Mazmur 34:4

34:4 I sought the Lord’s help ¹  and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

Mazmur 61:7

61:7 May he reign ²  forever before God!

Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness should protect him. ³ 

Mazmur 72:6

72:6 He ⁴  will descend like rain on the mown grass, ⁵ 

like showers that drench ⁶  the earth. ⁷ 

Mazmur 92:12

92:12 The godly ⁸  grow like a palm tree;

they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. ⁹ 

Mazmur 96:13

96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly, ¹⁰ 

and the nations in accordance with his justice. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 99:7

99:7 He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud; ¹² 

they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.

Mazmur 112:9-10

112:9 He generously gives ¹³  to the needy;

his integrity endures. ¹⁴ 

He will be vindicated and honored. ¹⁵ 

112:10 When the wicked ¹⁶  see this, they will worry;

they will grind their teeth in frustration ¹⁷  and melt away;

the desire of the wicked will perish. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 115:12

115:12 The Lord takes notice of us, ¹⁹  he will bless ²⁰  –

he will bless the family ²¹  of Israel,

he will bless the family of Aaron.

[34:4]  ¹ tn Heb “I sought the Lord.”

[61:7]  ² tn Heb “sit [enthroned].” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive here, expressing the psalmist’s prayer.

[61:7]  ³ tn Heb “loyal love and faithfulness appoint, let them protect him.”

[72:6]  ⁴ tn That is, the king (see vv. 2, 4).

[72:6]  ⁵ tn The rare term zg refers to a sheep’s fleece in Deut 18:4 and Job 31:20, but to “mown” grass or crops here and in Amos 7:1.

[72:6]  ⁶ tc The form in the Hebrew text appears to be an otherwise unattested noun. Many prefer to emend the form to a verb from the root זָרַף (zaraf). BHS in textual note b on this verse suggests a Hiphil imperfect, third masculine plural יַזְרִיפוּ (yazrifu), while HALOT 283 s.v. *זרף prefers a Pilpel perfect, third masculine plural זִרְזְפוּ (zirzÿfu). The translation assumes the latter.

[72:6]  ⁷ sn The imagery of this verse compares the blessings produced by the king’s reign to fructifying rains that cause the crops to grow.

[92:12]  ⁸ tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.

[92:12]  ⁹ sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.

[96:13]  ¹⁰ tn The verbal forms in v. 13 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions, in which case they could be translated “will judge the world.”

[96:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”

[99:7]  ¹² sn A pillar of cloud. The psalmist refers to the reality described in Exod 33:9-10; Num 12:5; and Deut 31:15.

[112:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “he scatters, he gives.”

[112:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “stands forever.”

[112:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “his horn will be lifted up in honor.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

[112:10]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text uses the singular; the representative wicked individual is in view as typifying the group (note the use of the plural form in v. 10).

[112:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “his teeth he will gnash.” In Pss 35:16 and 37:12 this action is associated with a vicious attack.

[112:10]  ¹⁸ tn This could mean that the desires of the wicked will go unfulfilled. Another possibility is that “desire” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired. In this case the point is that the wicked will lose what they desired so badly and acquired by evil means (see Ps 10:3).

[115:12]  ¹⁹ tn Or “remembers us.”

[115:12]  ²⁰ tn Another option is to translate the prefixed form of the verb “bless” in vv. 12-13 as a jussive, “may he bless” (see v. 14).

[115:12]  ²¹ tn Heb “house.”