Boks TemuanPsalms 10:1-18
Konteks10:1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble? 2
10:2 The wicked arrogantly chase the oppressed; 3
the oppressed are trapped 4 by the schemes the wicked have dreamed up. 5
10:3 Yes, 6 the wicked man 7 boasts because he gets what he wants; 8
the one who robs others 9 curses 10 and 11 rejects the Lord. 12
10:4 The wicked man is so arrogant he always thinks,
“God won’t hold me accountable; he doesn’t care.” 13
10:5 He is secure at all times. 14
He has no regard for your commands; 15
he disdains all his enemies. 16
“I will never 18 be upended,
because I experience no calamity.” 19
10:7 His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words; 20
his tongue injures and destroys. 21
10:8 He waits in ambush near the villages; 22
in hidden places he kills the innocent.
His eyes look for some unfortunate victim. 23
10:9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket; 24
he lies in ambush, waiting to catch 25 the oppressed;
he catches the oppressed 26 by pulling in his net. 27
10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;
they are trapped in his sturdy nets. 28
“God overlooks it;
he does not pay attention;
he never notices.” 30
O God, strike him down! 32
Do not forget the oppressed!
10:13 Why does the wicked man reject God? 33
He says to himself, 34 “You 35 will not hold me accountable.” 36
10:14 You have taken notice, 37
for 38 you always see 39 one who inflicts pain and suffering. 40
The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you; 41
you deliver 42 the fatherless. 43
10:15 Break the arm 44 of the wicked and evil man!
Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds, 45
which he thought you would not discover. 46
10:16 The Lord rules forever! 47
The nations are driven out of his land. 48
10:17 Lord, you have heard 49 the request 50 of the oppressed;
you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer. 51
10:18 You defend 52 the fatherless and oppressed, 53
so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. 54
Psalms 37:1-40
KonteksBy David.
37:1 Do not fret 56 when wicked men seem to succeed! 57
Do not envy evildoers!
37:2 For they will quickly dry up like grass,
and wither away like plants. 58
37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!
Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! 59
37:4 Then you will take delight in the Lord, 60
and he will answer your prayers. 61
37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! 62
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. 63
37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,
and publicly defend your just cause. 64
37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! 65
Wait confidently 66 for him!
Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, 67
a man who carries out wicked schemes!
37:8 Do not be angry and frustrated! 68
Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!
37:9 Wicked men 69 will be wiped out, 70
but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land. 71
37:10 Evil men will soon disappear; 72
you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. 73
37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity. 74
37:12 Evil men plot against the godly 75
and viciously attack them. 76
37:13 The Lord laughs in disgust 77 at them,
for he knows that their day is coming. 78
37:14 Evil men draw their swords
and prepare their bows,
to bring down 79 the oppressed and needy,
and to slaughter those who are godly. 80
37:15 Their swords will pierce 81 their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
37:16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than
the wealth of many evil men, 82
37:17 for evil men will lose their power, 83
but the Lord sustains 84 the godly.
37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day 85
and they possess a permanent inheritance. 86
37:19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come; 87
when famine comes they will have enough to eat. 88
37:20 But 89 evil men will die;
the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated 90 –
they will go up in smoke. 91
37:21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt,
but the godly show compassion and are generous. 92
37:22 Surely 93 those favored by the Lord 94 will possess the land,
but those rejected 95 by him will be wiped out. 96
37:23 The Lord grants success to the one
whose behavior he finds commendable. 97
37:24 Even if 98 he trips, he will not fall headlong, 99
for the Lord holds 100 his hand.
37:25 I was once young, now I am old.
I have never seen a godly man abandoned,
or his children 101 forced to search for food. 102
37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, 103
and his children 104 are blessed.
37:27 Turn away from evil! Do what is right! 105
Then you will enjoy lasting security. 106
37:28 For the Lord promotes 107 justice,
and never abandons 108 his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure, 109
but the children 110 of evil men are wiped out. 111
37:29 The godly will possess the land
and will dwell in it permanently.
37:30 The godly speak wise words
and promote justice. 112
37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking; 113
their 114 feet do not slip.
37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly
and try to kill them. 115
37:33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,
or allow them to be condemned in a court of law. 116
37:34 Rely 117 on the Lord! Obey his commands! 118
Then he will permit you 119 to possess the land;
you will see the demise of evil men. 120
37:35 I have seen ruthless evil men 121
growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil. 122
37:36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! 123
I looked for them, but they could not be found.
37:37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! 124
For the one who promotes peace has a future. 125
37:38 Sinful rebels are totally destroyed; 126
evil men have no future. 127
37:39 But the Lord delivers the godly; 128
he protects them in times of trouble. 129
37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, 130
for they seek his protection.
Psalms 73:1-28
KonteksBook 3
(Psalms 73-89)
A psalm by Asaph.
