Mazmur 89:44

89:44 You have brought to an end his splendor, ¹ 

and have knocked ²  his throne to the ground.

Mazmur 137:9

137:9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies

and smashes them on a rock! ³ 

Mazmur 55:23

55:23 But you, O God, will bring them ⁴  down to the deep Pit. ⁵ 

Violent and deceitful people ⁶  will not live even half a normal lifespan. ⁷ 

But as for me, I trust in you.

Mazmur 78:31

78:31 when the anger of God flared up against them.

He killed some of the strongest of them;

he brought the young men of Israel to their knees.

Mazmur 2:3

2:3 They say, ⁸  “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us! ⁹ 

Let’s free ourselves from ¹⁰  their ropes!”

Mazmur 36:12

36:12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen! ¹¹ 

They have been knocked down and are unable to get up! ¹² 

Mazmur 37:24

37:24 Even if ¹³  he trips, he will not fall headlong, ¹⁴ 

for the Lord holds ¹⁵  his hand.

Mazmur 89:38

89:38 But you have spurned ¹⁶  and rejected him;

you are angry with your chosen king. ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 51:11

51:11 Do not reject me! ¹⁸ 

Do not take your Holy Spirit ¹⁹  away from me! ²⁰ 

Mazmur 31:22

31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said, ²¹ 

“I am cut off from your presence!” ²² 

But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.

Mazmur 53:5

53:5 They are absolutely terrified, ²³ 

even by things that do not normally cause fear. ²⁴ 

For God annihilates ²⁵  those who attack you. ²⁶ 

You are able to humiliate them because God has rejected them. ²⁷ 

Mazmur 136:15

136:15 and tossed ²⁸  Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,

for his loyal love endures,

Mazmur 141:6

141:6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. ²⁹ 

They ³⁰  will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.

Mazmur 60:8

60:8 Moab is my washbasin. ³¹ 

I will make Edom serve me. ³² 

I will shout in triumph over Philistia.” ³³ 

Mazmur 108:9

108:9 Moab is my wash basin. ³⁴ 

I will make Edom serve me. ³⁵ 

I will shout in triumph over Philistia.”

Mazmur 63:9

63:9 Enemies seek to destroy my life, ³⁶ 

but they will descend into the depths of the earth. ³⁷ 

Mazmur 147:6

147:6 The Lord lifts up the oppressed,

but knocks ³⁸  the wicked to the ground.

Mazmur 147:17

147:17 He throws his hailstones ³⁹  like crumbs.

Who can withstand the cold wind he sends? ⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 18:42

18:42 I grind them as fine windblown dust; ⁴¹ 

I beat them underfoot ⁴²  like clay ⁴³  in the streets.

Mazmur 56:7

56:7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape! ⁴⁴ 

In your anger ⁴⁵  bring down the nations, ⁴⁶  O God!

Mazmur 141:8

141:8 Surely I am looking to you, ⁴⁷  O sovereign Lord.

In you I take shelter.

Do not expose me to danger! ⁴⁸ 

Mazmur 143:3

143:3 Certainly ⁴⁹  my enemies ⁵⁰  chase me.

They smash me into the ground. ⁵¹ 

They force me to live ⁵²  in dark regions, ⁵³ 

like those who have been dead for ages.

Mazmur 137:3

137:3 for there our captors ask us to compose songs; ⁵⁴ 

those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying: ⁵⁵ 

“Sing for us a song about Zion!” ⁵⁶ 

Mazmur 140:10

140:10 May he rain down ⁵⁷  fiery coals upon them!

May he throw them into the fire!

From bottomless pits they will not escape. ⁵⁸ 

[89:44]  ¹ tc The Hebrew text appears to read, “you have brought to an end from his splendor,” but the form מִטְּהָרוֹ (mittÿharo) should be slightly emended (the daghesh should be removed from the tet [ת]) and read simply “his splendor” (the initial mem [מ] is not the preposition, but a nominal prefix).

[89:44]  ² tn The Hebrew verb מָגַר (magar) occurs only here and perhaps in Ezek 21:17.

