Mazmur 3:8

3:8 The Lord delivers; ¹ 

you show favor to your people. ²  (Selah)

Mazmur 7:8

7:8 The Lord judges the nations. ³ 

Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent, ⁴ 

because I am blameless, ⁵  O Exalted One! ⁶ 

Mazmur 9:19

9:19 Rise up, Lord! ⁷ 

Don’t let men be defiant! ⁸ 

May the nations be judged in your presence!

Mazmur 17:8

17:8 Protect me as you would protect the pupil of your eye! ⁹ 

Hide me in the shadow of your wings! ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 25:16

25:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,

for I am alone ¹¹  and oppressed!

Mazmur 26:8

26:8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live, ¹² 

the place where your splendor is revealed. ¹³ 

Mazmur 26:11

26:11 But I have integrity! ¹⁴ 

Rescue me ¹⁵  and have mercy on me!

Mazmur 31:6

31:6 I hate those who serve worthless idols, ¹⁶ 

but I trust in the Lord.

Mazmur 34:13

34:13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words ¹⁷ 

or use deceptive speech! ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 37:3

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

Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 37:5-6

37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! ²⁰ 

Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. ²¹ 

37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,

and publicly defend your just cause. ²² 

Mazmur 39:7

39:7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?

You are my only hope! ²³ 

Mazmur 49:16

49:16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich ²⁴ 

and his wealth multiplies! ²⁵ 

Mazmur 51:18

51:18 Because you favor Zion, do what is good for her! ²⁶ 

Fortify ²⁷  the walls of Jerusalem! ²⁸ 

Mazmur 57:7

57:7 I am determined, ²⁹  O God! I am determined!

I will sing and praise you!

Mazmur 65:6

65:6 You created the mountains by your power, ³⁰ 

and demonstrated your strength. ³¹ 

Mazmur 69:27

69:27 Hold them accountable for all their sins! ³² 

Do not vindicate them! ³³ 

Mazmur 72:1

Psalm 72 ³⁴ 

For ³⁵  Solomon.

72:1 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions! ³⁶ 

Grant the king’s son ³⁷  the ability to make fair decisions! ³⁸ 

Mazmur 72:5

72:5 People will fear ³⁹  you ⁴⁰  as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,

for generation after generation. ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 74:10

74:10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults?

Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?

Mazmur 83:10

83:10 They were destroyed at Endor; ⁴² 

their corpses were like manure ⁴³  on the ground.

Mazmur 86:4

86:4 Make your servant ⁴⁴  glad,

for to you, O Lord, I pray! ⁴⁵ 

Mazmur 88:18

88:18 You cause my friends and neighbors to keep their distance; ⁴⁶ 

those who know me leave me alone in the darkness. ⁴⁷ 

Mazmur 90:11

90:11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger? ⁴⁸ 

Your raging fury causes people to fear you. ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 94:21

94:21 They conspire against ⁵⁰  the blameless, ⁵¹ 

and condemn to death the innocent. ⁵² 

Mazmur 103:5

103:5 who satisfies your life with good things, ⁵³ 

so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s. ⁵⁴ 

Mazmur 104:26

104:26 The ships travel there,

and over here swims the whale ⁵⁵  you made to play in it.

Mazmur 106:1

Psalm 106 ⁵⁶ 

106:1 Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

and his loyal love endures! ⁵⁷ 

Mazmur 106:10

106:10 He delivered them from the power ⁵⁸  of the one who hated them,

and rescued ⁵⁹  them from the power ⁶⁰  of the enemy.

Mazmur 107:2

107:2 Let those delivered by the Lord speak out, ⁶¹ 

those whom he delivered ⁶²  from the power ⁶³  of the enemy,

Mazmur 109:26

109:26 Help me, O Lord my God!

Because you are faithful to me, deliver me! ⁶⁴ 

Mazmur 110:5

110:5 O sovereign Lord, ⁶⁵  at your right hand

he strikes down ⁶⁶  kings in the day he unleashes his anger. ⁶⁷ 

Mazmur 116:17

116:17 I will present a thank offering to you,

and call on the name of the Lord.

Mazmur 118:26

118:26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord ⁶⁸  be blessed!

We will pronounce blessings on you ⁶⁹  in the Lord’s temple. ⁷⁰ 

Mazmur 119:11

119:11 In my heart I store up ⁷¹  your words, ⁷² 

so I might not sin against you.

Mazmur 119:17

ג (Gimel)

119:17 Be kind to your servant!

Then I will live ⁷³  and keep ⁷⁴  your instructions. ⁷⁵ 

Mazmur 119:31

119:31 I hold fast ⁷⁶  to your rules.

O Lord, do not let me be ashamed!

