Mazmur 92:10

92:10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox. ¹ 

I am covered ²  with fresh oil.

Mazmur 89:20

89:20 I have discovered David, my servant.

With my holy oil I have anointed him as king. ³ 

Mazmur 104:15

104:15 as well as wine that makes people feel so good, ⁴ 

and so they can have oil to make their faces shine, ⁵ 

as well as food that sustains people’s lives. ⁶ 

Mazmur 133:2

133:2 It is like fine oil poured on the head

which flows down the beard ⁷  –

Aaron’s beard,

and then flows down his garments. ⁸ 

Mazmur 23:5

23:5 You prepare a feast before me ⁹ 

in plain sight of my enemies.

You refresh ¹⁰  my head with oil;

my cup is completely full. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 109:18

109:18 He made cursing a way of life, ¹² 

so curses poured into his stomach like water

and seeped into his bones like oil. ¹³ 

Mazmur 55:21

55:21 His words are as smooth as butter, ¹⁴ 

but he harbors animosity in his heart. ¹⁵ 

His words seem softer than oil,

but they are really like sharp swords. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 45:7

45:7 You love ¹⁷  justice and hate evil. ¹⁸ 

For this reason God, your God ¹⁹  has anointed you ²⁰ 

with the oil of joy, ²¹  elevating you above your companions. ²² 

Mazmur 141:5

141:5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me!

May my head not refuse ²³  choice oil! ²⁴ 

Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds. ²⁵ 

Mazmur 109:24

109:24 I am so starved my knees shake; ²⁶ 

I have turned into skin and bones. ²⁷ 

Mazmur 28:8

28:8 The Lord strengthens his people; ²⁸ 

he protects and delivers his chosen king. ²⁹ 

Mazmur 84:9

84:9 O God, take notice of our shield! ³⁰ 

Show concern for your chosen king! ³¹ 

Mazmur 132:10

132:10 For the sake of David, your servant,

do not reject your chosen king! ³² 

Mazmur 132:17

132:17 There I will make David strong; ³³ 

I have determined that my chosen king’s dynasty will continue. ³⁴ 

Mazmur 89:38

89:38 But you have spurned ³⁵  and rejected him;

you are angry with your chosen king. ³⁶ 

Mazmur 89:51

89:51 Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults;

they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps. ³⁷ 

Mazmur 105:15

105:15 saying, ³⁸  “Don’t touch my chosen ³⁹  ones!

Don’t harm my prophets!”

Mazmur 18:50

18:50 He ⁴⁰  gives his chosen king magnificent victories; ⁴¹ 

he is faithful ⁴²  to his chosen ruler, ⁴³ 

to David and his descendants ⁴⁴  forever.” ⁴⁵ 

Mazmur 20:6

20:6 Now I am sure ⁴⁶  that the Lord will deliver ⁴⁷  his chosen king; ⁴⁸ 

he will intervene for him ⁴⁹  from his holy heavenly temple, ⁵⁰ 

and display his mighty ability to deliver. ⁵¹ 

[92:10]  ¹ sn The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “to exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; Lam 2:17).

[92:10]  ² tn The Hebrew verb בָּלַל (balal) usually has the nuance “to mix.” Here it seems to mean “to smear” or “to anoint.” Some emend the form to בַּלֹּתַנִי (ballotaniy; a second person form of the verb with a first person suffix) and read, “you anoint me.”

[89:20]  ³ tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.

[104:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “and wine [that] makes the heart of man happy.”

[104:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “to make [the] face shine from oil.” The Hebrew verb צָהַל (tsahal, “to shine”) occurs only here in the OT. It appears to be an alternate form of צָהַר (tsahar), a derivative from צָהָרִים (tsaharim, “noon”).

[104:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “and food [that] sustains the heart of man.”

[133:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “[it is] like the good oil on the head, going down on the beard.”

[133:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “which goes down in accordance with his measured things.” The Hebrew phrase מִדּוֹתָיו (middotayv, “his measured things”) refers here to the robes worn by Aaron. HALOT 546 s.v. *מַד derives the form from מַד (midah, “robe”) rather than מִדָּה (middah, “measured thing”). Ugaritic md means “robe” and is pluralized mdt.

[23:5]  ⁹ sn In v. 5 the metaphor switches. (It would be very odd for a sheep to have its head anointed and be served wine.) The background for the imagery is probably the royal banquet. Ancient Near Eastern texts describe such banquets in similar terms to those employed by the psalmist. (See M. L. Barre and J. S. Kselman, “New Exodus, Covenant, and Restoration in Psalm 23,” The Word of the Lord Shall Go Forth, 97-127.) The reality behind the imagery is the Lord’s favor. Through his blessings and protection he demonstrates to everyone, including dangerous enemies, that the psalmist has a special relationship with him.

[23:5]  ¹⁰ tn The imperfect verbal form in v. 5a carries on the generalizing mood of vv. 1-4. However, in v. 5b the psalmist switches to a perfect (דִּשַּׁנְתָּ, dishanta), which may have a generalizing force as well. But then again the perfect is conspicuous here and may be present perfect in sense, indicating that the divine host typically pours oil on his head prior to seating him at the banquet table. The verb דָשַׁן (dashan; the Piel is factitive) is often translated “anoint,” but this is misleading, for it might suggest a symbolic act of initiation into royal status. One would expect the verb מָשָׁח (mashan) in this case; דָשַׁן here describes an act of hospitality extended to guests and carries the nuance “refresh.” In Prov 15:30 it stands parallel to “make happy” and refers to the effect that good news has on the inner being of its recipient.

