¹ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

² tn Heb “and he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it.”

³ tn Heb “to the city.”

⁴ tn Heb “all that is desirable to your eyes they will put in their hand and take.”

⁵ tn Heb “elders.”

⁶ tn Heb “Know and see that this [man] is seeking trouble.”

⁷ tn Heb “Do not listen and do not be willing.”

⁸ tn Heb “all which you sent to your servant in the beginning I will do, but this thing I am unable to do.”

⁹ tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “if the dirt of Samaria suffices for the handfuls of all the people who are at my feet.”

¹¹ sn The point of the saying is that someone who is still preparing for a battle should not boast as if he has already won the battle. A modern parallel would be, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”

¹² tn Heb “When he heard this word.”

¹³ tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents.

¹⁴ tn Heb “this great horde.”

¹⁵ tn The words “will this be accomplished” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁸ tn Heb “after them he assembled all the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “drinking and drunken.”

²⁰ tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents.

²¹ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

²² tn Heb “if they come in peace, take them alive; if they come for battle, take them alive.”

²³ tn Heb “each struck down his man.”

²⁴ tn Heb “struck down Aram with a great striking down.”

²⁵ tn The definite article indicates previous reference, that is, “the prophet mentioned earlier” (see v. 13).

²⁶ tn Heb “strengthen yourself.”

²⁷ tn Heb “know and see.”

²⁸ tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”

²⁹ tn Heb “go up against.”

³⁰ tn Or “servants.”

³¹ tn Heb “And you, you muster an army like the one that fell from you, horse like horse and chariot like chariot.”

³² tn Heb “he listened to their voice and did so.”

³³ tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”

³⁴ tn Heb “mustered Aram.”

³⁵ tn Heb “and went up to Aphek for battle with Israel.”

³⁶ tn The noun translated “small flocks” occurs only here. The common interpretation derives the word from the verbal root חשׂף, “to strip off; to make bare.” In this case the noun refers to something “stripped off” or “made bare.” HALOT 359 s.v. II חשׂף derives the noun from a proposed homonymic verbal root (which occurs only in Ps 29:9) meaning “cause a premature birth.” In this case the derived noun could refer to goats that are undersized because they are born prematurely.

³⁷ tn Heb “the man of God.”

³⁸ tn Heb “I will place all this great horde in your hand.”

³⁹ tn Heb “and the remaining ones fled to Aphek to the city and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men, the ones who remained.”

⁴⁰ tn Heb “and Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, [into] an inner room in an inner room.”

⁴¹ tn Or “servants.”

⁴² tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings.

⁴³ sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match.

⁴⁴ tn Heb “go out.”

⁴⁵ sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement.

⁴⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴⁷ sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.

⁴⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵⁰ tn Heb “streets,” but this must refer to streets set up with stalls for merchants to sell their goods. See HALOT 299 s.v. חוּץ.

⁵¹ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

⁵² tn Heb “I will send you away with a treaty.” The words “Ahab then said” are supplied in the translation. There is nothing in the Hebrew text to indicate that the speaker has changed from Ben Hadad to Ahab. Some suggest adding “and he said” before “I will send you away.” Others prefer to maintain Ben Hadad as the speaker and change the statement to, “Please send me away with a treaty.”

⁵³ tn Heb “Now a man from the sons of the prophets said to his companion by the word of the Lord, ‘Wound me.’”

⁵⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵⁵ tn Heb “and the man wounded him, wounding and bruising.”

⁵⁶ tn Heb “middle.”

⁵⁷ tn Heb “man” (also a second time later in this verse).

⁵⁸ tn Heb “if being missed, he is missed.” The emphatic infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form lends solemnity to the warning.

⁵⁹ tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 75 pounds of silver.

⁶⁰ tn Heb “your life will be in place of his life, or a unit of silver you will pay.”

⁶¹ tn Heb “so [i.e., in accordance with his testimony] is your judgment, you have determined [it].”

