Mazmur 16:3

16:3 As for God’s chosen people who are in the land,

and the leading officials I admired so much ¹  –

Mazmur 55:7

55:7 Look, I will escape to a distant place;

I will stay in the wilderness. (Selah)

Mazmur 78:17

78:17 Yet they continued to sin against him,

and rebelled against the sovereign One ²  in the desert.

Mazmur 106:26

106:26 So he made a solemn vow ³ 

that he would make them die ⁴  in the desert,

[16:3]  ¹ tn Heb “regarding the holy ones who [are] in the land, they; and the mighty [ones] in [whom is/was] all my desire.” The difficult syntax makes the meaning of the verse uncertain. The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s angelic assembly (see Ps 89:5, 7), but the qualifying clause “who are in the land” suggests that here it refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3).

[78:17]  ² tn Heb “rebelling [against] the Most High.”

[106:26]  ³ tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).

[106:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”