Mazmur 22:1--69:36
KonteksFor the music director; according to the tune “Morning Doe;” 2 a psalm of David.
22:1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? 3
I groan in prayer, but help seems far away. 4
22:2 My God, I cry out during the day,
but you do not answer,
and during the night my prayers do not let up. 5
22:3 You are holy;
you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. 6
22:4 In you our ancestors 7 trusted;
they trusted in you 8 and you rescued them.
22:5 To you they cried out, and they were saved;
in you they trusted and they were not disappointed. 9
22:6 But I 10 am a worm, 11 not a man; 12
people insult me and despise me. 13
22:7 All who see me taunt 14 me;
they mock me 15 and shake their heads. 16
“Commit yourself 18 to the Lord!
Let the Lord 19 rescue him!
Let the Lord 20 deliver him, for he delights in him.” 21
22:9 Yes, you are the one who brought me out 22 from the womb
and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.
22:10 I have been dependent on you since birth; 23
from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God. 24
22:11 Do not remain far away from me,
for trouble is near and I have no one to help me. 25
22:12 Many bulls 26 surround me;
powerful bulls of Bashan 27 hem me in.
22:13 They 28 open their mouths to devour me 29
like a roaring lion that rips its prey. 30
22:14 My strength drains away like water; 31
all my bones are dislocated;
my heart 32 is like wax;
it melts away inside me.
22:15 The roof of my mouth 33 is as dry as a piece of pottery;
my tongue sticks to my gums. 34
You 35 set me in the dust of death. 36
22:16 Yes, 37 wild dogs surround me –
a gang of evil men crowd around me;
like a lion they pin my hands and feet. 38
22:17 I can count 39 all my bones;
my enemies 40 are gloating over me in triumph. 41
22:18 They are dividing up my clothes among themselves;
they are rolling dice 42 for my garments.
22:19 But you, O Lord, do not remain far away!
You are my source of strength! 43 Hurry and help me! 44
22:20 Deliver me 45 from the sword!
Save 46 my life 47 from the claws 48 of the wild dogs!
22:21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lion, 49
and from the horns of the wild oxen! 50
You have answered me! 51
22:22 I will declare your name to my countrymen! 52
In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!
22:23 You loyal followers of the Lord, 53 praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! 54
22:24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering 55 of the oppressed; 56
he did not ignore him; 57
when he cried out to him, he responded. 58
22:25 You are the reason I offer praise 59 in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. 60
22:26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled! 61
Let those who seek his help praise the Lord!
May you 62 live forever!
22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! 63
Let all the nations 64 worship you! 65
and rules over the nations.
22:29 All of the thriving people 67 of the earth will join the celebration and worship; 68
all those who are descending into the grave 69 will bow before him,
including those who cannot preserve their lives. 70
22:30 A whole generation 71 will serve him;
they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord. 72
22:31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds; 73
they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished. 74
A psalm of David.
23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, 76
I lack nothing. 77
23:2 He takes me to lush pastures, 78
he leads me to refreshing water. 79
23:3 He restores my strength. 80
He leads me down 81 the right paths 82
for the sake of his reputation. 83
23:4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, 84
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff reassure me. 87
23:5 You prepare a feast before me 88
in plain sight of my enemies.
You refresh 89 my head with oil;
my cup is completely full. 90
23:6 Surely your goodness and faithfulness 91 will pursue 92 me all my days, 93
and I will live in 94 the Lord’s house 95 for the rest of my life. 96
A psalm of David.
24:1 The Lord owns the earth and all it contains,
the world and all who live in it.
24:2 For he set its foundation upon the seas,
and established 98 it upon the ocean currents. 99
24:3 Who is allowed to ascend 100 the mountain of the Lord? 101
Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?
24:4 The one whose deeds are blameless
and whose motives are pure, 102
who does not lie, 103
or make promises with no intention of keeping them. 104
24:5 Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, 105
and vindicated by the God who delivers them. 106
24:6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor,
Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him. 107 (Selah)
Rise up, 109 you eternal doors!
Then the majestic king 110 will enter! 111
24:8 Who is this majestic king? 112
The Lord who is strong and mighty!
The Lord who is mighty in battle!
24:9 Look up, you gates!
Rise up, you eternal doors!
Then the majestic king will enter!
24:10 Who is this majestic king?
The Lord who commands armies! 113
He is the majestic king! (Selah)
By David.
25:1 O Lord, I come before you in prayer. 115
25:2 My God, I trust in you.
Please do not let me be humiliated;
do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!
25:3 Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated.
Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted 116 and humiliated.
25:4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!
Teach me your paths! 117
25:5 Guide me into your truth 118 and teach me.
For you are the God who delivers me;
on you I rely all day long.
25:6 Remember 119 your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,
for you have always acted in this manner. 120
25:7 Do not hold against me 121 the sins of my youth 122 or my rebellious acts!
Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord! 123
25:8 The Lord is both kind and fair; 124
that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live. 125
25:9 May he show 126 the humble what is right! 127
May he teach 128 the humble his way!
25:10 The Lord always proves faithful and reliable 129
to those who follow the demands of his covenant. 130
25:11 For the sake of your reputation, 131 O Lord,
forgive my sin, because it is great. 132
25:12 The Lord shows his faithful followers
the way they should live. 133
25:13 They experience his favor; 134
their descendants 135 inherit the land. 136
25:14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, 137
and he reveals his covenantal demands to them. 138
25:15 I continually look to the Lord for help, 139
for he will free my feet from the enemy’s net. 140
25:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,
for I am alone 141 and oppressed!
25:17 Deliver me from my distress; 142
rescue me from my suffering! 143
25:18 See my pain and suffering!
Forgive all my sins! 144
25:19 Watch my enemies, for they outnumber me;
they hate me and want to harm me. 145
25:20 Protect me 146 and deliver me!
Please do not let me be humiliated,
for I have taken shelter in you!
25:21 May integrity and godliness protect me,
for I rely on you!
25:22 O God, rescue 147 Israel
from all their distress! 148
By David.
26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have integrity, 150
and I trust in the Lord without wavering.
26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me!
Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives! 151
26:3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness, 152
and your loyalty continually motivates me. 153
26:4 I do not associate 154 with deceitful men,
or consort 155 with those who are dishonest. 156
26:5 I hate the mob 157 of evil men,
and do not associate 158 with the wicked.
26:6 I maintain a pure lifestyle, 159
so I can appear before your altar, 160 O Lord,
and to tell about all your amazing deeds. 162
26:8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live, 163
the place where your splendor is revealed. 164
26:9 Do not sweep me away 165 with sinners,
or execute me along with violent people, 166
26:10 who are always ready to do wrong 167
or offer a bribe. 168
26:11 But I have integrity! 169
Rescue me 170 and have mercy on me!
and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.
By David.
27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! 173
I fear no one! 174
The Lord protects my life!
I am afraid of no one! 175
27:2 When evil men attack me 176
to devour my flesh, 177
when my adversaries and enemies attack me, 178
they stumble and fall. 179
27:3 Even when an army is deployed against me,
I do not fear. 180
Even when war is imminent, 181
I remain confident. 182
27:4 I have asked the Lord for one thing –
this is what I desire!
I want to live 183 in the Lord’s house 184 all the days of my life,
so I can gaze at the splendor 185 of the Lord
and contemplate in his temple.
27:5 He will surely 186 give me shelter 187 in the day of danger; 188
he will hide me in his home; 189
he will place me 190 on an inaccessible rocky summit. 191
27:6 Now I will triumph
over my enemies who surround me! 192
I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy! 193
I will sing praises to the Lord!
27:7 Hear me, 194 O Lord, when I cry out!
Have mercy on me and answer me!
27:8 My heart tells me to pray to you, 195
and I do pray to you, O Lord. 196
Do not push your servant away in anger!
You are my deliverer! 198
Do not forsake or abandon me,
O God who vindicates me!
27:10 Even if my father and mother abandoned me, 199
the Lord would take me in. 200
27:11 Teach me how you want me to live; 201
lead me along a level path 202 because of those who wait to ambush me! 203
27:12 Do not turn me over to my enemies, 204
for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me. 205
27:13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience
the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? 206
Be strong and confident! 208
Rely on the Lord!
By David.
28:1 To you, O Lord, I cry out!
My protector, 210 do not ignore me! 211
If you do not respond to me, 212
I will join 213 those who are descending into the grave. 214
28:2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,
when I lift my hands 215 toward your holy temple! 216
28:3 Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly, 217
who talk so friendly to their neighbors, 218
while they plan to harm them! 219
28:4 Pay them back for their evil deeds!
Pay them back for what they do!
Punish them! 220
28:5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,
or the way he carries out justice. 221
The Lord 222 will permanently demolish them. 223
28:6 The Lord deserves praise, 224
for he has heard my plea for mercy! 225
28:7 The Lord strengthens and protects me; 226
I trust in him with all my heart. 227
I am rescued 228 and my heart is full of joy; 229
I will sing to him in gratitude. 230
28:8 The Lord strengthens his people; 231
he protects and delivers his chosen king. 232
28:9 Deliver your people!
Empower 233 the nation that belongs to you! 234
Care for them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms 235 at all times! 236
A psalm of David.
29:1 Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings, 238
acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power! 239
29:2 Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord’s reputation! 240
Worship the Lord in holy attire! 241
29:3 The Lord’s shout is heard over the water; 242
the majestic God thunders, 243
the Lord appears over the surging water. 244
29:4 The Lord’s shout is powerful, 245
the Lord’s shout is majestic. 246
29:5 The Lord’s shout breaks 247 the cedars,
the Lord shatters 248 the cedars of Lebanon. 249
29:6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf
and Sirion 250 like a young ox. 251
29:7 The Lord’s shout strikes 252 with flaming fire. 253
29:8 The Lord’s shout shakes 254 the wilderness,
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 255
29:9 The Lord’s shout bends 256 the large trees 257
and strips 258 the leaves from the forests. 259
Everyone in his temple says, “Majestic!” 260
29:10 The Lord sits enthroned over the engulfing waters, 261
the Lord sits enthroned 262 as the eternal king.
29:11 The Lord gives 263 his people strength; 264
the Lord grants his people security. 265
A psalm – a song used at the dedication of the temple; 267 by David.
30:1 I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up, 268
and did not allow my enemies to gloat 269 over me.
30:2 O Lord my God,
I cried out to you and you healed me. 270
30:3 O Lord, you pulled me 271 up from Sheol;
you rescued me from among those descending into the grave. 272
30:4 Sing to the Lord, you faithful followers 273 of his;
give thanks to his holy name. 274
30:5 For his anger lasts only a brief moment,
and his good favor restores one’s life. 275
One may experience sorrow during the night,
but joy arrives in the morning. 276
30:6 In my self-confidence I said,
“I will never be upended.” 277
30:7 O Lord, in your good favor you made me secure. 278
Then you rejected me 279 and I was terrified.
30:8 To you, O Lord, I cried out;
I begged the Lord for mercy: 280
30:9 “What 281 profit is there in taking my life, 282
in my descending into the Pit? 283
Can the dust of the grave 284 praise you?
Can it declare your loyalty? 285
30:10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me!
O Lord, deliver me!” 286
30:11 Then you turned my lament into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy. 287
30:12 So now 288 my heart 289 will sing to you and not be silent;
O Lord my God, I will always 290 give thanks to you.
For the music director; a psalm of David.
31:1 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter!
Never let me be humiliated!
Vindicate me by rescuing me! 292
Quickly deliver me!
Be my protector and refuge, 294
a stronghold where I can be safe! 295
31:3 For you are my high ridge 296 and my stronghold;
for the sake of your own reputation 297 you lead me and guide me. 298
31:4 You will free me 299 from the net they hid for me,
for you are my place of refuge.
31:5 Into your hand I entrust my life; 300
you will rescue 301 me, O Lord, the faithful God.
31:6 I hate those who serve worthless idols, 302
but I trust in the Lord.
31:7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am. 303
31:8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;
you enable me to stand 304 in a wide open place.
31:9 Have mercy on me, for I am in distress!
My eyes grow dim 305 from suffering. 306
I have lost my strength. 307
31:10 For my life nears its end in pain;
my years draw to a close as I groan. 308
My strength fails me because of 309 my sin,
and my bones become brittle. 310
31:11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me; 311
my neighbors are appalled by my suffering 312 –
those who know me are horrified by my condition; 313
those who see me in the street run away from me.
31:12 I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about; 314
I am regarded as worthless, like a broken jar. 315
31:13 For I hear what so many are saying, 316
the terrifying news that comes from every direction. 317
When they plot together against me,
they figure out how they can take my life.
31:14 But I trust in you, O Lord!
I declare, “You are my God!”
31:15 You determine my destiny! 318
Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those who chase me.
31:16 Smile 319 on your servant!
Deliver me because of your faithfulness!
31:17 O Lord, do not let me be humiliated,
for I call out to you!
May evil men be humiliated!
May they go wailing to the grave! 320
31:18 May lying lips be silenced –
lips 321 that speak defiantly against the innocent 322
with arrogance and contempt!
31:19 How great is your favor, 323
which you store up for your loyal followers! 324
In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter 325 in you. 326
31:20 You hide them with you, where they are safe from the attacks 327 of men; 328
you conceal them in a shelter, where they are safe from slanderous attacks. 329
31:21 The Lord deserves praise 330
for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies. 331
31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said, 332
“I am cut off from your presence!” 333
But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers 334 of his!
The Lord protects those who have integrity,
but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. 335
31:24 Be strong and confident, 336
all you who wait on the Lord!
By David; a well-written song. 338
32:1 How blessed 339 is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, 340
whose sin is pardoned! 341
32:2 How blessed is the one 342 whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish, 343
in whose spirit there is no deceit. 344
32:3 When I refused to confess my sin, 345
my whole body wasted away, 346
while I groaned in pain all day long.
32:4 For day and night you tormented me; 347
you tried to destroy me 348 in the intense heat 349 of summer. 350 (Selah)
32:5 Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess 351 my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins. 352 (Selah)
32:6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers 353 should pray to you
while there is a window of opportunity. 354
Certainly 355 when the surging water 356 rises,
it will not reach them. 357
32:7 You are my hiding place;
you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. 358 (Selah)
32:8 I will instruct and teach you 359 about how you should live. 360
I will advise you as I look you in the eye. 361
32:9 Do not be 362 like an unintelligent horse or mule, 363
which will not obey you
unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. 364
32:10 An evil person suffers much pain, 365
but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him. 366
32:11 Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly!
Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright! 367
33:1 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord!
It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.
33:2 Give thanks to the Lord with the harp!
Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument!
33:3 Sing to him a new song! 369
Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him! 370
33:4 For 371 the Lord’s decrees 372 are just, 373
and everything he does is fair. 374
33:5 The Lord promotes 375 equity and justice;
the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth. 376
33:6 By the Lord’s decree 377 the heavens were made;
by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created. 378
33:7 He piles up the water of the sea; 379
he puts the oceans 380 in storehouses.
33:8 Let the whole earth fear 381 the Lord!
Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him!
33:9 For he spoke, and it 382 came into existence,
he issued the decree, 383 and it stood firm.
33:10 The Lord frustrates 384 the decisions of the nations;
he nullifies the plans 385 of the peoples.
33:11 The Lord’s decisions stand forever;
his plans abide throughout the ages. 386
33:12 How blessed 387 is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen to be his special possession. 388
33:13 The Lord watches 389 from heaven;
he sees all people. 390
33:14 From the place where he lives he looks carefully
at all the earth’s inhabitants.
33:15 He is the one who forms every human heart, 391
and takes note of all their actions.
33:16 No king is delivered by his vast army;
a warrior is not saved by his great might.
33:17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; 392
despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.
33:18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, 393
those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness 394
33:19 by saving their lives from death 395
and sustaining them during times of famine. 396
33:20 We 397 wait for the Lord;
he is our deliverer 398 and shield. 399
33:21 For our hearts rejoice in him,
for we trust in his holy name.
33:22 May we experience your faithfulness, O Lord, 400
for 401 we wait for you.
Written by David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away. 403
34:1 I will praise 404 the Lord at all times;
my mouth will continually praise him. 405
34:2 I will boast 406 in the Lord;
let the oppressed hear and rejoice! 407
34:3 Magnify the Lord with me!
Let’s praise 408 his name together!
34:4 I sought the Lord’s help 409 and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
34:5 Those who look to him for help are happy;
their faces are not ashamed. 410
34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him 411 from all his troubles.
34:7 The Lord’s angel camps around
the Lord’s 412 loyal followers 413 and delivers them. 414
34:8 Taste 415 and see that the Lord is good!
How blessed 416 is the one 417 who takes shelter in him! 418
34:9 Remain loyal to 419 the Lord, you chosen people of his, 420
for his loyal followers 421 lack nothing!
34:10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
34:11 Come children! Listen to me!
I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord. 422
34:12 Do you want to really live? 423
Would you love to live a long, happy life? 424
34:13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words 425
or use deceptive speech! 426
34:14 Turn away from evil and do what is right! 427
Strive for peace and promote it! 428
34:15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help. 429
34:16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth. 430
34:17 The godly 431 cry out and the Lord hears;
he saves them from all their troubles. 432
34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers 433 those who are discouraged. 434
34:19 The godly 435 face many dangers, 436
but the Lord saves 437 them 438 from each one of them.
34:20 He protects 439 all his bones; 440
not one of them is broken. 441
34:21 Evil people self-destruct; 442
those who hate the godly are punished. 443
34:22 The Lord rescues his servants; 444
all who take shelter in him escape punishment. 445
By David.
35:1 O Lord, fight 447 those who fight with me!
Attack those who attack me!
35:2 Grab your small shield and large shield, 448
and rise up to help me!
35:3 Use your spear and lance 449 against 450 those who chase me!
Assure me with these words: 451 “I am your deliverer!”
35:4 May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated!
May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed! 452
35:5 May they be 453 like wind-driven chaff,
as the Lord’s angel 454 attacks them! 455
35:6 May their path be 456 dark and slippery,
as the Lord’s angel chases them!
35:7 I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me
and dug a pit to trap me. 457
35:8 Let destruction take them by surprise! 458
Let the net they hid catch them!
Let them fall into destruction! 459
35:9 Then I will rejoice in the Lord
and be happy because of his deliverance. 460
35:10 With all my strength I will say, 461
“O Lord, who can compare to you?
You rescue 462 the oppressed from those who try to overpower them; 463
the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.” 464
35:11 Violent men perjure themselves, 465
and falsely accuse me. 466
35:12 They repay me evil for the good I have done; 467
I am overwhelmed with sorrow. 468
35:13 When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, 469
and refrained from eating food. 470
(If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!) 471
35:14 I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother. 472
I bowed down 473 in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother. 474
35:15 But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together;
they gathered together to ambush me. 475
They tore at me without stopping to rest. 476
35:16 When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly, 477
and tried to bite me. 478
35:17 O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? 479
Rescue 480 me 481 from their destructive attacks;
guard my life 482 from the young lions!
35:18 Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly; 483
I will praise you before a large crowd of people! 484
35:19 Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason 485 gloat 486 over me!
Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes! 487
35:20 For they do not try to make peace with others, 488
but plan ways to deceive those who are unsuspecting. 489
35:21 They are ready to devour me; 490
they say, “Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!” 491
35:22 But you take notice, 492 Lord!
O Lord, do not remain far away from me!
35:23 Rouse yourself, wake up 493 and vindicate me! 494
My God and Lord, defend my just cause! 495
35:24 Vindicate me by your justice, O Lord my God!
Do not let them gloat 496 over me!
35:25 Do not let them say to themselves, 497 “Aha! We have what we wanted!” 498
Do not let them say, “We have devoured him!”
35:26 May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 499
May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! 500
35:27 May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice!
May they continually say, 501 “May the Lord be praised, 502 for he wants his servant to be secure.” 503
35:28 Then I will tell others about your justice, 504
and praise you all day long. 505
For the music director; written by the Lord’s servant, David; an oracle. 507
36:1 An evil man is rebellious to the core. 508
He does not fear God, 509
36:2 for he is too proud
to recognize and give up his sin. 510
36:3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;
he does not care about doing what is wise and right. 511
36:4 He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed;
he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; 512
he does not reject what is evil. 513
36:5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky; 514
your faithfulness to the clouds. 515
36:6 Your justice is like the highest mountains, 516
your fairness like the deepest sea;
you preserve 517 mankind and the animal kingdom. 518
36:7 How precious 519 is your loyal love, O God!
The human race finds shelter under your wings. 520
36:8 They are filled with food from your house,
and you allow them to drink from the river of your delicacies.
36:9 For you are the one who gives
and sustains life. 521
36:10 Extend 522 your loyal love to your faithful followers, 523
and vindicate 524 the morally upright! 525
36:11 Do not let arrogant men overtake me,
or let evil men make me homeless! 526
36:12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen! 527
They have been knocked down and are unable to get up! 528
By David.
37:1 Do not fret 530 when wicked men seem to succeed! 531
Do not envy evildoers!
37:2 For they will quickly dry up like grass,
and wither away like plants. 532
37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!
Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! 533
37:4 Then you will take delight in the Lord, 534
and he will answer your prayers. 535
37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! 536
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. 537
37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,
and publicly defend your just cause. 538
37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! 539
Wait confidently 540 for him!
Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, 541
a man who carries out wicked schemes!
37:8 Do not be angry and frustrated! 542
Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!
37:9 Wicked men 543 will be wiped out, 544
but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land. 545
37:10 Evil men will soon disappear; 546
you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. 547
37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity. 548
37:12 Evil men plot against the godly 549
and viciously attack them. 550
37:13 The Lord laughs in disgust 551 at them,
for he knows that their day is coming. 552
37:14 Evil men draw their swords
and prepare their bows,
to bring down 553 the oppressed and needy,
and to slaughter those who are godly. 554
37:15 Their swords will pierce 555 their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
37:16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than
the wealth of many evil men, 556
37:17 for evil men will lose their power, 557
but the Lord sustains 558 the godly.
37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day 559
and they possess a permanent inheritance. 560
37:19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come; 561
when famine comes they will have enough to eat. 562
37:20 But 563 evil men will die;
the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated 564 –
they will go up in smoke. 565
37:21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt,
but the godly show compassion and are generous. 566
37:22 Surely 567 those favored by the Lord 568 will possess the land,
but those rejected 569 by him will be wiped out. 570
37:23 The Lord grants success to the one
whose behavior he finds commendable. 571
37:24 Even if 572 he trips, he will not fall headlong, 573
for the Lord holds 574 his hand.
37:25 I was once young, now I am old.
I have never seen a godly man abandoned,
or his children 575 forced to search for food. 576
37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, 577
and his children 578 are blessed.
37:27 Turn away from evil! Do what is right! 579
Then you will enjoy lasting security. 580
37:28 For the Lord promotes 581 justice,
and never abandons 582 his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure, 583
but the children 584 of evil men are wiped out. 585
37:29 The godly will possess the land
and will dwell in it permanently.
37:30 The godly speak wise words
and promote justice. 586
37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking; 587
their 588 feet do not slip.
37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly
and try to kill them. 589
37:33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,
or allow them to be condemned in a court of law. 590
37:34 Rely 591 on the Lord! Obey his commands! 592
Then he will permit you 593 to possess the land;
you will see the demise of evil men. 594
37:35 I have seen ruthless evil men 595
growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil. 596
37:36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! 597
I looked for them, but they could not be found.
37:37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! 598
For the one who promotes peace has a future. 599
37:38 Sinful rebels are totally destroyed; 600
evil men have no future. 601
37:39 But the Lord delivers the godly; 602
he protects them in times of trouble. 603
37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, 604
for they seek his protection.
A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention. 606
38:1 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger!
Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury! 607
38:2 For your arrows pierce 608 me,
and your hand presses me down. 609
38:3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment; 610
I am deprived of health because of my sin. 611
38:4 For my sins overwhelm me; 612
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
38:5 My wounds 613 are infected and starting to smell, 614
because of my foolish sins. 615
38:6 I am dazed 616 and completely humiliated; 617
all day long I walk around mourning.
38:7 For I am overcome with shame 618
and my whole body is sick. 619
38:8 I am numb with pain and severely battered; 620
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel. 621
38:9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire; 622
my groaning is not hidden from you.
38:10 My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me;
I can hardly see. 623
38:11 Because of my condition, 624 even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; 625
my neighbors stand far away. 626
38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; 627
those who want to harm me speak destructive words;
all day long they say deceitful things.
38:13 But I am like a deaf man – I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak. 628
38:14 I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense. 629
38:15 Yet 630 I wait for you, O Lord!
You will respond, O Lord, my God!
38:16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me; 631
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me. 632
38:17 For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain. 633
38:18 Yes, 634 I confess my wrongdoing,
and I am concerned about my sins.
38:19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous; 635
those who hate me without cause outnumber me. 636
38:20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;
though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me. 637
38:21 Do not abandon me, O Lord!
My God, do not remain far away from me!
38:22 Hurry and help me, 638 O Lord, my deliverer!
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39:1 I decided, 640 “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. 641
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil man.” 642
I held back the urge to speak. 644
My frustration grew; 645
39:3 my anxiety intensified. 646
As I thought about it, I became impatient. 647
Finally I spoke these words: 648
39:4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life! 649
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass! 650
39:5 Look, you make my days short-lived, 651
and my life span is nothing from your perspective. 652
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor. 653
39:6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. 654
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.” 655
39:7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?
You are my only hope! 656
39:8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion!
Do not make me the object of fools’ insults!
39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth
because of what you have done. 657
39:10 Please stop wounding me! 658
You have almost beaten me to death! 659
39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins; 660
like a moth you slowly devour their strength. 661
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
39:12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cry for help!
Do not ignore my sobbing! 662
For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land;
I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were. 663
39:13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy
before I pass away. 664
For the music director; By David, a psalm.
40:1 I relied completely 666 on the Lord,
and he turned toward me
and heard my cry for help.
40:2 He lifted me out of the watery pit, 667
out of the slimy mud. 668
He placed my feet on a rock
and gave me secure footing. 669
40:3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, 670
praising our God. 671
May many see what God has done,
so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord! 672
40:4 How blessed 673 is the one 674 who trusts in the Lord 675
and does not seek help from 676 the proud or from liars! 677
40:5 O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things;
you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us. 678
No one can thwart you! 679
I want to declare them and talk about them,
but they are too numerous to recount! 680
40:6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. 681
You make that quite clear to me! 682
You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.
40:7 Then I say,
“Look! I come!
What is written in the scroll pertains to me. 683
40:8 I want to do what pleases you, 684 my God.
Your law dominates my thoughts.” 685
40:9 I have told the great assembly 686 about your justice. 687
Look! I spare no words! 688
O Lord, you know this is true.
40:10 I have not failed to tell about your justice; 689
I spoke about your reliability and deliverance;
I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your loyal love and faithfulness. 690
40:11 O Lord, you do not withhold 691 your compassion from me.
May your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me! 692
40:12 For innumerable dangers 693 surround me.
My sins overtake me
so I am unable to see;
they outnumber the hairs of my head
so my strength fails me. 694
40:13 Please be willing, O Lord, to rescue me!
O Lord, hurry and help me! 695
40:14 May those who are trying to snatch away my life
be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 696
May those who want to harm me
be turned back and ashamed! 697
40:15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be humiliated 698 and disgraced! 699
40:16 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!
May those who love to experience 700 your deliverance say continually, 701
“May the Lord be praised!” 702
40:17 I am oppressed and needy! 703
May the Lord pay attention to me! 704
You are my helper and my deliverer!
O my God, do not delay!
For the music director; a psalm of David.
41:1 How blessed 706 is the one who treats the poor properly! 707
When trouble comes, 708 the Lord delivers him. 709
41:2 May the Lord protect him and save his life! 710
May he be blessed 711 in the land!
Do not turn him over 712 to his enemies! 713
41:3 The Lord supports 714 him on his sickbed;
you completely heal him from his illness. 715
“O Lord, have mercy on me!
Heal me, for I have sinned against you!
41:5 My enemies ask this cruel question about me, 717
‘When will he finally die and be forgotten?’ 718
41:6 When someone comes to visit, 719 he pretends to be friendly; 720
he thinks of ways to defame me, 721
and when he leaves he slanders me. 722
41:7 All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another; 723
they plan ways to harm me.
‘An awful disease 725 overwhelms him, 726
and now that he is bed-ridden he will never recover.’ 727
41:9 Even my close friend 728 whom I trusted,
he who shared meals with me, has turned against me. 729
41:10 As for you, O Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up,
so I can pay them back!” 730
41:11 By this 731 I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does 732 not triumph 733 over me.
41:12 As for me, you uphold 734 me because of my integrity; 735
you allow 736 me permanent access to your presence. 737
41:13 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise 738
in the future and forevermore! 739
We agree! We agree! 740
Book 2
(Psalms 42-72)
For the music director; a well-written song 742 by the Korahites.
42:1 As a deer 743 longs 744 for streams of water,
so I long 745 for you, O God!
for the living God.
I say, 747 “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?” 748
42:3 I cannot eat, I weep day and night; 749
all day long they say to me, 750 “Where is your God?”
42:4 I will remember and weep! 751
For I was once walking along with the great throng to the temple of God,
shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we celebrated the holy festival. 752
42:5 Why are you depressed, 753 O my soul? 754
Why are you upset? 755
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention. 756
so I will pray to you while I am trapped here in the region of the upper Jordan, 758
from Hermon, 759 from Mount Mizar. 760
42:7 One deep stream calls out to another 761 at the sound of your waterfalls; 762
all your billows and waves overwhelm me. 763
42:8 By day the Lord decrees his loyal love, 764
and by night he gives me a song, 765
a prayer 766 to the living God.
42:9 I will pray 767 to God, my high ridge: 768
“Why do you ignore 769 me?
Why must I walk around mourning 770
because my enemies oppress me?”
42:10 My enemies’ taunts cut into me to the bone, 771
as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 772
42:11 Why are you depressed, 773 O my soul? 774
Why are you upset? 775
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention. 776
43:1 Vindicate me, O God!
Fight for me 778 against an ungodly nation!
Deliver me 779 from deceitful and evil men! 780
43:2 For you are the God who shelters me. 781
Why do you reject me? 782
Why must I walk around 783 mourning 784
because my enemies oppress me?
43:3 Reveal 785 your light 786 and your faithfulness!
They will lead me, 787
they will escort 788 me back to your holy hill, 789
and to the place where you live. 790
43:4 Then I will go 791 to the altar of God,
to the God who gives me ecstatic joy, 792
so that I express my thanks to you, 793 O God, my God, with a harp.
43:5 Why are you depressed, 794 O my soul? 795
Why are you upset? 796
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention. 797
For the music director; by the Korahites, a well-written song. 799
44:1 O God, we have clearly heard; 800
our ancestors 801 have told us
what you did 802 in their days,
in ancient times. 803
44:2 You, by your power, 804 defeated nations and settled our fathers on their land; 805
you crushed 806 the people living there 807 and enabled our ancestors to occupy it. 808
44:3 For they did not conquer 809 the land by their swords,
and they did not prevail by their strength, 810
but rather by your power, 811 strength 812 and good favor, 813
for you were partial to 814 them.
44:4 You are my 815 king, O God!
Decree 816 Jacob’s 817 deliverance!
44:5 By your power 818 we will drive back 819 our enemies;
by your strength 820 we will trample down 821 our foes! 822
44:6 For I do not trust in my bow,
and I do not prevail by my sword.
44:7 For you deliver 823 us from our enemies;
you humiliate 824 those who hate us.
44:8 In God I boast all day long,
and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)
44:9 But 825 you rejected and embarrassed us!
You did not go into battle with our armies. 826
44:10 You made us retreat 827 from the enemy.
Those who hate us take whatever they want from us. 828
44:11 You handed us 829 over like sheep to be eaten;
you scattered us among the nations.
44:12 You sold 830 your people for a pittance; 831
you did not ask a high price for them. 832
44:13 You made us 833 an object of disdain to our neighbors;
those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. 834
44:14 You made us 835 an object of ridicule 836 among the nations;
foreigners treat us with contempt. 837
44:15 All day long I feel humiliated 838
and am overwhelmed with shame, 839
44:16 before the vindictive enemy
who ridicules and insults me. 840
44:17 All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you 841
or violated your covenant with us. 842
44:18 We have not been unfaithful, 843
nor have we disobeyed your commands. 844
44:19 Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs; 845
you have covered us with darkness. 846
44:20 If we had rejected our God, 847
and spread out our hands in prayer to another god, 848
44:21 would not God discover it,
for he knows 849 one’s thoughts? 850
44:22 Yet because of you 851 we are killed all day long;
we are treated like 852 sheep at the slaughtering block. 853
44:23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Wake up! 854 Do not reject us forever!
44:24 Why do you look the other way, 855
and ignore 856 the way we are oppressed and mistreated? 857
44:25 For we lie in the dirt,
with our bellies pressed to the ground. 858
44:26 Rise up and help us!
Rescue us 859 because of your loyal love!
For the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” 861 by the Korahites, a well-written poem, 862 a love song.
45:1 My heart is stirred by a beautiful song. 863
I say, “I have composed this special song 864 for the king;
my tongue is as skilled as the stylus of an experienced scribe.” 865
45:2 You are the most handsome of all men! 866
You speak in an impressive and fitting manner! 867
For this reason 868 God grants you continual blessings. 869
45:3 Strap your sword to your thigh, O warrior! 870
Appear in your majestic splendor! 871
45:4 Appear in your majesty and be victorious! 872
Ride forth for the sake of what is right, 873
on behalf of justice! 874
Then your right hand will accomplish mighty acts! 875
45:5 Your arrows are sharp
and penetrate the hearts of the king’s enemies.
Nations fall at your feet. 876
45:6 Your throne, 877 O God, is permanent. 878
The scepter 879 of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
45:7 You love 880 justice and hate evil. 881
For this reason God, your God 882 has anointed you 883
with the oil of joy, 884 elevating you above your companions. 885
45:8 All your garments are perfumed with 886 myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
From the luxurious palaces 887 comes the music of stringed instruments that makes you happy. 888
45:9 Princesses 889 are among your honored guests, 890
your bride 891 stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir. 892
Observe and pay attention! 894
Forget your homeland 895 and your family! 896
45:11 Then 897 the king will be attracted by 898 your beauty.
After all, he is your master! Submit 899 to him! 900
45:12 Rich people from Tyre 901
will seek your favor by bringing a gift. 902
45:13 The princess 903 looks absolutely magnificent, 904
decked out in pearls and clothed in a brocade trimmed with gold. 905
45:14 In embroidered robes she is escorted to the king.
Her attendants, the maidens of honor who follow her,
are led before you. 906
45:15 They are bubbling with joy as they walk in procession
and enter the royal palace. 907
45:16 Your 908 sons will carry 909 on the dynasty of your ancestors; 910
you will make them princes throughout the land.
45:17 I will proclaim your greatness through the coming years, 911
then the nations will praise you 912 forever.
For the music director; by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style; 914 a song.
46:1 God is our strong refuge; 915
he is truly our helper in times of trouble. 916
46:2 For this reason we do not fear 917 when the earth shakes, 918
and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, 919
46:3 when its waves 920 crash 921 and foam,
and the mountains shake 922 before the surging sea. 923 (Selah)
46:4 The river’s channels bring joy to the city of God, 924
the special, holy dwelling place of 925 the sovereign One. 926
46:5 God lives within it, 927 it cannot be moved. 928
God rescues it 929 at the break of dawn. 930
46:6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown. 931
God 932 gives a shout, 933 the earth dissolves. 934
46:7 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! 935
The God of Jacob 936 is our protector! 937 (Selah)
46:8 Come! Witness the exploits 938 of the Lord,
who brings devastation to the earth! 939
46:9 He brings an end to wars throughout the earth; 940
he shatters 941 the bow and breaks 942 the spear;
he burns 943 the shields with fire. 944
46:10 He says, 945 “Stop your striving and recognize 946 that I am God!
I will be exalted 947 over 948 the nations! I will be exalted over 949 the earth!”
46:11 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! 950
The God of Jacob 951 is our protector! 952 (Selah)
For the music director; by the Korahites; a psalm.
47:1 All you nations, clap your hands!
Shout out to God in celebration! 954
47:2 For the sovereign Lord 955 is awe-inspiring; 956
he is the great king who rules the whole earth! 957
47:3 He subdued nations beneath us 958
and countries 959 under our feet.
47:4 He picked out for us a special land 960
to be a source of pride for 961 Jacob, 962 whom he loves. 963 (Selah)
47:5 God has ascended his throne 964 amid loud shouts; 965
the Lord has ascended his throne amid the blaring of ram’s horns. 966
47:6 Sing to God! Sing!
Sing to our king! Sing!
47:7 For God is king of the whole earth!
Sing a well-written song! 967
47:8 God reigns 968 over the nations!
God sits on his holy throne!
47:9 The nobles of the nations assemble,
along with the people of the God of Abraham, 969
for God has authority over the rulers 970 of the earth.
He is highly exalted! 971
A song, a psalm by the Korahites.
48:1 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise
in the city of our God, 973 his holy hill.
48:2 It is lofty and pleasing to look at, 974
a source of joy to the whole earth. 975
Mount Zion resembles the peaks of Zaphon; 976
it is the city of the great king.
48:3 God is in its fortresses;
he reveals himself as its defender. 977
48:4 For 978 look, the kings assemble; 979
they advance together.
48:5 As soon as they see, 980 they are shocked; 981
they are terrified, they quickly retreat. 982
48:6 Look at them shake uncontrollably, 983
like a woman writhing in childbirth. 984
48:7 With an east wind
you shatter 985 the large ships. 986
48:8 We heard about God’s mighty deeds, now we have seen them, 987
in the city of the Lord, the invincible Warrior, 988
in the city of our God.
God makes it permanently secure. 989 (Selah)
48:9 We reflect on your loyal love, O God,
within your temple.
48:10 The praise you receive as far away as the ends of the earth
is worthy of your reputation, O God. 990
You execute justice! 991
48:11 Mount Zion rejoices;
the towns 992 of Judah are happy, 993
because of your acts of judgment. 994
48:12 Walk around 995 Zion! Encircle it!
Count its towers!
48:13 Consider its defenses! 996
Walk through 997 its fortresses,
so you can tell the next generation about it! 998
48:14 For God, our God, is our defender forever! 999
For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.
49:1 Listen to this, all you nations!
Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world! 1003
49:2 Pay attention, all you people, 1004
both rich and poor!
49:3 I will declare a wise saying; 1005
I will share my profound thoughts. 1006
49:4 I will learn a song that imparts wisdom;
I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp. 1007
49:5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, 1008
when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me? 1009
49:6 They trust 1010 in their wealth
and boast 1011 in their great riches.
49:7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother; 1012
he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price 1013
49:8 (the ransom price for a human life 1014 is too high,
and people go to their final destiny), 1015
49:9 so that he might continue to live 1016 forever
and not experience death. 1017
49:10 Surely 1018 one sees 1019 that even wise people die; 1020
fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away 1021
and leave their wealth to others. 1022
49:11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence,
their eternal dwelling place. 1023
They name their lands after themselves, 1024
49:12 but, despite their wealth, people do not last, 1025
they are like animals 1026 that perish. 1027
49:13 This is the destiny of fools, 1028
and of those who approve of their philosophy. 1029 (Selah)
49:14 They will travel to Sheol like sheep, 1030
with death as their shepherd. 1031
The godly will rule 1032 over them when the day of vindication dawns; 1033
Sheol will consume their bodies and they will no longer live in impressive houses. 1034
49:15 But 1035 God will rescue 1036 my life 1037 from the power 1038 of Sheol;
certainly 1039 he will pull me to safety. 1040 (Selah)
49:16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich 1041
and his wealth multiplies! 1042
49:17 For he will take nothing with him when he dies;
his wealth will not follow him down into the grave. 1043
49:18 He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive:
“May men praise you, for you have done well!”
49:19 But he will join his ancestors; 1044
they will never again see the light of day. 1045
49:20 Wealthy people do not understand; 1046
they are like animals 1047 that perish. 1048
A psalm by Asaph.
