Mazmur 73:1--75:10
KonteksBook 3
(Psalms 73-89)
A psalm by Asaph.
73:1 Certainly God is good to Israel, 2
and to those whose motives are pure! 3
73:2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my feet almost slid out from under me. 4
73:3 For I envied those who are proud,
as I observed 5 the prosperity 6 of the wicked.
73:4 For they suffer no pain; 7
their bodies 8 are strong and well-fed. 9
73:5 They are immune to the trouble common to men;
they do not suffer as other men do. 10
73:6 Arrogance is their necklace, 11
and violence their clothing. 12
73:7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong; 13
their thoughts are sinful. 14
73:8 They mock 15 and say evil things; 16
they proudly threaten violence. 17
73:9 They speak as if they rule in heaven,
and lay claim to the earth. 18
73:10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat,
and even suck up the water of the sea. 19
73:11 They say, “How does God know what we do?
Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?” 20
73:12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, 21
those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer. 22
73:13 I concluded, 23 “Surely in vain I have kept my motives 24 pure
and maintained a pure lifestyle. 25
73:14 I suffer all day long,
and am punished every morning.”
73:15 If I had publicized these thoughts, 26
I would have betrayed your loyal followers. 27
73:16 When I tried to make sense of this,
it was troubling to me. 28
73:17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple, 29
and understood the destiny of the wicked. 30
73:18 Surely 31 you put them in slippery places;
you bring them down 32 to ruin.
73:19 How desolate they become in a mere moment!
Terrifying judgments make their demise complete! 33
73:20 They are like a dream after one wakes up. 34
O Lord, when you awake 35 you will despise them. 36
73:21 Yes, 37 my spirit was bitter, 38
and my insides felt sharp pain. 39
73:22 I was ignorant 40 and lacked insight; 41
I was as senseless as an animal before you. 42
73:23 But I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
73:24 You guide 43 me by your wise advice,
and then you will lead me to a position of honor. 44
73:25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?
I desire no one but you on earth. 45
73:26 My flesh and my heart may grow weak, 46
but God always 47 protects my heart and gives me stability. 48
73:27 Yes, 49 look! Those far from you 50 die;
you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you. 51
73:28 But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. 52
I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter,
as 53 I declare all the things you have done.
A well-written song 55 by Asaph.
74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? 56
Why does your anger burn 57 against the sheep of your pasture?
74:2 Remember your people 58 whom you acquired in ancient times,
whom you rescued 59 so they could be your very own nation, 60
as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!
74:3 Hurry and look 61 at the permanent ruins,
and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple! 62
74:4 Your enemies roar 63 in the middle of your sanctuary; 64
they set up their battle flags. 65
74:5 They invade like lumberjacks
swinging their axes in a thick forest. 66
74:6 And now 67 they are tearing down 68 all its engravings 69
74:7 They set your sanctuary on fire;
they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground. 72
74:8 They say to themselves, 73
“We will oppress all of them.” 74
They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land. 75
74:9 We do not see any signs of God’s presence; 76
there are no longer any prophets 77
and we have no one to tell us how long this will last. 78
74:10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults?
Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?
74:11 Why do you remain inactive?
Intervene and destroy him! 79
74:12 But God has been my 80 king from ancient times,
performing acts of deliverance on the earth. 81
74:13 You destroyed 82 the sea by your strength;
you shattered the heads of the sea monster 83 in the water.
74:14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; 84
you fed 85 him to the people who live along the coast. 86
74:15 You broke open the spring and the stream; 87
you dried up perpetually flowing rivers. 88
74:16 You established the cycle of day and night; 89
you put the moon 90 and sun in place. 91
74:17 You set up all the boundaries 92 of the earth;
you created the cycle of summer and winter. 93
74:18 Remember how 94 the enemy hurls insults, O Lord, 95
and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name!
74:19 Do not hand the life of your dove 96 over to a wild animal!
Do not continue to disregard 97 the lives of your oppressed people!
74:20 Remember your covenant promises, 98
for the dark regions of the earth are full of places where violence rules. 99
74:21 Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame!
Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! 100
74:22 Rise up, O God! Defend your honor! 101
Remember how fools insult you all day long! 102
74:23 Do not disregard 103 what your enemies say, 104
or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you. 105
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 107 a psalm of Asaph; a song.
