Mazmur 7:16

7:16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans ¹ 

and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head. ² 

Mazmur 18:32

18:32 The one true God ³  gives ⁴  me strength; ⁵ 

he removes ⁶  the obstacles in my way. ⁷ 

Mazmur 18:47

18:47 The one true God ⁸  completely vindicates me; ⁹ 

he makes nations submit to me. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 19:3

19:3 There is no actual speech or word,

nor is its ¹¹  voice literally heard.

Mazmur 26:6

26:6 I maintain a pure lifestyle, ¹² 

so I can appear before your altar, ¹³  O Lord,

Mazmur 29:2

29:2 Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord’s reputation! ¹⁴ 

Worship the Lord in holy attire! ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 33:7

33:7 He piles up the water of the sea; ¹⁶ 

he puts the oceans ¹⁷  in storehouses.

Mazmur 33:13

33:13 The Lord watches ¹⁸  from heaven;

he sees all people. ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 37:18

37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day ²⁰ 

and they possess a permanent inheritance. ²¹ 

Mazmur 46:8

46:8 Come! Witness the exploits ²²  of the Lord,

who brings devastation to the earth! ²³ 

Mazmur 48:5

48:5 As soon as they see, ²⁴  they are shocked; ²⁵ 

they are terrified, they quickly retreat. ²⁶ 

Mazmur 50:8

50:8 I am not condemning ²⁷  you because of your sacrifices,

or because of your burnt sacrifices that you continually offer me. ²⁸ 

Mazmur 55:7-8

55:7 Look, I will escape to a distant place;

I will stay in the wilderness. (Selah)

55:8 I will hurry off to a place that is safe

from the strong wind ²⁹  and the gale.”

Mazmur 64:3

64:3 They ³⁰  sharpen their tongues like a sword;

they aim their arrow, a slanderous charge, ³¹ 

Mazmur 68:29

68:29 as you come out of your temple in Jerusalem! ³² 

Kings bring tribute to you.

Mazmur 72:9

72:9 Before him the coastlands ³³  will bow down,

and his enemies will lick the dust. ³⁴ 

Mazmur 73:18

73:18 Surely ³⁵  you put them in slippery places;

you bring them down ³⁶  to ruin.

Mazmur 73:24

73:24 You guide ³⁷  me by your wise advice,

and then you will lead me to a position of honor. ³⁸ 

Mazmur 75:5

75:5 Do not be so certain you have won! ³⁹ 

Do not speak with your head held so high! ⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 76:8

76:8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be. ⁴¹ 

The earth ⁴²  was afraid and silent

Mazmur 77:17

77:17 The clouds poured down rain; ⁴³ 

the skies thundered. ⁴⁴ 

Yes, your arrows ⁴⁵  flashed about.

Mazmur 78:22

78:22 because they did not have faith in God,

and did not trust his ability to deliver them. ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 78:43

78:43 when he performed his awesome deeds ⁴⁷  in Egypt,

and his acts of judgment ⁴⁸  in the region of Zoan.

Mazmur 79:4

79:4 We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors;

those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 80:9

80:9 You cleared the ground for it; ⁵⁰ 

it took root, ⁵¹ 

and filled the land.

Mazmur 90:1

Book 4
(Psalms 90-106)

Psalm 90 ⁵² 

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90:1 O Lord, you have been our protector ⁵³  through all generations!

Mazmur 90:3

90:3 You make mankind return ⁵⁴  to the dust, ⁵⁵ 

and say, “Return, O people!”

Mazmur 94:1

Psalm 94 ⁵⁶ 

94:1 O Lord, the God who avenges!

O God who avenges, reveal your splendor! ⁵⁷ 

Mazmur 94:17

94:17 If the Lord had not helped me,

I would have laid down in the silence of death. ⁵⁸ 

Mazmur 94:21

94:21 They conspire against ⁵⁹  the blameless, ⁶⁰ 

and condemn to death the innocent. ⁶¹ 

Mazmur 96:2

96:2 Sing to the Lord! Praise his name!

