2:7 The king says, 1 “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: 2
‘You are my son! 3 This very day I have become your father!
A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom. 5
3:1 Lord, how 6 numerous are my enemies!
Many attack me. 7
4:2 You men, 8 how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? 9
How long 10 will you love what is worthless 11
and search for what is deceptive? 12 (Selah)
For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; 14 a psalm of David.
5:1 Listen to what I say, 15 Lord!
Carefully consider my complaint! 16
5:3 Lord, in the morning 17 you will hear 18 me; 19
in the morning I will present my case to you 20 and then wait expectantly for an answer. 21
14:4 All those who behave wickedly 22 do not understand – 23
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to the Lord.
18:29 Indeed, 24 with your help 25 I can charge against 26 an army; 27
by my God’s power 28 I can jump over a wall. 29
18:48 He delivers me 30 from my enemies;
you snatch me away 31 from those who attack me; 32
you rescue me from violent men.
22:9 Yes, you are the one who brought me out 33 from the womb
and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.
22:16 Yes, 34 wild dogs surround me –
a gang of evil men crowd around me;
like a lion they pin my hands and feet. 35
22:25 You are the reason I offer praise 36 in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. 37
By David.
27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! 39
I fear no one! 40
The Lord protects my life!
I am afraid of no one! 41
27:9 Do not reject me! 42
Do not push your servant away in anger!
You are my deliverer! 43
Do not forsake or abandon me,
O God who vindicates me!
31:7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am. 44
31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said, 45
“I am cut off from your presence!” 46
But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
32:7 You are my hiding place;
you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. 47 (Selah)
35:4 May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated!
May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed! 48
35:13 When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, 49
and refrained from eating food. 50
(If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!) 51
35:17 O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? 52
Rescue 53 me 54 from their destructive attacks;
guard my life 55 from the young lions!
35:19 Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason 56 gloat 57 over me!
Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes! 58
35:27 May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice!
May they continually say, 59 “May the Lord be praised, 60 for he wants his servant to be secure.” 61
38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; 62
those who want to harm me speak destructive words;
all day long they say deceitful things.
38:16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me; 63
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me. 64
For the music director; By David, a psalm.
40:1 I relied completely 66 on the Lord,
and he turned toward me
and heard my cry for help.
40:2 He lifted me out of the watery pit, 67
out of the slimy mud. 68
He placed my feet on a rock
and gave me secure footing. 69
40:14 May those who are trying to snatch away my life
be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 70
May those who want to harm me
be turned back and ashamed! 71
42:10 My enemies’ taunts cut into me to the bone, 72
as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 73
43:2 For you are the God who shelters me. 74
Why do you reject me? 75
Why must I walk around 76 mourning 77
because my enemies oppress me?
49:4 I will learn a song that imparts wisdom;
I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp. 78
50:21 When you did these things, I was silent, 79
so you thought I was exactly like you. 80
But now I will condemn 81 you
and state my case against you! 82
51:14 Rescue me from the guilt of murder, 83 O God, the God who delivers me!
Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your deliverance. 84
53:4 All those who behave wickedly 85 do not understand 86 –
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to God.
57:3 May he send help from heaven and deliver me 87
from my enemies who hurl insults! 88 (Selah)
May God send his loyal love and faithfulness!
61:2 From the most remote place on earth 89
I call out to you in my despair. 90
Lead me 91 up to an inaccessible rocky summit! 92
For the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” 94 by David.
69:1 Deliver me, O God,
for the water has reached my neck. 95
69:13 O Lord, may you hear my prayer and be favorably disposed to me! 96
O God, because of your great loyal love,
answer me with your faithful deliverance! 97
70:2 May those who are trying to take my life
be embarrassed and ashamed! 98
May those who want to harm me
be turned back and ashamed! 99
71:24 All day long my tongue will also tell about your justice,
for those who want to harm me 100 will be embarrassed and ashamed. 101
87:4 I mention Rahab 102 and Babylon to my followers. 103
Here are 104 Philistia and Tyre, 105 along with Ethiopia. 106
It is said of them, “This one was born there.” 107
88:15 I am oppressed and have been on the verge of death since my youth. 108
I have been subjected to your horrors and am numb with pain. 109
95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted 110 with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; 111
they do not obey my commands.’ 112
95:11 So I made a vow in my anger,
‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’” 113
102:2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble! 114
Listen to me! 115
When I call out to you, quickly answer me!
103:22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made, 116
in all the regions 117 of his kingdom!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist! 118
A song, a psalm of David.
