Mazmur 24:1-10
KonteksA psalm of David.
24:1 The Lord owns the earth and all it contains,
the world and all who live in it.
24:2 For he set its foundation upon the seas,
and established 2 it upon the ocean currents. 3
24:3 Who is allowed to ascend 4 the mountain of the Lord? 5
Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?
24:4 The one whose deeds are blameless
and whose motives are pure, 6
who does not lie, 7
or make promises with no intention of keeping them. 8
24:5 Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, 9
and vindicated by the God who delivers them. 10
24:6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor,
Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him. 11 (Selah)
Rise up, 13 you eternal doors!
Then the majestic king 14 will enter! 15
24:8 Who is this majestic king? 16
The Lord who is strong and mighty!
The Lord who is mighty in battle!
24:9 Look up, you gates!
Rise up, you eternal doors!
Then the majestic king will enter!
24:10 Who is this majestic king?
The Lord who commands armies! 17
He is the majestic king! (Selah)
Mazmur 40:1-17
KonteksFor the music director; By David, a psalm.
40:1 I relied completely 19 on the Lord,
and he turned toward me
and heard my cry for help.
40:2 He lifted me out of the watery pit, 20
out of the slimy mud. 21
He placed my feet on a rock
and gave me secure footing. 22
40:3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, 23
praising our God. 24
May many see what God has done,
so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord! 25
40:4 How blessed 26 is the one 27 who trusts in the Lord 28
and does not seek help from 29 the proud or from liars! 30
40:5 O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things;
you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us. 31
No one can thwart you! 32
I want to declare them and talk about them,
but they are too numerous to recount! 33
40:6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. 34
You make that quite clear to me! 35
You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.
40:7 Then I say,
“Look! I come!
What is written in the scroll pertains to me. 36
40:8 I want to do what pleases you, 37 my God.
Your law dominates my thoughts.” 38
40:9 I have told the great assembly 39 about your justice. 40
Look! I spare no words! 41
O Lord, you know this is true.
40:10 I have not failed to tell about your justice; 42
I spoke about your reliability and deliverance;
I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your loyal love and faithfulness. 43
40:11 O Lord, you do not withhold 44 your compassion from me.
May your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me! 45
40:12 For innumerable dangers 46 surround me.
My sins overtake me
so I am unable to see;
they outnumber the hairs of my head
so my strength fails me. 47
40:13 Please be willing, O Lord, to rescue me!
O Lord, hurry and help me! 48
40:14 May those who are trying to snatch away my life
be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 49
May those who want to harm me
be turned back and ashamed! 50
40:15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be humiliated 51 and disgraced! 52
40:16 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!
May those who love to experience 53 your deliverance say continually, 54
“May the Lord be praised!” 55
40:17 I am oppressed and needy! 56
May the Lord pay attention to me! 57
You are my helper and my deliverer!
O my God, do not delay!
Mazmur 109:1--110:7
KonteksFor the music director, a psalm of David.
109:1 O God whom I praise, do not ignore me! 59
109:2 For they say cruel and deceptive things to me;
they lie to me. 60
109:3 They surround me and say hateful things; 61
they attack me for no reason.
109:4 They repay my love with accusations, 62
but I continue to pray. 63
109:5 They repay me evil for good, 64
and hate for love.
109:6 65 Appoint an evil man to testify against him! 66
May an accuser stand 67 at his right side!
109:7 When he is judged, he will be found 68 guilty! 69
Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.
May another take his job! 71
109:9 May his children 72 be fatherless,
and his wife a widow!
109:10 May his children 73 roam around begging,
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home! 74
109:11 May the creditor seize 75 all he owns!
May strangers loot his property! 76
109:12 May no one show him kindness! 77
May no one have compassion 78 on his fatherless children!
109:13 May his descendants 79 be cut off! 80
May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives! 81
109:14 May his ancestors’ 82 sins be remembered by the Lord!
May his mother’s sin not be forgotten! 83
109:15 May the Lord be constantly aware of them, 84
and cut off the memory of his children 85 from the earth!
109:16 For he never bothered to show kindness; 86
he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened. 87
109:17 He loved to curse 88 others, so those curses have come upon him. 89
He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings. 90
109:18 He made cursing a way of life, 91
so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil. 92
109:19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on, 93
or a belt 94 one wears continually!
109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, 95
those who say evil things about 96 me! 97
109:21 O sovereign Lord,
intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation! 98
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!
109:22 For I am oppressed and needy,
and my heart beats violently within me. 99
109:23 I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day; 100
I am shaken off like a locust.