73:1 Certainly God is good to Israel, 132
and to those whose motives are pure! 133
73:2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my feet almost slid out from under me. 134
73:3 For I envied those who are proud,
as I observed 135 the prosperity 136 of the wicked.
73:4 For they suffer no pain; 137
their bodies 138 are strong and well-fed. 139
73:5 They are immune to the trouble common to men;
they do not suffer as other men do. 140
73:6 Arrogance is their necklace, 141
and violence their clothing. 142
73:7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong; 143
their thoughts are sinful. 144
73:8 They mock 145 and say evil things; 146
they proudly threaten violence. 147
73:9 They speak as if they rule in heaven,
and lay claim to the earth. 148
73:10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat,
and even suck up the water of the sea. 149
73:11 They say, “How does God know what we do?
Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?” 150
73:12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, 151
those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer. 152
73:13 I concluded, 153 “Surely in vain I have kept my motives 154 pure
and maintained a pure lifestyle. 155
73:14 I suffer all day long,
and am punished every morning.”
73:15 If I had publicized these thoughts, 156
I would have betrayed your loyal followers. 157
73:16 When I tried to make sense of this,
it was troubling to me. 158
73:17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple, 159
and understood the destiny of the wicked. 160
73:18 Surely 161 you put them in slippery places;
you bring them down 162 to ruin.
73:19 How desolate they become in a mere moment!
Terrifying judgments make their demise complete! 163
73:20 They are like a dream after one wakes up. 164
O Lord, when you awake 165 you will despise them. 166
73:21 Yes, 167 my spirit was bitter, 168
and my insides felt sharp pain. 169
73:22 I was ignorant 170 and lacked insight; 171
I was as senseless as an animal before you. 172
73:23 But I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
73:24 You guide 173 me by your wise advice,
and then you will lead me to a position of honor. 174
73:25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?
I desire no one but you on earth. 175
73:26 My flesh and my heart may grow weak, 176
but God always 177 protects my heart and gives me stability. 178
73:27 Yes, 179 look! Those far from you 180 die;
you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you. 181
73:28 But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. 182
I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter,
as 183 I declare all the things you have done.
Psalms 94:1-23
Konteks94:1 O Lord, the God who avenges!
O God who avenges, reveal your splendor! 185
94:2 Rise up, O judge of the earth!
Pay back the proud!
94:3 O Lord, how long will the wicked,
how long will the wicked celebrate? 186
94:4 They spew out threats 187 and speak defiantly;
all the evildoers boast. 188
94:5 O Lord, they crush your people;
they oppress the nation that belongs to you. 189
94:6 They kill the widow and the one residing outside his native land,
and they murder the fatherless. 190
94:7 Then they say, “The Lord does not see this;
the God of Jacob does not take notice of it.” 191
94:8 Take notice of this, 192 you ignorant people! 193
You fools, when will you ever understand?
94:9 Does the one who makes the human ear not hear?
Does the one who forms the human eye not see? 194
94:10 Does the one who disciplines the nations not punish?
He is the one who imparts knowledge to human beings!
94:11 The Lord knows that
peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt. 195
94:12 How blessed is the one 196 whom you instruct, O Lord,
the one whom you teach from your law,
94:13 in order to protect him from times of trouble, 197
until the wicked are destroyed. 198
94:14 Certainly 199 the Lord does not forsake his people;
he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him. 200
94:15 For justice will prevail, 201
and all the morally upright 202 will be vindicated. 203
94:16 Who will rise up to defend me 204 against the wicked?
Who will stand up for me against the evildoers? 205
94:17 If the Lord had not helped me,
I would have laid down in the silence of death. 206
94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your loyal love, O Lord, supports me.
94:19 When worries threaten to overwhelm me, 207
your soothing touch makes me happy. 208
94:20 Cruel rulers 209 are not your allies,
those who make oppressive laws. 210
94:21 They conspire against 211 the blameless, 212
and condemn to death the innocent. 213
94:22 But the Lord will protect me, 214
and my God will shelter me. 215
94:23 He will pay them back for their sin. 216
He will destroy them because of 217 their evil;
the Lord our God will destroy them.
[10:1] 1 sn Psalm 10. Many Hebrew
[10:1] 2 tn Heb “you hide for times in trouble.” The interrogative “why” is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The Hiphil verbal form “hide” has no expressed object. Some supply “your eyes” by ellipsis (see BDB 761 s.v. I עָלַם Hiph and HALOT 835 s.v. I עלם hif) or emend the form to a Niphal (“you hide yourself,” see BHS, note c; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[10:2] 3 tn Heb “because of the pride of [the] wicked he burns [i.e. hotly pursues] [the] oppressed.” The singular forms רָשָׁע (rasha’, “wicked”) and עָנִי (’aniy, “oppressed”) are collective and representative, as indicated in the next line, which uses plural verb forms to describe the actions of both.
[10:2] 4 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 2 describe either what typically happens (from the psalmist’s perspective) or what the psalmist was experiencing at the time he offered this prayer.