Announce every day how he delivers! ⁶² 

Mazmur 104:10

104:10 He turns springs into streams; ⁶³ 

they flow between the mountains.

Mazmur 105:22

105:22 giving him authority to imprison his officials ⁶⁴ 

and to teach his advisers. ⁶⁵ 

Mazmur 105:27-28

105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, ⁶⁶ 

and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.

105:28 He made it dark; ⁶⁷ 

they did not disobey his orders. ⁶⁸ 

Mazmur 106:26

106:26 So he made a solemn vow ⁶⁹ 

that he would make them die ⁷⁰  in the desert,

Mazmur 109:20

109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, ⁷¹ 

those who say evil things about ⁷²  me! ⁷³ 

Mazmur 110:2

110:2 The Lord ⁷⁴  extends ⁷⁵  your dominion ⁷⁶  from Zion.

Rule in the midst of your enemies!

Mazmur 118:19

118:19 Open for me the gates of the just king’s temple! ⁷⁷ 

I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

Mazmur 119:8

119:8 I will keep your statutes.

Do not completely abandon me! ⁷⁸ 

Mazmur 119:17

ג (Gimel)

119:17 Be kind to your servant!

Then I will live ⁷⁹  and keep ⁸⁰  your instructions. ⁸¹ 

Mazmur 119:61

119:61 The ropes of the wicked tighten around ⁸²  me,

but I do not forget your law.

Mazmur 119:169-170

ת (Tav)

119:169 Listen to my cry for help, ⁸³  O Lord!

Give me insight by your word!

119:170 Listen to my appeal for mercy! ⁸⁴ 

Deliver me, as you promised. ⁸⁵ 

Mazmur 126:1

Psalm 126 ⁸⁶ 

A song of ascents. ⁸⁷ 

126:1 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion, ⁸⁸ 

we thought we were dreaming. ⁸⁹ 

Mazmur 135:9

135:9 He performed awesome deeds ⁹⁰  and acts of judgment ⁹¹ 

in your midst, O Egypt,

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

Mazmur 139:24

139:24 See if there is any idolatrous tendency ⁹²  in me,

and lead me in the reliable ancient path! ⁹³ 

Mazmur 141:2

141:2 May you accept my prayer like incense,

my uplifted hands like the evening offering! ⁹⁴ 

Mazmur 144:6

144:6 Hurl lightning bolts and scatter them!

Shoot your arrows and rout them! ⁹⁵ 

Mazmur 147:17

147:17 He throws his hailstones ⁹⁶  like crumbs.

Who can withstand the cold wind he sends? ⁹⁷ 

Mazmur 149:6

149:6 May they praise God

while they hold a two-edged sword in their hand, ⁹⁸ 

[7:16]  ¹ tn Heb “his harm [i.e., the harm he conceived for others, see v. 14] returns on his head.”

[7:16]  ² tn Heb “and on his forehead his violence [i.e., the violence he intended to do to others] comes down.”

[18:32]  ³ tn Heb “the God.” The prefixed article emphasizes the Lord’s distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). See v. 30.

[18:32]  ⁴ tn Heb “is the one who clothes.” For similar language see 1 Sam 2:4; Pss 65:6; 93:1. The psalmist employs a generalizing hymnic style in vv. 32-34; he uses participles in vv. 32a, 33a, and 34a to describe what God characteristically does on his behalf.

[18:32]  ⁵ tn 2 Sam 22:33 reads, “the God is my strong refuge.”

[18:32]  sn Gives me strength. As the following context makes clear, this refers to physical and emotional strength for battle (see especially v. 39).

[18:32]  ⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries along the generalizing force of the preceding participle.

[18:32]  ⁷ tn Heb “he made my path smooth.” The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “smooth”) usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36).

[18:47]  ⁸ tn Heb “the God.” See v. 32.

[18:47]  ⁹ tn Heb “is the one who grants vengeance to me.” The plural form of the noun indicates degree here, suggesting complete vengeance or vindication.