⁶² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶⁴ tn Heb “Because you sent away the man of my destruction [i.e., that I determined should be destroyed] from [my/your?] hand, your life will be in place of his life, and your people in place of his people.”

⁶⁵ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

⁶⁶ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

⁶⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁶⁸ tc A variety of readings occurs in this verse. Instead of “and fellow worker for God” (καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, kai sunergon tou qeou), B has “and fellow worker” (καὶ συνεργόν); א A P Ψ 0278 6 81 629* 1241 1739 1881 2464 lat co read “and servant of God” (καὶ διάκονον τοῦ θεοῦ, kai diakonon tou qeou); D² Ï and a few versional witnesses read “and a servant of God and our fellow worker” (καὶ διάκονον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ συνεργὸν ἡμῶν); and F G have “servant and fellow worker for God” (διάκονον καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ). The reading of the text (καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ) is found in D* 33 b {d m o} Ambst {Pel}. It may be argued that all readings that do not collocate συνεργόν with θεοῦ are secondary, as this is certainly the harder reading. Indeed, in only one other place in the NT are human beings said to be συνεργοὶ θεοῦ (sunergoi qeou; 1 Cor 3:9), and the simplest (though by no means the only) interpretation is that the genitive should be taken associatively (“a fellow worker in association with God”). It is difficult to account for συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ here unless it is authentic because of the theological difficulty that would be easily seen in this wording. A genealogy of the readings suggests that various scribes may have deleted τοῦ θεοῦ or swapped διάκονον for συνεργόν to remove the offense. The readings of the Byzantine text and two Western mss (F G) appear to be conflations of earlier readings, but the reading of F G nevertheless indirectly supports καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ since it does not remove the offense. Although the witnesses for καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ are minimal, the internal evidence is quite strong in favor of this reading. With hesitation, it is adopted as authentic.

tn Although 1 Thess 3:2 is frequently understood to mean that Timothy is “God’s fellow worker,” such a view assumes that the genitive θεοῦ (qeou) is associative for it is related to συνεργόν (sunergon). However, a genitive of association is not required by the syntax (cf. ExSyn 130).

⁶⁹ tn Grk “just as it also occurred and you know.”

⁷⁰ tn Or “for this reason.”

⁷¹ tn Grk “but now Timothy having come,” a subordinate clause leading to the main clause of v. 7.

⁷² tn Grk “you have a good remembrance of us always.”

⁷³ tn Grk “just as also we you.”

⁷⁴ tn Or “for this reason.”

⁷⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

⁷⁶ tn Grk “because now we live,” in comparison with his feelings of dread in not knowing how they were doing (cf. 2:17-3:5).

⁷⁷ tn Grk “what thanks can we render to God about you.”

⁷⁸ tn Grk “all the joy with which we rejoice.”

⁷⁹ tn Grk “to see your face.”

⁸⁰ tc ‡ Important and early witnesses (א* A D* 81 629 lat) have ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”) at the end of this benediction, while the majority of mss, including several excellent witnesses (א² B D² F G Ψ 0278 1739 1881 Ï it sy sa), lack the particle. A decision is difficult, but in light of Paul’s habit of adding the ἀμήν to his notes of praise, even in the middle of his letters (cf. Rom 9:5; 11:36; 15:33; Gal 1:5), one might expect scribes to emulate this practice. Although a decision is difficult, it is probably best to follow the shorter reading. NA²⁷ has the particle in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

⁸¹ tn Heb “Nebuchadnezzar’s.” The possessive pronoun is substituted in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁸² tn Heb “dreamed dreams.” The plural is used here and in v. 2, but the singular in v. 3. The plural “dreams” has been variously explained. Some interpreters take the plural as denoting an indefinite singular (so GKC 400 §124.o). But it may be that it is describing a stream of related dreams, or a dream state. In the latter case, one might translate: “Nebuchadnezzar was in a trance.” See further, J. A. Montgomery, Daniel (ICC), 142.

⁸³ tn Heb “his spirit.”

