Psalms 14:7

14:7 I wish the deliverance of Israel would come from Zion!

When the Lord restores the well-being of his people,

may Jacob rejoice,

may Israel be happy!

Psalms 20:1

Psalm 20

For the music director; a psalm of David.

20:1 May the Lord answer you when you are in trouble;

may the God of Jacob make you secure!

Psalms 22:23

22:23 You loyal followers of the Lord, 10  praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! 11 

Psalms 53:6

53:6 I wish the deliverance 12  of Israel would come from Zion!

When God restores the well-being of his people, 13 

may Jacob rejoice, 14 

may Israel be happy! 15 

Psalms 59:13

59:13 Angrily wipe them out! Wipe them out so they vanish!

Let them know that God rules

in Jacob and to the ends of the earth! (Selah)

Psalms 78:5

78:5 He established a rule 16  in Jacob;

he set up a law in Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to make his deeds known to their descendants, 17 

Psalms 78:21

78:21 When 18  the Lord heard this, he was furious.

A fire broke out against Jacob,

and his anger flared up 19  against Israel,

Psalms 78:71

78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, 20 

and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,

and of Israel, his chosen nation. 21 

Psalms 81:1

Psalm 81 22 

For the music director; according to the gittith style; 23  by Asaph.

81:1 Shout for joy to God, our source of strength!

Shout out to the God of Jacob!

Psalms 85:1

Psalm 85 24 

For the music director; written by the Korahites, a psalm.

85:1 O Lord, you showed favor to your land;

you restored the well-being of Jacob. 25 

Psalms 99:4

99:4 The king is strong;

he loves justice. 26 

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; 27 

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.


sn The deliverance of Israel. This refers metonymically to God, the one who lives in Zion and provides deliverance for Israel.

tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (shÿvut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv).

tn The verb form is jussive.

tn Because the parallel verb is jussive, this verb, which is ambiguous in form, should be taken as a jussive as well.

sn Psalm 20. The people pray for the king’s success in battle. When the king declares his assurance that the Lord will answer the people’s prayer, they affirm their confidence in God’s enablement.

tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in vv. 1b-5 are interpreted as jussives of prayer (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). Another option is to understand them as imperfects, “the Lord will answer,” etc. In this case the people declare their confidence that the Lord will intervene on behalf of the king and extend to him his favor.

sn May the Lord answer you. The people address the king as they pray to the Lord.

tn Heb “in a day of trouble.”

tn Heb “the name of the God of Jacob.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his very person and to the divine characteristics suggested by his name, in this case “God of Jacob,” which highlights his relationship to Israel.

10 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

11 tn Heb “fear him.”

12 tn This refers metonymically to God, the one who lives in Zion and provides deliverance for Israel.

13 tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (shÿvut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv).

14 tn The verb form is jussive.

15 tn Because the parallel verb is jussive, this verb, which is ambiguous in form, should be taken as a jussive as well.

16 tn The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).

17 tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the Lord’s mighty deeds (see vv. 3-4).

18 tn Heb “therefore.”

19 tn Heb “and also anger went up.”

20 tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”

21 tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”

22 sn Psalm 81. The psalmist calls God’s people to assemble for a festival and then proclaims God’s message to them. The divine speech (vv. 6-16) recalls how God delivered the people from Egypt, reminds Israel of their rebellious past, expresses God’s desire for his people to obey him, and promises divine protection in exchange for obedience.

23 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הַגִּתִּית (haggittit) is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or instrument. See the superscription to Ps 8.

24 sn Psalm 85. God’s people recall how he forgave their sins in the past, pray that he might now restore them to his favor, and anticipate renewed blessings.

25 tn Heb “you turned with a turning [toward] Jacob.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (shÿvut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv). See Pss 14:7; 53:6.

26 tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (’oz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (’az, “strong”).

27 tn Heb “you establish fairness.”