109:24 I am so starved my knees shake; 101
I have turned into skin and bones. 102
109:25 I am disdained by them. 103
When they see me, they shake their heads. 104
109:26 Help me, O Lord my God!
Because you are faithful to me, deliver me! 105
109:27 Then they will realize 106 this is your work, 107
and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.
109:28 They curse, but you will bless. 108
When they attack, they will be humiliated, 109
but your servant will rejoice.
109:29 My accusers will be covered 110 with shame,
and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.
109:30 I will thank the Lord profusely, 111
in the middle of a crowd 112 I will praise him,
109:31 because he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to deliver him from those who threaten 113 his life.
A psalm of David.
110:1 Here is the Lord’s proclamation 115 to my lord: 116
“Sit down at my right hand 117 until I make your enemies your footstool!” 118
110:2 The Lord 119 extends 120 your dominion 121 from Zion.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
110:3 Your people willingly follow you 122 when you go into battle. 123
On the holy hills 124 at sunrise 125 the dew of your youth 126 belongs to you. 127
110:4 The Lord makes this promise on oath 128 and will not revoke it: 129
“You are an eternal priest 130 after the pattern of 131 Melchizedek.” 132
110:5 O sovereign Lord, 133 at your right hand
he strikes down 134 kings in the day he unleashes his anger. 135
110:6 He executes judgment 136 against 137 the nations;
he fills the valleys with corpses; 138
he shatters their heads over the vast battlefield. 139
110:7 From the stream along the road he drinks;
then he lifts up his head. 140
Mazmur 139:1-24
KonteksFor the music director, a psalm of David.
139:1 O Lord, you examine me 142 and know.
139:2 You know when I sit down and when I get up;
even from far away you understand my motives.
139:3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; 143
you are aware of everything I do. 144
139:4 Certainly 145 my tongue does not frame a word
without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it. 146
139:5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
139:6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. 147
139:7 Where can I go to escape your spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence? 148
139:8 If I were to ascend 149 to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. 150
139:9 If I were to fly away 151 on the wings of the dawn, 152
and settle down on the other side 153 of the sea,
139:10 even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
139:11 If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, 154
and the light will turn to night all around me,” 155
139:12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, 156
and the night is as bright as 157 day;
darkness and light are the same to you. 158
139:13 Certainly 159 you made my mind and heart; 160
you wove me together 161 in my mother’s womb.
139:14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. 162
You knew me thoroughly; 163
139:15 my bones were not hidden from you,
when 164 I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth. 165
139:16 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. 166
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence. 167
139:17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! 168
How vast is their sum total! 169
139:18 If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you. 170
139:19 If only 171 you would kill the wicked, O God!
Get away from me, you violent men! 172
139:20 They 173 rebel against you 174 and act deceitfully; 175
your enemies lie. 176
139:21 O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you,
and despise those who oppose you? 177
139:22 I absolutely hate them, 178
they have become my enemies!
139:23 Examine me, and probe my thoughts! 179
Test me, and know my concerns! 180
139:24 See if there is any idolatrous tendency 181 in me,
and lead me in the reliable ancient path! 182
[24:1] 1 sn Psalm 24. The psalmist affirms the universal kingship of the sovereign creator, reminds his people that only the morally pure are qualified to worship him, and celebrates his splendor as a mighty warrior king.
[24:2] 2 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite, referring to the creation of the world.
[24:2] 3 sn He…established it upon the ocean currents. The description reflects ancient Israelite prescientific cosmology, which is based on outward appearances. The language also suggests that God’s creative work involved the subjugation of chaos, symbolized by the sea.
[24:3] 4 tn The imperfects in v. 3 are modal, expressing potential or permission.
[24:3] 5 sn In this context the Lord’s mountain probably refers to Zion/Jerusalem (see Isa 2:2-3).
[24:4] 6 tn Heb “the innocent of hands and the pure of heart.” The “hands” allude to one’s actions, the “heart” to one’s thought life and motives.
[24:4] 7 tn Heb “who does not lift up for emptiness my life.” The first person pronoun on נַפְשִׁי (nafshiy, “my life”) makes little sense here; many medieval Hebrew
[24:4] 8 tn Heb “and does not swear an oath deceitfully.”
[24:5] 9 tn Heb “he (the righteous individual described in v. 4) lifts up a blessing from the
[24:5] 10 tn “and vindication from the God of his deliverance.”
[24:6] 11 tn Heb “this [is the] generation of the ones seeking him, the ones seeking your face, Jacob.” To “seek the
[24:6] sn This verse presents a somewhat idealized view of Jacob’s descendants as devoted worshipers of the Lord.