75:1 We give thanks to you, O God! We give thanks!
You reveal your presence; 108
people tell about your amazing deeds.
“At the appointed times, 110
I judge 111 fairly.
75:3 When the earth and all its inhabitants dissolve in fear, 112
I make its pillars secure.” 113 (Selah)
75:4 114 I say to the proud, “Do not be proud,”
and to the wicked, “Do not be so confident of victory! 115
75:5 Do not be so certain you have won! 116
Do not speak with your head held so high! 117
75:6 For victory does not come from the east or west,
or from the wilderness. 118
75:7 For God is the judge! 119
He brings one down and exalts another. 120
75:8 For the Lord holds in his hand a cup full
of foaming wine mixed with spices, 121
and pours it out. 122
Surely all the wicked of the earth
will slurp it up and drink it to its very last drop.” 123
75:9 As for me, I will continually tell what you have done; 124
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob!
“I will bring down all the power of the wicked;
the godly will be victorious.” 126
[73:1] 1 sn Psalm 73. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist offers a personal testimony of his struggle with the age-old problem of the prosperity of the wicked. As he observed evil men prosper, he wondered if a godly lifestyle really pays off. In the midst of his discouragement, he reflected upon spiritual truths and realities. He was reminded that the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary. God will eventually vindicate his people.
[73:1] 2 tn Since the psalm appears to focus on an individual’s concerns, not the situation of Israel, this introduction may be a later addition designed to apply the psalm’s message to the entire community. To provide a better parallel with the next line, some emend the Hebrew phrase לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֱלֹהִים (lÿyisra’el ’elohim, “to Israel, God”) to אֱלֹהִים [or אֵל] לָיָּשָׁר (’elohim [or ’el] lÿyyashar, “God [is good] to the upright one”).
[73:1] 3 tn Heb “to the pure of heart.”
[73:2] 4 tn The Hebrew verb normally means “to pour out,” but here it must have the nuance “to slide.”
[73:2] sn My feet almost slid out from under me. The language is metaphorical. As the following context makes clear, the psalmist almost “slipped” in a spiritual sense. As he began to question God’s justice, the psalmist came close to abandoning his faith.
[73:3] 5 tn The imperfect verbal form here depicts the action as continuing in a past time frame.
[73:3] 6 tn Heb “peace” (שָׁלוֹם, shalom).
[73:4] 7 tn In Isa 58:6, the only other occurrence of this word in the OT, the term refers to “bonds” or “ropes.” In Ps 73:4 it is used metaphorically of pain and suffering that restricts one’s enjoyment of life.
[73:4] 9 tc Or “fat.” The MT of v. 4 reads as follows: “for there are no pains at their death, and fat [is] their body.” Since a reference to the death of the wicked seems incongruous in the immediate context (note v. 5) and premature in the argument of the psalm (see vv. 18-20, 27), some prefer to emend the text by redividing it. The term לְמוֹתָם (lÿmotam,“at their death”) is changed to לָמוֹ תָּם (lamo tam, “[there are no pains] to them, strong [and fat are their bodies]”). The term תָּם (tam, “complete; sound”) is used of physical beauty in Song 5:2; 6:9. This emendation is the basis for the present translation. However, in defense of the MT (the traditional Hebrew text), one may point to an Aramaic inscription from Nerab which views a painful death as a curse and a nonpainful death in one’s old age as a sign of divine favor. See ANET 661.
[73:5] 10 tn Heb “in the trouble of man they are not, and with mankind they are not afflicted.”
[73:6] 11 sn Arrogance is their necklace. The metaphor suggests that their arrogance is something the wicked “wear” proudly. It draws attention to them, just as a beautiful necklace does to its owner.
[73:6] 12 tn Heb “a garment of violence covers them.” The metaphor suggests that violence is habitual for the wicked. They “wear” it like clothing; when one looks at them, violence is what one sees.
