19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair 1
and make one joyful. 2
The Lord’s commands 3 are pure 4
and give insight for life. 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
37:34 Rely 9 on the Lord! Obey his commands! 10
Then he will permit you 11 to possess the land;
you will see the demise of evil men. 12
78:7 Then they will place their confidence in God.
They will not forget the works of God,
and they will obey 13 his commands.
86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! 14
Then I will obey your commands. 15
Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! 16
95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted 17 with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; 18
they do not obey my commands.’ 19
A song of ascents. 21
128:1 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, 22
each one who keeps his commands! 23
1 tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.
2 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.
3 tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.
4 tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.
5 tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.
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 tn Or “wait.”
10 tn Heb “keep his way.” The
11 tn Heb “and he will lift you up.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause following the imperatives in the preceding lines.
12 tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”
13 tn Heb “keep.”
14 tn Heb “teach me your way.” The
15 tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The
16 tn Heb “Bind my heart to the fearing of your name.” The verb translated “bind” occurs only here in the Piel stem. It appears twice in the Qal, meaning “be joined” in both cases (Gen 49:6; Isa 14:20). To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for him which in turn motivates one to obey his commands (see Pss 61:5; 102:15).
17 tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite or an imperfect. If the latter, it emphasizes the ongoing nature of the condition in the past. The translation reflects this interpretation of the verbal form.
18 tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”
19 tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the
20 sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.
21 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
22 tn Heb “every fearer of the
23 tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”