[18:47]  sn Completely vindicates me. In the ancient Near East military victory was sometimes viewed as a sign that one’s God had judged in favor of the victor, avenging and/or vindicating him. See, for example, Judg 11:27, 32-33, 36.

[18:47]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he subdues nations beneath me.” On the meaning of the verb דָּבַר (davar, “subdue,” a homonym of דָּבַר, davar, “speak”), see HALOT 209-10 s.v. I דבר. See also Ps 47:3 and 2 Chr 22:10. 2 Sam 22:48 reads “and [is the one who] brings down nations beneath me.”

[19:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “their.” The antecedent of the plural pronoun is “heavens” (v. 1).

[26:6]  ¹² tn Heb “I wash my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The imperfect verbal emphasizes that this is his habit.

[26:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “so I can go around your altar” (probably in ritual procession). Following the imperfect of the preceding line, the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.

[29:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the Lord’s reputation. (The English term “name” is often used the same way.)

[29:2]  ¹⁵ tn That is, properly dressed for the occasion.

[33:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[he] gathers like a pile the waters of the sea.” Some prefer to emend נֵד (ged, “heap, pile”; cf. NASB) to נֹד (nod, “bottle”; cf. NRSV; NIV “into jars”), but “pile” is used elsewhere to describe water that the Lord confines to one place (Exod 15:8; Josh 3:13, 16; Ps 78:13). This verse appears to refer to Gen 1:9, where God decrees that the watery deep be gathered to one place so that dry land might appear. If so, the participles in this and the following line depict this action with special vividness, as if the reader were present on the occasion. Another option is that the participles picture the confinement of the sea to one place as an ongoing divine activity.

[33:7]  ¹⁷ tn Or “watery depths.” The form תְּהוֹמוֹת (tÿhomot, “watery depths”) is the plural form of תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “great deep”; see Gen 1:2).

[33:13]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew perfect verbal forms in v. 13 state general facts.

[33:13]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “all the sons of men.”

[37:18]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the Lord knows the days of the innocent ones.” He “knows” their days in the sense that he is intimately aware of and involved in their daily struggles. He meets their needs and sustains them.

[37:18]  ²¹ tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”

[46:8]  ²² sn In this context the Lord’s exploits are military in nature (see vv. 8b-9).

[46:8]  ²³ tn Heb “who sets desolations in the earth” (see Isa 13:9). The active participle describes God’s characteristic activity as a warrior.

[48:5]  ²⁴ tn The object of “see” is omitted, but v. 3b suggests that the Lord’s self-revelation as the city’s defender is what they see.

[48:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “they look, so they are shocked.” Here כֵּן (ken, “so”) has the force of “in the same measure.”

[48:5]  ²⁶ tn The translation attempts to reflect the staccato style of the Hebrew text, where the main clauses of vv. 4-6 are simply juxtaposed without connectives.

[50:8]  ²⁷ tn Or “rebuking.”

[50:8]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and your burnt sacrifices before me continually.”

[55:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “[the] wind [that] sweeps away.” The verb סָעָה (sa’ah, “sweep away”) occurs only here in the OT (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 120).

[64:3]  ³⁰ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[64:3]  ³¹ tn Heb “a bitter word.”

[68:29]  ³² tn Heb “Be strong, O God, [you] who have acted for us, from your temple in Jerusalem.”

[68:29]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[72:9]  ³³ tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.

[72:9]  ³⁴ sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.

[73:18]  ³⁵ tn The use of the Hebrew term אַךְ (’akh, “surely”) here literarily counteracts its use in v. 13. The repetition draws attention to the contrast between the two statements, the first of which expresses the psalmist’s earlier despair and the second his newly discovered confidence.

[73:18]  ³⁶ tn Heb “cause them to fall.”

[73:24]  ³⁷ tn The imperfect verbal form here suggests this is the psalmist’s ongoing experience.

