Mazmur 11:3

11:3 When the foundations ¹  are destroyed,

what can the godly ²  accomplish?” ³ 

Mazmur 35:2

35:2 Grab your small shield and large shield, ⁴ 

and rise up to help me!

Mazmur 35:16

35:16 When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly, ⁵ 

and tried to bite me. ⁶ 

Mazmur 35:28

35:28 Then I will tell others about your justice, ⁷ 

and praise you all day long. ⁸ 

Mazmur 37:26

37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, ⁹ 

and his children ¹⁰  are blessed.

Mazmur 50:17

50:17 For you hate instruction

and reject my words. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 73:19

73:19 How desolate they become in a mere moment!

Terrifying judgments make their demise complete! ¹² 

Mazmur 74:5

74:5 They invade like lumberjacks

swinging their axes in a thick forest. ¹³ 

Mazmur 78:2

78:2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;

I will make insightful observations about the past. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 78:9

78:9 The Ephraimites ¹⁵  were armed with bows, ¹⁶ 

but they retreated in the day of battle. ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 87:3

87:3 People say wonderful things about you, ¹⁸ 

O city of God. (Selah)

Mazmur 94:11

94:11 The Lord knows that

peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt. ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 94:19

94:19 When worries threaten to overwhelm me, ²⁰ 

your soothing touch makes me happy. ²¹ 

Mazmur 104:12

104:12 The birds of the sky live beside them;

they chirp among the bushes. ²² 

Mazmur 107:23-24

107:23 ²³ Some traveled on ²⁴  the sea in ships,

and carried cargo over the vast waters. ²⁵ 

107:24 They witnessed the acts of the Lord,

his amazing feats on the deep water.

Mazmur 109:8-9

109:8 May his days be few! ²⁶ 

May another take his job! ²⁷ 

109:9 May his children ²⁸  be fatherless,

and his wife a widow!

Mazmur 112:8

112:8 His resolve ²⁹  is firm; he will not succumb to fear

before he looks in triumph on his enemies.

Mazmur 113:1

Psalm 113 ³⁰ 

113:1 Praise the Lord!

Praise, you servants of the Lord,

praise the name of the Lord!

Mazmur 119:3

119:3 who, moreover, do no wrong,

but follow in his footsteps. ³¹ 

Mazmur 119:8

119:8 I will keep your statutes.

Do not completely abandon me! ³² 

Mazmur 119:19

119:19 I am like a foreigner in this land. ³³ 

Do not hide your commands from me!

Mazmur 119:31

119:31 I hold fast ³⁴  to your rules.

O Lord, do not let me be ashamed!

Mazmur 119:35-36

119:35 Guide me ³⁵  in the path of your commands,

for I delight to walk in it. ³⁶ 

119:36 Give me a desire for your rules, ³⁷ 

rather than for wealth gained unjustly. ³⁸ 

Mazmur 119:68

119:68 You are good and you do good.

Teach me your statutes!

Mazmur 119:96

119:96 I realize that everything has its limits,

but your commands are beyond full comprehension. ³⁹ 

Mazmur 119:138

119:138 The rules you impose are just, ⁴⁰ 

and absolutely reliable.

Mazmur 121:1

Psalm 121 ⁴¹ 

A song of ascents. ⁴² 

121:1 I look up ⁴³  toward the hills.

From where ⁴⁴  does my help come?

Mazmur 122:7-8

122:7 May there be peace inside your defenses,

and prosperity ⁴⁵  inside your fortresses! ⁴⁶ 

122:8 For the sake of my brothers and my neighbors

I will say, “May there be peace in you!”

Mazmur 126:1

Psalm 126 ⁴⁷ 

A song of ascents. ⁴⁸ 

126:1 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion, ⁴⁹ 

we thought we were dreaming. ⁵⁰ 

Mazmur 129:3

129:3 The plowers plowed my back;

they made their furrows long.

Mazmur 131:3

131:3 O Israel, hope in the Lord

now and forevermore!

Mazmur 137:2

137:2 On the poplars in her midst

we hang our harps,

Mazmur 139:9

139:9 If I were to fly away ⁵¹  on the wings of the dawn, ⁵² 

and settle down on the other side ⁵³  of the sea,

Mazmur 146:10

146:10 The Lord rules forever,

your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come! ⁵⁴ 

Praise the Lord!

Mazmur 147:4

147:4 He counts the number of the stars;

he names all of them.

[11:3]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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.