[10:2] 5 tn Heb “they are trapped in the schemes which they have thought up.” The referents of the two pronominal suffixes on the verbs have been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent of the first suffix (“they”) is taken as the oppressed, while the referent of the second (“they”) is taken to be the wicked (cf. NIV, which renders “wicked” in the previous line as a collective singular). Others take the referent of both occurrences of “they” in the line to be the wicked (cf. NRSV, “let them be caught in the schemes they have devised”).
[10:3] 5 tn The translation assumes כִּי (ki) is asseverative: “indeed, certainly.” Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 3 as giving the reason why the wicked so arrogantly seek to destroy the helpless (so NASB, NRSV).
[10:3] 6 tn The representative or typical evildoer is described in vv. 3-11, 13, 15. Since the singular form predominates in these verses, it has been retained in the translation.
[10:3] 7 tn Heb “the wicked [one] boasts on account of the desire of his appetite.” The translation assumes that the preposition עַל (’al) introduces the reason why the wicked boasts (cf. this use of עַל with הָלַל (halal) in Ps 119:164 and Ezra 3:11). In this case, the “desire of his appetite” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired.
[10:3] 8 tn The translation assumes the active participle is substantival, referring to the wicked man mentioned in the preceding line. The substantival participle is then understood as the subject of the following verbs. For other examples of the participle of בָּצַע (batsar) used of those who desire and/or acquire wealth through dishonest and/or violent means, see Prov 1:19; 15:27; Jer 6:13; 8:10; Hab 2:9.
[10:3] 9 tn The verb בָּרַךְ (barakh) normally means “to bless,” but in a few cases it exhibits the polarized meaning “to curse” (1 Kgs 21:10, 13; Job 1:5-11; 2:5-9). (Some regard this use of בָּרַךְ as a mere euphemism.) The verb refers to the act of pronouncing or calling down a formal curse upon the object of one’s anger.
[10:3] 10 tn The conjunction “and” is supplied in the translation; it does not appear in the Hebrew text.
[10:3] 11 tn Another option is to translate, “he blesses one who robs others, [but] he curses the
[10:4] 7 tn Heb “the wicked [one], according to the height of his nose, he does not seek, there is no God, all his thoughts.” The phrase “height of his nose” probably refers to an arrogant or snooty attitude; it likely pictures one with his nose turned upward toward the sky in pride. One could take the “wicked” as the subject of the negated verb “seek,” in which case the point is that the wicked do not “seek” God. The translation assumes that this statement, along with “there is no God,” is what the wicked man thinks to himself. In this case God is the subject of the verb “seek,” and the point is that God will not hold the wicked man accountable for his actions. Verse 13 strongly favors this interpretation. The statement “there is no God” is not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see v. 11).
[10:5] 9 tn Heb “they are firm, his ways, at every time.” The verb חַיִל (khayil, “be firm, be strong”) occurs only here and in Job 20:21, where it has the sense “endure.”
[10:5] 10 tc Heb “[on a] height, your judgments from before him.” If the MT is retained, then the idea may be that God’s “judgments” are high above (i.e., not recognized) by the wicked man. However, the syntax is awkward. The translation assumes an emendation of מָרוֹם (marom, “height”) to סָרוּ (saru, “[your judgments] are turned aside”), the final mem (ם) being dittographic (note the initial mem on the immediately following word [מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ, mishÿfatekha, “your judgments”). “Judgments” probably refers here to God’s laws or commands, rather than his judicial decisions or acts of judgment.
[10:5] 11 tn Heb “all his enemies, he snorts against them.” This may picture the wicked man defiantly challenging his enemies because he is confident of success. Another option is to take יָפִיחַ (yafiakh) from the root יָפַח (yafakh, “to testify”) and translate “he testifies against all his enemies,” implying that he gets the upper hand over them in legal battles. The noun יָפֵחַ (yafeakh, “witness”) is attested in biblical Hebrew (see Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3). The verb, however, is not clearly attested.
[10:6] 11 tn Heb “he says in his heart/mind.”
[10:6] 12 tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.” The traditional accentuation of the MT understands these words with the following line.
[10:6] 13 tn Heb “who, not in calamity.” If אֲשֶׁר (’asher) is taken as a relative pronoun here, then one could translate, “[I] who [am] not in calamity.” Some emend אֲשֶׁר to אֹשֶׁר (’osher, “happiness”; see HALOT 99 s.v. אֹשֶׁר); one might then translate, “[I live in] happiness, not in calamity.” The present translation assumes that אֲשֶׁר functions here as a causal conjunction, “because, for.” For this use of אֲשֶׁר, see BDB 83 s.v. אֲשֶׁר 8.c (where the present text is not cited).
[10:7] 13 tn Heb “[with] a curse his mouth is full, and lies and injury.”
[10:7] 14 tn Heb “under his tongue are destruction and wickedness.” The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 90:10. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10.
