Mazmur 6:1

Psalm 6 ¹ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style; ²  a psalm of David.

6:1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger!

Do not discipline me in your raging fury! ³ 

Mazmur 9:1

Psalm 9 ⁴ 

For the music director; according to the alumoth-labben style; ⁵  a psalm of David.

9:1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart!

I will tell about all your amazing deeds! ⁶ 

Mazmur 12:1

Psalm 12 ⁷ 

For the music director; according to the sheminith style; ⁸  a psalm of David.

12:1 Deliver, Lord!

For the godly ⁹  have disappeared; ¹⁰ 

people of integrity ¹¹  have vanished. ¹² 

Mazmur 13:1

Psalm 13 ¹³ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

13:1 How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me? ¹⁴ 

How long will you pay no attention to me? ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 20:6

20:6 Now I am sure ¹⁶  that the Lord will deliver ¹⁷  his chosen king; ¹⁸ 

he will intervene for him ¹⁹  from his holy heavenly temple, ²⁰ 

and display his mighty ability to deliver. ²¹ 

Mazmur 22:1

Psalm 22 ²² 

For the music director; according to the tune “Morning Doe;” ²³  a psalm of David.

22:1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? ²⁴ 

I groan in prayer, but help seems far away. ²⁵ 

Mazmur 39:1

Psalm 39 ²⁶ 

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.

39:1 I decided, ²⁷  “I will watch what I say

and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. ²⁸ 

I will put a muzzle over my mouth

while in the presence of an evil man.” ²⁹ 

Mazmur 53:1

Psalm 53 ³⁰ 

For the music director; according to the machalath style; ³¹  a well-written song ³²  by David.

53:1 Fools say to themselves, ³³  “There is no God.” ³⁴ 

They sin and commit evil deeds; ³⁵ 

none of them does what is right. ³⁶ 

Mazmur 55:1

Psalm 55 ³⁷ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song ³⁸  by David.

55:1 Listen, O God, to my prayer!

Do not ignore ³⁹  my appeal for mercy!

Mazmur 58:9

58:9 Before the kindling is even placed under your pots, ⁴⁰ 

he ⁴¹  will sweep it away along with both the raw and cooked meat. ⁴² 

Mazmur 60:6

60:6 God has spoken in his sanctuary: ⁴³ 

“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem;

the Valley of Succoth I will measure off. ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 62:9

62:9 Men are nothing but a mere breath;

human beings are unreliable. ⁴⁵ 

When they are weighed in the scales,

all of them together are lighter than air. ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 65:1

Psalm 65 ⁴⁷ 

For the music director; a psalm of David, a song.

65:1 Praise awaits you, ⁴⁸  O God, in Zion.

Vows made to you are fulfilled.

Mazmur 68:35--69:1

68:35 You are awe-inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple! ⁴⁹ 

It is the God of Israel ⁵⁰  who gives the people power and strength.

God deserves praise! ⁵¹ 

Psalm 69 ⁵² 

For the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” ⁵³  by David.

69:1 Deliver me, O God,

for the water has reached my neck. ⁵⁴ 

Mazmur 70:5

70:5 I am oppressed and needy! ⁵⁵ 

O God, hurry to me! ⁵⁶ 

You are my helper and my deliverer!

O Lord, ⁵⁷  do not delay!

Mazmur 77:1

Psalm 77 ⁵⁸ 

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph.

77:1 I will cry out to God ⁵⁹  and call for help!

I will cry out to God and he will pay attention ⁶⁰  to me.

Mazmur 79:13

79:13 Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture,

will continually thank you. ⁶¹ 

We will tell coming generations of your praiseworthy acts. ⁶² 

Mazmur 85:1

Psalm 85 ⁶³ 

For the music director; written by the Korahites, a psalm.

85:1 O Lord, you showed favor to your land;

you restored the well-being of Jacob. ⁶⁴ 

Mazmur 88:1

Psalm 88 ⁶⁵ 

A song, a psalm written by the Korahites; for the music director; according to the machalath-leannoth style; ⁶⁶  a well-written song ⁶⁷  by Heman the Ezrachite.

88:1 O Lord God who delivers me! ⁶⁸ 

By day I cry out

and at night I pray before you. ⁶⁹ 

Mazmur 98:1

Psalm 98 ⁷⁰ 

A psalm.

98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, ⁷¹ 

for he performs ⁷²  amazing deeds!

His right hand and his mighty arm

accomplish deliverance. ⁷³ 

Mazmur 100:4

100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give him thanks!

Praise his name!

[6:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, the psalmist then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.

[6:1]  ² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit, “sheminith”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[6:1]  ³ sn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).