108:1 I am determined, 120 O God!
I will sing and praise you with my whole heart. 121
109:21 O sovereign Lord,
intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation! 122
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!
111:1 Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the assembly of the godly and the congregation.
118:5 In my distress 124 I cried out to the Lord.
The Lord answered me and put me in a wide open place. 125
132:12 If your sons keep my covenant
and the rules I teach them,
their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”
By David.
138:1 I will give you thanks with all my heart;
before the heavenly assembly 127 I will sing praises to you.
138:7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, 128 you revive me.
You oppose my angry enemies, 129
and your right hand delivers me.
139:15 my bones were not hidden from you,
when 130 I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth. 131
141:6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. 132
They 133 will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
142:4 Look to the right and see!
No one cares about me. 134
I have nowhere to run; 135
no one is concerned about my life. 136
142:6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble! 137
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
143:3 Certainly 138 my enemies 139 chase me.
They smash me into the ground. 140
They force me to live 141 in dark regions, 142
like those who have been dead for ages.
143:7 Answer me quickly, Lord!
My strength is fading. 143
Do not reject me, 144
or I will join 145 those descending into the grave. 146
143:10 Teach me to do what pleases you, 147
for you are my God.
May your kind presence 148
lead me 149 into a level land. 150
146:2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live!
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist!
1 tn The words “the king says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The speaker is the Lord’s chosen king.
2 tn Or “I will relate the decree. The
3 sn ‘You are my son!’ The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 89:26-27). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
4 sn Psalm 3. The psalmist acknowledges that he is confronted by many enemies (vv. 1-2). But, alluding to a divine oracle he has received (vv. 4-5), he affirms his confidence in God’s ability to protect him (vv. 3, 6) and requests that God make his promise a reality (vv. 7-8).
5 sn According to Jewish tradition, David offered this prayer when he was forced to flee from Jerusalem during his son Absalom’s attempted coup (see 2 Sam 15:13-17).
6 tn The Hebrew term מָה (mah, “how”) is used here as an adverbial exclamation (see BDB 553 s.v.).
7 tn Heb “many rise up against me.”
8 tn Heb “sons of man.”
9 tn Heb “how long my honor to shame?”
10 tn The interrogative construction עַד־מֶה (’ad-meh, “how long?”), is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
11 tn Heb “emptiness.”
12 tn Heb “a lie.” Some see the metonymic language of v. 2b (“emptiness, lie”) as referring to idols or false gods. However, there is no solid immediate contextual evidence for such an interpretation. It is more likely that the psalmist addresses those who threaten him (see v. 1) and refers in a general way to their sinful lifestyle. (See R. Mosis, TDOT 7:121.) The two terms allude to the fact that sinful behavior is ultimately fruitless and self-destructive.
13 sn Psalm 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.
14 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word נְחִילוֹת (nÿkhilot), which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to חָלִיל (khalil, “flute”).
15 tn Heb “my words.”
16 tn Or “sighing.” The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.
17 sn In the morning is here viewed as the time of prayer (Pss 59:16; 88:13) and/or of deliverance (Ps 30:5).
18 tn The imperfect is here understood in a specific future sense; the psalmist is expressing his confidence that God will be willing to hear his request. Another option is to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s wish or request. In this case one could translate, “
19 tn Heb “my voice.”
20 tn Heb “I will arrange for you.” Some understand a sacrifice or offering as the implied object (cf. NEB “I set out my morning sacrifice”). The present translation assumes that the implied object is the psalmist’s case/request. See Isa 44:7.
21 tn Heb “and I will watch.”
22 tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8.
23 tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question (rendered in the translation as a positive affirmation) expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-7).
24 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
25 tn Heb “by you.”
26 tn Heb “I will run.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 29 indicate the subject’s potential or capacity to perform an action. Though one might expect a preposition to follow the verb here, this need not be the case with the verb רוּץ (ruts; see 1 Sam 17:22). Some emend the Qal to a Hiphil form of the verb and translate, “I put to flight [Heb “cause to run”] an army.”
27 tn More specifically, the noun גְּדוּד (gÿdud) refers to a raiding party or to a contingent of troops.
sn I can charge against an army. The picture of a divinely empowered warrior charging against an army in almost superhuman fashion appears elsewhere in ancient Near Eastern literature. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 228.
28 tn Heb “and by my God.”
29 sn I can jump over a wall. The psalmist uses hyperbole to emphasize his God-given military superiority.
30 tn Heb “[the one who] delivers me.” 2 Sam 22:49 reads “and [the one who] brings me out.”