[73:7] 13 tc The MT reads “it goes out from fatness their eye,” which might be paraphrased, “their eye protrudes [or “bulges”] because of fatness.” This in turn might refer to their greed; their eyes “bug out” when they see rich food or produce (the noun חֵלֶב [khelev, “fatness”] sometimes refers to such food or produce). However, when used with the verb יָצָא (yatsa’, “go out”) the preposition מִן (“from”) more naturally indicates source. For this reason it is preferable to emend עֵינֵמוֹ (’enemo, “their eye”) to עֲוֹנָמוֹ, (’avonamo, “their sin”) and read, “and their sin proceeds forth from fatness,” that is, their prosperity gives rise to their sinful attitudes. If one follows this textual reading, another interpretive option is to take חֵלֶב (“fatness”) in the sense of “unreceptive, insensitive” (see its use in Ps 17:10). In this case, the sin of the wicked proceeds forth from their spiritual insensitivity.
[73:7] 14 tn Heb “the thoughts of [their] heart [i.e., mind] cross over” (i.e., violate God’s moral boundary, see Ps 17:3).
[73:8] 15 tn The verb מוּק (muq, “mock”) occurs only here in the OT.
[73:8] 16 tn Heb “and speak with evil.”
[73:8] 17 tn Heb “oppression from an elevated place they speak.” The traditional accentuation of the MT places “oppression” with the preceding line. In this case, one might translate, “they mock and speak with evil [of] oppression, from an elevated place [i.e., “proudly”] they speak.” By placing “oppression” with what follows, one achieves better poetic balance in the parallelism.
[73:9] 18 tn Heb “they set in heaven their mouth, and their tongue walks through the earth.” The meaning of the text is uncertain. Perhaps the idea is that they lay claim to heaven (i.e., speak as if they were ruling in heaven) and move through the earth declaring their superiority and exerting their influence. Some take the preposition -בְּ (bet) the first line as adversative and translate, “they set their mouth against heaven,” that is, they defy God.
[73:10] 19 tc Heb “therefore his people return [so Qere (marginal reading); Kethib (consonantal text) has “he brings back”] to here, and waters of abundance are sucked up by them.” The traditional Hebrew text (MT) defies explanation. The present translation reflects M. Dahood’s proposed emendations (Psalms [AB], 2:190) and reads the Hebrew text as follows: לָכֵן יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם וּמֵי מָלֵא יָמֹצּוּ לָמוֹ (“therefore they are filled with food, and waters of abundance they suck up for themselves”). The reading יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם (yisvÿ’um lekhem, “they are filled with food”) assumes (1) an emendation of יָשׁיּב עַמּוֹ (yashyyv, “he will bring back his people”) to יִשְׂבְעוּם (yisvÿ’um, “they will be filled”; a Qal imperfect third masculine plural form from שָׂבַע [sava’] with enclitic mem [ם]), and (2) an emendation of הֲלֹם (halom, “to here”) to לֶחֶם (“food”). The expression “be filled/fill with food” appears elsewhere at least ten times (see Ps 132:15, for example). In the second line the Niphal form יִמָּצוּ (yimmatsu, derived from מָצָה, matsah, “drain”) is emended to a Qal form יָמֹצּוּ (yamotsu), derived from מָצַץ (matsats, “to suck”). In Isa 66:11 the verbs שָׂבַע (sava’; proposed in Ps 73:10a) and מָצַץ (proposed in Ps 73:10b) are parallel. The point of the emended text is this: Because they are seemingly sovereign (v. 9), they become greedy and grab up everything they need and more.
[73:11] 20 tn Heb “How does God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High?” They appear to be practical atheists, who acknowledge God’s existence and sovereignty in theory, but deny his involvement in the world (see Pss 10:4, 11; 14:1).
[73:12] 21 tn Heb “Look, these [are] the wicked.”
[73:12] 22 tn Heb “the ones who are always at ease [who] increase wealth.”
[73:13] 23 tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.
[73:13] 24 tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
[73:13] 25 tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.
[73:15] 26 tn Heb “If I had said, ‘I will speak out like this.’”
[73:15] 27 tn Heb “look, the generation of your sons I would have betrayed.” The phrase “generation of your [i.e., God’s] sons” occurs only here in the OT. Some equate the phrase with “generation of the godly” (Ps 14:5), “generation of the ones seeking him” (Ps 24:6), and “generation of the upright” (Ps 112:2). In Deut 14:1 the Israelites are referred to as God’s “sons.” Perhaps the psalmist refers here to those who are “Israelites” in the true sense because of their loyalty to God (note the juxtaposition of “Israel” with “the pure in heart” in v. 1).
[73:16] 28 tn Heb “and [when] I pondered to understand this, troubling it [was] in my eyes.”