[10:8] 15 tn Heb “he sits in the ambush of the villages.”
[10:8] 16 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.
[10:9] 18 tn The verb, which also appears in the next line, occurs only here and in Judg 21:21.
[10:9] 19 tn The singular form is collective (see v. 10) or refers to the typical or representative oppressed individual.
[10:9] 20 tn Or “when he [i.e., the wicked man] pulls in his net.”
[10:10] 19 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).
[10:11] 21 tn Heb “he says in his heart.” See v. 6.
[10:11] 22 tn Heb “God forgets, he hides his face, he never sees.”
[10:12] 23 sn Rise up, O
[10:12] 24 tn Heb “lift up your hand.” Usually the expression “lifting the hand” refers to praying (Pss 28:2; 134:2) or making an oath (Ps 106:26), but here it probably refers to “striking a blow” (see 2 Sam 18:28; 20:21). Note v. 15, where the psalmist asks the
[10:13] 25 tn The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s outrage that the wicked would have the audacity to disdain God.
[10:13] 26 tn Heb “he says in his heart” (see vv. 6, 11). Another option is to understand an ellipsis of the interrogative particle here (cf. the preceding line), “Why does he say in his heart?”
[10:13] 27 tn Here the wicked man addresses God directly.
[10:13] 28 tn Heb “you will not seek.” The verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as generalizing about what is typical and translate, “you do not hold [people] accountable.”
[10:14] 27 tn Heb “you see.” One could translate the perfect as generalizing, “you do take notice.”
[10:14] 28 tn If the preceding perfect is taken as generalizing, then one might understand כִּי (ki) as asseverative: “indeed, certainly.”
[10:14] 29 tn Here the imperfect emphasizes God’s typical behavior.
[10:14] 30 tn Heb “destruction and suffering,” which here refers metonymically to the wicked, who dish out pain and suffering to their victims.
[10:14] 31 tn Heb “to give into your hand, upon you, he abandons, [the] unfortunate [one].” The syntax is awkward and the meaning unclear. It is uncertain who or what is being given into God’s hand. Elsewhere the idiom “give into the hand” means to deliver into one’s possession. If “to give” goes with what precedes (as the accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests), then this may refer to the wicked man being delivered over to God for judgment. The present translation assumes that “to give” goes with what follows (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The verb יַעֲזֹב (ya’azov) here has the nuance “entrust” (see Gen 39:6; Job 39:11); the direct object (“[his] cause”) is implied.
[10:14] 33 tn Heb “[for] one who is fatherless, you are a deliverer.” The noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9).
[10:15] 29 sn The arm symbolizes the strength of the wicked, which they use to oppress and exploit the weak.
[10:15] 30 tn Heb “you seek his wickedness.” As in v. 13, the verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as describing a fact, “you hold him accountable,” or as anticipating divine judgment, “you will hold him accountable.” However, since the verb is in apparent parallelism with the preceding imperative (“break”), it is better to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s desire or request.
[10:15] 31 tn Heb “you will not find.” It is uncertain how this statement relates to what precedes. Some take בַל (bal), which is used as a negative particle in vv. 4, 6, 11, 18, as asseverative here, “Indeed find (i.e., judge his wickedness).” The translation assumes that the final words are an asyndetic relative clause which refers back to what the wicked man boasted in God’s face (“you will not find [i.e., my wickedness]”). See v. 13.
[10:16] 31 tn Heb “the
[10:16] 32 tn Or “the nations perish from his land.” The perfect verb form may express what is typical or it may express rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude that God’s deliverance is “as good as done.”
[10:17] 33 sn You have heard. The psalmist is confident that God has responded positively to his earlier petitions for divine intervention. The psalmist apparently prayed the words of vv. 16-18 after the reception of an oracle of deliverance (given in response to the confident petition of vv. 12-15) or after the Lord actually delivered him from his enemies.
[10:17] 35 tn Heb “you make firm their heart, you cause your ear to listen.”
[10:18] 35 tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”
[10:18] 36 tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.
[10:18] 37 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.
[37:1] 37 sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
[37:1] 38 tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.
[37:1] 39 tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.
[37:2] 39 tn Heb “like green vegetation.”
[37:3] 41 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.
[37:4] 43 tn Following the imperatives of v. 3 the prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) in v. 4 indicate result. Faith and obedience (v. 3) will bring divine blessing (v. 4).
[37:4] 44 tn Or “and he will give you what you desire most.” Heb “and he will grant to you the requests of your heart.”
[37:5] 45 tn Heb “roll your way upon the
[37:5] 46 tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the
[37:6] 47 tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”
[37:7] 49 tn Heb “Be quiet before the
[37:7] 50 tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (vÿhitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (vÿtokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, yÿhvah) and (2) the final lamed (ל) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).
[37:7] 51 tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”
[37:8] 51 tn Heb “Refrain from anger! Abandon rage!”
