Mazmur 40:3-4

40:3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, ¹ 

praising our God. ² 

May many see what God has done,

so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord! ³ 

40:4 How blessed ⁴  is the one ⁵  who trusts in the Lord ⁶ 

and does not seek help from ⁷  the proud or from liars! ⁸ 

[40:3]  ¹ sn A new song was appropriate because the Lord had intervened in the psalmist’s experience in a fresh and exciting way.

[40:3]  ² tn Heb “and he placed in my mouth a new song, praise to our God.”

[40:3]  ³ tn Heb “may many see and fear and trust in the Lord.” The translation assumes that the initial prefixed verbal form is a jussive (“may many see”), rather than an imperfect (“many will see”). The following prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) conjunctive are taken as indicating purpose or result (“so that they might swear allegiance…and trust”) after the introductory jussive.

[40:4]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “man.” See the note on the word “one” in Ps 1:1.

[40:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “who has made the Lord his [object of] trust.”

[40:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “and does not turn toward.”

[40:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “those falling away toward a lie.”