[73:24]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and afterward [to] glory you will take me.” Some interpreters view this as the psalmist’s confidence in an afterlife in God’s presence and understand כָּבוֹד (cavod) as a metonymic reference to God’s presence in heaven. But this seems unlikely in the present context. The psalmist anticipates a time of vindication, when the wicked are destroyed and he is honored by God for his godly life style. The verb לָקַח (laqakh, “take”) here carries the nuance “lead, guide, conduct,” as in Num 23:14, 27-28; Josh 24:3 and Prov 24:11.

[75:5]  ³⁹ tn Heb “do not lift up on high your horn.”

[75:5]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “[do not] speak with unrestrained neck.” The negative particle is understood in this line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[75:5]  sn The image behind the language of vv. 4-5 is that of a powerful wild ox that confidently raises its head before its enemies.

[76:8]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “a [legal] decision,” or “sentence.”

[76:8]  ⁴² tn “The earth” stands here by metonymy for its inhabitants.

[77:17]  ⁴³ tn Heb “water.”

[77:17]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “a sound the clouds gave.”

[77:17]  ⁴⁵ tn The lightning accompanying the storm is portrayed as the Lord’s “arrows” (see v. 18).

[78:22]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and they did not trust his deliverance.”

[78:43]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).

[78:43]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “portents, omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are referred to here (see vv. 44-51).

[79:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.” See Ps 44:13.

[80:9]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “you cleared away before it.”

[80:9]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and it took root [with] its roots.”

[90:1]  ⁵² sn Psalm 90. In this communal lament the worship leader affirms that the eternal God and creator of the world has always been Israel’s protector. But God also causes men, who are as transient as grass, to die, and in his fierce anger he decimates his covenant community, whose brief lives are filled with suffering and end in weakness. The community asks for wisdom, the restoration of God’s favor, a fresh revelation of his power, and his blessing upon their labors.

[90:1]  ⁵³ tn Or “place of safety.” See Ps 71:3.

[90:3]  ⁵⁴ tn In this context the shortened prefix form does not function as a preterite, but indicates what is typical of the world.

[90:3]  ⁵⁵ tn The Hebrew term דַּכָּא (daka’) carries the basic sense of “crushed.” Elsewhere it refers to those who are “crushed” in spirit or contrite of heart (see Ps 34:18; Isa 57:15). If one understands this nuance here, then v. 3 is observing that God leads mankind to repentance (the term שׁוּב, shuv, “return,” which appears twice in this verse, is sometimes used of repentance.) However, the following context laments mankind’s mortality and the brevity of life, so it is doubtful if v. 3 should be understood so positively. It is more likely that דַּכָּא here refers to “crushed matter,” that is, the dust that fills the grave (see HALOT 221 s.v. s.v. I דַּכָּא; BDB 194 s.v. דַּכָּא). In this case one may hear an echo of Gen 3:19.

[94:1]  ⁵⁶ sn Psalm 94. The psalmist asks God to judge the wicked and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.

[94:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “shine forth” (see Pss 50:2; 80:1).

[94:17]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “If the Lord [were] not my help, quickly my life would have lain down in silence.” The psalmist, perhaps speaking as the nation’s representative, recalls God’s past intervention. For other examples of conditional sentences with the term לוּלֵי (luley, “if not”) in the protasis and a perfect verbal form in the apodosis, see Pss 119:92 and 124:2-5.

[94:21]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “attack.”

[94:21]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”

[94:21]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”

[96:2]  ⁶² tn Heb “announce from day to day his deliverance.”

[104:10]  ⁶³ tn Heb “[the] one who sends springs into streams.” Another option is to translate, “he sends streams [i.e., streams that originate from springs] into the valleys” (cf. NIV).

[105:22]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “to bind his officials by his will.”

[105:22]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “and his elders he taught wisdom.”

[105:27]  ⁶⁶ tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).

[105:28]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”

[105:28]  sn He made it dark. The psalmist begins with the ninth plague (see Exod 10:21-29).

[105:28]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.

[106:26]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).

[106:26]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”

[109:20]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the Lord.”

[109:20]  ⁷² tn Or “against.”

[109:20]  ⁷³ tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[110:2]  ⁷⁴ tn Since the Lord is mentioned in the third person (note the use of the first person in v. 1), it is likely that these are the psalmist’s words to the king, not a continuation of the oracle per se.

