2 Samuel 11:1-27 
Context11:1 In the spring of the year, at the time when kings 1 normally conduct wars, 2 David sent out Joab with his officers 3 and the entire Israelite army. 4 They defeated the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed behind in Jerusalem. 5 11:2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace. 6 From the roof he saw a woman bathing. Now this woman was very attractive. 7 11:3 So David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger 8 said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
11:4 David sent some messengers to get her. 9 She came to him and he had sexual relations with her. 10 (Now at that time she was in the process of purifying herself from her menstrual uncleanness.) 11 Then she returned to her home. 11:5 The woman conceived and then sent word to David saying, “I’m pregnant.”
11:6 So David sent a message to Joab that said, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 11:7 When Uriah came to him, David asked about how Joab and the army were doing and how the campaign was going. 12 11:8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your home and relax.” 13 When Uriah left the palace, the king sent a gift to him. 14 11:9 But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all 15 the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house.
11:10 So they informed David, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven’t you gone down to your house?” 11:11 Uriah replied to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah reside in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and my lord’s soldiers are camping in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and have marital relations 16 with my wife? As surely as you are alive, 17 I will not do this thing!” 11:12 So David said to Uriah, “Stay here another day. Tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem both that day and the following one. 18 11:13 Then David summoned him. He ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out to sleep on his bed with the servants of his lord; he did not go down to his own house.
11:14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 11:15 In the letter he wrote: “Station Uriah in the thick of the battle and then withdraw from him so he will be cut down and killed.”
11:16 So as Joab kept watch on the city, he stationed Uriah at the place where he knew the best enemy soldiers 19 were. 11:17 When the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, some of David’s soldiers 20 fell in battle. Uriah the Hittite also died.
11:18 Then Joab sent a full battle report to David. 21 11:19 He instructed the messenger as follows: “When you finish giving the battle report to the king, 11:20 if the king becomes angry and asks you, ‘Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you realize they would shoot from the wall? 11:21 Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone 22 down on him from the wall so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?’ just say to him, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’”
11:22 So the messenger departed. When he arrived, he informed David of all the news that Joab had sent with him. 11:23 The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and attacked us 23 in the field. But we forced them to retreat all the way 24 to the door of the city gate. 11:24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall and some of the king’s soldiers 25 died. Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.” 11:25 David said to the messenger, “Tell Joab, ‘Don’t let this thing upset you. 26 There is no way to anticipate whom the sword will cut down. 27 Press the battle against the city and conquer 28 it.’ Encourage him with these words.” 29
11:26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for him. 30 11:27 When the time of mourning passed, David had her brought to his palace. 31 She became his wife and she bore him a son. But what David had done upset the Lord. 32
2 Corinthians 4:1-18
Context4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as God has shown us mercy, 33 we do not become discouraged. 34 4:2 But we have rejected 35 shameful hidden deeds, 36 not behaving 37 with deceptiveness 38 or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God. 4:3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, 4:4 among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe 39 so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel 40 of Christ, 41 who is the image of God. 4:5 For we do not proclaim 42 ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves 43 for Jesus’ sake. 4:6 For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” 44 is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge 45 of God in the face of Christ. 46
4:7 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power 47 belongs to God and does not come from us. 4:8 We are experiencing trouble on every side, 48 but are not crushed; we are perplexed, 49 but not driven to despair; 4:9 we are persecuted, but not abandoned; 50 we are knocked down, 51 but not destroyed, 4:10 always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, 52 so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible 53 in our body. 4:11 For we who are alive are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible 54 in our mortal body. 55 4:12 As a result, 56 death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 57 4:13 But since we have the same spirit of faith as that shown in 58 what has been written, “I believed; therefore I spoke,” 59 we also believe, therefore we also speak. 4:14 We do so 60 because we know that the one who raised up Jesus 61 will also raise us up with Jesus and will bring us with you into his presence. 4:15 For all these things are for your sake, so that the grace that is including 62 more and more people may cause thanksgiving to increase 63 to the glory of God. 4:16 Therefore we do not despair, 64 but even if our physical body 65 is wearing away, our inner person 66 is being renewed day by day. 4:17 For our momentary, light suffering 67 is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison 4:18 because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
Ezekiel 18:1-32
Context18:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 18:2 “What do you mean by quoting this proverb concerning the land of Israel,
“‘The fathers eat sour grapes
And the children’s teeth become numb?’ 68
18:3 “As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, 69 you will not quote this proverb in Israel anymore! 18:4 Indeed! All lives are mine – the life of the father as well as the life of the son is mine. The one 70 who sins will die.
