Mazmur 2:6

2:6 “I myself ¹  have installed ²  my king

on Zion, my holy hill.”

Mazmur 8:8

8:8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea

and everything that moves through the currents ³  of the seas.

Mazmur 15:2

15:2 Whoever lives a blameless life, ⁴ 

does what is right,

and speaks honestly. ⁵ 

Mazmur 17:12

17:12 He ⁶  is like a lion ⁷  that wants to tear its prey to bits, ⁸ 

like a young lion crouching ⁹  in hidden places.

Mazmur 18:32

18:32 The one true God ¹⁰  gives ¹¹  me strength; ¹² 

he removes ¹³  the obstacles in my way. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 18:47

18:47 The one true God ¹⁵  completely vindicates me; ¹⁶ 

he makes nations submit to me. ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 24:8

24:8 Who is this majestic king? ¹⁸ 

The Lord who is strong and mighty!

The Lord who is mighty in battle!

Mazmur 24:10

24:10 Who is this majestic king?

The Lord who commands armies! ¹⁹ 

He is the majestic king! (Selah)

Mazmur 37:8

37:8 Do not be angry and frustrated! ²⁰ 

Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!

Mazmur 49:20

49:20 Wealthy people do not understand; ²¹ 

they are like animals ²²  that perish. ²³ 

Mazmur 50:5

50:5 He says: ²⁴ 

“Assemble my covenant people before me, ²⁵ 

those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice!” ²⁶ 

Mazmur 55:13

55:13 But it is you, ²⁷  a man like me, ²⁸ 

my close friend in whom I confided. ²⁹ 

Mazmur 71:4

71:4 My God, rescue me from the power ³⁰  of the wicked,

from the hand of the cruel oppressor!

Mazmur 72:5

72:5 People will fear ³¹  you ³²  as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,

for generation after generation. ³³ 

Mazmur 73:1

Book 3
(Psalms 73-89)

Psalm 73 ³⁴ 

A psalm by Asaph.

73:1 Certainly God is good to Israel, ³⁵ 

and to those whose motives are pure! ³⁶ 

Mazmur 78:51

78:51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt,

the firstfruits of their reproductive power ³⁷  in the tents of Ham.

Mazmur 81:4

81:4 For observing the festival is a requirement for Israel; ³⁸ 

it is an ordinance given by the God of Jacob.

Mazmur 83:6

83:6 It includes ³⁹  the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

Moab and the Hagrites, ⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 89:37

89:37 it will remain stable, like the moon, ⁴¹ 

his throne will endure like the skies.” ⁴²  (Selah)

Mazmur 95:8

95:8 He says, ⁴³  “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, ⁴⁴ 

like they were that day at Massah ⁴⁵  in the wilderness, ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 97:5

97:5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,

before the Lord of the whole earth.

Mazmur 105:26

105:26 He sent his servant Moses,

and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

Mazmur 105:36

105:36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,

the firstfruits of their reproductive power. ⁴⁷ 

Mazmur 107:2

107:2 Let those delivered by the Lord speak out, ⁴⁸ 

those whom he delivered ⁴⁹  from the power ⁵⁰  of the enemy,

Mazmur 107:26

107:26 They ⁵¹  reached up to the sky,

then dropped into the depths.

The sailors’ strength ⁵²  left them ⁵³  because the danger was so great. ⁵⁴ 

Mazmur 109:19

109:19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on, ⁵⁵ 

or a belt ⁵⁶  one wears continually!

Mazmur 116:18

116:18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord

before all his people,

Mazmur 119:9

ב (Bet)

119:9 How can a young person ⁵⁷  maintain a pure life? ⁵⁸ 

By guarding it according to your instructions! ⁵⁹ 

Mazmur 119:41

ו (Vav)

119:41 May I experience your loyal love, ⁶⁰  O Lord,

and your deliverance, ⁶¹  as you promised. ⁶² 

Mazmur 119:111

119:111 I claim your rules as my permanent possession,

for they give me joy. ⁶³ 

Mazmur 132:6

132:6 Look, we heard about it ⁶⁴  in Ephrathah, ⁶⁵ 

we found it in the territory of Jaar. ⁶⁶ 

Mazmur 135:12

135:12 He gave their land as an inheritance,

as an inheritance to Israel his people.

[2:6]  ¹ tn The first person pronoun appears before the first person verbal form for emphasis, reflected in the translation by “myself.”

[2:6]  ² tn Or perhaps “consecrated.”

[8:8]  ³ tn Heb “paths.”

[15:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “one who walks blamelessly.”

[15:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “one who speaks truth in his heart”; or “one who speaks truth [that is] in his heart.” This apparently refers to formulating a truthful statement in one’s mind and then honestly revealing that statement in one’s speech.