[35:2]  ⁴ tn Two different types of shields are mentioned here. See also Ezek 38:4. Many modern translations render the first term (translated here “small shield”) as “buckler” (cf. NASB “buckler and shield”; the order is often reversed in the translation, apparently for stylistic reasons: cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “shield and buckler”). The English term “buckler,” referring to a small round shield held on the arm to protect the upper body, is unfamiliar to many modern readers, so the term “small shield” was used in the present translation for clarity.

[35:16]  ⁵ tc The MT reads “as profane [ones] of mockers of food,” which is nonsensical. The present translation assumes (1) an emendation of בְּחַנְפֵי (bÿkhanfey, “as profane men”) to בְּחַנְפִי (bekhanfiy, “when I tripped”; preposition + Qal infinitive construct from II חָנַף [“limp”] + first common singular pronominal suffix) and (2) an emendation of לַעֲגֵי מָעוֹג (la’agey ma’og, “mockers of food”) to עָגוּ[ם]לַעְגָּ (la’gam ’agu, “[with] taunting they taunted”; masculine plural noun with enclitic mem + Qal perfect third common plural from לַּעַג [la’ag, “taunt”]).

[35:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “gnashing at me with their teeth.” The infinitive absolute adds a complementary action – they gnashed with their teeth as they taunted.

[35:28]  ⁷ tn Heb “and my tongue will proclaim your justice.”

[35:28]  ⁸ tn Heb “all the day your praise.” The verb “proclaim” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).

[37:26]  ⁹ tn The active participles describe characteristic behavior.

[37:26]  ¹⁰ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[50:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and throw my words behind you.”

[73:19]  ¹² tn Heb “they come to an end, they are finished, from terrors.”

[74:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “it is known like one bringing upwards, in a thicket of wood, axes.” The Babylonian invaders destroyed the woodwork in the temple.

[78:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “I will open with a wise saying my mouth, I will utter insightful sayings from long ago.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה+מָשָׁל (mashal + khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6), and an insightful song that reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent death (Ps 49:4).

[78:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the sons of Ephraim.” Ephraim probably stands here by synecdoche (part for whole) for the northern kingdom of Israel.

[78:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “ones armed, shooters of bow.” It is possible that the term נוֹשְׁקֵי (noshÿqey, “ones armed [with]”) is an interpretive gloss for the rare רוֹמֵי (romey, “shooters of”; on the latter see BDB 941 s.v. I רָמָה). The phrase נוֹשְׁקֵי קֶשֶׁת (noshÿqey qeshet, “ones armed with a bow”) appears in 1 Chr 12:2; 2 Chr 17:17.

[78:9]  ¹⁷ sn They retreated. This could refer to the northern tribes’ failure to conquer completely their allotted territory (see Judg 1), or it could refer generally to the typical consequence (military defeat) of their sin (see vv. 10-11).

[87:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “glorious things are spoken about you.” The translation assumes this is a general reference to compliments paid to Zion by those who live within her walls and by those who live in the surrounding areas and lands. Another option is that this refers to a prophetic oracle about the city’s glorious future. In this case one could translate, “wonderful things are announced concerning you.”

[94:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are emptiness.” The psalmist thinks specifically of the “thoughts” expressed in v. 7.

[94:19]  ²⁰ tn Heb “when my worries are many within me.”

[94:19]  ²¹ tn Heb “your comforts cause my soul to delight.”

[104:12]  ²² tn Heb “among the thick foliage they give a sound.”

[107:23]  ²³ sn Verses 23-30, which depict the Lord rescuing sailors from a storm at sea, do not seem to describe the exiles’ situation, unless the word picture is metaphorical. Perhaps the psalmist here broadens his scope and offers an example of God’s kindness to the needy beyond the covenant community.

[107:23]  ²⁴ tn Heb “those going down [into].”

[107:23]  ²⁵ tn Heb “doers of work on the mighty waters.”

[109:8]  ²⁶ tn The prefixed verbal forms (except those with vav [ו] consecutive) in vv. 8-20 are taken as jussives of prayer. Note the distinct jussive forms used in vv. 12-13, 15, 19.

[109:8]  ²⁷ tn The Hebrew noun פְּקֻדָּה (pÿquddah) can mean “charge” or “office,” though BDB 824 s.v. suggests that here it refers to his possessions.

[109:9]  ²⁸ tn Or “sons.”

[112:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition.

[113:1]  ³⁰ sn Psalm 113. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign king of the world who reaches down to help the needy.