18:5 “Suppose a man is righteous. He practices what is just and right, 18:6 does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains 71 or pray to the idols 72 of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, does not have sexual relations with a 73 woman during her period, 18:7 does not oppress anyone, but gives the debtor back whatever was given in pledge, 74 does not commit robbery, 75 but gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked, 18:8 does not engage in usury or charge interest, 76 but refrains 77 from wrongdoing, promotes true justice 78 between men, 18:9 and follows my statutes and observes my regulations by carrying them out. 79 That man 80 is righteous; he will certainly live, 81 declares the sovereign Lord.
18:10 “Suppose such a man has 82 a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these things 83 mentioned previously 18:11 (though the father did not do any of them). 84 He eats pagan sacrifices on the mountains, 85 defiles his neighbor’s wife, 18:12 oppresses the poor and the needy, 86 commits robbery, does not give back what was given in pledge, prays to 87 idols, performs abominable acts, 18:13 engages in usury and charges interest. Will he live? He will not! Because he has done all these abominable deeds he will certainly die. 88 He will bear the responsibility for his own death. 89
18:14 “But suppose he in turn has a son who notices all the sins his father commits, considers them, and does not follow his father’s example. 90 18:15 He does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains, does not pray to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, 18:16 does not oppress anyone or keep what has been given in pledge, does not commit robbery, gives his food to the hungry, and clothes the naked, 18:17 refrains from wrongdoing, 91 does not engage in usury or charge interest, carries out my regulations and follows my statutes. He will not die for his father’s iniquity; 92 he will surely live. 18:18 As for his father, because he practices extortion, robs his brother, and does what is not good among his people, he will die for his iniquity.
18:19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not suffer 93 for his father’s iniquity?’ When the son does what is just and right, and observes all my statutes and carries them out, he will surely live. 18:20 The person who sins is the one who will die. A son will not suffer 94 for his father’s iniquity, and a father will not suffer 95 for his son’s iniquity; the righteous person will be judged according to his righteousness, and the wicked person according to his wickedness. 96
18:21 “But if the wicked person turns from all the sin he has committed and observes all my statutes and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. 18:22 None of the sins he has committed will be held 97 against him; because of the righteousness he has done, he will live. 18:23 Do I actually delight in the death of the wicked, declares the sovereign Lord? Do I not prefer that he turn from his wicked conduct and live?
18:24 “But if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing according to all the abominable practices the wicked carry out, will he live? All his righteous acts will not be remembered; because of the unfaithful acts he has done and the sin he has committed, he will die. 98
18:25 “Yet you say, ‘The Lord’s conduct 99 is unjust!’ Hear, O house of Israel: Is my conduct unjust? Is it not your conduct that is unjust? 18:26 When a righteous person turns back from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing, he will die for it; 100 because of the wrongdoing he has done, he will die. 18:27 When a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life. 18:28 Because he considered 101 and turned from all the sins he had done, he will surely live; he will not die. 18:29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The Lord’s conduct is unjust!’ Is my conduct unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your conduct that is unjust?
18:30 “Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, 102 O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent 103 and turn from all your wickedness; then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity. 104 18:31 Throw away all your sins you have committed and fashion yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! 105 Why should you die, O house of Israel? 18:32 For I take no delight in the death of anyone, 106 declares the sovereign Lord. Repent and live!
