Mazmur 18:27

18:27 For you deliver oppressed ¹  people,

but you bring down those who have a proud look. ² 

Mazmur 18:44

18:44 When they hear of my exploits, they submit to me. ³ 

Foreigners are powerless ⁴  before me;

Mazmur 20:8

20:8 They will fall down, ⁵ 

but we ⁶  will stand firm. ⁷ 

Mazmur 37:11

37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land

and enjoy great prosperity. ⁸ 

Mazmur 38:11

38:11 Because of my condition, ⁹  even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; ¹⁰ 

my neighbors stand far away. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 49:6

49:6 They trust ¹²  in their wealth

and boast ¹³  in their great riches.

Mazmur 63:9

63:9 Enemies seek to destroy my life, ¹⁴ 

but they will descend into the depths of the earth. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 94:4

94:4 They spew out threats ¹⁶  and speak defiantly;

all the evildoers boast. ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 102:7

102:7 I stay awake; ¹⁸ 

I am like a solitary bird on a roof.

Mazmur 106:28

106:28 They worshiped ¹⁹  Baal of Peor,

and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 132:18

132:18 I will humiliate his enemies, ²¹ 

and his crown will shine.

Mazmur 140:8

140:8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way! ²² 

Do not allow their ²³  plan to succeed when they attack! ²⁴  (Selah)

[18:27]  ¹ tn Or perhaps, “humble” (note the contrast with those who are proud).

[18:27]  ² tn Heb “but proud eyes you bring low.” 2 Sam 22:28 reads, “your eyes [are] upon the proud, [whom] you bring low.”

[18:44]  ³ tn Heb “at a report of an ear they submit to me.” The report of the psalmist’s exploits is so impressive that those who hear it submit to his rulership without putting up a fight.

[18:44]  ⁴ tn For the meaning “be weak, powerless” for כָּחַשׁ (kakhash), see Ps 109:24. The next line (see v. 45a), in which “foreigners” are also mentioned, favors this interpretation. Another option is to translate “cower in fear” (see Deut 33:29; Pss 66:3; 81:15; cf. NIV “cringe”; NRSV “came cringing”).

[20:8]  ⁵ tn Or “stumble and fall down.”

[20:8]  ⁶ tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s victorious people and the defeated enemies mentioned in the previous line. The perfect verbal forms either generalize or, more likely, state rhetorically the people’s confidence as they face the approaching battle. They describe the demise of the enemy as being as good as done.

[20:8]  ⁷ tn Or “rise up and remain upright.” On the meaning of the Hitpolel of עוּד (’ud), see HALOT 795 s.v. I עוד. The verbal forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) either generalize or, more likely, state rhetorically the people’s confidence as they face the approaching battle.

[37:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”

[38:11]  ⁹ tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”

[38:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “stand [aloof].”

[38:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”

[49:6]  ¹² tn Heb “the ones who trust.” The substantival participle stands in apposition to “those who deceive me” (v. 5).

[49:6]  ¹³ tn The imperfect verbal form emphasizes their characteristic behavior.

[63:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “but they for destruction seek my life.” The pronoun “they” must refer here to the psalmist’s enemies, referred to at this point for the first time in the psalm.

[63:9]  ¹⁵ sn The depths of the earth refers here to the underworld dwelling place of the dead (see Ezek 26:20; 31:14, 16, 18; 32:18, 24). See L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 167.

[94:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”

[94:4]  ¹⁷ tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (’amar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).

[102:7]  ¹⁸ tn This probably refers to the psalmist’s inability to sleep. Another option is to translate, “I keep watch,” in which case it might refer to watching for a response from the Lord (see vv. 1-2).

[106:28]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “joined themselves to.”

[106:28]  sn They worshiped Baal of Peor. See Num 25:3, 5. Baal of Peor was a local manifestation of the Canaanite deity Baal located at Peor.

[106:28]  ²⁰ tn Here “the dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 49).

[132:18]  ²¹ tn Heb “his enemies I will clothe [with] shame.”

[140:8]  ²² tn Heb “do not grant the desires of the wicked.”

[140:8]  ²³ tn Heb “his.” The singular is used in a representative sense (see v. 1).

[140:8]  ²⁴ tn Heb “his plot do not promote, they rise up.” The translation understands the final verb as being an unmarked temporal clause. Another option is to revocalize the verb as a Hiphil and take the verb with the next verse, “those who surround me lift up [their] head,” which could refer to their proud attitude as they anticipate victory (see Ps 27:6).