Mazmur 35:18

35:18 Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly; ¹ 

I will praise you before a large crowd of people! ² 

Mazmur 72:4

72:4 He will defend ³  the oppressed among the people;

he will deliver ⁴  the children ⁵  of the poor

and crush the oppressor.

Mazmur 18:43

18:43 You rescue me from a hostile army; ⁶ 

you make me ⁷  a leader of nations;

people over whom I had no authority are now my subjects. ⁸ 

Mazmur 144:15

144:15 How blessed are the people who experience these things! ⁹ 

How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

Mazmur 22:6

22:6 But I ¹⁰  am a worm, ¹¹  not a man; ¹² 

people insult me and despise me. ¹³ 

Mazmur 107:32

107:32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people!

Let them praise him in the place where the leaders preside! ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 94:8

94:8 Take notice of this, ¹⁵  you ignorant people! ¹⁶ 

You fools, when will you ever understand?

Mazmur 89:19

89:19 Then you ¹⁷  spoke through a vision to your faithful followers ¹⁸  and said:

“I have energized a warrior; ¹⁹ 

I have raised up a young man ²⁰  from the people.

Mazmur 110:3

110:3 Your people willingly follow you ²¹  when you go into battle. ²² 

On the holy hills ²³  at sunrise ²⁴  the dew of your youth ²⁵  belongs to you. ²⁶ 

Mazmur 45:6

45:6 Your throne, ²⁷  O God, is permanent. ²⁸ 

The scepter ²⁹  of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

Mazmur 72:13

72:13 He will take pity ³⁰  on the poor and needy;

the lives of the needy he will save.

Mazmur 122:5

122:5 Indeed, ³¹  the leaders sit ³²  there on thrones and make legal decisions,

on the thrones of the house of David. ³³ 

Mazmur 135:9

135:9 He performed awesome deeds ³⁴  and acts of judgment ³⁵ 

in your midst, O Egypt,

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

Mazmur 148:11

148:11 you kings of the earth and all you nations,

you princes and all you leaders ³⁶  on the earth,

Mazmur 45:12

45:12 Rich people from Tyre ³⁷ 

will seek your favor by bringing a gift. ³⁸ 

Mazmur 48:11

48:11 Mount Zion rejoices;

the towns ³⁹  of Judah are happy, ⁴⁰ 

because of your acts of judgment. ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 72:15

72:15 May he live! ⁴²  May they offer him gold from Sheba! ⁴³ 

May they continually pray for him!

May they pronounce blessings on him all day long! ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 67:4

67:4 Let foreigners ⁴⁵  rejoice and celebrate!

For you execute justice among the nations,

and govern the people living on earth. ⁴⁶  (Selah)

[35:18]  ¹ sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Ps 22:25.

[35:18]  ² tn Heb “among numerous people.”

[72:4]  ³ tn Heb “judge [for].”

[72:4]  ⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.

[72:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “sons.”

[18:43]  ⁶ tn Heb “from the strivings of a people.” In this context the Hebrew term רִיב (riv, “striving”) probably has a militaristic sense (as in Judg 12:2; Isa 41:11), and עָם (’am, “people”) probably refers more specifically to an army (for other examples, see the verses listed in BDB 766 s.v. I עַם, עָם 2.d). Some understand the phrase as referring to attacks by the psalmist’s own countrymen, the “nation” being Israel. However, foreign enemies appear to be in view; note the reference to “nations” in the following line.

[18:43]  ⁷ tn 2 Sam 22:44 reads, “you keep me.”

[18:43]  ⁸ tn Heb “a people whom I did not know serve me.” In this context “know” (יָדַע, yada’) probably refers to formal recognition by treaty. People who were once not under the psalmist’s authority now willingly submit to his rulership to avoid being conquered militarily (see vv. 44-45). The language may recall the events recorded in 2 Sam 8:9-10 and 10:19.

[144:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “[O] the happiness of the people who [it is] such to them.”

[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.”

[107:32]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “in the seat of the elders.”

