Mazmur 1:1

Book 1
(Psalms 1-41)

Psalm 1 ¹ 

1:1 How blessed ²  is the one ³  who does not follow ⁴  the advice ⁵  of the wicked, ⁶ 

or stand in the pathway ⁷  with sinners,

or sit in the assembly ⁸  of scoffers! ⁹ 

Mazmur 11:7

11:7 Certainly ¹⁰  the Lord is just; ¹¹ 

he rewards godly deeds; ¹² 

the upright will experience his favor. ¹³ 

Mazmur 15:4

15:4 He despises a reprobate, ¹⁴ 

but honors the Lord’s loyal followers. ¹⁵ 

He makes firm commitments and does not renege on his promise. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 37:20

37:20 But ¹⁷  evil men will die;

the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated ¹⁸  –

they will go up in smoke. ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 37:22

37:22 Surely ²⁰  those favored by the Lord ²¹  will possess the land,

but those rejected ²²  by him will be wiped out. ²³ 

Mazmur 73:27

73:27 Yes, ²⁴  look! Those far from you ²⁵  die;

you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you. ²⁶ 

Mazmur 78:21

78:21 When ²⁷  the Lord heard this, he was furious.

A fire broke out against Jacob,

and his anger flared up ²⁸  against Israel,

Mazmur 97:8

97:8 Zion hears and rejoices,

the towns ²⁹  of Judah are happy,

because of your judgments, O Lord.

Mazmur 97:12

97:12 You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord!

Give thanks to his holy name. ³⁰ 

Mazmur 101:8

101:8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land,

and remove all evildoers from the city of the Lord.

Mazmur 103:22

103:22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made, ³¹ 

in all the regions ³²  of his kingdom!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Mazmur 104:35

104:35 May sinners disappear ³³  from the earth,

and the wicked vanish!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Praise the Lord!

Mazmur 111:10--112:1

111:10 To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living; ³⁴ 

all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight. ³⁵ 

He will receive praise forever. ³⁶ 

Psalm 112 ³⁷ 

112:1 Praise the Lord!

How blessed is the one ³⁸  who obeys ³⁹  the Lord,

who takes great delight in keeping his commands. ⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 118:15

118:15 They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. ⁴¹ 

The Lord’s right hand conquers, ⁴² 

Mazmur 122:4

122:4 The tribes go up ⁴³  there, ⁴⁴ 

the tribes of the Lord,

where it is required that Israel

give thanks to the name of the Lord. ⁴⁵ 

Mazmur 129:8

129:8 Those who pass by will not say, ⁴⁶ 

“May you experience the Lord’s blessing!

We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”

Mazmur 130:7

130:7 O Israel, hope in the Lord,

for the Lord exhibits loyal love, ⁴⁷ 

and is more than willing to deliver. ⁴⁸ 

Mazmur 132:7

132:7 Let us go to his dwelling place!

Let us worship ⁴⁹  before his footstool!

Mazmur 133:3

133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, ⁵⁰ 

which flows down upon the hills of Zion. ⁵¹ 

Indeed ⁵²  that is where the Lord has decreed

a blessing will be available – eternal life. ⁵³ 

Mazmur 138:8

138:8 The Lord avenges me. ⁵⁴ 

O Lord, your loyal love endures.

Do not abandon those whom you have made! ⁵⁵ 

Mazmur 148:13

148:13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for his name alone is exalted;

his majesty extends over the earth and sky.

Mazmur 149:9

149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies ⁵⁶  have been sentenced. ⁵⁷ 

All his loyal followers will be vindicated. ⁵⁸ 

Praise the Lord!

[1:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 1. In this wisdom psalm the author advises his audience to reject the lifestyle of the wicked and to be loyal to God. The psalmist contrasts the destiny of the wicked with that of the righteous, emphasizing that the wicked are eventually destroyed while the godly prosper under the Lord’s protective care.

[1:1]  ² tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 3; Pss 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[1:1]  ³ 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.” (Generic “he” is employed in vv. 2-3). Since the godly man described in the psalm is representative of followers of God (note the plural form צַדִּיקִים [tsadiqim, “righteous, godly”] in vv. 5-6), one could translate the collective singular with the plural “those” both here and in vv. 2-3, where singular pronouns and verbal forms are utilized in the Hebrew text (cf. NRSV). However, here the singular form may emphasize that godly individuals are usually outnumbered by the wicked. Retaining the singular allows the translation to retain this emphasis.

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “walk in.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 1 refer in this context to characteristic behavior. The sequence “walk–stand–sit” envisions a progression from relatively casual association with the wicked to complete identification with them.

[1:1]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew noun translated “advice” most often refers to the “counsel” or “advice” one receives from others. To “walk in the advice of the wicked” means to allow their evil advice to impact and determine one’s behavior.

[1:1]  ⁶ tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21).

[1:1]  ⁷ tn “Pathway” here refers to the lifestyle of sinners. To “stand in the pathway of/with sinners” means to closely associate with them in their sinful behavior.

[1:1]  ⁸ tn Here the Hebrew term מוֹשַׁב (moshav), although often translated “seat” (cf. NEB, NIV), appears to refer to the whole assembly of evildoers. The word also carries the semantic nuance “assembly” in Ps 107:32, where it is in synonymous parallelism with קָהָל (qahal, “assembly”).