Mazmur 119:41

ו (Vav)

119:41 May I experience your loyal love, ⁷⁷  O Lord,

and your deliverance, ⁷⁸  as you promised. ⁷⁹ 

Mazmur 119:43

119:43 Do not completely deprive me of a truthful testimony, ⁸⁰ 

for I await your justice.

Mazmur 119:67

119:67 Before I was afflicted I used to stray off, ⁸¹ 

but now I keep your instructions. ⁸² 

Mazmur 119:76

119:76 May your loyal love console me,

as you promised your servant. ⁸³ 

Mazmur 119:91

119:91 Today they stand firm by your decrees,

for all things are your servants.

Mazmur 119:94

119:94 I belong to you. Deliver me!

For I seek your precepts.

Mazmur 119:132

119:132 Turn toward me and extend mercy to me,

as you typically do to your loyal followers. ⁸⁴ 

Mazmur 119:173

119:173 May your hand help me,

for I choose to obey ⁸⁵  your precepts.

Mazmur 122:8

122:8 For the sake of my brothers and my neighbors

I will say, “May there be peace in you!”

Mazmur 125:4

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

to the morally upright! ⁸⁶ 

Mazmur 129:1

Psalm 129 ⁸⁷ 

A song of ascents. ⁸⁸ 

129:1 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”

let Israel say.

Mazmur 132:14

132:14 He said, ⁸⁹  “This will be my resting place forever;

I will live here, for I have chosen it. ⁹⁰ 

Mazmur 134:3

134:3 May the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth,

bless you ⁹¹  from Zion! ⁹² 

Mazmur 135:14

135:14 For the Lord vindicates ⁹³  his people,

and has compassion on his servants. ⁹⁴ 

Mazmur 139:10

139:10 even there your hand would guide me,

your right hand would grab hold of me.

Mazmur 139:24

139:24 See if there is any idolatrous tendency ⁹⁵  in me,

and lead me in the reliable ancient path! ⁹⁶ 

Mazmur 141:2

141:2 May you accept my prayer like incense,

my uplifted hands like the evening offering! ⁹⁷ 

Mazmur 144:5

144:5 O Lord, make the sky sink ⁹⁸  and come down! ⁹⁹ 

Touch the mountains and make them smolder! ¹⁰⁰ 

[3:8]  ¹ tn Heb “to the Lord [is] deliverance.”

[3:8]  ² tn Heb “upon your people [is] your blessing.” In this context God’s “blessing” includes deliverance/protection, vindication, and sustained life (see Pss 21:3, 6; 24:5).

[7:8]  ³ sn The Lord judges the nations. In hyperbolic fashion the psalmist pictures the nations assembled around the divine throne (v. 7a). He urges God to take his rightful place on the throne (v. 7b) and then pictures him making judicial decisions that vindicate the innocent (see vv. 8-16).

[7:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “judge me, O Lord, according to my innocence.”

[7:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “according to my blamelessness.” The imperative verb translated “vindicate” governs the second line as well.

[7:8]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew form עָלָי (’alay) has been traditionally understood as the preposition עַל (’al, “over”) with a first person suffix. But this is syntactically awkward and meaningless. The form is probably a divine title derived from the verbal root עָלָה (’alah, “ascend”). This relatively rare title appears elsewhere in the OT (see HALOT 824-25 s.v. I עַל, though this text is not listed) and in Ugaritic as an epithet for Baal (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 98). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:44-45, and P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 98.

[9:19]  ⁷ sn Rise up, Lord! …May the nations be judged. The psalm concludes with a petition that the Lord would continue to exercise his justice as he has done in the recent crisis.

[9:19]  ⁸ tn Or “prevail.”

[17:8]  ⁹ tc Heb “Protect me like the pupil, a daughter of an eye.” The noun בַּת (bat, “daughter”) should probably be emended to בָּבַת (bavat, “pupil”). See Zech 2:12 HT (2:8 ET) and HALOT 107 s.v. *בָּבָה.

[17:8]  ¹⁰ sn Your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.

[25:16]  ¹¹ tn That is, helpless and vulnerable.

[26:8]  ¹² tn Heb “the dwelling of your house.”

[26:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “the place of the abode of your splendor.”

[26:11]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Or “redeem me.”

[31:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jonah 2:9.

[34:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”

[34:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”

[37:3]  ¹⁹ 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.

[37:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “roll your way upon the Lord.” The noun “way” may refer here to one’s activities or course of life.

[37:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the Lord will vindicate those who trust in him.

[37:6]  ²² tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”

[39:7]  ²³ tn Heb “my hope, for you it [is].”

[49:16]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ tn Heb “when the glory of his house grows great.”