⁸⁴ tn Heb “his sleep left (?) him.” The use of the verb הָיָה (hayah, “to be”) here is unusual. The context suggests a meaning such as “to be finished” or “gone.” Cf. Dan 8:27. Some scholars emend the verb to read נָדְדָה (nadÿdah, “fled”); cf. Dan 6:19. See further, DCH 2:540 s.v. היה I Ni.3; HALOT 244 s.v. היה nif; BDB 227-28 s.v. הָיָה Niph.2.

⁸⁵ tn Heb “said.” So also in v. 12.

⁸⁶ tn Heb “Chaldeans.” The term Chaldeans (Hebrew כַּשְׂדִּים, kasdim) is used in the book of Daniel both in an ethnic sense and, as here, to refer to a caste of Babylonian wise men and astrologers.

⁸⁷ tn Heb “to explain to the king his dreams.”

⁸⁸ tn Heb “stood before the king.”

⁸⁹ tn Heb “I have dreamed a dream” (so KJV, ASV).

⁹⁰ tn Heb “my spirit.”

⁹¹ sn Contrary to common belief, the point here is not that the wise men (Chaldeans) replied to the king in the Aramaic language, or that this language was uniquely the language of the Chaldeans. It was this view that led in the past to Aramaic being referred to as “Chaldee.” Aramaic was used as a lingua franca during this period; its origins and usage were not restricted to the Babylonians. Rather, this phrase is better understood as an editorial note (cf. NAB) marking the fact that from 2:4b through 7:28 the language of the book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. In 8:1, and for the remainder of the book, the language returns to Hebrew. Various views have been advanced to account for this change of language, most of which are unconvincing. Most likely the change in language is a reflection of stages in the transmission history of the book of Daniel.

⁹² tn Or “the.”

⁹³ tn Aram “answered and said,” a common idiom to indicate a reply, but redundant in contemporary English.

⁹⁴ tn It seems clear from what follows that Nebuchadnezzar clearly recalls the content of the dream, although obviously he does not know what to make of it. By not divulging the dream itself to the would-be interpreters, he intends to find out whether they are simply leading him on. If they can tell him the dream’s content, which he is able to verify, he then can have confidence in their interpretation, which is what eludes him. The translation “the matter is gone from me” (cf. KJV, ASV), suggesting that the king had simply forgotten the dream, is incorrect. The Aramaic word used here (אַזְדָּא, ’azda’) is probably of Persian origin; it occurs in the OT only here and in v. 8. There are two main possibilities for the meaning of the word: “the matter is promulgated by me” (see KBL 1048 s.v.) and therefore “publicly known” (cf. NRSV; F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 62-63, §189), or “the matter is irrevocable” (cf. NAB, NIV, TEV, CEV, NLT; HALOT 1808 s.v. אזד; cf. also BDB 1079 s.v.). The present translation reflects this latter option. See further E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 3.

⁹⁵ tn Aram “made limbs.” Cf. 3:29.

⁹⁶ tn Aram “his servants.”

⁹⁷ tn Or “the.”

⁹⁸ tn Aram “one is your law,” i.e., only one thing is applicable to you.

⁹⁹ tn Aram “a lying and corrupt word.”

¹⁰⁰ tn Aram “I will know.”

¹⁰¹ tn Aram “matter, thing.”

¹⁰² tn Aram “whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

¹⁰³ tn Aram “was angry and very furious.” The expression is a hendiadys (two words or phrases expressing a single idea).

¹⁰⁴ tn The Aramaic participle is used here to express the imminent future.

¹⁰⁵ tn The impersonal active plural (“they sought”) of the Aramaic verb could also be translated as an English passive: “Daniel and his friends were sought” (cf. NAB).

¹⁰⁶ tn Aram “returned prudence and counsel.” The expression is a hendiadys.

¹⁰⁷ tn The Aramaic word מְהַחְצְפָה (mÿhakhtsÿfah) may refer to the severity of the king’s decree (i.e., “harsh”; so HALOT 1879 s.v. חצף; BDB 1093 s.v. חֲצַף), although it would seem that in a delicate situation such as this Daniel would avoid this kind of criticism of the king’s actions. The translation above understands the word to refer to the immediacy, not harshness, of the decree. See further, F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 50, §116; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 67.

