Mazmur 7:3

7:3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say, ¹ 

or am guilty of unjust actions, ² 

Mazmur 7:13

7:13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; ³ 

he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. ⁴ 

Mazmur 10:10

10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;

they are trapped in his sturdy nets. ⁵ 

Mazmur 17:2

17:2 Make a just decision on my behalf! ⁶ 

Decide what is right! ⁷ 

Mazmur 22:20

22:20 Deliver me ⁸  from the sword!

Save ⁹  my life ¹⁰  from the claws ¹¹  of the wild dogs!

Mazmur 26:6

26:6 I maintain a pure lifestyle, ¹² 

so I can appear before your altar, ¹³  O Lord,

Mazmur 26:9

26:9 Do not sweep me away ¹⁴  with sinners,

or execute me along with violent people, ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 26:12--27:1

26:12 I am safe, ¹⁶ 

and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.

Psalm 27 ¹⁷ 

By David.

27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! ¹⁸ 

I fear no one! ¹⁹ 

The Lord protects my life!

I am afraid of no one! ²⁰ 

Mazmur 33:8

33:8 Let the whole earth fear ²¹  the Lord!

Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him!

Mazmur 34:19

34:19 The godly ²²  face many dangers, ²³ 

but the Lord saves ²⁴  them ²⁵  from each one of them.

Mazmur 35:7

35:7 I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me

and dug a pit to trap me. ²⁶ 

Mazmur 35:21

35:21 They are ready to devour me; ²⁷ 

they say, “Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!” ²⁸ 

Mazmur 37:3

37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!

Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! ²⁹ 

Mazmur 37:11

37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land

and enjoy great prosperity. ³⁰ 

Mazmur 41:7

41:7 All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another; ³¹ 

they plan ways to harm me.

Mazmur 44:12

44:12 You sold ³²  your people for a pittance; ³³ 

you did not ask a high price for them. ³⁴ 

Mazmur 44:16

44:16 before the vindictive enemy

who ridicules and insults me. ³⁵ 

Mazmur 47:3

47:3 He subdued nations beneath us ³⁶ 

and countries ³⁷  under our feet.

Mazmur 50:5

50:5 He says: ³⁸ 

“Assemble my covenant people before me, ³⁹ 

those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice!” ⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 56:3

56:3 When ⁴¹  I am afraid,

I trust in you.

Mazmur 56:5

56:5 All day long they cause me trouble; ⁴² 

they make a habit of plotting my demise. ⁴³ 

Mazmur 66:5

66:5 Come and witness ⁴⁴  God’s exploits! ⁴⁵ 

His acts on behalf of people are awesome! ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 69:10

69:10 I weep and refrain from eating food, ⁴⁷ 

which causes others to insult me. ⁴⁸ 

Mazmur 76:8

76:8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be. ⁴⁹ 

The earth ⁵⁰  was afraid and silent

Mazmur 78:19

78:19 They insulted God, saying, ⁵¹ 

“Is God really able to give us food ⁵²  in the wilderness?

Mazmur 78:59

78:59 God heard and was angry;

he completely rejected Israel.

Mazmur 82:2

82:2 He says, ⁵³  “How long will you make unjust legal decisions

and show favoritism to the wicked? ⁵⁴  (Selah)

Mazmur 82:7

82:7 Yet you will die like mortals; ⁵⁵ 

you will fall like all the other rulers.” ⁵⁶ 

Mazmur 90:13

90:13 Turn back toward us, O Lord!

How long must this suffering last? ⁵⁷ 

Have pity on your servants! ⁵⁸ 

Mazmur 105:28

105:28 He made it dark; ⁵⁹ 

they did not disobey his orders. ⁶⁰ 

Mazmur 105:39

105:39 He spread out a cloud for a cover, ⁶¹ 

and provided a fire to light up the night.

Mazmur 106:13

106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; ⁶² 

they did not wait for his instructions. ⁶³ 

Mazmur 106:26

106:26 So he made a solemn vow ⁶⁴ 

that he would make them die ⁶⁵  in the desert,

Mazmur 107:26

107:26 They ⁶⁶  reached up to the sky,

then dropped into the depths.

The sailors’ strength ⁶⁷  left them ⁶⁸  because the danger was so great. ⁶⁹ 

Mazmur 109:6

109:6 ⁷⁰ Appoint an evil man to testify against him! ⁷¹ 

May an accuser stand ⁷²  at his right side!

Mazmur 109:20

109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, ⁷³ 

those who say evil things about ⁷⁴  me! ⁷⁵ 

Mazmur 109:30

109:30 I will thank the Lord profusely, ⁷⁶ 

in the middle of a crowd ⁷⁷  I will praise him,

Mazmur 112:6-7

112:6 For he will never be upended;

others will always remember one who is just. ⁷⁸ 

112:7 He does not fear bad news.

