Mazmur 104:5

104:5 He established the earth on its foundations;

it will never be upended.

Mazmur 18:15

18:15 The depths ¹  of the sea ²  were exposed;

the inner regions ³  of the world were uncovered

by ⁴  your battle cry, ⁵  Lord,

by the powerful breath from your nose. ⁶ 

Mazmur 102:25

102:25 In earlier times you established the earth;

the skies are your handiwork.

Mazmur 24:2

24:2 For he set its foundation upon the seas,

and established ⁷  it upon the ocean currents. ⁸ 

Mazmur 104:10

104:10 He turns springs into streams; ⁹ 

they flow between the mountains.

Mazmur 8:2

8:2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies

you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, ¹⁰ 

so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 94:20

94:20 Cruel rulers ¹²  are not your allies,

those who make oppressive laws. ¹³ 

Mazmur 137:7

137:7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did

on the day Jerusalem fell. ¹⁴ 

They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, ¹⁵ 

right to its very foundation!”

Mazmur 18:7

18:7 The earth heaved and shook; ¹⁶ 

the roots of the mountains ¹⁷  trembled; ¹⁸ 

they heaved because he was angry.

Mazmur 77:16

77:16 The waters ¹⁹  saw you, O God,

the waters saw you and trembled. ²⁰ 

Yes, the depths of the sea ²¹  shook with fear. ²² 

Mazmur 82:5

82:5 They ²³  neither know nor understand.

They stumble ²⁴  around in the dark,

while all the foundations of the earth crumble. ²⁵ 

Mazmur 11:3

11:3 When the foundations ²⁶  are destroyed,

what can the godly ²⁷  accomplish?” ²⁸ 

Mazmur 111:8

111:8 They are forever firm,

and should be faithfully and properly carried out. ²⁹ 

Mazmur 119:151

119:151 You are near, O Lord,

and all your commands are reliable. ³⁰ 

Mazmur 50:5

50:5 He says: ³¹ 

“Assemble my covenant people before me, ³² 

those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice!” ³³ 

Mazmur 89:17

89:17 For you give them splendor and strength. ³⁴ 

By your favor we are victorious. ³⁵ 

Mazmur 93:3

93:3 The waves ³⁶  roar, O Lord,

the waves roar,

the waves roar and crash. ³⁷ 

Mazmur 97:2

97:2 Dark clouds surround him;

equity and justice are the foundation of his throne. ³⁸ 

Mazmur 107:26

107:26 They ³⁹  reached up to the sky,

then dropped into the depths.

The sailors’ strength ⁴⁰  left them ⁴¹  because the danger was so great. ⁴² 

Mazmur 119:160

119:160 Your instructions are totally reliable;

all your just regulations endure. ⁴³ 

Mazmur 130:1

Psalm 130 ⁴⁴ 

A song of ascents. ⁴⁵ 

130:1 From the deep water ⁴⁶  I cry out to you, O Lord.

Mazmur 46:2

46:2 For this reason we do not fear ⁴⁷  when the earth shakes, ⁴⁸ 

and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 60:2

60:2 You made the earth quake; you split it open. ⁵⁰ 

Repair its breaches, for it is ready to fall. ⁵¹ 

Mazmur 68:22

68:22 The Lord says,

“I will retrieve them ⁵²  from Bashan,

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,

Mazmur 69:15

69:15 Don’t let the current overpower me!

Don’t let the deep swallow me up!

Don’t let the pit ⁵³  devour me! ⁵⁴ 

Mazmur 78:69

78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; ⁵⁵ 

as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. ⁵⁶ 

Mazmur 89:11

89:11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.

You made the world and all it contains. ⁵⁷ 

Mazmur 99:4

99:4 The king is strong;

he loves justice. ⁵⁸ 

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; ⁵⁹ 

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

Mazmur 104:7

104:7 Your shout made the waters retreat;

at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off –

Mazmur 119:90

119:90 You demonstrate your faithfulness to all generations. ⁶⁰ 

You established the earth and it stood firm.