¹⁰⁸ tc Theodotion and the Syriac lack the words “went in and.”

¹⁰⁹ tn Aram “Daniel.” The proper name is redundant here in English, and has not been included in the translation.

¹¹⁰ tn Or “blessed.”

¹¹¹ tn Aram “Daniel answered and said.”

¹¹² sn As is often the case in the Bible, here the name represents the person.

¹¹³ tn Or “blessed.”

¹¹⁴ tn Aram “kings.”

¹¹⁵ tn Aram “the knowers of understanding.”

¹¹⁶ tn Aram “we.” Various explanations have been offered for the plural, but it is probably best understood as the editorial plural; so also with “me” later in this verse.

¹¹⁷ tn Aram “the word of the king.”

¹¹⁸ tc The MT has עַל עַל (’al ’al, “he entered upon”). Several medieval Hebrew MSS lack the verb, although this may be due to haplography.

¹¹⁹ tc The LXX and Vulgate, along with one medieval Hebrew MS, lack this verb.

¹²⁰ tn Aram “cause me to enter.” So also in v. 25.

¹²¹ tn Aram “the king.”

¹²² sn Arioch’s claim is self-serving and exaggerated. It is Daniel who came to him, and not the other way around. By claiming to have found one capable of solving the king’s dilemma, Arioch probably hoped to ingratiate himself to the king.

¹²³ tn Aram “a revealer of mysteries.” The phrase serves as a quasi-title for God in Daniel.

¹²⁴ tn Aram “in the latter days.”

¹²⁵ tn Aram “your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed.”

¹²⁶ tn Aram “your thoughts upon your bed went up to what will be after this.”

¹²⁷ tn Aram “not for any wisdom which is in me more than [in] any living man.”

¹²⁸ tn Aram “they might cause the king to know.” The impersonal plural is used here to refer to the role of God’s spirit in revealing the dream and its interpretation to the king. As J. A. Montgomery says, “it appropriately here veils the mysterious agency” (Daniel [ICC], 164-65).

¹²⁹ tn Aram “heart.”

¹³⁰ tn Aram “an image.”

¹³¹ sn Clay refers to baked clay, which – though hard – was also fragile. Cf. the reference in v. 41 to “wet clay.”

¹³² tn Aram “until.”

¹³³ tc The LXX, Theodotion, and the Vulgate have “from a mountain,” though this is probably a harmonization with v. 45.

¹³⁴ tn Aram “as one.” For the meaning “without distinction” see the following: F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 36, §64, and p. 93; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 60.

¹³⁵ tn Various suggestions have been made concerning the plural “we.” It is probably the editorial plural and could be translated here as “I.”

¹³⁶ tn Aram “the sons of man.”

¹³⁷ tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”

¹³⁸ tn Aram “hand.”

¹³⁹ sn The identity of the first kingdom is clearly Babylon. The identification of the following three kingdoms is disputed. The common view is that they represent Media, Persia, and Greece. Most conservative scholars identify them as Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

¹⁴⁰ tc Theodotion and the Vulgate lack the phrase “and as iron breaks in pieces.”

¹⁴¹ tn The Aramaic text does not have this word, but it has been added in the translation for clarity.

¹⁴² tn The words “the others” are supplied from the context.

¹⁴³ tc The LXX lacks “and toes.”

¹⁴⁴ tn Aram “potter’s clay.”

¹⁴⁵ tn Aram “clay of clay” (also in v. 43).

¹⁴⁶ tc The present translation reads the conjunction, with most medieval Hebrew MSS, LXX, Vulgate, and the Qere. The Kethib lacks the conjunction.

¹⁴⁷ sn The reference to people being mixed is usually understood to refer to intermarriage.

¹⁴⁸ tn Aram “with the seed of men.”