Psalms 62:1--63:11
ContextFor the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
62:1 For God alone I patiently wait; 108
he is the one who delivers me. 109
62:2 He alone is my protector 110 and deliverer.
He is my refuge; 111 I will not be upended. 112
62:3 How long will you threaten 113 a man?
All of you are murderers, 114
as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence. 115
62:4 They 116 spend all their time planning how to bring him 117 down. 118
They love to use deceit; 119
they pronounce blessings with their mouths,
but inwardly they utter curses. 120 (Selah)
62:5 Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! 121
For he is the one who gives me confidence. 122
62:6 He alone is my protector 123 and deliverer.
He is my refuge; 124 I will not be upended. 125
62:7 God delivers me and exalts me;
God is my strong protector and my shelter. 126
62:8 Trust in him at all times, you people!
Pour out your hearts before him! 127
God is our shelter! (Selah)
62:9 Men are nothing but a mere breath;
human beings are unreliable. 128
When they are weighed in the scales,
all of them together are lighter than air. 129
62:10 Do not trust in what you can gain by oppression! 130
Do not put false confidence in what you can gain by robbery! 131
If wealth increases, do not become attached to it! 132
62:11 God has declared one principle;
two principles I have heard: 133
God is strong, 134
62:12 and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love. 135
For you repay men for what they do. 136
A psalm of David, written when he was in the Judean wilderness. 138
63:1 O God, you are my God! I long for you! 139
My soul thirsts 140 for you,
my flesh yearns for you,
in a dry and parched 141 land where there is no water.
63:2 Yes, 142 in the sanctuary I have seen you, 143
and witnessed 144 your power and splendor.
63:3 Because 145 experiencing 146 your loyal love is better than life itself,
my lips will praise you.
63:4 For this reason 147 I will praise you while I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands. 148
63:5 As if with choice meat 149 you satisfy my soul. 150
My mouth joyfully praises you, 151
63:6 whenever 152 I remember you on my bed,
and think about you during the nighttime hours.
63:7 For you are my deliverer; 153
under your wings 154 I rejoice.
63:8 My soul 155 pursues you; 156
your right hand upholds me.
63:9 Enemies seek to destroy my life, 157
but they will descend into the depths of the earth. 158
63:10 Each one will be handed over to the sword; 159
their corpses will be eaten by jackals. 160
63:11 But the king 161 will rejoice in God;
everyone who takes oaths in his name 162 will boast,
for the mouths of those who speak lies will be shut up. 163
1 tc Codex Leningrad (B19A), on which BHS is based, has here “messengers” (הַמַּלְאכִים, hammal’khim), probably as the result of contamination from the occurrence of that word in v. 4. The present translation follows most Hebrew
2 tn Heb “go out.”
3 tn Heb “and his servants with him.”
4 tn Heb “all Israel.”
5 tn The disjunctive clause contrasts David’s inactivity with the army’s activity.
map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
6 tn Heb “on the roof of the house of the king.” So also in vv. 8, 9.
7 tn The disjunctive clause highlights this observation and builds the tension of the story.
8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the messenger) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Heb “and David sent messengers and he took her.”
10 tn Heb “he lay with her” (so NASB, NRSV); TEV “he made love to her”; NIV, CEV, NLT “he slept with her.”
11 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause further heightens the tension by letting the reader know that Bathsheba, having just completed her menstrual cycle, is ripe for conception. See P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 286. Since she just had her period, it will also be obvious to those close to the scene that Uriah, who has been away fighting, cannot be the father of the child.
12 tn Heb “concerning the peace of Joab and concerning the peace of the people and concerning the peace of the battle.”
13 tn Heb “and wash your feet.”
14 tn Heb “and there went out after him the gift of the king.”
15 tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation lacks the word “all.”
16 tn Heb “and lay.”
17 tn Heb “as you live and as your soul lives.”
18 tn On the chronology involved here see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 287.
