Mazmur 9:17

9:17 The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol; ¹ 

this is the destiny of ²  all the nations that ignore ³  God,

Mazmur 18:5

18:5 The ropes of Sheol tightened around me, ⁴ 

the snares of death trapped me. ⁵ 

Mazmur 27:13

27:13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience

the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? ⁶ 

Mazmur 34:19

34:19 The godly ⁷  face many dangers, ⁸ 

but the Lord saves ⁹  them ¹⁰  from each one of them.

Mazmur 35:24

35:24 Vindicate me by your justice, O Lord my God!

Do not let them gloat ¹¹  over me!

Mazmur 46:6

46:6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown. ¹² 

God ¹³  gives a shout, ¹⁴  the earth dissolves. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 74:17

74:17 You set up all the boundaries ¹⁶  of the earth;

you created the cycle of summer and winter. ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 103:19

103:19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven;

his kingdom extends over everything. ¹⁸ 

[9:17]  ¹ tn Heb “the wicked turn back to Sheol.” The imperfect verbal form either emphasizes what typically happens or describes vividly the aftermath of the Lord’s victory over the psalmist’s enemies. See v. 3.

[9:17]  ² tn The words “this is the destiny of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The verb “are turned back” is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).

[9:17]  ³ tn Heb “forget.” “Forgetting God” refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see also Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 44:20). The nations’ refusal to acknowledge God’s sovereignty accounts for their brazen attempt to attack and destroy his people.

[18:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “surrounded me.”

[18:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “confronted me.”

[27:13]  ⁶ tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is incomplete: “If I had not believed [I would] see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” The words “Where would I be” are supplied in the translation to clarify the intent of the statement.

[34:19]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.

[34:19]  ⁸ tn Or “trials.”

[34:19]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the godly.

[34:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.

[35:24]  ¹¹ tn Heb “rejoice.”

[46:6]  ¹² tn Heb “nations roar, kingdoms shake.” The Hebrew verb הָמָה (hamah, “roar, be in uproar”) is used in v. 3 of the waves crashing, while the verb מוֹט (mot, “overthrown”) is used in v. 2 of mountains tumbling into the sea (see also v. 5, where the psalm affirms that Jerusalem “cannot be moved”). The repetition of the verbs suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).

[46:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “He.” God is the obvious referent here (see v. 5), and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[46:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “offers his voice.” In theophanic texts the phrase refers to God’s thunderous shout which functions as a battle cry (see Pss 18:13; 68:33).

[46:6]  ¹⁵ tn Or “melts.” See Amos 9:5. The image depicts the nation’s helplessness before Jerusalem’s defender, who annihilates their armies (see vv. 8-9). The imperfect verbal form emphasizes the characteristic nature of the action described.

[74:17]  ¹⁶ tn This would appear to refer to geographical boundaries, such as mountains, rivers, and seacoasts. However, since the day-night cycle has just been mentioned (v. 16) and the next line speaks of the seasons, it is possible that “boundaries” here refers to the divisions of the seasons. See C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:156.

[74:17]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “summer and winter, you, you formed them.”

[103:19]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “his kingdom rules over all.”