[51:18]  ²⁶ tn Heb “do what is good for Zion in your favor.”

[51:18]  ²⁷ tn Or “Build.” The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.

[51:18]  ²⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[57:7]  ²⁹ 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.

[65:6]  ³⁰ tn Heb “[the] one who establishes [the] mountains by his power.”

[65:6]  ³¹ tn Heb “one [who] is girded with strength”; or “one [who] girds himself with strength.”

[69:27]  ³² tn Heb “place sin upon their sin.”

[69:27]  ³³ tn Heb “let them not come into your vindication.”

[72:1]  ³⁴ sn Psalm 72. This royal psalm contains a prayer for the Davidic king (note the imperatival form in v. 1 and the jussive forms in vv. 16-17). It is not entirely clear if vv. 2-15 express a prayer or anticipate a future reign. The translation assumes a blend of petition and vision: (I) opening prayer (v. 1), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 2-7); (II) prayer (v. 8), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 9-14); (III) closing prayer (vv. 15-17). Whether a prayer, vision, or combination of the two, the psalm depicts the king’s universal rule of peace and prosperity. As such it is indirectly messianic, for the ideal it expresses will only be fully realized during the Messiah’s earthly reign. Verses 18-19 are a conclusion for Book 2 of the Psalter (Pss 42-72; cf. Ps 41:13, which contains a similar conclusion for Book 1), while v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or an earlier edition of the Psalter.

[72:1]  ³⁵ tn The preposition could be understood as indicating authorship (“Of Solomon”), but since the psalm is a prayer for a king, it may be that the superscription reflects a tradition that understood this as a prayer for Solomon.

[72:1]  ³⁶ tn Heb “O God, your judgments to [the] king give.”

[72:1]  ³⁷ sn Grant the king…Grant the king’s son. It is not entirely clear whether v. 1 envisions one individual or two. The phrase “the king’s son” in the second line may simply refer to “the king” of the first line, drawing attention to the fact that he has inherited his dynastic rule. Another option is that v. 1 envisions a co-regency between father and son (a common phenomenon in ancient Israel) or simply expresses a hope for a dynasty that champions justice.

[72:1]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and your justice to [the] son of [the] king.”

[72:5]  ³⁹ tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.” See Ps 33:8. Some interpreters, with the support of the LXX, prefer to read וְיַאֲרִיךְ (vÿ’a’arikh, “and he [the king in this case] will prolong [days]”), that is, “will live a long time” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[72:5]  ⁴⁰ tn God is the addressee (see vv. 1-2).

[72:5]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “with [the] sun, and before [the] moon [for] a generation, generations.” The rare expression דּוֹר דּוֹרִים (dor dorim, “generation, generations”) occurs only here, in Ps 102:24, and in Isa 51:8.

[83:10]  ⁴² sn Endor is not mentioned in the accounts of Gideon’s or Barak’s victories, but both battles took place in the general vicinity of the town. (See Y. Aharoni and M. Avi-Yonah, The Macmillan Bible Atlas, 46, 54.) Because Sisera and Jabin are mentioned in v. 9b, many understand them to be the subject of the verbs in v. 10, though they relate v. 10 to Gideon’s victory, which is referred to in v. 9a, 11. (See, for example, Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 263.)

[83:10]  ⁴³ tn Heb “they were manure.” In addition to this passage, corpses are compared to manure in 2 Kgs 9:37; Jer 8:2; 9:21; 16:4; 25:33.

[86:4]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the soul of your servant.”

[86:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “I lift up my soul.”

[88:18]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “you cause to be far from me friend and neighbor.”

[88:18]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “those known by me, darkness.”

[90:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Who knows the strength of your anger?”

[90:11]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and like your fear [is] your raging fury.” Perhaps one should emend וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ (ukhyir’otekh, “and like your fear”) to יִרְאָתְךְ (yir’otkh, “your fear”), understanding a virtual dittography (אַפֶּךָ וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ, ’apekha ukhyir’otekh) to have occurred. In this case the psalmist asserts “your fear [is] your raging fury,” that is, your raging fury is what causes others to fear you. The suffix on “fear” is understood as objective.

[94:21]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “attack.”

[94:21]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”

[94:21]  ⁵² tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”

[103:5]  ⁵³ tc Heb “who satisfies with the good of your ornaments.” The text as it stands makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes an emendation of עֶדְיֵךְ (’ed’ekh, “your ornaments”) to עֹדֵכִי (’odekhiy, “your duration; your continuance”) that is, “your life” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 18).

[103:5]  ⁵⁴ sn The expression your youth is renewed like an eagle’s may allude to the phenomenon of molting, whereby the eagle grows new feathers.

