Mazmur 3:5

3:5 I rested and slept;

I awoke, ¹  for the Lord protects ²  me.

Mazmur 10:10

10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;

they are trapped in his sturdy nets. ³ 

Mazmur 22:19

22:19 But you, O Lord, do not remain far away!

You are my source of strength! ⁴  Hurry and help me! ⁵ 

Mazmur 35:11

35:11 Violent men perjure themselves, ⁶ 

and falsely accuse me. ⁷ 

Mazmur 37:3

37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!

Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! ⁸ 

Mazmur 37:11

37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land

and enjoy great prosperity. ⁹ 

Mazmur 48:3

48:3 God is in its fortresses;

he reveals himself as its defender. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 76:8

76:8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be. ¹¹ 

The earth ¹²  was afraid and silent

Mazmur 87:1

Psalm 87 ¹³ 

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.

87:1 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 101:4

101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; ¹⁵ 

I will not permit ¹⁶  evil.

Mazmur 102:7

102:7 I stay awake; ¹⁷ 

I am like a solitary bird on a roof.

Mazmur 109:19

109:19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on, ¹⁸ 

or a belt ¹⁹  one wears continually!

Mazmur 114:5

114:5 Why do you flee, O sea?

Why do you turn back, O Jordan River?

Mazmur 130:3

130:3 If you, O Lord, were to keep track of ²⁰  sins,

O Lord, who could stand before you? ²¹ 

Mazmur 139:24

139:24 See if there is any idolatrous tendency ²²  in me,

and lead me in the reliable ancient path! ²³ 

[3:5]  ¹ tn The three verbal forms that appear in succession here (perfect + vav [ו] consecutive with preterite + perfect) are most naturally taken as narrational. When the psalmist received an assuring word from the Lord, he was able to sleep calmly. Because the Lord was protecting him, he awoke safely from his sleep.

[3:5]  ² tn Or “supports”; “sustains.” In this explanatory causal clause the imperfect verbal form probably has a habitual or present progressive nuance, for the psalmist is confident of God’s continual protection (see v. 3). Another option is to take the verb as a preterite, “for the Lord protected me.” In this case, the psalmist focuses specifically on the protection God provided while he slept.

[10:10]  ³ tn Heb “he crushes, he is bowed down, and he falls into his strong [ones], [the] unfortunate [ones].” This verse presents several lexical and syntactical difficulties. The first word (יִדְכֶּה, yidekeh) is an otherwise unattested Qal form of the verb דָּכָה (dakhah, “crush”). (The Qere [marginal] form is imperfect; the consonantal text [Kethib] has the perfect with a prefixed conjunction vav [ו].) If the wicked man’s victim is the subject, which seems to be the case (note the two verbs which follow), then the form should be emended to a Niphal (יִדָּכֶה, yiddakheh). The phrase בַּעֲצוּמָיו (ba’atsumayv, “into his strong [ones]”), poses interpretive problems. The preposition -בְּ (bet) follows the verb נָפַל (nafal, “fall”), so it may very well carry the nuance “into” here, with “his strong [ones]” then referring to something into which the oppressed individual falls. Since a net is mentioned in the preceding verse as the instrument used to entrap the victim, it is possible that “strong [ones]” here refers metonymically to the wicked man’s nets or traps. Ps 35:8 refers to a man falling into a net (רֶשֶׁת, reshet), as does Ps 141:10 (where the plural of מִכְמָר [mikhmar, “net”] is used). A hunter’s net (רֶשֶׁת), is associated with snares (פַּח [pakh], מֹקְשִׁים, [moqÿshim]) and ropes (חֲבָלִים, khavalim) in Ps 140:5. The final word in the verse (חֶלְכָּאִים (khelka’im, “unfortunate [ones]”) may be an alternate form of חֵלְכָח (khelkhakh, “unfortunate [one]”; see vv. 8, 14). The Qere (marginal reading) divides the form into two words, חֵיל כָּאִים (khel ka’im, “army/host of disheartened [ones]”). The three verb forms in v. 10 are singular because the representative “oppressed” individual is the grammatical subject (see the singular עָנִי [’aniy] in v. 9).

[22:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “O my strength.”

[22:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “hurry to my help.”

[35:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”

[35:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “[that] which I do not know they ask me.”

[37:3]  ⁸ 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.

[37:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”

[48:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he is known for an elevated place.”

[76:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a [legal] decision,” or “sentence.”

[76:8]  ¹² tn “The earth” stands here by metonymy for its inhabitants.

[87:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.

[87:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “his foundation [is] in the hills of holiness.” The expression “his foundation” refers here by metonymy to the Lord’s dwelling place in Zion. The “hills” are the ones surrounding Zion (see Pss 125:2; 133:3).

[101:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse (see Ps 18:26). It appears frequently in the Book of Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6).

[101:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.

[102:7]  ¹⁷ tn This probably refers to the psalmist’s inability to sleep. Another option is to translate, “I keep watch,” in which case it might refer to watching for a response from the Lord (see vv. 1-2).

[109:19]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “may it be for him like a garment one puts on.”

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

[130:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “observe.”

[130:3]  ²¹ tn The words “before you” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one.”

[139:24]  ²² tn Many understand the Hebrew term עֹצֶב (’otsev) as a noun meaning “pain,” and translate the phrase דֶּרֶךְ עֹצֶב (derekh ’otsev) as “of pain,” but this makes little sense here. (Some interpret it to refer to actions which bring pain to others.) It is preferable to take עֹצֶב as “idol” (see HALOT 865 s.v. I עֹצֶב) and understand “way of an idol” to refer to idolatrous actions or tendency. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.

[139:24]  ²³ tn Heb “in the path of antiquity.” This probably refers to the moral path prescribed by the Lord at the beginning of Israel’s history. See Jer 6:16; 18:15, as well as L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.