19 tn Heb “the valiant men.” This refers in context to the strongest or most valiant defenders of the city Joab and the Israelite army were besieging, so the present translation uses “the best enemy soldiers” for clarity.
20 tn Heb “some of the people from the servants of David.”
21 tn Heb “Joab sent and related to David all the matters of the battle.”
22 sn The upper millstone (Heb “millstone of riding”) refers to the heavy circular stone that was commonly rolled over a circular base in order to crush and grind such things as olives.
23 tn Heb “and came out to us.”
24 tn Heb “but we were on them.”
25 tc The translation follows the Qere (“your servants”) rather than the Kethib (“your servant”).
26 tn Heb “let not this matter be evil in your eyes.”
27 tn Heb “according to this and according to this the sword devours.”
28 tn Heb “overthrow.”
29 tn The Hebrew text does not have “with these words.” They are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
30 tn Heb “for her lord.”
31 tn Heb “David sent and gathered her to his house.”
32 tn Heb “and the thing which David had done was evil in the eyes of the
33 tn Grk “just as we have been shown mercy”; ἠλεήθημεν (hlehqhmen) has been translated as a “divine passive” which is a circumlocution for God as the active agent. For clarity this was converted to an active construction with God as subject in the translation.
34 tn Or “we do not lose heart.”
35 tn L&N 13.156; the word can also mean “to assert opposition to,” thus here “we have denounced” (L&N 33.220).
36 tn Grk “the hidden things [deeds] of shame”; here αἰσχύνης (aiscunh") has been translated as an attributive genitive.
37 tn Or “not conducting ourselves”; Grk “not walking” (a common NT idiom for conduct, way of life, or behavior).
38 tn Or “craftiness.”
39 tn Or “of unbelievers.”
40 tn Grk “the gospel of the glory”; δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
41 tn Or “so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ would not be evident to them” (L&N 28.37).
42 tn Or “preach.”
43 tn Traditionally, “servants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
44 sn An allusion to Gen 1:3; see also Isa 9:2.
45 tn Grk “the light of the knowledge of the glory”; δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
46 tc ‡ Most witnesses, including several early and important ones (Ì46 א C H Ψ 0209 1739c Ï sy), read ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (Ihsou Cristou, “Jesus Christ”), while other important witnesses, especially of the Western text (D F G 0243 630 1739* 1881 lat Ambst), have Χριστοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ. The reading with just Χριστοῦ is found in A B 33 {sa} Tert {Or Ath Chr}. Even though the witnesses for the shorter reading are not numerous, they are weighty. And in light of the natural scribal proclivity to fill out the text, particularly with reference to divine names, as well as the discrepancy among the witnesses as to the order of the names, the simple reading Χριστοῦ seems to be the best candidate for authenticity. NA27 reads ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ with ᾿Ιησοῦ in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
47 tn Grk “the surpassingness of the power”; δυνάμεως (dunamew") has been translated as an attributed genitive (“extraordinary power”).
48 tn Grk “we are hard pressed [by crowds] on every side.”
49 tn Or “at a loss.”
50 tn Or “forsaken.”
51 tn Or “badly hurt.” It is possible to interpret καταβαλλόμενοι (kataballomenoi) here as “badly hurt”: “[we are] badly hurt, but not destroyed” (L&N 20.21).
52 tn The first clause of 2 Cor 4:10 is elliptical and apparently refers to the fact that Paul was constantly in danger of dying in the same way Jesus died (by violence at least). According to L&N 23.99 it could be translated, “at all times we live in the constant threat of being killed as Jesus was.”
53 tn Or “may also be revealed.”
54 tn Or “may also be revealed.”
55 tn Grk “mortal flesh.”
56 tn Or “So then.”
57 tn Grk “death is at work in us, but life in you”; the phrase “is at work in” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
58 tn Grk “spirit of faith according to.”
59 sn A quotation from Ps 116:10.
