my mouth praises.”

[64:4]  ⁸⁶ tn The psalmist uses the singular because he is referring to himself here as representative of a larger group.

[64:4]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “and are unafraid.” The words “of retaliation” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[64:6]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “search out, examine,” which here means (by metonymy) “devise.”

[64:6]  ⁸⁹ tc The MT has תַּמְנוּ (tamnu, “we are finished”), a Qal perfect first common plural form from the verbal root תָּמַם (tamam). Some understand this as the beginning of a quotation of the enemies’ words and translate, “we have completed,” but the Hiphil would seem to be required in this case. The present translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading טָמְנוּ (tomnu, “they hide”), a Qal perfect third common plural form from the verbal root טָמַן (taman).

[64:6]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “a searched-out search,” which is understood as referring here to a thoroughly planned plot to destroy the psalmist.

[64:6]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “and the inner part of man, and a heart [is] deep.” The point seems to be that a man’s inner thoughts are incapable of being discovered. No one is a mind reader! Consequently the psalmist is vulnerable to his enemies’ well-disguised plots.

[68:17]  ⁹² tn Heb “thousands of [?].” The meaning of the word שִׁנְאָן (shin’an), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Perhaps the form should be emended to שַׁאֲנָן (sha’anan, “at ease”) and be translated here “held in reserve.”

[68:17]  ⁹³ tc The MT reads, “the Lord [is] among them, Sinai, in holiness,” which is syntactically difficult. The present translation assumes an emendation to אֲדֹנָי בָּא מִסִּינַי (’adonay ba’ missinay; see BHS note b-b and Deut 33:2).

[68:21]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “the hairy forehead of the one who walks about in his guilt.” The singular is representative.

[69:28]  ⁹⁵ 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]  ⁹⁶ 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.

[69:35]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[69:35]  ⁹⁸ 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]  ⁹⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁰ 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.

[75:6]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “for not from the east or from the west, and not from the wilderness of the mountains.” If one follows this reading the sentence is elliptical. One must supply “does help come,” or some comparable statement. However, it is possible to take הָרִים (harim) as a Hiphil infinitive from רוּם (rum), the same verb used in vv. 4-5 of “lifting up” a horn. In this case one may translate the form as “victory.” In this case the point is that victory does not come from alliances with other nations.

[77:15]  ¹⁰² tn Or “redeemed.”

[77:15]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “with [your] arm.”

[81:8]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Verses 8-10 appear to recall what the Lord commanded the generation of Israelites that experienced the events described in v. 7. Note the statement in v. 11, “my people did not listen to me.”

[81:8]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or perhaps “command.”

[81:8]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The Hebrew particle אִם (“if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (GKC 321 §109.b). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.

[81:12]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “and I sent him away in the stubbornness of their heart.”

[81:12]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “they walked in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite (“walked”) or a customary imperfect (“were walking”).

[81:14]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “turn my hand against.” The idiom “turn the hand against” has the nuance of “strike with the hand, attack” (see Isa 1:25; Ezek 38:12; Amos 1:8; Zech 13:7).

[84:2]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “my soul longs, it even pines for.”

[84:2]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “the courts of the Lord” (see Ps 65:4).

[84:2]  ¹¹² tn Heb “my flesh,” which stands for his whole person and being.

[85:13]  ¹¹³ tn Or “will go.”

[85:13]  ¹¹⁴ tn Or “will prepare.”

[85:13]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “and it prepares for a way his footsteps.” Some suggest emending וְיָשֵׂם (vÿyasem, “and prepares”) to וְשָׁלוֹם (vÿshalom, “and peace”) since “deliverance” and “peace” are closely related earlier in v. 13. This could be translated, “and peace [goes ahead, making] a pathway for his footsteps” (cf. NEB).

[88:10]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “Rephaim,” a term that refers to those who occupy the land of the dead (see Isa 14:9; 26:14, 19).

[89:6]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “sons of gods”; or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem (ם) is actually enclitic rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8. The phrase בְנֵי אֵלִים (vÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here associated with “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones,” the heavenly assembly (comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings) appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently uses the Canaanite phrase, applying it to the supernatural beings that surround the Lord’s heavenly throne.

[89:16]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “are lifted up.”

[102:24]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “do not lift me up in the middle of my days.”

[102:24]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “in a generation of generations [are] your years.”

[102:28]  ¹²¹ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[102:28]  ¹²² tn Heb “before you will be established.”

[108:13]  ¹²³ tn Heb “in God we will accomplish strength.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 60:12; 118:16-16).

[108:13]  ¹²⁴ sn On the expression trample down our enemies see Ps 44:5.

[140:11]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “a man of a tongue.”

[140:11]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “be established in.”

[140:11]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “for blows.” The Hebrew noun מַדְחֵפֹה (madkhefoh, “blow”) occurs only here in the OT.