Mazmur 51:8

51:8 Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven! ¹ 

May the bones ²  you crushed rejoice! ³ 

Mazmur 107:42

107:42 When the godly see this, they rejoice,

and every sinner ⁴  shuts his mouth.

Mazmur 118:24

118:24 This is the day the Lord has brought about. ⁵ 

We will be happy and rejoice in it.

Mazmur 119:111

119:111 I claim your rules as my permanent possession,

for they give me joy. ⁶ 

Mazmur 132:9

132:9 May your priests be clothed with integrity! ⁷ 

May your loyal followers shout for joy!

Mazmur 132:16

132:16 I will protect her priests, ⁸ 

and her godly people will shout exuberantly. ⁹ 

[51:8]  ¹ tn Heb “cause me to hear happiness and joy.” The language is metonymic: the effect of forgiveness (joy) has been substituted for its cause. The psalmist probably alludes here to an assuring word from God announcing that his sins are forgiven (a so-called oracle of forgiveness). The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request. The synonyms “happiness” and “joy” are joined together as a hendiadys to emphasize the degree of joy he anticipates.

[51:8]  ² sn May the bones you crushed rejoice. The psalmist compares his sinful condition to that of a person who has been physically battered and crushed. Within this metaphorical framework, his “bones” are the seat of his emotional strength.

[51:8]  ³ tn In this context of petitionary prayer, the prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, expressing the psalmist’s wish or request.

[107:42]  ⁴ tn Heb “all evil,” which stands metonymically for those who do evil.

[118:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “this is the day the Lord has made.” Though sometimes applied in a general way, this statement in its context refers to the day of deliverance which the psalmist and people celebrate.

[119:111]  ⁶ tn Heb “for the joy of my heart [are] they.”

[132:9]  ⁷ tn Or “righteousness.”

[132:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “and her priests I will clothe [with] deliverance.”

[132:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “[with] shouting they will shout.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.