[73:17] 29 tn The plural of the term מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash) probably refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 68:35; Jer 51:51).
[73:17] 30 tn Heb “I discerned their end.” At the temple the psalmist perhaps received an oracle of deliverance announcing his vindication and the demise of the wicked (see Ps 12) or heard songs of confidence (for example, Ps 11), wisdom psalms (for example, Pss 1, 37), and hymns (for example, Ps 112) that describe the eventual downfall of the proud and wealthy.
[73:18] 31 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] 32 tn Heb “cause them to fall.”
[73:19] 33 tn Heb “they come to an end, they are finished, from terrors.”
[73:20] 34 tn Heb “like a dream from awakening.” They lack any real substance; their prosperity will last for only a brief time.
[73:20] 35 sn When you awake. The psalmist compares God’s inactivity to sleep and the time of God’s judgment to his awakening from sleep.
[73:20] 36 tn Heb “you will despise their form.” The Hebrew term צֶלֶם (tselem, “form; image”) also suggests their short-lived nature. Rather than having real substance, they are like the mere images that populate one’s dreams. Note the similar use of the term in Ps 39:6.
[73:21] 37 tn Or perhaps “when.”
[73:21] 38 tn The imperfect verbal form here describes a continuing attitude in a past time frame.
[73:21] 39 tn Heb “and [in] my kidneys I was pierced.” The imperfect verbal form here describes a continuing condition in a past time frame.
[73:22] 40 tn Or “brutish, stupid.”
[73:22] 41 tn Heb “and I was not knowing.”
[73:22] 42 tn Heb “an animal I was with you.”
[73:24] 43 tn The imperfect verbal form here suggests this is the psalmist’s ongoing experience.
[73:24] 44 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.
[73:25] 45 tn Heb “Who [is there] for me in heaven? And besides you I do not desire [anyone] in the earth.” The psalmist uses a merism (heaven/earth) to emphasize that God is the sole object of his desire and worship in the entire universe.
[73:26] 46 tn The Hebrew verb כָלָה (khalah, “to fail; to grow weak”) does not refer here to physical death per se, but to the physical weakness that sometimes precedes death (see Job 33:21; Pss 71:9; 143:7; Prov 5:11).
[73:26] 48 tn Heb “is the rocky summit of my heart and my portion.” The psalmist compares the
[73:27] 50 sn The following line defines the phrase far from you in a spiritual sense. Those “far” from God are those who are unfaithful and disloyal to him.
[73:27] 51 tn Heb “everyone who commits adultery from you.”
[73:28] 52 tn Heb “but as for me, the nearness of God for me [is] good.”
[73:28] 53 tn The infinitive construct with -לְ (lÿ) is understood here as indicating an attendant circumstance. Another option is to take it as indicating purpose (“so that I might declare”) or result (“with the result that I declare”).
[74:1] 54 sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586
[74:1] 55 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.
[74:1] 56 sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.
[74:1] 57 tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.
[74:2] 58 tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.
[74:2] 59 tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).
[74:2] 60 tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).
[74:3] 61 tn Heb “lift up your steps to,” which may mean “run, hurry.”
[74:3] 62 tn Heb “everything [the] enemy has damaged in the holy place.”
[74:4] 63 tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.
[74:4] 64 tn Heb “your meeting place.”
[74:4] 65 tn Heb “they set up their banners [as] banners.” The Hebrew noun אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) here refers to the enemy army’s battle flags and banners (see Num 2:12).
[74:5] 66 tn Heb “it is known like one bringing upwards, in a thicket of wood, axes.” The Babylonian invaders destroyed the woodwork in the temple.
[74:6] 67 tn This is the reading of the Qere (marginal reading). The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and a time.”
[74:6] 68 tn The imperfect verbal form vividly describes the act as underway.
[74:6] 69 tn Heb “its engravings together.”
[74:6] 70 tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 49-50).
[74:6] 71 tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT. An Akkadian cognate refers to a “pickaxe” (cf. NEB “hatchet and pick”; NIV “axes and hatchets”; NRSV “hatchets and hammers”).
[74:7] 72 tn Heb “to the ground they desecrate the dwelling place of your name.”
[74:8] 73 tn Heb “in their heart.”