[110:2]  ⁷⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though it could be taken as future.

[110:2]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “your strong scepter,” symbolic of the king’s royal authority and dominion.

[118:19]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “the gates of justice.” The gates of the Lord’s temple are referred to here, as v. 20 makes clear. They are called “gates of justice” because they are the entrance to the just king’s palace. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[119:8]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “do not abandon me to excess.” For other uses of the phrase עַד מְאֹד (’ad mÿ’od, “to excess”), see Ps 38:6, 8.

[119:17]  ⁷⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a cohortative indicating purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:17]  ⁸⁰ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the imperative that begins the verse.

[119:17]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as several ancient versions read the plural here.

[119:61]  ⁸² tn Heb “surround.”

[119:169]  ⁸³ tn Heb “may my cry approach before you.”

[119:170]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “may my appeal for mercy come before you.”

[119:170]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “according to your speech.”

[126:1]  ⁸⁶ sn Psalm 126. Recalling the joy of past deliverance, God’s covenant community asks for a fresh display of God’s power and confidently anticipate their sorrow being transformed into joy.

[126:1]  ⁸⁷ 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.

[126:1]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew noun שִׁיבַת (shivat) occurs only here in the OT. For this reason many prefer to emend the form to the more common שְׁבִית (shevit) or שְׁבוּת (shÿvut), both of which are used as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv; see Ps 14:7). However an Aramaic cognate of שְׁבִית appears in an eighth century b.c. Old Aramaic inscription with the verb שׁוּב. This cognate noun appears to mean “return” (see J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Treaties of Sefire [BibOr], 119-20) or “restoration” (see DNWSI 2:1125). Therefore it appears that שְׁבִית should be retained and understood as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב. In addition to Fitzmyer (119-20) see L. C. Allen, who offers the literal translation, “turn with a turning toward” (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170). Allen takes שְׁבִית as construct and understands “Zion” as an objective genitive.

[126:1]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “we were like dreamers.” This could mean the speakers were so overcome with ecstatic joy (see v. 3b) that they were like those who fantasize about pleasurable experiences in their sleep (see Isa 29:7-8). Since dreams are more commonly associated in the OT with prophetic visions, the community may be comparing their experience of God’s renewed favor to a prophet’s receiving divine visions. Just as a prophetic dream sweeps the individual into a different dimension and sometimes brings one face-to-face with God himself (see Gen 28:11-15; 1 Kgs 3:5-15), so the community was aware of God’s presence in a special way in the day of Zion’s restoration. Though the MT as it stands makes good sense, some choose to understand a homonymic root here meaning “to be healthy; to be strong” (see BDB 321 s.v. I חָלַם) and translate, “we were like those restored to health.” This reading appears to have the support of several ancient translations as well as 11QPs^a. See L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170-71) for a discussion of the viewpoints.

[135:9]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).

[135:9]  ⁹¹ tn Or “portents”; “omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are alluded to here.

[139:24]  ⁹² tn Many understand the Hebrew term עֹצֶב (’otsev) as a noun meaning “pain,” and translate the phrase דֶּרֶךְ עֹצֶב (derekh ’otsev) as “of pain,” but this makes little sense here. (Some interpret it to refer to actions which bring pain to others.) It is preferable to take עֹצֶב as “idol” (see HALOT 865 s.v. I עֹצֶב) and understand “way of an idol” to refer to idolatrous actions or tendency. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.

[139:24]  ⁹³ tn Heb “in the path of antiquity.” This probably refers to the moral path prescribed by the Lord at the beginning of Israel’s history. See Jer 6:16; 18:15, as well as L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.

[141:2]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “may my prayer be established [like] incense before you, the uplifting of my hands [like] an evening offering.”

[144:6]  ⁹⁵ sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 18:14; 77:17-18; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” [Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983], 187).

[147:17]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “his ice.”

[147:17]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “Before his cold, who can stand?”

[149:6]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “[May] praises of God [be] in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”