[137:9]  ³ sn For other references to the wholesale slaughter of babies in the context of ancient Near Eastern warfare, see 2 Kgs 8:12; Isa 13:16; Hos 13:16; Nah 3:10.

[55:23]  ⁴ tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).

[55:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “well of the pit.” The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 103:4).

[55:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”

[55:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”

[2:3]  ⁸ tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The quotation represents the words of the rebellious kings.

[2:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “their (i.e., the Lord’s and the king’s) shackles.” The kings compare the rule of the Lord and his vice-regent to being imprisoned.

[2:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “throw off from us.”

[36:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “there the workers of wickedness have fallen.” The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the evildoers lying fallen at a spot that is vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.).

[36:12]  ¹² tn The psalmist uses perfect verbal forms in v. 12 to describe the demise of the wicked as if it has already taken place.

[37:24]  ¹³ tn Other translation options for כִּי in this context are “when” (so NASB) or “though” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[37:24]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “be hurled down.”

[37:24]  ¹⁵ tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.

[89:38]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew construction (conjunction + pronoun, followed by the verb) draws attention to the contrast between what follows and what precedes.

[89:38]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 132:10, 17).

[51:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “do not cast me away from before you.”

[51:11]  ¹⁹ sn Your Holy Spirit. The personal Spirit of God is mentioned frequently in the OT, but only here and in Isa 63:10-11 is he called “your/his Holy Spirit.”

[51:11]  ²⁰ sn Do not take…away. The psalmist expresses his fear that, due to his sin, God will take away the Holy Spirit from him. NT believers enjoy the permanent gift of the Holy Spirit and need not make such a request nor fear such a consequence. However, in the OT God’s Spirit empowered certain individuals for special tasks and only temporarily resided in them. For example, when God rejected Saul as king and chose David to replace him, the divine Spirit left Saul and came upon David (1 Sam 16:13-14).

[31:22]  ²¹ tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”

[31:22]  ²² tn Heb “from before your eyes.”

[53:5]  ²³ tn Heb “there they are afraid [with] fear.” The perfect verbal form is probably used in a rhetorical manner; the psalmist describes the future demise of the oppressors as if it were already occurring. The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is also used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the wicked standing in fear at a spot that is this vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.). The cognate accusative following the verb emphasizes the degree of their terror (“absolutely”).

[53:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “there is no fear.” Apparently this means the evildoers are so traumatized with panic (see v. 5b) that they now jump with fear at everything, even those things that would not normally cause fear. Ps 14:5 omits this line.

[53:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “scatters the bones.” The perfect is used in a rhetorical manner, describing this future judgment as if it were already accomplished. Scattering the bones alludes to the aftermath of a battle. God annihilates his enemies, leaving their carcasses spread all over the battlefield. As the bodies are devoured by wild animals and decay, the bones of God’s dead enemies are exposed. See Ps 141:7.

[53:5]  ²⁶ tn Heb “[those who] encamp [against] you.” The second person masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to God’s people viewed as a collective whole. Instead of “for God scatters the bones of those who encamp against you,” Ps 14:5 reads, “for God is with a godly generation.”

[53:5]  ²⁷ tn Once again the perfect is used in a rhetorical manner, describing this future judgment as if it were already accomplished. As in the previous line, God’s people are probably addressed. The second person singular verb form is apparently collective, suggesting that the people are viewed here as a unified whole. Ps 14:6 reads here “the counsel of the oppressed you put to shame, even though God is his shelter,” the words being addressed to the wicked.

[136:15]  ²⁸ tn Or “shook off.”

[141:6]  ²⁹ tn Heb “they are thrown down by the hands of a cliff, their judges.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The perfect verbal form is understood as rhetorical; the psalmist describes the anticipated downfall of the wicked as if it had already occurred. “Their judges” could be taken as the subject of the verb, but this makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes the judges are the agents and that the wicked, mentioned earlier in the psalm, are the subjects of the verb.