50:1 El, God, the Lord 1050 speaks,
and summons the earth to come from the east and west. 1051
50:2 From Zion, the most beautiful of all places, 1052
God comes in splendor. 1053
50:3 Our God approaches and is not silent; 1054
consuming fire goes ahead of him
and all around him a storm rages. 1055
50:4 He summons the heavens above,
as well as the earth, so that he might judge his people. 1056
“Assemble my covenant people before me, 1058
those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice!” 1059
50:6 The heavens declare his fairness, 1060
for God is judge. 1061 (Selah)
“Listen my people! I am speaking!
Listen Israel! I am accusing you! 1063
I am God, your God!
50:8 I am not condemning 1064 you because of your sacrifices,
or because of your burnt sacrifices that you continually offer me. 1065
50:9 I do not need to take 1066 a bull from your household
or goats from your sheepfolds.
50:10 For every wild animal in the forest belongs to me,
as well as the cattle that graze on a thousand hills. 1067
50:11 I keep track of 1068 every bird in the hills,
and the insects 1069 of the field are mine.
50:12 Even if I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all it contains belong to me.
50:13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats? 1070
50:14 Present to God a thank-offering!
Repay your vows to the sovereign One! 1071
50:15 Pray to me when you are in trouble! 1072
I will deliver you, and you will honor me!” 1073
50:16 God says this to the evildoer: 1074
“How can you declare my commands,
and talk about my covenant? 1075
50:17 For you hate instruction
and reject my words. 1076
50:18 When you see a thief, you join him; 1077
you associate with men who are unfaithful to their wives. 1078
50:19 You do damage with words, 1079
and use your tongue to deceive. 1080
50:20 You plot against your brother; 1081
you slander your own brother. 1082
50:21 When you did these things, I was silent, 1083
so you thought I was exactly like you. 1084
But now I will condemn 1085 you
and state my case against you! 1086
50:22 Carefully consider this, you who reject God! 1087
Otherwise I will rip you to shreds 1088
and no one will be able to rescue you.
50:23 Whoever presents a thank-offering honors me. 1089
To whoever obeys my commands, I will reveal my power to deliver.” 1090
For the music director; a psalm of David, written when Nathan the prophet confronted him after David’s affair with Bathsheba. 1092
51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of 1093 your loyal love!
Because of 1094 your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts! 1095
51:2 Wash away my wrongdoing! 1096
Cleanse me of my sin! 1097
51:3 For I am aware of 1098 my rebellious acts;
I am forever conscious of my sin. 1099
51:4 Against you – you above all 1100 – I have sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
So 1101 you are just when you confront me; 1102
you are right when you condemn me. 1103
51:5 Look, I was guilty of sin from birth,
a sinner the moment my mother conceived me. 1104
51:6 Look, 1105 you desire 1106 integrity in the inner man; 1107
you want me to possess wisdom. 1108
51:7 Sprinkle me 1109 with water 1110 and I will be pure; 1111
wash me 1112 and I will be whiter than snow. 1113
51:8 Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven! 1114
May the bones 1115 you crushed rejoice! 1116
51:9 Hide your face 1117 from my sins!
Wipe away 1118 all my guilt!
51:10 Create for me a pure heart, O God! 1119
Renew a resolute spirit within me! 1120
Do not take your Holy Spirit 1122 away from me! 1123
51:12 Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance!
Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey! 1124
51:13 Then I will teach 1125 rebels your merciful ways, 1126
and sinners will turn 1127 to you.
51:14 Rescue me from the guilt of murder, 1128 O God, the God who delivers me!
Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your deliverance. 1129
51:15 O Lord, give me the words! 1130
Then my mouth will praise you. 1131
51:16 Certainly 1132 you do not want a sacrifice, or else I would offer it; 1133
you do not desire a burnt sacrifice. 1134
51:17 The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit 1135 –
O God, a humble and repentant heart 1136 you will not reject. 1137
51:18 Because you favor Zion, do what is good for her! 1138
Fortify 1139 the walls of Jerusalem! 1140
51:19 Then you will accept 1141 the proper sacrifices, burnt sacrifices and whole offerings;
then bulls will be sacrificed 1142 on your altar. 1143
For the music director; a well-written song 1145 by David. It was written when Doeg the Edomite went and informed Saul: “David has arrived at the home of Ahimelech.” 1146
52:1 Why do you boast about your evil plans, 1147 O powerful man?
God’s loyal love protects me all day long! 1148
52:2 Your tongue carries out your destructive plans; 1149
it is as effective as a sharp razor, O deceiver. 1150
52:3 You love evil more than good,
lies more than speaking the truth. 1151 (Selah)
52:4 You love to use all the words that destroy, 1152
and the tongue that deceives.
52:5 Yet 1153 God will make you a permanent heap of ruins. 1154
He will scoop you up 1155 and remove you from your home; 1156
he will uproot you from the land of the living. (Selah)
52:6 When the godly see this, they will be filled with awe,
and will mock the evildoer, saying: 1157
52:7 “Look, here is the man who would not make 1158 God his protector!
He trusted in his great wealth
and was confident about his plans to destroy others.” 1159
52:8 But I 1160 am like a flourishing 1161 olive tree in the house of God;
I continually 1162 trust in God’s loyal love.
52:9 I will continually 1163 thank you when 1164 you execute judgment; 1165
I will rely 1166 on you, 1167 for your loyal followers know you are good. 1168
For the music director; according to the machalath style; 1170 a well-written song 1171 by David.
53:1 Fools say to themselves, 1172 “There is no God.” 1173
They sin and commit evil deeds; 1174
none of them does what is right. 1175
53:2 God looks down from heaven 1176 at the human race, 1177
to see if there is anyone who is wise 1178 and seeks God. 1179
53:3 Everyone rejects God; 1180
they are all morally corrupt. 1181
None of them does what is right, 1182
not even one!
53:4 All those who behave wickedly 1183 do not understand 1184 –
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to God.
53:5 They are absolutely terrified, 1185
even by things that do not normally cause fear. 1186
For God annihilates 1187 those who attack you. 1188
You are able to humiliate them because God has rejected them. 1189
53:6 I wish the deliverance 1190 of Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the well-being of his people, 1191
may Jacob rejoice, 1192
may Israel be happy! 1193
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song 1195 by David. It was written when the Ziphites came and informed Saul: “David is hiding with us.” 1196
54:1 O God, deliver me by your name! 1197
Vindicate me 1198 by your power!
54:2 O God, listen to my prayer!
Pay attention to what I say! 1199
54:3 For foreigners 1200 attack me; 1201
ruthless men, who do not respect God, seek my life. 1202 (Selah)
54:4 Look, God is my deliverer! 1203
The Lord is among those who support me. 1204
54:5 May those who wait to ambush me 1205 be repaid for their evil! 1206
As a demonstration of your faithfulness, 1207 destroy them!
54:6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice 1208 to you!
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good!
54:7 Surely 1209 he rescues me from all trouble, 1210
and I triumph over my enemies. 1211
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song 1213 by David.
55:1 Listen, O God, to my prayer!
Do not ignore 1214 my appeal for mercy!
55:2 Pay attention to me and answer me!
I am so upset 1215 and distressed, 1216 I am beside myself, 1217
55:3 because of what the enemy says, 1218
and because of how the wicked 1219 pressure me, 1220
for they hurl trouble 1221 down upon me 1222
and angrily attack me.
55:4 My heart beats violently 1223 within me;
the horrors of death overcome me. 1224
55:5 Fear and panic overpower me; 1225
terror overwhelms 1226 me.
55:6 I say, 1227 “I wish I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and settle in a safe place!
55:7 Look, I will escape to a distant place;
I will stay in the wilderness. (Selah)
55:8 I will hurry off to a place that is safe
from the strong wind 1228 and the gale.”
55:9 Confuse them, 1229 O Lord!
Frustrate their plans! 1230
For I see violence and conflict in the city.
55:10 Day and night they walk around on its walls, 1231
while wickedness and destruction 1232 are within it.
55:11 Disaster is within it;
violence 1233 and deceit do not depart from its public square.
55:12 Indeed, 1234 it is not an enemy who insults me,
or else I could bear it;
it is not one who hates me who arrogantly taunts me, 1235
or else I could hide from him.
55:13 But it is you, 1236 a man like me, 1237
my close friend in whom I confided. 1238
55:14 We would share personal thoughts with each other; 1239
in God’s temple we would walk together among the crowd.
55:15 May death destroy them! 1240
May they go down alive into Sheol! 1241
For evil is in their dwelling place and in their midst.
55:16 As for me, I will call out to God,
and the Lord will deliver me.
55:17 During the evening, morning, and noontime
I will lament and moan, 1242
and he will hear 1243 me. 1244
55:18 He will rescue 1245 me and protect me from those who attack me, 1246
even though 1247 they greatly outnumber me. 1248
55:19 God, the one who has reigned as king from long ago,
will hear and humiliate them. 1249 (Selah)
They refuse to change,
and do not fear God. 1250
55:20 He 1251 attacks 1252 his friends; 1253
he breaks his solemn promises to them. 1254
55:21 His words are as smooth as butter, 1255
but he harbors animosity in his heart. 1256
His words seem softer than oil,
but they are really like sharp swords. 1257
55:22 Throw your burden 1258 upon the Lord,
and he will sustain you. 1259
He will never allow the godly to be upended. 1260
55:23 But you, O God, will bring them 1261 down to the deep Pit. 1262
Violent and deceitful people 1263 will not live even half a normal lifespan. 1264
But as for me, I trust in you.
For the music director; according to the yonath-elem-rechovim style; 1266 a prayer 1267 of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath. 1268
56:1 Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me! 1269
All day long hostile enemies 1270 are tormenting me. 1271
56:2 Those who anticipate my defeat 1272 attack me all day long.
Indeed, 1273 many are fighting against me, O Exalted One. 1274
I trust in you.
56:4 In God – I boast in his promise 1276 –
in God I trust, I am not afraid.
What can mere men 1277 do to me? 1278
56:5 All day long they cause me trouble; 1279
they make a habit of plotting my demise. 1280
56:6 They stalk 1281 and lurk; 1282
they watch my every step, 1283
as 1284 they prepare to take my life. 1285
56:7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape! 1286
In your anger 1287 bring down the nations, 1288 O God!
56:8 You keep track of my misery. 1289
Put my tears in your leather container! 1290
Are they not recorded in your scroll? 1291
56:9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; 1292
I know that God is on my side. 1293
56:10 In God – I boast in his promise 1294 –
in the Lord – I boast in his promise 1295 –
56:11 in God I trust, I am not afraid.
What can mere men 1296 do to me? 1297
56:12 I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; 1298
I will give you the thank-offerings you deserve, 1299
56:13 when you deliver 1300 my life from death.
You keep my feet from stumbling, 1301
so that I might serve 1302 God as I enjoy life. 1303
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 1305 a prayer 1306 of David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave. 1307
57:1 Have mercy on me, O God! Have mercy on me!
For in you I have taken shelter. 1308
In the shadow of your wings 1309 I take shelter
until trouble passes.
57:2 I cry out for help to the sovereign God, 1310
to the God who vindicates 1311 me.
57:3 May he send help from heaven and deliver me 1312
from my enemies who hurl insults! 1313 (Selah)
May God send his loyal love and faithfulness!
57:4 I am surrounded by lions;
I lie down 1314 among those who want to devour me; 1315
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are a sharp sword. 1316
57:5 Rise up 1317 above the sky, O God!
May your splendor cover the whole earth! 1318
57:6 They have prepared a net to trap me; 1319
I am discouraged. 1320
They have dug a pit for me. 1321
They will fall 1322 into it! (Selah)
57:7 I am determined, 1323 O God! I am determined!
I will sing and praise you!
Awake, O stringed instrument and harp!
I will wake up at dawn! 1325
57:9 I will give you thanks before the nations, O Master!
I will sing praises to you before foreigners! 1326
57:10 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, 1327
and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
57:11 Rise up 1328 above the sky, O God!
May your splendor cover the whole earth! 1329
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 1331 a prayer 1332 of David.
58:1 Do you rulers really pronounce just decisions? 1333
Do you judge people 1334 fairly?
58:2 No! 1335 You plan how to do what is unjust; 1336
you deal out violence in the earth. 1337
58:3 The wicked turn aside from birth; 1338
liars go astray as soon as they are born. 1339
58:4 Their venom is like that of a snake, 1340
like a deaf serpent 1341 that does not hear, 1342
58:5 that does not respond to 1343 the magicians,
or to a skilled snake-charmer.
58:6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths!
Smash the jawbones of the lions, O Lord!
58:7 Let them disappear 1344 like water that flows away! 1345
Let them wither like grass! 1346
58:8 Let them be 1347 like a snail that melts away as it moves along! 1348
Let them be like 1349 stillborn babies 1350 that never see the sun!
58:9 Before the kindling is even placed under your pots, 1351
he 1352 will sweep it away along with both the raw and cooked meat. 1353
58:10 The godly 1354 will rejoice when they see vengeance carried out;
they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
58:11 Then 1355 observers 1356 will say,
“Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded! 1357
Yes indeed, there is a God who judges 1358 in the earth!”
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 1360 a prayer 1361 of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him. 1362
59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God!
Protect me 1363 from those who attack me! 1364
59:2 Deliver me from evildoers! 1365
Rescue me from violent men! 1366
59:3 For look, they wait to ambush me; 1367
powerful men stalk 1368 me,
but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord. 1369
59:4 Though I have done nothing wrong, 1370 they are anxious to attack. 1371
Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me! 1372
59:5 You, O Lord God, the invincible warrior, 1373 the God of Israel,
rouse yourself and punish 1374 all the nations!
Have no mercy on any treacherous evildoers! (Selah)
59:6 They return in the evening;
they growl 1375 like a dog
and prowl around outside 1376 the city.
59:7 Look, they hurl insults at me
and openly threaten to kill me, 1377
for they say, 1378
“Who hears?”
59:8 But you, O Lord, laugh in disgust at them; 1379
you taunt 1380 all the nations.
59:9 You are my source of strength! I will wait for you! 1381
For God is my refuge. 1382
59:10 The God who loves me will help me; 1383
God will enable me to triumph over 1384 my enemies. 1385
59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,
because then my people might forget the lesson. 1386
Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,
O Lord who shields us! 1387
59:12 They speak sinful words. 1388
So let them be trapped by their own pride
and by the curses and lies they speak!
59:13 Angrily wipe them out! Wipe them out so they vanish!
Let them know that God rules
in Jacob and to the ends of the earth! (Selah)
59:14 They return in the evening;
they growl 1389 like a dog
and prowl around outside 1390 the city.
59:15 They wander around looking for something to eat;
they refuse to sleep until they are full. 1391
59:16 As for me, I will sing about your strength;
I will praise your loyal love in the morning.
For you are my refuge 1392
and my place of shelter when I face trouble. 1393
59:17 You are my source of strength! I will sing praises to you! 1394
For God is my refuge, 1395 the God who loves me. 1396
For the music director; according to the shushan-eduth style; 1398 a prayer 1399 of David written to instruct others. 1400 It was written when he fought against Aram Naharaim and Aram-Zobah. That was when Joab turned back and struck down 1401 12,000 Edomites 1402 in the Valley of Salt. 1403
60:1 O God, you have rejected us. 1404
You suddenly turned on us in your anger. 1405
Please restore us! 1406
60:2 You made the earth quake; you split it open. 1407
Repair its breaches, for it is ready to fall. 1408
60:3 You have made your people experience hard times; 1409
you have made us drink intoxicating wine. 1410
60:4 You have given your loyal followers 1411 a rallying flag,
so that they might seek safety from the bow. 1412 (Selah)
60:5 Deliver by your power 1413 and answer me, 1414
so that the ones you love may be safe. 1415
60:6 God has spoken in his sanctuary: 1416
“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem;
the Valley of Succoth I will measure off. 1417
60:7 Gilead belongs to me,
as does Manasseh! 1418
Ephraim is my helmet, 1419
Judah my royal scepter. 1420
60:8 Moab is my washbasin. 1421
I will make Edom serve me. 1422
I will shout in triumph over Philistia.” 1423
60:9 Who will lead me into the fortified city?
Who will bring me to Edom? 1424
60:10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
O God, you do not go into battle with our armies.
60:11 Give us help against the enemy,
for any help men might offer is futile. 1425
60:12 By God’s power we will conquer; 1426
he will trample down 1427 our enemies.
For the music director; to be played on a stringed instrument; written by David.
61:1 O God, hear my cry for help!
Pay attention to my prayer!
61:2 From the most remote place on earth 1429
I call out to you in my despair. 1430
Lead me 1431 up to an inaccessible rocky summit! 1432
61:3 Indeed, 1433 you are 1434 my shelter,
a strong tower that protects me from the enemy. 1435
61:4 I will be a permanent guest in your home; 1436
I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. 1437 (Selah)
61:5 For you, O God, hear my vows;
you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers. 1438
61:6 Give the king long life!
Make his lifetime span several generations! 1439
61:7 May he reign 1440 forever before God!
Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness should protect him. 1441
61:8 Then I will sing praises to your name continually, 1442
as I fulfill 1443 my vows day after day.
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
62:1 For God alone I patiently wait; 1445
he is the one who delivers me. 1446
62:2 He alone is my protector 1447 and deliverer.
He is my refuge; 1448 I will not be upended. 1449
62:3 How long will you threaten 1450 a man?
All of you are murderers, 1451
as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence. 1452
62:4 They 1453 spend all their time planning how to bring him 1454 down. 1455
They love to use deceit; 1456
they pronounce blessings with their mouths,
but inwardly they utter curses. 1457 (Selah)
62:5 Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! 1458
For he is the one who gives me confidence. 1459
62:6 He alone is my protector 1460 and deliverer.
He is my refuge; 1461 I will not be upended. 1462
62:7 God delivers me and exalts me;
God is my strong protector and my shelter. 1463
62:8 Trust in him at all times, you people!
Pour out your hearts before him! 1464
God is our shelter! (Selah)
62:9 Men are nothing but a mere breath;
human beings are unreliable. 1465
When they are weighed in the scales,
all of them together are lighter than air. 1466
62:10 Do not trust in what you can gain by oppression! 1467
Do not put false confidence in what you can gain by robbery! 1468
If wealth increases, do not become attached to it! 1469
62:11 God has declared one principle;
two principles I have heard: 1470
God is strong, 1471
62:12 and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love. 1472
For you repay men for what they do. 1473
A psalm of David, written when he was in the Judean wilderness. 1475
63:1 O God, you are my God! I long for you! 1476
My soul thirsts 1477 for you,
my flesh yearns for you,
in a dry and parched 1478 land where there is no water.
63:2 Yes, 1479 in the sanctuary I have seen you, 1480
and witnessed 1481 your power and splendor.
63:3 Because 1482 experiencing 1483 your loyal love is better than life itself,
my lips will praise you.
63:4 For this reason 1484 I will praise you while I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands. 1485
63:5 As if with choice meat 1486 you satisfy my soul. 1487
My mouth joyfully praises you, 1488
63:6 whenever 1489 I remember you on my bed,
and think about you during the nighttime hours.
63:7 For you are my deliverer; 1490
under your wings 1491 I rejoice.
63:8 My soul 1492 pursues you; 1493
your right hand upholds me.
63:9 Enemies seek to destroy my life, 1494
but they will descend into the depths of the earth. 1495
63:10 Each one will be handed over to the sword; 1496
their corpses will be eaten by jackals. 1497
63:11 But the king 1498 will rejoice in God;
everyone who takes oaths in his name 1499 will boast,
for the mouths of those who speak lies will be shut up. 1500
For the music director; a psalm of David.
64:1 Listen to me, 1502 O God, as I offer my lament!
Protect 1503 my life from the enemy’s terrifying attacks. 1504
64:2 Hide me from the plots of evil men,
from the crowd of evildoers. 1505
64:3 They 1506 sharpen their tongues like a sword;
they aim their arrow, a slanderous charge, 1507
64:4 in order to shoot down the innocent 1508 in secluded places.
They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation. 1509
64:5 They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. 1510
They plan how to hide 1511 snares,
and boast, 1512 “Who will see them?” 1513
64:6 They devise 1514 unjust schemes;
they disguise 1515 a well-conceived plot. 1516
Man’s inner thoughts cannot be discovered. 1517
64:7 But God will shoot 1518 at them;
suddenly they will be 1519 wounded by an arrow. 1520
64:8 Their slander will bring about their demise. 1521
All who see them will shudder, 1522
64:9 and all people will fear. 1523
They will proclaim 1524 what God has done,
and reflect on his deeds.
64:10 The godly will rejoice in the Lord
and take shelter in him.
All the morally upright 1525 will boast. 1526
For the music director; a psalm of David, a song.
65:1 Praise awaits you, 1528 O God, in Zion.
Vows made to you are fulfilled.
all people approach you. 1530
65:3 Our record of sins overwhelms me, 1531
but you forgive 1532 our acts of rebellion.
65:4 How blessed 1533 is the one whom you choose,
and allow to live in your palace courts. 1534
May we be satisfied with the good things of your house –
your holy palace. 1535
65:5 You answer our prayers by performing awesome acts of deliverance,
O God, our savior. 1536
All the ends of the earth trust in you, 1537
as well as those living across the wide seas. 1538
65:6 You created the mountains by your power, 1539
and demonstrated your strength. 1540
65:7 You calm the raging seas 1541
and their roaring waves,
as well as the commotion made by the nations. 1542
65:8 Even those living in the most remote areas are awestruck by your acts; 1543
you cause those living in the east and west to praise you. 1544
65:9 You visit the earth and give it rain; 1545
you make it rich and fertile 1546
with overflowing streams full of water. 1547
You provide grain for them, 1548
for you prepare the earth to yield its crops. 1549
65:10 You saturate 1550 its furrows,
and soak 1551 its plowed ground. 1552
With rain showers you soften its soil, 1553
and make its crops grow. 1554
65:11 You crown the year with your good blessings, 1555
and you leave abundance in your wake. 1556
65:12 The pastures in the wilderness glisten with moisture, 1557
and the hills are clothed with joy. 1558
65:13 The meadows are clothed with sheep,
and the valleys are covered with grain.
They shout joyfully, yes, they sing.
For the music director; a song, a psalm.
66:1 Shout out praise to God, all the earth!
66:2 Sing praises about the majesty of his reputation! 1560
Give him the honor he deserves! 1561
66:3 Say to God:
“How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power your enemies cower in fear 1562 before you.
66:4 All the earth worships 1563 you
and sings praises to you!
They sing praises to your name!” (Selah)
66:5 Come and witness 1564 God’s exploits! 1565
His acts on behalf of people are awesome! 1566
66:6 He turned the sea into dry land; 1567
they passed through the river on foot. 1568
Let us rejoice in him there! 1569
66:7 He rules 1570 by his power forever;
he watches 1571 the nations.
Stubborn rebels should not exalt 1572 themselves. (Selah)
66:8 Praise 1573 our God, you nations!
Loudly proclaim his praise! 1574
66:9 He preserves our lives 1575
and does not allow our feet to slip.
66:10 For 1576 you, O God, tested us;
you purified us like refined silver.
66:11 You led us into a trap; 1577
you caused us to suffer. 1578
66:12 You allowed men to ride over our heads;
we passed through fire and water,
but you brought us out into a wide open place. 1579
66:13 I will enter 1580 your temple with burnt sacrifices;
I will fulfill the vows I made to you,
66:14 which my lips uttered
and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
66:15 I will offer up to you fattened animals as burnt sacrifices,
along with the smell of sacrificial rams.
I will offer cattle and goats. (Selah)
66:16 Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God! 1581
I will declare what he has done for me.
66:17 I cried out to him for help 1582
and praised him with my tongue. 1583
66:18 If I had harbored sin in my heart, 1584
the Lord would not have listened.
66:19 However, God heard;
he listened to my prayer.
66:20 God deserves praise, 1585
for 1586 he did not reject my prayer
or abandon his love for me! 1587
For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm, a song.
67:1 May God show us his favor 1589 and bless us! 1590
May he smile on us! 1591 (Selah)
67:2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like;
all nations will know how you deliver your people. 1592
67:3 Let the nations thank you, O God!
Let all the nations thank you! 1593
67:4 Let foreigners 1594 rejoice and celebrate!
For you execute justice among the nations,
and govern the people living on earth. 1595 (Selah)
67:5 Let the nations thank you, O God!
Let all the nations thank you! 1596
67:6 The earth yields its crops.
May God, our God, bless us!
Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he deserves. 1598
For the music director; by David, a psalm, a song.
68:1 God springs into action! 1600
His enemies scatter;
his adversaries 1601 run from him. 1602
68:2 As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away. 1603
As wax melts before fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.
68:3 But the godly 1604 are happy;
they rejoice before God
and are overcome with joy. 1605
68:4 Sing to God! Sing praises to his name!
Exalt the one who rides on the clouds! 1606
For the Lord is his name! 1607
Rejoice before him!
68:5 He is a father to the fatherless
and an advocate for widows. 1608
God rules from his holy palace. 1609
68:6 God settles those who have been deserted in their own homes; 1610
he frees prisoners and grants them prosperity. 1611
But sinful rebels live in the desert. 1612
68:7 O God, when you lead your people into battle, 1613
when you march through the desert, 1614 (Selah)
68:8 the earth shakes,
yes, the heavens pour down rain
before God, the God of Sinai, 1615
before God, the God of Israel. 1616
68:9 O God, you cause abundant showers to fall 1617 on your chosen people. 1618
When they 1619 are tired, you sustain them, 1620
68:10 for you live among them. 1621
You sustain the oppressed with your good blessings, O God.
many, many women spread the good news. 1623
68:12 Kings leading armies run away – they run away! 1624
The lovely lady 1625 of the house divides up the loot.
68:13 When 1626 you lie down among the sheepfolds, 1627
the wings of the dove are covered with silver
and with glittering gold. 1628
68:14 When the sovereign judge 1629 scatters kings, 1630
let it snow 1631 on Zalmon!
68:15 The mountain of Bashan 1632 is a towering mountain; 1633
the mountain of Bashan is a mountain with many peaks. 1634
68:16 Why do you look with envy, 1635 O mountains 1636 with many peaks,
at the mountain where God has decided to live? 1637
Indeed 1638 the Lord will live there 1639 permanently!
68:17 God has countless chariots;
they number in the thousands. 1640
The Lord comes from Sinai in holy splendor. 1641
68:18 You ascend on high, 1642
you have taken many captives. 1643
You receive tribute 1644 from 1645 men,
including even sinful rebels.
Indeed the Lord God lives there! 1646
68:19 The Lord deserves praise! 1647
Day after day 1648 he carries our burden,
the God who delivers us. (Selah)
68:20 Our God is a God who delivers;
the Lord, the sovereign Lord, can rescue from death. 1649
68:21 Indeed God strikes the heads of his enemies,
the hairy foreheads of those who persist in rebellion. 1650
68:22 The Lord says,
“I will retrieve them 1651 from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
68:23 so that your feet may stomp 1652 in their blood,
and your dogs may eat their portion of the enemies’ corpses.” 1653
68:24 They 1654 see your processions, O God –
the processions of my God, my king, who marches along in holy splendor. 1655
68:25 Singers walk in front;
musicians follow playing their stringed instruments, 1656
in the midst of young women playing tambourines. 1657
68:26 In your large assemblies praise God,
the Lord, in the assemblies of Israel! 1658
68:27 There is little Benjamin, their ruler, 1659
and the princes of Judah in their robes, 1660
along with the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
68:28 God has decreed that you will be powerful. 1661
O God, you who have acted on our behalf, demonstrate your power,
68:29 as you come out of your temple in Jerusalem! 1662
Kings bring tribute to you.
68:30 Sound your battle cry 1663 against the wild beast of the reeds, 1664
and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls! 1665
They humble themselves 1666 and offer gold and silver as tribute. 1667
God 1668 scatters 1669 the nations that like to do battle.
68:31 They come with red cloth 1670 from Egypt,
Ethiopia 1671 voluntarily offers tribute 1672 to God.
68:32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God!
Sing praises to the Lord, (Selah)
68:33 to the one who rides through the sky from ancient times! 1673
Look! He thunders loudly. 1674
68:34 Acknowledge God’s power, 1675
his sovereignty over Israel,
and the power he reveals in the skies! 1676
68:35 You are awe-inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple! 1677
It is the God of Israel 1678 who gives the people power and strength.
God deserves praise! 1679
For the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” 1681 by David.
69:1 Deliver me, O God,
for the water has reached my neck. 1682
69:2 I sink into the deep mire
where there is no solid ground; 1683
I am in 1684 deep water,
and the current overpowers me.
69:3 I am exhausted from shouting for help;
my throat is sore; 1685
my eyes grow tired of looking for my God. 1686
69:4 Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.
Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, 1687 outnumber me. 1688
They make me repay what I did not steal! 1689
69:5 O God, you are aware of my foolish sins; 1690
my guilt is not hidden from you. 1691
69:6 Let none who rely on you be disgraced because of me,
O sovereign Lord and king! 1692
Let none who seek you be ashamed because of me,
O God of Israel!
69:7 For I suffer 1693 humiliation for your sake 1694
and am thoroughly disgraced. 1695
69:8 My own brothers treat me like a stranger;
they act as if I were a foreigner. 1696
69:9 Certainly 1697 zeal for 1698 your house 1699 consumes me;
I endure the insults of those who insult you. 1700
69:10 I weep and refrain from eating food, 1701
which causes others to insult me. 1702
69:11 I wear sackcloth
and they ridicule me. 1703
69:12 Those who sit at the city gate gossip about me;
drunkards mock me in their songs. 1704
69:13 O Lord, may you hear my prayer and be favorably disposed to me! 1705
O God, because of your great loyal love,
answer me with your faithful deliverance! 1706
69:14 Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink!
Deliver me 1707 from those who hate me,
from the deep water!
69:15 Don’t let the current overpower me!
Don’t let the deep swallow me up!
Don’t let the pit 1708 devour me! 1709
69:16 Answer me, O Lord, for your loyal love is good! 1710
Because of your great compassion, turn toward me!
69:17 Do not ignore 1711 your servant,
for I am in trouble! Answer me right away! 1712
69:18 Come near me and redeem me! 1713
Because of my enemies, rescue me!
69:19 You know how I am insulted, humiliated and disgraced;
you can see all my enemies. 1714
69:20 Their insults are painful 1715 and make me lose heart; 1716
I look 1717 for sympathy, but receive none, 1718
for comforters, but find none.
69:21 They put bitter poison 1719 into my food,
and to quench my thirst they give me vinegar to drink. 1720
69:22 May their dining table become a trap before them!
May it be a snare for that group of friends! 1721
69:23 May their eyes be blinded! 1722
Make them shake violently! 1723
69:24 Pour out your judgment 1724 on them!
May your raging anger 1725 overtake them!
69:25 May their camp become desolate,
their tents uninhabited! 1726
69:26 For they harass 1727 the one whom you discipline; 1728
they spread the news about the suffering of those whom you punish. 1729
69:27 Hold them accountable for all their sins! 1730
Do not vindicate them! 1731
69:28 May their names be deleted from the scroll of the living! 1732
Do not let their names be listed with the godly! 1733
69:29 I am oppressed and suffering!
O God, deliver and protect me! 1734
69:30 I will sing praises to God’s name! 1735
I will magnify him as I give him thanks! 1736
69:31 That will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull
with horns and hooves.
69:32 The oppressed look on – let them rejoice!
You who seek God, 1737 may you be encouraged! 1738
69:33 For the Lord listens to the needy;
he does not despise his captive people. 1739
69:34 Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
along with the seas and everything that swims in them!
69:35 For God will deliver Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah,
and his people 1740 will again live in them and possess Zion. 1741
69:36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it,
[22:1] 1 sn Psalm 22. The psalmist cries out to the Lord for deliverance from his dangerous enemies, who have surrounded him and threaten his life. Confident that the Lord will intervene, he then vows to thank the Lord publicly for his help and anticipates a time when all people will recognize the Lord’s greatness and worship him.
[22:1] 2 tn Heb “according to the doe of the dawn.” Apparently this refers to a particular musical tune or style.
[22:1] 3 sn From the psalmist’s perspective it seems that God has abandoned him, for he fails to answer his cry for help (vv. 1b-2).
[22:1] 4 tn Heb “far from my deliverance [are] the words of my groaning.” The Hebrew noun שְׁאָגָה (shÿ’agah) and its related verb שָׁאַג (sha’ag) are sometimes used of a lion’s roar, but they can also describe human groaning (see Job 3:24 and Pss 32:3 and 38:8.
[22:2] 5 tn Heb “there is no silence to me.”
[22:3] 6 tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the
[22:4] 8 tn The words “in you” are supplied in the translation. They are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[22:5] 9 tn Or “were not ashamed.”
[22:6] 10 tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s experience and that of his ancestors. When he considers God’s past reliability, it only heightens his despair and confusion, for God’s present silence stands in stark contrast to his past saving acts.
[22:6] 11 tn The metaphor expresses the psalmist’s self-perception, which is based on how others treat him (see the following line).
[22:6] 12 tn Or “not a human being.” The psalmist perceives himself as less than human.
[22:6] 13 tn Heb “a reproach of man and despised by people.”
[22:7] 14 tn Or “scoff at, deride, mock.”
[22:7] 15 tn Heb “they separate with a lip.” Apparently this refers to their verbal taunting.
[22:7] 16 sn Shake their heads. Apparently this refers to a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 109:25; Lam 2:15.
[22:8] 17 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. The psalmist here quotes the sarcastic taunts of his enemies.
[22:8] 18 tn Heb “roll [yourself].” The Hebrew verb גלל here has the sense of “commit” (see Prov 16:3). The imperatival form in the Hebrew text indicates the enemies here address the psalmist. Since they refer to him in the third person in the rest of the verse, some prefer to emend the verb to a perfect, “he commits himself to the
[22:8] 19 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
[22:8] 20 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
[22:8] 21 tn That is, “for he [the
[22:8] sn This statement does not necessarily reflect the enemies’ actual belief, but it does reflect the psalmist’s confession. The psalmist’s enemies sarcastically appeal to God to help him, because he claims to be an object of divine favor. However, they probably doubted the reality of his claim.
[22:9] 22 tn Or “the one who pulled me.” The verb is derived from either גָחָה (gakhah; see HALOT 187 s.v. גחה) or גִּיחַ (giyakh; see BDB 161 s.v. גִּיחַ) and seems to carry the nuance “burst forth” or “pull out.”
[22:10] 23 tn Heb “upon you I was cast from [the] womb.”
[22:10] 24 tn Heb “from the womb of my mother you [have been] my God.”
[22:10] sn Despite the enemies’ taunts, the psalmist is certain of his relationship with God, which began from the time of his birth (from the time I came out of my mother’s womb).
[22:11] 25 tn Heb “and there is no helper.”
[22:12] 26 sn The psalmist figuratively compares his enemies to dangerous bulls.
[22:12] 27 sn Bashan, located east of the Jordan River, was well-known for its cattle. See Ezek 39:18; Amos 4:1.
[22:13] 28 tn “They” refers to the psalmist’s enemies, who in the previous verse are described as “powerful bulls.”
[22:13] 29 tn Heb “they open against me their mouth[s].” To “open the mouth against” is a Hebrew idiom associated with eating and swallowing (see Ezek 2:8; Lam 2:16).
[22:13] 30 tn Heb “a lion ripping and roaring.”
[22:14] 31 tn Heb “like water I am poured out.”
[22:14] 32 sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s strength and courage.
[22:15] 33 tc Heb “my strength” (כֹּחִי, kokhiy), but many prefer to emend the text to חִכִּי (khikiy, “my palate”; cf. NEB, NRSV “my mouth”) assuming that an error of transposition has occurred in the traditional Hebrew text.
[22:15] 34 tn Cf. NEB “my jaw”; NASB, NRSV “my jaws”; NIV “the roof of my mouth.”
[22:15] 35 sn Here the psalmist addresses God and suggests that God is ultimately responsible for what is happening because of his failure to intervene (see vv. 1-2, 11).
[22:15] 36 sn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the progressive nature of the action. The psalmist is in the process of dying.
[22:16] 38 tn Heb “like a lion, my hands and my feet.” This reading is often emended because it is grammatically awkward, but perhaps its awkwardness is by rhetorical design. Its broken syntax may be intended to convey the panic and terror felt by the psalmist. The psalmist may envision a lion pinning the hands and feet of its victim to the ground with its paws (a scene depicted in ancient Near Eastern art), or a lion biting the hands and feet. The line has been traditionally translated, “they pierce my hands and feet,” and then taken as foreshadowing the crucifixion of Christ. Though Jesus does appropriate the language of this psalm while on the cross (compare v. 1 with Matt 27:46 and Mark 15:34), the NT does not cite this verse in describing the death of Jesus. (It does refer to vv. 7-8 and 18, however. See Matt 27:35, 39, 43; Mark 15:24, 29; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24.) If one were to insist on an emendation of כָּאֲרִי (ka’ariy, “like a lion”) to a verb, the most likely verbal root would be כָּרָה (karah, “dig”; see the LXX). In this context this verb could refer to the gnawing and tearing of wild dogs (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV). The ancient Greek version produced by Symmachus reads “bind” here, perhaps understanding a verbal root כרך, which is attested in later Hebrew and Aramaic and means “to encircle, entwine, embrace” (see HALOT 497-98 s.v. כרך and Jastrow 668 s.v. כָּרַךְ). Neither one of these proposed verbs can yield a meaning “bore, pierce.”
[22:17] 39 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 17-18 draw attention to the progressive nature of the action.
[22:17] 40 tn Heb “they.” The masculine form indicates the enemies are in view. The referent (the psalmist’s enemies) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:17] 41 tn Heb “they gaze, they look upon me.”
[22:18] 42 tn Heb “casting lots.” The precise way in which this would have been done is not certain.
[22:19] 43 tn Heb “O my strength.”
[22:19] 44 tn Heb “hurry to my help.”
[22:20] 46 tn The verb “save” is supplied in the translation; it is understood by ellipsis (see “deliver” in the preceding line).
[22:20] 47 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone.
[22:20] 48 tn Heb “from the hand.” Here “hand” is understood by metonymy as a reference to the “paw” and thus the “claws” of the wild dogs.
[22:21] 49 sn The psalmist again compares his enemies to vicious dogs and ferocious lions (see vv. 13, 16).
[22:21] 50 tn The Hebrew term רֵמִים (remim) appears to be an alternate spelling of רְאֵמִים (rÿ’emim, “wild oxen”; see BDB 910 s.v. רְאֵם).
[22:21] 51 tn Heb “and from the horns of the wild oxen you answer me.” Most take the final verb with the preceding prepositional phrase. Some understand the verb form as a relatively rare precative perfect, expressing a wish or request (see IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew. (See the discussion at Ps 3:7.) Others prefer to take the perfect in its usual indicative sense. The psalmist, perhaps in response to an oracle of salvation, affirms confidently that God has answered him, assuring him that deliverance is on the way. The present translation takes the prepositional phrase as parallel to the preceding “from the mouth of the lion” and as collocated with the verb “rescue” at the beginning of the verse. “You have answered me” is understood as a triumphant shout which marks a sudden shift in tone and introduces the next major section of the psalm. By isolating the statement syntactically, the psalmist highlights the declaration.
[22:22] 52 tn Or “brothers,” but here the term does not carry a literal familial sense. It refers to the psalmist’s fellow members of the Israelite covenant community (see v. 23).
[22:23] 53 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the
[22:24] 55 tn Or “affliction”; or “need.”
[22:24] 56 sn In this verse the psalmist refers to himself in the third person and characterizes himself as oppressed.
[22:24] 57 tn Heb “he did not hide his face from him.” For other uses of the idiom “hide the face” meaning “ignore,” see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9. Sometimes the idiom carries the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 27:9; 88:14).
[22:25] 59 tn Heb “from with you [is] my praise.”
[22:25] 60 tn Heb “my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.” When asking the
[22:26] 61 sn Eat and be filled. In addition to praising the Lord, the psalmist also offers a thank offering to the Lord and invites others to share in a communal meal.
[22:26] 62 tn Heb “may your heart[s].”
[22:27] 63 tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the
[22:27] 64 tn Heb “families of the nations.”
[22:27] 65 tn Heb “before you.”
[22:28] 66 tn Heb “for to the
[22:29] 67 tn Heb “fat [ones].” This apparently refers to those who are healthy and robust, i.e., thriving. In light of the parallelism, some prefer to emend the form to יְשֵׁנֵי (yÿsheney, “those who sleep [in the earth]”; cf. NAB, NRSV), but דִּשְׁנֵי (dishney, “fat [ones]”) seems to form a merism with “all who descend into the grave” in the following line. The psalmist envisions all people, whether healthy or dying, joining in worship of the
[22:29] 68 tn Heb “eat and worship.” The verb forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) are normally used in narrative to relate completed actions. Here the psalmist uses the forms rhetorically as he envisions a time when the
[22:29] 69 tn Heb “all of the ones going down [into] the dust.” This group stands in contrast to those mentioned in the previous line. Together the two form a merism encompassing all human beings – the healthy, the dying, and everyone in between.
[22:29] 70 tn Heb “and his life he does not revive.”
[22:30] 71 tn Heb “offspring.”
[22:30] 72 tn Heb “it will be told concerning the Lord to the generation.” The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[22:31] 73 tn Heb “his righteousness.” Here the noun צִדָקָה (tsidaqah) refers to the Lord’s saving deeds whereby he vindicates the oppressed.
[22:31] 74 tn Heb “to a people [to be] born that he has acted.” The words “they will tell” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:1] 75 sn Psalm 23. In vv. 1-4 the psalmist pictures the Lord as a shepherd who provides for his needs and protects him from danger. The psalmist declares, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and then extends and develops that metaphor, speaking as if he were a sheep. In vv. 5-6 the metaphor changes as the psalmist depicts a great royal banquet hosted by the Lord. The psalmist is a guest of honor and recipient of divine favor, who enjoys unlimited access to the divine palace and the divine presence.
[23:1] 76 sn The LORD is my shepherd. The opening metaphor suggests the psalmist is assuming the role of a sheep. In vv. 1b-4 the psalmist extends the metaphor and explains exactly how the LORD is like a shepherd to him. At the surface level the language can be understood in terms of a shepherd’s relationship to his sheep. The translation of vv. 1-4 reflects this level. But, of course, each statement also points to an underlying reality.
[23:1] 77 tn The imperfect verbal form is best understood as generalizing; the psalmist highlights his typical or ongoing experience as a result of having the LORD as his shepherd (habitual present use). The next verse explains more specifically what he means by this statement.
[23:2] 78 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] 79 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.
[23:3] 80 tn The appearance of the Hebrew term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi), traditionally translated “my soul,” might suggest a spiritualized interpretation for the first line of v. 3. However, at the surface level of the shepherd/sheep metaphor, this is unlikely. When it occurs with a pronominal suffix נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. 4 נֶפֶשׁ.a). In this context, where the statement most naturally refers to the physical provision just described, the form is best translated simply “me.” The accompanying verb (a Polel form [factitive use] of שׁוּב [shuv]), if referring to the physical provision just described, carries the nuance “refresh, restore strength.”
[23:3] 81 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 (יְשׁוֹבֵב [yÿshovev] and יַנְחֵנִי [yakheniy]), like those in vv. 1-2, highlight what is typical of the shepherd/sheep relationship.
[23:3] 82 tn The attributive genitive צֶדֶק (tsedeq) is traditionally translated “righteousness” here, as if designating a moral or ethical quality. But this seems unlikely, for it modifies מַעְגְּלֵי (ma’ggÿley, “paths”). Within the shepherd/sheep metaphor, the phrase likely refers to “right” or “correct” paths, i.e. ones that lead to pastures, wells, or the fold. While צֶדֶק usually does carry a moral or ethical nuance, it can occasionally refer to less abstract things, such as weights and offerings. In this context, which emphasizes divine provision and protection, the underlying reality is probably God’s providential guidance. The psalmist is confident that God takes him down paths that will ultimately lead to something beneficial, not destructive.
[23:3] 83 tn The Hebrew term שֶׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the shepherd’s reputation. (The English term “name” is often used the same way.) The statement לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ (lÿma’an shÿmo, “for the sake of his name”) makes excellent sense within the framework of the shepherd/sheep metaphor. Shepherds, who sometimes hired out their services, were undoubtedly concerned about their vocational reputation. To maintain their reputation as competent shepherds, they had to know the “lay of the land” and make sure they led the sheep down the right paths to the proper destinations. The underlying reality is a profound theological truth: God must look out for the best interests of the one he has promised to protect, because if he fails to do so, his faithfulness could legitimately be called into question and his reputation damaged.
[23:4] 84 tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל [tsel] + מָוֶת [mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צָלַם, tsalam) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. If the word does indeed mean “darkness,” it modifies גַיְא (gay’, “valley, ravine”) quite naturally. At the metaphorical level, v. 4 pictures the shepherd taking his sheep through a dark ravine where predators might lurk. The life-threatening situations faced by the psalmist are the underlying reality behind the imagery.
[23:4] 85 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 4, as in vv. 1-3, highlight what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.
[23:4] 86 tn The Hebrew term רַע (ra’) is traditionally translated “evil” here, perhaps suggesting a moral or ethical nuance. But at the level of the metaphor, the word means “danger, injury, harm,” as a sheep might experience from a predator. The life-threatening dangers faced by the psalmist, especially the enemies mentioned in v. 5, are the underlying reality.
[23:4] 87 tn The Piel of נָחַם (nakham), when used with a human object, means “comfort, console.” But here, within the metaphorical framework, it refers to the way in which a shepherd uses his implements to assure the sheep of his presence and calm their nerves. The underlying reality is the emotional stability God provides the psalmist during life threatening situations.
[23:5] 88 sn In v. 5 the metaphor switches. (It would be very odd for a sheep to have its head anointed and be served wine.) The background for the imagery is probably the royal banquet. Ancient Near Eastern texts describe such banquets in similar terms to those employed by the psalmist. (See M. L. Barre and J. S. Kselman, “New Exodus, Covenant, and Restoration in Psalm 23,” The Word of the Lord Shall Go Forth, 97-127.) The reality behind the imagery is the Lord’s favor. Through his blessings and protection he demonstrates to everyone, including dangerous enemies, that the psalmist has a special relationship with him.
[23:5] 89 tn The imperfect verbal form in v. 5a carries on the generalizing mood of vv. 1-4. However, in v. 5b the psalmist switches to a perfect (דִּשַּׁנְתָּ, dishanta), which may have a generalizing force as well. But then again the perfect is conspicuous here and may be present perfect in sense, indicating that the divine host typically pours oil on his head prior to seating him at the banquet table. The verb דָשַׁן (dashan; the Piel is factitive) is often translated “anoint,” but this is misleading, for it might suggest a symbolic act of initiation into royal status. One would expect the verb מָשָׁח (mashan) in this case; דָשַׁן here describes an act of hospitality extended to guests and carries the nuance “refresh.” In Prov 15:30 it stands parallel to “make happy” and refers to the effect that good news has on the inner being of its recipient.
[23:5] 90 tn The rare noun רְַָויָה (rÿvayah) is derived from the well-attested verb רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated, drink one’s fill”). In this context, where it describes a cup, it must mean “filled up,” but not necessarily to overflowing.
[23:6] 91 tn The noun חֶסֶד (khesed; v. 6) has been the subject of several monographs. G. R. Clark concludes that חֶסֶד “is not merely an attitude or an emotion; it is an emotion that leads to an activity beneficial to the recipient.” He explains that an act of חֶסֶד is “a beneficent action performed, in the context of a deep and enduring commitment between two persons or parties, by one who is able to render assistance to the needy party who in the circumstances is unable to help him- or herself.” (See G. R. Clark, The Word Hesed in the Hebrew Bible [JSOTSup], 267.) HALOT 336-37 s.v. defines the word as “loyalty,” or “faithfulness.” Other appropriate meanings might be “commitment” and “devotion.”
[23:6] 92 tn The use of רָדַף (radaf, “pursue, chase”) with טוֹב וָחֶסֶד (tov vakhesed, “goodness and faithfulness”) as subject is ironic. This is the only place in the entire OT where either of these nouns appears as the subject of this verb רָדַף (radaf, “pursue”). This verb is often used to describe the hostile actions of enemies. One might expect the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 5) to chase him, but ironically God’s “goodness and faithfulness” (which are personified and stand by metonymy for God himself) pursue him instead. The word “pursue” is used outside of its normal context in an ironic manner and creates a unique, but pleasant word picture of God’s favor (or a kind God) “chasing down” the one whom he loves.
[23:6] 93 tn Heb “all the days of my life.”
[23:6] 94 tn The verb form וְשַׁבְתִּי (vÿshavtiy) is a Qal perfect (with vav [ו] consecutive), first common singular, from שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) and should be translated, “and I will return.” But this makes no sense when construed with the following phrase, “in the house of the
[23:6] 95 tn Heb “the house of the
[23:6] 96 tn The phrase אֹרֶךְ יָמִים (’orekh yamim, “length of days”) is traditionally translated “forever.” However, this phrase, when used elsewhere of people, usually refers to a lengthy period of time, such as one’s lifetime, and does not mean “forever” in the sense of eternity. (Cf. Deut 30:20; Job 12:12; Ps 91:16; Prov 3:2, 16; Lam 5:20.) Furthermore, the parallel phrase “all the days of my life” suggests this more limited meaning. Psalm 21:4, where the phrase is followed by “forever and ever,” may be an exception, though the juxtaposition of the phrases may be an example of intensification, where the second phrase goes beyond the limits of the first, rather than synonymity. Even if one takes both expressions as referring to eternal life, the language is part of the king’s hyperbolic description of the
[24:1] 97 sn Psalm 24. The psalmist affirms the universal kingship of the sovereign creator, reminds his people that only the morally pure are qualified to worship him, and celebrates his splendor as a mighty warrior king.
[24:2] 98 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite, referring to the creation of the world.
[24:2] 99 sn He…established it upon the ocean currents. The description reflects ancient Israelite prescientific cosmology, which is based on outward appearances. The language also suggests that God’s creative work involved the subjugation of chaos, symbolized by the sea.
[24:3] 100 tn The imperfects in v. 3 are modal, expressing potential or permission.
[24:3] 101 sn In this context the Lord’s mountain probably refers to Zion/Jerusalem (see Isa 2:2-3).
[24:4] 102 tn Heb “the innocent of hands and the pure of heart.” The “hands” allude to one’s actions, the “heart” to one’s thought life and motives.
[24:4] 103 tn Heb “who does not lift up for emptiness my life.” The first person pronoun on נַפְשִׁי (nafshiy, “my life”) makes little sense here; many medieval Hebrew
[24:4] 104 tn Heb “and does not swear an oath deceitfully.”
[24:5] 105 tn Heb “he (the righteous individual described in v. 4) lifts up a blessing from the
[24:5] 106 tn “and vindication from the God of his deliverance.”
[24:6] 107 tn Heb “this [is the] generation of the ones seeking him, the ones seeking your face, Jacob.” To “seek the
[24:6] sn This verse presents a somewhat idealized view of Jacob’s descendants as devoted worshipers of the Lord.
[24:7] 108 tn Heb “lift up your heads.” The gates of the Lord’s dwelling place are here personified. The idiom “lift up the head” often means “be confident, bold” (see Judg 8:28; Job 10:15; Ps 83:2; Zech 1:21).
[24:7] 109 tn Heb “lift yourselves up.”
[24:7] 110 tn Or “king of glory.”
[24:7] 111 tn Following the imperatives of the preceding lines, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
[24:8] 112 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] 113 tn Traditionally, “the
[25:1] 114 sn Psalm 25. The psalmist asks for divine protection, guidance and forgiveness as he affirms his loyalty to and trust in the Lord. This psalm is an acrostic; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except for v. 18, which, like v. 19, begins with ר (resh) instead of the expected ק (qof). The final verse, which begins with פ (pe), stands outside the acrostic scheme.
[25:1] 115 tn Heb “to you, O
[25:3] 116 tn Heb “those who deal in treachery in vain.” The adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “in vain”) probably refers to the failure (or futility) of their efforts. Another option is to understand it as meaning “without cause” (cf. NIV “without excuse”; NRSV “wantonly treacherous”).
[25:4] 117 sn Teach me your paths. In this context the
[25:5] 118 sn The
[25:6] 119 tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating.
[25:6] 120 tn Heb “for from antiquity [are] they.”
[25:7] 121 tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing.
[25:7] 122 sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom.
[25:7] 123 tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O
[25:8] 124 tn Heb “good and just.”
[25:8] 125 tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”
[25:9] 126 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.
[25:9] 127 tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” The Hebrew term עֲנָוִים (’anavim, “humble”) usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.
[25:9] 128 tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).
[25:10] 129 tn Heb “all the paths of the
[25:10] 130 tn Heb “to the ones who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”
[25:11] 131 tn Heb “name.” By forgiving the sinful psalmist, the
[25:11] 132 sn Forgive my sin, because it is great. The psalmist readily admits his desperate need for forgiveness.
[25:12] 133 tn Heb “Who is this man, the one who fears the
[25:13] 134 tn Heb “his life in goodness dwells.” The singular is representative (see v. 14).
[25:13] 135 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[25:14] 137 tn Heb “the advice of the
[25:14] 138 tn Heb “and his covenant, to make them know.”
[25:15] 139 tn Heb “my eyes continually [are] toward the
[25:15] 140 tn Heb “for he will bring out from a net my feet.” The hostility of the psalmist’s enemies is probably in view (see v. 19).
[25:16] 141 tn That is, helpless and vulnerable.
[25:17] 142 tc Heb “the distresses of my heart, they make wide.” The text makes little if any sense as it stands, unless this is an otherwise unattested intransitive use of the Hiphil of רָחַב (rakhav, “be wide”). It is preferable to emend the form הִרְחִיבוּ (hirkhivu; Hiphil perfect third plural “they make wide”) to הַרְחֵיב (harkhev; Hiphil imperative masculine singular “make wide”). (The final vav [ו] can be joined to the following word and taken as a conjunction.) In this case one can translate, “[in/from] the distresses of my heart, make wide [a place for me],” that is, “deliver me from the distress I am experiencing.” For the expression “make wide [a place for me],” see Ps 4:1.
[25:17] 143 tn Heb “from my distresses lead me out.”
[25:18] 144 tn Heb “lift up all my sins.”
[25:19] 145 tn Heb “see my enemies for they are numerous, and [with] violent hatred they hate me.”
[25:22] 148 tn Heb “his distresses.”
[25:22] sn O God, rescue Israel from all their distress. It is possible that the psalmist speaks on behalf of the nation throughout this entire psalm. Another option is that v. 22 is a later addition to the psalm which applies an original individual lament to the covenant community. If so, it may reflect an exilic setting.
[26:1] 149 sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.
[26:1] 150 tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”
[26:2] 151 tn Heb “evaluate my kidneys and my heart.” The kidneys and heart were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
[26:3] 152 tn Heb “for your faithfulness [is] before my eyes.”
[26:3] 153 tn Heb “and I walk about in your loyalty.”
[26:3] sn The psalmist’s awareness of the Lord’s faithfulness and…loyalty toward him motivates him to remain loyal to the Lord and to maintain his moral purity.
[26:4] 155 tn Heb “go.” The psalmist uses the imperfect form of the verb to emphasize that he does not make a practice of associating with such people.
[26:4] 156 tn Heb “[those who] conceal themselves.”
[26:5] 157 tn Heb “assembly, company.”
[26:5] 158 tn Heb “sit.” The psalmist uses the imperfect form of the verb to emphasize that he does not make a practice of associating with such people.
[26:6] 159 tn Heb “I wash my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The imperfect verbal emphasizes that this is his habit.
[26:6] 160 tn Heb “so I can go around your altar” (probably in ritual procession). Following the imperfect of the preceding line, the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
[26:7] 161 tn Heb “to cause to be heard the sound of thanksgiving.”
[26:7] 162 tn The two infinitival forms (both with prefixed preposition -לְ, lamed) give the purpose for his appearance at the altar.
[26:8] 163 tn Heb “the dwelling of your house.”
[26:8] 164 tn Heb “the place of the abode of your splendor.”
[26:9] 165 tn Heb “do not gather up my life with.”
[26:9] 166 tn Heb “or with men of bloodshed my life.” The verb is supplied; it is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[26:10] 167 tn Heb “who [have] in their hands evil.”
[26:10] 168 tn Heb “and their right hand is full of a bribe.”
[26:11] 169 tn Heb “and I in my integrity walk.” The psalmist uses the imperfect verbal form to emphasize this is his practice. The construction at the beginning of the verse (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist and the sinners mentioned in vv. 9-10.
[26:11] 170 tn Or “redeem me.”
[26:12] 171 tn Heb “my foot stands in a level place.”
[27:1] 172 sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.
[27:1] 173 tn Heb “the
[27:1] 174 tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
[27:1] 175 tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
[27:2] 176 tn Heb “draw near to me.”
[27:2] 177 sn To devour my flesh. The psalmist compares his enemies to dangerous, hungry predators (see 2 Kgs 9:36; Ezek 39:17).
[27:2] 178 tn Heb “my adversaries and my enemies against me.” The verb “draw near” (that is, “attack”) is understood by ellipsis; see the previous line.
[27:2] 179 tn The Hebrew verbal forms are perfects. The translation assumes the psalmist is generalizing here, but another option is to take this as a report of past experience, “when evil men attacked me…they stumbled and fell.”
[27:3] 180 tn Heb “my heart does not fear.”
[27:3] 181 tn Heb “if war rises up against me.”
[27:3] 182 tn Heb “in this [i.e., “during this situation”] I am trusting.”
[27:4] 183 tn Heb “my living.”
[27:4] 184 sn The
[27:5] 186 tn Or “for he will.” The translation assumes the כִּי (ki) is asseverative here, rather than causal.
[27:5] 187 tn Heb “he will hide me in his hut.”
[27:5] 190 tn The three imperfect verb forms in v. 5 anticipate a positive response to the prayer offered in vv. 7-12.
[27:5] 191 tn Heb “on a rocky summit he lifts me up.” The
[27:6] 192 tn Heb “and now my head will be lifted up over my enemies all around me.”
[27:6] sn In vv. 1-3 the psalmist generalizes, but here we discover that he is facing a crisis and is under attack from enemies (see vv. 11-12).
[27:6] 193 tn Heb “I will sacrifice in his tent sacrifices of a shout for joy” (that is, “sacrifices accompanied by a joyful shout”).
[27:8] 195 tc Heb “concerning you my heart says, ‘Seek my face.’” The verb form “seek” is plural, but this makes no sense here, for the psalmist is addressed. The verb should be emended to a singular form. The first person pronominal suffix on “face” also makes little sense, unless it is the voice of the
[27:8] 196 tn Heb “your face, O
[27:9] 197 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
[27:9] 198 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[27:10] 199 tn Or “though my father and mother have abandoned me.”
[27:10] 200 tn Heb “gather me in”; or “receive me.”
[27:11] 201 tn Heb “teach me your way.” The
[27:11] 202 sn The level path refers to God’s moral principles (see the parallel line), which, if followed, will keep the psalmist blameless before his accusers (see v. 12).
[27:11] 203 tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 54:5; 56:2.
[27:12] 204 tn Heb “do not give me over to the desire of my enemies.”
[27:12] 205 tn Heb “for they have risen up against me, lying witnesses and a testifier of violence.” The form יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) is traditionally understood as a verb meaning “snort, breathe out”: “for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty” (KJV; cf. BDB 422 s.v.). A better option is to take the form as a noun meaning “a witness” (or “testifier”). See Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3.
[27:13] 206 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is incomplete: “If I had not believed [I would] see the goodness of the
[27:14] 208 tn Heb “be strong and let your heart be confident.”
[28:1] 209 sn Psalm 28. The author looks to the Lord for vindication, asks that the wicked be repaid in full for their evil deeds, and affirms his confidence that the Lord will protect his own.
[28:1] 210 tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.
[28:1] 211 tn Heb “do not be deaf from me.”
[28:1] 212 tn Heb “lest [if] you are silent from me.”
[28:1] 213 tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
[28:1] 214 tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.
[28:2] 215 sn I lift my hands. Lifting one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer.
[28:2] 216 tn The Hebrew term דְּבִיר (dÿvir, “temple”) actually refers to the most holy place within the sanctuary.
[28:3] 217 tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
[28:3] 218 tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”
[28:3] 219 tn Heb “and evil [is] in their heart[s].”
[28:4] 220 tn Heb “Give to them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds. According to the work of their hands give to them. Return their due to them.” The highly repetitive style reflects the psalmist’s agitated emotional state and draws attention to his yearning for justice.
[28:5] 221 tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context “the
[28:5] 222 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[28:5] 223 tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.
[28:6] 224 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[28:6] 225 sn He has heard my plea for mercy. The psalmist’s mood abruptly changes at this point, because the Lord responded positively to his petition and assured him that he would deliver him.
[28:7] 226 tn Heb “The
[28:7] 227 tn Heb “in him my heart trusts.”
[28:7] 228 tn Or “I am helped.”
[28:7] 229 tn Heb “and my heart exults.”
[28:7] 230 tn Heb “and from my song I will thank him.” As pointed in the Hebrew text, מִשִּׁירִי (mishiri) appears to be “from my song,” but the preposition “from” never occurs elsewhere with the verb “to thank” (Hiphil of יָדָה, yadah). Perhaps משׁיר is a noun form meaning “song.” If so, it can be taken as an adverbial accusative, “and [with] my song I will thank him.” See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 236.
[28:8] 231 tn Heb “the
[28:8] 232 tn Heb “he [is] a refuge of help for his anointed one.” The noun מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh, “anointed one”) refers to the Davidic king, who perhaps speaks as representative of the nation in this psalm. See Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17.
[28:9] 234 tn Heb “your inheritance.” The parallelism (note “your people”) indicates that Israel is in view.
[28:9] 235 tn Heb “shepherd them and lift them up.”
[28:9] sn The shepherd metaphor is sometimes associated with royal responsibility. See 2 Sam 5:2; 7:7; Mic 5:2-4).
[29:1] 237 sn Psalm 29. In this hymn of praise the psalmist calls upon the heavenly assembly to acknowledge the royal splendor of the Lord. He describes the Lord’s devastating power as revealed in the thunderstorm and affirms that the Lord exerts this awesome might on behalf of his people. In its original context the psalm was a bold polemic against the Canaanite storm god Baal, for it affirms that the Lord is the real king who controls the elements of the storm, contrary to pagan belief. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 150 (1994): 280-82.
[29:1] 238 tc Heb “sons of gods,” or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the MT, it is likely that the final mem is actually enclitic, rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8.
[29:1] tn The phrase בְּנֵי אֵלִים (bÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 89:6 (89:7 HT). In Ps 89 the “sons of gods/God” are also called “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones.” The heavenly assembly, comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings, appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is referred to as “the sons of El.” The OT apparently borrows the Canaanite phrase and applies it to the supernatural beings that surround the heavenly throne.
[29:1] 239 tn Or “ascribe to the
[29:2] 240 tn Heb “ascribe to the
[29:2] 241 tn That is, properly dressed for the occasion.
[29:3] 242 tn Heb “the voice of the
[29:3] 243 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form is probably descriptive. In dramatic fashion the psalmist portrays the
[29:3] 244 tn Traditionally “many waters.” The geographical references in the psalm (Lebanon, Sirion, Kadesh) suggest this is a reference to the Mediterranean Sea (see Ezek 26:19; 27:26). The psalmist describes a powerful storm moving in from the sea and sweeping over the mountainous areas north of Israel. The “surging waters” may symbolize the hostile enemies of God who seek to destroy his people (see Pss 18:17; 32:6; 77:20; 93:4; 144:7; Isa 17:13; Jer 51:55; Ezek 26:19; Hab 3:15). In this case the
[29:4] 245 tn Heb “the voice of the
[29:4] 246 tn Heb “the voice of the
[29:5] 247 tn The Hebrew participial form draws attention to the durative nature of the action being described.
[29:5] 248 tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive here and in v. 6a carry on the descriptive function of the preceding participle (see GKC 329 §111.u). The verb שָׁבַר (shavar) appears in the Qal in the first line of the verse, and in the Piel in the second line. The verb, which means “break” in the Qal, appears thirty-six times in the Piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The Piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative: “make broken” (see IBHS 404-7 §24.3).
[29:5] 249 sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size. Here they may symbolize the arrogant enemies of God (see Isa 2:12-13).
[29:6] 250 sn Sirion is another name for Mount Hermon (Deut 3:9).
[29:6] 251 sn Lebanon and Sirion are compared to frisky young animals (a calf…a young ox) who skip and jump. The thunderous shout of the Lord is so powerful, one can see the very mountains shake on the horizon.
[29:7] 252 tn The verb normally means “to hew [stone or wood],” or “to hew out.” In Hos 6:5 it seems to mean “cut in pieces,” “knock down,” or perhaps “hack” (see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea [AB], 428). The Ugaritic cognate can mean “assault.” In v. 7 the verb seems to have a similar meaning, perhaps “attack, strike.” The phrase “flames of fire” is an adverbial accusative; the
[29:7] 253 sn The
[29:8] 254 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms are descriptive in function; the psalmist depicts the action as underway.
[29:8] 255 sn Kadesh. The references to Lebanon and Sirion in v. 6 suggest this is a reference to the northern Kadesh, located north of Damascus, not the southern Kadesh mentioned so often in the OT. See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:178.
[29:9] 256 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form is descriptive in function; the psalmist depicts the action as underway.
[29:9] 257 tc Heb “the deer.” Preserving this reading, some translate the preceding verb, “causes [the deer] to give premature birth” (cf. NEB, NASB). But the Polel of חוּל/חִיל (khul/khil) means “give birth,” not “cause to give birth,” and the statement “the
[29:9] 258 tn The verb is used in Joel 1:7 of locusts stripping the leaves from a tree. The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the descriptive function of the preceding imperfect. See GKC 329 §111.t.
[29:9] 259 tn The usual form of the plural of יַעַר (ya’ar, “forest”) is יְעָרִים (yÿ’arim). For this reason some propose an emendation to יְעָלוֹת (yÿ’alot, “female mountain goats”) which would fit nicely in the parallelism with “deer” (cf. NEB “brings kids early to birth”). In this case one would have to understand the verb חָשַׂף (khasaf) to mean “cause premature birth,” an otherwise unattested homonym of the more common חָשַׂף (“strip bare”).
[29:9] sn The Lord’s thunderous shout is accompanied by high winds which damage the trees of the forest.
[29:9] 260 tn Heb “In his temple, all of it says, ‘Glory.’”
[29:10] 261 tn The noun מַּבּוּל (mabbul, “flood”) appears only here and in Gen 6-11, where it refers to the Noahic flood. Some see a reference to that event here. The presence of the article (perhaps indicating uniqueness) and the switch to the perfect verbal form (which could be taken as describing a past situation) might support this. However, the immediate context indicates that the referent of מַּבּוּל is the “surging waters” mentioned in v. 3. The article indicates waters that are definite in the mind of the speaker and the perfect is probably descriptive in function, like “thunders” in v. 3. However, even though the historical flood is not the primary referent here, there may be a literary allusion involved. The psalmist views the threatening chaotic sea as a contemporary manifestation of the destructive waters of old.
[29:10] 262 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the descriptive function of the preceding perfect.
[29:11] 263 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 11 are either descriptive or generalizing.
[29:11] 264 sn Strength. This probably refers to military power; see the use of the noun in 1 Sam 2:10 and Ps 86:16.
[29:11] 265 tn Heb “blesses his people with peace.” The Hebrew term שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) probably refers here to the protection and prosperity experienced by God’s people after the
[30:1] 266 sn Psalm 30. The author thanks the Lord for delivering him from death and urges others to join him in praise. The psalmist experienced divine discipline for a brief time, but when he cried out for help the Lord intervened and restored his favor.
[30:1] 267 tn Heb “a song of the dedication of the house.” The referent of “house” is unclear. It is possible that David wrote this psalm for the dedication ceremony of Solomon’s temple. Another possibility is that the psalm was used on the occasion of the dedication of the second temple following the return from exile, or on the occasion of the rededication of the temple in Maccabean times.
[30:1] 268 tn Elsewhere the verb דָּלָה (dalah) is used of drawing water from a well (Exod 2:16, 19; Prov 20:5). The psalmist was trapped in the pit leading to Sheol (see v. 3), but the
[30:2] 270 sn You healed me. Apparently the psalmist was plagued by a serious illness that threatened his life. See Ps 41.
[30:3] 272 tn Heb “you kept me alive from those descending into the pit.” The Hebrew noun בוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (Kethib); the marginal reading (Qere) has, “you kept me alive so that I did not go down into the pit.”
[30:4] 273 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[30:4] 274 tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The noun זֵכֵר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the
[30:5] 275 tn Heb “for [there is] a moment in his anger, [but] life in his favor.” Because of the parallelism with “moment,” some understand חַיִּים (khayyim) in a quantitative sense: “lifetime” (cf. NIV, NRSV). However, the immediate context, which emphasizes deliverance from death (see v. 3), suggests that חַיִּים has a qualitative sense: “physical life” or even “prosperous life” (cf. NEB “in his favour there is life”).
[30:5] 276 tn Heb “in the evening weeping comes to lodge, but at morning a shout of joy.” “Weeping” is personified here as a traveler who lodges with one temporarily.
[30:6] 277 sn In my self-confidence I said… Here the psalmist begins to fill in the background of the crisis referred to in the earlier verses. He had been arrogant and self-confident, so the Lord withdrew his protection and allowed trouble to invade his life (vv. 8-11).
[30:7] 278 tn Heb “in your good favor you caused to stand for my mountain strength.” Apparently this means “you established strength for my mountain” (“mountain” in this case representing his rule, which would be centered on Mt. Zion) or “you established strength as my mountain” (“mountain” in this case being a metaphor for security).
[30:7] 279 tn Heb “you hid your face.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or, as here, carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Ps 88:14).
[30:8] 280 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 8 are probably preterites; the psalmist recalls that he prayed in his time of crisis.
[30:9] 281 sn The following two verses (vv. 9-10) contain the prayer (or an excerpt of the prayer) that the psalmist offered to the Lord during his crisis.
[30:9] 282 tn Heb “What profit [is there] in my blood?” “Blood” here represents his life.
[30:9] 283 tn The Hebrew term שָׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 49:9; 55:24; 103:4).
[30:9] 284 tn Heb “dust.” The words “of the grave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[30:9] 285 tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “Of course not!”
[30:9] sn According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 6:5; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!
[30:10] 286 tn Heb “be a helper to me.”
[30:11] 287 sn Covered me with joy. “Joy” probably stands metonymically for festive attire here.
[30:12] 288 tn Heb “so that”; or “in order that.”
[30:12] 289 tn Heb “glory.” Some view כָבוֹד (khavod, “glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvediy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 57:9; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.” “Heart” is used in the translation above for the sake of English idiom; the expression “my liver sings” would seem odd indeed to the modern reader.
[31:1] 291 sn Psalm 31. The psalmist confidently asks the Lord to protect him. Enemies threaten him and even his friends have abandoned him, but he looks to the Lord for vindication. In vv. 19-24, which were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18, the psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him.
[31:1] 292 tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me.”
[31:2] 293 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
[31:2] 294 tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of refuge.”
[31:2] 295 tn Heb “a house of strongholds to deliver me.”
[31:3] 296 sn The metaphor of the high ridge pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
[31:3] 297 tn Heb “name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the
[31:3] 298 tn The present translation assumes that the imperfect verbal forms are generalizing, “you lead me and guide me.” Other options are to take them as an expression of confidence about the future, “you will lead me and guide me” (cf. NASB), or as expressing a prayer, “lead me and guide me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[31:4] 299 tn Heb “bring me out.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form expresses the psalmist’s confidence about the future. Another option is to take the form as expressing a prayer, “free me.”
[31:5] 300 tn Heb “my spirit.” The noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) here refers to the animating spirit that gives the psalmist life.
[31:5] 301 tn Or “redeem.” The perfect verbal form is understood here as anticipatory, indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer that he can describe his deliverance as if it had already happened. Another option is to take the perfect as precative, expressing a wish or request (“rescue me”; cf. NIV). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
[31:6] 302 tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jonah 2:9.
[31:7] 303 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
[31:8] 304 tn Heb “you cause my feet to stand.”
[31:9] 305 tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”
[31:9] 306 tn Cf. Ps 6:7, which has a similar line.
[31:9] 307 tn Heb “my breath and my stomach [grow weak].” Apparently the verb in the previous line (“grow dim, be weakened”) is to be understood here. The Hebrew term נפשׁ can mean “life,” or, more specifically, “throat, breath.” The psalmist seems to be lamenting that his breathing is impaired because of the physical and emotional suffering he is forced to endure.
[31:10] 308 tn Heb “and my years in groaning.”
[31:10] 309 tn Heb “stumbles in.”
[31:10] 310 tn Heb “grow weak.”
[31:11] 311 tn Heb “because of all my enemies I am a reproach.”
[31:11] 312 tc Heb “and to my neighbors, exceedingly.” If the MT is retained, then these words probably go with what precedes. However the syntactical awkwardness of the text suggests it is textually corrupt. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 258) suggests that the initial mem (מ) on מְאֹד (me’od, “exceedingly”) be understood as an enclitic mem (ם) which was originally suffixed to the preceding form and then later misinterpreted. The resulting form אֵד (’ed) can then be taken as a defectively written form of אֵיד (’ed, “calamity”). If one follows this emendation, then the text reads literally, “and to my neighbors [I am one who experiences] calamity.” The noun פַחַד (fakhad, “[object of] horror”) occurs in the next line; אֵיד and פַחַד appear in parallelism elsewhere (see Prov 1:26-27).
[31:11] 313 tn Heb “and [an object of ] horror to those known by me.”
[31:12] 314 tn Heb “I am forgotten, like a dead man, from [the] heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the center of one’s thoughts.
[31:12] 315 tn Heb “I am like a broken jar.” One throws away a broken jar without a second thought because it is considered worthless and useless.
[31:13] 316 tn Heb “the report of many.”
[31:13] 317 tn Heb “the terror from all around.”
[31:15] 318 tn Heb “in your hand [are] my times.”
[31:16] 319 tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
[31:17] 320 tn The verb יִדְּמוּ (yiddÿmu) is understood as a form of דָּמַם (damam, “wail, lament”). Another option is to take the verb from דָּמַם (“be quiet”; see BDB 198-99 s.v. I דָּמַם), in which case one might translate, “May they lie silent in the grave.”
[31:18] 321 tn Heb “the [ones which].”
[31:19] 323 tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”
[31:19] 324 tn Heb “for those who fear you.”
[31:19] 325 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[31:19] 326 tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”
[31:20] 327 tn The noun רֹכֶס (rokhes) occurs only here. Its meaning is debated; some suggest “snare,” while others propose “slander” or “conspiracy.”
[31:20] 328 tn Heb “you hide them in the hiding place of your face from the attacks of man.” The imperfect verbal forms in this verse draw attention to God’s typical treatment of the faithful.
[31:20] 329 tn Heb “you conceal them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.”
[31:21] 330 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[31:21] 331 tn Heb “for he caused his faithfulness to be amazing to me in a besieged city.” The psalmist probably speaks figuratively here. He compares his crisis to being trapped in a besieged city, but the
[31:22] 332 tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”
[31:22] 333 tn Heb “from before your eyes.”
[31:23] 334 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[31:23] 335 tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.
[31:24] 336 tn Heb “be strong and let your heart[s] be confident.”
[32:1] 337 sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.
[32:1] 338 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
[32:1] 339 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, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.
[32:1] 340 tn Heb “lifted up.”
[32:1] 341 tn Heb “covered over.”
[32:2] 342 tn Heb “man.” The word choice reflects the perspective of the psalmist, who is male. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender and age specific “man” has been translated with the more neutral “one.”
[32:2] 343 tn Heb “blessed [is] the man to whom the
[32:2] 344 sn In whose spirit there is no deceit. The point is not that the individual is sinless and pure. In this context, which focuses on confession and forgiveness of sin, the psalmist refers to one who refuses to deny or hide his sin, but instead honestly confesses it to God.
[32:3] 345 tn Heb “when I was silent.”
[32:3] 346 tn Heb “my bones became brittle.” The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.
[32:4] 347 tn Heb “your hand was heavy upon me.”
[32:4] 348 tc Heb “my [?] was turned.” The meaning of the Hebrew term לְשַׁד (lÿshad) is uncertain. A noun לָשָׁד (lashad, “cake”) is attested in Num 11:8, but it would make no sense to understand that word in this context. It is better to emend the form to לְשֻׁדִּי (lÿshuddiy, “to my destruction”) and understand “your hand” as the subject of the verb “was turned.” In this case the text reads, “[your hand] was turned to my destruction.” In Lam 3:3 the author laments that God’s “hand” was “turned” (הָפַךְ, hafakh) against him in a hostile sense.
[32:4] sn You tried to destroy me. The psalmist’s statement reflects his perspective. As far as he was concerned, it seemed as if the Lord was trying to kill him.
[32:4] 349 tn The translation assumes that the plural form indicates degree. If one understands the form as a true plural, then one might translate, “in the times of drought.”
[32:4] 350 sn Summer. Perhaps the psalmist suffered during the hot season and perceived the very weather as being an instrument of divine judgment. Another option is that he compares his time of suffering to the uncomfortable and oppressive heat of summer.
[32:5] 351 tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”
[32:5] 352 tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.
[32:6] 353 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[32:6] 354 tn Heb “at a time of finding.” This may mean, “while there is time to ‘find’ [the
[32:6] 355 tn The Hebrew term רַק (raq) occasionally has an asseverative force.
[32:6] 356 sn The surging water is here a metaphor for trouble that endangers one’s life.
[32:6] 357 tn Heb “him.” The translation uses the plural “them” to agree with the plural “every one of your faithful followers” in the first line of v. 6.
[32:7] 358 tn Heb “[with] shouts of joy of deliverance you surround me.”
[32:8] 359 tn The second person pronominal forms in this verse are singular. The psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually (see also the note on the word “eye” in the next line). A less likely option (but one which is commonly understood) is that the
[32:8] 360 tn Heb “I will instruct you and I will teach you in the way [in] which you should walk.”
[32:8] 361 tn Heb “I will advise, upon you my eye,” that is, “I will offer advice [with] my eye upon you.” In 2 Chr 20:12 the statement “our eye is upon you” means that the speakers are looking to the
[32:9] 362 tn The verb form is plural (i.e., “do not all of you be”); the psalmist addresses the whole group.
[32:9] 363 tn Heb “like a horse, like a mule without understanding.”
[32:9] 364 tn Heb “with a bridle and bit, its [?] to hold, not to come near to you.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun עֲדִי (’adiy) is uncertain. Normally the word refers to “jewelry,” so some suggest the meaning “trappings” here (cf. NASB). Some emend the form to לְחֵיהֶם (lÿkhehem, “their jawbones”) but it is difficult to see how the present Hebrew text, even if corrupt, could have derived from this proposed original reading. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 265) takes the form from an Arabic root and translates “whose gallop.” Cf. also NRSV “whose temper must be curbed.”
[32:10] 365 tn Heb “many [are the] pains of evil [one].” The singular form is representative here; the typical evildoer, representative of the larger group of wicked people, is in view.
[32:10] 366 tn Heb “but the one who trusts in the
[32:11] 367 tn Heb “all [you] 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
[33:1] 368 sn Psalm 33. In this hymn the psalmist praises the Lord as the sovereign creator and just ruler of the world who protects and vindicates those who fear him.
[33:3] 369 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.
[33:3] 370 tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”
[33:4] 371 sn For the
[33:4] 372 tn Heb “word.” In this context, which depicts the
[33:4] 374 tn Heb “and all his work [is] in faithfulness.”
[33:5] 375 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the
[33:5] 376 tn Heb “fills the earth.”