[24:7] 12 tn Heb “lift up your heads.” The gates of the Lord’s dwelling place are here personified. The idiom “lift up the head” often means “be confident, bold” (see Judg 8:28; Job 10:15; Ps 83:2; Zech 1:21).
[24:7] 13 tn Heb “lift yourselves up.”
[24:7] 14 tn Or “king of glory.”
[24:7] 15 tn Following the imperatives of the preceding lines, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
[24:8] 16 sn Who is this majestic king? Perhaps the personified gates/doors ask this question, in response to the command given in v. 7.
[24:10] 17 tn Traditionally, “the
[40:1] 18 sn Psalm 40. The psalmist combines a song of thanksgiving for a recent act of divine deliverance (vv. 1-11) with a confident petition for renewed divine intervention (vv. 12-17).
[40:1] 19 tn Heb “relying, I relied.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the verbal idea. The emphasis is reflected in the translation through the adverb “completely.” Another option is to translate, “I waited patiently” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[40:2] 20 tn Heb “cistern of roaring.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “cistern, pit”) is used metaphorically here of Sheol, the place of death, which is sometimes depicted as a raging sea (see Ps 18:4, 15-16). The noun שָׁאוֹן (sha’on, “roaring”) refers elsewhere to the crashing sound of the sea’s waves (see Ps 65:7).
[40:2] 21 tn Heb “from the mud of mud.” The Hebrew phrase translated “slimy mud” employs an appositional genitive. Two synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.
[40:2] 22 tn Heb “he established my footsteps.”
[40:3] 23 sn A new song was appropriate because the Lord had intervened in the psalmist’s experience in a fresh and exciting way.
[40:3] 24 tn Heb “and he placed in my mouth a new song, praise to our God.”
[40:3] 25 tn Heb “may many see and fear and trust in the
[40:4] 26 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[40:4] 27 tn Heb “man.” See the note on the word “one” in Ps 1:1.
[40:4] 28 tn Heb “who has made the
[40:4] 29 tn Heb “and does not turn toward.”
[40:4] 30 tn Heb “those falling away toward a lie.”
[40:5] 31 tn Heb “many things you have done, you, O
[40:5] 32 tn Heb “there is none arrayed against you.” The precise meaning of the text is unclear, but the collocation עָרַךְ אֶל (’arakh ’el, “array against”) is used elsewhere of military (Judg 20:30; 1 Chr 19:17) or verbal opposition (Job 32:14).
[40:5] 33 tn Heb “I will declare and I will speak, they are too numerous to recount.” The present translation assumes that the cohortatives are used in a hypothetical manner in a formally unmarked conditional sentence, “Should I try to declare [them] and speak [of them]…” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). For other examples of cohortatives in the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, see GKC 320 §108.e. (It should be noted, however, that GKC understands this particular verse in a different manner. See GKC 320 §108.f, where it is suggested that the cohortatives are part of an apodosis with the protasis being suppressed.) Another option is to take the cohortatives as a declaration of the psalmist’s resolve to announce the truth expressed in the next line. In this case one might translate: “I will declare and speak [the truth]: They are too numerous to recount.”
[40:6] 34 tn Heb “sacrifice and offering you do not desire.” The statement is exaggerated for the sake of emphasis (see Ps 51:16 as well). God is pleased with sacrifices, but his first priority is obedience and loyalty (see 1 Sam 15:22). Sacrifices and offerings apart from genuine allegiance are meaningless (see Isa 1:11-20).
[40:6] 35 tn Heb “ears you hollowed out for me.” The meaning of this odd expression is debated (this is the only collocation of “hollowed out” and “ears” in the OT). It may have been an idiomatic expression referring to making a point clear to a listener. The LXX has “but a body you have prepared for me,” a reading which is followed in Heb 10:5.
[40:7] 36 tn Heb “in the roll of the scroll it is written concerning me.” Apparently the psalmist refers to the law of God (see v. 8), which contains the commandments God desires him to obey. If this is a distinctly royal psalm, then the psalmist/king may be referring specifically to the regulations of kingship prescribed in Deut 17:14-20. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 315.
[40:8] 38 tn Heb “your law [is] in the midst of my inner parts.” The “inner parts” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s thought life and moral decision making.
[40:9] 39 sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Pss 22:25 and 35:18.
[40:9] 40 tn Heb “I proclaim justice in the great assembly.” Though “justice” appears without a pronoun here, the
[40:9] 41 tn Heb “Look! My lips I do not restrain.”
[40:10] 42 tn Heb “your justice I have not hidden in the midst of my heart.”
