101:2 I will walk in 1 the way of integrity.
When will you come to me?
I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. 2
104:13 He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace; 3
the earth is full of the fruit you cause to grow. 4
144:12 Then 5 our sons will be like plants,
that quickly grow to full size. 6
Our daughters will be like corner pillars, 7
carved like those in a palace. 8
1 tn Heb “take notice of.”
2 tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”
3 tn Heb “from his upper rooms.”
4 tn Heb “from the fruit of your works the earth is full.” The translation assumes that “fruit” is literal here. If “fruit” is understood more abstractly as “product; result,” then one could translate, “the earth flourishes as a result of your deeds” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB).
5 tn Some consider אֲשֶׁר (’asher) problematic, but here it probably indicates the anticipated consequence of the preceding request. (For other examples of אֲשֶׁר indicating purpose/result, see BDB 83 s.v. and HALOT 99 s.v.) If the psalmist – who appears to be a Davidic king preparing to fight a battle (see vv. 10-11) – is victorious, the whole nation will be spared invasion and defeat (see v. 14) and can flourish. Some prefer to emend the form to אַשְׁרֵי (“how blessed [are our sons]”). A suffixed noun sometimes follows אַשְׁרֵי (’ashrey; see 1 Kgs 10:8; Prov 20:7), but the presence of a comparative element (see “like plants”) after the suffixed noun makes the proposed reading too awkward syntactically.
6 tn Heb “grown up in their youth.” The translation assumes that “grown up” modifies “plants” (just as “carved” modifies “corner pillars” in the second half of the verse). Another option is to take “grown up” as a predicate in relation to “our sons,” in which case one might translate, “they will be strapping youths.”
7 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here and in Zech 9:15, where it refers to the corners of an altar.
8 tn Heb “carved [in] the pattern of a palace.”