[33:6] 378 tn Heb “and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” The words “were created” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons; they are understood by ellipsis (note “were made” in the preceding line). The description is consistent with Gen 1:16, which indicates that God spoke the heavenly luminaries into existence.
[33:7] 379 tn Heb “[he] gathers like a pile the waters of the sea.” Some prefer to emend נֵד (ged, “heap, pile”; cf. NASB) to נֹד (nod, “bottle”; cf. NRSV; NIV “into jars”), but “pile” is used elsewhere to describe water that the
[33:7] 380 tn Or “watery depths.” The form תְּהוֹמוֹת (tÿhomot, “watery depths”) is the plural form of תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “great deep”; see Gen 1:2).
[33:8] 381 tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the
[33:9] 382 tn That is, “all the earth” in the first line of v. 8. The apparent antecedent of the masculine subject of the verbs in v. 9 (note וַיֶּהִי [vayyehiy] and וַיַּעֲמֹד [vayya’amod]) is “earth” or “world,” both of which are feminine nouns. However, כָּל (kol, “all”) may be the antecedent, or the apparent lack of agreement may be explained by the collective nature of the nouns involved here (see GKC 463 §145.e).
[33:9] 383 tn Heb “he commanded.”
[33:10] 384 tn Heb “breaks” or “destroys.” The Hebrew perfect verbal forms here and in the next line generalize about the
[33:10] 385 tn Heb “thoughts.”
[33:11] 386 tn Heb “the thoughts of his heart for generation to generation.” The verb “abides” is supplied in the translation. The
[33:12] 387 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] 388 tn Heb “inheritance.”
[33:13] 389 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal forms in v. 13 state general facts.
[33:13] 390 tn Heb “all the sons of men.”
[33:15] 391 tn Heb “the one who forms together their heart[s].” “Heart” here refers to human nature, composed of intellect, emotions and will. The precise force of יָחַד (yakhad, “together”) is unclear here. The point seems to be that the
[33:17] 392 tn Heb “a lie [is] the horse for victory.”
[33:18] 393 tn Heb “look, the eye of the
[33:18] 394 tn Heb “for the ones who wait for his faithfulness.”
[33:19] 395 tn Heb “to save from death their live[s].”
[33:19] 396 tn Heb “and to keep them alive in famine.”
[33:20] 397 tn Or “our lives.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
[33:20] 398 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[33:20] 399 tn Or “protector.”
[33:22] 400 tn Heb “let your faithfulness, O
[34:1] 402 sn Psalm 34. In this song of thanksgiving the psalmist praises God for delivering him from distress. He encourages others to be loyal to the Lord, tells them how to please God, and assures them that the Lord protects his servants. The psalm is an acrostic; vv. 1-21 begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. (Verse 6 begins with the letter he (ה) and v. 7 with the letter zayin (ז). The letter vav (ו), which comes between ה and ז, seems to be omitted, although it does appear at the beginning of v. 6b. The final verse of the psalm, which begins with the letter pe (פ), is outside the acrostic scheme.
[34:1] 403 tn Heb “By David, when he changed his sense before Abimelech and he drove him away and he went.”
[34:1] sn Pretended to be insane. The psalm heading appears to refer to the account in 1 Sam 21:10-15 which tells how David, fearful that King Achish of Gath might kill him, pretended to be insane in hopes that the king would simply send him away. The psalm heading names the king Abimelech, not Achish, suggesting that the tradition is confused on this point. However, perhaps “Abimelech” was a royal title, rather than a proper name. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 278.
[34:1] 405 tn Heb “continually [will] his praise [be] in my mouth.”
[34:2] 406 tn Heb “my soul will boast”; or better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.
[34:2] 407 tn The two prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best taken as jussives, for the psalmist is calling his audience to worship (see v. 3).
[34:4] 409 tn Heb “I sought the
[34:5] 410 tc Heb “they look to him and are radiant and their faces are not ashamed.” The third person plural subject (“they”) is unidentified; there is no antecedent in the Hebrew text. For this reason some prefer to take the perfect verbal forms in the first line as imperatives, “look to him and be radiant” (cf. NEB, NRSV). Some medieval Hebrew
[34:6] 411 tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.
[34:7] 412 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the
[34:7] 413 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[34:7] 414 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC 329 §111.u.
[34:8] 415 tn This verb is normally used of tasting or savoring food. The metaphor here appears to compare the
[34:8] 416 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, 3; 2:12; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[34:8] 417 tn Heb “man.” 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.”
[34:8] 418 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[34:9] 420 tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”
[34:9] 421 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[34:11] 422 tn Heb “the fear of the
[34:12] 423 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] 424 tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”
[34:13] 425 tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”
[34:13] 426 tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”
[34:14] 428 tn Heb “seek peace and pursue it.”
[34:15] 429 tn Heb “the eyes of the
[34:16] 430 tn Heb “the face of the
[34:17] 431 tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).
[34:17] 432 tn The three perfect verbal forms are taken in a generalizing sense in v. 17 and translated with the present tense (note the generalizing mood of vv. 18-22).
[34:18] 433 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
[34:18] 434 tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”
[34:19] 435 tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.
[34:19] 437 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
[34:19] 438 tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.
[34:20] 439 tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.
[34:20] 440 tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.
[34:20] 441 sn Not one of them is broken. The author of the Gospel of John saw a fulfillment of these words in Jesus’ experience on the cross (see John 19:31-37), for the Roman soldiers, when they saw that Jesus was already dead, did not break his legs as was customarily done to speed the death of crucified individuals. John’s use of the psalm seems strange, for the statement in its original context suggests that the Lord protects the godly from physical harm. Jesus’ legs may have remained unbroken, but he was brutally and unjustly executed by his enemies. John seems to give the statement a literal sense that is foreign to its original literary context by applying a promise of divine protection to a man who was seemingly not saved by God. However, John saw in this incident a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate deliverance and vindication. His unbroken bones were a reminder of God’s commitment to the godly and a sign of things to come. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story; God vindicated him, as John goes on to explain in the following context (John 19:38-20:18).
[34:21] 442 tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.
[34:21] 443 tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.
[34:22] 444 tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.
[34:22] 445 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[35:1] 446 sn Psalm 35. The author, who faces ruthless enemies who seek his life for no reason, begs the Lord to fight his battles for him and to vindicate him by annihilating his adversaries.
[35:2] 448 tn Two different types of shields are mentioned here. See also Ezek 38:4. Many modern translations render the first term (translated here “small shield”) as “buckler” (cf. NASB “buckler and shield”; the order is often reversed in the translation, apparently for stylistic reasons: cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “shield and buckler”). The English term “buckler,” referring to a small round shield held on the arm to protect the upper body, is unfamiliar to many modern readers, so the term “small shield” was used in the present translation for clarity.
[35:3] 449 tn Or “javelin.” On the meaning of this word, which occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, see M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:210-11.
[35:3] 450 tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”
[35:3] 451 tn Heb “say to me,” or “say to my soul.”
[35:4] 452 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies. See also the distinct jussive form in v. 6.
[35:5] 453 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.
[35:5] 454 sn See the mention of the
[35:5] 455 tn Heb “as the
[35:6] 456 tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
[35:7] 457 tc Heb “for without cause they hid for me a pit of their net, without cause they dug for my life.” It appears that the words “pit” and “net” have been transposed. “Net” goes with the verb “hid” in the first line (see v. 8, as well as Pss 9:15; 31:4), while “pit” goes with the verb “dug” in the second line (see Ps 7:15).
[35:8] 458 tn Heb “let destruction [which] he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.
[35:8] 459 tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.
[35:9] 460 tn Heb “then my soul will rejoice in the
[35:10] 461 tn Heb “all my bones will say.”
[35:10] 462 tn Heb “[the one who] rescues.” The substantival participle in the Hebrew text characterizes God as one who typically rescues the oppressed.
[35:10] 463 tn Heb “from [the one who is] too strong for him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense. The typical oppressed individual and typical oppressor are in view.
[35:10] 464 tn Heb “the oppressed [one] and needy [one] from [the one who] robs him.” As in the previous line, the singular forms are used in a representative sense.
[35:11] 465 tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”
[35:11] 466 tn Heb “[that] which I do not know they ask me.”
[35:12] 467 tn Heb “they repay me evil instead of good.”
[35:12] 468 tn Heb “[there is] bereavement to my soul.”
[35:13] 469 tn Heb “as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.” Sackcloth was worn by mourners. When the psalmist’s enemies were sick, he was sorry for their misfortune and mourned for them.
[35:13] 470 sn Fasting was also a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities, such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
[35:13] 471 tn Heb “and my prayer upon my chest will return.” One could translate, “but my prayer was returning upon my chest,” but the use of the imperfect verbal form sets this line apart from the preceding and following lines (vv. 13a, 14), which use the perfect to describe the psalmist’s past actions.
[35:14] 472 tn Heb “like a friend, like a brother to me I walked about.”
[35:14] 473 sn I bowed down. Bowing down was a posture for mourning. See Ps 38:6.
[35:14] 474 tn Heb “like mourning for a mother [in] sorrow I bowed down.”
[35:15] 475 tn Heb “they gathered together against me, stricken [ones], and I did not know.” The Hebrew form נֵכִים (nekhim, “stricken ones” ?) is problematic. Some suggest an emendation to נָכְרִים[כְ] (kÿnokhÿrim, “foreigners”) or “like foreigners,” which would fit with what follows, “[like] foreigners that I do not recognize.” Perhaps the form should be read as a Qal active participle, נֹכִים (nokhim, “ones who strike”) from the verbal root נָכָה (nakhah, “to strike”). The Qal of this verb is unattested in biblical Hebrew, but the peal (basic) stem appears in Old Aramaic (J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire [BibOr], 114; DNWSI 1:730.) In this case one might translate, “attackers gathered together against me though I was not aware of it” (cf. NASB “smiters”; NEB, NRSV “ruffians”; NIV “attackers”).
[35:15] 476 tn Heb “they tore and did not keep quiet.” By using the verb “tear,” the psalmist likens his enemies to a wild animal (see Hos 13:8). In v. 17 he compares them to hungry young lions.
[35:16] 477 tc The MT reads “as profane [ones] of mockers of food,” which is nonsensical. The present translation assumes (1) an emendation of בְּחַנְפֵי (bÿkhanfey, “as profane men”) to בְּחַנְפִי (bekhanfiy, “when I tripped”; preposition + Qal infinitive construct from II חָנַף [“limp”] + first common singular pronominal suffix) and (2) an emendation of לַעֲגֵי מָעוֹג (la’agey ma’og, “mockers of food”) to עָגוּ[ם]לַעְגָּ (la’gam ’agu, “[with] taunting they taunted”; masculine plural noun with enclitic mem + Qal perfect third common plural from לַּעַג [la’ag, “taunt”]).
[35:16] 478 tn Heb “gnashing at me with their teeth.” The infinitive absolute adds a complementary action – they gnashed with their teeth as they taunted.
[35:17] 479 tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”
[35:17] 480 tn Heb “bring back, restore.”
[35:17] 482 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).
[35:18] 483 sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Ps 22:25.
[35:18] 484 tn Heb “among numerous people.”
[35:19] 485 tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Ps 38:19).
[35:19] 487 tn Heb “[do not let] those who hate me without cause pinch [i.e., wink] an eye.” The negative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (see the preceding line). In the Book of Proverbs “winking an eye” is associated with deceit and trickery (see 6:13; 10:10; 16:30).
[35:20] 488 tn Heb “for they do not speak peace.”
[35:20] 489 tn Heb “but against the quiet ones of the land words of deceit they plan.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 20 highlight their characteristic behavior.
[35:21] 490 tn Heb “and they cause their mouth to be wide against me.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the generalizing mood of the previous verse. For other examples of this use of the prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive, see GKC 329 §111.t.
[35:21] 491 tn Heb “our eye sees.” Apparently this is an idiom meaning to “look in triumph” or “gloat over” (see Ps 54:7).
[35:22] 492 tn Heb “you see, O
[35:23] 493 sn Though he is confident that the Lord is aware of his situation (see v. 22a), the psalmist compares the Lord’s inactivity to sleep and urges him to wake up.
[35:23] 494 tn Heb “for my justice.”
[35:23] 495 tn Heb “for my cause.”
[35:25] 497 tn Heb “in their heart[s].”
[35:25] 498 tn Heb “Aha! Our desire!” The “desire” of the psalmist’s enemies is to triumph over him.
[35:26] 499 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”
[35:26] 500 tn Heb “may they be clothed with shame and humiliation, the ones who magnify [themselves] against me.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 26 are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-25, where the negative particle אַל (’al) appears before the prefixed verbal forms, indicating they are jussives). The psalmist is calling down judgment on his enemies.
[35:27] 501 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27a are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-26).
[35:27] 502 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
[35:27] 503 tn Heb “the one who desires the peace of his servant.”
[35:28] 504 tn Heb “and my tongue will proclaim your justice.”
[35:28] 505 tn Heb “all the day your praise.” The verb “proclaim” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
[36:1] 506 sn Psalm 36. Though evil men plan to harm others, the psalmist is confident that the Lord is the just ruler of the earth who gives and sustains all life. He prays for divine blessing and protection and anticipates God’s judgment of the wicked.
[36:1] 507 tn In the Hebrew text the word נאם (“oracle”) appears at the beginning of the next verse (v. 2 in the Hebrew text because the superscription is considered v. 1). The resulting reading, “an oracle of rebellion for the wicked [is] in the midst of my heart” (cf. NIV) apparently means that the psalm, which foresees the downfall of the wicked, is a prophetic oracle about the rebellion of the wicked which emerges from the soul of the psalmist. One could translate, “Here is a poem written as I reflected on the rebellious character of evil men.” Another option, followed in the translation above, is to attach נאם (nÿ’um, “oracle”) with the superscription. For another example of a Davidic poem being labeled an “oracle,” see 2 Sam 23:1.
[36:1] 508 tn Heb “[the] rebellion of an evil man [is] in the midst of my heart.” The translation assumes a reading “in the midst of his heart” (i.e., “to the core”) instead of “in the midst of my heart,” a change which finds support in a a few medieval Hebrew
[36:1] 509 tn Heb “there is no dread of God before his eyes.” The phrase “dread of God” refers here to a healthy respect for God which recognizes that he will punish evil behavior.
[36:2] 510 tn Heb “for it causes to be smooth to him in his eyes to find his sin to hate.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. Perhaps the point is this: His rebellious attitude makes him reject any notion that God will hold him accountable. His attitude also prevents him from recognizing and repudiating his sinful ways.
[36:3] 511 tn Heb “he ceases to exhibit wisdom to do good.” The Hiphil forms are exhibitive, indicating the outward expression of an inner attitude.
[36:4] 512 tn Heb “he takes a stand in a way [that is] not good.” The word “way” here refers metaphorically to behavior or life style.
[36:4] 513 tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 highlight the characteristic behavior of the typical evildoer.
[36:5] 514 tn Heb “[is] in the heavens.”
[36:5] 515 sn The Lord’s loyal love/faithfulness is almost limitless. He is loyal and faithful to his creation and blesses mankind and the animal kingdom with physical life and sustenance (vv. 6-9).
[36:6] 516 tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.
[36:6] 518 sn God’s justice/fairness is firm and reliable like the highest mountains and as abundant as the water in the deepest sea. The psalmist uses a legal metaphor to describe God’s preservation of his creation. Like a just judge who vindicates the innocent, God protects his creation from destructive forces.
[36:7] 520 tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear.
[36:9] 521 tn Heb “for with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.” Water (note “fountain”) and light are here metaphors for life.
[36:10] 522 tn Heb “draw out to full length.”
[36:10] 523 tn Heb “to those who know you.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “know”) is used here of those who “know” the
[36:10] 524 tn Heb “and your justice to.” The verb “extend” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
[36:10] 525 tn Heb “the 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; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
[36:11] 526 tn Heb “let not a foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the evil ones cause me to wander as a fugitive.”
[36:12] 527 tn Heb “there the workers of wickedness have fallen.” The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the evildoers lying fallen at a spot that is vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.).
[36:12] 528 tn The psalmist uses perfect verbal forms in v. 12 to describe the demise of the wicked as if it has already taken place.
[37:1] 529 sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
[37:1] 530 tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.
[37:1] 531 tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.
[37:2] 532 tn Heb “like green vegetation.”
[37:3] 533 tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (ra’ah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.
[37:4] 534 tn Following the imperatives of v. 3 the prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) in v. 4 indicate result. Faith and obedience (v. 3) will bring divine blessing (v. 4).
[37:4] 535 tn Or “and he will give you what you desire most.” Heb “and he will grant to you the requests of your heart.”
[37:5] 536 tn Heb “roll your way upon the
[37:5] 537 tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the
[37:6] 538 tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”
[37:7] 539 tn Heb “Be quiet before the
[37:7] 540 tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (vÿhitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (vÿtokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, yÿhvah) and (2) the final lamed (ל) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).
[37:7] 541 tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”
[37:8] 542 tn Heb “Refrain from anger! Abandon rage!”
[37:9] 543 tn Heb “for evil men.” The conjunction כִּי (ki, “for”) relates to the exhortations in v. 8; there is no reason to be frustrated, for the evildoers will be punished in due time.
[37:9] 544 tn Or “cut off, removed.”
[37:9] 545 tn Heb “and those who wait on the
[37:10] 546 tn Heb “and yet, a little, there will be no wicked [one].”
[37:10] 547 tn Heb “and you will carefully look upon his place, but he will not be [there].” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer is in view.
[37:11] 548 tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”
[37:12] 549 tn Or “innocent.” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and the typical godly individual are in view.
[37:12] 550 tn Heb “and gnashes at him with his teeth” (see Ps 35:16). The language may picture the evil men as wild animals. The active participles in v. 12 are used for purposes of dramatic description.
[37:13] 551 tn Heb “laughs.” As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laughter (see 2:4). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes the action from the perspective of an eye-witness who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.
[37:13] 552 tn Heb “for he sees that his day is coming.” As the following context makes clear (vv. 15, 17, 19-20), “his day” refers to the time when God will destroy evildoers.
[37:14] 553 tn Heb “to cause to fall.”
[37:14] 554 tn Heb “the upright in way,” i.e., those who lead godly lives.
[37:15] 555 tn Heb “enter into.”
[37:16] 556 tn Heb “Better [is] a little to the godly one than the wealth of many evil ones.” The following verses explain why this is true. Though a godly individual may seem to have only meager possessions, he always has what he needs and will eventually possess the land. The wicked may prosper for a brief time, but will eventually be destroyed by divine judgment and lose everything.
[37:17] 557 tn Heb “for the arms of the evil ones will be broken.”
[37:17] 558 tn The active participle here indicates this is characteristically true.
[37:18] 559 tn Heb “the
[37:18] 560 tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”
[37:19] 561 tn Heb “in a time of trouble.”
[37:19] 562 tn Heb “in days of famine they will be satisfied.”
[37:20] 563 tn Or “for,” but Hebrew כי in this case would have to extend all the way back to v. 17a. Another option is to understand the particle as asseverative, “surely” (see v. 22).
[37:20] 564 tc The meaning of the MT (כִּיקַר כָּרִים [kiqar karim], “like what is precious among the pastures/rams”) is uncertain. One possibility is to take the noun כָּרִים as “pastures” and interpret “what is precious” as referring to flowers that blossom but then quickly disappear (see v. 2 and BDB 430 s.v. יָקָר 3). If כָּרִים is taken as “rams,” then “what is precious” might refer to the choicest portions of rams. The present translation follows a reading in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QpPs37), כיקוד כורם (“like the burning of an oven”). The next line, which pictures the
[37:20] 565 tn Heb “they perish in smoke, they perish.” In addition to repeating the verb for emphasis, the psalmist uses the perfect form of the verb to picture the enemies’ demise as if it had already taken place. In this way he draws attention to the certitude of their judgment.
[37:21] 566 tn Heb “an evil [man] borrows and does not repay; but a godly [man] is gracious and gives.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The three active participles and one imperfect (“repay”) draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the two types.
[37:22] 567 tn The particle כִּי is best understood as asseverative or emphatic here.
[37:22] 568 tn Heb “those blessed by him.” The pronoun “him” must refer to the Lord (see vv. 20, 23), so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:22] 570 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed” (see v. 9).
[37:23] 571 tn Heb “from the
[37:24] 572 tn Other translation options for כִּי in this context are “when” (so NASB) or “though” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[37:24] 573 tn Heb “be hurled down.”
[37:24] 574 tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.
[37:25] 575 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:25] 576 tn Heb “or his offspring searching for food.” The expression “search for food” also appears in Lam 1:11, where Jerusalem’s refugees are forced to search for food and to trade their valuable possessions for something to eat.
[37:26] 577 tn The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
[37:26] 578 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:27] 579 tn Or “Do good!” The imperatives are singular (see v. 1).
[37:27] 580 tn Heb “and dwell permanently.” The imperative with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause after the preceding imperatives.
[37:28] 581 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the
[37:28] 582 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.
[37:28] 583 tn Or “protected forever.”
[37:28] 584 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[37:28] 585 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.
[37:30] 586 tn Heb “The mouth of the godly [one] utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.” The singular form is used in a representative sense; the typical godly individual is in view. The imperfect verbal forms draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the godly.
[37:31] 587 tn Heb “the law of his God [is] in his heart.” The “heart” is here the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
[37:31] 588 tn Heb “his.” The pronoun has been translated as plural to agree with the representative or typical “godly” in v. 30.
[37:32] 589 tn Heb “an evil [one] watches the godly [one] and seeks to kill him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The active participles describe characteristic behavior.
[37:33] 590 tn Heb “the
[37:34] 592 tn Heb “keep his way.” The
[37:34] 593 tn Heb “and he will lift you up.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause following the imperatives in the preceding lines.
[37:34] 594 tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”
[37:35] 595 tn The Hebrew uses the representative singular again here.
[37:35] 596 tn Heb “being exposed [?] like a native, luxuriant.” The Hebrew form מִתְעָרֶה (mit’areh) appears to be a Hitpael participle from עָרָה (’arah, “be exposed”), but this makes no sense in this context. Perhaps the form is a dialectal variant of מִתְעָלָה (“giving oneself an air of importance”; see Jer 51:3), from עָלָה (’alah, “go up”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 296). The noun אֶזְרָח (’ezrakh, “native, full citizen”) refers elsewhere to people, but here, where it is collocated with “luxuriant, green,” it probably refers to a tree growing in native soil.
[37:36] 597 tn Heb “and he passes by and, look, he is not [there].” The subject of the verb “passes by” is probably indefinite, referring to any passerby. Some prefer to change the form to first person, “and I passed by” (cf. NEB; note the first person verbal forms in preceding verse and in the following line).
[37:37] 599 tn Heb “for [there is] an end for a man of peace.” Some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see the next verse and Ps 109:13; cf. NEB, NRSV).
[37:38] 600 tn Or “destroyed together.” In this case the psalmist pictures judgment sweeping them away as a group.
[37:38] 601 tn Heb “the end of evil men is cut off.” As in v. 37, some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see Ps 109:13). The perfect verbal forms in v. 38 probably express general truths. Another option is that they are used emphatically to state with certitude that the demise of the wicked is as good as done.
[37:39] 602 tn Heb “and the deliverance of the godly [ones] [is] from the
[37:39] 603 tn Heb “[he is] their place of refuge in a time of trouble.”
[37:40] 604 tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.
[38:1] 605 sn Psalm 38. The author asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies. He confesses his sin and recognizes that the crisis he faces is the result of divine discipline. Yet he begs the Lord not to reject him.
[38:1] 606 tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “to cause to remember.” The same form, the Hiphil infinitive of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”), also appears in the heading of Ps 70. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 303).
[38:1] 607 tn The words “continue to” are supplied in the translation of both lines. The following verses make it clear that the psalmist is already experiencing divine rebuke/punishment. He asks that it might cease.
[38:1] sn Compare Ps 38:1 with Ps 6:1, which has similar wording.
[38:2] 608 tn The verb Hebrew נָחַת (nakhat) apparently here means “penetrate, pierce” (note the use of the Qal in Prov 17:10). The psalmist pictures the
[38:2] 609 tn Heb “and your hand [?] upon me.” The meaning of the verb נָחַת (nakhat) is unclear in this context. It is preferable to emend the form to וַתָּנַח (vattanakh) from the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “rest”). In this case the text would read literally, “and your hand rests upon me” (see Isa 25:10, though the phrase is used in a positive sense there, unlike Ps 38:2).
[38:3] 610 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh from before your anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger at the psalmist’s sin.
[38:3] 611 tn Heb “there is no health in my bones from before my sin.”
[38:4] 612 tn Heb “pass over my head.”
[38:5] 613 sn The reference to wounds may be an extension of the metaphorical language of v. 2. The psalmist pictures himself as one whose flesh is ripped and torn by arrows.
[38:5] 614 tn Heb “my wounds stink, they are festering” (cf. NEB).
[38:5] 615 tn Heb “from before my foolishness.”
[38:6] 616 tn The verb’s precise shade of meaning in this context is not entirely clear. The verb, which literally means “to bend,” may refer to the psalmist’s posture. In Isa 21:3 it seems to mean “be confused, dazed.”
[38:6] 617 tn Heb “I am bowed down to excess.”
[38:7] 618 tn Heb “for my loins are filled with shame.” The “loins” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. The present translation assumes that נִקְלֶה (niqleh) is derived from קָלָה (qalah, “be dishonored”). Some derive it instead from a homonymic root קָלָה (qalah), meaning “to roast.” In this case one might translate “fever” (cf. NEB “my loins burn with fever”).
[38:7] 619 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh” (see v. 3).
[38:8] 620 tn Heb “I am numb and crushed to excess.”
[38:8] 621 tn Heb “I roar because of the moaning of my heart.”
[38:9] 622 tn Heb “O Lord, before you [is] all my desire.”
[38:10] 623 tn Heb “and the light of my eyes, even they, there is not with me.” The “light of the eyes” may refer to physical energy (see 1 Sam 14:27, 29), life itself (Ps 13:3), or the ability to see (Prov 29:23).
[38:11] 624 tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”
[38:11] 625 tn Heb “stand [aloof].”
[38:11] 626 tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”
[38:12] 627 tn Heb “lay snares.”
[38:13] 628 sn I am like a deaf man…like a mute. The psalmist is like a deaf mute; he is incapable of defending himself and is vulnerable to his enemies’ deception (see v. 14).
[38:14] 629 tn Heb “and there is not in his mouth arguments.”
[38:15] 630 tn Or perhaps “surely.”
[38:16] 631 tn Heb “For I said, ‘Lest they rejoice over me.’” The psalmist recalls the motivating argument of his petition. He probably prefaced this statement with a prayer for deliverance (see Pss 7:1-2; 13:3-4; 28:1).
[38:16] 632 tn Heb “they will magnify against me.” See Pss 35:26; 55:13.
[38:17] 633 tn Heb “and my pain [is] before me continually.”
[38:18] 634 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
[38:19] 635 tn Heb “and my enemies, life, are many.” The noun חַיִּים (khayyim, “life”) fits very awkwardly here. The translation assumes an emendation to חִנָּם (khinam, “without reason”; note the parallelism with שֶׁקֶר [sheqer, “falsely”] and see Pss 35:19; 69:4; Lam 3:52). The verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority (note the parallel verb רָבַב, ravav, “be many”).
[38:19] 636 tn Heb “are many.”
[38:20] 637 tn Heb “the ones who repay evil instead of good accuse me, instead of my pursuing good.”
[38:22] 638 tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Ps 22:19.
[39:1] 639 sn Psalm 39. The psalmist laments his frailty and mortality as he begs the Lord to take pity on him and remove his disciplinary hand.
[39:1] 641 tn Heb “I will watch my ways, from sinning with my tongue.”
[39:1] 642 sn The psalmist wanted to voice a lament to the
[39:2] 643 tn Heb “I was mute [with] silence.”
[39:2] 644 tn Heb “I was quiet from good.” He kept quiet, resisting the urge to find emotional release and satisfaction by voicing his lament.
[39:2] sn I held back the urge to speak. For a helpful discussion of the relationship (and tension) between silence and complaint in ancient Israelite lamentation, see E. S. Gerstenberger, Psalms, Part I (FOTL), 166-67.
[39:2] 645 tn Heb “and my pain was stirred up.” Emotional pain is in view here.
[39:3] 646 tn Heb “my heart was hot within me.”
[39:3] 647 tn Heb “In my reflection fire burned.” The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite (past tense) or an imperfect being used in a past progressive or customary sense (“fire was burning”).
[39:3] 648 tn Heb “I spoke with my tongue.” The phrase “these words” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[39:4] 649 tn Heb “Cause me to know, O
[39:4] 650 tn Heb “Let me know how transient I am!”
[39:5] 651 tn Heb “Look, handbreadths you make my days.” The “handbreadth” (equivalent to the width of four fingers) was one of the smallest measures used by ancient Israelites. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 309.
[39:5] 652 tn Heb “is like nothing before you.”
[39:5] 653 tn Heb “surely, all vapor [is] all mankind, standing firm.” Another option is to translate, “Surely, all mankind, though seemingly secure, is nothing but a vapor.”
[39:6] 654 tn Heb “surely, as an image man walks about.” The preposition prefixed to “image” indicates identity here.
[39:6] sn People go through life (Heb “man walks about”). “Walking” is here used as a metaphor for living. The point is that human beings are here today, gone tomorrow. They have no lasting substance and are comparable to mere images or ghosts.
[39:6] 655 tc Heb “Surely [in] vain they strive, he accumulates and does not know who gathers them.” The MT as it stands is syntactically awkward. The verb forms switch from singular (“walks about”) to plural (“they strive”) and then back to singular (“accumulates and does not know”), even though the subject (generic “man”) remains the same. Furthermore there is no object for the verb “accumulates” and no plural antecedent for the plural pronoun (“them”) attached to “gathers.” These problems can be removed if one emends the text from הֶבֶל יֶהֱמָיוּן (hevel yehemaun, “[in] vain they strive”) to הֶבְלֵי הָמוֹן (hevley hamon, “vain things of wealth”). This assumes a misdivision in the MT and a virtual dittography of vav (ו) between the mem and nun of המון. The present translation follows this emendation.
[39:7] 656 tn Heb “my hope, for you it [is].”
[39:9] 657 tn Heb “because you acted.” The psalmist has in mind God’s disciplinary measures (see vv. 10-13).
[39:10] 658 tn Heb “remove from upon me your wound.”
[39:10] 659 tn Heb “from the hostility of your hand I have come to an end.”
[39:11] 660 tn “with punishments on account of sin you discipline a man.”
[39:11] 661 tc Heb “you cause to dissolve, like a moth, his desired [thing].” The translation assumes an emendation of חֲמוּדוֹ (khamudo, “his desirable [thing]”) to חֶמְדוֹ (khemdo, “his loveliness” [or “beauty”]), a reading that is supported by a few medieval Hebrew
[39:12] 662 tn Heb “do not be deaf to my tears.”
[39:12] 663 tn Heb “For a resident alien [am] I with you, a sojourner like all my fathers.”
[39:12] sn Resident aliens were dependent on the mercy and goodwill of others. The Lord was concerned that resident aliens be treated properly. See Deut 24:17-22, Ps 146:9.
[39:13] 664 tn Heb “Gaze away from me and I will smile before I go and am not.” The precise identification of the initial verb form (הָשַׁע, hasha’) is uncertain. It could be from the root שָׁעָע (sha’a’, “smear”), but “your eyes” would be the expected object in this case (see Isa 6:10). The verb may be an otherwise unattested Hiphil form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “to gaze”) meaning “cause your gaze to be.” Some prefer to emend the form to the Qal שְׁעֵה (shÿ’eh, “gaze”; see Job 14:6). If one does read a form of the verb “to gaze,” the angry divine “gaze” of discipline would seem to be in view (see vv. 10-11). For a similar expression of this sentiment see Job 10:20-21.
[40:1] 665 sn Psalm 40. The psalmist combines a song of thanksgiving for a recent act of divine deliverance (vv. 1-11) with a confident petition for renewed divine intervention (vv. 12-17).
[40:1] 666 tn Heb “relying, I relied.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the verbal idea. The emphasis is reflected in the translation through the adverb “completely.” Another option is to translate, “I waited patiently” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[40:2] 667 tn Heb “cistern of roaring.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “cistern, pit”) is used metaphorically here of Sheol, the place of death, which is sometimes depicted as a raging sea (see Ps 18:4, 15-16). The noun שָׁאוֹן (sha’on, “roaring”) refers elsewhere to the crashing sound of the sea’s waves (see Ps 65:7).
[40:2] 668 tn Heb “from the mud of mud.” The Hebrew phrase translated “slimy mud” employs an appositional genitive. Two synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.
[40:2] 669 tn Heb “he established my footsteps.”
[40:3] 670 sn A new song was appropriate because the Lord had intervened in the psalmist’s experience in a fresh and exciting way.
[40:3] 671 tn Heb “and he placed in my mouth a new song, praise to our God.”
[40:3] 672 tn Heb “may many see and fear and trust in the
[40:4] 673 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, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[40:4] 674 tn Heb “man.” See the note on the word “one” in Ps 1:1.
[40:4] 675 tn Heb “who has made the
[40:4] 676 tn Heb “and does not turn toward.”
[40:4] 677 tn Heb “those falling away toward a lie.”
[40:5] 678 tn Heb “many things you have done, you, O
[40:5] 679 tn Heb “there is none arrayed against you.” The precise meaning of the text is unclear, but the collocation עָרַךְ אֶל (’arakh ’el, “array against”) is used elsewhere of military (Judg 20:30; 1 Chr 19:17) or verbal opposition (Job 32:14).
[40:5] 680 tn Heb “I will declare and I will speak, they are too numerous to recount.” The present translation assumes that the cohortatives are used in a hypothetical manner in a formally unmarked conditional sentence, “Should I try to declare [them] and speak [of them]…” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). For other examples of cohortatives in the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, see GKC 320 §108.e. (It should be noted, however, that GKC understands this particular verse in a different manner. See GKC 320 §108.f, where it is suggested that the cohortatives are part of an apodosis with the protasis being suppressed.) Another option is to take the cohortatives as a declaration of the psalmist’s resolve to announce the truth expressed in the next line. In this case one might translate: “I will declare and speak [the truth]: They are too numerous to recount.”
[40:6] 681 tn Heb “sacrifice and offering you do not desire.” The statement is exaggerated for the sake of emphasis (see Ps 51:16 as well). God is pleased with sacrifices, but his first priority is obedience and loyalty (see 1 Sam 15:22). Sacrifices and offerings apart from genuine allegiance are meaningless (see Isa 1:11-20).
[40:6] 682 tn Heb “ears you hollowed out for me.” The meaning of this odd expression is debated (this is the only collocation of “hollowed out” and “ears” in the OT). It may have been an idiomatic expression referring to making a point clear to a listener. The LXX has “but a body you have prepared for me,” a reading which is followed in Heb 10:5.
[40:7] 683 tn Heb “in the roll of the scroll it is written concerning me.” Apparently the psalmist refers to the law of God (see v. 8), which contains the commandments God desires him to obey. If this is a distinctly royal psalm, then the psalmist/king may be referring specifically to the regulations of kingship prescribed in Deut 17:14-20. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 315.
[40:8] 685 tn Heb “your law [is] in the midst of my inner parts.” The “inner parts” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s thought life and moral decision making.
[40:9] 686 sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Pss 22:25 and 35:18.
[40:9] 687 tn Heb “I proclaim justice in the great assembly.” Though “justice” appears without a pronoun here, the
[40:9] 688 tn Heb “Look! My lips I do not restrain.”
[40:10] 689 tn Heb “your justice I have not hidden in the midst of my heart.”
[40:10] 690 tn Heb “I have not hidden your loyal love and reliability.”
[40:11] 691 tn Some (cf. NIV, NRSV) translate the verb as a request (“do not withhold”), but elsewhere in the psalms the second masculine singular prefixed form, when addressed to God and preceded by לֹא (lo’), is always indicative in mood and never has the force of a prayer (see Pss 16:10; 22:2; 44:9 51:16-17; 60:10; 108:11; cf. NEB, NASB).
[40:11] 692 tn In this line the psalmist makes the transition from confidence to petition (see v. 13). Since the prefixed verbal form in the preceding line is imperfect/indicative, one could take the verb in this line as imperfect as well and translate, “your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me” (cf. NEB). However, the כִּי (ki) at the beginning of the next verse, if causal (“because”), is best understood as introducing a motivating argument in support of a petition. For this reason v. 11b is best taken as a prayer with the prefixed form being understood as jussive (cf. NIV, NRSV). For parallels to the proposed construction (jussive followed by כִּי + perfect introducing motivating argument), see Ps 25:21, as well as Pss 10:2-3; 22:8.
[40:12] 693 tn Or “sinful deeds.” The Hebrew term used here can have a nonmoral nuance (“dangers”) or a moral one (“sinful deeds”) depending on the context. The next line (see “my sins”) seems to favor the moral sense, but the psalmist also speaks of enemies shortly after this (v. 14).
[40:12] 694 tn Heb “and my heart abandons me.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of emotional strength and courage. For a similar idea see Ps 38:10.
[40:13] 695 tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Pss 22:19; 38:22.
[40:14] 696 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones seeking my life to snatch it away.”
[40:14] 697 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse (“may those…be…embarrassed and ashamed…may those…be turned back and ashamed”) are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.
[40:14] sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.
[40:15] 698 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.
[40:15] 699 tn Heb “May they be humiliated according to their shame, those who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!’”
[40:16] 700 tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by the
[40:16] 701 tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing upon the godly.
[40:16] 702 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
[40:17] 703 sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.
[40:17] 704 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a jussive of prayer (as in the present translation; cf. NIV) or as an imperfect, “The
[41:1] 705 sn Psalm 41. The psalmist is confident (vv. 11-12) that the Lord has heard his request to be healed (vv. 4-10), and he anticipates the joy he will experience when the Lord intervenes (vv. 1-3). One must assume that the psalmist is responding to a divine oracle of assurance (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 319-20). The final verse is a fitting conclusion to this psalm, but it is also serves as a fitting conclusion to the first “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the second, third, and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 72:19, 89:52, and 106:48 respectively).
[41:1] 706 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, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[41:1] 707 sn One who treats the poor properly. The psalmist is characterizing himself as such an individual and supplying a reason why God has responded favorably to his prayer. The Lord’s attitude toward the merciful mirrors their treatment of the poor.
[41:1] 708 tn Heb “in the day of trouble” (see Ps 27:5).
[41:1] 709 tn That is, the one who has been kind to the poor. The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive of prayer (“may the
[41:2] 710 tn The prefixed verbal forms are taken as jussives in the translation because the jussive is clearly used in the final line of the verse, suggesting that this is a prayer. The psalmist stops to pronounce a prayer of blessing on the godly individual envisioned in v. 1. Of course, he actually has himself primarily in view. He mixes confidence (vv. 1, 3) with petition (v. 2) because he stands in the interval between the word of assurance and the actual intervention by God.
[41:2] 711 tc The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (Kethib), which has a Pual (passive) prefixed form, regarded here as a jussive. The Pual of the verb אָשַׁר (’ashar) also appears in Prov 3:18. The marginal reading (Qere) assumes a vav (ו) consecutive and Pual perfect. Some, with the support of the LXX, change the verb to a Piel (active) form with an objective pronominal suffix, “and may he bless him,” or “and he will bless him” (cf. NIV).
[41:2] 712 tn The negative particle אַל (’al) before the prefixed verbal form indicates the verb is a jussive and the statement a prayer. Those who want to take v. 2 as a statement of confidence suggest emending the negative particle to לֹא (lo’), which is used with the imperfect. See the earlier note on the verbal forms in line one of this verse. According to GKC 322 §109.e, this is a case where the jussive is used rhetorically to “express that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one might translate, “you will not turn him over to his enemies,” and take the preceding verbal forms as indicative in mood.
[41:2] 713 tn Heb “do not give him over to the desire of his enemies” (see Ps 27:12).