[40:10] 43 tn Heb “I have not hidden your loyal love and reliability.”
[40:11] 44 tn Some (cf. NIV, NRSV) translate the verb as a request (“do not withhold”), but elsewhere in the psalms the second masculine singular prefixed form, when addressed to God and preceded by לֹא (lo’), is always indicative in mood and never has the force of a prayer (see Pss 16:10; 22:2; 44:9 51:16-17; 60:10; 108:11; cf. NEB, NASB).
[40:11] 45 tn In this line the psalmist makes the transition from confidence to petition (see v. 13). Since the prefixed verbal form in the preceding line is imperfect/indicative, one could take the verb in this line as imperfect as well and translate, “your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me” (cf. NEB). However, the כִּי (ki) at the beginning of the next verse, if causal (“because”), is best understood as introducing a motivating argument in support of a petition. For this reason v. 11b is best taken as a prayer with the prefixed form being understood as jussive (cf. NIV, NRSV). For parallels to the proposed construction (jussive followed by כִּי + perfect introducing motivating argument), see Ps 25:21, as well as Pss 10:2-3; 22:8.
[40:12] 46 tn Or “sinful deeds.” The Hebrew term used here can have a nonmoral nuance (“dangers”) or a moral one (“sinful deeds”) depending on the context. The next line (see “my sins”) seems to favor the moral sense, but the psalmist also speaks of enemies shortly after this (v. 14).
[40:12] 47 tn Heb “and my heart abandons me.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of emotional strength and courage. For a similar idea see Ps 38:10.
[40:13] 48 tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Pss 22:19; 38:22.
[40:14] 49 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones seeking my life to snatch it away.”
[40:14] 50 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse (“may those…be…embarrassed and ashamed…may those…be turned back and ashamed”) are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.
[40:14] sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.
[40:15] 51 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.
[40:15] 52 tn Heb “May they be humiliated according to their shame, those who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!’”
[40:16] 53 tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by the
[40:16] 54 tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing upon the godly.
[40:16] 55 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
[40:17] 56 sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.
[40:17] 57 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a jussive of prayer (as in the present translation; cf. NIV) or as an imperfect, “The
[109:1] 58 sn Psalm 109. Appealing to God’s justice, the psalmist asks God to vindicate him and to bring severe judgment down upon his enemies.
[109:1] 59 tn Heb “do not be deaf.”
[109:2] 60 tn Heb “for a mouth of evil and a mouth of deceit against me they open, they speak with me [with] a tongue of falsehood.”
[109:3] 61 tn Heb “and [with] words of hatred they surround me.”
[109:4] 62 tn Heb “in place of my love they oppose me.”
[109:4] 63 tn Heb “and I, prayer.”
[109:5] 64 tn Heb “and they set upon me evil in place of good.”
[109:6] 65 sn In vv. 6-19 the psalmist calls on God to judge his enemies severely. Some attribute this curse-list to the psalmist’s enemies rather than the psalmist. In this case one should paraphrase v. 6: “They say about me, ‘Appoint an evil man, etc.’” Those supporting this line of interpretation point out that vv. 2-5 and 20 refer to the enemies’ attack on the psalmist being a verbal one. Furthermore in vv. 1-5, 20 the psalmist speaks of his enemies in the plural, while vv. 6-19 refer to an individual. This use of the singular in vv. 6-19 could be readily explained if this is the psalmist’s enemies’ curse on him. However, it is much more natural to understand vv. 6-19 as the psalmist’s prayer against his enemies. There is no introductory quotation formula in v. 6 to indicate that the psalmist is quoting anyone, and the statement “may the
[109:6] 66 tn Heb “appoint against him an evil [man].”
[109:6] 67 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive here (note the imperative in the preceding line).
[109:7] 68 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as a jussive, but the use of the imperfect form in the following line suggests that v. 7 anticipates the outcome of the accusation envisioned in v. 6.
[109:7] 69 tn Heb “he will go out [as] a criminal” (that is, guilty).
[109:8] 70 tn The prefixed verbal forms (except those with vav [ו] consecutive) in vv. 8-20 are taken as jussives of prayer. Note the distinct jussive forms used in vv. 12-13, 15, 19.
[109:8] 71 tn The Hebrew noun פְּקֻדָּה (pÿquddah) can mean “charge” or “office,” though BDB 824 s.v. suggests that here it refers to his possessions.
[109:10] 74 tn Heb “and roaming, may his children roam and beg, and seek from their ruins.” Some, following the LXX, emend the term וְדָרְשׁוּ (vÿdoreshu, “and seek”) to יְגֹרְשׁוּ (yÿgoreshu; a Pual jussive, “may they be driven away” [see Job 30:5; cf. NIV, NRSV]), but דָּרַשׁ (darash) nicely parallels שִׁאֵלוּ (shi’elu, “and beg”) in the preceding line.