[9:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 9. The psalmist, probably speaking on behalf of Israel or Judah, praises God for delivering him from hostile nations. He celebrates God’s sovereignty and justice, and calls on others to join him in boasting of God’s greatness. Many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version (LXX) combine Psalms 9 and 10 into a single psalm.

[9:1]  ⁵ tc The meaning of the Hebrew term עַלְמוּת (’almut) is uncertain. Some mss divide the form into עַל מוּת (’al mut, “according to the death [of the son]”), while the LXX assumes a reading עֲלֻמוֹת עַל (’al ’alumot, “according to alumoth”). The phrase probably refers to a particular tune or musical style.

[9:1]  ⁶ tn The cohortative forms in vv. 1-2 express the psalmist’s resolve to praise God publicly.

[12:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.

[12:1]  ⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[12:1]  ⁹ tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[12:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “have come to an end.”

[12:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”

[12:1]  ¹² tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”

[13:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 13. The psalmist, who is close to death, desperately pleads for God’s deliverance and affirms his trust in God’s faithfulness.

[13:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “will you forget me continually.”

[13:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “will you hide your face from me.”

[20:6]  ¹⁶ tn Or “know.”

[20:6]  sn Now I am sure. The speaker is not identified. It is likely that the king, referring to himself in the third person (note “his chosen king”), responds to the people’s prayer. Perhaps his confidence is due to the reception of a divine oracle of salvation.

[20:6]  ¹⁷ tn The perfect verbal form is probably used rhetorically to state that the deliverance is as good as done. In this way the speaker emphasizes the certainty of the deliverance. Another option is to take the statement as generalizing; the psalmist affirms that the Lord typically delivers the king.

[20:6]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “his anointed one.” This title refers to the Davidic king. See Pss 2:2 and 18:50.

[20:6]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “he will answer him.”

[20:6]  ²⁰ tn Heb “from his holy heavens.”

[20:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “with mighty acts of deliverance of his right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Ps 17:7).

[22:1]  ²² sn Psalm 22. The psalmist cries out to the Lord for deliverance from his dangerous enemies, who have surrounded him and threaten his life. Confident that the Lord will intervene, he then vows to thank the Lord publicly for his help and anticipates a time when all people will recognize the Lord’s greatness and worship him.

[22:1]  ²³ tn Heb “according to the doe of the dawn.” Apparently this refers to a particular musical tune or style.

[22:1]  ²⁴ sn From the psalmist’s perspective it seems that God has abandoned him, for he fails to answer his cry for help (vv. 1b-2).

[22:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “far from my deliverance [are] the words of my groaning.” The Hebrew noun שְׁאָגָה (shÿ’agah) and its related verb שָׁאַג (sha’ag) are sometimes used of a lion’s roar, but they can also describe human groaning (see Job 3:24 and Pss 32:3 and 38:8.

[39:1]  ²⁶ sn Psalm 39. The psalmist laments his frailty and mortality as he begs the Lord to take pity on him and remove his disciplinary hand.

[39:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “I said.”

[39:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “I will watch my ways, from sinning with my tongue.”

[39:1]  ²⁹ sn The psalmist wanted to voice a lament to the Lord (see vv. 4-6), but he hesitated to do so in the presence of evil men, for such words might be sinful if they gave the wicked an occasion to insult God. See C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 1:345.

[53:1]  ³⁰ sn Psalm 53. This psalm is very similar to Ps 14. The major difference comes in v. 5, which corresponds to, but differs quite a bit from, Ps 14:5-6, and in the use of the divine name. Ps 14 uses “the Lord” (יְהוָה, yÿhvah, “Yahweh”) in vv. 2a, 4, 6, and 7, while Ps 53 employs “God” (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) throughout, as one might expect in Pss 42-83, where the name “Yahweh” is relatively infrequent. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.

[53:1]  ³¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מָחֲלַת (makhalat, “machalath”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term also appears in the heading of Ps 88.

[53:1]  ³² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.

[53:1]  ³³ tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.

[53:1]  ³⁴ sn There is no God. This statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).

[53:1]  ³⁵ tn Heb “they act corruptly, they do evil [with] injustice.” Ps 14:1 has עֲלִילָה (’alilah, “a deed”) instead of עָוֶל (’aval, “injustice”). The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.

[53:1]  ³⁶ tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

[55:1]  ³⁷ sn Psalm 55. The suffering and oppressed author laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.

[55:1]  ³⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.

[55:1]  ³⁹ tn Heb “hide yourself from.”

[58:9]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “before your pots perceive thorns.”

[58:9]  ⁴¹ tn Apparently God (v. 6) is the subject of the verb here.