[41:3] 714 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive, continuing the prayer of v. 2, but the parallel line in v. 3b employs the perfect, suggesting that the psalmist is again speaking in the indicative mood (see v. 1b). The imperfect can be understood as future or as generalizing (see v. 1).
[41:3] 715 tn Heb “all his bed you turn in his illness.” The perfect is used here in a generalizing sense (see v. 1) or in a rhetorical manner to emphasize that the healing is as good as done.
[41:4] 716 sn In vv. 4-10 the psalmist recites the prayer of petition and lament he offered to the Lord.
[41:5] 717 tn Heb “my enemies speak evil concerning me.”
[41:5] 718 tn Heb “and his name perish.”
[41:6] 720 tn Heb “he speaks deceitfully.”
[41:6] 721 tn Heb “his heart gathers sin to itself.”
[41:6] 722 tn Heb “he goes outside and speaks.”
[41:7] 723 tn Heb “together against me they whisper, all those who hate me.” The Hitpael of לָחַשׁ (lakhash) refers here to whispering to one another (see 2 Sam 12:19).
[41:8] 724 tn The words “they say” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to make it clear that v. 8 contains a quotation of what the psalmist’s enemies say about him (see v. 7a).
[41:8] 725 tn Heb “thing of worthlessness.” In Ps 101:3 the phrase refers to evil deeds in general, but here it appears to refer more specifically to the illness that plagues the psalmist.
[41:8] 726 tn Heb “is poured out on him.” The passive participle of יָצַק (yatsaq) is used.
[41:8] 727 tn Heb “and he who lies down will not again arise.”
[41:9] 728 tn Heb “man of my peace.” The phrase here refers to one’s trusted friend (see Jer 38:22; Obad 7).
[41:9] 729 tn Heb “has made a heel great against me.” The precise meaning of this phrase, which appears only here, is uncertain.
[41:9] sn The language of this verse is applied to Judas Iscariot in John 13:18.
[41:10] 730 tn The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) here indicates purpose or result (“Then I will repay them”) after the preceding imperatives.
[41:11] 731 sn By this. Having recalled his former lament and petition, the psalmist returns to the confident mood of vv. 1-3. The basis for his confidence may be a divine oracle of deliverance, assuring him that God would intervene and vindicate him. The demonstrative pronoun “this” may refer to such an oracle, which is assumed here, though its contents are not included. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 319, 321.
[41:11] 732 tn Or “will.” One may translate the imperfect verbal form as descriptive (present, cf. NIV) or as anticipatory (future, cf. NEB).
[41:12] 734 tn Or “have upheld.” The perfect verbal form can be taken as generalizing/descriptive (present) or as a present perfect.
[41:12] 735 sn Because of my integrity. See Pss 7:8; 25:21; 26:1, 11.
[41:12] 736 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect. It is either generalizing/descriptive (present) or has a present perfect nuance (“you have allowed”).
[41:12] 737 tn Heb “and you cause me to stand before you permanently.”
[41:13] 738 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
[41:13] 739 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.” See 1 Chr 16:36; Neh 9:5; Pss 90:2; 106:48.
[41:13] 740 tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [’amen vÿ’amen], i.e., “amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.
[42:1] 741 sn Psalm 42. The psalmist recalls how he once worshiped in the Lord’s temple, but laments that he is now oppressed by enemies in a foreign land. Some medieval Hebrew
[42:1] 742 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
[42:1] 743 tn Since the accompanying verb is feminine in form, the noun אָיִּל (’ayyil, “male deer”) should be emended to אַיֶּלֶת (’ayyelet, “female deer”). Haplography of the letter tav has occurred; note that the following verb begins with tav.
[42:1] 744 tn Or “pants [with thirst].”
[42:1] 745 tn Or “my soul pants [with thirst].” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[42:2] 746 tn Or “my soul thirsts.”
[42:2] 747 tn The words “I say” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.
[42:2] 748 tn Heb “When will I go and appear [to] the face of God?” Some emend the Niphal verbal form אֵרָאֶה (’era’eh, “I will appear”) to a Qal אֶרְאֶה (’er’eh, “I will see”; see Gen 33:10), but the Niphal can be retained if one understands ellipsis of אֶת (’et) before “face” (see Exod 34:24; Deut 31:11).
[42:3] 749 tn Heb “My tears have become my food day and night.”
[42:3] 750 tn Heb “when [they] say to me all the day.” The suffixed third masculine plural pronoun may have been accidentally omitted from the infinitive בֶּאֱמֹר (be’ÿmor, “when [they] say”). Note the term בְּאָמְרָם (bÿ’omram, “when they say”) in v. 10.
[42:4] 751 tn Heb “These things I will remember and I will pour out upon myself my soul.” “These things” are identified in the second half of the verse as those times when the psalmist worshiped in the
[42:4] 752 tc Heb “for I was passing by with the throng [?], I was walking with [?] them to the house of God; with a voice of a ringing shout and thanksgiving a multitude was observing a festival.” The Hebrew phrase בַּסָּךְ אֶדַּדֵּם (bassakh ’eddaddem, “with the throng [?] I was walking with [?]”) is particularly problematic. The noun סָךְ (sakh) occurs only here. If it corresponds to הָמוֹן (hamon, “multitude”) then one can propose a meaning “throng.” The present translation assumes this reading (cf. NIV, NRSV). The form אֶדַּדֵּם (“I will walk with [?]”) is also very problematic. The form can be taken as a Hitpael from דָּדָה (dadah; this verb possibly appears in Isa 38:15), but the pronominal suffix is problematic. For this reason many emend the form to ם[י]אַדִּרִ (’adirim, “nobles”) or ם-רִ[י]אַדִ (’adirim, “great,” with enclitic mem [ם]). The present translation understands the latter and takes the adjective “great” as modifying “throng.” If one emends סָךְ (sakh, “throng [?]”) to סֹךְ (sokh, “shelter”; see the Qere of Ps 27:5), then ר[י]אַדִּ (’addir) could be taken as a divine epithet, “[in the shelter of] the majestic one,” a reading which may find support in the LXX and Syriac Peshitta.
[42:5] 753 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
[42:5] 754 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
[42:5] 755 tn Heb “and [why] are you in turmoil upon me?” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the descriptive present nuance of the preceding imperfect. See GKC 329 §111.t.
[42:5] 756 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of his face.” The verse division in the Hebrew text is incorrect. אֱלֹהַי (’elohay, “my God”) at the beginning of v. 7 belongs with the end of v. 6 (see the corresponding refrains in 42:11 and 43:5, both of which end with “my God” after “saving acts of my face”). The Hebrew term פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”) should be emended to פְּנֵי (pÿney, “face of”). The emended text reads, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention.
[42:6] 757 tn Heb “my God, upon me my soul bows down.” As noted earlier, “my God” belongs with the end of v. 6.
[42:6] 758 tn Heb “therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan.” “Remember” is here used metonymically for prayer (see vv. 8-9). As the next line indicates, the region of the upper Jordan, where the river originates, is in view.
[42:6] 759 tc Heb “Hermons.” The plural form of the name occurs only here in the OT. Some suggest the plural refers to multiple mountain peaks (cf. NASB) or simply retain the plural in the translation (cf. NEB), but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note that the next form in the text begins with the letter mem) or enclitic. At a later time it was misinterpreted as a plural marker and vocalized accordingly.
[42:6] 760 tn The Hebrew term מִצְעָר (mits’ar) is probably a proper name (“Mizar”), designating a particular mountain in the Hermon region. The name appears only here in the OT.
[42:7] 761 tn Heb “deep calls to deep.” The Hebrew noun תְּהוֹם (tÿhom) often refers to the deep sea, but here, where it is associated with Hermon, it probably refers to mountain streams. The word can be used of streams and rivers (see Deut 8:7; Ezek 31:4).
[42:7] 762 tn The noun צִנּוֹר (tsinnor, “waterfall”) occurs only here and in 2 Sam 5:8, where it apparently refers to a water shaft. The psalmist alludes to the loud rushing sound of mountain streams and cascading waterfalls. Using the poetic device of personification, he imagines the streams calling out to each other as they hear the sound of the waterfalls.
[42:7] 763 tn Heb “pass over me” (see Jonah 2:3). As he hears the sound of the rushing water, the psalmist imagines himself engulfed in the current. By implication he likens his emotional distress to such an experience.
[42:8] 764 sn The psalmist believes that the Lord has not abandoned him, but continues to extend his loyal love. To this point in the psalm, the author has used the name “God,” but now, as he mentions the divine characteristic of loyal love, he switches to the more personal divine name Yahweh (rendered in the translation as “the
[42:8] 765 tn Heb “his song [is] with me.”
[42:8] 766 tc A few medieval Hebrew
[42:9] 767 tn The cohortative form indicates the psalmist’s resolve.
[42:9] 768 tn This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28; Pss 18:2; 31:3.
[42:9] 770 sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar idea.
[42:10] 771 tc Heb “with a shattering in my bones my enemies taunt me.” A few medieval Hebrew
[42:10] 772 sn “Where is your God?” The enemies ask this same question in v. 3.
[42:11] 773 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
[42:11] 774 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
[42:11] 775 tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”
[42:11] 776 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read יְשׁוּעֹת פְנֵי אֱלֹהָי (yÿshu’ot fÿney ’elohay, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God”), that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is almost identical to the one in v. 5. See also Ps 43:5.
[43:1] 777 sn Psalm 43. Many medieval Hebrew
[43:1] 778 tn Or “argue my case.”
[43:1] 779 tn The imperfect here expresses a request or wish. Note the imperatives in the first half of the verse. See also v. 3.
[43:1] 780 tn Heb “from the deceitful and evil man.” The Hebrew text uses the singular form “man” in a collective sense, as the reference to a “nation” in the parallel line indicates.
[43:2] 781 tn Heb “God of my place of refuge,” that is, “God who is my place of refuge.” See Ps 31:4.
[43:2] 782 tn The question is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but זָנַח (zanakh, “reject”) is a stronger verb than שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”).
[43:2] 783 tn The language is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but the Hitpael form of the verb הָלַךְ (halakh; as opposed to the Qal form in 42:9) expresses more forcefully the continuing nature of the psalmist’s distress.
[43:2] 784 sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar statement.
[43:3] 786 sn God’s deliverance is compared here to a light which will lead the psalmist back home to the Lord’s temple. Divine deliverance will in turn demonstrate the Lord’s faithfulness to his people.
[43:3] 787 tn Or “may they lead me.” The prefixed verbal forms here and in the next line may be taken as jussives.
[43:3] 789 sn In this context the Lord’s holy hill is Zion/Jerusalem. See Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 48:1; 87:1; Dan 9:16.
[43:3] 790 tn Or “to your dwelling place[s].” The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; this is the
[43:4] 791 tn The cohortative expresses the psalmist’s resolve. Prefixed with the vav (ו) conjunctive it also expresses the result or outcome of the preceding verbs “lead” and “escort.”
[43:4] 792 tn Heb “to God, the joy of my happiness.” The phrase “joy of my happiness” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the degree of the psalmist’s joy. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.
[43:4] 793 tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive probably indicates purpose (“so that”) or intention.
[43:5] 794 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
[43:5] 795 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
[43:5] 796 tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”
[43:5] 797 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read יְשׁוּעֹת פְנֵי אֱלֹהָי (yÿshu’ot fÿney ’elohay, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is identical to the one in Ps 42:11. See also 42:5, which differs only slightly.
[44:1] 798 sn Psalm 44. The speakers in this psalm (the worshiping community within the nation Israel) were disappointed with God. The psalm begins on a positive note, praising God for leading Israel to past military victories. Verses 1-8 appear to be a song of confidence and petition which the people recited prior to battle. But suddenly the mood changes as the nation laments a recent defeat. The stark contrast between the present and the past only heightens the nation’s confusion. Israel trusted in God for victory, but the Lord rejected them and allowed them to be humiliated in battle. If Israel had been unfaithful to God, their defeat would make sense, but the nation was loyal to the Lord. Comparing the Lord to a careless shepherd, the nation urges God to wake up and to extend his compassion to his suffering people.
[44:1] 799 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 42.
[44:1] 800 tn Heb “with our ears we have heard.”
[44:1] 801 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 2; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “fathers” or “ancestors” depending on the context.
[44:1] 802 tn Heb “the work you worked.”
[44:1] 803 tn Heb “in the days of old.” This refers specifically to the days of Joshua, during Israel’s conquest of the land, as vv. 2-3 indicate.
[44:2] 804 tn Heb “you, your hand.”
[44:2] 805 tn Heb “dispossessed nations and planted them.” The third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1). See Ps 80:8, 15.
[44:2] 806 tn The verb form in the Hebrew text is a Hiphil preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive) from רָעַע (ra’a’, “be evil; be bad”). If retained it apparently means, “you injured; harmed.” Some prefer to derive the verb from רָעַע (“break”; cf. NEB “breaking up the peoples”), in which case the form must be revocalized as Qal (since this verb is unattested in the Hiphil).
[44:2] 808 tn Heb “and you sent them out.” The translation assumes that the third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1), as in the preceding parallel line. See Ps 80:11, where Israel, likened to a vine, “spreads out” its tendrils to the west and east. Another option is to take the “peoples” as the referent of the pronoun and translate, “and you sent them away,” though this does not provide as tight a parallel with the corresponding line.
[44:3] 809 tn Or “take possession of.”
[44:3] 810 tn Heb “and their arm did not save them.” The “arm” here symbolizes military strength.
[44:3] 811 tn Heb “your right hand.” The
[44:3] 813 tn Heb “light of your face.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
[44:3] 814 tn Or “favorable toward.”
[44:4] 815 sn The speaker changes here to an individual, perhaps the worship leader or the king. The oscillation between singular (vv. 4, 6) and plural (vv. 1-3, 5, 7-8) in vv. 1-8 may reflect an antiphonal ceremony.
[44:4] 816 tc The LXX assumes a participle here (מְצַוֶּה [mÿtsavveh], “the one who commands/decrees”) which would stand in apposition to “my God.” It is possible that the MT, which has the imperative (צַוֵּה, tsavveh) form, has suffered haplography of the letter mem (ם). Note that the preceding word (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) ends in mem. Another option is that the MT is divided in the wrong place; perhaps one could move the final mem from אֱלֹהִים to the beginning of the next word and read מְצַוֶּה אֱלֹהָי (’elohay mÿtsavveh, “[You are my king,] my God, the one who decrees”).
[44:4] tn Or “command.” This may be the Israelites’ petition prior to the battle. See the introductory note to the psalm.
[44:4] 817 tn That is, Israel. See Pss 14:7; 22:23.
[44:5] 819 tn Heb “gore” (like an ox). If this portion of the psalm contains the song of confidence/petition the Israelites recited prior to battle, then the imperfects here and in the next line may express their expectation of victory. Another option is that the imperfects function in an emphatic generalizing manner. In this case one might translate, “you [always] drive back…you [always] trample down.”
[44:5] sn The Hebrew verb translated “drive back” is literally “gore”; the imagery is that of a powerful wild ox that “gores” its enemies and tramples them underfoot.
[44:5] 820 tn Heb “in your name.” The
[44:5] 821 sn The image of the powerful wild ox continues; see the note on the phrase “drive back” in the preceding line.
[44:5] 822 tn Heb “those who rise up [against] us.”
[44:7] 823 tn Or “have delivered,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).
[44:7] 824 tn Or “have humiliated,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).
[44:9] 825 tn The particle אַף (’af, “but”) is used here as a strong adversative contrasting the following statement with what precedes.
[44:9] 826 tn Heb “you did not go out with our armies.” The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
[44:10] 827 tn Heb “you caused us to turn backward.”
[44:10] 828 tn Heb “plunder for themselves.” The prepositional phrase לָמוֹ (lamo, “for themselves”) here has the nuance “at their will” or “as they please” (see Ps 80:6).
[44:11] 829 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
[44:12] 830 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
[44:12] 831 tn Heb “for what is not wealth.”
[44:12] 832 tn Heb “you did not multiply their purchase prices.”
[44:13] 833 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
[44:13] 834 tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.”
[44:14] 835 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
[44:14] 836 tn Heb “a proverb,” or “[the subject of] a mocking song.”
[44:14] 837 tn Heb “a shaking of the head among the peoples.” Shaking the head was a derisive gesture (see Jer 18:16; Lam 2:15).
[44:15] 838 tn Heb “all the day my humiliation [is] in front of me.”
[44:15] 839 tn Heb “and the shame of my face covers me.”
[44:16] 840 tn Heb “from the voice of one who ridicules and insults, from the face of an enemy and an avenger.” See Ps 8:2.
[44:17] 841 tn Heb “we have not forgotten you.” To “forget” God refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see v. 20, as well as Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 9:17).Thus the translation “we have not rejected you” has been used.
[44:17] 842 tn Heb “and we did not deal falsely with your covenant.”
[44:18] 843 tn Heb “our heart did not turn backward.” Cf. Ps 78:57.
[44:18] 844 tn Heb “and our steps did [not] turn aside from your path.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line). God’s “path” refers to his commands, i.e., the moral pathway he has prescribed for the psalmist. See Pss 17:5; 25:4.
[44:19] 845 tn Heb “yet you have battered us in a place of jackals.”
[44:19] 846 tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל+מָוֶת [mavet + tsel]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness” (cf. NIV, NRSV). An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 44:19 darkness symbolizes defeat and humiliation.
[44:20] 847 tn Heb “If we had forgotten the name of our God.” To “forget the name” here refers to rejecting the
[44:20] 848 tn Heb “and spread out your hands to another god.” Spreading out the hands was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). In its most fundamental sense זר (“another; foreign; strange”) refers to something that is outside one’s circle, often making association with it inappropriate. A “strange” god is an alien deity, an “outside god” (see L. A. Snijders, TDOT 4:54-55).
[44:21] 849 tn The active participle describes what is characteristically true.
[44:21] 850 tn Heb “would not God search out this, for he knows the hidden things of [the] heart?” The expression “search out” is used metonymically here, referring to discovery, the intended effect of a search. The “heart” (i.e., mind) is here viewed as the seat of one’s thoughts. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he would!” The point seems to be this: There is no way the Israelites who are the speakers in the psalm would reject God and turn to another god, for the omniscient God would easily discover such a sin.
[44:22] 851 tn The statement “because of you” (1) may simply indicate that God is the cause of the Israelites’ defeat (see vv. 9-14, where the nation’s situation is attributed directly to God’s activity, and cf. NEB, NRSV), or (2) it may suggest they suffer because of their allegiance to God (see Ps 69:7 and Jer 15:15). In this case one should translate, “for your sake” (cf. NASB, NIV). The citation of this verse in Rom 8:36 follows the LXX (Ps 43:23 LXX), where the Greek term ἕνεκεν (Jeneken; LXX ἕνεκα) may likewise mean “because of” or “for the sake of” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἕνεκα 1).
[44:22] 852 tn Or “regarded as.”
[44:22] 853 tn Heb “like sheep of slaughtering,” that is, sheep destined for slaughter.
[44:23] 854 sn Wake up! See Ps 35:23.
[44:24] 855 tn Heb “Why do you hide your face?” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
[44:24] 857 tn Heb “our oppression and our affliction.”
[44:25] 858 tn Heb “for our being/life sinks down to the dirt, our belly clings to the earth.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
[44:26] 859 tn Or “redeem us.” See Pss 25:22; 26:11; 69:18; 119:134.
[45:1] 860 sn Psalm 45. This is a romantic poem celebrating the Davidic king’s marriage to a lovely princess. The psalmist praises the king for his military prowess and commitment to justice, urges the bride to be loyal to the king, and anticipates that the marriage will be blessed with royal offspring.
[45:1] 861 tn Heb “according to lilies.” “Lilies” may be a tune title or musical style, suggestive of romantic love. The imagery of a “lily” appears frequently in the Song of Solomon in a variety of contexts (see 2:1-2, 16; 4:5; 5:13; 6:2-3; 7:2).
[45:1] 862 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 42.
[45:1] 863 tn Heb “[with] a good word.” The “good word” probably refers here to the song that follows.
[45:1] 864 tn Heb “my works [are] for a king.” The plural “works” may here indicate degree, referring to the special musical composition that follows.
[45:1] 865 tn Heb “my tongue [is] a stylus of a skillful scribe.” Words flow from the psalmist’s tongue just as they do from a scribe’s stylus.
[45:2] 866 tn Heb “you are handsome from the sons of man.” The preposition “from” is used in a comparative (“more than”) sense. The peculiar verb form יָפְיָפִיתָ (yafyafita) is probably the result of dittography of yod-pe (יפ) and should be emended to יָפִיתָ (yafita). See GKC 152 §55.e.
[45:2] 867 tn Heb “favor is poured out on your lips.” “Lips” probably stands by metonymy for the king’s speech. Some interpret the Hebrew term חֵן (khen) as referring here to “gracious (i.e., kind and polite) speech”, but the word probably refers more generally to “attractive” speech that is impressively articulated and fitting for the occasion. For other instances of the term being used of speech, see Prov 22:11 and Eccl 10:12.
[45:2] 868 tn Or “this demonstrates.” The construction עַל־כֵּן (’al-ken, “therefore”) usually indicates what logically follows from a preceding statement. However, here it may infer the cause from the effect, indicating the underlying basis or reason for what precedes (see BDB 487 s.v. I כֵּן 3.f; C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 1:386).
[45:2] 869 tn Or “blesses you forever.” Here “bless” means to “endue with the power and skill to rule effectively,” as the following verses indicate.
[45:3] 870 tn Or “mighty one.”
[45:3] 871 tn The Hebrew text has simply, “your majesty and your splendor,” which probably refers to the king’s majestic splendor when he appears in full royal battle regalia.
[45:4] 872 tn Heb “and your majesty, be successful.” The syntax is awkward. The phrase “and your majesty” at the beginning of the verse may be accidentally repeated (dittography); it appears at the end of v. 3.
[45:4] 873 tn Or “for the sake of truth.”
[45:4] 874 tc The precise meaning of the MT is uncertain. The form עַנְוָה (’anvah) occurs only here. One could emend the text to עֲנָוָה וְצֶדֶק (’anavah vÿtsedeq, “[for the sake of truth], humility, and justice”). In this case “humility” would perhaps allude to the king’s responsibility to “serve” his people by promoting justice (cf. NIV “in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness”). The present translation assumes an emendation to יַעַן (ya’an, “because; on account of”) which would form a suitable parallel to עַל־דְּבַר (’al-dÿvar, “because; for the sake of”) in the preceding line.
[45:4] 875 tn Heb “and your right hand will teach you mighty acts”; or “and may your right hand teach you mighty acts.” After the imperatives in the first half of the verse, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive likely indicates purpose (“so that your right hand might teach you mighty acts”) or result (see the present translation). The “right hand” here symbolizes the king’s military strength. His right hand will “teach” him mighty acts by performing them and thereby causing him to experience their magnificence.
[45:5] 876 tn Heb “your arrows are sharp – peoples beneath you fall – in the heart of the enemies of the king.” The choppy style reflects the poet’s excitement.
[45:6] 877 sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.
[45:6] 878 tn Or “forever and ever.”
[45:6] sn O God. The king is clearly the addressee here, as in vv. 2-5 and 7-9. Rather than taking the statement at face value, many prefer to emend the text because the concept of deifying the earthly king is foreign to ancient Israelite thinking (cf. NEB “your throne is like God’s throne, eternal”). However, it is preferable to retain the text and take this statement as another instance of the royal hyperbole that permeates the royal psalms. Because the Davidic king is God’s vice-regent on earth, the psalmist addresses him as if he were God incarnate. God energizes the king for battle and accomplishes justice through him. A similar use of hyperbole appears in Isa 9:6, where the ideal Davidic king of the eschaton is given the title “Mighty God” (see the note on this phrase there). Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Rameses II as follows: “No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique” (see Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67). Ps 45:6 and Isa 9:6 probably envision a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king’s enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself.
[45:6] 879 sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.
[45:7] 880 sn To love justice means to actively promote it.
[45:7] 881 sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.
[45:7] 882 tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“
[45:7] 883 sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.
[45:7] 884 sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.
[45:7] 885 tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.
[45:7] sn Verses 6-7 are quoted in Heb 1:8-9, where they are applied to Jesus.
[45:8] 886 tn The words “perfumed with” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[45:8] 887 tn Heb “the palaces of ivory.” The phrase “palaces of ivory” refers to palaces that had ivory panels and furniture decorated with ivory inlays. Such decoration with ivory was characteristic of a high level of luxury. See 1 Kgs 22:39 and Amos 3:15.
[45:8] 888 tn Heb “from the palaces of ivory stringed instrument[s] make you happy.”
[45:9] 889 tn Heb “daughters of kings.”
[45:9] 890 tn Heb “valuable ones.” The form is feminine plural.
[45:9] 891 tn This rare Hebrew noun apparently refers to the king’s bride, who will soon be queen (see Neh 2:6). The Aramaic cognate is used of royal wives in Dan 5:2-3, 23.
[45:9] 892 tn Heb “a consort stands at your right hand, gold of Ophir.”
[45:9] sn Gold from Ophir is also mentioned in Isa 13:12 and Job 28:16. The precise location of Ophir is uncertain; Arabia, India, East Africa, and South Africa have all been suggested as options.
[45:10] 893 tn Heb “daughter.” The Hebrew noun בת (“daughter”) can sometimes refer to a young woman in a general sense (see H. Haag, TDOT 2:334).
[45:10] sn Listen, O princess. The poet now addresses the bride.
[45:10] 894 tn Heb “see and turn your ear.” The verb רָאָה (ra’ah, “see”) is used here of mental observation.
[45:10] 895 tn Heb “your people.” This reference to the “people” of the princess suggests she was a foreigner. Perhaps the marriage was arranged as part of a political alliance between Israel (or Judah) and a neighboring state. The translation “your homeland” reflects such a situation.
[45:10] 896 tn Heb “and the house of your father.”
[45:11] 897 tn After the preceding imperatives, the jussive verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive is best understood as introducing a purpose (“so that the king might desire your beauty”) or result clause (see the present translation and cf. also NASB). The point seems to be this: The bride might tend to be homesick, which in turn might cause her to mourn and diminish her attractiveness. She needs to overcome this temptation to unhappiness and enter into the marriage with joy. Then the king will be drawn to her natural beauty.
[45:11] 900 sn Submit to him. The poet here makes the point that the young bride is obligated to bring pleasure to her new husband. Though a foreign concept to modern western culture, this was accepted as the cultural norm in the psalmist’s day.
[45:12] 901 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[45:12] 902 tn Heb “and a daughter of Tyre with a gift, your face they will appease, the rich of people.” The phrase “daughter of Tyre” occurs only here in the OT. It could be understood as addressed to the bride, indicating she was a Phoenician (cf. NEB). However, often in the OT the word “daughter,” when collocated with the name of a city or country, is used to personify the referent (see, for example, “Daughter Zion” in Ps 9:14, and “Daughter Babylon” in Ps 137:8). If that is the case here, then “Daughter Tyre” identifies the city-state of Tyre as the place from which the rich people come (cf. NRSV). The idiom “appease the face” refers to seeking one’s favor (see Exod 32:11; 1 Sam 13:12; 1 Kgs 13:6; 2 Kgs 13:4; 2 Chr 33:12; Job 11:19; Ps 119:58; Prov 19:6; Jer 26:19; Dan 9:13; Zech 7:2; 8:21-22; Mal 1:9).
[45:13] 903 tn Heb “[the] daughter of a king.”
[45:13] 904 tn Heb “[is] completely glorious.”
[45:13] 905 tc Heb “within, from settings of gold, her clothing.” The Hebrew term פְּנִימָה (pÿnimah, “within”), if retained, would go with the preceding line and perhaps refer to the bride being “within” the palace or her bridal chamber (cf. NIV, NRSV). Since the next two lines refer to her attire (see also v. 9b), it is preferable to emend the form to פְּנִינִיהָּ (“her pearls”) or to פְּנִינִים (“pearls”). The mem (מ) prefixed to “settings” is probably dittographic.
[45:14] 906 tn Heb “virgins after her, her companions, are led to you.” Some emend לָךְ (lakh, “to you”) to לָהּ (lah, “to her,” i.e., the princess), because the princess is now being spoken of in the third person (vv. 13-14a), rather than being addressed directly (as in vv. 10-12). However, the ambiguous suffixed form לָךְ need not be taken as second feminine singular. The suffix can be understood as a pausal second masculine singular form, addressed to the king. The translation assumes this to be the case; note that the king is addressed once more in vv. 16-17, where the second person pronouns are masculine.
[45:15] 907 tn Heb “they are led with joy and happiness, they enter the house of the king.”
[45:16] 908 tn The pronoun is second masculine singular, indicating the king is being addressed from this point to the end of the psalm.
[45:16] 909 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive and the statement interpreted as a prayer, “May your sons carry on the dynasty of your ancestors!” The next line could then be taken as a relative clause, “[your sons] whom you will make princes throughout the land.”
[45:16] 910 tn Heb “in place of your fathers will be your sons.”
[45:17] 911 tn Heb “I will cause your name to be remembered in every generation and generation.” The cohortative verbal form expresses the poet’s resolve. The king’s “name” stands here for his reputation and character, which the poet praised in vv. 2-7.
[45:17] 912 sn The nations will praise you. As God’s vice-regent on earth, the king is deserving of such honor and praise.
[46:1] 913 sn Psalm 46. In this so-called “Song Of Zion” God’s people confidently affirm that they are secure because the great warrior-king dwells within Jerusalem and protects it from the nations that cause such chaos in the earth. A refrain (vv. 7, 11) concludes the song’s two major sections.
[46:1] 914 sn The meaning of the Hebrew term עֲלָמוֹת (alamoth, which means “young women”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. Cf. 1 Chr 15:20.
[46:1] 915 tn Heb “our refuge and strength,” which is probably a hendiadys meaning “our strong refuge” (see Ps 71:7). Another option is to translate, “our refuge and source of strength.”
[46:1] 916 tn Heb “a helper in times of trouble he is found [to be] greatly.” The perfect verbal form has a generalizing function here. The adverb מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “greatly”) has an emphasizing function.
[46:2] 917 tn The imperfect is taken in a generalizing sense (cf. NEB) because the situation described in vv. 2-3 is understood as symbolizing typical world conditions. In this case the imperfect draws attention to the typical nature of the response. The covenant community characteristically responds with confidence, not fear. Another option is to take the situation described as purely hypothetical. In this case one might translate, “We will not fear, even though the earth should shake” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
[46:2] 918 tn The Hiphil infinitival form is normally taken to mean “when [the earth] is altered,” being derived from מוּר (mur, “to change”). In this case the Hiphil would be intransitive, as in Ps 15:4. HALOT 560 s.v. II מור emends the form to a Niphal and derives it from a homonymic root מוּר attested in Arabic with the meaning “shake.”
[46:2] 919 tn Heb “heart of the seas.” The plural may be used for emphasis, pointing to the deepest sea. Note that the next verse uses a singular pronoun (“its waters,” “its swelling”) in referring back to the plural noun.
[46:3] 920 tn Heb “its waters.”
[46:3] 922 tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the characteristic nature of the activity described.
[46:3] 923 tn Heb “at its swelling.” The Hebrew word often means “pride.” If the sea is symbolic of hostile nations, then this may be a case of double entendre. The surging, swelling sea symbolizes the proud, hostile nations. On the surface the psalmist appears to be depicting a major natural catastrophe, perhaps a tidal wave. If so, then the situation would be hypothetical. However, the repetition of the verbs הָמָה (hamah, “crash; roar,” v. 3) and מוֹט (mot, “shake,” v. 2) in v. 6, where nations/kingdoms “roar” and “shake,” suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).
[46:4] 924 tn Heb “A river, its channels cause the city of God to be glad.”
[46:4] sn The city of God is Jerusalem (see Pss 48:1-2; 87:2-3). The river’s “channels” are probably irrigation ditches vital to growing crops. Some relate the imagery to the “waters of Shiloah” (see Isa 8:6), which flowed from the Gihon spring to the pool of Siloam. In Isa 8:6-8 these waters are contrasted with the flood waters symbolizing Assyria. Even if this is the reality behind the imagery, the picture of a river flowing through Jerusalem is idealized and exaggerated. The river and irrigation ditches symbolize the peace and prosperity that the Lord provides for Jerusalem, in contrast to the havoc produced by the turbulent waters (symbolic of the nations) outside the city. Some see here an adaptation of Canaanite (or, more specifically, Jebusite) mythical traditions of rivers/springs flowing from the high god El’s dwelling place. The Songs of Zion do utilize such imagery at times (see Ps 48:2). The image of a river flowing through Zion may have inspired prophetic visions of an eschatological river flowing from the temple (see Ezek 47:1-12; Joel 3:18).
[46:4] 925 tn Heb “the holy [place] of the dwelling places of.” The adjective “holy” is used here in a substantival manner and placed in construct with the following noun (see GKC 428 §132.c). Origen’s transliterated text assumes the reading קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holiness; holy place”), while the LXX assumes a Piel verbal form קִדֵּשׁ (qidesh, “makes holy”) and takes the following form as “his dwelling place.” The plural form מִשְׁכְּנֵי (mishkÿney, “dwelling places of”) is probably a plural of degree, emphasizing the special character of this dwelling place. See GKC 397 §124.b. The form stands as an appositional genitive in relation to the preceding construct noun.
[46:4] 926 tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
[46:5] 927 tn Heb “God [is] within her.” The feminine singular pronoun refers to the city mentioned in v. 4.
[46:5] 928 tn Another option is to translate the imperfect verbal form as future, “it will not be upended.” Even if one chooses this option, the future tense must be understood in a generalizing sense. The verb מוֹט (mot), translated “upended” here, is used in v. 2 of the mountains “tumbling” into the seas and in v. 6 of nations being “upended.” By way of contrast, Jerusalem, God’s dwelling place, is secure and immune from such turmoil and destruction.
[46:5] 929 tn Or “helps her.” The imperfect draws attention to the generalizing character of the statement.
[46:5] 930 tn Heb “at the turning of morning.” (For other uses of the expression see Exod 14:27 and Judg 19:26).
[46:5] sn At the break of dawn. The “morning” is viewed metaphorically as a time of deliverance and vindication after the dark “night” of trouble (see Ps 30:5; Isa 17:14). There may be an allusion here to Exod 14:27 (where the Lord destroyed the Egyptians at the “break of dawn”) or, more likely, to the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian siege, when the people discovered the dead bodies of the Assyrian army in the morning (Isa 37:36).
[46:6] 931 tn Heb “nations roar, kingdoms shake.” The Hebrew verb הָמָה (hamah, “roar, be in uproar”) is used in v. 3 of the waves crashing, while the verb מוֹט (mot, “overthrown”) is used in v. 2 of mountains tumbling into the sea (see also v. 5, where the psalm affirms that Jerusalem “cannot be moved”). The repetition of the verbs suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).
[46:6] 932 tn Heb “He.” God is the obvious referent here (see v. 5), and has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[46:6] 933 tn Heb “offers his voice.” In theophanic texts the phrase refers to God’s thunderous shout which functions as a battle cry (see Pss 18:13; 68:33).
[46:6] 934 tn Or “melts.” See Amos 9:5. The image depicts the nation’s helplessness before Jerusalem’s defender, who annihilates their armies (see vv. 8-9). The imperfect verbal form emphasizes the characteristic nature of the action described.
[46:7] 935 tn Heb “the
[46:7] 936 tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).
[46:7] 937 tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).
[46:8] 938 sn In this context the Lord’s exploits are military in nature (see vv. 8b-9).
[46:8] 939 tn Heb “who sets desolations in the earth” (see Isa 13:9). The active participle describes God’s characteristic activity as a warrior.
[46:9] 940 tn Heb “[the] one who causes wars to cease unto the end of the earth.” The participle continues the description begun in v. 8b and indicates that this is the
[46:9] 941 tn The verb שָׁבַר (shavar, “break”) appears in the Piel here (see Ps 29:5). In the OT it occurs thirty-six times in the Piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The Piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative: “make broken” (see IBHS 404-7 §24.3). The imperfect verbal form carries on and emphasizes the generalizing nature of the description.
[46:9] 942 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries along the generalizing emphasis of the preceding imperfect.
[46:9] 943 tn The imperfect verbal form carries on and emphasizes the generalizing nature of the description.
[46:9] 944 tn Heb “wagons he burns with fire.” Some read “chariots” here (cf. NASB), but the Hebrew word refers to wagons or carts, not chariots, elsewhere in the OT. In this context, where military weapons are mentioned, it is better to revocalize the form as עֲגִלוֹת (’agilot, “round shields”), a word which occurs only here in the OT, but is attested in later Hebrew and Aramaic.
[46:10] 945 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[46:10] 946 tn Heb “do nothing/be quiet (see 1 Sam 15:16) and know.” This statement may be addressed to the hostile nations, indicating they should cease their efforts to destroy God’s people, or to Judah, indicating they should rest secure in God’s protection. Since the psalm is an expression of Judah’s trust and confidence, it is more likely that the words are directed to the nations, who are actively promoting chaos and are in need of a rebuke.
[46:10] 947 tn Elsewhere in the psalms the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”) when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 18:46; 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 57:5, 11).
[46:11] 950 tn Heb “the
[46:11] 951 tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).
[46:11] 952 tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).
[47:1] 953 sn Psalm 47. In this hymn the covenant community praises the Lord as the exalted king of the earth who has given them victory over the nations and a land in which to live.
[47:1] 954 tn Heb “Shout to God with [the] sound of a ringing cry!”
[47:2] 955 tn Heb “the
[47:2] 956 tn Or “awesome.” The Niphal participle נוֹרָא (nora’), when used of God in the psalms, focuses on the effect that his royal splendor and powerful deeds have on those witnessing his acts (Pss 66:3, 5; 68:35; 76:7, 12; 89:7; 96:4; 99:3; 111:9). Here it refers to his capacity to fill his defeated foes with terror and his people with fearful respect.
[47:2] 957 tn Heb “a great king over all the earth.”
[47:3] 958 tn On the meaning of the verb דָּבַר (davar, “subdue”), a homonym of דָּבַר (“speak”), see HALOT 209-10 s.v. I דבר. See also Ps 18:47 and 2 Chr 22:10. The preterite form of the verb suggests this is an historical reference and the next verse, which mentions the gift of the land, indicates that the conquest under Joshua is in view.
[47:3] 959 tn Or “peoples” (see Pss 2:1; 7:7; 9:8; 44:2).
[47:4] 960 tn Heb “he chose for us our inheritance.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite (see “subdued” in v. 3).
[47:4] 961 tn Heb “the pride of.” The phrase is appositional to “our inheritance,” indicating that the land is here described as a source of pride to God’s people.
[47:4] 962 tn That is, Israel.
[47:4] 963 sn Jacob whom he loves. The Lord’s covenantal devotion to his people is in view.
[47:5] 964 sn God ascended his throne. In the context of vv. 3-4, which refer to the conquest of the land under Joshua, v. 5 is best understood as referring to an historical event. When the Lord conquered the land and placed his people in it, he assumed a position of kingship, as predicted by Moses (see Exod 15:17-18, as well as Ps 114:1-2). That event is here described metaphorically in terms of a typical coronation ceremony for an earthly king (see 2 Sam 15:10; 2 Kgs 9:13). Verses 1-2, 8-9 focus on God’s continuing kingship, which extends over all nations.
[47:5] 965 tn Heb “God ascended amid a shout.” The words “his throne” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The
[47:5] 966 tn Heb “the
[47:7] 967 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term also occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142. Here, in a context of celebration, the meaning “skillful, well-written” would fit particularly well.
[47:8] 968 tn When a new king was enthroned, his followers would acclaim him king using this enthronement formula (Qal perfect 3ms מָלַךְ, malakh, “to reign,” followed by the name of the king). See 2 Sam 15:10; 1 Kgs 1:11, 13, 18; 2 Kgs 9:13, as well as Isa 52:7. In this context the perfect verbal form is generalizing, but the declaration logically follows the historical reference in v. 5 to the
[47:9] 969 tc The words “along with” do not appear in the MT. However, the LXX has “with,” suggesting that the original text may have read עִם עַם (’im ’am, “along with the people”). In this case the MT is haplographic (the consonantal sequence ayin-mem [עם] being written once instead of twice). Another option is that the LXX is simply and correctly interpreting “people” as an adverbial accusative and supplying the appropriate preposition.