[17:12]  ⁶ tn Here the psalmist switches to the singular pronoun; he views his enemies collectively, or singles out a representative of the group, perhaps its leader.

[17:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “his likeness [is] like a lion.”

[17:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “[that] longs to tear.”

[17:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “sitting.”

[18:32]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the God.” The prefixed article emphasizes the Lord’s distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). See v. 30.

[18:32]  ¹¹ tn Heb “is the one who clothes.” For similar language see 1 Sam 2:4; Pss 65:6; 93:1. The psalmist employs a generalizing hymnic style in vv. 32-34; he uses participles in vv. 32a, 33a, and 34a to describe what God characteristically does on his behalf.

[18:32]  ¹² tn 2 Sam 22:33 reads, “the God is my strong refuge.”

[18:32]  sn Gives me strength. As the following context makes clear, this refers to physical and emotional strength for battle (see especially v. 39).

[18:32]  ¹³ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries along the generalizing force of the preceding participle.

[18:32]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he made my path smooth.” The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “smooth”) usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36).

[18:47]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the God.” See v. 32.

[18:47]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “is the one who grants vengeance to me.” The plural form of the noun indicates degree here, suggesting complete vengeance or vindication.

[18:47]  sn Completely vindicates me. In the ancient Near East military victory was sometimes viewed as a sign that one’s God had judged in favor of the victor, avenging and/or vindicating him. See, for example, Judg 11:27, 32-33, 36.

[18:47]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he subdues nations beneath me.” On the meaning of the verb דָּבַר (davar, “subdue,” a homonym of דָּבַר, davar, “speak”), see HALOT 209-10 s.v. I דבר. See also Ps 47:3 and 2 Chr 22:10. 2 Sam 22:48 reads “and [is the one who] brings down nations beneath me.”

[24:8]  ¹⁸ sn Who is this majestic king? Perhaps the personified gates/doors ask this question, in response to the command given in v. 7.

[24:10]  ¹⁹ tn Traditionally, “the Lord of hosts,” a title which here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle.

[37:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Refrain from anger! Abandon rage!”

[49:20]  ²¹ tn Heb “mankind in honor does not understand.” The Hebrew term יְקָר (yÿqar, “honor”) probably refers here to the wealth mentioned in the preceding context. The imperfect verbal form draws attention to what is characteristically true. Some emend יָבִין (yavin, “understands”) to יָלִין (yalin, “remains”), but this is an unnecessary accommodation to the wording of v. 12.

[49:20]  ²² tn Or “cattle.”

[49:20]  ²³ tn The Hebrew verb is derived from דָּמָה (damah, “cease, destroy”; BDB 198 s.v.). Another option is to derive the verb from דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”; see HALOT 225 s.v. II דמה, which sees two homonymic roots [I דָּמַה, “be silent,” and II דָּמַה, “destroy”] rather than a single root) and translate, “they are like dumb beasts.” This makes particularly good sense here, where the preceding line focuses on mankind’s lack of understanding.

[50:5]  ²⁴ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s summons to the defendant follows.

[50:5]  ²⁵ tn Or “Gather to me my covenant people.” The Hebrew term חָסִיד (khasid, “covenant people”) elsewhere in the psalms is used in a positive sense of God’s loyal followers (see the note at Ps 4:3), but here, as the following line makes clear, the term has a neutral sense and simply refers to those who have outwardly sworn allegiance to God, not necessarily to those whose loyalty is genuine.

[50:5]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the cutters of my covenant according to sacrifice.” A sacrifice accompanied the covenant-making ceremony and formally ratified the agreement (see Exod 24:3-8).

[55:13]  ²⁷ sn It is you. The psalmist addresses the apparent ringleader of the opposition, an individual who was once his friend.

[55:13]  ²⁸ tn Heb “a man according to my value,” i.e., “a person such as I.”

[55:13]  ²⁹ tn Heb “my close friend, one known by me.”

[71:4]  ³⁰ tn Heb “hand.”

[72:5]  ³¹ tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.” See Ps 33:8. Some interpreters, with the support of the LXX, prefer to read וְיַאֲרִיךְ (vÿ’a’arikh, “and he [the king in this case] will prolong [days]”), that is, “will live a long time” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[72:5]  ³² tn God is the addressee (see vv. 1-2).

[72:5]  ³³ tn Heb “with [the] sun, and before [the] moon [for] a generation, generations.” The rare expression דּוֹר דּוֹרִים (dor dorim, “generation, generations”) occurs only here, in Ps 102:24, and in Isa 51:8.

[73:1]  ³⁴ sn Psalm 73. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist offers a personal testimony of his struggle with the age-old problem of the prosperity of the wicked. As he observed evil men prosper, he wondered if a godly lifestyle really pays off. In the midst of his discouragement, he reflected upon spiritual truths and realities. He was reminded that the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary. God will eventually vindicate his people.

