13:5 But I 1 trust in your faithfulness.
May I rejoice because of your deliverance! 2
20:3 May he take notice 3 of your offerings;
may he accept 4 your burnt sacrifice! (Selah)
20:4 May he grant your heart’s desire; 5
may he bring all your plans to pass! 6
21:8 You 7 prevail over 8 all your enemies;
your power is too great for those who hate you. 9
25:4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!
Teach me your paths! 10
26:3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness, 11
and your loyalty continually motivates me. 12
36:5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky; 13
your faithfulness to the clouds. 14
36:7 How precious 15 is your loyal love, O God!
The human race finds shelter under your wings. 16
36:10 Extend 17 your loyal love to your faithful followers, 18
and vindicate 19 the morally upright! 20
37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! 21
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. 22
38:2 For your arrows pierce 23 me,
and your hand presses me down. 24
45:6 Your throne, 25 O God, is permanent. 26
The scepter 27 of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
45:10 Listen, O princess! 28
Observe and pay attention! 29
Forget your homeland 30 and your family! 31
48:9 We reflect on your loyal love, O God,
within your temple.
50:9 I do not need to take 32 a bull from your household
or goats from your sheepfolds.
57:10 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, 33
and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
65:6 You created the mountains by your power, 34
and demonstrated your strength. 35
65:11 You crown the year with your good blessings, 36
and you leave abundance in your wake. 37
69:24 Pour out your judgment 38 on them!
May your raging anger 39 overtake them!
72:2 Then he will judge 40 your people fairly,
and your oppressed ones 41 equitably.
74:4 Your enemies roar 42 in the middle of your sanctuary; 43
they set up their battle flags. 44
77:15 You delivered 45 your people by your strength 46 –
the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)
83:15 chase them with your gale winds,
and terrify 47 them with your windstorm.
85:3 You withdrew all your fury;
you turned back from your raging anger. 48
85:7 O Lord, show us your loyal love!
Bestow on us your deliverance!
88:7 Your anger bears down on me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. (Selah)
89:10 You crushed the Proud One 49 and killed it; 50
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
89:14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. 51
Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule. 52
89:16 They rejoice in your name all day long,
and are vindicated 53 by your justice.
89:39 You have repudiated 54 your covenant with your servant; 55
you have thrown his crown to the ground. 56
89:51 Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults;
they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps. 57
90:7 Yes, 58 we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.
92:5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your plans are very intricate! 59
103:3 He is the one who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases, 60
104:7 Your shout made the waters retreat;
at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off –
108:4 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, 61
and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
110:2 The Lord 62 extends 63 your dominion 64 from Zion.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
115:14 May he increase your numbers,
yours and your children’s! 65
119:15 I will meditate on 66 your precepts
and focus 67 on your behavior. 68
119:16 I find delight 69 in your statutes;
I do not forget your instructions. 70
ג (Gimel)
119:17 Be kind to your servant!
Then I will live 71 and keep 72 your instructions. 73
119:23 Though rulers plot and slander me, 74
your servant meditates on your statutes.
119:27 Help me to understand what your precepts mean! 75
Then I can meditate 76 on your marvelous teachings. 77
119:38 Confirm to your servant your promise, 78
which you made to the one who honors you. 79
119:40 Look, I long for your precepts.
Revive me with your deliverance! 80
ו (Vav)
119:41 May I experience your loyal love, 81 O Lord,
and your deliverance, 82 as you promised. 83
ז (Zayin)
119:49 Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
119:55 I remember your name during the night, O Lord,
and I will keep 84 your law.
119:63 I am a friend to all your loyal followers, 85
and to those who keep your precepts.
119:64 O Lord, your loyal love fills the earth.
Teach me your statutes!
119:76 May your loyal love console me,
as you promised your servant. 86
119:77 May I experience your compassion, 87 so I might live!
For I find delight in your law.
119:79 May your loyal followers 88 turn to me,
those who know your rules.
כ (Kaf)
119:81 I desperately long for 89 your deliverance.
I find hope in your word.
119:91 Today they stand firm by your decrees,
for all things are your servants.
119:125 I am your servant. Give me insight,
so that I can understand 90 your rules.
119:159 See how I love your precepts!
O Lord, revive me with your loyal love!
119:166 I hope for your deliverance, O Lord,
and I obey 91 your commands.
119:172 May my tongue sing about your instructions, 92
for all your commands are just.
119:173 May your hand help me,
for I choose to obey 93 your precepts.
119:174 I long for your deliverance, O Lord;
I find delight in your law.
121:3 May he not allow your foot to slip!
