10:18 You defend 1 the fatherless and oppressed, 2
so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. 3
12:3 May the Lord cut off 4 all flattering lips,
and the tongue that boasts! 5
13:5 But I 6 trust in your faithfulness.
May I rejoice because of your deliverance! 7
25:21 May integrity and godliness protect me,
for I rely on you!
31:18 May lying lips be silenced –
lips 8 that speak defiantly against the innocent 9
with arrogance and contempt!
33:22 May we experience your faithfulness, O Lord, 10
for 11 we wait for you.
35:5 May they be 12 like wind-driven chaff,
as the Lord’s angel 13 attacks them! 14
35:6 May their path be 15 dark and slippery,
as the Lord’s angel chases them!
40:15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be humiliated 16 and disgraced! 17
51:8 Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven! 18
May the bones 19 you crushed rejoice! 20
57:5 Rise up 21 above the sky, O God!
May your splendor cover the whole earth! 22
57:11 Rise up 23 above the sky, O God!
May your splendor cover the whole earth! 24
60:5 Deliver by your power 25 and answer me, 26
so that the ones you love may be safe. 27
61:7 May he reign 28 forever before God!
Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness should protect him. 29
67:6 The earth yields its crops.
May God, our God, bless us!
69:24 Pour out your judgment 30 on them!
May your raging anger 31 overtake them!
69:32 The oppressed look on – let them rejoice!
You who seek God, 32 may you be encouraged! 33
70:3 May those who say, “Aha! Aha!”
be driven back 34 and disgraced! 35
72:16 May there be 36 an abundance 37 of grain in the earth;
on the tops 38 of the mountains may it 39 sway! 40
May its 41 fruit trees 42 flourish 43 like the forests of Lebanon! 44
May its crops 45 be as abundant 46 as the grass of the earth! 47
102:21 so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,
and praise him 48 in Jerusalem, 49
104:34 May my thoughts 50 be pleasing to him!
I will rejoice in the Lord.
108:5 Rise up 51 above the sky, O God!
May your splendor cover the whole earth! 52
108:6 Deliver by your power 53 and answer me,
so that the ones you love may be safe. 54
109:6 55 Appoint an evil man to testify against him! 56
May an accuser stand 57 at his right side!
109:10 May his children 58 roam around begging,
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home! 59
109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, 60
those who say evil things about 61 me! 62
113:2 May the Lord’s name be praised
now and forevermore!
115:14 May he increase your numbers,
yours and your children’s! 63
115:15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the creator 64 of heaven and earth!
ו (Vav)
119:41 May I experience your loyal love, 65 O Lord,
and your deliverance, 66 as you promised. 67
119:76 May your loyal love console me,
as you promised your servant. 68
119:77 May I experience your compassion, 69 so I might live!
For I find delight in your law.
119:78 May the arrogant be humiliated, for they have slandered me! 70
But I meditate on your precepts.
119:79 May your loyal followers 71 turn to me,
those who know your rules.
119:80 May I be fully committed to your statutes, 72
so that I might not be ashamed.
119:171 May praise flow freely from my lips,
for you teach me your statutes.
119:172 May my tongue sing about your instructions, 73
for all your commands are just.
119:173 May your hand help me,
for I choose to obey 74 your precepts.
122:6 Pray 75 for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love her prosper! 76
122:7 May there be peace inside your defenses,
and prosperity 77 inside your fortresses! 78
128:6 and that you might see 79 your grandchildren. 80
May Israel experience peace! 81
134:3 May the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth,
bless you 82 from Zion! 83
137:5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand be crippled! 84
141:2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering! 85
149:6 May they praise God
while they hold a two-edged sword in their hand, 86
1 tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”
2 tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.
3 tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.
4 tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the
5 tn Heb “a tongue speaking great [things].”
6 tn The grammatical construction used here (conjunction with independent pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s defeated condition envisioned in v. 4 and confident attitude he displays in v. 5.
7 tn Heb “may my heart rejoice in your deliverance.” The verb form is jussive. Having expressed his trust in God’s faithful character and promises, the psalmist prays that his confidence will prove to be well-placed. “Heart” is used here of the seat of the emotions.
8 tn Heb “the [ones which].”
9 tn Or “godly.”
10 tn Heb “let your faithfulness, O
11 tn Or “just as.”
12 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.
13 sn See the mention of the
14 tn Heb “as the
15 tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
16 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.
17 tn Heb “May they be humiliated according to their shame, those who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!’”
18 tn Heb “cause me to hear happiness and joy.” The language is metonymic: the effect of forgiveness (joy) has been substituted for its cause. The psalmist probably alludes here to an assuring word from God announcing that his sins are forgiven (a so-called oracle of forgiveness). The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request. The synonyms “happiness” and “joy” are joined together as a hendiadys to emphasize the degree of joy he anticipates.
19 sn May the bones you crushed rejoice. The psalmist compares his sinful condition to that of a person who has been physically battered and crushed. Within this metaphorical framework, his “bones” are the seat of his emotional strength.
20 tn In this context of petitionary prayer, the prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, expressing the psalmist’s wish or request.
21 tn Or “be exalted.”
22 tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
23 tn Or “be exalted.”
24 tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
25 tn Heb “right hand.”
26 tn The Qere (marginal reading) has “me,” while the Kethib (consonantal text) has “us.”
27 tn Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text, “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”
28 tn Heb “sit [enthroned].” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive here, expressing the psalmist’s prayer.
29 tn Heb “loyal love and faithfulness appoint, let them protect him.”
30 tn Heb “anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger.
31 tn Heb “the rage of your anger.” The phrase “rage of your anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971), 17-81.
32 sn You who seek God refers to those who seek to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him (see Ps 53:2).
33 tn Heb “may your heart[s] live.” See Ps 22:26.
34 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.
35 tn Heb “May they be turned back according to their shame, those who say, ‘Aha! Aha!’” Ps 40:15 has the verb “humiliated” instead of “turned back” and adds “to me” after “say.”
36 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. The translation assumes the subject is impersonal (rather than the king).
37 tn The Hebrew noun פִסַּה (pissah; which appears here in the construct form) occurs only here in the OT. Perhaps the noun is related to the verbal root פָּשָׂה (pasah, “to spread,” see BDB 832 s.v.; the root appears as פָּסָה [pasah] in postbiblical Hebrew), which is used in postbiblical Hebrew of the rising sun’s rays spreading over the horizon and a tree’s branches spreading out (see Jastrow 1194 s.v. פסי, פָּסָה, פָּשָׂה). In Ps 72:16 a “spreading of grain” would refer to grain fields extending out over the land. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:139) emend the form to סְפִיחַ (sÿfiakh, “second growth”).
38 tn Heb “top” (singular).
39 tn That is, the grain.
40 tn According to the traditional accentuation of the MT, this verb belongs with what follows. See the translator’s note at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse.
41 tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix is unclear. It is unlikely that the antecedent is אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) because this noun is normally grammatically feminine. Perhaps רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “top [of the mountains]”) is the antecedent. Another option is to understand the pronoun as referring to the king, who would then be viewed as an instrument of divine agricultural blessing (see v. 6).
42 tn Heb “fruit.”
43 tc According to the traditional accentuation of the MT, this verb belongs with what follows. See the note on the word “earth” at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse. The present translation takes it with the preceding words, “like Lebanon its fruit” and emends the verb form from וְיָצִיצוּ (vÿyatsitsu; Qal imperfect third masculine plural with prefixed vav, [ו]) to יָצִיץ (yatsits; Qal imperfect third masculine singular). The initial vav is eliminated as dittographic (note the vav on the ending of the preceding form פִּרְיוֹ, piryo, “its/his fruit”) and the vav at the end of the form is placed on the following emended form (see the note on the word “crops”), yielding וַעֲמִיר (va’amir, “and [its] crops”).
44 tn Heb “like Lebanon.”
45 tc The MT has “from the city.” The translation assumes an emendation to עֲמִיר (’amir, “crops”).