60 tn Grk “speak, because.” A new sentence was started here in the translation, with the words “We do so” supplied to preserve the connection with the preceding statement.
61 tc ‡ Several important witnesses (א C D F G Ψ 1881), as well as the Byzantine text, add κύριον (kurion) here, changing the reading to “the Lord Jesus.” Although the external evidence in favor of the shorter reading is slim, the witnesses are important, early, and diverse (Ì46 B [0243 33] 629 [630] 1175* [1739] pc r sa). Very likely scribes with pietistic motives added the word κύριον, as they were prone to do, thus compounding this title for the Lord.
62 tn Or “that is abounding to.”
63 tn Or “to abound.”
64 tn Or “do not lose heart.”
65 tn Grk “our outer man.”
66 tn Grk “our inner [man].”
67 tn Grk “momentary lightness of affliction.”
68 tn This word only occurs here and in the parallel passage in Jer 31:29-30 in the Qal stem and in Eccl 10:10 in the Piel stem. In the latter passage it refers to the bluntness of an ax that has not been sharpened. Here the idea is of the “bluntness” of the teeth, not from having ground them down due to the bitter taste of sour grapes but to the fact that they have lost their “edge,” “bite,” or “sharpness” because they are numb from the sour taste. For this meaning for the word, see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 2:197.
69 tn This expression occurs often in Ezekiel (5:11; 14:16, 18, 20; 16:48; 17:16, 19; 20:3, 31, 33; 33:11, 27; 34:8; 35:6, 11).
70 tn Heb “life.”
71 tn Heb, “on the mountains he does not eat.” The mountains are often mentioned as the place where idolatrous sacrifices were eaten (Ezek 20:28; 22:9; 34:6).
72 tn Heb, “does not lift up his eyes.” This refers to looking to idols for help.
73 tn Heb, “does not draw near to.” “Draw near” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse (Lev 18:14; Deut 22:14; Isa 8:3).
74 tn Heb “restores to the debtor his pledge.” The root occurs in Exod 22:25 in reference to restoring a man’s garment as a pledge before nightfall.
75 tn The Hebrew term refers to seizure of property, usually by the rich (Isa 3:14; 10:2; Mic 2:2 [see Lev 5:21, 22]).
76 sn This law was given in Lev 25:36.
77 tn Heb, “turns back his hand.”
78 tn Heb “justice of truth.”
79 tc The MT reads לַעֲשׂוֹת אֱמֶת (la’asot ’emet, “to do with integrity”), while the LXX reads “to do them,” presupposing לַעֲשׂוֹת אֹתָם (la’asot ’otam). The ם (mem) and ת (tav) have been reversed in the MT. The LXX refelcts the original, supported by similar phrasing in Ezekiel 11:20; 20:19.
80 tn Heb “he.”
81 tn Heb “living, he will live.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
82 tn Heb “begets.”
83 tn Heb “and he does, a brother, from one of these.” If “brother” is retained, it may be an adverbial accusative, “against a brother” (i.e., fellow Israelite). But the form is likely dittographic (note the אח [aleph-heth] combination in the following form).
84 tn Heb “and he all of these did not do.” The parenthetical note refers back to the father described in the preceding verses.
85 sn See note on “mountains” in v. 6.
86 sn The poor and needy are often mentioned together in the OT (Deut 24:14; Jer 22:16; Ezek 14:69; Ps 12:6; 35:10; 37:14).
87 tn Heb “lifts up his eyes.”
88 tn Heb “be put to death.” The translation follows an alternative reading that appears in several ancient textual witnesses.
89 tn Heb “his blood will be upon him.”
90 tn Heb “and he sees and does not do likewise.”
91 tc This translation follows the LXX. The MT reads “restrains his hand from the poor,” which makes no sense here.
92 tn Or “in his father’s punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and in vv. 18, 19, 20; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9; 39:23. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment for iniquity.”
93 tn Heb “lift up, bear.”
94 tn Heb “lift up, bear.”