[47:9] 970 tn Heb “for to God [belong] the shields of the earth.” Perhaps the rulers are called “shields” because they are responsible for protecting their people. See Ps 84:9, where the Davidic king is called “our shield,” and perhaps also Hos 4:18.
[47:9] 971 tn The verb עָלָה (’alah, “ascend”) appears once more (see v. 5), though now in the Niphal stem.
[48:1] 972 sn Psalm 48. This so-called “Song of Zion” celebrates the greatness and glory of the Lord’s dwelling place, Jerusalem. His presence in the city elevates it above all others and assures its security.
[48:1] 973 sn The city of our God is Jerusalem, which is also referred to here as “his holy hill,” that is, Zion (see v. 2, as well as Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; 87:1; Dan 9:16).
[48:2] 974 tn Heb “beautiful of height.” The Hebrew term נוֹף (nof, “height”) is a genitive of specification after the qualitative noun “beautiful.” The idea seems to be that Mount Zion, because of its lofty appearance, is pleasing to the sight.
[48:2] 975 sn A source of joy to the whole earth. The language is hyperbolic. Zion, as the dwelling place of the universal king, is pictured as the world’s capital. The prophets anticipated this idealized picture becoming a reality in the eschaton (see Isa 2:1-4).
[48:2] 976 tn Heb “Mount Zion, the peaks of Zaphon.” Like all the preceding phrases in v. 2, both phrases are appositional to “city of our God, his holy hill” in v. 1, suggesting an identification in the poet’s mind between Mount Zion and Zaphon. “Zaphon” usually refers to the “north” in a general sense (see Pss 89:12; 107:3), but here, where it is collocated with “peaks,” it refers specifically to Mount Zaphon, located in the vicinity of ancient Ugarit and viewed as the mountain where the gods assembled (see Isa 14:13). By alluding to West Semitic mythology in this way, the psalm affirms that Mount Zion is the real divine mountain, for it is here that the
[48:3] 977 tn Heb “he is known for an elevated place.”
[48:4] 978 tn The logical connection between vv. 3-4 seems to be this: God is the protector of Zion and reveals himself as the city’s defender – this is necessary because hostile armies threaten the city.
[48:4] 979 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 4-6 are understood as descriptive. In dramatic style (note הִנֵּה, hinneh, “look”) the psalm describes an enemy attack against the city as if it were occurring at this very moment. Another option is to take the perfects as narrational (“the kings assembled, they advanced”), referring to a particular historical event, such as Sennacherib’s siege of the city in 701
[48:5] 980 tn The object of “see” is omitted, but v. 3b suggests that the
[48:5] 981 tn Heb “they look, so they are shocked.” Here כֵּן (ken, “so”) has the force of “in the same measure.”
[48:5] 982 tn The translation attempts to reflect the staccato style of the Hebrew text, where the main clauses of vv. 4-6 are simply juxtaposed without connectives.
[48:6] 983 tn Heb “trembling seizes them there.” The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here, as often in poetic texts, to point “to a spot in which a scene is localized vividly in the imagination” (BDB 1027 s.v.).
[48:6] 984 tn Heb “[with] writhing like one giving birth.”
[48:6] sn The language of vv. 5-6 is reminiscent of Exod 15:15.
[48:7] 985 tn The switch to the imperfect, as well as the introduction of the ship metaphor, perhaps signals a change to a generalizing tone; the
[48:7] 986 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to and from the distant western port of Tarshish. These ships, which were the best of their class, here symbolize the mere human strength of hostile armies, which are incapable of withstanding the
[48:8] 987 tn Heb “As we have heard, so we have seen.” The community had heard about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history. Having personally witnessed his saving power with their own eyes, they could now affirm that the tradition was not exaggerated or inaccurate.
[48:8] 988 tn Heb “the
[48:8] 989 tn Or “God makes it secure forever.” The imperfect highlights the characteristic nature of the generalizing statement.
[48:10] 990 tn Heb “like your name, O God, so [is] your praise to the ends of the earth.” Here “name” refers to God’s reputation and revealed character.
[48:10] 991 tn Heb “your right hand is full of justice.” The “right hand” suggests activity and power.
[48:11] 992 tn Heb “daughters.” The reference is to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 97:8 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).
[48:11] 993 tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as generalizing imperfects. (For other examples of an imperfect followed by causal לְמַעַן [lÿma’an], see Ps 23:3; Isa 49:7; 55:5.) Another option is to interpret the forms as jussives, “Let Mount Zion rejoice! Let the towns of Judah be happy!” (cf. NASB, NRSV; note the imperatives in vv. 12-13.)
[48:11] 994 sn These acts of judgment are described in vv. 4-7.
[48:12] 995 tn The verb forms in vv. 12-13 are plural; the entire Judahite community is addressed.
[48:13] 996 tn Heb “set your heart to its rampart.”
[48:13] 997 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word translated “walk through,” which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Cf. NEB “pass…in review”; NIV “view.”
[48:13] 998 sn The city’s towers, defenses, and fortresses are outward reminders and tangible symbols of the divine protection the city enjoys.
[48:14] 999 tn Heb “for this is God, our God, forever and ever.” “This” might be paraphrased, “this protector described and praised in the preceding verses.”
[48:14] 1000 tn The imperfect highlights the characteristic nature of the generalizing statement.
[48:14] 1001 tn In the Hebrew text the psalm ends with the words עַל־מוּת (’al-mut, “upon [unto?] dying”), which make little, if any, sense. M. Dahood (Psalms [AB], 1:293) proposes an otherwise unattested plural form עֹלָמוֹת (’olamot; from עוֹלָם, ’olam, “eternity”). This would provide a nice parallel to עוֹלָם וָעֶד (’olam va’ed, “forever”) in the preceding line, but elsewhere the plural of עוֹלָם appears as עֹלָמִים (’olamim). It is preferable to understand the phrase as a musical direction of some sort (see עַל־מוּת [’al-mut] in the superscription of Ps 9) or to emend the text to עַל־עֲלָמוֹת (’al-’alamot, “according to the alamoth style”; see the heading of Ps 46). In either case it should be understood as belonging with the superscription of the following psalm.
[49:1] 1002 sn Psalm 49. In this so-called wisdom psalm (see v. 3) the psalmist states that he will not fear the rich enemies who threaten him, for despite their wealth, they are mere men who will die like everyone else. The psalmist is confident the Lord will vindicate the godly and protect them from the attacks of their oppressors.
[49:1] 1003 tn The rare noun חָלֶד (kheled, “world”) occurs in Ps 17:14 and perhaps also in Isa 38:11 (see the note on “world” there).
[49:2] 1004 tn Heb “even the sons of mankind, even the sons of man.” Because of the parallel line, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, some treat these expressions as polar opposites, with בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes (cf. NIV, NRSV). But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; 62:9; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand “even the sons of mankind” and “even the sons of man” as synonymous expressions (cf. NEB “all mankind, every living man”). The repetition emphasizes the need for all people to pay attention, for the psalmist’s message is relevant to everyone.
[49:3] 1005 tn Heb “my mouth will speak wisdom.” According to BDB 315 s.v. חָכְמָה the plural חָכְמוֹת (khokhmot, “wisdom”) indicates degree or emphasis here.
[49:3] 1006 tn Heb “and the meditation of my heart [i.e., mind] is understanding.” The Hebrew term הָגוּת (hagut, “meditation”), derived from הָגָה (hagah, “to recite quietly; to meditate”), here refers to thoughts that are verbalized (see the preceding line). The plural form תְבוּנוֹת (tÿvunot, “understanding”) indicates degree or emphasis (see GKC 397-98 §124.e).
[49:4] 1007 tn Heb “I will turn my ear to a wise saying, I will open [i.e., “reveal; explain”] my insightful saying with a harp.” In the first line the psalmist speaks as a pupil who learns a song of wisdom from a sage. This suggests that the resulting insightful song derives from another source, perhaps God himself. Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה/מָשָׁל (mashal/khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), lessons from history (Ps 78:2), and proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6). Here it appears to refer to the insightful song that follows, which reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent the inevitable – death. Another option is that the word pair refers more specifically to the closely related proverbial sayings of vv. 12, 20 (note the use of the verb מָשָׁל, mashal, “to be like” in both verses). In this case the psalmist first hears the sayings and then explains (Heb “opens”) their significance (see vv. 5-11, 13-19).
[49:5] 1008 tn Heb “days of trouble.” The phrase also occurs in Ps 94:13. The question is rhetorical; there is no reason to be afraid when the rich oppressors threaten the weak (see v. 17). The following verses explain why this is so.
[49:5] 1009 tc The MT has, “the iniquity of my heels surrounds me.” The clause is best understood as temporal and as elaborating on the preceding phrase “times of trouble.” If the MT is retained, the genitive “of my heels” would probably indicate location (“the iniquity at my heels”); the sinful actions of the rich threaten to overtake the psalmist, as it were. It is better, however, to emend עֲקֵבַי (’aqivay, “my heels”) to either (1) עֲקֻבַּי (’aqubay, “my deceitful ones,” i.e., “those who deceive me” [from the adjective עָקֹב (’aqov), “deceitful,” see Jer 17:9]) or (2) עֹקְבַי (’oqÿvay, “those who deceive me” [a suffixed active participle from עָקַב, ’aqav, “betray, deceive”]). Origen’s transliteration of the Hebrew text favors the first of these options. Either of the emendations provides a much smoother transition to v. 6, because “those who trust in their wealth” would then be appositional to “those who deceive me.”
[49:6] 1010 tn Heb “the ones who trust.” The substantival participle stands in apposition to “those who deceive me” (v. 5).
[49:6] 1011 tn The imperfect verbal form emphasizes their characteristic behavior.
[49:7] 1012 tn Heb “a brother, he surely does not ransom, a man.” The sequence אִישׁ...אָח (’akh...’ish, “a brother…a man”) is problematic, for the usual combination is אָח...אָח (“a brother…a brother”) or אִישׁ...אִישׁ (“a man…a man”). When אִישׁ and אָח are combined, the usual order is אָח...אִישׁ (“a man…a brother”), with “brother” having a third masculine singular suffix, “his brother.” This suggests that “brother” is the object of the verb and “man” the subject. (1) Perhaps the altered word order and absence of the suffix can be explained by the text’s poetic character, for ellipsis is a feature of Hebrew poetic style. (2) Another option, supported by a few medieval Hebrew
[49:7] 1013 tn Heb “he cannot pay to God his ransom price.” Num 35:31 may supply the legal background for the metaphorical language used here. The psalmist pictures God as having a claim on the soul of the individual. When God comes to claim the life that ultimately belongs to him, he demands a ransom price that is beyond the capability of anyone to pay. The psalmist’s point is that God has ultimate authority over life and death; all the money in the world cannot buy anyone a single day of life beyond what God has decreed.
[49:8] 1014 tn Heb “their life.” Some emend the text to “his life,” understanding the antecedent of the pronoun as “brother” in v. 7. However, the man and brother of v. 7 are representative of the human race in general, perhaps explaining why a plural pronoun appears in v. 8. Of course, the plural pronoun could refer back to “the rich” mentioned in v. 6. Another option (the one assumed in the translation) is that the suffixed mem is enclitic. In this case the “ransom price for human life” is referred to an abstract, general way.
[49:8] 1015 tn Heb “and one ceases forever.” The translation assumes an indefinite subject which in turn is representative of the entire human race (“one,” that refers to human beings without exception). The verb חָדַל (khadal, “cease”) is understood in the sense of “come to an end; fail” (i.e., die). Another option is to translate, “and one ceases/refrains forever.” In this case the idea is that the living, convinced of the reality of human mortality, give up all hope of “buying off” God and refrain from trying to do so.
[49:9] 1016 tn The jussive verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive is taken as indicating purpose/result in relation to the statement made in v. 8. (On this use of the jussive after an imperfect, see GKC 322 §109.f.) In this case v. 8 is understood as a parenthetical comment.
[49:9] 1017 tn Heb “see the Pit.” The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 55:24; 103:4).
[49:10] 1018 tn The particle כִּי (ki) is understood here as asseverative (emphatic).
[49:10] 1019 tn The subject of the verb is probably the typical “man” mentioned in v. 7. The imperfect can be taken here as generalizing or as indicating potential (“surely he/one can see”).
[49:10] 1020 tn The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to what is characteristically true. The vav (ו) consecutive with perfect in the third line carries the same force.
[49:10] 1021 tn Heb “together a fool and a brutish [man] perish.” The adjective בַּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish”) refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 73:22; 92:6; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).
[49:10] 1022 sn Death shows no respect for anyone. No matter how wise or foolish an individual happens to be, all pass away.
[49:11] 1023 tc Heb “their inward part [is] their houses [are] permanent, their dwelling places for a generation and a generation.” If one follows the MT, then קֶרֶב (qerev, “inward part”) must refer to the seat of these people’s thoughts (for other examples of this use of the term, see BDB 899 s.v., though BDB prefers an emendation in this passage). In this case all three lines of v. 11 expose these people’s arrogant assumption that they will last forever, which then stands in sharp contrast to reality as summarized in v. 12. In this case one might translate the first two lines, “they think that their houses are permanent and that their dwelling places will last forever” (cf. NASB). Following the lead of several ancient versions, the present translation assumes an emendation of קִרְבָּם (qirbam, “their inward part”) to קְבָרִים (qÿvarim, “graves”). This assumes that the letters bet (ב) and resh (ר) were accidentally transposed in the MT. In this case the first two lines support the point made in v. 10, while the third line of v. 11 stands in contrast to v. 12. The phrase בֵּית עוֹלָם (bet ’olam, “permanent house”) is used of a tomb in Eccl 12:5 (as well as in Phoenician tomb inscriptions, see DNWSI 1:160 for a list of texts) and מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan, “dwelling place”) refers to a tomb in Isa 22:16. Cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV.
[49:11] 1024 sn Naming their lands after themselves is a claim of possession.
[49:12] 1025 tn Heb “but mankind in honor does not remain.” The construction vav (ו) + noun at the beginning of the verse can be taken as contrastive in relation to what precedes. 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 scholars emend יָלִין (yalin, “remains”) to יָבִין (yavin, “understands”) but this is an unnecessary accommodation to the wording of v. 20.
[49:12] 1027 tn The verb is derived from דָּמָה (damah, “cease; destroy”; BDB 198 s.v.). Another option is to derive the verb from דָּמָה (“be silent”; see HALOT 225 s.v. II דמה, which sees two homonymic roots [דָּמָה, “be silent,” and דָּמָה, “destroy”] rather than a single root) and translate, “they are like dumb beasts.” This makes particularly good sense in v. 20, where the preceding line focuses on mankind’s lack of understanding.
[49:13] 1028 tn Heb “this [is] their way, [there is] folly [belonging] to them.” The Hebrew term translated “this” could refer (1) back to the preceding verse[s] or (2) ahead to the subsequent statements. The translation assumes the latter, since v. 12 appears to be a refrain that concludes the psalm’s first major section and marks a structural boundary. (A similar refrain [see v. 20] concludes the second half of the psalm.) The noun דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) often refers to one’s lifestyle, but, if it relates to what follows, then here it likely refers metonymically to one’s destiny (the natural outcome of one’s lifestyle [cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “fate”]). (See the discussion in K. Koch, TDOT 3:285.) If one prefers the more common nuance (“lifestyle”), then the term would look back to the self-confident attitude described in the earlier verses.
[49:13] 1029 tn Heb “and after them, in their mouth they take delight.” The meaning of the MT is not entirely clear. “After them” is understood here as substantival, “those who come after them” or “those who follow them.” “Their mouth” is taken as a metonymy for the arrogant attitude verbalized by the rich. In the expression “take delight in,” the preposition -ב (bet) introduces the object/cause of one’s delight (see Pss 147:10; 149:4). So the idea here is that those who come after/follow the rich find the philosophy of life they verbalize and promote to be attractive and desirable.
[49:14] 1030 tn Heb “like sheep to Sheol they are appointed.” The verb form שַׁתּוּ (shatu) is apparently derived from שָׁתַת (shatat), which appears to be a variant of the more common שִׁית (shiyt, “to place; to set”; BDB 1060 s.v. שָׁתַת and GKC 183 §67.ee). Some scholars emend the text to שָׁחוּ (shakhu; from the verbal root שׁוּח [shukh, “sink down”]) and read “they descend.” The present translation assumes an emendation to שָׁטוּ (shatu; from the verbal root שׁוּט [shut, “go; wander”]), “they travel, wander.” (The letter tet [ט] and tav [ת] sound similar; a scribe transcribing from dictation could easily confuse them.) The perfect verbal form is used in a rhetorical manner to speak of their destiny as if it were already realized (the so-called perfect of certitude or prophetic perfect).
[49:14] 1031 tn Heb “death will shepherd them,” that is, death itself (personified here as a shepherd) will lead them like a flock of helpless, unsuspecting sheep to Sheol, the underworld, the land of the dead.
[49:14] 1032 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the perfect verbal form in v. 14a. The psalmist speaks of this coming event as if it were already accomplished.
[49:14] 1033 tn Heb “will rule over them in the morning.” “Morning” here is a metaphor for a time of deliverance and vindication after the dark “night” of trouble (see Pss 30:5; 46:5; 59:16; 90:14; 143:8; Isa 17:14). In this context the psalmist confidently anticipates a day of vindication when the
[49:14] 1034 tn Heb “their form [will become an object] for the consuming of Sheol, from a lofty residence, to him.” The meaning of this syntactically difficult text is uncertain. The translation assumes that צוּר (tsur, “form”; this is the Qere [marginal] reading; the Kethib has צִירָם [tsiram, “their image”]) refers to their physical form or bodies. “Sheol” is taken as the subject of “consume” (on the implied “become” before the infinitive “to consume” see GKC 349 §114.k). The preposition מִן (min) prefixed to “lofty residence” is understood as privative, “away from; so as not.” The preposition -ל (lamed) is possessive, while the third person pronominal suffix is understood as a representative singular.
[49:15] 1035 tn Or “certainly.”
[49:15] 1037 tn Or “me.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[49:15] 1040 tn Heb “he will take me.” To improve the poetic balance of the verse, some move the words “from the power of Sheol” to the following line. The verse would then read: “But God will rescue my life; / from the power of Sheol he will certainly deliver me” (cf. NEB).
[49:15] sn According to some, the psalmist here anticipates the resurrection (or at least an afterlife in God’s presence). But it is more likely that the psalmist here expresses his hope that God will rescue him from premature death at the hands of the rich oppressors denounced in the psalm. The psalmist is well aware that all (the wise and foolish) die (see vv. 7-12), but he is confident God will lead him safely through the present “times of trouble” (v. 5) and sweep the wicked away to their final destiny. The theme is a common one in the so-called wisdom psalms (see Pss 1, 34, 37, 112). For a fuller discussion of the psalmists’ view of the afterlife, see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “A Theology of the Psalms,” A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, 284-88.
[49:16] 1041 sn When a man becomes rich. Why would people fear such a development? The acquisition of wealth makes individuals powerful and enables them to oppress others (see vv. 5-6).
[49:16] 1042 tn Heb “when the glory of his house grows great.”
[49:17] 1043 tn Heb “his glory will not go down after him.”
[49:19] 1044 tn Verses 18-19a are one long sentence in the Hebrew text, which reads: “Though he blesses his soul in his life, [saying], ‘And let them praise you, for you do well for yourself,’ it [that is, his soul] will go to the generation of his fathers.” This has been divided into two sentences in the translation for clarity, in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences.
[49:19] 1045 tn Heb “light.” The words “of day” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[49:20] 1046 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] 1048 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.
[50:1] 1049 sn Psalm 50. This psalm takes the form of a covenant lawsuit in which the Lord comes to confront his people in a formal manner (as in Isa 1:2-20). The Lord emphasizes that he places priority on obedience and genuine worship, not empty ritual.
[50:1] 1050 sn Israel’s God is here identified with three names: El (אֵל [’el], or “God”), Elohim (אֱלֹהִים [’elohim], or “God”), and Yahweh (יְהוָה [yÿhvah] or “the
[50:1] 1051 tn Heb “and calls [the] earth from the sunrise to its going.”
[50:2] 1052 tn Heb “the perfection of beauty.”
[50:2] 1053 tn Or “shines forth.”
[50:2] sn Comes in splendor. The psalmist may allude ironically to Deut 33:2, where God “shines forth” from Sinai and comes to superintend Moses’ blessing of the tribes.
[50:3] 1054 tn According to GKC 322 §109.e, the jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ’al) is used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.”
[50:3] 1055 tn Heb “fire before him devours, and around him it is very stormy.”
[50:4] 1056 tn Or perhaps “to testify against his people.”
[50:4] sn The personified heavens and earth (see v. 1 as well) are summoned to God’s courtroom as witnesses against God’s covenant people (see Isa 1:2). Long before this Moses warned the people that the heavens and earth would be watching their actions (see Deut 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1).
[50:5] 1057 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s summons to the defendant follows.
[50:5] 1058 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] 1059 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).
[50:6] 1061 tn Or “for God, he is about to judge.” The participle may be taken as substantival (as in the translation above) or as a predicate (indicating imminent future action in this context).
[50:7] 1062 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s charges against his people follow.
[50:7] 1063 tn Heb “Israel, and I will testify against you.” The imperative “listen” is understood in the second line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[50:8] 1065 tn Heb “and your burnt sacrifices before me continually.”
[50:9] 1066 tn Or “I will not take.”
[50:10] 1067 tn Heb “[the] animals on a thousand hills.” The words “that graze” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The term בְּהֵמוֹה (bÿhemot, “animal”) refers here to cattle (see Ps 104:14).
[50:11] 1069 tn The precise referent of the Hebrew word, which occurs only here and in Ps 80:13, is uncertain. Aramaic, Arabic and Akkadian cognates refer to insects, such as locusts or crickets.
[50:13] 1070 tn The rhetorical questions assume an emphatic negative response, “Of course not!”
[50:14] 1071 tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
[50:15] 1072 tn Heb “call [to] me in a day of trouble.”
[50:15] 1073 sn In vv. 7-15 the Lord makes it clear that he was not rebuking Israel because they had failed to offer sacrifices (v. 8a). On the contrary, they had been faithful in doing so (v. 8b). However, their understanding of the essence of their relationship with God was confused. Apparently they believed that he needed/desired such sacrifices and that offering them would ensure their prosperity. But the Lord owns all the animals of the world and did not need Israel’s meager sacrifices (vv. 9-13). Other aspects of the relationship were more important to the Lord. He desired Israel to be thankful for his blessings (v. 14a), to demonstrate gratitude for his intervention by repaying the vows they made to him (v. 14b), and to acknowledge their absolute dependence on him (v. 15a). Rather than viewing their sacrifices as somehow essential to God’s well-being, they needed to understand their dependence on him.
[50:16] 1074 tn Heb “evil [one].” The singular adjective is used here in a representative sense; it refers to those within the larger covenant community who have blatantly violated the
[50:16] 1075 tn Heb “What to you to declare my commands and lift up my covenant upon your mouth?” The rhetorical question expresses sarcastic amazement. The
[50:17] 1076 tn Heb “and throw my words behind you.”
[50:18] 1077 tn Heb “you run with him.”
[50:18] 1078 tn Heb “and with adulterers [is] your portion.”
[50:19] 1079 tn Heb “your mouth you send with evil.”
[50:19] 1080 tn Heb “and your tongue binds together [i.e., “frames”] deceit.”
[50:20] 1081 tn Heb “you sit, against your brother you speak.” To “sit” and “speak” against someone implies plotting against that person (see Ps 119:23).
[50:20] 1082 tn Heb “against the son of your mother you give a fault.”
[50:21] 1083 tn Heb “these things you did and I was silent.” Some interpret the second clause (“and I was silent”) as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, “[When you do these things], should I keep silent?” (cf. NEB). See GKC 335 §112.cc.
[50:21] sn The Lord was silent in the sense that he delayed punishment. Of course, God’s patience toward sinners eventually runs out. The divine “silence” is only temporary (see v. 3, where the psalmist, having described God’s arrival, observes that “he is not silent”).
[50:21] 1084 tn The Hebrew infinitive construct (הֱיוֹת, heyot) appears to function like the infinitive absolute here, adding emphasis to the following finite verbal form (אֶהְיֶה, ’ehyeh). See GKC 339-40 §113.a. Some prefer to emend הֱיוֹת (heyot) to the infinitive absolute form הָיוֹ (hayo).
[50:21] 1085 tn Or “rebuke” (see v. 8).
[50:21] 1086 tn Heb “and I will set in order [my case against you] to your eyes.” The cohortative form expresses the
[50:22] 1087 tn Heb “[you who] forget God.” “Forgetting God” here means forgetting about his commandments and not respecting his moral authority.
[50:22] 1088 sn Elsewhere in the psalms this verb is used (within a metaphorical framework) of a lion tearing its prey (see Pss 7:2; 17:12; 22:13).
[50:23] 1089 sn The reference to a thank-offering recalls the earlier statement made in v. 14. Gratitude characterizes genuine worship.
[50:23] 1090 tn Heb “and [to one who] sets a way I will show the deliverance of God.” Elsewhere the phrase “set a way” simply means “to travel” (see Gen 30:36; cf. NRSV). The present translation assumes an emendation of וְשָׂם דֶּרֶךְ (vÿsam derekh) to וְשֹׁמֵר דְּרָכַּי (vÿshomer dÿrakhay, “and [the one who] keeps my ways” [i.e., commands, see Pss 18:21; 37:34). Another option is to read וְשֹׁמֵר דַּרְכּוֹ (vÿshomer darko, “and [the one who] guards his way,” i.e., “the one who is careful to follow a godly lifestyle”; see Ps 39:1).
[51:1] 1091 sn Psalm 51. The psalmist confesses his sinfulness to God and begs for forgiveness and a transformation of his inner character. According to the psalm superscription, David offered this prayer when Nathan confronted him with his sin following the king’s affair with Bathsheba (see 2 Sam 11-12). However, the final two verses of the psalm hardly fit this situation, for they assume the walls of Jerusalem have been destroyed and that the sacrificial system has been temporarily suspended. These verses are probably an addition to the psalm made during the period of exile following the fall of Jerusalem in 586
[51:1] 1092 tn Heb “a psalm by David, when Nathan the prophet came to him when he had gone to Bathsheba.”
[51:1] 1093 tn Or “according to.”
[51:1] 1094 tn Or “according to.”
[51:1] 1095 tn Traditionally “blot out my transgressions.” Because of the reference to washing and cleansing in the following verse, it is likely that the psalmist is comparing forgiveness to wiping an object clean (note the use of the verb מָחָה (makhah) in the sense of “wipe clean; dry” in 2 Kgs 21:13; Prov 30:20; Isa 25:8). Another option is that the psalmist is comparing forgiveness to erasing or blotting out names from a register (see Exod 32:32-33). In this case one might translate, “erase all record of my rebellious acts.”
[51:2] 1096 tn Heb “Thoroughly wash me from my wrongdoing.”
[51:2] 1097 sn In vv. 1b-2 the psalmist uses three different words to emphasize the multifaceted character and degree of his sin. Whatever one wants to call it (“rebellious acts,” “wrongdoing,” “sin”), he has done it and stands morally polluted in God’s sight. The same three words appear in Exod 34:7, which emphasizes that God is willing to forgive sin in all of its many dimensions. In v. 2 the psalmist compares forgiveness and restoration to physical cleansing. Perhaps he likens spiritual cleansing to the purification rites of priestly law.
[51:3] 1099 tn Heb “and my sin [is] in front of me continually.”
[51:4] 1100 tn Heb “only you,” as if the psalmist had sinned exclusively against God and no other. Since the Hebrew verb חָטָא (hata’, “to sin”) is used elsewhere of sinful acts against people (see BDB 306 s.v. 2.a) and David (the presumed author) certainly sinned when he murdered Uriah (2 Sam 12:9), it is likely that the psalmist is overstating the case to suggest that the attack on Uriah was ultimately an attack on God himself. To clarify the point of the hyperbole, the translation uses “especially,” rather than the potentially confusing “only.”
[51:4] 1101 tn The Hebrew term לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) normally indicates purpose (“in order that”), but here it introduces a logical consequence of the preceding statement. (Taking the clause as indicating purpose here would yield a theologically preposterous idea – the psalmist purposely sinned so that God’s justice might be vindicated!) For other examples of לְמַעַן indicating result, see 2 Kgs 22:17; Jer 27:15; Amos 2:7, as well as IBHS 638-40 §38.3.
[51:4] 1102 tn Heb “when you speak.” In this context the psalmist refers to God’s word of condemnation against his sin delivered through Nathan (cf. 2 Sam 12:7-12).
[51:4] 1103 tn Heb “when you judge.”
[51:5] 1104 tn Heb “Look, in wrongdoing I was brought forth, and in sin my mother conceived me.” The prefixed verbal form in the second line is probably a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive), stating a simple historical fact. The psalmist is not suggesting that he was conceived through an inappropriate sexual relationship (although the verse has sometimes been understood to mean that, or even that all sexual relationships are sinful). The psalmist’s point is that he has been a sinner from the very moment his personal existence began. By going back beyond the time of birth to the moment of conception, the psalmist makes his point more emphatically in the second line than in the first.
[51:6] 1105 sn The juxtaposition of two occurrences of “look” in vv. 5-6 draws attention to the sharp contrast between the sinful reality of the psalmist’s condition and the lofty ideal God has for him.
[51:6] 1106 tn The perfect is used in a generalizing sense here.
[51:6] 1107 tn Heb “in the covered [places],” i.e., in the inner man.
[51:6] 1108 tn Heb “in the secret [place] wisdom you cause me to know.” The Hiphil verbal form is causative, while the imperfect is used in a modal sense to indicate God’s desire (note the parallel verb “desire”).
[51:6] sn You want me to possess wisdom. Here “wisdom” does not mean “intelligence” or “learning,” but refers to moral insight and skill.
[51:7] 1109 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
[51:7] 1110 tn Heb “cleanse me with hyssop.” “Hyssop” was a small plant (see 1 Kgs 4:33) used to apply water (or blood) in purification rites (see Exod 12:22; Lev 14:4-6, 49-52; Num 19:6-18. The psalmist uses the language and imagery of such rites to describe spiritual cleansing through forgiveness.
[51:7] 1111 tn After the preceding imperfect, the imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates result.
[51:7] 1112 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
[51:7] 1113 sn I will be whiter than snow. Whiteness here symbolizes the moral purity resulting from forgiveness (see Isa 1:18).
[51:8] 1114 tn Heb “cause me to hear happiness and joy.” The language is metonymic: the effect of forgiveness (joy) has been substituted for its cause. The psalmist probably alludes here to an assuring word from God announcing that his sins are forgiven (a so-called oracle of forgiveness). The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request. The synonyms “happiness” and “joy” are joined together as a hendiadys to emphasize the degree of joy he anticipates.
[51:8] 1115 sn May the bones you crushed rejoice. The psalmist compares his sinful condition to that of a person who has been physically battered and crushed. Within this metaphorical framework, his “bones” are the seat of his emotional strength.
[51:8] 1116 tn In this context of petitionary prayer, the prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, expressing the psalmist’s wish or request.
[51:9] 1117 sn In this context Hide your face from my sins means “Do not hold me accountable for my sins.”
[51:9] 1118 tn See the note on the similar expression “wipe away my rebellious acts” in v. 1.
[51:10] 1119 sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s motives and moral character.
[51:10] 1120 tn Heb “and a reliable spirit renew in my inner being.”
[51:11] 1121 tn Heb “do not cast me away from before you.”
[51:11] 1122 sn Your Holy Spirit. The personal Spirit of God is mentioned frequently in the OT, but only here and in Isa 63:10-11 is he called “your/his Holy Spirit.”
[51:11] 1123 sn Do not take…away. The psalmist expresses his fear that, due to his sin, God will take away the Holy Spirit from him. NT believers enjoy the permanent gift of the Holy Spirit and need not make such a request nor fear such a consequence. However, in the OT God’s Spirit empowered certain individuals for special tasks and only temporarily resided in them. For example, when God rejected Saul as king and chose David to replace him, the divine Spirit left Saul and came upon David (1 Sam 16:13-14).
[51:12] 1124 tn Heb “and [with] a willing spirit sustain me.” The psalmist asks that God make him the kind of person who willingly obeys the divine commandments. The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
[51:13] 1125 tn The cohortative expresses the psalmist’s resolve. This may be a vow or promise. If forgiven, the psalmist will “repay” the Lord by declaring God’s mercy and motivating other sinners to repent.
[51:13] 1126 tn Heb “your ways.” The word “merciful” is added for clarification. God’s “ways” are sometimes his commands, but in this context, where the teaching of God’s ways motivates repentance (see the next line), it is more likely that God’s merciful and compassionate way of dealing with sinners is in view. Thanksgiving songs praising God for his deliverance typically focus on these divine attributes (see Pss 34, 41, 116, 138).
[51:13] 1127 tn Or “return,” i.e., in repentance.
[51:14] 1128 tn Heb “from bloodshed.” “Bloodshed” here stands by metonymy for the guilt which it produces.
[51:14] 1129 tn Heb “my tongue will shout for joy your deliverance.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may my tongue shout for joy.” However, the pattern in vv. 12-15 appears to be prayer/request (see vv. 12, 14a, 15a) followed by promise/vow (see vv. 13, 14b, 15b).
[51:15] 1130 tn Heb “open my lips.” The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
[51:15] 1131 tn Heb “and my mouth will declare your praise.”
[51:16] 1132 tn Or “For.” The translation assumes the particle is asseverative (i.e., emphasizing: “certainly”). (Some translations that consider the particle asseverative leave it untranslated.) If taken as causal or explanatory (“for”, cf. NRSV), the verse would explain why the psalmist is pleading for forgiveness, rather than merely offering a sacrifice.
[51:16] 1133 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative is used in a hypothetical manner in a formally unmarked conditional sentence, “You do not want a sacrifice, should I offer [it]” (cf. NEB). For other examples of cohortatives in the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, see GKC 320 §108.e. (It should be noted, however, that GKC understands this particular verse in a different manner. See GKC 320 §108.f, where it is suggested that the cohortative is part of an apodosis with the protasis being suppressed.)
[51:16] 1134 sn You do not desire a burnt sacrifice. The terminology used in v. 16 does not refer to expiatory sacrifices, but to dedication and communion offerings. This is not a categorical denial of the sacrificial system in general or of the importance of such offerings. The psalmist is talking about his specific situation. Dedication and communion offerings have their proper place in worship (see v. 19), but God requires something more fundamental, a repentant and humble attitude (see v. 17), before these offerings can have real meaning.
[51:17] 1135 tn Heb “a broken spirit.”
[51:17] 1136 tn Heb “a broken and crushed heart.”
[51:18] 1138 tn Heb “do what is good for Zion in your favor.”
[51:18] 1139 tn Or “Build.” The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
[51:18] 1140 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[51:19] 1141 tn Or “desire, take delight in.”
[51:19] 1142 tn Heb “then they will offer up bulls.” The third plural subject is indefinite.
[51:19] 1143 sn Verses 18-19 appear to reflect the exilic period, when the city’s walls lay in ruins and the sacrificial system had been disrupted.
[52:1] 1144 sn Psalm 52. The psalmist confidently confronts his enemy and affirms that God will destroy evildoers and vindicate the godly.
[52:1] 1145 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
[52:1] 1146 tn Heb “when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’”
[52:1] sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm during the period when Saul was seeking his life. On one occasion Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s head shepherd (1 Sam 21:7), informed Saul of David’s whereabouts (see 1 Sam 21-22).
[52:1] 1147 tn Heb “Why do you boast in evil?”
[52:1] 1148 tn Heb “the loyal love of God [is] all the day.” In this context, where the psalmist is threatened by his enemy, the point seems to be that the psalmist is protected by God’s loyal love at all times.
[52:2] 1149 tn Heb “destruction your tongue devises.”
[52:2] 1150 tn Heb “like a sharpened razor, doer of deceit.” The masculine participle עָשָׂה (’asah) is understood as a substantival vocative, addressed to the powerful man.
[52:3] 1151 tn Or “deceit more than speaking what is right.”
[52:4] 1152 tn Heb “you love all the words of swallowing.” Traditionally בַּלַּע (bala’) has been taken to mean “swallowing” in the sense of “devouring” or “destructive” (see BDB 118 s.v. בָּלַע). HALOT 135 s.v. III *בֶּלַע proposes a homonym here, meaning “confusion.” This would fit the immediate context nicely and provide a close parallel to the following line, which refers to deceptive words.
[52:5] 1153 tn The adverb גַּם (gam, “also; even”) is translated here in an adversative sense (“yet”). It highlights the contrastive correspondence between the evildoer’s behavior and God’s response.
[52:5] 1154 tn Heb “will tear you down forever.”
[52:5] 1155 tn This rare verb (חָתָה, khatah) occurs only here and in Prov 6:27; 25:22; Isa 30:14.
[52:5] 1156 tn Heb “from [your] tent.”
[52:6] 1157 tn Heb “and the godly will see and will fear and at him will laugh.”
[52:7] 1158 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action. The evildoer customarily rejected God and trusted in his own abilities. Another option is to take the imperfect as generalizing, “[here is the man who] does not make.”
[52:7] 1159 tn Heb “he was strong in his destruction.” “Destruction” must refer back to the destructive plans mentioned in v. 2. The verb (derived from the root עָזַז, ’azaz, “be strong”) as it stands is either an imperfect (if so, probably used in a customary sense) or a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive). However the form should probably be emended to וַיָּעָז (vayya’az), a Qal preterite (with vav [ו] consecutive) from עָזַז. Note the preterite form without vav (ו) consecutive in the preceding line (וַיִּבְטַח, vayyivtakh, “and he trusted”). The prefixed vav (ו) was likely omitted by haplography (note the suffixed vav [ו] on the preceding עָשְׁרוֹ, ’oshro, “his wealth”).
[52:8] 1160 tn The disjunctive construction (vav [ו] + subject) highlights the contrast between the evildoer’s destiny (vv. 5-7) and that of the godly psalmist’s security.
[52:8] 1161 tn Or “luxuriant, green, leafy.”
[52:8] 1162 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever and ever.”
[52:9] 1163 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
[52:9] 1165 tn Heb “you have acted.” The perfect verbal form (1) probably indicates a future perfect here. The psalmist promises to give thanks when the expected vindication has been accomplished. Other options include (2) a generalizing (“for you act”) or (3) rhetorical (“for you will act”) use.
[52:9] 1167 tn Heb “your name.” God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character.
[52:9] 1168 tn Heb “for it is good in front of your loyal followers.”
[53:1] 1169 sn Psalm 53. This psalm is very similar to Ps 14. The major difference comes in v. 5, which corresponds to, but differs quite a bit from, Ps 14:5-6, and in the use of the divine name. Ps 14 uses “the
[53:1] 1170 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מָחֲלַת (makhalat, “machalath”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term also appears in the heading of Ps 88.
[53:1] 1171 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.
[53:1] 1172 tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
[53:1] 1173 sn There is no God. This statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
[53:1] 1174 tn Heb “they act corruptly, they do evil [with] injustice.” Ps 14:1 has עֲלִילָה (’alilah, “a deed”) instead of עָוֶל (’aval, “injustice”). The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
[53:1] 1175 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
[53:2] 1176 sn The picture of the
[53:2] 1177 tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”
[53:2] 1178 tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.
[53:2] 1179 tn That is, who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.
[53:3] 1180 tn Heb “all of it turns away.” Ps 14:1 has הָכֹּל (hakkol) instead of כֻּלּוֹ, and סָר (sar, “turn aside”) instead of סָג (sag, “turn away”).
[53:3] 1181 tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”
[53:3] 1182 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
[53:4] 1183 tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8. Ps 14:4 adds כֹּל (kol, “all of”) before “workers of wickedness.”
[53:4] 1184 tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-6).
