11:4 The Lord is in his holy temple; 1
the Lord’s throne is in heaven. 2
His eyes 3 watch; 4
his eyes 5 examine 6 all people. 7
19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and preserves one’s life. 8
The rules set down by the Lord 9 are reliable 10
and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. 11
19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair 12
and make one joyful. 13
The Lord’s commands 14 are pure 15
and give insight for life. 16
19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right 17
and endure forever. 18
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just. 19
By David.
27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! 21
I fear no one! 22
The Lord protects my life!
I am afraid of no one! 23
28:5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,
or the way he carries out justice. 24
The Lord 25 will permanently demolish them. 26
29:3 The Lord’s shout is heard over the water; 27
the majestic God thunders, 28
the Lord appears over the surging water. 29
31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers 30 of his!
The Lord protects those who have integrity,
but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. 31
84:11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. 32
The Lord bestows favor 33 and honor;
he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. 34
93:1 The Lord reigns!
He is robed in majesty,
the Lord is robed,
he wears strength around his waist. 36
Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.
103:22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made, 37
in all the regions 38 of his kingdom!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
106:48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise, 39
in the future and forevermore. 40
Let all the people say, “We agree! 41 Praise the Lord!” 42
A psalm of David.
110:1 Here is the Lord’s proclamation 44 to my lord: 45
“Sit down at my right hand 46 until I make your enemies your footstool!” 47
111:1 Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the assembly of the godly and the congregation.
118:5 In my distress 49 I cried out to the Lord.
The Lord answered me and put me in a wide open place. 50
118:26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord 51 be blessed!
We will pronounce blessings on you 52 in the Lord’s temple. 53
122:4 The tribes go up 54 there, 55
the tribes of the Lord,
where it is required that Israel
give thanks to the name of the Lord. 56
129:8 Those who pass by will not say, 57
“May you experience the Lord’s blessing!
We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”
A well-written song 59 by David, when he was in the cave; 60 a prayer.
142:1 To the Lord I cry out; 61
to the Lord I plead for mercy. 62
1 tn Because of the royal imagery involved here, one could translate “lofty palace.” The
2 sn The
3 sn His eyes. The anthropomorphic language draws attention to God’s awareness of and interest in the situation on earth. Though the enemies are hidden by the darkness (v. 2), the Lord sees all.
4 tn The two Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this verse describe the
5 tn Heb “eyelids.”
6 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 7:9; 26:2; 139:23.
7 tn Heb “test the sons of men.”
8 tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.
9 tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the
10 tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
11 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.
12 tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.
13 tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.
14 tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.
15 tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.
16 tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.
17 tn Heb “the fear of the
18 tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”
19 sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.
20 sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.
21 tn Heb “the
22 tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
23 tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
24 tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context “the
25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
26 tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.
27 tn Heb “the voice of the
28 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form is probably descriptive. In dramatic fashion the psalmist portrays the
29 tn Traditionally “many waters.” The geographical references in the psalm (Lebanon, Sirion, Kadesh) suggest this is a reference to the Mediterranean Sea (see Ezek 26:19; 27:26). The psalmist describes a powerful storm moving in from the sea and sweeping over the mountainous areas north of Israel. The “surging waters” may symbolize the hostile enemies of God who seek to destroy his people (see Pss 18:17; 32:6; 77:20; 93:4; 144:7; Isa 17:13; Jer 51:55; Ezek 26:19; Hab 3:15). In this case the
30 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
31 tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.
32 tn Heb “[is] a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritic texts, the Amarna letters, and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 131, n. 2.
33 tn Or “grace.”
34 tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those walking in integrity.”
35 sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the
36 sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.
37 tn Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.
38 tn Heb “places.”
39 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
40 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
41 tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן, ’amen), traditionally transliterated “amen.”
42 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).
43 sn Psalm 110. In this royal psalm the psalmist announces God’s oracle to the Davidic king. The first part of the oracle appears in v. 1, the second in v. 4. In vv. 2-3 the psalmist addresses the king, while in vv. 5-7 he appears to address God.
44 tn The word נְאֻם (nÿ’um) is used frequently in the OT of a formal divine announcement through a prophet.
45 sn My lord. In the psalm’s original context the speaker is an unidentified prophetic voice in the royal court. In the course of time the psalm is applied to each successive king in the dynasty and ultimately to the ideal Davidic king. NT references to the psalm understand David to be speaking about his “lord,” the Messiah. (See Matt 22:43-45; Mark 12:36-37; Luke 20:42-44; Acts 2:34-35).
46 tn To sit at the “right hand” of the king was an honor (see 1 Kgs 2:19). In Ugaritic myth (CTA 4 v. 108-10) the artisan god Kothar-and Khasis is described as sitting at the right hand of the storm god Baal. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 61-62.
sn The Lord’s invitation to the Davidic king to sit down at his right hand reflects the king’s position as the Lord’s vice-regent.
47 sn When the Lord made his covenant with David, he promised to subdue the king’s enemies (see 2 Sam 7:9-11; Ps 89:22-23).
48 sn Psalm 111. The psalmist praises God for his marvelous deeds, especially the way in which he provides for and delivers his people. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (twenty-two in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
49 tn Heb “from the distress.” The noun מֵצַר (metsar, “straits; distress”) occurs only here and in Lam 1:3. In Ps 116:3 מצר should probably be emended to מְצָדֵי (mÿtsadey, “snares of”).
50 tn Heb “the
51 sn The people refer here to the psalmist, who enters the
52 tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural, but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the following form) or enclitic, in which case the suffix may be taken as second masculine singular, referring to the psalmist.
53 tn Heb “from the house of the
54 tn Or “went up.”
55 tn Heb “which is where the tribes go up.”
56 tn Heb “[it is] a statute for Israel to give thanks to the name of the
57 tn The perfect verbal form is used for rhetorical effect; it describes an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
58 sn Psalm 142. The psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.
59 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
60 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm while in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3. See the superscription of Ps 57.
61 tn Heb “[with] my voice to the
62 tn Heb “[with] my voice to the