[37:9] 53 tn Heb “for evil men.” The conjunction כִּי (ki, “for”) relates to the exhortations in v. 8; there is no reason to be frustrated, for the evildoers will be punished in due time.
[37:9] 54 tn Or “cut off, removed.”
[37:9] 55 tn Heb “and those who wait on the
[37:10] 55 tn Heb “and yet, a little, there will be no wicked [one].”
[37:10] 56 tn Heb “and you will carefully look upon his place, but he will not be [there].” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer is in view.
[37:11] 57 tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”
[37:12] 59 tn Or “innocent.” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and the typical godly individual are in view.
[37:12] 60 tn Heb “and gnashes at him with his teeth” (see Ps 35:16). The language may picture the evil men as wild animals. The active participles in v. 12 are used for purposes of dramatic description.
[37:13] 61 tn Heb “laughs.” As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laughter (see 2:4). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes the action from the perspective of an eye-witness who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.
[37:13] 62 tn Heb “for he sees that his day is coming.” As the following context makes clear (vv. 15, 17, 19-20), “his day” refers to the time when God will destroy evildoers.
[37:14] 63 tn Heb “to cause to fall.”
[37:14] 64 tn Heb “the upright in way,” i.e., those who lead godly lives.
[37:15] 65 tn Heb “enter into.”
[37:16] 67 tn Heb “Better [is] a little to the godly one than the wealth of many evil ones.” The following verses explain why this is true. Though a godly individual may seem to have only meager possessions, he always has what he needs and will eventually possess the land. The wicked may prosper for a brief time, but will eventually be destroyed by divine judgment and lose everything.
[37:17] 69 tn Heb “for the arms of the evil ones will be broken.”
[37:17] 70 tn The active participle here indicates this is characteristically true.
[37:18] 71 tn Heb “the
[37:18] 72 tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”
[37:19] 73 tn Heb “in a time of trouble.”
[37:19] 74 tn Heb “in days of famine they will be satisfied.”
[37:20] 75 tn Or “for,” but Hebrew כי in this case would have to extend all the way back to v. 17a. Another option is to understand the particle as asseverative, “surely” (see v. 22).
[37:20] 76 tc The meaning of the MT (כִּיקַר כָּרִים [kiqar karim], “like what is precious among the pastures/rams”) is uncertain. One possibility is to take the noun כָּרִים as “pastures” and interpret “what is precious” as referring to flowers that blossom but then quickly disappear (see v. 2 and BDB 430 s.v. יָקָר 3). If כָּרִים is taken as “rams,” then “what is precious” might refer to the choicest portions of rams. The present translation follows a reading in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QpPs37), כיקוד כורם (“like the burning of an oven”). The next line, which pictures the
[37:20] 77 tn Heb “they perish in smoke, they perish.” In addition to repeating the verb for emphasis, the psalmist uses the perfect form of the verb to picture the enemies’ demise as if it had already taken place. In this way he draws attention to the certitude of their judgment.
[37:21] 77 tn Heb “an evil [man] borrows and does not repay; but a godly [man] is gracious and gives.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The three active participles and one imperfect (“repay”) draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the two types.
[37:22] 79 tn The particle כִּי is best understood as asseverative or emphatic here.
[37:22] 80 tn Heb “those blessed by him.” The pronoun “him” must refer to the Lord (see vv. 20, 23), so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:22] 82 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed” (see v. 9).
[37:23] 81 tn Heb “from the
[37:24] 83 tn Other translation options for כִּי in this context are “when” (so NASB) or “though” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[37:24] 84 tn Heb “be hurled down.”
[37:24] 85 tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.
[37:25] 85 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:25] 86 tn Heb “or his offspring searching for food.” The expression “search for food” also appears in Lam 1:11, where Jerusalem’s refugees are forced to search for food and to trade their valuable possessions for something to eat.
[37:26] 87 tn The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
[37:26] 88 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:27] 89 tn Or “Do good!” The imperatives are singular (see v. 1).
[37:27] 90 tn Heb “and dwell permanently.” The imperative with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause after the preceding imperatives.
[37:28] 91 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the
[37:28] 92 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.
[37:28] 93 tn Or “protected forever.”
[37:28] 94 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:28] 95 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.
[37:30] 93 tn Heb “The mouth of the godly [one] utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.” The singular form is used in a representative sense; the typical godly individual is in view. The imperfect verbal forms draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the godly.
[37:31] 95 tn Heb “the law of his God [is] in his heart.” The “heart” is here the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
[37:31] 96 tn Heb “his.” The pronoun has been translated as plural to agree with the representative or typical “godly” in v. 30.
[37:32] 97 tn Heb “an evil [one] watches the godly [one] and seeks to kill him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
[37:33] 99 tn Heb “the
[37:34] 102 tn Heb “keep his way.” The
[37:34] 103 tn Heb “and he will lift you up.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause following the imperatives in the preceding lines.