He ⁷⁹  is confident; he trusts ⁸⁰  in the Lord.

Mazmur 114:3

114:3 The sea looked and fled; ⁸¹ 

the Jordan River ⁸²  turned back. ⁸³ 

Mazmur 114:5

114:5 Why do you flee, O sea?

Why do you turn back, O Jordan River?

Mazmur 116:3

116:3 The ropes of death tightened around me, ⁸⁴ 

the snares ⁸⁵  of Sheol confronted me.

I was confronted ⁸⁶  with trouble and sorrow.

Mazmur 116:6

116:6 The Lord protects ⁸⁷  the untrained; ⁸⁸ 

I was in serious trouble ⁸⁹  and he delivered me.

Mazmur 119:19

119:19 I am like a foreigner in this land. ⁹⁰ 

Do not hide your commands from me!

Mazmur 119:101

119:101 I stay away ⁹¹  from the evil path,

so that I might keep your instructions. ⁹² 

Mazmur 119:117

119:117 Support me, so that I will be delivered.

Then I will focus ⁹³  on your statutes continually.

Mazmur 119:132

119:132 Turn toward me and extend mercy to me,

as you typically do to your loyal followers. ⁹⁴ 

Mazmur 119:161

שׂ/שׁ (Sin/Shin)

119:161 Rulers pursue me for no reason,

yet I am more afraid of disobeying your instructions. ⁹⁵ 

Mazmur 119:163

119:163 I hate and despise deceit;

I love your law.

Mazmur 119:169-170

ת (Tav)

119:169 Listen to my cry for help, ⁹⁶  O Lord!

Give me insight by your word!

119:170 Listen to my appeal for mercy! ⁹⁷ 

Deliver me, as you promised. ⁹⁸ 

Mazmur 125:4

125:4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,

to the morally upright! ⁹⁹ 

Mazmur 129:2

129:2 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,

but they have not defeated me.

Mazmur 132:10

132:10 For the sake of David, your servant,

do not reject your chosen king! ¹⁰⁰ 

Mazmur 135:9

135:9 He performed awesome deeds ¹⁰¹  and acts of judgment ¹⁰² 

in your midst, O Egypt,

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

Mazmur 139:3

139:3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; ¹⁰³ 

you are aware of everything I do. ¹⁰⁴ 

Mazmur 139:20

139:20 They ¹⁰⁵  rebel against you ¹⁰⁶  and act deceitfully; ¹⁰⁷ 

your enemies lie. ¹⁰⁸ 

Mazmur 143:6

143:6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer; ¹⁰⁹ 

my soul thirsts for you in a parched ¹¹⁰  land. ¹¹¹ 

Mazmur 145:9

145:9 The Lord is good to all,

and has compassion on all he has made. ¹¹² 

Mazmur 147:13

147:13 For he makes the bars of your gates strong.

He blesses your children ¹¹³  within you.

[7:3]  ¹ tn Heb “if I have done this.”

[7:3]  ² tn Heb “if there is injustice in my hands.” The “hands” figuratively suggest deeds or actions.

[7:13]  ³ tn Heb “and for him he prepares the weapons of death.”

[7:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “his arrows into flaming [things] he makes.”

[10:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “he crushes, he is bowed down, and he falls into his strong [ones], [the] unfortunate [ones].” This verse presents several lexical and syntactical difficulties. The first word (יִדְכֶּה, yidekeh) is an otherwise unattested Qal form of the verb דָּכָה (dakhah, “crush”). (The Qere [marginal] form is imperfect; the consonantal text [Kethib] has the perfect with a prefixed conjunction vav [ו].) If the wicked man’s victim is the subject, which seems to be the case (note the two verbs which follow), then the form should be emended to a Niphal (יִדָּכֶה, yiddakheh). The phrase בַּעֲצוּמָיו (ba’atsumayv, “into his strong [ones]”), poses interpretive problems. The preposition -בְּ (bet) follows the verb נָפַל (nafal, “fall”), so it may very well carry the nuance “into” here, with “his strong [ones]” then referring to something into which the oppressed individual falls. Since a net is mentioned in the preceding verse as the instrument used to entrap the victim, it is possible that “strong [ones]” here refers metonymically to the wicked man’s nets or traps. Ps 35:8 refers to a man falling into a net (רֶשֶׁת, reshet), as does Ps 141:10 (where the plural of מִכְמָר [mikhmar, “net”] is used). A hunter’s net (רֶשֶׁת), is associated with snares (פַּח [pakh], מֹקְשִׁים, [moqÿshim]) and ropes (חֲבָלִים, khavalim) in Ps 140:5. The final word in the verse (חֶלְכָּאִים (khelka’im, “unfortunate [ones]”) may be an alternate form of חֵלְכָח (khelkhakh, “unfortunate [one]”; see vv. 8, 14). The Qere (marginal reading) divides the form into two words, חֵיל כָּאִים (khel ka’im, “army/host of disheartened [ones]”). The three verb forms in v. 10 are singular because the representative “oppressed” individual is the grammatical subject (see the singular עָנִי [’aniy] in v. 9).