[109:11] 75 tn Heb “lay snares for” (see Ps 38:12).
[109:11] 76 tn Heb “the product of his labor.”
[109:12] 77 tn Heb “may there not be for him one who extends loyal love.”
[109:12] 78 tn Perhaps this refers to being generous (see Ps 37:21).
[109:13] 79 tn Or “offspring.”
[109:13] 80 sn On the expression cut off see Ps 37:28.
[109:13] 81 tn Heb “in another generation may their name be wiped out.”
[109:14] 82 tn Or “fathers’ sins.”
[109:14] 83 tn Heb “not be wiped out.”
[109:14] sn According to ancient Israelite theology and its doctrine of corporate solidarity and responsibility, children could be and often were punished for the sins of their parents. For a discussion of this issue see J. Kaminsky, Corporate Responsibility in the Hebrew Bible (JSOTSup). (Kaminsky, however, does not deal with Ps 109.)
[109:15] 84 tn Heb “may they [that is, the sins mentioned in v. 14] be before the
[109:15] 85 tn Heb “their memory.” The plural pronominal suffix probably refers back to the children mentioned in v. 13, and for clarity this has been specified in the translation.
[109:16] 86 tn Heb “he did not remember to do loyal love.”
[109:16] 87 tn Heb “and he chased an oppressed and needy man, and one timid of heart to put [him] to death.”
[109:17] 88 sn A curse in OT times consists of a formal appeal to God to bring judgment down upon another. Curses were sometimes justified (such as the one spoken by the psalmist here in vv. 6-19), but when they were not, the one pronouncing the curse was in danger of bringing the anticipated judgment down upon himself.
[109:17] 89 tn Heb “and he loved a curse and it came [upon] him.” A reference to the evil man experiencing a curse seems premature here, for the psalmist is asking God to bring judgment on his enemies. For this reason some (cf. NIV, NRSV) prefer to repoint the vav (ו) on “it came” as conjunctive and translate the verb as a jussive of prayer (“may it come upon him!”). The prefixed form with vav consecutive in the next line is emended in the same way and translated, “may it be far from him.” However, the psalmist may be indicating that the evil man’s lifestyle has already begun to yield its destructive fruit.
[109:17] 90 tn Heb “and he did not delight in a blessing and it is far from him.”
[109:18] 91 tn Heb “he put on a curse as [if it were] his garment.”
[109:18] 92 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!”
[109:19] 93 tn Heb “may it be for him like a garment one puts on.”
[109:19] 94 tn The Hebrew noun מֵזַח (mezakh, “belt; waistband”) occurs only here in the OT. The form apparently occurs in Isa 23:10 as well, but an emendation is necessary there.
[109:20] 95 tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the
[109:20] 97 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).
[109:21] 98 tn Heb “but you,
[109:22] 99 tc The verb in the Hebrew text (חָלַל, khalal) appears to be a Qal form from the root חלל meaning “pierced; wounded.” However, the Qal of this root is otherwise unattested. The translation assumes an emendation to יָחִיל (yakhil), a Qal imperfect from חוּל (khul, “tremble”) or to חֹלַל (kholal), a polal perfect from חוּל (khul). See Ps 55:4, which reads לִבִּי יָחִיל בְּקִרְבִּי (libbiy yakhil bÿqirbbiy, “my heart trembles [i.e., “beats violently”] within me”).
[109:23] 100 tn Heb “like a shadow when it is extended I go.” He is like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness. See Ps 102:11.
[109:24] 101 tn Heb “my knees stagger from fasting.”
[109:24] 102 tn Heb “and my flesh is lean away from fatness [i.e., “lean so as not to be fat”].”
[109:25] 103 tn Heb “as for me, I am a reproach to them.”
[109:25] 104 sn They shake their heads. Apparently shaking the head was a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 22:7; Lam 2:15.
[109:26] 105 tn Heb “deliver me according to your faithfulness.”
[109:27] 106 tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
[109:27] 107 tn Heb “that your hand [is] this.”
[109:28] 108 tn Another option is to translate the imperfect as a prayer/request (“may you bless”).
[109:28] 109 tn The verbal sequence is perfect + prefixed form with vav (ו) consecutive. Since the psalmist seems to be anticipating the demise of his enemies, he may be using these forms rhetorically to describe the enemies’ defeat as if it were already accomplished. Some emend the text to קָמוּ יֵבֹשׁוּ (qamu yevoshu, “may those who attack me be humiliated”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 75.