31 tn Heb “lifts me up.” In light of the preceding and following references to deliverance, the verb רום probably here refers to being rescued from danger (see Ps 9:13). However, it could mean “exalt, elevate” here, indicating that the
32 tn Heb “from those who rise against me.”
33 tn Or “the one who pulled me.” The verb is derived from either גָחָה (gakhah; see HALOT 187 s.v. גחה) or גִּיחַ (giyakh; see BDB 161 s.v. גִּיחַ) and seems to carry the nuance “burst forth” or “pull out.”
34 tn Or “for.”
35 tn Heb “like a lion, my hands and my feet.” This reading is often emended because it is grammatically awkward, but perhaps its awkwardness is by rhetorical design. Its broken syntax may be intended to convey the panic and terror felt by the psalmist. The psalmist may envision a lion pinning the hands and feet of its victim to the ground with its paws (a scene depicted in ancient Near Eastern art), or a lion biting the hands and feet. The line has been traditionally translated, “they pierce my hands and feet,” and then taken as foreshadowing the crucifixion of Christ. Though Jesus does appropriate the language of this psalm while on the cross (compare v. 1 with Matt 27:46 and Mark 15:34), the NT does not cite this verse in describing the death of Jesus. (It does refer to vv. 7-8 and 18, however. See Matt 27:35, 39, 43; Mark 15:24, 29; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24.) If one were to insist on an emendation of כָּאֲרִי (ka’ariy, “like a lion”) to a verb, the most likely verbal root would be כָּרָה (karah, “dig”; see the LXX). In this context this verb could refer to the gnawing and tearing of wild dogs (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV). The ancient Greek version produced by Symmachus reads “bind” here, perhaps understanding a verbal root כרך, which is attested in later Hebrew and Aramaic and means “to encircle, entwine, embrace” (see HALOT 497-98 s.v. כרך and Jastrow 668 s.v. כָּרַךְ). Neither one of these proposed verbs can yield a meaning “bore, pierce.”
36 tn Heb “from with you [is] my praise.”
37 tn Heb “my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.” When asking the
38 sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.
39 tn Heb “the
40 tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
41 tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
42 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
43 tn Or “[source of] help.”
44 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
45 tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”
46 tn Heb “from before your eyes.”
47 tn Heb “[with] shouts of joy of deliverance you surround me.”
48 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies. See also the distinct jussive form in v. 6.
49 tn Heb “as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.” Sackcloth was worn by mourners. When the psalmist’s enemies were sick, he was sorry for their misfortune and mourned for them.
50 sn Fasting was also a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities, such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
51 tn Heb “and my prayer upon my chest will return.” One could translate, “but my prayer was returning upon my chest,” but the use of the imperfect verbal form sets this line apart from the preceding and following lines (vv. 13a, 14), which use the perfect to describe the psalmist’s past actions.
52 tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”
53 tn Heb “bring back, restore.”
54 tn Or “my life.”
55 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).
56 tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Ps 38:19).
57 tn Heb “rejoice.”
58 tn Heb “[do not let] those who hate me without cause pinch [i.e., wink] an eye.” The negative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (see the preceding line). In the Book of Proverbs “winking an eye” is associated with deceit and trickery (see 6:13; 10:10; 16:30).
59 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27a are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-26).
60 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
61 tn Heb “the one who desires the peace of his servant.”
62 tn Heb “lay snares.”
63 tn Heb “For I said, ‘Lest they rejoice over me.’” The psalmist recalls the motivating argument of his petition. He probably prefaced this statement with a prayer for deliverance (see Pss 7:1-2; 13:3-4; 28:1).
64 tn Heb “they will magnify against me.” See Pss 35:26; 55:13.
65 sn Psalm 40. The psalmist combines a song of thanksgiving for a recent act of divine deliverance (vv. 1-11) with a confident petition for renewed divine intervention (vv. 12-17).
66 tn Heb “relying, I relied.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the verbal idea. The emphasis is reflected in the translation through the adverb “completely.” Another option is to translate, “I waited patiently” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV).
67 tn Heb “cistern of roaring.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “cistern, pit”) is used metaphorically here of Sheol, the place of death, which is sometimes depicted as a raging sea (see Ps 18:4, 15-16). The noun שָׁאוֹן (sha’on, “roaring”) refers elsewhere to the crashing sound of the sea’s waves (see Ps 65:7).
68 tn Heb “from the mud of mud.” The Hebrew phrase translated “slimy mud” employs an appositional genitive. Two 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.
69 tn Heb “he established my footsteps.”