[94:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “understand.” The verb used in v. 7 is repeated here for rhetorical effect. The people referred to here claim God is ignorant of their actions, but the psalmist corrects their faulty viewpoint.

[94:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[you] brutish among the people.”

[89:19]  ¹⁷ tn The pronoun “you” refers to the Lord, who is addressed here. The quotation that follows further develops the announcement of vv. 3-4.

[89:19]  ¹⁸ tc Many medieval mss read the singular here, “your faithful follower.” In this case the statement refers directly to Nathan’s oracle to David (see 2 Sam 7:17).

[89:19]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “I have placed help upon a warrior.”

[89:19]  ²⁰ tn Or perhaps “a chosen one.”

[110:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “your people, free will offerings.” Perhaps the people, in their willingness to volunteer, are compared metaphorically to freewill offerings. Following the LXX, some revocalize the text and read “with you is nobility.”

[110:3]  ²² tn Heb “in the day of your power.”

[110:3]  ²³ tc Heb “in splendor of holiness.” The plural construct form הַדְרֵי (hadrey, from הָדַר, hadar, “splendor”) occurs only here; it may indicate degree or perhaps refer by metonymy to garments (see Pss 29:2 and 96:9, where the phrase הַדְרַת קֹדֶשׁ [hadrat qodesh] refers to “holy attire”). If one retains the reading of the MT, this phrase should probably be taken with the preceding line. However, because of the subsequent references to “dawn” and to “dew,” it is better to emend the text to הַרְרֵי קֹדֶשׁ (harrey qodesh, “mountains of holiness”), a reading found in many medieval Hebrew mss and in some other ancient witnesses (see Joel 2:2; Ps 133:3, as well as L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 80). The “mountains of holiness” are probably the hills surrounding Zion (see Ps 87:1; 125:2; 133:3).

[110:3]  ²⁴ tn Heb “from the womb of dawn.” The Hebrew noun רֶחֶם (rekhem, “womb”) is probably used here metonymically for “birth.” The form מִשְׁחָר (mishkhar) occurs only here and should be emended to שַׁחַר (shakhar, “dawn”) with the mem (מ) being understood as dittographic (note the final mem [ם] on the preceding word). The phrase “womb [i.e., “birth”] of dawn” refers to sunrise.

[110:3]  ²⁵ sn The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. The dew may symbolize the king’s youthful vitality or, more likely (note the parallelism), may refer to his army of strong, youthful warriors.

[110:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to you [is].”

[45:6]  ²⁷ sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.

[45:6]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.

[72:13]  ³⁰ tn The prefixed verb form is best understood as a defectively written imperfect (see Deut 7:16).

[122:5]  ³¹ tn Or “for.”

[122:5]  ³² tn Or “sat.”

[122:5]  ³³ tn Heb “Indeed, there they sit [on] thrones for judgment, [on] thrones [belonging] to the house of David.”

[135:9]  ³⁴ tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).

[135:9]  ³⁵ tn Or “portents”; “omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are alluded to here.

[148:11]  ³⁶ tn Or “judges.”

[45:12]  ³⁷ map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[45:12]  ³⁸ 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).

[48:11]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ sn These acts of judgment are described in vv. 4-7.

[72:15]  ⁴² tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. Because the form has the prefixed vav (ו), some subordinate it to what precedes as a purpose/result clause. In this case the representative poor individual might be the subject of this and the following verb, “so that he may live and give to him gold of Sheba.” But the idea of the poor offering gold is incongruous. It is better to take the jussive as a prayer with the king as subject of the verb. (Perhaps the initial vav is dittographic; note the vav at the end of the last form in v. 14.) The statement is probably an abbreviated version of the formula יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ (yÿkhiy hammelekh, “may the king live”; see 1 Sam 10:24; 2 Sam 16:16; 1 Kgs 1:25, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12).

[72:15]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and he will give to him some gold of Sheba.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one give”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are the tribute bearers in view here.

[72:15]  ⁴⁴ tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one pray…and may one bless”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are in view here.

[67:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “peoples.”

[67:4]  ⁴⁶ 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”).