[53:5] 1185 tn Heb “there they are afraid [with] fear.” The perfect verbal form is probably used in a rhetorical manner; the psalmist describes the future demise of the oppressors as if it were already occurring. The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is also used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the wicked standing in fear at a spot that is this vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.). The cognate accusative following the verb emphasizes the degree of their terror (“absolutely”).
[53:5] 1186 tn Heb “there is no fear.” Apparently this means the evildoers are so traumatized with panic (see v. 5b) that they now jump with fear at everything, even those things that would not normally cause fear. Ps 14:5 omits this line.
[53:5] 1187 tn Heb “scatters the bones.” The perfect is used in a rhetorical manner, describing this future judgment as if it were already accomplished. Scattering the bones alludes to the aftermath of a battle. God annihilates his enemies, leaving their carcasses spread all over the battlefield. As the bodies are devoured by wild animals and decay, the bones of God’s dead enemies are exposed. See Ps 141:7.
[53:5] 1188 tn Heb “[those who] encamp [against] you.” The second person masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to God’s people viewed as a collective whole. Instead of “for God scatters the bones of those who encamp against you,” Ps 14:5 reads, “for God is with a godly generation.”
[53:5] 1189 tn Once again the perfect is used in a rhetorical manner, describing this future judgment as if it were already accomplished. As in the previous line, God’s people are probably addressed. The second person singular verb form is apparently collective, suggesting that the people are viewed here as a unified whole. Ps 14:6 reads here “the counsel of the oppressed you put to shame, even though God is his shelter,” the words being addressed to the wicked.
[53:6] 1190 tn This refers metonymically to God, the one who lives in Zion and provides deliverance for Israel.
[53:6] 1191 tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (shÿvut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv).
[53:6] 1192 tn The verb form is jussive.
[53:6] 1193 tn Because the parallel verb is jussive, this verb, which is ambiguous in form, should be taken as a jussive as well.
[54:1] 1194 sn Psalm 54. The psalmist asks God for protection against his enemies, confidently affirms that God will vindicate him, and promises to give thanks to God for his saving intervention.
[54:1] 1195 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.
[54:1] 1196 tn Heb “Is not David hiding with us?”
[54:1] sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm during the period when Saul was seeking his life. On one occasion the Ziphites informed Saul that David was hiding in their territory (see 1 Sam 23:19-20).
[54:1] 1197 tn God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character, which would instill fear in the psalmist’s enemies (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:17).
[54:1] 1198 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
[54:2] 1199 tn Heb “to the words of my mouth.”
[54:3] 1200 tc Many medieval Hebrew
[54:3] 1201 tn Heb “rise against me.”
[54:3] 1202 tn Heb “and ruthless ones seek my life, they do not set God in front of them.”
[54:4] 1203 tn Or “my helper.”
[54:4] 1204 tn Or “sustain my life.”
[54:5] 1205 tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2.
[54:5] 1206 tn The Kethib (consonantal text) reads a Qal imperfect, “the evil will return,” while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Hiphil imperfect, “he will repay.” The parallel line has an imperative (indicating a prayer/request), so it is best to read a jussive form יָשֹׁב (yashov, “let it [the evil] return”) here.
[54:5] 1207 tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”
[54:6] 1208 tn The cohortative verbal form expresses the psalmist’s resolve/vow to praise.
[54:7] 1209 tn Or “for,” indicating a more specific reason why he will praise the
[54:7] 1210 tn The perfects in v. 7 are probably rhetorical, indicating the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance and his own vindication as if they were occurring or had already occurred.
[54:7] 1211 tn Heb “and on my enemies my eyes look.”
[55:1] 1212 sn Psalm 55. The suffering and oppressed author laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.
[55:1] 1213 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.
[55:1] 1214 tn Heb “hide yourself from.”
[55:2] 1215 tn Or “restless” (see Gen 27:40). The Hiphil is intransitive-exhibitive, indicating the outward display of an inner attitude.
[55:2] 1216 tn Heb “in my complaint.”
[55:2] 1217 tn The verb is a Hiphil cohortative from הוּם (hum), which means “to confuse someone” in the Qal and “to go wild” in the Niphal. An Arabic cognate means “to be out of one’s senses, to wander about.” With the vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, the cohortative probably indicates the result or effect of the preceding main verb. Some prefer to emend the form to וְאֵהוֹמָה (vÿ’ehomah), a Niphal of הוּם (hum), or to וְאֶהַמֶה (vÿ’ehameh), a Qal imperfect from הָמָה (hamah, “to moan”). Many also prefer to take this verb with what follows (see v. 3).
[55:3] 1218 tn Heb “because of [the] voice of [the] enemy.”
[55:3] 1219 tn The singular forms “enemy” and “wicked” are collective or representative, as the plural verb forms in the second half of the verse indicate.
[55:3] 1220 tn Heb “from before the pressure of the wicked.” Some suggest the meaning “screech” (note the parallel “voice”; cf. NEB “shrill clamour”; NRSV “clamor”) for the rare noun עָקָה (’aqah, “pressure”).
[55:3] 1221 tn Heb “wickedness,” but here the term refers to the destructive effects of their wicked acts.
[55:3] 1222 tc The verb form in the MT appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוֹט (mot, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in the Kethib (consonantal text) of Ps 140:10, where the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read. Here in Ps 55:3 it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). It is odd for “rain down” to be used with an abstract object like “wickedness,” but in Job 20:23 God “rains down” anger (unless one emends the text there; see BHS).
[55:4] 1223 tn Heb “shakes, trembles.”
[55:4] 1224 tn Heb “the terrors of death have fallen on me.”
[55:5] 1225 tn Heb “fear and trembling enter into me.”
[55:5] 1226 tn Heb “covers.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the descriptive (present progressive) force of the preceding imperfect.
[55:6] 1227 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the descriptive (present progressive) force of the verbs in v. 5.
[55:8] 1228 tn Heb “[the] wind [that] sweeps away.” The verb סָעָה (sa’ah, “sweep away”) occurs only here in the OT (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 120).
[55:9] 1229 tn Traditionally בַּלַּע (bala’) has been taken to mean “swallow” in the sense of “devour” or “destroy” (cf. KJV), but this may be a homonym meaning “confuse” (see BDB 118 s.v. בַּלַּע; HALOT 135 s.v. III *בֶּלַע). “Their tongue” is the understood object of the verb (see the next line).
[55:9] 1230 tn Heb “split their tongue,” which apparently means “confuse their speech,” or, more paraphrastically, “frustrate the plans they devise with their tongues.”
[55:10] 1231 tn Heb “day and night they surround it, upon its walls.” Personified “violence and conflict” are the likely subjects. They are compared to watchmen on the city’s walls.
[55:10] 1232 sn Wickedness and destruction. These terms are also closely associated in Ps 7:14.
[55:11] 1233 tn Or “injury, harm.”
[55:12] 1235 tn Heb “[who] magnifies against me.” See Pss 35:26; 38:16.
[55:13] 1236 sn It is you. The psalmist addresses the apparent ringleader of the opposition, an individual who was once his friend.
[55:13] 1237 tn Heb “a man according to my value,” i.e., “a person such as I.”
[55:13] 1238 tn Heb “my close friend, one known by me.”
[55:14] 1239 tn Heb “who together we would make counsel sweet.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to the ongoing nature of the actions (the so-called customary use of the imperfect). Their relationship was characterized by such intimacy and friendship. See IBHS 502-3 §31.2b.
[55:15] 1240 tc The meaning of the MT is unclear. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads יַשִּׁימָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashimavet ’alemo, “May devastation [be] upon them!”). The proposed noun יַשִּׁימָוֶת occurs only here and perhaps in the place name Beth-Jeshimoth in Num 33:49. The Qere (marginal text) has יַשִּׁי מָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashi mavet ’alemo). The verbal form יַשִּׁי is apparently an alternate form of יַשִּׁיא (yashi’), a Hiphil imperfect from נָשַׁא (nasha’, “deceive”). In this case one might read “death will come deceptively upon them.” This reading has the advantage of reading מָוֶת (mavet, “death”) which forms a natural parallel with “Sheol” in the next line. The present translation is based on the following reconstruction of the text: יְשִׁמֵּם מָוֶת (yeshimmem mavet). The verb assumed in the reconstruction is a Hiphil jussive third masculine singular from שָׁמַם (shamam, “be desolate”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix attached. This reconstruction assumes that (1) haplography has occurred in the traditional text (the original sequence of three mems [מ] was lost with only one mem remaining), resulting in the fusion of originally distinct forms in the Kethib, and (2) that עָלֵימוֹ (’alemo, “upon them”) is a later scribal addition attempting to make sense of a garbled and corrupt text. The preposition עַל (’al) does occur with the verb שָׁמַם (shamam), but in such cases the expression means “be appalled at/because of” (see Jer 49:20; 50:45). If one were to retain the prepositional phrase here, one would have to read the text as follows: יַשִּׁים מָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashim mavet ’alemo, “Death will be appalled at them”). The idea seems odd, to say the least. Death is not collocated with this verb elsewhere.
[55:15] 1241 sn Go down alive. This curse imagines a swift and sudden death for the psalmist’s enemies.
[55:17] 1242 tn The first verb is clearly a cohortative form, expressing the psalmist’s resolve. The second verb, while formally ambiguous, should also be understood as cohortative here.
[55:17] 1243 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive normally appears in narrational contexts to indicate past action, but here it continues the anticipatory (future) perspective of the preceding line. In Ps 77:6 one finds the same sequence of cohortative + prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive. In this case as well, both forms refer to future actions.
[55:17] 1244 tn Heb “my voice.”
[55:18] 1245 tn The perfect verbal form is here used rhetorically to indicate that the action is certain to take place (the so-called perfect of certitude).
[55:18] 1246 tn Heb “he will redeem in peace my life from [those who] draw near to me.”
[55:18] 1248 tn Heb “among many they are against me.” For other examples of the preposition עִמָּד (’immad) used in the sense of “at, against,” see HALOT 842 s.v.; BDB 767 s.v.; IBHS 219 §11.2.14b.
[55:19] 1249 tc Heb “God will hear and answer them, even [the] one who sits [from] ancient times.” The prefixed verbal from with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the anticipatory force of the preceding imperfect. The verb appears to be a Qal form from עָנָה (’anah, “to answer”). If this reading is retained, the point would be that God “answered” them in judgment. The translation assumes an emendation to the Piel וַיְעַנֵּם (vay’annem; see 2 Kgs 17:20) and understands the root as עָנָה (’anah, “to afflict”; see also 1 Kgs 8:35).
[55:19] 1250 tn Heb “[the ones] for whom there are no changes, and they do not fear God.”
[55:20] 1251 sn He. This must refer to the psalmist’s former friend, who was addressed previously in vv. 12-14.
[55:20] 1252 tn Heb “stretches out his hand against.”
[55:20] 1253 tc The form should probably be emended to an active participle (שֹׁלְמָיו, sholÿmayv) from the verbal root שָׁלַם (shalam, “be in a covenant of peace with”). Perhaps the translation “his friends” suggests too intimate a relationship. Another option is to translate, “he attacks those who made agreements with him.”
[55:20] 1254 tn Heb “he violates his covenant.”
[55:21] 1255 tn Heb “the butter-like [words] of his mouth are smooth.” The noun מַחְמָאֹת (makhma’ot, “butter-like [words]”) occurs only here. Many prefer to emend the form to מֵחֶמְאָה (mekhem’ah, from [i.e., “than”] butter”), cf. NEB, NRSV “smoother than butter.” However, in this case “his mouth” does not agree in number with the plural verb חָלְקוּ (kholqu, “they are smooth”). Therefore some further propose an emendation of פִּיו (piv, “his mouth”) to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”). In any case, the point seems to that the psalmist’s former friend spoke kindly to him and gave the outward indications of friendship.
[55:21] 1256 tn Heb “and war [is in] his heart.”
[55:21] 1257 tn Heb “his words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.”
[55:22] 1258 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here.
[55:22] 1259 tn The pronoun is singular; the psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually.
[55:22] 1260 tn Heb “he will never allow swaying for the righteous.”
[55:23] 1261 tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).
[55:23] 1262 tn Heb “well of the pit.” The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 103:4).
[55:23] 1263 tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”
[55:23] 1264 tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”
[56:1] 1265 sn Psalm 56. Despite the threats of his enemies, the psalmist is confident the Lord will keep his promise to protect and deliver him.
[56:1] 1266 tn The literal meaning of this phrase is “silent dove, distant ones.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a type of musical instrument.
[56:1] 1267 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16 and 57-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
[56:1] 1268 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm when the Philistines seized him and took him to King Achish of Gath (see 1 Sam 21:11-15).
[56:1] 1269 tn According to BDB 983 s.v. II שָׁאַף, the verb is derived from שָׁאַף (sha’af, “to trample, crush”) rather than the homonymic verb “pant after.”
[56:1] 1270 tn Heb “a fighter.” The singular is collective for his enemies (see vv. 5-6). The Qal of לָחַם (lakham, “fight”) also occurs in Ps 35:1.
[56:1] 1271 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the continuing nature of the enemies’ attacks.
[56:2] 1272 tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 59:10.
[56:2] 1274 tn Some take the Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “on high; above”) as an adverb modifying the preceding participle and translate, “proudly” (cf. NASB; NIV “in their pride”). The present translation assumes the term is a divine title here. The
[56:3] 1275 tn Heb “[in] a day.”
[56:4] 1276 tn Heb “in God I boast, his word.” The syntax in the Hebrew text is difficult. (1) The line could be translated, “in God I boast, [in] his word.” Such a translation assumes that the prepositional phrase “in God” goes with the following verb “I boast” (see Ps 44:8) and that “his word” is appositional to “in God” and more specifically identifies the basis for the psalmist’s confidence. God’s “word” is here understood as an assuring promise of protection. Another option (2) is to translate, “in God I will boast [with] a word.” In this case, the “word” is a song of praise. (In this view the pronominal suffix “his” must be omitted as in v. 10.) The present translation reflects yet another option (3): In this case “I praise his word” is a parenthetical statement, with “his word” being the object of the verb. The sentence begun with the prepositional phrase “in God” is then completed in the next line, with the prepositional phrase being repeated after the parenthesis.
[56:4] 1277 tn Heb “flesh,” which refers by metonymy to human beings (see v. 11, where “man” is used in this same question), envisioned here as mortal and powerless before God.
[56:4] 1278 tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.
[56:5] 1279 tn Heb “my affairs they disturb.” For other instances of דָּבָר (davar) meaning “affairs, business,” see BDB 183 s.v.. The Piel of עָצַב (’atsav, “to hurt”) occurs only here and in Isa 63:10, where it is used of “grieving” (or “offending”) the Lord’s holy Spirit. Here in Ps 56:5, the verb seems to carry the nuance “disturb, upset,” in the sense of “cause trouble.”
[56:5] 1280 tn Heb “against me [are] all their thoughts for harm.”
[56:6] 1281 tn The verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 59:3.
[56:6] 1283 tn Heb “my heels.”
[56:6] 1284 tn Heb “according to,” in the sense of “inasmuch as; since,” or “when; while.”
[56:6] 1285 tn Heb “they wait [for] my life.”
[56:7] 1286 tc Heb “because of wickedness, deliverance to them.” As it stands, the MT makes no sense. The negative particle אַיִן (’ayin, “there is not,” which is due to dittography of the immediately preceding אָוֶן, ’aven, “wickedness”), should probably be added before “deliverance” (see BHS, note a). The presence of an imperative in the next line (note “bring down”) suggests that this line should be translated as a prayer as well, “may there not be deliverance to them.”
[56:7] 1287 tn Heb “in anger.” The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[56:7] 1288 tn Or perhaps “people” in a general sense.
[56:8] 1289 tn Heb “my wandering you count, you.” The Hebrew term נֹד (nod, “wandering,” derived from the verbal root נוֹד, nod, “to wander”; cf. NASB) here refers to the psalmist’s “changeable circumstances of life” and may be translated “misery.” The verb סָפַר (safar, “count”) probably carries the nuance “assess” here. Cf. NIV “my lament”; NRSV “my tossings.”
[56:8] 1290 tn Traditionally “your bottle.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word נֹאד (no’d, “leather container”) refers to a container made from animal skin which is used to hold wine or milk (see Josh 9:4, 13; Judg 4:19; 1 Sam 16:20). If such a container is metaphorically in view here, then the psalmist seems to be asking God to store up his tears as a reminder of his suffering.
[56:8] 1291 tn The word “recorded” is supplied in the translation for clarification. The rhetorical question assumes a positive response (see the first line of the verse).
[56:9] 1292 tn Heb “then my enemies will turn back in the day I cry out.” The Hebrew particle אָז (’az, “then”) is probably used here to draw attention to the following statement.
[56:9] 1293 tn Heb “this I know, that God is for me.”
[56:10] 1294 tn Heb “in God I praise a word.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult. The statement is similar to that of v. 4, except that the third person pronominal suffix is omitted here, where the text has simply “a word” instead of “his word.” (1) One could translate, “in God I will boast [with] a word.” In this case, the “word” refers to a song of praise. (2) If one assumes that God’s word is in view, as in v. 4, then one option is to translate, “in God I boast, [in] his word.” In this case the prepositional phrase “in God” goes with the following verb “I boast” (see Ps 44:8) and “[his] word” is appositional to “in God” and more specifically identifies the basis for the psalmist’s confidence. God’s “word” is here understood as an assuring promise of protection. (3) The present translation reflects another option: In this case “I praise [his] word” is a parenthetical statement, with “[his] word” being the object of the verb. The sentence begun with the prepositional phrase “in God” is then completed in v. 11, with the prepositional phrase being repeated after the parenthesis.
[56:10] 1295 tn The phrase “in the
[56:11] 1296 tn The statement is similar to that of v. 4, except “flesh” is used there instead of “man.”
[56:11] 1297 tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.
[56:12] 1298 tn Heb “upon me, O God, [are] your vows.”
[56:12] 1299 tn Heb “I will repay thank-offerings to you.”
[56:13] 1300 tn The perfect verbal form is probably future perfect; the psalmist promises to make good on his vows once God has delivered him (see Pss 13:5; 52:9). (2) Another option is to understand the final two verses as being added later, after the
[56:13] 1301 tn Heb “are not my feet [kept] from stumbling?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course they are!” The question has been translated as an affirmation for the sake of clarification of meaning.
[56:13] 1302 tn Heb “walk before.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254; cf. the same idiom in 2 Kgs 20:3; Isa 38:3.
[56:13] 1303 tn Heb “in the light of life.” The phrase is used here and in Job 33:30.
[57:1] 1304 sn Psalm 57. The psalmist asks for God’s protection and expresses his confidence that his ferocious enemies will be destroyed by their own schemes.
[57:1] 1305 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 58-59, 75.
[57:1] 1306 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56, 58-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
[57:1] 1307 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when he fled from Saul and hid in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3.
[57:1] 1308 tn Heb “my life has taken shelter.” The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
[57:1] 1309 sn In the shadow of your wings. The metaphor likens God to a protective mother bird (see also Pss 17:8; 36:7).
[57:2] 1310 tn Heb “to God Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
[57:2] 1311 tn Or “avenges in favor of.”
[57:3] 1312 tn Heb “may he send from heaven and deliver me.” The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. The second verb, which has a vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, probably indicates purpose. Another option is to take the forms as imperfects expressing confidence, “he will send from heaven and deliver me” (cf. NRSV).
[57:3] 1313 tn Heb “he hurls insults, one who crushes me.” The translation assumes that this line identifies those from whom the psalmist seeks deliverance. (The singular is representative; the psalmist is surrounded by enemies, see v. 4.) Another option is to understand God as the subject of the verb חָרַף (kharaf), which could then be taken as a homonym of the more common root חָרַף (“insult”) meaning “confuse.” In this case “one who crushes me” is the object of the verb. One might translate, “he [God] confuses my enemies.”
[57:4] 1314 tn The cohortative form אֶשְׁכְּבָה (’eshkÿvah, “I lie down”) is problematic, for it does not seem to carry one of the normal functions of the cohortative (resolve or request). One possibility is that the form here is a “pseudo-cohortative” used here in a gnomic sense (IBHS 576-77 §34.5.3b).
[57:4] 1315 tn The Hebrew verb לָהַט (lahat) is here understood as a hapax legomenon meaning “devour” (see HALOT 521 s.v. II להט), a homonym of the more common verb meaning “to burn.” A more traditional interpretation takes the verb from this latter root and translates, “those who are aflame” (see BDB 529 s.v.; cf. NASB “those who breathe forth fire”).
[57:4] 1316 tn Heb “my life, in the midst of lions, I lie down, devouring ones, sons of mankind, their teeth a spear and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword.” The syntax of the verse is difficult. Another option is to take “my life” with the preceding verse. For this to make sense, one must add a verb, perhaps “and may he deliver” (cf. the LXX), before the phrase. One might then translate, “May God send his loyal love and faithfulness and deliver my life.” If one does take “my life” with v. 4, then the parallelism of v. 5 is altered and one might translate: “in the midst of lions I lie down, [among] men who want to devour me, whose teeth….”
[57:5] 1317 tn Or “be exalted.”
[57:5] 1318 tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
[57:6] 1319 tn Heb “for my feet.”
[57:6] 1320 tn Heb “my life bends low.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[57:6] 1321 tn Heb “before me.”
[57:6] 1322 tn The perfect form is used rhetorically here to express the psalmist’s certitude. The demise of the enemies is so certain that he can speak of it as already accomplished.
[57:7] 1323 tn Or perhaps “confident”; Heb “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.
[57:8] 1324 tn Heb “glory,” but that makes little sense in the context. Some view כָּבוֹד (kavod, “glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvediy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”
[57:8] 1325 tn BDB 1007 s.v. שַׁחַר takes “dawn” as an adverbial accusative, though others understand it as a personified direct object. “Dawn” is used metaphorically for the time of deliverance and vindication the psalmist anticipates. When salvation “dawns,” the psalmist will “wake up” in praise.
[57:9] 1326 tn Or “the peoples.”
[57:10] 1327 tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”
[57:11] 1328 tn Or “be exalted.”
[57:11] 1329 tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
[58:1] 1330 sn Psalm 58. The psalmist calls on God to punish corrupt judges because a vivid display of divine judgment will convince observers that God is the just judge of the world who vindicates the godly.
[58:1] 1331 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 57, 59, and 75.
[58:1] 1332 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam) which also appears in the heading to Pss 16 and 56-57, 59-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
[58:1] 1333 tn Heb “Really [in] silence, what is right do you speak?” The Hebrew noun אֵלֶם (’elem, “silence”) makes little, if any, sense in this context. Some feel that this is an indictment of the addressees’ failure to promote justice; they are silent when they should make just decisions. The present translation assumes an emendation to אֵלִם (’elim), which in turn is understood as a defectively written form of אֵילִים (’elim, “rulers,” a metaphorical use of אַיִל, ’ayil, “ram”; see Exod 15:15; Ezek 17:13). The rhetorical question is sarcastic, challenging their claim to be just. Elsewhere the collocation of דָּבַר (davar, “speak”) with צֶדֶק (tsedeq, “what is right”) as object means “to speak the truth” (see Ps 52:3; Isa 45:19). Here it refers specifically to declaring what is right in a legal setting, as the next line indicates.
[58:1] 1334 tn Heb “the sons of mankind.” The translation assumes the phrase is the object of the verb “to judge.” Some take it as a vocative, “Do you judge fairly, O sons of mankind?” (Cf. NASB; see Ezek 20:4; 22:2; 23:36.)
[58:2] 1335 tn The particle אַף (’af, “no”) is used here as a strong adversative emphasizing the following statement, which contrasts reality with the rulers’ claim alluded to in the rhetorical questions (see Ps 44:9).
[58:2] 1336 tn Heb “in the heart unjust deeds you do.” The phrase “in the heart” (i.e., “mind”) seems to refer to their plans and motives. The Hebrew noun עַוְלָה (’avlah, “injustice”) is collocated with פָּעַל (pa’al, “do”) here and in Job 36:23 and Ps 119:3. Some emend the plural form עוֹלֹת (’olot, “unjust deeds”; see Ps 64:6) to the singular עָוֶל (’avel, “injustice”; see Job 34:32), taking the final tav (ת) as dittographic (note that the following verbal form begins with tav). Some then understand עָוֶל (’avel, “injustice”) as a genitive modifying “heart” and translate, “with a heart of injustice you act.”
[58:2] 1337 tn Heb “in the earth the violence of your hands you weigh out.” The imagery is from the economic realm. The addressees measure out violence, rather than justice, and distribute it like a commodity. This may be ironic, since justice was sometimes viewed as a measuring scale (see Job 31:6).
[58:3] 1338 tn Heb “from the womb.”
[58:3] 1339 tn Heb “speakers of a lie go astray from the womb.”
[58:4] 1340 tn Heb “[there is] venom to them according to the likeness of venom of a snake.”
[58:4] 1341 tn Or perhaps “cobra” (cf. NASB, NIV). Other suggested species of snakes are “asp” (NEB) and “adder” (NRSV).
[58:4] 1342 tn Heb “[that] stops up its ear.” The apparent Hiphil jussive verbal form should be understood as a Qal imperfect with “i” theme vowel (see GKC 168 §63.n).
[58:5] 1343 tn Heb “does not listen to the voice of.”
[58:7] 1344 tn Following the imperatival forms in v. 6, the prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive expressing the psalmist’s wish. Another option is to take the form as an imperfect (indicative) and translate, “they will scatter” (see v. 9). The verb מָאַס (ma’as; which is a homonym of the more common מָאַס, “to refuse, reject”) appears only here and in Job 7:5, where it is used of a festering wound from which fluid runs or flows.
[58:7] 1345 tn Heb “like water, they go about for themselves.” The translation assumes that the phrase “they go about for themselves” is an implied relative clause modifying “water.” Another option is to take the clause as independent and parallel to what precedes. In this case the enemies would be the subject and the verb could be taken as jussive, “let them wander about.”
[58:7] 1346 tc The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The text reads literally, “he treads his arrows (following the Qere; Kethib has “his arrow”), like they are cut off/dry up.” It is not clear if the verbal root is מָלַל (malal, “circumcise”; BDB 576 s.v. IV מָלַל) or the homonymic מָלַל (“wither”; HALOT 593-94 s.v. I מלל). Since the verb מָלַל (“to wither”) is used of vegetation, it is possible that the noun חָצִיר (khatsir, “grass,” which is visually similar to חִצָּיו, khitsayv, “his arrows”) originally appeared in the text. The translation above assumes that the text originally was כְּמוֹ חָצִיר יִתְמֹלָלוּ(kÿmo khatsir yitmolalu, “like grass let them wither”). If original, it could have been accidentally corrupted to חִצָּיר כְּמוֹ יִתְמֹלָלוּ (“his arrow(s) like they dry up”) with דָּרַךְ (darakh, “to tread”) being added later in an effort to make sense of “his arrow(s).”
[58:8] 1347 tn There is no “to be” verb in the Hebrew text at this point, but a jussive tone can be assumed based on vv. 6-7.
[58:8] 1348 tn Heb “like a melting snail [that] moves along.” A. Cohen (Psalms [SoBB], 184) explains that the text here alludes “to the popular belief that the slimy trail which the snail leaves in its track is the dissolution of its substance.”
[58:8] 1349 tn The words “let them be like” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The jussive mood is implied from the preceding context, and “like” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).
[58:8] 1350 tn This rare word also appears in Job 3:16 and Eccles 6:3.
[58:9] 1351 tn Heb “before your pots perceive thorns.”
[58:9] 1352 tn Apparently God (v. 6) is the subject of the verb here.
[58:9] 1353 tn Heb “like living, like burning anger he will sweep it away.” The meaning of the text is unclear. The translation assumes that within the cooking metaphor (see the previous line) חַי (khay, “living”) refers here to raw meat (as in 1 Sam 2:15, where it modifies בָּשָׂר, basar, “flesh”) and that חָרוּן (kharun; which always refers to God’s “burning anger” elsewhere) here refers to food that is cooked. The pronominal suffix on the verb “sweep away” apparently refers back to the “thorns” of the preceding line. The image depicts swift and sudden judgment. Before the fire has been adequately kindled and all the meat cooked, the winds of judgment will sweep away everything in their path.
[58:10] 1354 tn The singular is representative here, as is the singular from “wicked” in the next line.
[58:11] 1355 tn Following the imperfects of v. 10, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive probably indicates a result or consequence of what precedes.
[58:11] 1356 tn Heb “man.” The singular is representative here.
[58:11] 1357 tn Heb “surely [there] is fruit for the godly.”
[58:11] 1358 tn The plural participle is unusual here if the preceding אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a plural of majesty, referring to the one true God. Occasionally the plural of majesty does take a plural attributive (see GKC 428-29 §132.h). It is possible that the final mem (ם) on the participle is enclitic, and that it was later misunderstood as a plural ending. Another option is to translate, “Yes indeed, there are gods who judge in the earth.” In this case, the statement reflects the polytheistic mindset of pagan observers who, despite their theological ignorance, nevertheless recognize divine retribution when they see it.
[59:1] 1359 sn Psalm 59. The psalmist calls down judgment on his foreign enemies, whom he compares to ravenous wild dogs.
[59:1] 1360 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-58, 75.
[59:1] 1361 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-58, 60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
[59:1] 1362 tn Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”
[59:1] sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when Saul sent assassins to surround David’s house and kill him in the morning (see 1 Sam 19:11). However, the psalm itself mentions foreign enemies (vv. 5, 8). Perhaps these references reflect a later adaptation of an original Davidic psalm.
[59:1] 1363 tn Or “make me secure”; Heb “set me on high.”
[59:1] 1364 tn Heb “from those who raise themselves up [against] me.”
[59:2] 1365 tn Heb “from the workers of wickedness.”
[59:2] 1366 tn Heb “from men of bloodshed.”
[59:3] 1368 tn The Hebrew verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 56:8.
[59:3] 1369 sn The point is that the psalmist’s enemies have no justifiable reason for attacking him. He has neither rebelled or sinned against the
[59:4] 1370 tn Heb “without sin.”
[59:4] 1371 tn Heb “they run and they are determined.”
[59:4] 1372 tn Heb “arise to meet me and see.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to meet; to encounter”) here carries the nuance of “to help.”
[59:5] 1373 tn Heb “
[59:5] 1374 tn Heb “wake up to punish” (see Pss 35:23; 44:23).
[59:6] 1375 tn Or “howl”; or “bark.”
[59:6] 1376 tn Heb “go around.”
[59:7] 1377 tn Heb “look, they gush forth with their mouth, swords [are] in their lips.”
[59:7] 1378 tn The words “for they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The following question (“Who hears?”) is spoken by the psalmist’s enemies, who are confident that no one else can hear their threats against the psalmist. They are aggressive because they feel the psalmist is vulnerable and has no one to help him.
[59:8] 1379 sn Laugh in disgust. See Pss 2:4; 37:13.
[59:8] 1380 tn Or “scoff at”; or “deride”; or “mock” (see Ps 2:4).
[59:9] 1381 tc Heb “his strength, for you I will watch.” “His strength” should be emended to “my strength” (see v. 17). Some also emend אֶשְׁמֹרָה (’eshmorah, “I will watch”) to אֱזַמֵּרָה (’ezammerah, “I will sing praises [to you]”) See v. 17.
[59:9] 1382 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
[59:10] 1383 tn Heb “the God of my [Qere (marginal reading); the Kethib (consonantal text) has “his”] loyal love will meet me.”
[59:10] 1384 tn Heb “will cause me to look upon.”
[59:10] 1385 tn Heb “those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 56:2.
[59:11] 1386 tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”
[59:11] sn My people might forget the lesson. Swift, sudden destruction might be quickly forgotten. The psalmist wants God’s judgment to be prolonged so that it might be a continual reminder of divine justice.
[59:11] 1387 tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”
[59:12] 1388 tn Heb “the sin of their mouth [is] the word of their lips.”
[59:14] 1389 tn Or “howl”; or “bark.”
[59:14] 1390 tn Heb “go around.”
[59:15] 1391 tn Heb “if they are not full, they stay through the night.”
[59:16] 1392 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
[59:16] 1393 tn Heb “and my shelter in the day of my distress.”
[59:17] 1394 tn Heb “my strength, to you I will sing praises.”
[59:17] 1395 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
[59:17] 1396 tn Heb “the God of my loyal love.”
[60:1] 1397 sn Psalm 60. The psalmist grieves over Israel’s humiliation, but in response to God’s assuring word, he asks for divine help in battle and expresses his confidence in victory.
[60:1] 1398 tn The Hebrew expression means “lily of the testimony.” It may refer to a particular music style or to a tune title.
[60:1] 1399 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-59, is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
[60:1] 1400 tn Heb “to teach.”
[60:1] 1401 tn In Josh 8:21 and Judg 20:48 the two verbs “turn back” and “strike down” are also juxtaposed. There they refer to a military counter-attack.
[60:1] 1402 tn Heb “12,000 of Edom.” Perhaps one should read אֲרַם (’aram, “Aram”) here rather than אֱדוֹם (’edom, “Edom”).
[60:1] 1403 sn The heading apparently refers to the military campaign recorded in 2 Sam 10 and 1 Chr 19.
[60:1] 1404 sn You have rejected us. See Pss 43:2; 44:9, 23.
[60:1] 1405 tn Heb “you broke out upon us, you were angry.”
[60:1] 1406 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
[60:2] 1407 tn The verb פָּצַם (patsam, “split open”) occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “crack,” and an Aramaic cognate is used in Tg. Jer 22:14 with the meaning “break open, frame.” See BDB 822 s.v. and Jastrow 1205 s.v. פְּצַם.
[60:2] sn You made the earth quake; you split it open. The psalmist uses the imagery of an earthquake to describe the nation’s defeat.
[60:2] 1408 sn It is ready to fall. The earth is compared to a wall that has been broken by the force of the earthquake (note the preceding line) and is ready to collapse.
[60:3] 1409 tn Heb “you have caused your people to see [what is] hard.”
[60:3] 1410 tn Heb “wine of staggering,” that is, intoxicating wine that makes one stagger in drunkenness. Intoxicating wine is here an image of divine judgment that makes its victims stagger like drunkards. See Isa 51:17-23.
[60:4] 1411 tn Heb “those who fear you.”
[60:4] 1412 tn There is a ray of hope in that God has allowed his loyal followers to rally under a battle flag. The translation assumes the verb is from the root נוּס (nus, “flee”) used here in the Hitpolel in the sense of “find safety for oneself” (HALOT 681 s.v. נוס) or “take flight for oneself” (BDB 630-31 s.v. נוּס). Another option is to take the verb as a denominative from נֵס (nes, “flag”) and translate “that it may be displayed” (BDB 651 s.v. II נסס) or “that they may assemble under the banner” (HALOT 704 s.v. II נסס). Here קֹשֶׁט (qoshet) is taken as an Aramaized form of קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “bow”; BDB 905-6 s.v. קֶשֶׁת), though some understand the homonymic קֹשְׁטְ (qosht, “truth”) here (see Prov 22:21; cf. NASB). If one follows the latter interpretation, the line may be translated, “so that they might assemble under the banner for the sake of truth.”
[60:5] 1413 tn Heb “right hand.”
[60:5] 1414 tn The Qere (marginal reading) has “me,” while the Kethib (consonantal text) has “us.”
[60:5] 1415 tn Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text, “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”
[60:6] 1416 tn Heb “in his holy place.”
[60:6] 1417 sn Shechem stands for the territory west of the Jordan, the Valley of Succoth for the region east of the Jordan.
[60:7] 1418 sn Gilead was located east of the Jordan. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.
[60:7] 1419 tn Heb “the protection of my head.”
[60:7] sn Ephraim, named after one of Joseph’s sons, was one of two major tribes located west of the Jordan. By comparing Ephraim to a helmet, the Lord suggests that the Ephraimites played a primary role in the defense of his land.
[60:7] 1420 sn Judah, like Ephraim, was the other major tribe west of the Jordan. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.
[60:8] 1421 sn The metaphor of the washbasin, used to rinse one’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 6-7), would be reduced to the status of a servant.
[60:8] 1422 tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of,” i.e., “I will take possession of Edom.” Others translate עַל (’al) as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.
[60:8] 1423 tc Heb “over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph.” The translation follows the text of Ps 108:9. When the initial עֲלֵיוֹ (’aleyo, “over”) was misread as עָלַי (’alay, “over me”), the first person verb form was probably altered to an imperative to provide better sense to the line.
[60:9] 1424 sn In v. 9 the psalmist speaks again and acknowledges his need for help in battle. He hopes God will volunteer, based on the affirmation of sovereignty over Edom in v. 8, but he is also aware that God has seemingly rejected the nation (v. 10, see also v. 1).
[60:11] 1425 tn Heb “and futile [is] the deliverance of man.”
[60:12] 1426 tn Heb “in God we will accomplish strength.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 108:13; 118:15-16).
[60:12] 1427 sn Trample down. On this expression see Ps 44:5.
[61:1] 1428 sn Psalm 61. The psalmist cries out for help and expresses his confidence that God will protect him.
[61:2] 1429 tn Heb “from the end of the earth.” This may indicate (1) the psalmist is exiled in a distant land, or (2) it may be hyperbolic (the psalmist feels alienated from God’s presence, as if he were in a distant land).
[61:2] 1430 tn Heb “while my heart faints.”
[61:2] 1431 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
[61:2] 1432 tn Heb “on to a rocky summit [that] is higher than I.”
[61:3] 1434 tn Or “have been.”
[61:3] 1435 tn Heb “a strong tower from the face of an enemy.”
[61:4] 1436 tn Heb “I will live as a resident alien in your tent permanently.” The cohortative is understood here as indicating resolve. Another option is to take it as expressing a request, “please let me live” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[61:4] 1437 sn I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.
[61:5] 1438 tn Heb “you grant the inheritance of those who fear your name.” “Inheritance” is normally used of land which is granted as an inheritance; here it refers metaphorically to the blessings granted God’s loyal followers. To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).
[61:6] 1439 tn Heb “days upon days of the king add, his years like generation and generation.”
[61:6] sn It is not certain if the (royal) psalmist is referring to himself in the third person in this verse, or if an exile is praying on behalf of the king.
[61:7] 1440 tn Heb “sit [enthroned].” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive here, expressing the psalmist’s prayer.
[61:7] 1441 tn Heb “loyal love and faithfulness appoint, let them protect him.”
[61:8] 1443 tn Or perhaps, “and thereby fulfill.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.
[62:1] 1444 sn Psalm 62. The psalmist expresses his unwavering confidence in God’s justice and in his ability to protect his people.
[62:1] 1445 tn Heb “only for God [is] there silence [to] my soul.”
[62:1] 1446 tn Heb “from him [is] my deliverance.”
[62:2] 1447 tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
[62:2] 1448 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
[62:2] 1449 tn The Hebrew text adds רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) at the end of the line. It is unusual for this adverb to follow a negated verb. Some see this as qualifying the assertion to some degree, but this would water down the affirmation too much (see v. 6b, where the adverb is omitted). If the adverb has a qualifying function, it would suggest that the psalmist might be upended, though not severely. This is inconsistent with the confident mood of the psalm. The adverb probably has an emphatic force here, “I will not be greatly upended” meaning “I will not be annihilated.”
[62:3] 1450 tn The verb form is plural; the psalmist addresses his enemies. The verb הוּת occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “shout at.”
[62:3] 1451 tn The Hebrew text has a Pual (passive) form, but the verb form should be vocalized as a Piel (active) form. See BDB 953-54 s.v. רָצַח.
[62:3] 1452 tn Heb “like a bent wall and a broken fence.” The point of the comparison is not entirely clear. Perhaps the enemies are depicted as dangerous, like a leaning wall or broken fence that is in danger of falling on someone (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:69).
[62:4] 1453 tn That is, the psalmist’s enemies addressed in the previous verse.
[62:4] 1454 tn That is, the generic “man” referred to in the previous verse.
[62:4] 1455 tn Heb “only from his lofty place [or perhaps, “dignity”] they plan to drive [him] away.”
[62:4] 1456 tn Heb “they delight [in] a lie.”
