Mazmur 104:5

104:5 He established the earth on its foundations;

it will never be upended.

Mazmur 121:3

121:3 May he not allow your foot to slip!

May your protector ¹  not sleep! ² 

Mazmur 121:6

121:6 The sun will not harm you by day,

or the moon by night. ³ 

Mazmur 132:3

132:3 He said, ⁴  “I will not enter my own home, ⁵ 

or get into my bed. ⁶ 

[121:3]  ¹ tn Heb “the one who guards you.”

[121:3]  ² tn The prefixed verbal forms following the negative particle אל appear to be jussives. As noted above, if they are taken as true jussives of prayer, then the speaker in v. 3 would appear to be distinct from both the speaker in vv. 1-2 and the speaker in vv. 4-8. However, according to GKC 322 §109.e), the jussives are used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one should probably translate, “he will not allow your foot to slip, your protector will not sleep,” and understand just one speaker in vv. 4-8.

[121:6]  ³ sn One hardly thinks of the moon’s rays as being physically harmful, like those of the sun. The reference to the moon may simply lend poetic balance to the verse, but it is likely that the verse reflects an ancient, primitive belief that the moon could have an adverse effect on the mind (note the English expression “moonstruck,” which reflects such a belief). Another possibility is that the sun and moon stand by metonymy for harmful forces characteristic of the day and night, respectively.

[132:3]  ⁴ tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows is David’s vow.

[132:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “the tent of my house.”

[132:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “go up upon the bed of my couch.”