[37:34] 104 tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”
[37:35] 103 tn The Hebrew uses the representative singular again here.
[37:35] 104 tn Heb “being exposed [?] like a native, luxuriant.” The Hebrew form מִתְעָרֶה (mit’areh) appears to be a Hitpael participle from עָרָה (’arah, “be exposed”), but this makes no sense in this context. Perhaps the form is a dialectal variant of מִתְעָלָה (“giving oneself an air of importance”; see Jer 51:3), from עָלָה (’alah, “go up”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 296). The noun אֶזְרָח (’ezrakh, “native, full citizen”) refers elsewhere to people, but here, where it is collocated with “luxuriant, green,” it probably refers to a tree growing in native soil.
[37:36] 105 tn Heb “and he passes by and, look, he is not [there].” The subject of the verb “passes by” is probably indefinite, referring to any passerby. Some prefer to change the form to first person, “and I passed by” (cf. NEB; note the first person verbal forms in preceding verse and in the following line).
[37:37] 108 tn Heb “for [there is] an end for a man of peace.” Some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see the next verse and Ps 109:13; cf. NEB, NRSV).
[37:38] 109 tn Or “destroyed together.” In this case the psalmist pictures judgment sweeping them away as a group.
[37:38] 110 tn Heb “the end of evil men is cut off.” As in v. 37, some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see Ps 109:13). The perfect verbal forms in v. 38 probably express general truths. Another option is that they are used emphatically to state with certitude that the demise of the wicked is as good as done.
[37:39] 111 tn Heb “and the deliverance of the godly [ones] [is] from the
[37:39] 112 tn Heb “[he is] their place of refuge in a time of trouble.”
[37:40] 113 tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.
[73:1] 115 sn Psalm 73. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist offers a personal testimony of his struggle with the age-old problem of the prosperity of the wicked. As he observed evil men prosper, he wondered if a godly lifestyle really pays off. In the midst of his discouragement, he reflected upon spiritual truths and realities. He was reminded that the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary. God will eventually vindicate his people.
[73:1] 116 tn Since the psalm appears to focus on an individual’s concerns, not the situation of Israel, this introduction may be a later addition designed to apply the psalm’s message to the entire community. To provide a better parallel with the next line, some emend the Hebrew phrase לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֱלֹהִים (lÿyisra’el ’elohim, “to Israel, God”) to אֱלֹהִים [or אֵל] לָיָּשָׁר (’elohim [or ’el] lÿyyashar, “God [is good] to the upright one”).
[73:1] 117 tn Heb “to the pure of heart.”
[73:2] 117 tn The Hebrew verb normally means “to pour out,” but here it must have the nuance “to slide.”
[73:3] 119 tn The imperfect verbal form here depicts the action as continuing in a past time frame.
[73:3] 120 tn Heb “peace” (שָׁלוֹם, shalom).
[73:4] 121 tn In Isa 58:6, the only other occurrence of this word in the OT, the term refers to “bonds” or “ropes.” In Ps 73:4 it is used metaphorically of pain and suffering that restricts one’s enjoyment of life.
[73:4] 123 tc Or “fat.” The MT of v. 4 reads as follows: “for there are no pains at their death, and fat [is] their body.” Since a reference to the death of the wicked seems incongruous in the immediate context (note v. 5) and premature in the argument of the psalm (see vv. 18-20, 27), some prefer to emend the text by redividing it. The term לְמוֹתָם (lÿmotam,“at their death”) is changed to לָמוֹ תָּם (lamo tam, “[there are no pains] to them, strong [and fat are their bodies]”). The term תָּם (tam, “complete; sound”) is used of physical beauty in Song 5:2; 6:9. This emendation is the basis for the present translation. However, in defense of the MT (the traditional Hebrew text), one may point to an Aramaic inscription from Nerab which views a painful death as a curse and a nonpainful death in one’s old age as a sign of divine favor. See ANET 661.
[73:5] 123 tn Heb “in the trouble of man they are not, and with mankind they are not afflicted.”
[73:6] 125 sn Arrogance is their necklace. The metaphor suggests that their arrogance is something the wicked “wear” proudly. It draws attention to them, just as a beautiful necklace does to its owner.
[73:6] 126 tn Heb “a garment of violence covers them.” The metaphor suggests that violence is habitual for the wicked. They “wear” it like clothing; when one looks at them, violence is what one sees.
[73:7] 127 tc The MT reads “it goes out from fatness their eye,” which might be paraphrased, “their eye protrudes [or “bulges”] because of fatness.” This in turn might refer to their greed; their eyes “bug out” when they see rich food or produce (the noun חֵלֶב [khelev, “fatness”] sometimes refers to such food or produce). However, when used with the verb יָצָא (yatsa’, “go out”) the preposition מִן (“from”) more naturally indicates source. For this reason it is preferable to emend עֵינֵמוֹ (’enemo, “their eye”) to עֲוֹנָמוֹ, (’avonamo, “their sin”) and read, “and their sin proceeds forth from fatness,” that is, their prosperity gives rise to their sinful attitudes. If one follows this textual reading, another interpretive option is to take חֵלֶב (“fatness”) in the sense of “unreceptive, insensitive” (see its use in Ps 17:10). In this case, the sin of the wicked proceeds forth from their spiritual insensitivity.
