Mazmur 105:11

105:11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan

as the portion of your inheritance.”

Mazmur 107:25

107:25 He gave the order for a windstorm, ¹ 

and it stirred up the waves of the sea. ² 

Mazmur 119:25

ד (Dalet)

119:25 I collapse in the dirt. ³ 

Revive me with your word! ⁴ 

Mazmur 119:89

ל (Lamed)

119:89 O Lord, your instructions endure;

they stand secure in heaven. ⁵ 

Mazmur 90:3

90:3 You make mankind return ⁶  to the dust, ⁷ 

and say, “Return, O people!”

Mazmur 119:9

ב (Bet)

119:9 How can a young person ⁸  maintain a pure life? ⁹ 

By guarding it according to your instructions! ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 119:57

ח (Khet)

119:57 The Lord is my source of security. ¹¹ 

I have determined ¹²  to follow your instructions. ¹³ 

Mazmur 119:101

119:101 I stay away ¹⁴  from the evil path,

so that I might keep your instructions. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 119:161

שׂ/שׁ (Sin/Shin)

119:161 Rulers pursue me for no reason,

yet I am more afraid of disobeying your instructions. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 119:169

ת (Tav)

119:169 Listen to my cry for help, ¹⁷  O Lord!

Give me insight by your word!

Mazmur 148:8

148:8 O fire and hail, snow and clouds, ¹⁸ 

O stormy wind that carries out his orders, ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 107:20

107:20 He sent them an assuring word ²⁰  and healed them;

he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped. ²¹ 

Mazmur 119:114

119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield.

I find hope in your word.

[107:25]  ¹ tn Heb “he spoke and caused to stand a stormy wind.”

[107:25]  ² tn Heb “and it stirred up its [i.e., the sea’s, see v. 23] waves.”

[119:25]  ³ tn Heb “my soul clings to the dirt.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[119:25]  ⁴ tn Heb “according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural “your words.”

[119:89]  ⁵ tn Heb “Forever, O Lord, your word stands firm in heaven,” or “Forever, O Lord, [is] your word; it stands firm in heaven.” The translation assumes that “your word” refers here to the body of divine instructions contained in the law (note the frequent references to the law in vv. 92-96). See vv. 9, 16-17, 57, 101, 105, 130, 139 and 160-61. The reference in v. 86 to God’s law being faithful favors this interpretation. Another option is that “your word” refers to God’s assuring word of promise, mentioned in vv. 25, 28, 42, 65, 74, 81, 107, 114, 147 and 169. In this case one might translate, “O Lord, your promise is reliable, it stands firm in heaven.”

[90:3]  ⁶ tn In this context the shortened prefix form does not function as a preterite, but indicates what is typical of the world.

[90:3]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term דַּכָּא (daka’) carries the basic sense of “crushed.” Elsewhere it refers to those who are “crushed” in spirit or contrite of heart (see Ps 34:18; Isa 57:15). If one understands this nuance here, then v. 3 is observing that God leads mankind to repentance (the term שׁוּב, shuv, “return,” which appears twice in this verse, is sometimes used of repentance.) However, the following context laments mankind’s mortality and the brevity of life, so it is doubtful if v. 3 should be understood so positively. It is more likely that דַּכָּא here refers to “crushed matter,” that is, the dust that fills the grave (see HALOT 221 s.v. s.v. I דַּכָּא; BDB 194 s.v. דַּכָּא). In this case one may hear an echo of Gen 3:19.

[119:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “young 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, the gender specific “young man” has been translated with the more neutral “young person.”

[119:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “purify his path.”

[119:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:57]  ¹¹ tn Heb “my portion [is] the Lord.” The psalmist compares the Lord to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel (see Ps 16:5).

[119:57]  ¹² tn Heb “I said.”

[119:57]  ¹³ tn Heb “to keep your words” (see v. 9).

[119:101]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “I hold back my feet.”

[119:101]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural.

[119:161]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and because of your instructions my heart trembles.” The psalmist’s healthy “fear” of the consequences of violating God’s instructions motivates him to obey them. See v. 120.

[119:169]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “may my cry approach before you.”

[148:8]  ¹⁸ tn In Ps 119:83 the noun refers to “smoke,” but here, where the elements of nature are addressed, the clouds, which resemble smoke, are probably in view.

[148:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “[that] does his word.”

[107:20]  ²⁰ tn Heb “he sent his word.” This probably refers to an oracle of assurance which announced his intention to intervene (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 59).

[107:20]  ²¹ tn Heb “he rescued from their traps.” The Hebrew word שְׁחִית (shekhit, “trap”) occurs only here and in Lam 4:20, where it refers to a trap or pit in which one is captured. Because of the rarity of the term and the absence of an object with the verb “rescued,” some prefer to emend the text of Ps 107:20, reading מִשַׁחַת חַיָּתָם (mishakhat khayyatam, “[he rescued] their lives from the pit”). Note also NIV “from the grave,” which interprets the “pit” as Sheol or the grave.