Mazmur 89:14

89:14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. ⁶¹ 

Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule. ⁶² 

Mazmur 106:9

106:9 He shouted at ⁶³  the Red Sea and it dried up;

he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.

[18:15]  ¹ tn Or “channels.”

[18:15]  ² tc Ps 18:15 reads “water” (cf. Ps 42:1); “sea” is the reading of 2 Sam 22:16.

[18:15]  ³ tn Or “foundations.”

[18:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “from.” The preposition has a causal sense here.

[18:15]  ⁵ tn The noun is derived from the verb גָּעַר (ga’ar), which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.

[18:15]  ⁶ tn 2 Sam 22:16 reads “by the battle cry of the Lord, by the blast of the breath of his nose.” The phrase “blast of the breath” (Heb “breath of breath”) employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.

[24:2]  ⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite, referring to the creation of the world.

[24:2]  ⁸ sn He…established it upon the ocean currents. The description reflects ancient Israelite prescientific cosmology, which is based on outward appearances. The language also suggests that God’s creative work involved the subjugation of chaos, symbolized by the sea.

[104:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “[the] one who sends springs into streams.” Another option is to translate, “he sends streams [i.e., streams that originate from springs] into the valleys” (cf. NIV).

[8:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you establish strength because of your foes.” The meaning of the statement is unclear. The present translation follows the reading of the LXX which has “praise” (αἶνος, ainos) in place of “strength” (עֹז, ’oz); cf. NIV, NCV, NLT.

[8:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to cause to cease an enemy and an avenger.” The singular forms are collective. The Hitpael participle of נָקַם (naqam) also occurs in Ps 44:16.

[94:20]  ¹² tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.

[94:20]  ¹³ 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.

[137:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem.”

[137:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “lay [it] bare, lay [it] bare.”

[18:7]  ¹⁶ sn The earth heaved and shook. The imagery pictures an earthquake in which the earth’s surface rises and falls. The earthquake motif is common in OT theophanies of God as warrior and in ancient Near Eastern literary descriptions of warring gods and kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 160-62.

[18:7]  ¹⁷ tn 2 Sam 22:8 has “heavens” which forms a merism with “earth” in the preceding line. The “foundations of the heavens” would be the mountains. However, the reading “foundations of the mountains” has a parallel in Deut 32:22.

[18:7]  ¹⁸ tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the three prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive in the verse.

[77:16]  ¹⁹ tn The waters of the Red Sea are here personified; they are portrayed as seeing God and fearing him.

[77:16]  ²⁰ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[77:16]  ²¹ tn The words “of the sea” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[77:16]  ²² tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[82:5]  ²³ sn Having addressed the defendants, God now speaks to those who are observing the trial, referring to the gods in the third person.

[82:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “walk.” The Hitpael stem indicates iterative action, picturing these ignorant “judges” as stumbling around in the darkness.

[82:5]  ²⁵ sn These gods, though responsible for justice, neglect their duty. Their self-imposed ignorance (which the psalmist compares to stumbling around in the dark) results in widespread injustice, which threatens the social order of the world (the meaning of the phrase all the foundations of the earth crumble).

[11:3]  ²⁶ tn The precise meaning of this rare word is uncertain. An Ugaritic cognate is used of the “bottom” or “base” of a cliff or mountain (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47, 159). The noun appears in postbiblical Hebrew with the meaning “foundation” (see Jastrow 1636 s.v. שָׁת).

[11:3]  ²⁷ tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure [of heart]” in the previous verse.

[11:3]  ²⁸ sn The quotation of the advisers’ words (which begins in 11:1c) ends at this point. They advise the psalmist to flee because the enemy is poised to launch a deadly attack. In such a lawless and chaotic situation godly people like the psalmist can accomplish nothing, so they might as well retreat to a safe place.

[111:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “done in faithfulness and uprightness.” The passive participle probably has the force of a gerund. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 89.

[119:151]  ³⁰ tn Or “truth.”

[50:5]  ³¹ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s summons to the defendant follows.

[50:5]  ³² 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]  ³³ 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).