[141:6]  ³⁰ tn It is unclear how this statement relates to the preceding sentence. Perhaps the judges are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the verb “will listen,” and “my words” are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the phrase “are pleasant.” The psalmist may be affirming here his confidence that he will be vindicated when he presents his case before the judges, while the wicked will be punished.

[60:8]  ³¹ sn The metaphor of the washbasin, used to rinse one’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 6-7), would be reduced to the status of a servant.

[60:8]  ³² tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of,” i.e., “I will take possession of Edom.” Others translate עַל (’al) as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.

[60:8]  ³³ tc Heb “over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph.” The translation follows the text of Ps 108:9. When the initial עֲלֵיוֹ (’aleyo, “over”) was misread as עָלַי (’alay, “over me”), the first person verb form was probably altered to an imperative to provide better sense to the line.

[108:9]  ³⁴ sn The metaphor of the wash basin, used to rinse one’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 7-8), would be reduced to the status of a servant.

[108:9]  ³⁵ tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of.” Others translate עַל (’al) as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.

[63:9]  ³⁶ tn Heb “but they for destruction seek my life.” The pronoun “they” must refer here to the psalmist’s enemies, referred to at this point for the first time in the psalm.

[63:9]  ³⁷ sn The depths of the earth refers here to the underworld dwelling place of the dead (see Ezek 26:20; 31:14, 16, 18; 32:18, 24). See L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 167.

[147:6]  ³⁸ tn Heb “brings down.”

[147:17]  ³⁹ tn Heb “his ice.”

[147:17]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “Before his cold, who can stand?”

[18:42]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “I pulverize them like dust upon the face of the wind.” The phrase “upon the face of” here means “before.” 2 Sam 22:43 reads, “like dust of the earth.”

[18:42]  ⁴² tc Ps 18:42 reads, “I empty them out” (Hiphil of ריק), while 2 Sam 22:43 reads, “I crush them, I stomp on them” (juxtaposing the synonyms דקק and רקע). It is likely that the latter is a conflation of variants. One, but not both, of the verbs in 2 Sam 22:43 is probably original; “empty out” does not form as good a parallel with “grind, pulverize” in the parallel line.

[18:42]  ⁴³ tn Or “mud.”

[56:7]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “in anger.” The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[56:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Or perhaps “people” in a general sense.

[141:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “my eyes [are] toward you.”

[141:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “do not lay bare my life.” Only here is the Piel form of the verb collocated with the term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”). In Isa 53:12 the Lord’s servant “lays bare (the Hiphil form of the verb is used) his life to death.”

[143:3]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “for.”

[143:3]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “an enemy.” The singular is used in a representative sense to describe a typical member of the larger group of enemies (note the plural “enemies” in vv. 9, 12).

[143:3]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”

[143:3]  ⁵² tn Or “sit.”

[143:3]  ⁵³ sn Dark regions refers to Sheol, which the psalmist views as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).

[137:3]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “ask us [for] the words of a song.”

[137:3]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “our [?] joy.” The derivation and meaning of the Hebrew phrase תוֹלָלֵינוּ (tolalenu, “our [?]”) are uncertain. A derivation from תָּלַל (talal, “to mock”) fits contextually, but this root occurs only in the Hiphil stem. For a discussion of various proposals, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 236.

[137:3]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “from a song of Zion.” Most modern translations read, “one of the songs of Zion,” taking the preposition מִן (min, “from”) as partitive and “song” as collective. The present translation assumes the mem (ם) is enclitic, being misunderstood later as the prefixed preposition.

[140:10]  ⁵⁷ tn The verb form in the Kethib (consonantal Hebrew text) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוּט (mut, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in Ps 55:3, where it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). In Ps 140:10 the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read.

[140:10]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “into bottomless pits, they will not arise.” The translation assumes that the preposition -בְּ (bet) has the nuance “from” here. Another option is to connect the line with what precedes, take the final clause as an asyndetic relative clause, and translate, “into bottomless pits [from which] they cannot arise.” The Hebrew noun מַהֲמֹרָה (mahamorah, “bottomless pit”) occurs only here in the OT.