16:3 As for God’s chosen people who are in the land,
and the leading officials I admired so much 1 –
22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! 2
Let all the nations 3 worship you! 4
24:6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor,
Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him. 5 (Selah)
35:18 Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly; 6
I will praise you before a large crowd of people! 7
49:8 (the ransom price for a human life 8 is too high,
and people go to their final destiny), 9
50:4 He summons the heavens above,
as well as the earth, so that he might judge his people. 10
50:5 He says: 11
“Assemble my covenant people before me, 12
those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice!” 13
50:7 He says: 14
“Listen my people! I am speaking!
Listen Israel! I am accusing you! 15
I am God, your God!
62:8 Trust in him at all times, you people!
Pour out your hearts before him! 16
God is our shelter! (Selah)
64:9 and all people will fear. 17
They will proclaim 18 what God has done,
and reflect on his deeds.
67:2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like;
all nations will know how you deliver your people. 19
67:4 Let foreigners 20 rejoice and celebrate!
For you execute justice among the nations,
and govern the people living on earth. 21 (Selah)
68:9 O God, you cause abundant showers to fall 22 on your chosen people. 23
When they 24 are tired, you sustain them, 25
72:4 He will defend 26 the oppressed among the people;
he will deliver 27 the children 28 of the poor
and crush the oppressor.
72:5 People will fear 29 you 30 as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,
for generation after generation. 31
74:14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; 32
you fed 33 him to the people who live along the coast. 34
A well-written song 36 by Asaph.
78:1 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction!
Listen to the words I speak! 37
78:52 Yet he brought out his people like sheep;
he led them through the wilderness like a flock.
80:4 O Lord God, invincible warrior! 38
How long will you remain angry at your people while they pray to you? 39
81:8 I said, 40 ‘Listen, my people!
I will warn 41 you!
O Israel, if only you would obey me! 42
90:11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger? 43
Your raging fury causes people to fear you. 44
94:14 Certainly 45 the Lord does not forsake his people;
he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him. 46
102:18 The account of his intervention 47 will be recorded for future generations;
people yet to be born will praise the Lord.
104:14 He provides grass 48 for the cattle,
and crops for people to cultivate, 49
so they can produce food from the ground, 50
106:4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people!
Pay attention to me, when you deliver,
111:6 He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people,
giving them a land that belonged to other nations. 51
111:9 He delivered his people; 52
he ordained that his covenant be observed forever. 53
His name is holy and awesome.
119:51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me. 54
Yet I do not turn aside from your law.
1 tn Heb “regarding the holy ones who [are] in the land, they; and the mighty [ones] in [whom is/was] all my desire.” The difficult syntax makes the meaning of the verse uncertain. The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s angelic assembly (see Ps 89:5, 7), but the qualifying clause “who are in the land” suggests that here it refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3).
2 tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the
3 tn Heb “families of the nations.”
4 tn Heb “before you.”
5 tn Heb “this [is the] generation of the ones seeking him, the ones seeking your face, Jacob.” To “seek the
sn This verse presents a somewhat idealized view of Jacob’s descendants as devoted worshipers of the Lord.
6 sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Ps 22:25.
7 tn Heb “among numerous people.”
8 tn Heb “their life.” Some emend the text to “his life,” understanding the antecedent of the pronoun as “brother” in v. 7. However, the man and brother of v. 7 are representative of the human race in general, perhaps explaining why a plural pronoun appears in v. 8. Of course, the plural pronoun could refer back to “the rich” mentioned in v. 6. Another option (the one assumed in the translation) is that the suffixed mem is enclitic. In this case the “ransom price for human life” is referred to an abstract, general way.
9 tn Heb “and one ceases forever.” The translation assumes an indefinite subject which in turn is representative of the entire human race (“one,” that refers to human beings without exception). The verb חָדַל (khadal, “cease”) is understood in the sense of “come to an end; fail” (i.e., die). Another option is to translate, “and one ceases/refrains forever.” In this case the idea is that the living, convinced of the reality of human mortality, give up all hope of “buying off” God and refrain from trying to do so.
10 tn Or perhaps “to testify against his people.”
sn The personified heavens and earth (see v. 1 as well) are summoned to God’s courtroom as witnesses against God’s covenant people (see Isa 1:2). Long before this Moses warned the people that the heavens and earth would be watching their actions (see Deut 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1).
11 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s summons to the defendant follows.
12 tn Or “Gather to me my covenant people.” The Hebrew term חָסִיד (khasid, “covenant people”) elsewhere in the psalms is used in a positive sense of God’s loyal followers (see the note at Ps 4:3), but here, as the following line makes clear, the term has a neutral sense and simply refers to those who have outwardly sworn allegiance to God, not necessarily to those whose loyalty is genuine.
13 tn Heb “the cutters of my covenant according to sacrifice.” A sacrifice accompanied the covenant-making ceremony and formally ratified the agreement (see Exod 24:3-8).
14 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s charges against his people follow.
15 tn Heb “Israel, and I will testify against you.” The imperative “listen” is understood in the second line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
16 tn To “pour out one’s heart” means to offer up to God intense, emotional lamentation and petitionary prayers (see Lam 2:19).
