Mazmur 18:33

18:33 He gives me the agility of a deer; ¹ 

he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain. ² 

Mazmur 20:2

20:2 May he send you help from his temple; ³ 

from Zion may he give you support!

Mazmur 23:2

23:2 He takes me to lush pastures, ⁴ 

he leads me to refreshing water. ⁵ 

Mazmur 33:12

33:12 How blessed ⁶  is the nation whose God is the Lord,

the people whom he has chosen to be his special possession. ⁷ 

Mazmur 37:40

37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;

he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, ⁸ 

for they seek his protection.

Mazmur 78:11

78:11 They forgot what he had done, ⁹ 

the amazing things he had shown them.

Mazmur 105:10

105:10 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as a lasting promise, ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 107:12

107:12 So he used suffering to humble them; ¹¹ 

they stumbled and no one helped them up.

Mazmur 147:18

147:18 He then orders it all to melt; ¹² 

he breathes on it, ¹³  and the water flows.

[18:33]  ¹ tn Heb “[the one who] makes my feet like [those of ] a deer.”

[18:33]  ² tn Heb “and on my high places he makes me walk.” The imperfect verbal form emphasizes God’s characteristic provision. The psalmist compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured.

[18:33]  sn Habakkuk uses similar language to describe his faith during difficult times. See Hab 3:19.

[20:2]  ³ tc Heb “from [the] temple.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix (ן, nun) has probably been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word begins with a prefixed vav (ו). See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 184.

[23:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “he makes me lie down in lush pastures.” The Hiphil verb יַרְבִּיצֵנִי (yarbitseniy) has a causative-modal nuance here (see IBHS 445-46 §27.5 on this use of the Hiphil), meaning “allows me to lie down” (see also Jer 33:12). The point is that the shepherd takes the sheep to lush pastures and lets them eat and rest there. Both imperfect verbal forms in v. 2 are generalizing and highlight the psalmist’s typical experience.

[23:2]  ⁵ tn Both genitives in v. 2 indicate an attribute of the noun they modify: דֶּשֶׁא (deshe’) characterizes the pastures as “lush” (i.e., rich with vegetation), while מְנֻחוֹת (mÿnukhot) probably characterizes the water as refreshing. In this case the plural indicates an abstract quality. Some take מְנֻחוֹת in the sense of “still, calm” (i.e., as describing calm pools in contrast to dangerous torrents) but it is unlikely that such a pastoral scene is in view. Shepherds usually watered their sheep at wells (see Gen 29:2-3; Exod 2:16-19). Another option is to take מְנֻחוֹת as “resting places” and to translate, “water of/at the resting places” (i.e., a genitive of location; see IBHS 147-48 §9.5.2e).

[23:2]  sn Within the framework of the metaphor, the psalmist/sheep is declaring in v. 2 that his shepherd provides the essentials for physical life. At a deeper level the psalmist may be referring to more than just physical provision, though that would certainly be included.

[33:12]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[33:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “inheritance.”

[37:40]  ⁸ tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.

[78:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “his deeds.”

[105:10]  ¹⁰ tn Or “eternal covenant.”

[107:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he subdued with suffering their heart.”

[147:18]  ¹² tn Heb “he sends his word and melts them.”

[147:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “he blows his breath.”