95 tn Heb “lift up, bear.”
96 tn Heb “the righteousness of the righteous one will be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked one will be upon him.”
97 tn Heb “remembered.”
98 tn Heb “because of them he will die.”
99 tn Heb “way.”
100 tn Heb “for them” or “because of them.”
101 tn Heb “he saw.”
102 tn Heb “ways.”
103 tn The verbs and persons in this verse are plural whereas the individual has been the subject of the chapter.
104 tn Or “leading to punishment.”
105 sn In Ezek 11:19, 36:26 the new heart and new spirit are promised as future blessings.
106 tn Heb “the death of the one dying.”
107 sn Psalm 62. The psalmist expresses his unwavering confidence in God’s justice and in his ability to protect his people.
108 tn Heb “only for God [is] there silence [to] my soul.”
109 tn Heb “from him [is] my deliverance.”
110 tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
111 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
112 tn The Hebrew text adds רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) at the end of the line. It is unusual for this adverb to follow a negated verb. Some see this as qualifying the assertion to some degree, but this would water down the affirmation too much (see v. 6b, where the adverb is omitted). If the adverb has a qualifying function, it would suggest that the psalmist might be upended, though not severely. This is inconsistent with the confident mood of the psalm. The adverb probably has an emphatic force here, “I will not be greatly upended” meaning “I will not be annihilated.”
113 tn The verb form is plural; the psalmist addresses his enemies. The verb הוּת occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “shout at.”
114 tn The Hebrew text has a Pual (passive) form, but the verb form should be vocalized as a Piel (active) form. See BDB 953-54 s.v. רָצַח.
115 tn Heb “like a bent wall and a broken fence.” The point of the comparison is not entirely clear. Perhaps the enemies are depicted as dangerous, like a leaning wall or broken fence that is in danger of falling on someone (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:69).
116 tn That is, the psalmist’s enemies addressed in the previous verse.
117 tn That is, the generic “man” referred to in the previous verse.
118 tn Heb “only from his lofty place [or perhaps, “dignity”] they plan to drive [him] away.”
119 tn Heb “they delight [in] a lie.”
120 sn The enemies use deceit to bring down their victim. They make him think they are his friends by pronouncing blessings upon him, but inwardly they desire his demise.
121 tn Heb “only for God be silent, my soul.” The wording is similar to that of v. 1a. Here an imperatival form, דּוֹמִּי (dommiy, “be silent”), appears instead of the noun דּוּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”). The psalmist is encouraging himself to maintain his trust in God.
122 tn Heb “for from him [is] my hope.”
123 tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
124 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
125 sn The wording is identical to that of v. 2, except that רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) does not appear in v. 6.
126 tn Heb “upon God [is] my deliverance and my glory, the high rocky summit of my strength, my shelter [is] in God.”
127 tn To “pour out one’s heart” means to offer up to God intense, emotional lamentation and petitionary prayers (see Lam 2:19).
128 tn Heb “only a breath [are] the sons of mankind, a lie [are] the sons of man.” The phrases “sons of mankind” and “sons of man” also appear together in Ps 49:2. Because of the parallel line there, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, a number of interpreters and translators treat these expressions as polar opposites, בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes. But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand the phrases as synonymous expressions.
129 tn The noun הֶבֶל (hevel), translated “a breath” earlier in the verse, appears again here.
130 tn Heb “do not trust in oppression.” Here “oppression” stands by metonymy for the riches that can be gained by oppressive measures, as the final line of the verse indicates.
131 tn Heb “and in robbery do not place vain hope.” Here “robbery” stands by metonymy for the riches that can be gained by theft, as the next line of the verse indicates.
132 tn Heb “[as for] wealth, when it bears fruit, do not set [your] heart [on it].”