[23:5]  ¹¹ tn The rare noun רְַָויָה (rÿvayah) is derived from the well-attested verb רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated, drink one’s fill”). In this context, where it describes a cup, it must mean “filled up,” but not necessarily to overflowing.

[109:18]  ¹² tn Heb “he put on a curse as [if it were] his garment.”

[109:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “and it came like water into his inner being, and like oil into his bones.” This may refer to this individual’s appetite for cursing. For him cursing was as refreshing as drinking water or massaging oneself with oil. Another option is that the destructive effects of a curse are in view. In this case a destructive curse invades his very being, like water or oil. Some who interpret the verse this way prefer to repoint the vav (ו) on “it came” to a conjunctive vav and interpret the prefixed verb as a jussive, “may it come!”

[55:21]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the butter-like [words] of his mouth are smooth.” The noun מַחְמָאֹת (makhma’ot, “butter-like [words]”) occurs only here. Many prefer to emend the form to מֵחֶמְאָה (mekhem’ah, from [i.e., “than”] butter”), cf. NEB, NRSV “smoother than butter.” However, in this case “his mouth” does not agree in number with the plural verb חָלְקוּ (kholqu, “they are smooth”). Therefore some further propose an emendation of פִּיו (piv, “his mouth”) to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”). In any case, the point seems to that the psalmist’s former friend spoke kindly to him and gave the outward indications of friendship.

[55:21]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and war [is in] his heart.”

[55:21]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “his words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.”

[45:7]  ¹⁷ sn To love justice means to actively promote it.

[45:7]  ¹⁸ sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.

[45:7]  ¹⁹ tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“Lord”) is relatively rare in Pss 42-83, where the name Elohim (“God”) predominates, this compounding of Elohim may be an alternative form of the compound name “the Lord my/your/our God.”

[45:7]  ²⁰ sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.

[45:7]  ²¹ sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.

[45:7]  ²² tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.

[45:7]  sn Verses 6-7 are quoted in Heb 1:8-9, where they are applied to Jesus.

[141:5]  ²³ tn The form יָנִי (yaniy) appears to be derived from the verbal root נוּא (nu’). Another option is to emend the form to יְנָא (yÿna’), a Piel from נָאָה (na’ah), and translate “may choice oil not adorn my head” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 271). In this case, choice oil, like delicacies in v. 4, symbolize the pleasures of sin.

[141:5]  ²⁴ sn May my head not refuse choice oil. The psalmist compares the constructive criticism of the godly (see the previous line) to having refreshing olive oil poured over one’s head.

[141:5]  ²⁵ tc Heb “for still, and my prayer [is] against their evil deeds.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult; the sequence -כִּי־עוֹד וּ (kiy-’od u-, “for still and”) occurs only here. The translation assumes an emendation to כִּי עֵד תְפלָּתִי (“indeed a witness [is] my prayer”). The psalmist’s lament about the evil actions of sinful men (see v. 4) testifies against the wicked in the divine court.

[109:24]  ²⁶ tn Heb “my knees stagger from fasting.”

[109:24]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and my flesh is lean away from fatness [i.e., “lean so as not to be fat”].”

[28:8]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the Lord [is] strength to them” (or perhaps, “to him”). The form לָמוֹ (lamo, “to them/him”) is probably a corruption of an original לְעַמוֹ (lÿ’amo, “to his people”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 236), perhaps due to quiescence of the letter ayin (ע; see P. McCarter, Textual Criticism [GBS], 55). Note the reference to the Lord’s “people” in the next verse.

[28:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “he [is] a refuge of help for his anointed one.” The noun מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh, “anointed one”) refers to the Davidic king, who perhaps speaks as representative of the nation in this psalm. See Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17.

[84:9]  ³⁰ tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “your anointed one” here and with “our king” in Ps 89:18.

[84:9]  ³¹ tn Heb “look [on] the face of your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17).

[132:10]  ³² tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”

[132:17]  ³³ tn Heb “there I will cause a horn to sprout for David.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Pss 18:2; 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that used its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36.

[132:17]  ³⁴ tn Heb “I have arranged a lamp for my anointed one.” Here the “lamp” is a metaphor for the Davidic dynasty (see 1 Kgs 11:36).

[89:38]  ³⁵ tn The Hebrew construction (conjunction + pronoun, followed by the verb) draws attention to the contrast between what follows and what precedes.

[89:38]  ³⁶ tn Heb “your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 132:10, 17).

[89:51]  ³⁷ tn Heb “[by] which your enemies, O Lord, taunt, [by] which they taunt [at] the heels of your anointed one.”

[105:15]  ³⁸ tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[105:15]  ³⁹ tn Heb “anointed.”

[18:50]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “the one who.”

[18:50]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “magnifies the victories of his king.” “His king” refers to the psalmist, the Davidic king whom God has chosen to rule Israel.

[18:50]  ⁴² tn Heb “[the one who] does loyalty.”

[18:50]  ⁴³ tn Heb “his anointed [one],” i.e., the psalmist/Davidic king. See Ps 2:2.

[18:50]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[18:50]  ⁴⁵ sn If David is the author of the psalm (see the superscription), then he here anticipates that God will continue to demonstrate loyalty to his descendants who succeed him. If the author is a later Davidic king, then he views the divine favor he has experienced as the outworking of God’s faithful promises to David his ancestor.

[20:6]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “his anointed one.” This title refers to the Davidic king. See Pss 2:2 and 18:50.

[20:6]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “he will answer him.”

[20:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “from his holy heavens.”

[20:6]  ⁵¹ 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).