[1:1]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew word refers to arrogant individuals (Prov 21:24) who love conflict (Prov 22:10) and vociferously reject wisdom and correction (Prov 1:22; 9:7-8; 13:1; 15:12). To “sit in the assembly” of such people means to completely identify with them in their proud, sinful plans and behavior.

[11:7]  ¹⁰ tn Or “for.”

[11:7]  ¹¹ tn Or “righteous.”

[11:7]  ¹² tn Heb “he loves righteous deeds.” The “righteous deeds” are probably those done by godly people (see v. 5). The Lord “loves” such deeds in the sense that he rewards them. Another option is to take צְדָקוֹת (tsÿdaqot) as referring to God’s acts of justice (see Ps 103:6). In this case one could translate, “he loves to do just deeds.”

[11:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “the upright will see his face.” The singular subject (“upright”) does not agree with the plural verb. However, collective singular nouns can be construed with a plural predicate (see GKC 462 §145.b). Another possibility is that the plural verb יֶחֱזוּ (yekhezu) is a corruption of an original singular form. To “see” God’s “face” means to have access to his presence and to experience his favor (see Ps 17:15 and Job 33:26 [where רָאָה (ra’ah), not חָזָה (khazah), is used]). On the form פָנֵימוֹ (fanemo, “his face”) see GKC 300-301 §103.b, n. 3.

[15:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “despised in his eyes [is] a rejected [one].” The Hebrew term נִמְאָס (nim’as, “rejected [one]”) apparently refers here to one who has been rejected by God because of his godless behavior. It stands in contrast to “those who fear God” in the following line.

[15:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “those who fear the Lord.” The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.

[15:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he takes an oath to do harm and does not change.” The phrase “to do harm” cannot mean “do harm to others,” for the preceding verse clearly characterizes this individual as one who does not harm others. In this context the phrase must refer to an oath to which a self-imprecation is attached. The godly individual takes his commitments to others so seriously he is willing to “swear to his own hurt.” For an example of such an oath, see Ruth 1:16-17.

[37:20]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ 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 Lord’s enemies being consumed in smoke, supports this reading, which assumes confusion of the Hebrew letters resh (ר) and dalet (ד) at the end of the first word in the sequence.

[37:20]  ¹⁹ 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.

[37:22]  ²⁰ tn The particle כִּי is best understood as asseverative or emphatic here.

[37:22]  ²¹ 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]  ²² tn Heb “cursed.”

[37:22]  ²³ tn Or “cut off”; or “removed” (see v. 9).

[73:27]  ²⁴ tn Or “for.”

[73:27]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn Heb “everyone who commits adultery from you.”

[78:21]  ²⁷ tn Heb “therefore.”

[78:21]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and also anger went up.”

[97:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).

[97:12]  ³⁰ tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זָכַר (zakhar, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 6:5; 30:4. The Lord’s “name” is “holy” in the sense that it is a reminder of his uniqueness and greatness.

[103:22]  ³¹ tn Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.

[103:22]  ³² tn Heb “places.”

[104:35]  ³³ tn Or “be destroyed.”

[111:10]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the beginning of wisdom [is] the fear of the Lord.”

[111:10]  ³⁵ tn Heb “good sense [is] to all who do them.” The third masculine plural pronominal suffix must refer back to the “precepts” mentioned in v. 7. In the translation the referent has been specified for clarity. The phrase שֵׂכֶל טוֹב (shekhel tov) also occurs in Prov 3:4; 13:15 and 2 Chr 30:22.

[111:10]  ³⁶ tn Heb “his praise stands forever.”

[112:1]  ³⁷ sn Psalm 112. This wisdom psalm lists some of the benefits of living a godly life. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (twenty-two in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[112:1]  ³⁸ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The individual is representative of a larger group, called the “godly” in vv. 3-4. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in the following verses.

[112:1]  ³⁹ tn Heb “fears.”

[112:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “in his commands he delights very much.” The words “in keeping” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Taking delight in the law is metonymic here for obeying God’s moral will. See Ps 1:2.

[118:15]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the sound of a ringing shout and deliverance [is] in the tents of the godly.”

[118:15]  ⁴² tn Heb “does valiantly.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 60:12; 108:13).

[122:4]  ⁴³ tn Or “went up.”

[122:4]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “which is where the tribes go up.”

[122:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “[it is] a statute for Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord.”

[129:8]  ⁴⁶ tn The perfect verbal form is used for rhetorical effect; it describes an anticipated development as if it were already reality.

[130:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “for with the Lord [is] loyal love.”

[130:7]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and abundantly with him [is] redemption.”

[132:7]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “bow down.”

[133:3]  ⁵⁰ sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.

[133:3]  ⁵¹ sn The hills of Zion are those surrounding Zion (see Pss 87:1; 125:2). The psalmist does not intend to suggest that the dew from Mt. Hermon in the distant north actually flows down upon Zion. His point is that the same kind of heavy dew that replenishes Hermon may also be seen on Zion’s hills. See A. Cohen, Psalms (SoBB), 439. “Dew” here symbolizes divine blessing, as the next line suggests.

[133:3]  ⁵² tn Or “for.”

[133:3]  ⁵³ tn Heb “there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forever.”

[138:8]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “avenges on my behalf.” For the meaning “to avenge” for the verb גָּמַר (gamar), see HALOT 197-98 s.v. גמר.

[138:8]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “the works of your hands.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the singular, “work of your hands.”

[149:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[149:9]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”

[149:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “it is honor for all his godly ones.” The judgment of the oppressive kings will bring vindication and honor to God’s people (see vv. 4-5).