[17:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “From before you may my justice come out.” The prefixed verbal form יָצָא (yatsa’) could be taken as an imperfect, but following the imperatives in v. 1, it is better understood as a jussive of prayer.

[17:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “May your eyes look at what is right.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as jussive. (See also the preceding note on the word “behalf.”)

[22:20]  ⁸ tn Or “my life.”

[22:20]  ⁹ tn The verb “save” is supplied in the translation; it is understood by ellipsis (see “deliver” in the preceding line).

[22:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone.

[22:20]  ¹¹ 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.

[26:6]  ¹² tn Heb “I wash my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The imperfect verbal emphasizes that this is his habit.

[26:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “so I can go around your altar” (probably in ritual procession). Following the imperfect of the preceding line, the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.

[26:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “do not gather up my life with.”

[26:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “or with men of bloodshed my life.” The verb is supplied; it is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).

[26:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “my foot stands in a level place.”

[27:1]  ¹⁷ sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.

[27:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the Lord [is] my light and my deliverance.” “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Another option is that “light” refers here to divine guidance (see Ps 43:3).

[27:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

[27:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

[33:8]  ²¹ tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.”

[34:19]  ²² tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.

[34:19]  ²³ tn Or “trials.”

[34:19]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the godly.

[34:19]  ²⁵ tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.

[35:7]  ²⁶ tc Heb “for without cause they hid for me a pit of their net, without cause they dug for my life.” It appears that the words “pit” and “net” have been transposed. “Net” goes with the verb “hid” in the first line (see v. 8, as well as Pss 9:15; 31:4), while “pit” goes with the verb “dug” in the second line (see Ps 7:15).

[35:21]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and they cause their mouth to be wide against me.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the generalizing mood of the previous verse. For other examples of this use of the prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive, see GKC 329 §111.t.

[35:21]  ²⁸ tn Heb “our eye sees.” Apparently this is an idiom meaning to “look in triumph” or “gloat over” (see Ps 54:7).

[37:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (ra’ah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.

[37:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”

[41:7]  ³¹ tn Heb “together against me they whisper, all those who hate me.” The Hitpael of לָחַשׁ (lakhash) refers here to whispering to one another (see 2 Sam 12:19).

[44:12]  ³² tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[44:12]  ³³ tn Heb “for what is not wealth.”

[44:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “you did not multiply their purchase prices.”

[44:16]  ³⁵ tn Heb “from the voice of one who ridicules and insults, from the face of an enemy and an avenger.” See Ps 8:2.

[47:3]  ³⁶ tn On the meaning of the verb דָּבַר (davar, “subdue”), a homonym of דָּבַר (“speak”), see HALOT 209-10 s.v. I דבר. See also Ps 18:47 and 2 Chr 22:10. The preterite form of the verb suggests this is an historical reference and the next verse, which mentions the gift of the land, indicates that the conquest under Joshua is in view.

[47:3]  ³⁷ tn Or “peoples” (see Pss 2:1; 7:7; 9:8; 44:2).

[50:5]  ³⁸ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s summons to the defendant follows.

[50:5]  ³⁹ tn Or “Gather to me my covenant people.” The Hebrew term חָסִיד (khasid, “covenant people”) elsewhere in the psalms is used in a positive sense of God’s loyal followers (see the note at Ps 4:3), but here, as the following line makes clear, the term has a neutral sense and simply refers to those who have outwardly sworn allegiance to God, not necessarily to those whose loyalty is genuine.

[50:5]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the cutters of my covenant according to sacrifice.” A sacrifice accompanied the covenant-making ceremony and formally ratified the agreement (see Exod 24:3-8).

[56:3]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “[in] a day.”

[56:5]  ⁴² tn Heb “my affairs they disturb.” For other instances of דָּבָר (davar) meaning “affairs, business,” see BDB 183 s.v.. The Piel of עָצַב (’atsav, “to hurt”) occurs only here and in Isa 63:10, where it is used of “grieving” (or “offending”) the Lord’s holy Spirit. Here in Ps 56:5, the verb seems to carry the nuance “disturb, upset,” in the sense of “cause trouble.”