[104:26]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “[and] this Leviathan, [which] you formed to play in it.” Elsewhere Leviathan is a multiheaded sea monster that symbolizes forces hostile to God (see Ps 74:14; Isa 27:1), but here it appears to be an actual marine creature created by God, probably some type of whale.

[106:1]  ⁵⁶ sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.

[106:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”

[106:10]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “hand.”

[106:10]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “redeemed.”

[106:10]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “hand.”

[107:2]  ⁶¹ tn Or “let the redeemed of the Lord say [so].”

[107:2]  ⁶² tn Or “redeemed.”

[107:2]  ⁶³ tn Heb “hand.”

[109:26]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “deliver me according to your faithfulness.”

[110:5]  ⁶⁵ tn As pointed in the Hebrew text, this title refers to God (many medieval Hebrew mss read יְהוָה, yehveh, “Lord” here). The present translation assumes that the psalmist here addresses the Lord as he celebrates what the king is able to accomplish while positioned at God’s “right hand.” According to this view the king is the subject of the third person verb forms in vv. 5b-7. (2) Another option is to understand the king as the addressee (as in vv. 2-3). In this case “the Lord” is the subject of the third person verbs throughout vv. 5-7 and is depicted as a warrior in a very anthropomorphic manner. In this case the Lord is pictured as being at the psalmist’s right hand (just the opposite of v. 1). See Pss 16:8; 121:5. (3) A third option is to revocalize אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Lord”) as אֲדֹנִי (’adoniy, “my lord”; see v. 1). In this case one may translate, “My lord, at his [God’s] right hand, strikes down.” In this case the king is the subject of the third person verbs in vv. 5b-7.

[110:5]  ⁶⁶ tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 5-6 are understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing. Another option is to take them as rhetorical. In this case the psalmist describes anticipated events as if they had already taken place.

[110:5]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “in the day of his anger.”

[118:26]  ⁶⁸ sn The people refer here to the psalmist, who enters the Lord’s temple to thank him publicly (see vv. 19-21), as the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

[118:26]  ⁶⁹ tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural, but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the following form) or enclitic, in which case the suffix may be taken as second masculine singular, referring to the psalmist.

[118:26]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “from the house of the Lord.”

[119:11]  ⁷¹ tn Or “hide.”

[119:11]  ⁷² tn Heb “your word.” Some medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:17]  ⁷³ tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a cohortative indicating purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:17]  ⁷⁴ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the imperative that begins the verse.

[119:17]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as several ancient versions read the plural here.

[119:31]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “cling to.”

[119:41]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “and may your loyal love come to me.”

[119:41]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions).

[119:41]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “according to your word.”

[119:43]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “do not snatch from my mouth a word of truth to excess.” The psalmist wants to be able to give a reliable testimony about the Lord’s loyal love (vv. 41-42), but if God does not intervene, the psalmist will be deprived of doing so, for the evidence of such love (i.e., deliverance) will be lacking.

[119:67]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “before I suffered, I was straying off.”

[119:67]  ⁸² tn Heb “your word.”

[119:76]  ⁸³ tn Heb “according to your word to your servant.”

[119:132]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “according to custom toward the lovers of your name.” The “lovers of” God’s “name” are the Lord’s loyal followers. See Pss 5:11; 69:36; Isa 56:6.

[119:173]  ⁸⁵ tn The words “to obey” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.

[125:4]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

[129:1]  ⁸⁷ sn Psalm 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.

[129:1]  ⁸⁸ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[132:14]  ⁸⁹ tn The words “he said” are added in the translation to clarify that what follows are the Lord’s words.

[132:14]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “for I desired it.”

[134:3]  ⁹¹ tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine singular, suggesting that the servants addressed in vv. 1-2 are responding to the psalmist.

[134:3]  ⁹² tn Heb “may the Lord bless you from Zion, the maker of heaven and earth.”

[135:14]  ⁹³ tn Heb “judges,” but here the idea is that the Lord “judges on behalf of” his people. The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to the Lord’s characteristic actions.

[135:14]  ⁹⁴ sn Verse 14 echoes Deut 32:36, where Moses affirms that God mercifully relents from fully judging his wayward people.

[139:24]  ⁹⁵ 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]  ⁹⁶ 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.

[141:2]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “may my prayer be established [like] incense before you, the uplifting of my hands [like] an evening offering.”

[144:5]  ⁹⁸ tn The Hebrew verb נָטָה (natah) can carry the sense “to [cause to] bend; to [cause to] bow down.” For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the Lord causes the sky, pictured as a dome or vault, to sink down as he descends in the storm. See Ps 18:9.

[144:5]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “so you might come down.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The same type of construction is utilized in v. 6.

[144:5]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “so they might smolder.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose after the preceding imperative.