Mazmur 4:8

4:8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, ¹ 

for you, Lord, make me safe and secure. ² 

Mazmur 17:4

17:4 As for the actions of people ³  –

just as you have commanded,

I have not followed in the footsteps of violent men. ⁴ 

Mazmur 18:33

18:33 He gives me the agility of a deer; ⁵ 

he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain. ⁶ 

Mazmur 28:9

28:9 Deliver your people!

Empower ⁷  the nation that belongs to you! ⁸ 

Care for them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms ⁹  at all times! ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 33:18

33:18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, ¹¹ 

those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness ¹² 

Mazmur 50:22

50:22 Carefully consider this, you who reject God! ¹³ 

Otherwise I will rip you to shreds ¹⁴ 

and no one will be able to rescue you.

Mazmur 55:10

55:10 Day and night they walk around on its walls, ¹⁵ 

while wickedness and destruction ¹⁶  are within it.

Mazmur 59:4

59:4 Though I have done nothing wrong, ¹⁷  they are anxious to attack. ¹⁸ 

Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me! ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 64:1

Psalm 64 ²⁰ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

64:1 Listen to me, ²¹  O God, as I offer my lament!

Protect ²²  my life from the enemy’s terrifying attacks. ²³ 

Mazmur 78:70

78:70 He chose David, his servant,

and took him from the sheepfolds.

Mazmur 80:18

80:18 Then we will not turn away from you.

Revive us and we will pray to you! ²⁴ 

Mazmur 119:149

119:149 Listen to me ²⁵  because of ²⁶  your loyal love!

O Lord, revive me, as you typically do! ²⁷ 

Mazmur 134:1

Psalm 134 ²⁸ 

A song of ascents. ²⁹ 

134:1 Attention! ³⁰  Praise the Lord,

all you servants of the Lord,

who serve ³¹  in the Lord’s temple during the night.

Mazmur 142:5

142:5 I cry out to you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my shelter,

my security ³²  in the land of the living.”

[4:8]  ¹ tn Heb “in peace at the same time I will lie down and sleep.”

[4:8]  ² tn Heb “for you, Lord, solitarily, securely make me dwell.” The translation understands לְבָדָד (lÿvadad) as modifying the verb; the Lord keeps enemies away from the psalmist so that he is safe and secure. Another option is to take לְבָדָד with what precedes and translate, “you alone, Lord, make me secure.”

[17:4]  ³ tn Heb “with regard to the deeds of man[kind].”

[17:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “by the word of your lips, I, I have watched the paths of the violent” (i.e., “watched” in the sense of “watched for the purpose of avoiding”).

[18:33]  ⁵ tn Heb “[the one who] makes my feet like [those of ] a deer.”

[18:33]  ⁶ tn Heb “and on my high places he makes me walk.” The imperfect verbal form emphasizes God’s characteristic provision. The psalmist compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured.

[18:33]  sn Habakkuk uses similar language to describe his faith during difficult times. See Hab 3:19.

[28:9]  ⁷ tn Or “bless.”

[28:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “your inheritance.” The parallelism (note “your people”) indicates that Israel is in view.

[28:9]  ⁹ 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).

[28:9]  ¹⁰ tn Or “forever.”

[33:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “look, the eye of the Lord [is] toward the ones who fear him.” The expression “the eye…[is] toward” here indicates recognition and the bestowing of favor. See Ps 34:15. The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.

[33:18]  ¹² tn Heb “for the ones who wait for his faithfulness.”

[50:22]  ¹³ tn Heb “[you who] forget God.” “Forgetting God” here means forgetting about his commandments and not respecting his moral authority.

[50:22]  ¹⁴ 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).

[55:10]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ sn Wickedness and destruction. These terms are also closely associated in Ps 7:14.

[59:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “without sin.”

[59:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “they run and they are determined.”

[59:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “arise to meet me and see.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to meet; to encounter”) here carries the nuance of “to help.”

[64:1]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ tn Heb “my voice.”

[64:1]  ²² tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s request.

[64:1]  ²³ 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.

[80:18]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and in your name we will call.”

[119:149]  ²⁵ tn Heb “my voice.”

[119:149]  ²⁶ tn Heb “according to.”

[119:149]  ²⁷ tn Heb “according to your custom.”

[134:1]  ²⁸ sn Psalm 134. The psalmist calls on the temple servants to praise God (vv. 1-2). They in turn pronounce a blessing on the psalmist (v. 3).

[134:1]  ²⁹ 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.

[134:1]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Look!”

[134:1]  ³¹ tn Heb “stand.”

[142:5]  ³² tn Heb “my portion.” The psalmist compares the Lord to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel.