1:2 Instead 1 he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; 2
he meditates on 3 his commands 4 day and night.
32:3 When I refused to confess my sin, 5
my whole body wasted away, 6
while I groaned in pain all day long.
32:4 For day and night you tormented me; 7
you tried to destroy me 8 in the intense heat 9 of summer. 10 (Selah)
44:8 In God I boast all day long,
and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)
44:22 Yet because of you 11 we are killed all day long;
we are treated like 12 sheep at the slaughtering block. 13
56:2 Those who anticipate my defeat 14 attack me all day long.
Indeed, 15 many are fighting against me, O Exalted One. 16
71:15 I will tell about your justice,
and all day long proclaim your salvation, 17
though I cannot fathom its full extent. 18
78:14 He led them with a cloud by day,
and with the light of a fire all night long.
102:8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who mock me use my name in their curses. 19
109:23 I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day; 20
I am shaken off like a locust.
110:5 O sovereign Lord, 21 at your right hand
he strikes down 22 kings in the day he unleashes his anger. 23
118:24 This is the day the Lord has brought about. 24
We will be happy and rejoice in it.
146:4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground;
on that day their plans die. 25
1 tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.
2 tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the
3 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.
4 tn Or “his law.”
5 tn Heb “when I was silent.”
6 tn Heb “my bones became brittle.” The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.
7 tn Heb “your hand was heavy upon me.”
8 tc Heb “my [?] was turned.” The meaning of the Hebrew term לְשַׁד (lÿshad) is uncertain. A noun לָשָׁד (lashad, “cake”) is attested in Num 11:8, but it would make no sense to understand that word in this context. It is better to emend the form to לְשֻׁדִּי (lÿshuddiy, “to my destruction”) and understand “your hand” as the subject of the verb “was turned.” In this case the text reads, “[your hand] was turned to my destruction.” In Lam 3:3 the author laments that God’s “hand” was “turned” (הָפַךְ, hafakh) against him in a hostile sense.
sn You tried to destroy me. The psalmist’s statement reflects his perspective. As far as he was concerned, it seemed as if the Lord was trying to kill him.
9 tn The translation assumes that the plural form indicates degree. If one understands the form as a true plural, then one might translate, “in the times of drought.”
10 sn Summer. Perhaps the psalmist suffered during the hot season and perceived the very weather as being an instrument of divine judgment. Another option is that he compares his time of suffering to the uncomfortable and oppressive heat of summer.
11 tn The statement “because of you” (1) may simply indicate that God is the cause of the Israelites’ defeat (see vv. 9-14, where the nation’s situation is attributed directly to God’s activity, and cf. NEB, NRSV), or (2) it may suggest they suffer because of their allegiance to God (see Ps 69:7 and Jer 15:15). In this case one should translate, “for your sake” (cf. NASB, NIV). The citation of this verse in Rom 8:36 follows the LXX (Ps 43:23 LXX), where the Greek term ἕνεκεν (Jeneken; LXX ἕνεκα) may likewise mean “because of” or “for the sake of” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἕνεκα 1).
12 tn Or “regarded as.”
13 tn Heb “like sheep of slaughtering,” that is, sheep destined for slaughter.
14 tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 59:10.
15 tn Or “for.”
16 tn Some take the Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “on high; above”) as an adverb modifying the preceding participle and translate, “proudly” (cf. NASB; NIV “in their pride”). The present translation assumes the term is a divine title here. The
17 tn Heb “my mouth declares your vindication, all the day your deliverance.”
18 tn Heb “though I do not know [the] numbers,” that is, the tally of God’s just and saving acts. HALOT 768 s.v. סְפֹרוֹת understands the plural noun to mean “the art of writing.”
19 tn Heb “by me they swear.” When the psalmist’s enemies call judgment down on others, they hold the psalmist up as a prime example of what they desire their enemies to become.
20 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.
21 tn As pointed in the Hebrew text, this title refers to God (many medieval Hebrew
22 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.
23 tn Heb “in the day of his anger.”
24 tn Heb “this is the day the
25 tn Heb “his spirit goes out, it returns to his ground; in that day his plans die.” The singular refers to the representative man mentioned in v. 3b.