133 tn Heb “one God spoke, two which I heard.” This is a numerical saying utilizing the “x” followed by “x + 1” pattern to facilitate poetic parallelism. (See W. M. W. Roth, Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament [VTSup], 55-56.) As is typical in such sayings, a list corresponding to the second number (in this case “two”) follows. Another option is to translate, “God has spoken once, twice [he has spoken] that which I have heard.” The terms אַחַת (’akhat, “one; once”) and שְׁתַּיִם (shÿtayim, “two; twice”) are also juxtaposed in 2 Kgs 6:10 (where they refer to an action that was done more than “once or twice”) and in Job 33:14 (where they refer to God speaking “one way” and then in “another manner”).
134 tn Heb “that strength [belongs] to God.”
135 tn Heb “and to you, O Master, [is] loyal love.”
136 tn Heb “for you pay back to a man according to his deed.” Another option is to understand vv. 11b and 12a as the first principle and v. 12b as the second. In this case one might translate, “God has declared one principle, two principles I have heard, namely, that God is strong, and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love, and that you repay men for what they do.”
sn You repay men for what they do. The psalmist views God’s justice as a demonstration of both his power (see v. 11c) and his loyal love (see v. 12a). When God judges evildoers, he demonstrates loyal love to his people.
137 sn Psalm 63. The psalmist expresses his intense desire to be in God’s presence and confidently affirms that God will judge his enemies.
138 sn According to the psalm superscription David wrote the psalm while in the “wilderness of Judah.” Perhaps this refers to the period described in 1 Sam 23-24 or to the incident mentioned in 2 Sam 15:23.
139 tn Or “I will seek you.”
140 tn Or “I thirst.”
141 tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” This may picture the land as “faint” or “weary,” or it may allude to the effect this dry desert has on those who are forced to live in it.
142 tn The Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used here to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4).
143 tn The perfect verbal form is understood here as referring to a past experience which the psalmist desires to be repeated. Another option is to take the perfect as indicating the psalmist’s certitude that he will again stand in God’s presence in the sanctuary. In this case one can translate, “I will see you.”
144 tn Heb “seeing.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.
145 tn This line is understood as giving the basis for the praise promised in the following line. Another option is to take the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) as asseverative/emphasizing, “Indeed, your loyal love is better” (cf. NEB, which leaves the particle untranslated).
146 tn The word “experiencing” is supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist does not speak here of divine loyal love in some abstract sense, but of loyal love revealed and experienced.
147 tn Or perhaps “then.”
148 sn I will lift up my hands. Lifting up one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer (see Ps 28:2; Lam 2:19) or respect (Ps 119:48).
149 tn Heb “like fat and fatness.”
150 tn Or “me.”
151 tn Heb “and [with] lips of joy my mouth praises.”
152 tn The Hebrew term אִם (’im) is used here in the sense of “when; whenever,” as in Ps 78:34.
153 tn Or “[source of] help.”
154 tn Heb “in the shadow of your wings.”
155 tn Or “I.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
156 tn Heb “clings after.” The expression means “to pursue with determination” (see Judg 20:45; 1 Sam 14:22; 1 Chr 10:2; Jer 42:16).
157 tn Heb “but they for destruction seek my life.” The pronoun “they” must refer here to the psalmist’s enemies, referred to at this point for the first time in the psalm.
158 sn The depths of the earth refers here to the underworld dwelling place of the dead (see Ezek 26:20; 31:14, 16, 18; 32:18, 24). See L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 167.
159 tn Heb “they will deliver him over to the sword.” The third masculine plural subject must be indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f) and the singular pronominal suffix either representative or distributive (emphasizing that each one will be so treated). Active verbs with indefinite subjects may be translated as passives with the object (in the Hebrew text) as subject (in the translation).
160 tn Heb “they will be [the] portion of jackals”; traditionally, “of foxes.”
161 sn The psalmist probably refers to himself in the third person here.
162 tn Heb “who swears [an oath] by him.”
163 tn The Niphal of this verb occurs only here and in Gen 8:2, where it is used of God “stopping” or “damming up” the great deep as he brought the flood to an end.