[73:7] 128 tn Heb “the thoughts of [their] heart [i.e., mind] cross over” (i.e., violate God’s moral boundary, see Ps 17:3).
[73:8] 129 tn The verb מוּק (muq, “mock”) occurs only here in the OT.
[73:8] 130 tn Heb “and speak with evil.”
[73:8] 131 tn Heb “oppression from an elevated place they speak.” The traditional accentuation of the MT places “oppression” with the preceding line. In this case, one might translate, “they mock and speak with evil [of] oppression, from an elevated place [i.e., “proudly”] they speak.” By placing “oppression” with what follows, one achieves better poetic balance in the parallelism.
[73:9] 131 tn Heb “they set in heaven their mouth, and their tongue walks through the earth.” The meaning of the text is uncertain. Perhaps the idea is that they lay claim to heaven (i.e., speak as if they were ruling in heaven) and move through the earth declaring their superiority and exerting their influence. Some take the preposition -בְּ (bet) the first line as adversative and translate, “they set their mouth against heaven,” that is, they defy God.
[73:10] 133 tc Heb “therefore his people return [so Qere (marginal reading); Kethib (consonantal text) has “he brings back”] to here, and waters of abundance are sucked up by them.” The traditional Hebrew text (MT) defies explanation. The present translation reflects M. Dahood’s proposed emendations (Psalms [AB], 2:190) and reads the Hebrew text as follows: לָכֵן יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם וּמֵי מָלֵא יָמֹצּוּ לָמוֹ (“therefore they are filled with food, and waters of abundance they suck up for themselves”). The reading יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם (yisvÿ’um lekhem, “they are filled with food”) assumes (1) an emendation of יָשׁיּב עַמּוֹ (yashyyv, “he will bring back his people”) to יִשְׂבְעוּם (yisvÿ’um, “they will be filled”; a Qal imperfect third masculine plural form from שָׂבַע [sava’] with enclitic mem [ם]), and (2) an emendation of הֲלֹם (halom, “to here”) to לֶחֶם (“food”). The expression “be filled/fill with food” appears elsewhere at least ten times (see Ps 132:15, for example). In the second line the Niphal form יִמָּצוּ (yimmatsu, derived from מָצָה, matsah, “drain”) is emended to a Qal form יָמֹצּוּ (yamotsu), derived from מָצַץ (matsats, “to suck”). In Isa 66:11 the verbs שָׂבַע (sava’; proposed in Ps 73:10a) and מָצַץ (proposed in Ps 73:10b) are parallel. The point of the emended text is this: Because they are seemingly sovereign (v. 9), they become greedy and grab up everything they need and more.
[73:11] 135 tn Heb “How does God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High?” They appear to be practical atheists, who acknowledge God’s existence and sovereignty in theory, but deny his involvement in the world (see Pss 10:4, 11; 14:1).
[73:12] 137 tn Heb “Look, these [are] the wicked.”
[73:12] 138 tn Heb “the ones who are always at ease [who] increase wealth.”
[73:13] 139 tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.
[73:13] 140 tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
[73:13] 141 tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.
[73:15] 141 tn Heb “If I had said, ‘I will speak out like this.’”
[73:15] 142 tn Heb “look, the generation of your sons I would have betrayed.” The phrase “generation of your [i.e., God’s] sons” occurs only here in the OT. Some equate the phrase with “generation of the godly” (Ps 14:5), “generation of the ones seeking him” (Ps 24:6), and “generation of the upright” (Ps 112:2). In Deut 14:1 the Israelites are referred to as God’s “sons.” Perhaps the psalmist refers here to those who are “Israelites” in the true sense because of their loyalty to God (note the juxtaposition of “Israel” with “the pure in heart” in v. 1).
[73:16] 143 tn Heb “and [when] I pondered to understand this, troubling it [was] in my eyes.”
[73:17] 145 tn The plural of the term מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash) probably refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 68:35; Jer 51:51).
[73:17] 146 tn Heb “I discerned their end.” At the temple the psalmist perhaps received an oracle of deliverance announcing his vindication and the demise of the wicked (see Ps 12) or heard songs of confidence (for example, Ps 11), wisdom psalms (for example, Pss 1, 37), and hymns (for example, Ps 112) that describe the eventual downfall of the proud and wealthy.
[73:18] 147 tn The use of the Hebrew term אַךְ (’akh, “surely”) here literarily counteracts its use in v. 13. The repetition draws attention to the contrast between the two statements, the first of which expresses the psalmist’s earlier despair and the second his newly discovered confidence.