[89:17]  ³⁴ tn Heb “for the splendor of their strength [is] you.”

[89:17]  ³⁵ tn Heb “you lift up our horn,” or if one follows the marginal reading (Qere), “our horn is lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

[93:3]  ³⁶ tn The Hebrew noun translated “waves” often refers to rivers or streams, but here it appears to refer to the surging waves of the sea (see v. 4, Ps 24:2).

[93:3]  ³⁷ tn Heb “the waves lift up, O Lord, the waves lift up their voice, the waves lift up their crashing.”

[97:2]  ³⁸ sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.

[107:26]  ³⁹ tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).

[107:26]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[107:26]  ⁴¹ tn Or “melted.”

[107:26]  ⁴² tn Heb “from danger.”

[119:160]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the head of your word is truth, and forever [is] all your just regulation.” The term “head” is used here of the “sum total” of God’s instructions.

[130:1]  ⁴⁴ sn Psalm 130. The psalmist, confident of the Lord’s forgiveness, cries out to the Lord for help in the midst of his suffering and urges Israel to do the same.

[130:1]  ⁴⁵ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[130:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “depths,” that is, deep waters (see Ps 69:2, 14; Isa 51:10), a metaphor for the life-threatening danger faced by the psalmist.

[46:2]  ⁴⁷ tn The imperfect is taken in a generalizing sense (cf. NEB) because the situation described in vv. 2-3 is understood as symbolizing typical world conditions. In this case the imperfect draws attention to the typical nature of the response. The covenant community characteristically responds with confidence, not fear. Another option is to take the situation described as purely hypothetical. In this case one might translate, “We will not fear, even though the earth should shake” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[46:2]  ⁴⁸ tn The Hiphil infinitival form is normally taken to mean “when [the earth] is altered,” being derived from מוּר (mur, “to change”). In this case the Hiphil would be intransitive, as in Ps 15:4. HALOT 560 s.v. II מור emends the form to a Niphal and derives it from a homonymic root מוּר attested in Arabic with the meaning “shake.”

[46:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “heart of the seas.” The plural may be used for emphasis, pointing to the deepest sea. Note that the next verse uses a singular pronoun (“its waters,” “its swelling”) in referring back to the plural noun.

[60:2]  ⁵⁰ tn The verb פָּצַם (patsam, “split open”) occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “crack,” and an Aramaic cognate is used in Tg. Jer 22:14 with the meaning “break open, frame.” See BDB 822 s.v. and Jastrow 1205 s.v. פְּצַם.

[60:2]  sn You made the earth quake; you split it open. The psalmist uses the imagery of an earthquake to describe the nation’s defeat.

[60:2]  ⁵¹ sn It is ready to fall. The earth is compared to a wall that has been broken by the force of the earthquake (note the preceding line) and is ready to collapse.

[68:22]  ⁵² tn That is, the enemies mentioned in v. 21. Even if they retreat to distant regions, God will retrieve them and make them taste his judgment.

[69:15]  ⁵³ tn Heb “well,” which here symbolizes the place of the dead (cf. Ps 55:23).

[69:15]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “do not let the well close its mouth upon me.”

[78:69]  ⁵⁵ tc Heb “and he built like the exalting [ones] his sanctuary.” The phrase כְּמוֹ־רָמִים (kÿmo-ramim, “like the exalting [ones]”) is a poetic form of the comparative preposition followed by a participial form of the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”). The text should be emended to כִּמְרֹמִים (kimromim, “like the [heavenly] heights”). See Ps 148:1, where “heights” refers to the heavens above.

[78:69]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “like the earth, [which] he established permanently.” The feminine singular suffix on the Hebrew verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish”) refers to the grammatically feminine noun “earth.”

[89:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “the world and its fullness, you established them.”

[99:4]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (’oz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (’az, “strong”).

[99:4]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “you establish fairness.”

[119:90]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “to a generation and a generation [is] your faithfulness.”

[89:14]  ⁶¹ sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.

[89:14]  ⁶² tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).

[106:9]  ⁶³ tn Or “rebuked.”