46 tn The translation assumes that the verb צוץ (“flourish”) goes with the preceding line. The words “be as abundant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
47 tc The traditional accentuation and vocalization of the MT differ from the text assumed by the present translation. The MT reads as follows: “May there be an abundance of grain in the earth, / and on the tops of the mountains! / May its [or “his”?] fruit [trees?] rustle like [the trees of] Lebanon! / May they flourish from the city, like the grass of the earth!” If one follows the MT, then it would appear that the “fruit” of the third line is a metaphorical reference to the king’s people, who flow out from the cities to populate the land (see line 4). Elsewhere in the OT people are sometimes compared to grass that sprouts up from the land (see v. 7, as well as Isa 27:6; Pss 92:7; 103:15). The translation understands a different poetic structural arrangement and, assuming the emendations mentioned in earlier notes, interprets each line of the verse to be a prayer for agricultural abundance.
48 tn Heb “his praise.”
49 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
50 tn That is, the psalmist’s thoughts as expressed in his songs of praise.
51 tn Or “be exalted.”
52 tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
53 tn Heb “right hand.”
54 tn Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text: “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”
55 sn In vv. 6-19 the psalmist calls on God to judge his enemies severely. Some attribute this curse-list to the psalmist’s enemies rather than the psalmist. In this case one should paraphrase v. 6: “They say about me, ‘Appoint an evil man, etc.’” Those supporting this line of interpretation point out that vv. 2-5 and 20 refer to the enemies’ attack on the psalmist being a verbal one. Furthermore in vv. 1-5, 20 the psalmist speaks of his enemies in the plural, while vv. 6-19 refer to an individual. This use of the singular in vv. 6-19 could be readily explained if this is the psalmist’s enemies’ curse on him. However, it is much more natural to understand vv. 6-19 as the psalmist’s prayer against his enemies. There is no introductory quotation formula in v. 6 to indicate that the psalmist is quoting anyone, and the statement “may the
56 tn Heb “appoint against him an evil [man].”
57 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive here (note the imperative in the preceding line).
58 tn Or “sons.”
59 tn Heb “and roaming, may his children roam and beg, and seek from their ruins.” Some, following the LXX, emend the term וְדָרְשׁוּ (vÿdoreshu, “and seek”) to יְגֹרְשׁוּ (yÿgoreshu; a Pual jussive, “may they be driven away” [see Job 30:5; cf. NIV, NRSV]), but דָּרַשׁ (darash) nicely parallels שִׁאֵלוּ (shi’elu, “and beg”) in the preceding line.
60 tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the
61 tn Or “against.”
62 tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
63 tn Heb “may he add to you, to you and your sons.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
64 tn Or “maker.”
65 tn Heb “and may your loyal love come to me.”
66 tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions).
67 tn Heb “according to your word.”
68 tn Heb “according to your word to your servant.”
69 tn Heb “and may your compassion come to me.”
70 tn Heb “for [with] falsehood they have denied me justice.”
71 tn Heb “those who fear you.”
72 tn Heb “may my heart be complete in your statutes.”
73 tn Heb “your word.”
74 tn The words “to obey” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.
75 tn Heb “ask [for].”
76 tn Or “be secure.”
77 tn or “security.”
78 tn The psalmist uses second feminine singular pronominal forms to address personified Jerusalem.
79 tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the jussive in v. 5a.
80 tn Heb “sons to your sons.”
81 tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 125:5).
82 tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine singular, suggesting that the servants addressed in vv. 1-2 are responding to the psalmist.
83 tn Heb “may the
84 tn Heb “may my right hand forget.” In this case one must supply an object, such as “how to move.” The elliptical nature of the text has prompted emendations (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 236). The translation assumes an emendation to תִּכְשַׁח (tikhshakh), from an otherwise unattested root כשׁח, meaning “to be crippled; to be lame.” See HALOT 502 s.v. כשׁח, which cites Arabic cognate evidence in support of the proposal. The corruption of the MT can be explained as an error of transposition facilitated by the use of שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”) just before this.
85 tn Heb “may my prayer be established [like] incense before you, the uplifting of my hands [like] an evening offering.”
86 tn Heb “[May] praises of God [be] in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”