[58:9]  ⁴² tn Heb “like living, like burning anger he will sweep it away.” The meaning of the text is unclear. The translation assumes that within the cooking metaphor (see the previous line) חַי (khay, “living”) refers here to raw meat (as in 1 Sam 2:15, where it modifies בָּשָׂר, basar, “flesh”) and that חָרוּן (kharun; which always refers to God’s “burning anger” elsewhere) here refers to food that is cooked. The pronominal suffix on the verb “sweep away” apparently refers back to the “thorns” of the preceding line. The image depicts swift and sudden judgment. Before the fire has been adequately kindled and all the meat cooked, the winds of judgment will sweep away everything in their path.

[60:6]  ⁴³ tn Heb “in his holy place.”

[60:6]  ⁴⁴ sn Shechem stands for the territory west of the Jordan, the Valley of Succoth for the region east of the Jordan.

[62:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “only a breath [are] the sons of mankind, a lie [are] the sons of man.” The phrases “sons of mankind” and “sons of man” also appear together in Ps 49:2. Because of the parallel line there, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, a number of interpreters and translators treat these expressions as polar opposites, בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes. But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand the phrases as synonymous expressions.

[62:9]  ⁴⁶ tn The noun הֶבֶל (hevel), translated “a breath” earlier in the verse, appears again here.

[65:1]  ⁴⁷ sn Psalm 65. The psalmist praises God because he forgives sin and blesses his people with an abundant harvest.

[65:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “for you, silence, praise.” Many prefer to emend the noun דֻּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”) to a participle דּוֹמִיָּה (domiyyah), from the root דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”), understood here in the sense of “wait.”

[68:35]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “awesome [is] God from his holy places.” The plural of מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash, “holy places”) perhaps refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 73:17; Jer 51:51).

[68:35]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “the God of Israel, he.”

[68:35]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “blessed [be] God.”

[69:1]  ⁵² sn Psalm 69. The psalmist laments his oppressed condition and asks the Lord to deliver him by severely judging his enemies.

[69:1]  ⁵³ tn Heb “according to lilies.” See the superscription to Ps 45.

[69:1]  ⁵⁴ tn The Hebrew term נפשׁ (nefesh) here refers to the psalmist’s throat or neck. The psalmist compares himself to a helpless, drowning man.

[70:5]  ⁵⁵ sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.

[70:5]  ⁵⁶ tn Ps 40:17 has “may the Lord pay attention to me.”

[70:5]  ⁵⁷ tn Ps 40:17 has “my God” instead of “Lord.”

[77:1]  ⁵⁸ sn Psalm 77. The psalmist recalls how he suffered through a time of doubt, but tells how he found encouragement and hope as he recalled the way in which God delivered Israel at the Red Sea.

[77:1]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “my voice to God.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to call out; to cry out”) should probably be understood by ellipsis (see Ps 3:4) both here and in the following (parallel) line.

[77:1]  ⁶⁰ tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive is best taken as future here (although some translations render this as a past tense; cf. NEB, NIV). The psalmist expresses his confidence that God will respond to his prayer. This mood of confidence seems premature (see vv. 3-4), but v. 1 probably reflects the psalmist’s attitude at the end of the prayer (see vv. 13-20). Having opened with an affirmation of confidence, he then retraces how he gained confidence during his trial (see vv. 2-12).

[79:13]  ⁶¹ tn Or (hyperbolically) “will thank you forever.”

[79:13]  ⁶² tn Heb “to a generation and a generation we will report your praise.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14.

[85:1]  ⁶³ sn Psalm 85. God’s people recall how he forgave their sins in the past, pray that he might now restore them to his favor, and anticipate renewed blessings.

[85:1]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “you turned with a turning [toward] Jacob.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (shÿvut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv). See Pss 14:7; 53:6.

[88:1]  ⁶⁵ sn Psalm 88. The psalmist cries out in pain to the Lord, begging him for relief from his intense and constant suffering. The psalmist regards God as the ultimate cause of his distress, but nevertheless clings to God in hope.

[88:1]  ⁶⁶ tn The Hebrew phrase מָחֲלַת לְעַנּוֹת (makhalat lÿ’annot) may mean “illness to afflict.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term מָחֲלַת also appears in the superscription of Ps 53.

[88:1]  ⁶⁷ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[88:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “O Lord God of my deliverance.” In light of the content of the psalm, this reference to God as the one who delivers seems overly positive. For this reason some emend the text to אַלֹהַי שִׁוַּעְתִּי (’alohay shivva’tiy, “[O Lord] my God, I cry out”). See v. 13.

[88:1]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “[by] day I cry out, in the night before you.”

[98:1]  ⁷⁰ sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.

[98:1]  ⁷¹ sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.

[98:1]  ⁷² tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.

[98:1]  ⁷³ tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.