May your protector 94 not sleep! 95
121:5 The Lord is your protector;
the Lord is the shade at your right hand.
122:7 May there be peace inside your defenses,
and prosperity 96 inside your fortresses! 97
132:8 Ascend, O Lord, to your resting place,
you and the ark of your strength!
132:9 May your priests be clothed with integrity! 98
May your loyal followers shout for joy!
132:10 For the sake of David, your servant,
do not reject your chosen king! 99
139:7 Where can I go to escape your spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence? 100
139:10 even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
145:4 One generation will praise your deeds to another,
and tell about your mighty acts! 101
145:5 I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor,
and your amazing deeds! 102
145:6 They will proclaim 103 the power of your awesome acts!
I will declare your great deeds!
145:7 They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, 104
and sing about your justice. 105
145:11 They will proclaim the splendor of your kingdom;
they will tell about your power,
145:12 so that mankind 106 might acknowledge your mighty acts,
and the majestic splendor of your kingdom.
145:13 Your kingdom is an eternal kingdom, 107
and your dominion endures through all generations.
147:13 For he makes the bars of your gates strong.
He blesses your children 108 within you.
1 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.
2 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.
3 tn Or “remember.” For other examples of the verb זָכַר (zakhar) carrying the nuance “take notice of,” see Pss 8:4 and 9:12.
4 tc Heb “consider as fat.” The verbal form should probably be emended to יְדַשְּׁנֶהָ (yÿdashÿneha), the final he (ה) being understood as a third feminine singular pronominal suffix referring back to the feminine noun “burnt sacrifice.”
5 tn Heb “may he give to you according to your heart.” This probably refers to the king’s prayer for protection and victory in battle. See vv. 5-6.
6 sn May he bring all your plans to pass. This probably refers to the king’s strategy for battle.
7 tn The king is now addressed. One could argue that the
8 tn Heb “your hand finds.” The idiom pictures the king grabbing hold of his enemies and defeating them (see 1 Sam 23:17). The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 8-12 may be translated with the future tense, as long as the future is understood as generalizing.
9 tn Heb “your right hand finds those who hate you.”
10 sn Teach me your paths. In this context the
11 tn Heb “for your faithfulness [is] before my eyes.”
12 tn Heb “and I walk about in your loyalty.”
sn The psalmist’s awareness of the Lord’s faithfulness and…loyalty toward him motivates him to remain loyal to the Lord and to maintain his moral purity.
13 tn Heb “[is] in the heavens.”
14 sn The Lord’s loyal love/faithfulness is almost limitless. He is loyal and faithful to his creation and blesses mankind and the animal kingdom with physical life and sustenance (vv. 6-9).
15 tn Or “valuable.”
16 tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear.
17 tn Heb “draw out to full length.”
18 tn Heb “to those who know you.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “know”) is used here of those who “know” the
19 tn Heb “and your justice to.” The verb “extend” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
20 tn Heb “the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
21 tn Heb “roll your way upon the
22 tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the
23 tn The verb Hebrew נָחַת (nakhat) apparently here means “penetrate, pierce” (note the use of the Qal in Prov 17:10). The psalmist pictures the
24 tn Heb “and your hand [?] upon me.” The meaning of the verb נָחַת (nakhat) is unclear in this context. It is preferable to emend the form to וַתָּנַח (vattanakh) from the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “rest”). In this case the text would read literally, “and your hand rests upon me” (see Isa 25:10, though the phrase is used in a positive sense there, unlike Ps 38:2).
25 sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.
26 tn Or “forever and ever.”
sn O God. The king is clearly the addressee here, as in vv. 2-5 and 7-9. Rather than taking the statement at face value, many prefer to emend the text because the concept of deifying the earthly king is foreign to ancient Israelite thinking (cf. NEB “your throne is like God’s throne, eternal”). However, it is preferable to retain the text and take this statement as another instance of the royal hyperbole that permeates the royal psalms. Because the Davidic king is God’s vice-regent on earth, the psalmist addresses him as if he were God incarnate. God energizes the king for battle and accomplishes justice through him. A similar use of hyperbole appears in Isa 9:6, where the ideal Davidic king of the eschaton is given the title “Mighty God” (see the note on this phrase there). Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Rameses II as follows: “No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique” (see Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67). Ps 45:6 and Isa 9:6 probably envision a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king’s enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself.
27 sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.
28 tn Heb “daughter.” The Hebrew noun בת (“daughter”) can sometimes refer to a young woman in a general sense (see H. Haag, TDOT 2:334).
sn Listen, O princess. The poet now addresses the bride.