[56:5]  ⁴³ tn Heb “against me [are] all their thoughts for harm.”

[66:5]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “see.”

[66:5]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “acts” (see Ps 46:8).

[66:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “awesome [is] an act toward the sons of man.” It is unclear how the prepositional phrase relates to what precedes. If collocated with “act,” it may mean “on behalf of” or “toward.” If taken with “awesome” (see 1 Chr 16:25; Pss 89:7; 96:4; Zeph 2:11), one might translate “his awesome acts are beyond human comprehension” or “his awesome acts are superior to anything men can do.”

[69:10]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and it becomes insults to me.”

[76:8]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “a [legal] decision,” or “sentence.”

[76:8]  ⁵⁰ tn “The earth” stands here by metonymy for its inhabitants.

[78:19]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “they spoke against God, they said.”

[78:19]  ⁵² tn Heb “to arrange a table [for food].”

[82:2]  ⁵³ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to indicate that the following speech is God’s judicial decision (see v. 1).

[82:2]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and the face of the wicked lift up.”

[82:7]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “men.” The point in the context is mortality, however, not maleness.

[82:7]  sn You will die like mortals. For the concept of a god losing immortality and dying, see Isa 14:12-15, which alludes to a pagan myth in which the petty god “Shining One, son of the Dawn,” is hurled into Sheol for his hubris.

[82:7]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “like one of the rulers.” The comparison does not necessarily imply that they are not rulers. The expression “like one of” can sometimes mean “as one of” (Gen 49:16; Obad 11) or “as any other of” (Judg 16:7, 11).

[90:13]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “Return, O Lord! How long?”

[90:13]  ⁵⁸ tn Elsewhere the Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) + the preposition עַל (’al) + a personal object has the nuance “be comforted concerning [the personal object’s death]” (see 2 Sam 13:39; Jer 31:15). However, here the context seems to demand “feel sorrow for,” “have pity on.” In Deut 32:36 and Ps 135:14, where “servants” is also the object of the preposition, this idea is expressed with the Hitpael form of the verb.

[105:28]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”

[105:28]  sn He made it dark. The psalmist begins with the ninth plague (see Exod 10:21-29).

[105:28]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.

[105:39]  ⁶¹ tn Or “curtain.”

[106:13]  ⁶² tn Heb “his works.”

[106:13]  ⁶³ tn Heb “his counsel.”

[106:26]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).

[106:26]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”

[107:26]  ⁶⁶ tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).

[107:26]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[107:26]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “melted.”

[107:26]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “from danger.”

[109:6]  ⁷⁰ sn In vv. 6-19 the psalmist calls on God to judge his enemies severely. Some attribute this curse-list to the psalmist’s enemies rather than the psalmist. In this case one should paraphrase v. 6: “They say about me, ‘Appoint an evil man, etc.’” Those supporting this line of interpretation point out that vv. 2-5 and 20 refer to the enemies’ attack on the psalmist being a verbal one. Furthermore in vv. 1-5, 20 the psalmist speaks of his enemies in the plural, while vv. 6-19 refer to an individual. This use of the singular in vv. 6-19 could be readily explained if this is the psalmist’s enemies’ curse on him. However, it is much more natural to understand vv. 6-19 as the psalmist’s prayer against his enemies. There is no introductory quotation formula in v. 6 to indicate that the psalmist is quoting anyone, and the statement “may the Lord repay my accusers in this way” in v. 20 most naturally appears to be a fitting conclusion to the prayer in vv. 6-19. But what about the use of the singular in vv. 6-19? Often in the psalms the psalmist will describe his enemies as a group, but then speak of them as an individual as well, as if viewing his adversaries collectively as one powerful foe. See, for example, Ps 7, where the psalmist uses both the plural (vv. 1, 6) and the singular (vv. 2, 4-5) in referring to enemies. Perhaps by using the singular in such cases, the psalmist wants to single out each enemy for individual attention, or perhaps he has one especially hostile enemy in mind who epitomizes the opposition of the whole group. This may well be the case in Ps 109. Perhaps we should understand the singular throughout vv. 6-19 in the sense of “each and every one.” For a lengthy and well-reasoned defense of the opposite view – that vv. 6-19 are a quotation of what the enemies said about the psalmist – see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 72-73.

[109:6]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “appoint against him an evil [man].”

[109:6]  ⁷² tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive here (note the imperative in the preceding line).

[109:20]  ⁷³ tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the Lord.”

