For the music director; by David.
14:1 Fools say to themselves, 2 “There is no God.” 3
They sin and commit evil deeds; 4
none of them does what is right. 5
19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right 6
and endure forever. 7
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just. 8
A psalm.
98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, 10
for he performs 11 amazing deeds!
His right hand and his mighty arm
accomplish deliverance. 12
A psalm of David.
110:1 Here is the Lord’s proclamation 14 to my lord: 15
“Sit down at my right hand 16 until I make your enemies your footstool!” 17
137:7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell. 18
They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, 19
right to its very foundation!”
138:7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, 20 you revive me.
You oppose my angry enemies, 21
and your right hand delivers me.
142:4 Look to the right and see!
No one cares about me. 22
I have nowhere to run; 23
no one is concerned about my life. 24
1 sn Psalm 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.
2 tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
3 sn “There is no God.” The statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that God is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
4 tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
5 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
6 tn Heb “the fear of the
7 tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”
8 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.
9 sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.
10 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.
11 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.
12 tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.
13 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.
14 tn The word נְאֻם (nÿ’um) is used frequently in the OT of a formal divine announcement through a prophet.
15 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).
16 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.
17 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).
18 tn Heb “remember, O
19 tn Heb “lay [it] bare, lay [it] bare.”
20 tn Or “distress.”
21 tn Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”
22 tn Heb “there is no one who recognizes me.”
23 tn Heb “ a place of refuge perishes from me.”
24 tn Heb “there is no one who seeks for the sake of my life.”