[73:18] 148 tn Heb “cause them to fall.”
[73:19] 149 tn Heb “they come to an end, they are finished, from terrors.”
[73:20] 151 tn Heb “like a dream from awakening.” They lack any real substance; their prosperity will last for only a brief time.
[73:20] 152 sn When you awake. The psalmist compares God’s inactivity to sleep and the time of God’s judgment to his awakening from sleep.
[73:20] 153 tn Heb “you will despise their form.” The Hebrew term צֶלֶם (tselem, “form; image”) also suggests their short-lived nature. Rather than having real substance, they are like the mere images that populate one’s dreams. Note the similar use of the term in Ps 39:6.
[73:21] 153 tn Or perhaps “when.”
[73:21] 154 tn The imperfect verbal form here describes a continuing attitude in a past time frame.
[73:21] 155 tn Heb “and [in] my kidneys I was pierced.” The imperfect verbal form here describes a continuing condition in a past time frame.
[73:22] 155 tn Or “brutish, stupid.”
[73:22] 156 tn Heb “and I was not knowing.”
[73:22] 157 tn Heb “an animal I was with you.”
[73:24] 157 tn The imperfect verbal form here suggests this is the psalmist’s ongoing experience.
[73:24] 158 tn Heb “and afterward [to] glory you will take me.” Some interpreters view this as the psalmist’s confidence in an afterlife in God’s presence and understand כָּבוֹד (cavod) as a metonymic reference to God’s presence in heaven. But this seems unlikely in the present context. The psalmist anticipates a time of vindication, when the wicked are destroyed and he is honored by God for his godly life style. The verb לָקַח (laqakh, “take”) here carries the nuance “lead, guide, conduct,” as in Num 23:14, 27-28; Josh 24:3 and Prov 24:11.
[73:25] 159 tn Heb “Who [is there] for me in heaven? And besides you I do not desire [anyone] in the earth.” The psalmist uses a merism (heaven/earth) to emphasize that God is the sole object of his desire and worship in the entire universe.
[73:26] 161 tn The Hebrew verb כָלָה (khalah, “to fail; to grow weak”) does not refer here to physical death per se, but to the physical weakness that sometimes precedes death (see Job 33:21; Pss 71:9; 143:7; Prov 5:11).
[73:26] 163 tn Heb “is the rocky summit of my heart and my portion.” The psalmist compares the
[73:27] 164 sn The following line defines the phrase far from you in a spiritual sense. Those “far” from God are those who are unfaithful and disloyal to him.
[73:27] 165 tn Heb “everyone who commits adultery from you.”
[73:28] 165 tn Heb “but as for me, the nearness of God for me [is] good.”
[73:28] 166 tn The infinitive construct with -לְ (lÿ) is understood here as indicating an attendant circumstance. Another option is to take it as indicating purpose (“so that I might declare”) or result (“with the result that I declare”).
[94:1] 167 sn Psalm 94. The psalmist asks God to judge the wicked and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
[94:1] 168 tn Heb “shine forth” (see Pss 50:2; 80:1).
[94:4] 171 tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”
[94:4] 172 tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (’amar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).
[94:5] 173 tn Or “your inheritance.”
[94:6] 175 tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 82:3; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
[94:7] 177 tn Heb “does not understand.”
[94:8] 179 tn Heb “understand.” The verb used in v. 7 is repeated here for rhetorical effect. The people referred to here claim God is ignorant of their actions, but the psalmist corrects their faulty viewpoint.
[94:8] 180 tn Heb “[you] brutish among the people.”
[94:9] 181 tn Heb “The one who plants an ear, does he not hear? The one who forms an eye, does he not see?”
[94:11] 183 tn Heb “the
[94:12] 185 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in v. 2.
[94:13] 187 tn Heb “to give him rest from the days of trouble.”
[94:13] 188 tn Heb “until a pit is dug for the wicked.”
[94:14] 190 tn Or “his inheritance.”
[94:15] 191 tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.”
[94:15] 192 tn Heb “all 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
[94:15] 193 tn Heb “and after it [are] the pure of heart.”
[94:16] 194 sn Who will stand up for me…? The questions anticipate the answer, “No one except God” (see v. 17).
[94:17] 195 tn Heb “If the
[94:19] 197 tn Heb “when my worries are many within me.”
[94:19] 198 tn Heb “your comforts cause my soul to delight.”
[94:20] 199 tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.
[94:20] 200 tn Heb “Is a throne of destruction united to you, one that forms trouble upon a statute?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course not!” The translation, while not preserving the interrogative form of the statement, reflects its rhetorical force.
[94:21] 202 tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”
[94:21] 203 tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”
[94:22] 203 tn Heb “and the
[94:22] 204 tn Heb “and my God [has become] a rocky summit of my safety.”
[94:23] 205 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