[109:20]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “against.”

[109:20]  ⁷⁵ tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[109:30]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “I will thank the Lord very much with my mouth.”

[109:30]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “many.”

[112:6]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “for an eternal memorial a just [one] will be.”

[112:7]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition and emotions (see Ps 108:1).

[112:7]  ⁸⁰ tn The passive participle בָּטֻחַ [בָּטוּחַ] (batuakh [batuakh]) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action. See Isa 26:3.

[114:3]  ⁸¹ sn The psalmist recalls the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).

[114:3]  ⁸² tn Heb “the Jordan” (also in v. 5). The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[114:3]  ⁸³ sn The psalmist recalls the crossing of the Jordan River (Josh 3:13, 16).

[116:3]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “surrounded me.”

[116:3]  ⁸⁵ tn The Hebrew noun מצר (“straits; distress”) occurs only here, Ps 118:5 and Lam 1:3. If retained, it refers to Sheol as a place where one is confined or severely restricted (cf. BDB 865 s.v. מֵצַר, “the straits of Sheol”; NIV “the anguish of the grave”; NRSV “the pangs of Sheol”). However, HALOT 624 s.v. מֵצַר suggests an emendation to מְצָדֵי (mÿtsadey, “snares of”), a rare noun attested in Job 19:6 and Eccl 7:26. This proposal, which is reflected in the translation, produces better parallelism with “ropes” in the preceding line.

[116:3]  ⁸⁶ tn The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls the crisis from which the Lord delivered him.

[116:6]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “guards.” The active participle indicates this is a characteristic of the Lord.

[116:6]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Ps 19:7.

[116:6]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “I was low.”

[119:19]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “I am a resident alien in the land.” Resident aliens were especially vulnerable and in need of help. They needed to know the social and legal customs of the land to avoid getting into trouble. The translation (note the addition of “like”) assumes the psalmist is speaking metaphorically, not literally.

[119:101]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “I hold back my feet.”

[119:101]  ⁹² tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural.

[119:117]  ⁹³ tn Or “and that I might focus.” The two cohortatives with vav (ו) conjunctive indicate purpose/result after the imperative at the beginning of the verse.

[119:132]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “according to custom toward the lovers of your name.” The “lovers of” God’s “name” are the Lord’s loyal followers. See Pss 5:11; 69:36; Isa 56:6.

[119:161]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “and because of your instructions my heart trembles.” The psalmist’s healthy “fear” of the consequences of violating God’s instructions motivates him to obey them. See v. 120.

[119:169]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “may my cry approach before you.”

[119:170]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “may my appeal for mercy come before you.”

[119:170]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “according to your speech.”

[125:4]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “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; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

[132:10]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”

[135:9]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).

[135:9]  ¹⁰² tn Or “portents”; “omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are alluded to here.

[139:3]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “my traveling and my lying down you measure.” The verb זָרָה (zarah, “to measure”) is probably here a denominative from זָרָת (zarat, “a span; a measure”), though some derive it from זָרָה (zarat, “to winnow; to sift”; see BDB 279-80 s.v. זָרָה).

[139:3]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “all my ways.”

[139:20]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “who.”

[139:20]  ¹⁰⁶ tc Heb “they speak [of] you.” The suffixed form of the verb אָמַר (’amar, “to speak”) is peculiar. The translation assumes an emendation to יַמְרֻךָ (yamrukha), a Hiphil form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”; see Ps 78:40).

[139:20]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “by deceit.”

[139:20]  ¹⁰⁸ tc Heb “lifted up for emptiness, your cities.” The Hebrew text as it stands makes no sense. The form נָשֻׂא (nasu’; a Qal passive participle) should be emended to נָשְׂאוּ (nosÿu; a Qal perfect, third common plural, “[they] lift up”). Many emend עָרֶיךָ (’arekha, “your cities”) to עָלֶיךָ (’alekha, “against you”), but it is preferable to understand the noun as an Aramaism and translate “your enemies” (see Dan 4:16 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 253).

[143:6]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The words “in prayer” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the psalmist is referring to a posture of prayer.

[143:6]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” See Ps 63:1.

[143:6]  ¹¹¹ tc Heb “my soul like a faint land for you.” A verb (perhaps “thirsts”) is implied (see Ps 63:1). The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition -כְּ (kÿ, “like”) to -בְּ (bÿ, “in,” see Ps 63:1; cf. NEB “athirst for thee in a thirsty land”). If the MT is retained, one might translate, “my soul thirsts for you, as a parched land does for water/rain” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[145:9]  ¹¹² tn Heb “and his compassion is over all his works.”

[147:13]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “your sons.”