Mazmur 13:4

13:4 Then ¹  my enemy will say, “I have defeated him!”

Then ²  my foes will rejoice because I am upended.

Mazmur 18:7

18:7 The earth heaved and shook; ³ 

the roots of the mountains ⁴  trembled; ⁵ 

they heaved because he was angry.

Mazmur 25:3

25:3 Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated.

Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted ⁶  and humiliated.

Mazmur 56:2

56:2 Those who anticipate my defeat ⁷  attack me all day long.

Indeed, ⁸  many are fighting against me, O Exalted One. ⁹ 

Mazmur 76:10

76:10 Certainly ¹⁰  your angry judgment upon men will bring you praise; ¹¹ 

you reveal your anger in full measure. ¹² 

Mazmur 78:53

78:53 He guided them safely along,

while the sea covered their enemies.

Mazmur 90:9

90:9 Yes, ¹³  throughout all our days we experience your raging fury; ¹⁴ 

the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 138:6

138:6 Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the lowly,

and recognizes the proud from far away.

[13:4]  ¹ tn Heb “or else.”

[13:4]  ² tn Heb “or else.”

[18:7]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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.

[25:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “those who deal in treachery in vain.” The adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “in vain”) probably refers to the failure (or futility) of their efforts. Another option is to understand it as meaning “without cause” (cf. NIV “without excuse”; NRSV “wantonly treacherous”).

[56:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 59:10.

[56:2]  ⁸ tn Or “for.”

[56:2]  ⁹ tn Some take the Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “on high; above”) as an adverb modifying the preceding participle and translate, “proudly” (cf. NASB; NIV “in their pride”). The present translation assumes the term is a divine title here. The Lord is pictured as enthroned “on high” in Ps 92:8. (Note the substantival use of the term in Isa 24:4 and see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:34), who prefer to place the term at the beginning of the next verse.)

[76:10]  ¹⁰ tn Or “for.”

[76:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the anger of men will praise you.” This could mean that men’s anger (subjective genitive), when punished by God, will bring him praise, but this interpretation does not harmonize well with the next line. The translation assumes that God’s anger is in view here (see v. 7) and that “men” is an objective genitive. God’s angry judgment against men brings him praise because it reveals his power and majesty (see vv. 1-4).

[76:10]  ¹² tn Heb “the rest of anger you put on.” The meaning of the statement is not entirely clear. Perhaps the idea is that God, as he prepares for battle, girds himself with every last ounce of his anger, as if it were a weapon.

[90:9]  ¹³ tn Or “for.”

[90:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “all our days pass by in your anger.”

[90:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “we finish our years like a sigh.” In Ezek 2:10 the word הֶגֶה (hegeh) elsewhere refers to a grumbling or moaning sound. Here a brief sigh or moan is probably in view. If so, the simile pictures one’s lifetime as transient. Another option is that the simile alludes to the weakness that characteristically overtakes a person at the end of one’s lifetime. In this case the phrase could be translated, “we end our lives with a painful moan.”