[109:29] 110 tn Heb “clothed.” Another option is to translate the prefixed verbal forms in this line and the next as jussives (“may my accusers be covered with shame”).
[109:30] 111 tn Heb “I will thank the
[110:1] 114 sn Psalm 110. In this royal psalm the psalmist announces God’s oracle to the Davidic king. The first part of the oracle appears in v. 1, the second in v. 4. In vv. 2-3 the psalmist addresses the king, while in vv. 5-7 he appears to address God.
[110:1] 115 tn The word נְאֻם (nÿ’um) is used frequently in the OT of a formal divine announcement through a prophet.
[110:1] 116 sn My lord. In the psalm’s original context the speaker is an unidentified prophetic voice in the royal court. In the course of time the psalm is applied to each successive king in the dynasty and ultimately to the ideal Davidic king. NT references to the psalm understand David to be speaking about his “lord,” the Messiah. (See Matt 22:43-45; Mark 12:36-37; Luke 20:42-44; Acts 2:34-35).
[110:1] 117 tn To sit at the “right hand” of the king was an honor (see 1 Kgs 2:19). In Ugaritic myth (CTA 4 v. 108-10) the artisan god Kothar-and Khasis is described as sitting at the right hand of the storm god Baal. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 61-62.
[110:1] sn The Lord’s invitation to the Davidic king to sit down at his right hand reflects the king’s position as the Lord’s vice-regent.
[110:1] 118 sn When the Lord made his covenant with David, he promised to subdue the king’s enemies (see 2 Sam 7:9-11; Ps 89:22-23).
[110:2] 119 tn Since the
[110:2] 120 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though it could be taken as future.
[110:2] 121 tn Heb “your strong scepter,” symbolic of the king’s royal authority and dominion.
[110:3] 122 tn Heb “your people, free will offerings.” Perhaps the people, in their willingness to volunteer, are compared metaphorically to freewill offerings. Following the LXX, some revocalize the text and read “with you is nobility.”
[110:3] 123 tn Heb “in the day of your power.”
[110:3] 124 tc Heb “in splendor of holiness.” The plural construct form הַדְרֵי (hadrey, from הָדַר, hadar, “splendor”) occurs only here; it may indicate degree or perhaps refer by metonymy to garments (see Pss 29:2 and 96:9, where the phrase הַדְרַת קֹדֶשׁ [hadrat qodesh] refers to “holy attire”). If one retains the reading of the MT, this phrase should probably be taken with the preceding line. However, because of the subsequent references to “dawn” and to “dew,” it is better to emend the text to הַרְרֵי קֹדֶשׁ (harrey qodesh, “mountains of holiness”), a reading found in many medieval Hebrew
[110:3] 125 tn Heb “from the womb of dawn.” The Hebrew noun רֶחֶם (rekhem, “womb”) is probably used here metonymically for “birth.” The form מִשְׁחָר (mishkhar) occurs only here and should be emended to שַׁחַר (shakhar, “dawn”) with the mem (מ) being understood as dittographic (note the final mem [ם] on the preceding word). The phrase “womb [i.e., “birth”] of dawn” refers to sunrise.
[110:3] 126 sn The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. The dew may symbolize the king’s youthful vitality or, more likely (note the parallelism), may refer to his army of strong, youthful warriors.
[110:3] 127 tn Heb “to you [is].”
[110:4] 128 tn Or “swears, vows.”
[110:4] 129 tn Or “will not change his mind.” The negated Niphal imperfect of נָחַם (nakham) is a way of marking an announcement as an irrevocable decree. See 1 Sam 15:29; Ezek 24:14, as well as R. B. Chisholm, “Does God ‘Change His Mind’?” BSac 152 (1995): 387-99.
[110:4] 130 sn You are an eternal priest. The Davidic king exercised a non-Levitical priestly role. The king superintended Judah’s cultic ritual, had authority over the Levites, and sometimes led in formal worship. David himself instructed the Levites to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem (1 Chr 15:11-15), joined the procession, offered sacrifices, wore a priestly ephod, and blessed the people (2 Sam 6:12-19). At the dedication of the temple Solomon led the ceremony, offering sacrifices and praying on behalf of the people (1 Kgs 8).
[110:4] 131 tn The phrase עַל־דִּבְרָתִי (’al-divratiy) is a variant of עַל־דִּבְרָת (’al-divrat; the final yod [י] being an archaic genitival ending), which in turn is a variant of עַל דָּבַר (’al davar). Both phrases can mean “concerning” or “because of,” but neither of these nuances fits the use of עַל־דִּבְרָתִי in Ps 110:4. Here the phrase probably carries the sense “according to the manner of.” See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 81.