17 tc Many medieval Hebrew
18 tn Heb “the work of God,” referring to the judgment described in v. 7.
19 tn Heb “to know in the earth your way, among all nations your deliverance.” The infinitive with -לְ (lamed) expresses purpose/result. When God demonstrates his favor to his people, all nations will recognize his character as a God who delivers. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) refers here to God’s characteristic behavior, more specifically, to the way he typically saves his people.
20 tn Or “peoples.”
21 tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and [as for the] peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule…and govern”).
22 tn The verb נוּף (nuf, “cause rain to fall”) is a homonym of the more common נוּף (“brandish”).
23 tn Heb “[on] your inheritance.” This refers to Israel as God’s specially chosen people (see Pss 28:9; 33:12; 74:2; 78:62, 71; 79:1; 94:5, 14; 106:40). Some take “your inheritance” with what follows, but the vav (ו) prefixed to the following word (note וְנִלְאָה, vÿnil’ah) makes this syntactically unlikely.
24 tn Heb “it [is],” referring to God’s “inheritance.”
25 tn Heb “it,” referring to God’s “inheritance.”
26 tn Heb “judge [for].”
27 tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.
28 tn Heb “sons.”
29 tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the
30 tn God is the addressee (see vv. 1-2).
31 tn Heb “with [the] sun, and before [the] moon [for] a generation, generations.” The rare expression דּוֹר דּוֹרִים (dor dorim, “generation, generations”) occurs only here, in Ps 102:24, and in Isa 51:8.
32 sn You crushed the heads of Leviathan. The imagery of vv. 13-14 originates in West Semitic mythology. The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon [Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַּנִין (tanin), translated “sea monster” in v. 13] vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling [Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן (’aqallaton), translated “squirming” in Isa 27:1] serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (note the use of the plural “heads” here and in v. 13). (See CTA 3.iii.38-39 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 50.) (2) “For all that you smote Leviathan the slippery [Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ (bariakh), translated “fast moving” in Isa 27:1] serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5.i.1-3 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 68.) In the myths Leviathan is a sea creature that symbolizes the destructive water of the sea and, in turn, the forces of chaos that threaten the established order. In the OT, the battle with the sea motif is applied to Yahweh’s victories over the forces of chaos at creation and in history (see Pss 74:13-14; 77:16-20; 89:9-10; Isa 51:9-10). Yahweh’s subjugation of the waters of chaos is related to his kingship (see Pss 29:3, 10; 93:3-4). Isa 27:1 applies imagery from Canaanite mythology to Yahweh’s eschatological victory over his enemies. Apocalyptic literature employs the imagery as well. The beasts of Dan 7 emerge from the sea, while Rev 13 speaks of a seven-headed beast coming from the sea. Here in Ps 74:13-14 the primary referent is unclear. The psalmist may be describing God’s creation of the world (note vv. 16-17 and see Ps 89:9-12), when he brought order out of a watery mass, or the exodus (see Isa 51:9-10), when he created Israel by destroying the Egyptians in the waters of the sea.
33 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite in this narrational context.
34 sn You fed him to the people. This pictures the fragments of Leviathan’s dead corpse washing up on shore and being devoured by those who find them. If the exodus is in view, then it may allude to the bodies of the dead Egyptians which washed up on the shore of the Red Sea (see Exod 14:30).
35 sn Psalm 78. The author of this lengthy didactic psalm rehearses Israel’s history. He praises God for his power, goodness and patience, but also reminds his audience that sin angers God and prompts his judgment. In the conclusion to the psalm the author elevates Jerusalem as God’s chosen city and David as his chosen king.
36 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 74.
37 tn Heb “Turn your ear to the words of my mouth.”
38 tn Heb “
39 tn Heb “How long will you remain angry during the prayer of your people.” Some take the preposition -בְּ (bet) in an adversative sense here (“at/against the prayer of your people”), but the temporal sense is preferable. The psalmist expects persistent prayer to pacify God.
40 tn The words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Verses 8-10 appear to recall what the
41 tn Or perhaps “command.”
42 tn The Hebrew particle אִם (“if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (GKC 321 §109.b). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.
43 tn Heb “Who knows the strength of your anger?”
44 tn Heb “and like your fear [is] your raging fury.” Perhaps one should emend וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ (ukhyir’otekh, “and like your fear”) to יִרְאָתְךְ (yir’otkh, “your fear”), understanding a virtual dittography (אַפֶּךָ וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ, ’apekha ukhyir’otekh) to have occurred. In this case the psalmist asserts “your fear [is] your raging fury,” that is, your raging fury is what causes others to fear you. The suffix on “fear” is understood as objective.
45 tn Or “for.”
46 tn Or “his inheritance.”
47 tn The Hebrew text has simply “this,” referring to the anticipated divine intervention on behalf of Zion (vv. 13, 16-17). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
48 tn Heb “causes the grass to sprout up.”
49 tn Heb “for the service of man” (see Gen 2:5).
50 tn Heb “to cause food to come out from the earth.”
51 tn Heb “the strength of his deeds he proclaimed to his people, to give to them an inheritance of nations.”
52 tn Heb “redemption he sent for his people.”
53 tn Heb “he commanded forever his covenant.”
54 tn Heb “scoff at me to excess.”