[62:4] 1457 sn The enemies use deceit to bring down their victim. They make him think they are his friends by pronouncing blessings upon him, but inwardly they desire his demise.
[62:5] 1458 tn Heb “only for God be silent, my soul.” The wording is similar to that of v. 1a. Here an imperatival form, דּוֹמִּי (dommiy, “be silent”), appears instead of the noun דּוּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”). The psalmist is encouraging himself to maintain his trust in God.
[62:5] 1459 tn Heb “for from him [is] my hope.”
[62:6] 1460 tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
[62:6] 1461 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
[62:6] 1462 sn The wording is identical to that of v. 2, except that רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) does not appear in v. 6.
[62:7] 1463 tn Heb “upon God [is] my deliverance and my glory, the high rocky summit of my strength, my shelter [is] in God.”
[62:8] 1464 tn To “pour out one’s heart” means to offer up to God intense, emotional lamentation and petitionary prayers (see Lam 2:19).
[62:9] 1465 tn Heb “only a breath [are] the sons of mankind, a lie [are] the sons of man.” The phrases “sons of mankind” and “sons of man” also appear together in Ps 49:2. Because of the parallel line there, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, a number of interpreters and translators treat these expressions as polar opposites, בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes. But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand the phrases as synonymous expressions.
[62:9] 1466 tn The noun הֶבֶל (hevel), translated “a breath” earlier in the verse, appears again here.
[62:10] 1467 tn Heb “do not trust in oppression.” Here “oppression” stands by metonymy for the riches that can be gained by oppressive measures, as the final line of the verse indicates.
[62:10] 1468 tn Heb “and in robbery do not place vain hope.” Here “robbery” stands by metonymy for the riches that can be gained by theft, as the next line of the verse indicates.
[62:10] 1469 tn Heb “[as for] wealth, when it bears fruit, do not set [your] heart [on it].”
[62:11] 1470 tn Heb “one God spoke, two which I heard.” This is a numerical saying utilizing the “x” followed by “x + 1” pattern to facilitate poetic parallelism. (See W. M. W. Roth, Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament [VTSup], 55-56.) As is typical in such sayings, a list corresponding to the second number (in this case “two”) follows. Another option is to translate, “God has spoken once, twice [he has spoken] that which I have heard.” The terms אַחַת (’akhat, “one; once”) and שְׁתַּיִם (shÿtayim, “two; twice”) are also juxtaposed in 2 Kgs 6:10 (where they refer to an action that was done more than “once or twice”) and in Job 33:14 (where they refer to God speaking “one way” and then in “another manner”).
[62:11] 1471 tn Heb “that strength [belongs] to God.”
[62:12] 1472 tn Heb “and to you, O Master, [is] loyal love.”
[62:12] 1473 tn Heb “for you pay back to a man according to his deed.” Another option is to understand vv. 11b and 12a as the first principle and v. 12b as the second. In this case one might translate, “God has declared one principle, two principles I have heard, namely, that God is strong, and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love, and that you repay men for what they do.”
[62:12] sn You repay men for what they do. The psalmist views God’s justice as a demonstration of both his power (see v. 11c) and his loyal love (see v. 12a). When God judges evildoers, he demonstrates loyal love to his people.
[63:1] 1474 sn Psalm 63. The psalmist expresses his intense desire to be in God’s presence and confidently affirms that God will judge his enemies.
[63:1] 1475 sn According to the psalm superscription David wrote the psalm while in the “wilderness of Judah.” Perhaps this refers to the period described in 1 Sam 23-24 or to the incident mentioned in 2 Sam 15:23.
[63:1] 1476 tn Or “I will seek you.”
[63:1] 1478 tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” This may picture the land as “faint” or “weary,” or it may allude to the effect this dry desert has on those who are forced to live in it.
[63:2] 1479 tn The Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used here to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4).
[63:2] 1480 tn The perfect verbal form is understood here as referring to a past experience which the psalmist desires to be repeated. Another option is to take the perfect as indicating the psalmist’s certitude that he will again stand in God’s presence in the sanctuary. In this case one can translate, “I will see you.”
[63:2] 1481 tn Heb “seeing.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.
[63:3] 1482 tn This line is understood as giving the basis for the praise promised in the following line. Another option is to take the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) as asseverative/emphasizing, “Indeed, your loyal love is better” (cf. NEB, which leaves the particle untranslated).
[63:3] 1483 tn The word “experiencing” is supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist does not speak here of divine loyal love in some abstract sense, but of loyal love revealed and experienced.
[63:4] 1484 tn Or perhaps “then.”
[63:4] 1485 sn I will lift up my hands. Lifting up one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer (see Ps 28:2; Lam 2:19) or respect (Ps 119:48).
[63:5] 1486 tn Heb “like fat and fatness.”
[63:5] 1488 tn Heb “and [with] lips of joy my mouth praises.”
[63:6] 1489 tn The Hebrew term אִם (’im) is used here in the sense of “when; whenever,” as in Ps 78:34.
[63:7] 1490 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[63:7] 1491 tn Heb “in the shadow of your wings.”
[63:8] 1492 tn Or “I.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[63:8] 1493 tn Heb “clings after.” The expression means “to pursue with determination” (see Judg 20:45; 1 Sam 14:22; 1 Chr 10:2; Jer 42:16).
[63:9] 1494 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] 1495 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.
[63:10] 1496 tn Heb “they will deliver him over to the sword.” The third masculine plural subject must be indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f) and the singular pronominal suffix either representative or distributive (emphasizing that each one will be so treated). Active verbs with indefinite subjects may be translated as passives with the object (in the Hebrew text) as subject (in the translation).
[63:10] 1497 tn Heb “they will be [the] portion of jackals”; traditionally, “of foxes.”
[63:11] 1498 sn The psalmist probably refers to himself in the third person here.
[63:11] 1499 tn Heb “who swears [an oath] by him.”
[63:11] 1500 tn The Niphal of this verb occurs only here and in Gen 8:2, where it is used of God “stopping” or “damming up” the great deep as he brought the flood to an end.
[64:1] 1501 sn Psalm 64. The psalmist asks God to protect him from his dangerous enemies and then confidently affirms that God will destroy his enemies and demonstrate his justice in the sight of all observers.
[64:1] 1502 tn Heb “my voice.”
[64:1] 1503 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s request.
[64:1] 1504 tn Heb “from the terror of [the] enemy.” “Terror” is used here metonymically for the enemy’s attacks that produce fear because they threaten the psalmist’s life.
[64:2] 1505 tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
[64:3] 1506 tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[64:3] 1507 tn Heb “a bitter word.”
[64:4] 1508 tn The psalmist uses the singular because he is referring to himself here as representative of a larger group.
[64:4] 1509 tn Heb “and are unafraid.” The words “of retaliation” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[64:5] 1510 tn Heb “they give strength to themselves, an evil matter [or “word”].”
[64:5] 1511 tn Heb “they report about hiding.”
[64:5] 1512 tn Heb “they say.”
[64:5] 1513 tn If this is a direct quotation (cf. NASB, NIV), the pronoun “them” refers to the snares mentioned in the previous line. If it is an indirect quotation, then the pronoun may refer to the enemies themselves (cf. NEB, which is ambiguous). Some translations retain the direct quotation but alter the pronoun to “us,” referring clearly to the enemies (cf. NRSV).
[64:6] 1514 tn Heb “search out, examine,” which here means (by metonymy) “devise.”
[64:6] 1515 tc The MT has תַּמְנוּ (tamnu, “we are finished”), a Qal perfect first common plural form from the verbal root תָּמַם (tamam). Some understand this as the beginning of a quotation of the enemies’ words and translate, “we have completed,” but the Hiphil would seem to be required in this case. The present translation follows many medieval Hebrew
[64:6] 1516 tn Heb “a searched-out search,” which is understood as referring here to a thoroughly planned plot to destroy the psalmist.
[64:6] 1517 tn Heb “and the inner part of man, and a heart [is] deep.” The point seems to be that a man’s inner thoughts are incapable of being discovered. No one is a mind reader! Consequently the psalmist is vulnerable to his enemies’ well-disguised plots.
[64:7] 1518 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive is normally used in narrative contexts to describe completed past actions. It is possible that the conclusion to the psalm (vv. 7-10) was added to the lament after God’s judgment of the wicked in response to the psalmist’s lament (vv. 1-6). The translation assumes that these verses are anticipatory and express the psalmist’s confidence that God would eventually judge the wicked. The psalmist uses a narrative style as a rhetorical device to emphasize his certitude. See GKC 329-30 §111.w.
[64:7] 1519 tn The perfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s certitude about the coming demise of the wicked.
[64:7] 1520 tn The translation follows the traditional accentuation of the MT. Another option is to translate, “But God will shoot them down with an arrow, suddenly they will be wounded” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
[64:8] 1521 tc The MT reads literally, “and they caused him to stumble, upon them, their tongue.” Perhaps the third plural subject of the verb is indefinite with the third singular pronominal suffix on the verb being distributive (see Ps 63:10). In this case one may translate, “each one will be made to stumble.” The preposition עַל (’al) might then be taken as adversative, “against them [is] their tongue.” Many prefer to emend the text to וַיַּכְשִׁילֵמוֹ עֲלֵי לְשׁוֹנָם (vayyakhshilemo ’aley lÿshonam, “and he caused them to stumble over their tongue”). However, if this reading is original, it is difficult to see how the present reading of the MT arose. Furthermore, the preposition is not collocated with the verb כָּשַׁל (kashal) elsewhere. It is likely that the MT is corrupt, but a satisfying emendation has not yet been proposed.
[64:8] 1522 tn The Hitpolel verbal form is probably from the root נוּד (nud; see HALOT 678 s.v. נוד), which is attested elsewhere in the Hitpolel stem, not the root נָדַד (nadad, as proposed by BDB 622 s.v. I נָדַד), which does not occur elsewhere in this stem.
[64:9] 1523 tc Many medieval Hebrew
[64:9] 1524 tn Heb “the work of God,” referring to the judgment described in v. 7.
[64:10] 1525 tn Heb “upright in heart.”
[64:10] 1526 tn That is, about the
[65:1] 1527 sn Psalm 65. The psalmist praises God because he forgives sin and blesses his people with an abundant harvest.
[65:1] 1528 tn Heb “for you, silence, praise.” Many prefer to emend the noun דֻּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”) to a participle דּוֹמִיָּה (domiyyah), from the root דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”), understood here in the sense of “wait.”
[65:2] 1529 tn Heb “O one who hears prayer.”
[65:2] 1530 tn Heb “to you all flesh comes.”
[65:3] 1531 tn Heb “the records of sins are too strong for me.”
[65:3] 1532 tn Or “make atonement for.”
[65:4] 1533 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; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[65:4] 1534 tn Heb “[whom] you bring near [so that] he might live [in] your courts.”
[65:5] 1536 tn Heb “[with] awesome acts in deliverance you answer us, O God of our salvation.”
[65:5] 1537 tn Heb “a source of confidence [for] all the ends of the earth.”
[65:5] sn All the ends of the earth trust in you. This idealistic portrayal of universal worship is typical hymnic hyperbole, though it does anticipate eschatological reality.
[65:5] 1538 tc Heb “and [the] distant sea.” The plural adjective is problematic after the singular form “sea.” One could emend יָם (yam, “sea”) to יָמִים (yamim, “seas”), or emend the plural form רְחֹקִים (rÿkhoqim, “far”) to the singular רָחֹק (rakhoq). In this case the final mem (ם) could be treated as dittographic; note the mem on the beginning of the first word in v. 6.
[65:6] 1539 tn Heb “[the] one who establishes [the] mountains by his power.”
[65:6] 1540 tn Heb “one [who] is girded with strength”; or “one [who] girds himself with strength.”
[65:7] 1541 tn Heb “the roar of the seas.”
[65:7] 1542 sn The raging seas…the commotion made by the nations. The raging seas symbolize the turbulent nations of the earth (see Ps 46:2-3, 6; Isa 17:12).
[65:8] 1543 tn Heb “and the inhabitants of the ends fear because of your signs.” God’s “signs” are the “awesome acts” (see v. 5) he performs in the earth.
[65:8] 1544 tn Heb “the goings out of the morning and the evening you cause to shout for joy.” The phrase “goings out of the morning and evening” refers to the sunrise and sunset, that is, the east and the west.
[65:9] 1545 tn The verb form is a Polel from שׁוּק (shuq, “be abundant”), a verb which appears only here and in Joel 2:24 and 3:13, where it is used in the Hiphil stem and means “overflow.”
[65:9] 1546 tn Heb “you greatly enrich it.”
[65:9] 1547 tn Heb “[with] a channel of God full of water.” The divine name is probably used here in a superlative sense to depict a very deep stream (“a stream fit for God,” as it were).
[65:9] 1548 tn The pronoun apparently refers to the people of the earth, mentioned in v. 8.
[65:9] 1549 tn Heb “for thus [referring to the provision of rain described in the first half of the verse] you prepare it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix attached to the verb “prepare” refers back to the “earth,” which is a feminine noun with regard to grammatical form.
[65:10] 1550 tn Heb “saturating” [the form is an infinitive absolute].
[65:10] 1551 tn Heb “flatten, cause to sink.”
[65:10] 1552 tn Heb “trenches,” or “furrows.”
[65:10] 1553 tn Heb “soften it,” that is, the earth.
[65:10] 1554 tn Heb “its vegetation you bless.” Divine “blessing” often involves endowing an object with special power or capacity.
[65:11] 1555 tn Heb “your good,” which refers here to agricultural blessings.
[65:11] 1556 tn Heb “and your paths drip with abundance.”
[65:12] 1558 tn That is, with rich vegetation that brings joy to those who see it.
[66:1] 1559 sn Psalm 66. The psalmist praises God because he has delivered his people from a crisis.
[66:2] 1560 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[66:2] 1561 tn Heb “make honorable his praise.”
[66:3] 1562 tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 81:15 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “be weak, powerless” (see also Ps 109:24).
[66:4] 1563 tn Or “bows down to.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are taken (1) as imperfects expressing what is typical. Another option (2) is to interpret them as anticipatory (“all the earth will worship you”) or (3) take them as jussives, expressing a prayer or wish (“may all the earth worship you”).
[66:5] 1565 tn Or “acts” (see Ps 46:8).
[66:5] 1566 tn Heb “awesome [is] an act toward the sons of man.” It is unclear how the prepositional phrase relates to what precedes. If collocated with “act,” it may mean “on behalf of” or “toward.” If taken with “awesome” (see 1 Chr 16:25; Pss 89:7; 96:4; Zeph 2:11), one might translate “his awesome acts are beyond human comprehension” or “his awesome acts are superior to anything men can do.”
[66:6] 1567 sn He turned the sea into dry land. The psalmist alludes to Israel’s crossing the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).
[66:6] 1568 tn Because of the reference to “the river,” some understand this as an allusion to Israel’s crossing the Jordan River. However, the Hebrew term נָהָר (nahad) does not always refer to a “river” in the technical sense; it can be used of sea currents (see Jonah 2:4). So this line may also refer to the Red Sea crossing (cf. NEB).
[66:6] 1569 tn The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here, as often in poetic texts, to point “to a spot in which a scene is localized vividly in the imagination” (BDB 1027 s.v.).
[66:7] 1570 tn Heb “[the] one who rules.”
[66:7] 1571 tn Heb “his eyes watch.” “Eyes” are an anthropomorphism, attributed to God here to emphasize his awareness of all that happens on earth.
[66:7] 1572 tn The verb form is jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ’al). The Kethib (consonantal text) has a Hiphil form of the verb, apparently to be understood in an exhibitive sense (“demonstrate stubborn rebellion”; see BDB 927 s.v. רוּם Hiph), while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Qal form, to be understood in an intransitive sense. The preposition -לְ (lamed) with pronominal suffix should be understood in a reflexive sense (“for themselves”) and indicates that the action is performed with the interest of the subject in mind.
[66:8] 1573 tn Heb “bless,” in the sense of declaring “God to be the source of…special power” (see HALOT 160 s.v. II ברך pi).
[66:8] 1574 tn Heb “cause the voice of his praise to be heard.”
[66:9] 1575 tn Heb “the one who places our soul in life.”
[66:11] 1577 tn Heb “you brought us into a net.” This rare word for “net” also occurs in Ezek 12:13; 13:21; 17:20.
[66:11] 1578 tn Heb “you placed suffering on our hips.” The noun מוּעָקָה (mu’aqah, “suffering”) occurs only here in the OT.
[66:12] 1579 tc The MT reads רְוָיָה (“saturation”) but this should be emended to רְוָחָה (rÿvakhah, “wide open place”; i.e., “relief”), a reading supported by several ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Jerome, Targum).
[66:13] 1580 sn Here the psalmist switches to the singular; he speaks as the representative of the nation.
[66:16] 1581 tn Heb “all of the fearers of God.”
[66:17] 1582 tn Heb “to him [with] my mouth I called.”
[66:17] 1583 tn Heb “and he was extolled under my tongue.” The form רוֹמַם (romam) appears to be a polal (passive) participle from רוּם (rum, “be exalted”), but many prefer to read רוֹמָם, “high praise [was under my tongue]” (cf. NEB). See BDB 928 s.v. רוֹמָם.
[66:18] 1584 tn Heb “sin if I had seen in my heart.”
[66:20] 1585 tn Heb “blessed [be] God.”
[66:20] 1586 tn Or “who.” In a blessing formula after בָּרוּךְ (barukh, “blessed be”) the form אֲשֶׁר (’asher), whether taken as a relative pronoun or causal particle, introduces the basis for the blessing/praise.
[66:20] 1587 tn Heb “did not turn aside my prayer and his loyal love with me.”
[67:1] 1588 sn Psalm 67. The psalmist prays for God’s blessing upon his people and urges the nations to praise him for he is the just ruler of the world.
[67:1] 1589 tn Or “have mercy on us.”
[67:1] 1590 tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. Note the jussive form יָאֵר (ya’er) in the next line.
[67:1] 1591 tn Heb “may he cause his face to shine with us.”
[67:2] 1592 tn Heb “to know in the earth your way, among all nations your deliverance.” The infinitive with -לְ (lamed) expresses purpose/result. When God demonstrates his favor to his people, all nations will recognize his character as a God who delivers. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) refers here to God’s characteristic behavior, more specifically, to the way he typically saves his people.
[67:3] 1593 tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in vv. 3-4a are understood as jussives in this call to praise.
[67:4] 1595 tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and [as for the] peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule…and govern”).
[67:5] 1596 tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 5 are understood as jussives in this call to praise.
[67:7] 1597 tn The prefixed verb forms in vv. 6b-7a are understood as jussives.
[67:7] 1598 tn Heb “will fear him.” After the jussive of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive is understood as indicating purpose/result. (Note how v. 3 anticipates the universal impact of God showing his people blessing.) Another option is to take the verb as a jussive and translate, “Let all the ends of the earth fear him.”
[68:1] 1599 sn Psalm 68. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior and celebrates the fact that God exerts his power on behalf of his people.
[68:1] 1600 tn Or “rises up.” The verb form is an imperfect, not a jussive. The psalmist is describing God’s appearance in battle in a dramatic fashion.
[68:1] 1601 tn Heb “those who hate him.”
[68:1] 1602 sn The wording of v. 1 echoes the prayer in Num 10:35: “Spring into action,
[68:2] 1603 tn Heb “as smoke is scattered, you scatter [them].”
[68:3] 1604 tn By placing the subject first the psalmist highlights the contrast between God’s ecstatic people and his defeated enemies (vv. 1-2).
[68:3] 1605 tn Heb “and they are happy with joy” (cf. NEB). Some translate the prefixed verbal forms of v. 3 as jussives, “Let the godly be happy, let them rejoice before God, and let them be happy with joy!” (Cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV; note the call to praise in v. 4.)
[68:4] 1606 tn Traditionally the Hebrew term עֲרָבוֹת (’aravot) is taken as “steppe-lands” (often rendered “deserts”), but here the form is probably a homonym meaning “clouds.” Verse 33, which depicts God as the one who “rides on the sky” strongly favors this (see as well Deut 33:26), as does the reference in v. 9 to God as the source of rain. The term עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “cloud”) is cognate with Akkadian urpatu/erpetu and with Ugaritic ’rpt. The phrase rkb ’rpt (“one who rides on the clouds”) appears in Ugaritic mythological texts as an epithet of the storm god Baal. The nonphonemic interchange of the bilabial consonants b and p is attested elsewhere in roots common to Hebrew and Ugaritic, though the phenomenon is relatively rare.
[68:4] 1607 tc Heb “in the
[68:5] 1608 sn God is depicted here as a just ruler. In the ancient Near Eastern world a king was responsible for promoting justice, including caring for the weak and vulnerable, epitomized by the fatherless and widows.
[68:5] 1609 tn Heb “God [is] in his holy dwelling place.” He occupies his throne and carries out his royal responsibilities.
[68:6] 1610 tn Heb “God causes the solitary ones to dwell in a house.” The participle suggests this is what God typically does.
[68:6] 1611 tn Heb “he brings out prisoners into prosperity.” Another option is to translate, “he brings out prisoners with singing” (cf. NIV). The participle suggests this is what God typically does.
[68:6] 1612 tn Or “in a parched [land].”
[68:6] sn God delivers the downtrodden and oppressed, but sinful rebels who oppose his reign are treated appropriately.
[68:7] 1613 tn Heb “when you go out before your people.” The Hebrew idiom “go out before” is used here in a militaristic sense of leading troops into battle (see Judg 4:14; 9:39; 2 Sam 5:24).
[68:7] 1614 sn When you march through the desert. Some interpreters think that v. 7 alludes to Israel’s exodus from Egypt and its subsequent travels in the desert. Another option is that v. 7, like v. 8, echoes Judg 5:4, which describes how the God of Sinai marched across the desert regions to do battle with Sisera and his Canaanite army.
[68:8] 1615 tn Heb “this one of Sinai.” The phrase is a divine title, perhaps indicating that the
[68:8] 1616 sn The language of vv. 7-8 is reminiscent of Judg 5:4-5, which tells how the God of Sinai came in the storm and annihilated the Canaanite forces led by Sisera. The presence of allusion does not mean, however, that this is a purely historical reference. The psalmist is describing God’s typical appearance as a warrior in terms of his prior self-revelation as ancient events are reactualized in the psalmist’s experience. (For a similar literary technique, see Hab 3.)
[68:9] 1617 tn The verb נוּף (nuf, “cause rain to fall”) is a homonym of the more common נוּף (“brandish”).
[68:9] 1618 tn Heb “[on] your inheritance.” This refers to Israel as God’s specially chosen people (see Pss 28:9; 33:12; 74:2; 78:62, 71; 79:1; 94:5, 14; 106:40). Some take “your inheritance” with what follows, but the vav (ו) prefixed to the following word (note וְנִלְאָה, vÿnil’ah) makes this syntactically unlikely.
[68:9] 1619 tn Heb “it [is],” referring to God’s “inheritance.”
[68:9] 1620 tn Heb “it,” referring to God’s “inheritance.”
[68:10] 1621 tn The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear; it appears to read, “your animals, they live in it,” but this makes little, if any, sense in this context. Some suggest that חָיָּה (khayah) is a rare homonym here, meaning “community” (BDB 312 s.v.) or “dwelling place” (HALOT 310 s.v. III *הַיָּה). In this case one may take “your community/dwelling place” as appositional to the third feminine singular pronominal suffix at the end of v. 9, the antecedent of which is “your inheritance.” The phrase יָשְׁבוּ־בָהּ (yashvu-vah, “they live in it”) may then be understood as an asyndetic relative clause modifying “your community/dwelling place.” A literal translation of vv. 9b-10a would be, “when it [your inheritance] is tired, you sustain it, your community/dwelling place in [which] they live.”
[68:11] 1622 tn Heb “gives a word.” Perhaps this refers to a divine royal decree or battle cry.
[68:11] 1623 tn Heb “the ones spreading the good news [are] a large army.” The participle translated “the ones spreading the good news” is a feminine plural form. Apparently the good news here is the announcement that enemy kings have been defeated (see v. 12).
[68:12] 1624 tn The verbal repetition draws attention to the statement.
[68:12] 1625 tn The Hebrew form appears to be the construct of נוּה (nuh, “pasture”) but the phrase “pasture of the house” makes no sense here. The translation assumes that the form is an alternative or corruption of נצוה (“beautiful woman”). A reference to a woman would be appropriate in light of v. 11b.
[68:13] 1627 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “sheepfolds” is uncertain. There may be an echo of Judg 5:16 here.
[68:13] 1628 tn Heb “and her pinions with the yellow of gold.”
[68:13] sn The point of the imagery of v. 13 is not certain, though the reference to silver and gold appears to be positive. Both would be part of the loot carried away from battle (see v. 12b).
[68:14] 1629 tn The divine name used here is שַׁדַּי (“Shaddai”). Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king/judge of the world who grants life, blesses and kills, and judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses (protects) and takes away life and/or happiness.
[68:14] 1630 tn The Hebrew text adds “in it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix may refer back to God’s community/dwelling place (v. 10).
[68:14] 1631 tn The verb form appears to be a Hiphil jussive from שָׁלַג (shalag), which is usually understood as a denominative verb from שֶׁלֶג (sheleg, “snow”) with an indefinite subject. The form could be taken as a preterite, in which case one might translate, “when the sovereign judge scattered kings, it snowed on Zalmon” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The point of the image is unclear. Perhaps “snow” suggests fertility and blessing (see v. 9 and Isa 55:10), or the image of a snow-capped mountain suggests grandeur.
[68:14] sn Zalmon was apparently a mountain in the region, perhaps the one mentioned in Judg 9:46 as being in the vicinity of Shechem.
[68:15] 1632 sn The mountain of Bashan probably refers to Mount Hermon.
[68:15] 1633 tn Heb “a mountain of God.” The divine name is probably used here in a superlative sense to depict a very high mountain (“a mountain fit for God,” as it were). Cf. NIV “are majestic mountains”; NRSV “O mighty mountain.”
[68:15] 1634 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term, which appears only here in the OT, is uncertain. HALOT 174 s.v. גַּבְנוֹן suggests “many-peaked,” while BDB 148 s.v. גַּבְנִן suggests “rounded summit.”
[68:16] 1635 tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb רָצַד (ratsad), translated here “look with envy,” is uncertain; it occurs only here in the OT. See BDB 952-53. A cognate verb occurs in later Aramaic with the meaning “to lie in wait; to watch” (Jastrow 1492 s.v. רְצַד).
[68:16] 1636 tn Perhaps the apparent plural form should be read as a singular with enclitic mem (ם; later misinterpreted as a plural ending). The preceding verse has the singular form.
[68:16] 1637 tn Heb “[at] the mountain God desires for his dwelling place.” The reference is to Mount Zion/Jerusalem.
[68:16] 1638 tn The Hebrew particle אַף (’af) has an emphasizing function here.
[68:16] 1639 tn The word “there” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[68:17] 1640 tn Heb “thousands of [?].” The meaning of the word שִׁנְאָן (shin’an), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Perhaps the form should be emended to שַׁאֲנָן (sha’anan, “at ease”) and be translated here “held in reserve.”
[68:17] 1641 tc The MT reads, “the Lord [is] among them, Sinai, in holiness,” which is syntactically difficult. The present translation assumes an emendation to אֲדֹנָי בָּא מִסִּינַי (’adonay ba’ missinay; see BHS note b-b and Deut 33:2).
[68:18] 1642 tn Heb “to the elevated place”; or “on high.” This probably refers to the Lord’s throne on Mount Zion.
[68:18] 1643 tn Heb “you have taken captives captive.”
[68:18] 1646 tn Heb “so that the
[68:19] 1647 tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord.”
[68:19] 1648 tn It is possible to take this phrase with what precedes (“The Lord deserves praise day after day”) rather than with what follows.
[68:20] 1649 tn Heb “and to the
[68:21] 1650 tn Heb “the hairy forehead of the one who walks about in his guilt.” The singular is representative.
[68:22] 1651 tn That is, the enemies mentioned in v. 21. Even if they retreat to distant regions, God will retrieve them and make them taste his judgment.
[68:23] 1652 tc Some (e.g. NRSV) prefer to emend מָחַץ (makhats, “smash; stomp”; see v. 21) to רָחַץ (rakhats, “bathe”; see Ps 58:10).
[68:23] 1653 tn Heb “[and] the tongue of your dogs from [the] enemies [may eat] its portion.”
[68:24] 1654 tn The subject is probably indefinite, referring to bystanders in general who witness the procession.
[68:24] 1655 tn The Hebrew text has simply “in holiness.” The words “who marches along” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[68:25] 1656 tn Heb “after [are] the stringed instrument players.”
[68:25] 1657 sn To celebrate a military victory, women would play tambourines (see Exod 15:20; Judg 11:34; 1 Sam 18:6).
[68:26] 1658 tn Heb “from the fountain of Israel,” which makes little, if any, sense here. The translation assumes an emendation to בְּמִקְרָאֵי (bÿmiqra’ey, “in the assemblies of [Israel]”).
[68:27] 1659 sn Little Benjamin, their ruler. This may allude to the fact that Israel’s first king, Saul, was from the tribe of Benjamin.
[68:27] 1660 tc The MT reads רִגְמָתָם (rigmatam), which many derive from רָגַם (ragam, “to kill by stoning”) and translates, “[in] their heaps,” that is, in large numbers.
[68:28] 1661 tn Heb “God has commanded your strength.” The statement is apparently addressed to Israel (see v. 26).
[68:29] 1662 tn Heb “Be strong, O God, [you] who have acted for us, from your temple in Jerusalem.”
[68:29] map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[68:30] 1663 tn The Hebrew verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts such as Ps 68 this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Ps 106:9 and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
[68:30] 1664 sn The wild beast of the reeds probably refers to a hippopotamus, which in turn symbolizes the nation of Egypt.
[68:30] 1665 tn Heb “an assembly of bulls, with calves of the nations.”
[68:30] 1666 tn Heb “humbling himself.” The verb form is a Hitpael participle from the root רָפַס (rafas, “to trample”). The Hitpael of this verb appears only here and in Prov 6:3, where it seems to mean, “humble oneself,” a nuance that fits nicely in this context. The apparent subject is “wild beast” or “assembly,” though both of these nouns are grammatically feminine, while the participle is a masculine form. Perhaps one should emend the participial form to a masculine plural (מִתְרַפִּם, mitrapim) and understand “bulls” or “calves” as the subject.
[68:30] 1667 tc Heb “with pieces [?] of silver.” The meaning of the Hebrew term רַצֵּי (ratsey) is unclear. It is probably best to emend the text to בֶּצֶר וְכָסֶף (betser vÿkhasef, “[with] gold and silver”).
[68:30] 1668 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[68:30] 1669 tn The verb בָּזַר (bazar) is an alternative form of פָּזַר (pazar, “scatter”).
[68:31] 1670 tn This noun, which occurs only here in the OT, apparently means “red cloth” or “bronze articles” (see HALOT 362 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NEB “tribute”). Traditionally the word has been taken to refer to “nobles” (see BDB 365 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NIV “envoys”). Another option would be to emend the text to הַשְׁמַנִּים (hashmannim, “the robust ones,” i.e., leaders).
[68:31] 1672 tn Heb “causes its hands to run,” which must mean “quickly stretches out its hands” (to present tribute).
[68:33] 1673 tc Heb “to the one who rides through the skies of skies of ancient times.” If the MT is retained, one might translate, “to the one who rides through the ancient skies.” (שְׁמֵי [shÿmey, “skies of”] may be accidentally repeated.) The present translation assumes an emendation to בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִקֶּדֶם (bashamayim miqqedem, “[to the one who rides] through the sky from ancient times”), that is, God has been revealing his power through the storm since ancient times.
[68:33] 1674 tn Heb “he gives his voice a strong voice.” In this context God’s “voice” is the thunder that accompanies the rain (see vv. 8-9, as well as Deut 33:26).
[68:34] 1675 tn Heb “give strength to God.”
[68:34] 1676 sn The language of v. 34 echoes that of Deut 33:26.
[68:35] 1677 tn Heb “awesome [is] God from his holy places.” The plural of מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash, “holy places”) perhaps refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 73:17; Jer 51:51).
[68:35] 1678 tn Heb “the God of Israel, he.”
[68:35] 1679 tn Heb “blessed [be] God.”
[69:1] 1680 sn Psalm 69. The psalmist laments his oppressed condition and asks the Lord to deliver him by severely judging his enemies.
[69:1] 1681 tn Heb “according to lilies.” See the superscription to Ps 45.
[69:1] 1682 tn The Hebrew term נפשׁ (nefesh) here refers to the psalmist’s throat or neck. The psalmist compares himself to a helpless, drowning man.
[69:2] 1683 tn Heb “and there is no place to stand.”
[69:2] 1684 tn Heb “have entered.”
[69:3] 1685 tn Or perhaps “raw”; Heb “burned; enflamed.”
[69:3] 1686 tn Heb “my eyes fail from waiting for my God.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision.
[69:4] 1687 tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Pss 35:19; 38:19).
[69:4] 1688 tn The Hebrew verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority; note the parallel verb רָבַב (ravav, “be many”).
[69:4] 1689 tn Heb “that which I did not steal, then I restore.” Apparently אָז (’az, “then”) is used here to emphasize the verb that follows.
[69:4] sn They make me repay what I did not steal. The psalmist’s enemies falsely accuse him and hold him accountable for alleged crimes he did not even commit.
[69:5] 1690 tn Heb “you know my foolishness.”
[69:5] 1691 sn The psalmist is the first to admit that he is not perfect. But even so, he is innocent of the allegations which his enemies bring against him (v. 5b). God, who is aware of his foolish sins and guilt, can testify to the truth of his claim.
[69:6] 1692 tn Heb “O Master,
[69:7] 1693 tn Heb “carry, bear.”
[69:7] 1694 tn Heb “on account of you.”
[69:7] 1695 tn Heb “and shame covers my face.”
[69:8] 1696 tn Heb “and I am estranged to my brothers, and a foreigner to the sons of my mother.”
[69:9] 1697 tn Or “for.” This verse explains that the psalmist’s suffering is due to his allegiance to God.
[69:9] 1698 tn Or “devotion to.”
[69:9] 1699 sn God’s house, the temple, here represents by metonymy God himself.
[69:9] 1700 tn Heb “the insults of those who insult you fall upon me.”
[69:9] sn Jn 2:17 applies the first half of this verse to Jesus’ ministry in the context of John’s account of Jesus cleansing the temple.
[69:10] 1701 sn Fasting was a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
[69:10] 1702 tn Heb “and it becomes insults to me.”
[69:11] 1703 tn Heb “and I am an object of ridicule to them.”
[69:12] 1704 tn Heb “the mocking songs of the drinkers of beer.”
[69:13] 1705 tn Heb “as for me, [may] my prayer be to you, O
[69:13] 1706 tn Heb “O God, in the abundance of your loyal love, answer me in the faithfulness of your deliverance.”
[69:14] 1707 tn Heb “let me be delivered.”
[69:15] 1708 tn Heb “well,” which here symbolizes the place of the dead (cf. Ps 55:23).
[69:15] 1709 tn Heb “do not let the well close its mouth upon me.”
[69:16] 1710 tn Or “pleasant”; or “desirable.”
[69:17] 1711 tn Heb “do not hide your face from.” The Hebrew idiom “hide the face” can (1) mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
[69:18] 1713 tn Heb “come near my life and redeem it.” The verb “redeem” casts the
[69:19] 1714 tn Heb “before you [are] all my enemies.”
[69:20] 1715 tn Heb “break my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the origin of the psalmist’s emotions.
[69:20] 1716 tn The verb form appears to be a Qal preterite from an otherwise unattested root נוּשׁ (nush), which some consider an alternate form of אָנַשׁ (’anash, “be weak; be sick”; see BDB 60 s.v. I אָנַשׁ). Perhaps the form should be emended to a Niphal, וָאֵאָנְשָׁה (va’e’onshah, “and I am sick”). The Niphal of אָנַשׁ occurs in 2 Sam 12:15, where it is used to describe David’s sick child.
[69:20] 1718 tn Heb “and I wait for sympathy, but there is none.” The form נוּד (nud) is an infinitive functioning as a verbal noun:, “sympathizing.” Some suggest emending the form to a participle נָד (nad, “one who shows sympathy”). The verb נוּד (nud) also has the nuance “show sympathy” in Job 2:11; 42:11 and Isa 51:19.
[69:21] 1719 tn According to BDB 912 s.v. II רֹאשׁ the term can mean “a bitter and poisonous plant.”
[69:21] 1720 sn John 19:28-30 appears to understand Jesus’ experience on the cross as a fulfillment of this passage (or Ps 22:15). See the study note on the word “thirsty” in John 19:28.
[69:22] 1721 tc Heb “and to the friends for a snare.” The plural of שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is used in Ps 55:20 of one’s “friends.” If the reading of the MT is retained here, the term depicts the psalmist’s enemies as a close-knit group of friends who are bound together by their hatred for the psalmist. Some prefer to revocalize the text as וּלְשִׁלּוּמִים (ulÿshillumim, “and for retribution”). In this case the noun stands parallel to פַּח (pakh, “trap”) and מוֹקֵשׁ (moqesh, “snare”), and one might translate, “may their dining table become a trap before them, [a means of] retribution and a snare” (cf. NIV).
[69:23] 1722 tn Heb “may their eyes be darkened from seeing.”
[69:23] 1723 tn Heb “make their hips shake continually.”
[69:24] 1724 tn Heb “anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger.
[69:24] 1725 tn Heb “the rage of your anger.” The phrase “rage of your anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971), 17-81.
[69:25] 1726 tn Heb “in their tents may there not be one who dwells.”
[69:25] sn In Acts 1:20 Peter applies the language of this verse to Judas’ experience. By changing the pronouns from plural to singular, he is able to apply the ancient curse, pronounced against the psalmist’s enemies, to Judas in particular.
[69:26] 1727 tn Or “persecute”; Heb “chase.”
[69:26] 1728 tn Heb “for you, the one whom you strike, they chase.”
[69:26] 1729 tn Heb “they announce the pain of your wounded ones” (i.e., “the ones whom you wounded,” as the parallel line makes clear).
[69:26] sn The psalmist is innocent of the false charges made by his enemies (v. 4), but he is also aware of his sinfulness (v. 5) and admits that he experiences divine discipline (v. 26) despite his devotion to God (v. 9). Here he laments that his enemies take advantage of such divine discipline by harassing and slandering him. They “kick him while he’s down,” as the expression goes.
[69:27] 1730 tn Heb “place sin upon their sin.”
[69:27] 1731 tn Heb “let them not come into your vindication.”
[69:28] 1732 tn Heb “let them be wiped out of the scroll of the living.”
[69:28] sn The phrase the scroll of the living occurs only here in the OT. It pictures a scroll or census list containing the names of the citizens of a community. When an individual died, that person’s name was removed from the list. So this curse is a very vivid way of asking that the enemies die.
[69:28] 1733 tn Heb “and with the godly let them not be written.”
[69:28] sn Do not let their names be listed with the godly. This curse pictures a scroll in which God records the names of his loyal followers. The psalmist makes the point that his enemies have no right to be included in this list of the godly.
[69:29] 1734 tn Heb “your deliverance, O God, may it protect me.”
[69:30] 1735 tn Heb “I will praise the name of God with a song.”
[69:30] 1736 tn Heb “I will magnify him with thanks.”
[69:32] 1737 sn You who seek God refers to those who seek to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him (see Ps 53:2).
[69:32] 1738 tn Heb “may your heart[s] live.” See Ps 22:26.
[69:33] 1739 tn Heb “his prisoners he does not despise.”
[69:35] 1740 tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[69:35] 1741 tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to “Zion” (see Pss 48:12; 102:14); thus the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[69:36] 1742 tn Heb “the lovers of his name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to God (cf. v. 35). See Pss 5:11; 119:132; Isa 56:6.
[69:36] 1743 sn Verses 35-36 appear to be an addition to the psalm from the time of the exile. The earlier lament reflects an individual’s situation, while these verses seem to reflect a communal application of it.