¹⁴⁹ tc The present translation reads הֵיךְ דִּי (hekh diy) rather than the MT הֵא־כְדִי (he’-khÿdi). It is a case of wrong word division.

¹⁵⁰ tn Aram “after this.”

¹⁵¹ tn Aram “fell on his face.”

¹⁵² tn Aram “and Daniel sought from the king and he appointed.”

¹⁵³ tn Aram “was at the gate of the king.”

¹⁵⁴ sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.

¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”

¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “[or] cause to be heard all his praise.”

¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “good.”

¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “in order that [I may] rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”

¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “with your inheritance.”

¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “with.”

¹⁶¹ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 7).

¹⁶² tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in vv. 9, 22). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.

sn They rebelled. The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12.

¹⁶³ tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

¹⁶⁴ tn Or “rebuked.”

¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “hand.”

¹⁶⁶ tn Or “redeemed.”

¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “hand.”

¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “remained.”

¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “his words.”

¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “his works.”

¹⁷¹ tn Heb “his counsel.”

¹⁷² sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35.

¹⁷³ tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”

¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “they tested God.”

¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”

sn Disease. See Num 11:33-34, where this plague is described.

¹⁷⁶ tn Or “envied.”

¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “the holy one of the Lord.”

¹⁷⁸ tn Or “covered.”

¹⁷⁹ tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”

¹⁸⁰ sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.

¹⁸¹ tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the Lord states that his people (Israel) exchanged “their glory” (a reference to the Lord) for worthless idols.

¹⁸² tn Heb “forgot.”

¹⁸³ tn Or “awe-inspiring.”

¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “and he said.”

¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”

¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”

¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”

sn Verses 19-23 describe the events of Exod 32:1-35.

¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).

¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “his word.”

¹⁹⁰ sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.

¹⁹¹ tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”

¹⁹² tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).

¹⁹³ tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”

¹⁹⁴ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “and to cause their offspring to fall.” Some emend the verb to “scatter” to form tighter parallelism with the following line (cf. NRSV “disperse”).

¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “joined themselves to.”

sn They worshiped Baal of Peor. See Num 25:3, 5. Baal of Peor was a local manifestation of the Canaanite deity Baal located at Peor.

¹⁹⁸ tn Here “the dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 49).

¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew mss. Perhaps it was accidentally left off, an original וַיַּכְעִיסוּהוּ (vayyakh’isuhu) being misread as וַיַּכְעִיסוּ (vayyakh’isu). In the translation the referent of the pronominal suffix (the Lord) has been specified for clarity to avoid confusion with Baal of Peor (mentioned in the previous verse).

²⁰⁰ sn The intervention of Phinehas is recounted in Num 25:7-8.

²⁰¹ tn Heb “and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to a generation and a generation forever.” The verb חָשַׁב (khashav, “to reckon”) is collocated with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) only in Ps 106:31 and Gen 15:6, where God rewards Abram’s faith with a land grant.

sn Brought him a reward. See Num 25:12-13.

²⁰² tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”

²⁰³ tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.

²⁰⁴ tn Heb “his spirit.”

²⁰⁵ tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

sn Verses 32-33 allude to the events of Num 20:1-13.

²⁰⁶ tn That is, the nations of Canaan.

²⁰⁷ tn Heb “their deeds.”

²⁰⁸ tn Or “served.”

²⁰⁹ sn Became a snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.

²¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.

²¹¹ sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.

²¹² tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the Lord (see Ps 73:27).

²¹³ tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against his people.”

²¹⁴ tn Heb “his inheritance.”

²¹⁵ tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”

²¹⁶ tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”

²¹⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).

²¹⁸ tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).

²¹⁹ tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.

²²⁰ tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.

²²¹ tn Or “captors.”

²²² tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.

²²³ tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”

²²⁴ tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.

²²⁵ tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”

²²⁶ tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן, ’amen), traditionally transliterated “amen.”

²²⁷ sn The final verse (v. 48) is a conclusion to this fourth “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and third “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52, respectively).