[110:4] 132 sn The Davidic king’s priestly role is analogous to that of Melchizedek, who was both “king of Salem” (i.e., Jerusalem) and a “priest of God Most High” in the time of Abraham (Gen 14:18-20). Like Melchizedek, the Davidic king was a royal priest, distinct from the Aaronic line (see Heb 7). The analogy focuses on the king’s priestly role; the language need not imply that Melchizedek himself was “an eternal priest.”
[110:5] 133 tn As pointed in the Hebrew text, this title refers to God (many medieval Hebrew
[110:5] 134 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 5-6 are understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing. Another option is to take them as rhetorical. In this case the psalmist describes anticipated events as if they had already taken place.
[110:5] 135 tn Heb “in the day of his anger.”
[110:6] 136 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 6-7 are understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though they could be taken as future.
[110:6] 138 tn Heb “he fills [with] corpses,” but one expects a double accusative here. The translation assumes an emendation to גְוִיּוֹת גֵאָיוֹת(בִּ) מִלֵּא or מִלֵּא גֵאָיוֹת גְּוִיוֹת (for a similar construction see Ezek 32:5). In the former case גֵאָיוֹת(ge’ayot) has accidentally dropped from the text due to homoioteleuton; in the latter case it has dropped out due to homoioarcton.
[110:6] 139 tn Heb “he strikes [the verb is מָחַץ (makhats), translated “strikes down” in v. 5] head[s] over a great land.” The Hebrew term רַבָּה (rabbah, “great”) is here used of distance or spatial measurement (see 1 Sam 26:13).
[110:7] 140 tn Here the expression “lifts up the head” refers to the renewed physical strength and emotional vigor (see Ps 3:3) provided by the refreshing water. For another example of a victorious warrior being energized by water in the aftermath of battle, see Judg 15:18-19 (see also 1 Sam 30:11-12, where the setting is different, however).
[139:1] 141 sn Psalm 139. The psalmist acknowledges that God, who created him, is aware of his every action and thought. He invites God to examine his motives, for he is confident they are pure.
[139:1] 142 tn The statement is understood as generalizing – the psalmist describes what God typically does.
[139:3] 143 tn Heb “my traveling and my lying down you measure.” The verb זָרָה (zarah, “to measure”) is probably here a denominative from זָרָת (zarat, “a span; a measure”), though some derive it from זָרָה (zarat, “to winnow; to sift”; see BDB 279-80 s.v. זָרָה).
[139:3] 144 tn Heb “all my ways.”
[139:4] 146 tn Heb “look, O
[139:6] 147 tn Heb “too amazing [is this] knowledge for me, it is elevated, I cannot attain to it.”
[139:7] 148 tn Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29-30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
[139:8] 149 tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).
[139:8] 150 tn Heb “look, you.”
[139:9] 152 sn On the wings of the dawn. This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel.
[139:9] 153 tn Heb “at the end.”
[139:11] 154 tn The Hebrew verb שׁוּף (shuf), which means “to crush; to wound,” in Gen 3:15 and Job 9:17, is problematic here. For a discussion of attempts to relate the verb to Arabic roots, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 251. Many emend the form to יְשׂוּכֵּנִי (yesukkeniy), from the root שׂכך (“to cover,” an alternate form of סכך), a reading assumed in the present translation.
[139:11] 155 tn Heb “and night, light, around me.”
[139:12] 156 tn The words “to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[139:12] 157 tn Heb “shines like.”
[139:12] 158 tn Heb “like darkness, like light.”
[139:13] 160 tn Heb “my kidneys.” The kidneys were sometimes viewed as the seat of one’s emotions and moral character (cf. Pss 7:9; 26:2). A number of translations, recognizing that “kidneys” does not communicate this idea to the modern reader, have generalized the concept: “inmost being” (NAB, NIV); “inward parts” (NASB, NRSV); “the delicate, inner parts of my body” (NLT). In the last instance, the focus is almost entirely on the physical body rather than the emotions or moral character. The present translation, by using a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms), links the concepts of emotion (heart) and moral character (mind).
[139:13] 161 tn The Hebrew verb סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave together”) is an alternate form of שָׂכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave”) used in Job 10:11.