[74:8] 74 tc Heb “[?] altogether.” The Hebrew form נִינָם (ninam) is problematic. It could be understood as the noun נִין (nin, “offspring”) but the statement “their offspring altogether” would make no sense here. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:159) emends יָחַד (yakhad, “altogether”) to יָחִיד (yakhid, “alone”) and translate “let their offspring be solitary” (i.e., exiled). Another option is to understand the form as a Qal imperfect first common plural from יָנָה (yanah, “to oppress”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix, “we will oppress them.” However, this verb, when used in the finite form, always appears in the Hiphil. Therefore, it is preferable to emend the form to the Hiphil נוֹנֵם (nonem, “we will oppress them”).
[74:8] 75 tn Heb “they burn down all the meeting places of God in the land.”
[74:9] 76 tn Heb “our signs we do not see.” Because of the reference to a prophet in the next line, it is likely that the “signs” in view here include the evidence of God’s presence as typically revealed through the prophets. These could include miraculous acts performed by the prophets (see, for example, Isa 38:7-8) or object lessons which they acted out (see, for example, Isa 20:3).
[74:9] 77 tn Heb “there is not still a prophet.”
[74:9] 78 tn Heb “and [there is] not with us one who knows how long.”
[74:11] 79 tn Heb “Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? From the midst of your chest, destroy!” The psalmist pictures God as having placed his right hand (symbolic of activity and strength) inside his robe against his chest. He prays that God would pull his hand out from under his robe and use it to destroy the enemy.
[74:12] 80 tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative here.
[74:12] 81 tn Heb “in the midst of the earth.”
[74:13] 82 tn The derivation and meaning of the Polel verb form פּוֹרַרְתָּ (porarta) are uncertain. The form may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “break, shatter,” though the biblical Hebrew cognate of this verb always appears in the Hiphil or Hophal stem. BDB 830 s.v. II פָּרַר suggests a homonym here, meaning “to split; to divide.” A Hitpolel form of a root פָּרַר (parar) appears in Isa 24:19 with the meaning “to shake violently.”
[74:13] 83 tn The Hebrew text has the plural form, “sea monsters” (cf. NRSV “dragons”), but it is likely that an original enclitic mem has been misunderstood as a plural ending. The imagery of the mythological sea monster is utilized here. See the note on “Leviathan” in v. 14.
[74:14] 84 sn You crushed the heads of Leviathan. The imagery of vv. 13-14 originates in West Semitic mythology. The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon [Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַּנִין (tanin), translated “sea monster” in v. 13] vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling [Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן (’aqallaton), translated “squirming” in Isa 27:1] serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (note the use of the plural “heads” here and in v. 13). (See CTA 3.iii.38-39 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 50.) (2) “For all that you smote Leviathan the slippery [Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ (bariakh), translated “fast moving” in Isa 27:1] serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5.i.1-3 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 68.) In the myths Leviathan is a sea creature that symbolizes the destructive water of the sea and, in turn, the forces of chaos that threaten the established order. In the OT, the battle with the sea motif is applied to Yahweh’s victories over the forces of chaos at creation and in history (see Pss 74:13-14; 77:16-20; 89:9-10; Isa 51:9-10). Yahweh’s subjugation of the waters of chaos is related to his kingship (see Pss 29:3, 10; 93:3-4). Isa 27:1 applies imagery from Canaanite mythology to Yahweh’s eschatological victory over his enemies. Apocalyptic literature employs the imagery as well. The beasts of Dan 7 emerge from the sea, while Rev 13 speaks of a seven-headed beast coming from the sea. Here in Ps 74:13-14 the primary referent is unclear. The psalmist may be describing God’s creation of the world (note vv. 16-17 and see Ps 89:9-12), when he brought order out of a watery mass, or the exodus (see Isa 51:9-10), when he created Israel by destroying the Egyptians in the waters of the sea.
[74:14] 85 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite in this narrational context.
[74:14] 86 sn You fed him to the people. This pictures the fragments of Leviathan’s dead corpse washing up on shore and being devoured by those who find them. If the exodus is in view, then it may allude to the bodies of the dead Egyptians which washed up on the shore of the Red Sea (see Exod 14:30).
[74:15] 87 sn You broke open the spring and the stream. Perhaps this alludes to the way in which God provided water for the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness following the exodus (see Ps 78:15-16, 20; 105:41).
