Mazmur 1:2

1:2 Instead ¹  he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; ² 

he meditates on ³  his commands ⁴  day and night.

Mazmur 34:12

34:12 Do you want to really live? ⁵ 

Would you love to live a long, happy life? ⁶ 

Mazmur 35:11

35:11 Violent men perjure themselves, ⁷ 

and falsely accuse me. ⁸ 

Mazmur 37:27

37:27 Turn away from evil! Do what is right! ⁹ 

Then you will enjoy lasting security. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 91:6

91:6 the plague that comes in the darkness,

or the disease that comes at noon. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 94:12

94:12 How blessed is the one ¹²  whom you instruct, O Lord,

the one whom you teach from your law,

Mazmur 94:21

94:21 They conspire against ¹³  the blameless, ¹⁴ 

and condemn to death the innocent. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 105:3

105:3 Boast about his holy name!

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

Mazmur 109:20

109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, ¹⁶ 

those who say evil things about ¹⁷  me! ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 112:5

112:5 It goes well for the one ¹⁹  who generously lends money,

and conducts his business honestly. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 119:63

119:63 I am a friend to all your loyal followers, ²¹ 

and to those who keep your precepts.

Mazmur 125:4

125:4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,

to the morally upright! ²² 

Mazmur 148:4

148:4 Praise him, O highest heaven,

and you waters above the sky! ²³ 

[1:2]  ¹ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.

[1:2]  ² tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the Lord’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the Lord’s commands.” However, even if one translates the line this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will; thus “obeying” has been used in the translation rather than “studying.”

[1:2]  ³ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.

[1:2]  ⁴ tn Or “his law.”

[34:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.

[34:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”

[35:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”

[35:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “[that] which I do not know they ask me.”

[37:27]  ⁹ tn Or “Do good!” The imperatives are singular (see v. 1).

[37:27]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and dwell permanently.” The imperative with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause after the preceding imperatives.

[91:6]  ¹¹ sn As in Deut 32:23-24, vv. 5-6 closely associate military attack and deadly disease. Perhaps the latter alludes to one of the effects of siege warfare on the population of an entrapped city, which was especially vulnerable to the outbreak of epidemics.

[94:12]  ¹² tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in v. 2.

[94:21]  ¹³ tn Or “attack.”

[94:21]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”

[94:21]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”

[109:20]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the Lord.”

[109:20]  ¹⁷ tn Or “against.”

[109:20]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[112:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “man.”

[112:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “he sustains his matters with justice.”

[119:63]  ²¹ tn Heb “to all who fear you.”

[125:4]  ²² tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

[148:4]  ²³ sn The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. See also Ps 104:3. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 47.