[139:14] 162 tc Heb “because awesome things, I am distinct, amazing [are] your works.” The text as it stands is syntactically problematic and makes little, if any, sense. The Niphal of פָּלָה (pala’) occurs elsewhere only in Exod 33:16. Many take the form from פָלָא (pala’; see GKC 216 §75.qq), which in the Niphal perfect means “to be amazing” (see 2 Sam 1:26; Ps 118:23; Prov 30:18). Some, following the LXX and some other ancient witnesses, also prefer to emend the verb from first to second person, “you are amazing” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 249, 251). The present translation assumes the text conflates two variants: נפלאים, the otherwise unattested masculine plural participle of פָלָא, and נִפְלָאוֹת (nifla’ot), the usual (feminine) plural form of the Niphal participle. The latter has been changed to a verb by later scribes in an attempt to accommodate it syntactically. The original text likely read, נוראות נפלאותים מעשׂיך (“your works [are] awesome [and] amazing”).
[139:14] 163 tc Heb “and my being knows very much.” Better parallelism is achieved (see v. 15a) if one emends יֹדַעַת (yoda’at), a Qal active participle, feminine singular form, to יָדַעְתָּ (yada’ta), a Qal perfect second masculine singular perfect. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252.
[139:15] 164 tc The Hebrew term אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) should probably be emended to כֲּאַשֶׁר (ka’asher, “when”). The kaf (כ) may have been lost by haplography (note the kaf at the end of the preceding form).
[139:15] 165 sn The phrase depths of the earth may be metaphorical (euphemistic) or it may reflect a prescientific belief about the origins of the embryo deep beneath the earth’s surface (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 96-97). Job 1:21 also closely associates the mother’s womb with the earth.
[139:16] 166 tn Heb “Your eyes saw my shapeless form.” The Hebrew noun גֹּלֶם (golem) occurs only here in the OT. In later Hebrew the word refers to “a lump, a shapeless or lifeless substance,” and to “unfinished matter, a vessel wanting finishing” (Jastrow 222 s.v. גּוֹלֶם). The translation employs the dynamic rendering “when I was inside the womb” to clarify that the speaker was still in his mother’s womb at the time he was “seen” by God.
[139:16] 167 tn Heb “and on your scroll all of them were written, [the] days [which] were formed, and [there was] not one among them.” This “scroll” may be the “scroll of life” mentioned in Ps 69:28 (see the note on the word “living” there).
[139:17] 168 tn Heb “and to me how precious are your thoughts, O God.” The Hebrew verb יָקַר (yaqar) probably has the sense of “difficult [to comprehend]” here (see HALOT 432 s.v. יקר qal.1 and note the use of Aramaic יַקִּר in Dan 2:11). Elsewhere in the immediate context the psalmist expresses his amazement at the extent of God’s knowledge about him (see vv. 1-6, 17b-18).
[139:17] 169 tn Heb “how vast are their heads.” Here the Hebrew word “head” is used of the “sum total” of God’s knowledge of the psalmist.
[139:18] 170 tc Heb “I awake and I [am] still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to הֲקִצּוֹתִי (haqitsoti), a Hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb קָצַץ (qatsats) understood as a denominative of קֵץ (qets, “end”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252-53.
[139:19] 171 tn The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as GKC 321 §109.b).
[139:19] 172 tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”
[139:20] 174 tc Heb “they speak [of] you.” The suffixed form of the verb אָמַר (’amar, “to speak”) is peculiar. The translation assumes an emendation to יַמְרֻךָ (yamrukha), a Hiphil form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”; see Ps 78:40).
[139:20] 175 tn Heb “by deceit.”
[139:20] 176 tc Heb “lifted up for emptiness, your cities.” The Hebrew text as it stands makes no sense. The form נָשֻׂא (nasu’; a Qal passive participle) should be emended to נָשְׂאוּ (nosÿu; a Qal perfect, third common plural, “[they] lift up”). Many emend עָרֶיךָ (’arekha, “your cities”) to עָלֶיךָ (’alekha, “against you”), but it is preferable to understand the noun as an Aramaism and translate “your enemies” (see Dan 4:16 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 253).
[139:21] 177 tc Heb “who raise themselves up against you.” The form וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvitqomÿmekha) should be emended to וּבְמִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvÿmitqomÿmekha), a Hitpolel participle (the prefixed mem [מ] of the participle is accidentally omitted in the MT, though a few medieval Hebrew
[139:22] 178 tn Heb “[with] completeness of hatred I hate them.”
[139:23] 179 tn Heb “and know my heart.”
[139:23] 180 tn The Hebrew noun שַׂרְעַפַּי (sar’apay, “concerns”) is used of “worries” in Ps 94:19.
[139:24] 181 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] 182 tn Heb “in the path of antiquity.” This probably refers to the moral path prescribed by the