[74:15] 88 sn Perpetually flowing rivers are rivers that contain water year round, unlike the seasonal streams that flow only during the rainy season. Perhaps the psalmist here alludes to the drying up of the Jordan River when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan under Joshua (see Josh 3-4).
[74:16] 89 tn Heb “To you [is] day, also to you [is] night.”
[74:16] 90 tn Heb “[the] light.” Following the reference to “day and night” and in combination with “sun,” it is likely that the Hebrew term מָאוֹר (ma’or, “light”) refers here to the moon.
[74:16] 91 tn Heb “you established [the] light and [the] sun.”
[74:17] 92 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] 93 tn Heb “summer and winter, you, you formed them.”
[74:18] 94 tn Heb “remember this.”
[74:18] 95 tn Or “[how] the enemy insults the
[74:19] 96 sn Your dove. The psalmist compares weak and vulnerable Israel to a helpless dove.
[74:19] 97 tn Heb “do not forget forever.”
[74:20] 98 tc Heb “look at the covenant.” The LXX reads “your covenant,” which seems to assume a second person pronominal suffix. The suffix may have been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word (כִּי) begins with kaf (כ).
[74:20] 99 tn Heb “for the dark places of the earth are full of dwelling places of violence.” The “dark regions” are probably the lands where the people have been exiled (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:157). In some contexts “dark regions” refers to Sheol (Ps 88:6) or to hiding places likened to Sheol (Ps 143:3; Lam 3:6).
[74:21] 100 sn Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! The statement is metonymic. The point is this: May the oppressed be delivered from their enemies! Then they will have ample reason to praise God’s name.
[74:22] 101 tn Or “defend your cause.”
[74:22] 102 tn Heb “remember your reproach from a fool all the day.”
[74:23] 104 tn Heb “the voice of your enemies.”
[74:23] 105 tn Heb “the roar of those who rise up against you, which ascends continually.”
[75:1] 106 sn Psalm 75. The psalmist celebrates God’s just rule, which guarantees that the godly will be vindicated and the wicked destroyed.
[75:1] 107 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-59.
[75:1] 108 tn Heb “and near [is] your name.”
[75:2] 109 tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in vv. 2-3.
[75:2] 110 tn Heb “when I take an appointed time.”
[75:2] 111 tn Heb “I, [in] fairness, I judge.” The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically executes fair judgment as he governs the world. One could take this as referring to an anticipated (future) judgment, “I will judge.”
[75:3] 113 tn The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically prevents the world from being overrun by chaos. One could take this as referring to an anticipated event, “I will make its pillars secure.”
[75:4] 114 tn The identity of the speaker in vv. 4-6 is unclear. The present translation assumes that the psalmist, who also speaks in vv. 7-9 (where God/the
[75:4] 115 tn Heb “do not lift up a horn.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Here the idiom seems to refer to an arrogant attitude that assumes victory has been achieved.
[75:5] 116 tn Heb “do not lift up on high your horn.”
[75:5] 117 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.
[75:6] 118 tn Heb “for not from the east or from the west, and not from the wilderness of the mountains.” If one follows this reading the sentence is elliptical. One must supply “does help come,” or some comparable statement. However, it is possible to take הָרִים (harim) as a Hiphil infinitive from רוּם (rum), the same verb used in vv. 4-5 of “lifting up” a horn. In this case one may translate the form as “victory.” In this case the point is that victory does not come from alliances with other nations.
[75:7] 120 tn The imperfects here emphasize the generalizing nature of the statement.
[75:8] 121 tn Heb “for a cup [is] in the hand of the
[75:8] 122 tn Heb “and he pours out from this.”
[75:8] 123 tn Heb “surely its dregs they slurp up and drink, all the wicked of the earth.”
[75:8] sn The psalmist pictures God as forcing the wicked to gulp down an intoxicating drink that will leave them stunned and vulnerable. Divine judgment is also depicted this way in Ps 60:3; Isa 51:17-23; and Hab 2:16.
[75:9] 124 tn Heb “I will declare forever.” The object needs to be supplied; God’s just judgment is in view.
[75:10] 125 tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in v. 10.
[75:10] 126 tn Heb “and all the horns of the wicked I will cut off, the horns of the godly will be lifted up.” The imagery of the wild ox’s horn is once more utilized (see vv. 4-5).
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