29 tn Heb “see and turn your ear.” The verb רָאָה (ra’ah, “see”) is used here of mental observation.
30 tn Heb “your people.” This reference to the “people” of the princess suggests she was a foreigner. Perhaps the marriage was arranged as part of a political alliance between Israel (or Judah) and a neighboring state. The translation “your homeland” reflects such a situation.
31 tn Heb “and the house of your father.”
32 tn Or “I will not take.”
33 tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”
34 tn Heb “[the] one who establishes [the] mountains by his power.”
35 tn Heb “one [who] is girded with strength”; or “one [who] girds himself with strength.”
36 tn Heb “your good,” which refers here to agricultural blessings.
37 tn Heb “and your paths drip with abundance.”
38 tn Heb “anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger.
39 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.
40 tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.
41 sn These people are called God’s oppressed ones because he is their defender (see Pss 9:12, 18; 10:12; 12:5).
42 tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.
43 tn Heb “your meeting place.”
44 tn Heb “they set up their banners [as] banners.” The Hebrew noun אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) here refers to the enemy army’s battle flags and banners (see Num 2:12).
45 tn Or “redeemed.”
46 tn Heb “with [your] arm.”
47 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 15 express the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
48 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. See Pss 69:24; 78:49.
49 tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.
50 tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”
51 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
52 tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).
53 tn Heb “are lifted up.”
54 tn The Hebrew verb appears only here and in Lam 2:7.
55 tn Heb “the covenant of your servant.”
56 tn Heb “you dishonor [or “desecrate”] on the ground his crown.”
57 tn Heb “[by] which your enemies, O
58 tn Or “for.”
59 tn Heb “very deep [are] your thoughts.” God’s “thoughts” refer here to his moral design of the world, as outlined in vv. 6-15.
60 tn This relatively rare noun refers to deadly diseases (see Deut 29:22; Jer 14:18; 16:4; 2 Chr 21:19).
61 tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”
62 tn Since the
63 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though it could be taken as future.
64 tn Heb “your strong scepter,” symbolic of the king’s royal authority and dominion.
65 tn Heb “may he add to you, to you and your sons.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
66 tn The cohortative verbal forms in this verse express the psalmist’s resolve.
67 tn Heb “gaze [at].”
68 tn Heb “ways” (referring figuratively to God’s behavior here).
69 tn The imperfects in this verse emphasize the attitude the psalmist maintains toward God’s law. Another option is to translate with the future tense, “I will find delight…I will not forget.”
70 tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew
71 tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a cohortative indicating purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
72 tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the imperative that begins the verse.
73 tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew
74 tn Heb “though rulers sit, about me they talk together.” (For another example of the Niphal of דָּבַר (davar) used with a suffixed form of the preposition ב, see Ezek 33:30.)
75 tn Heb “the way of your precepts make me understand.”
76 tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
77 tn Heb “your amazing things,” which refers here to the teachings of the law (see v. 18).
78 tn Heb “word.”
79 tn Heb “which [is] for your fear,” that is, the promise made to those who exhibit fear of God.
80 tn Or “righteousness.”
81 tn Heb “and may your loyal love come to me.”
82 tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions).
83 tn Heb “according to your word.”
84 tn The cohortative verbal form expresses the psalmist’s resolve to obey the law.
85 tn Heb “to all who fear you.”
86 tn Heb “according to your word to your servant.”
87 tn Heb “and may your compassion come to me.”
88 tn Heb “those who fear you.”
89 tn Heb “my soul pines for.” See Ps 84:2.
90 tn or “know.” The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
91 tn Heb “do.”
92 tn Heb “your word.”
93 tn The words “to obey” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.
94 tn Heb “the one who guards you.”
95 tn The prefixed verbal forms following the negative particle אל appear to be jussives. As noted above, if they are taken as true jussives of prayer, then the speaker in v. 3 would appear to be distinct from both the speaker in vv. 1-2 and the speaker in vv. 4-8. However, according to GKC 322 §109.e), the jussives are used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one should probably translate, “he will not allow your foot to slip, your protector will not sleep,” and understand just one speaker in vv. 4-8.
96 tn or “security.”
97 tn The psalmist uses second feminine singular pronominal forms to address personified Jerusalem.
98 tn Or “righteousness.”
99 tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”
100 tn Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29-30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
101 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may one generation praise…and tell about.”
102 tn Heb “the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and the matters of your amazing deeds I will ponder.”
103 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as an imperfect, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they proclaim.”
104 tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”
105 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk…and sing.”
106 tn Heb “the sons of man.”
107 tn Heb “a kingdom of all ages.”
108 tn Heb “your sons.”