[73:1]  ³⁵ tn Since the psalm appears to focus on an individual’s concerns, not the situation of Israel, this introduction may be a later addition designed to apply the psalm’s message to the entire community. To provide a better parallel with the next line, some emend the Hebrew phrase לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֱלֹהִים (lÿyisra’el ’elohim, “to Israel, God”) to אֱלֹהִים [or אֵל] לָיָּשָׁר (’elohim [or ’el] lÿyyashar, “God [is good] to the upright one”).

[73:1]  ³⁶ tn Heb “to the pure of heart.”

[78:51]  ³⁷ tn Heb “the beginning of strength.” If retained, the plural form אוֹנִים (’onim, “strength”) probably indicates degree (“great strength”), but many ancient witnesses read “their strength,” which presupposes an emendation to אֹנָם (’onam; singular form of the noun with third masculine plural pronominal suffix).

[81:4]  ³⁸ tn Heb “because a statute for Israel [is] it.”

[83:6]  ³⁹ tn The words “it includes” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[83:6]  ⁴⁰ sn The Hagrites are also mentioned in 1 Chr 5:10, 19-20.

[89:37]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”

[89:37]  ⁴² tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join וְעֵד (vÿ’ed) to עוֹלָם (’olam) in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase עוֹלָם וְעֵד (“forever”). In this case one may translate the second line, “[it] will be secure like the skies.” Another option (the one reflected in the present translation) is to take עד as a rare noun meaning “throne” or “dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= כִּסֵּא, kisse’, “throne”) and ’d (= עד, “dais”) appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). Emending בַּשַּׁחַק (bashakhaq, “in the heavens”) to כַּשַׁחַק (kashakhaq, “like the heavens”) – bet/kaf (כ/ב) confusion is widely attested – one can then read “[his] throne like the heavens [is] firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (שְׁחָקִים, shÿkhaqim) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. Ps 89:29 uses the term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “skies”) which frequently appears in parallelism to שְׁחָקִים.

[95:8]  ⁴³ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).

[95:8]  ⁴⁴ sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.

[95:8]  ⁴⁵ sn The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).

[95:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”

[105:36]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “the beginning of all their strength,” that is, reproductive power (see Ps 78:51).

[105:36]  sn Verses 28-36 recall the plagues in a different order than the one presented in Exodus: v. 28 (plague 9), v. 29 (plague 1), v. 30 (plague 2), v. 31a (plague 4), v. 31b (plague 3), vv. 32-33 (plague 7), vv. 34-35 (plague 8), v. 36 (plague 10). No reference is made in Ps 105 to plagues 5 and 6.

[107:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “let the redeemed of the Lord say [so].”

[107:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “redeemed.”

[107:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “hand.”

[107:26]  ⁵¹ tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).

[107:26]  ⁵² tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[107:26]  ⁵³ tn Or “melted.”

[107:26]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “from danger.”

[109:19]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “may it be for him like a garment one puts on.”

[109:19]  ⁵⁶ tn The Hebrew noun מֵזַח (mezakh, “belt; waistband”) occurs only here in the OT. The form apparently occurs in Isa 23:10 as well, but an emendation is necessary there.

[119:9]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “young 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, the gender specific “young man” has been translated with the more neutral “young person.”

[119:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “purify his path.”

[119:9]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:41]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “and may your loyal love come to me.”

[119:41]  ⁶¹ tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions).

[119:41]  ⁶² tn Heb “according to your word.”

[119:111]  ⁶³ tn Heb “for the joy of my heart [are] they.”

[132:6]  ⁶⁴ tn Rather than having an antecedent, the third feminine singular pronominal suffix here (and in the next line) appears to refer to the ark of the covenant, mentioned in v. 8. (The Hebrew term אָרוֹן [’aron, “ark”] is sometimes construed as grammatically feminine. See 1 Sam 4:17; 2 Chr 8:11.)

[132:6]  ⁶⁵ sn Some understand Ephrathah as a reference to Kiriath-jearim because of the apparent allusion to this site in the next line (see the note on “Jaar”). The ark was kept in Kiriath-jearim after the Philistines released it (see 1 Sam 6:21-7:2). However, the switch in verbs from “heard about” to “found” suggests that Ephrathah not be equated with Jair. The group who is speaking heard about the ark while they were in Ephrath. They then went to retrieve it from Kiriath-jearim (“Jaar”). It is more likely that Ephrathah refers to a site near Bethel (Gen 35:16, 19; 48:7) or to Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2).

[132:6]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “fields of the forest.” The Hebrew term יָעַר (ya’ad, “forest”) is apparently a shortened alternative name for קִרְיַת יְעָרִים (qiryat yÿ’arim, “Kiriath-jearim”), the place where the ark was kept after it was released by the Philistines and from which David and his men retrieved it (see 1 Chr 13:6).