[119:3]  ³¹ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[119:8]  ³² tn Heb “do not abandon me to excess.” For other uses of the phrase עַד מְאֹד (’ad mÿ’od, “to excess”), see Ps 38:6, 8.

[119:19]  ³³ tn Heb “I am a resident alien in the land.” Resident aliens were especially vulnerable and in need of help. They needed to know the social and legal customs of the land to avoid getting into trouble. The translation (note the addition of “like”) assumes the psalmist is speaking metaphorically, not literally.

[119:31]  ³⁴ tn Or “cling to.”

[119:35]  ³⁵ tn Or “make me walk.”

[119:35]  ³⁶ tn Heb “for in it I delight.”

[119:36]  ³⁷ tn Heb “turn my heart to your rules.”

[119:36]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and not unjust gain.”

[119:96]  ³⁹ tn Heb “to every perfection I have seen an end, your command is very wide.” God’s law is beyond full comprehension, which is why the psalmist continually studies it (vv. 95, 97).

[119:138]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “you commanded [in] justice your rules.”

[121:1]  ⁴¹ sn Psalm 121. The psalm affirms that the Lord protects his people Israel. Unless the psalmist addresses an observer (note the second person singular forms in vv. 3-8), it appears there are two or three speakers represented in the psalm, depending on how one takes v. 3. The translation assumes that speaker one talks in vv. 1-2, that speaker two responds to him with a prayer in v. 3 (this assumes the verbs are true jussives of prayer), and that speaker three responds with words of assurance in vv. 4-8. If the verbs in v. 3 are taken as a rhetorical use of the jussive, then there are two speakers. Verses 3-8 are speaker two’s response to the words of speaker one. See the note on the word “sleep” at the end of v. 3.

[121:1]  ⁴² 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.

[121:1]  ⁴³ tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”

[121:1]  ⁴⁴ tn The Hebrew term מֵאַיִן (me’ayin) is interrogative, not relative, in function. Rather than directly stating that his source of help descends from the hills, the psalmist is asking, “From where does my help come?” Nevertheless, the first line does indicate that he is looking toward the hills for help, probably indicating that he is looking up toward the sky in anticipation of supernatural intervention. The psalmist assumes the dramatic role of one needing help. He answers his own question in v. 2.

[122:7]  ⁴⁵ tn or “security.”

[122:7]  ⁴⁶ tn The psalmist uses second feminine singular pronominal forms to address personified Jerusalem.

[126:1]  ⁴⁷ sn Psalm 126. Recalling the joy of past deliverance, God’s covenant community asks for a fresh display of God’s power and confidently anticipate their sorrow being transformed into joy.

[126:1]  ⁴⁸ 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.

[126:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew noun שִׁיבַת (shivat) occurs only here in the OT. For this reason many prefer to emend the form to the more common שְׁבִית (shevit) or שְׁבוּת (shÿvut), both of which are used as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv; see Ps 14:7). However an Aramaic cognate of שְׁבִית appears in an eighth century b.c. Old Aramaic inscription with the verb שׁוּב. This cognate noun appears to mean “return” (see J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Treaties of Sefire [BibOr], 119-20) or “restoration” (see DNWSI 2:1125). Therefore it appears that שְׁבִית should be retained and understood as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב. In addition to Fitzmyer (119-20) see L. C. Allen, who offers the literal translation, “turn with a turning toward” (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170). Allen takes שְׁבִית as construct and understands “Zion” as an objective genitive.

[126:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “we were like dreamers.” This could mean the speakers were so overcome with ecstatic joy (see v. 3b) that they were like those who fantasize about pleasurable experiences in their sleep (see Isa 29:7-8). Since dreams are more commonly associated in the OT with prophetic visions, the community may be comparing their experience of God’s renewed favor to a prophet’s receiving divine visions. Just as a prophetic dream sweeps the individual into a different dimension and sometimes brings one face-to-face with God himself (see Gen 28:11-15; 1 Kgs 3:5-15), so the community was aware of God’s presence in a special way in the day of Zion’s restoration. Though the MT as it stands makes good sense, some choose to understand a homonymic root here meaning “to be healthy; to be strong” (see BDB 321 s.v. I חָלַם) and translate, “we were like those restored to health.” This reading appears to have the support of several ancient translations as well as 11QPs^a. See L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170-71) for a discussion of the viewpoints.

[139:9]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “rise up.”

[139:9]  ⁵² sn On the wings of the dawn. This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel.

[139:9]  ⁵³ tn Heb “at the end.”

[146:10]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.”