70 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones seeking my life to snatch it away.”
71 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse (“may those…be…embarrassed and ashamed…may those…be turned back and ashamed”) are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.
sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.
72 tc Heb “with a shattering in my bones my enemies taunt me.” A few medieval Hebrew
73 sn “Where is your God?” The enemies ask this same question in v. 3.
74 tn Heb “God of my place of refuge,” that is, “God who is my place of refuge.” See Ps 31:4.
75 tn The question is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but זָנַח (zanakh, “reject”) is a stronger verb than שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”).
76 tn The language is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but the Hitpael form of the verb הָלַךְ (halakh; as opposed to the Qal form in 42:9) expresses more forcefully the continuing nature of the psalmist’s distress.
77 sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar statement.
78 tn Heb “I will turn my ear to a wise saying, I will open [i.e., “reveal; explain”] my insightful saying with a harp.” In the first line the psalmist speaks as a pupil who learns a song of wisdom from a sage. This suggests that the resulting insightful song derives from another source, perhaps God himself. Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה/מָשָׁל (mashal/khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), lessons from history (Ps 78:2), and proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6). Here it appears to refer to the insightful song that follows, which reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent the inevitable – death. Another option is that the word pair refers more specifically to the closely related proverbial sayings of vv. 12, 20 (note the use of the verb מָשָׁל, mashal, “to be like” in both verses). In this case the psalmist first hears the sayings and then explains (Heb “opens”) their significance (see vv. 5-11, 13-19).
79 tn Heb “these things you did and I was silent.” Some interpret the second clause (“and I was silent”) as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, “[When you do these things], should I keep silent?” (cf. NEB). See GKC 335 §112.cc.
sn The Lord was silent in the sense that he delayed punishment. Of course, God’s patience toward sinners eventually runs out. The divine “silence” is only temporary (see v. 3, where the psalmist, having described God’s arrival, observes that “he is not silent”).
80 tn The Hebrew infinitive construct (הֱיוֹת, heyot) appears to function like the infinitive absolute here, adding emphasis to the following finite verbal form (אֶהְיֶה, ’ehyeh). See GKC 339-40 §113.a. Some prefer to emend הֱיוֹת (heyot) to the infinitive absolute form הָיוֹ (hayo).
81 tn Or “rebuke” (see v. 8).
82 tn Heb “and I will set in order [my case against you] to your eyes.” The cohortative form expresses the
83 tn Heb “from bloodshed.” “Bloodshed” here stands by metonymy for the guilt which it produces.
84 tn Heb “my tongue will shout for joy your deliverance.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may my tongue shout for joy.” However, the pattern in vv. 12-15 appears to be prayer/request (see vv. 12, 14a, 15a) followed by promise/vow (see vv. 13, 14b, 15b).
85 tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8. Ps 14:4 adds כֹּל (kol, “all of”) before “workers of wickedness.”
86 tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-6).
87 tn Heb “may he send from heaven and deliver me.” The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. The second verb, which has a vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, probably indicates purpose. Another option is to take the forms as imperfects expressing confidence, “he will send from heaven and deliver me” (cf. NRSV).
88 tn Heb “he hurls insults, one who crushes me.” The translation assumes that this line identifies those from whom the psalmist seeks deliverance. (The singular is representative; the psalmist is surrounded by enemies, see v. 4.) Another option is to understand God as the subject of the verb חָרַף (kharaf), which could then be taken as a homonym of the more common root חָרַף (“insult”) meaning “confuse.” In this case “one who crushes me” is the object of the verb. One might translate, “he [God] confuses my enemies.”
89 tn Heb “from the end of the earth.” This may indicate (1) the psalmist is exiled in a distant land, or (2) it may be hyperbolic (the psalmist feels alienated from God’s presence, as if he were in a distant land).
90 tn Heb “while my heart faints.”
91 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
92 tn Heb “on to a rocky summit [that] is higher than I.”
93 sn Psalm 69. The psalmist laments his oppressed condition and asks the Lord to deliver him by severely judging his enemies.
94 tn Heb “according to lilies.” See the superscription to Ps 45.
95 tn The Hebrew term נפשׁ (nefesh) here refers to the psalmist’s throat or neck. The psalmist compares himself to a helpless, drowning man.
96 tn Heb “as for me, [may] my prayer be to you, O
97 tn Heb “O God, in the abundance of your loyal love, answer me in the faithfulness of your deliverance.”
98 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed, the ones seeking my life.” Ps 40:14 has “together” after “ashamed,” and “to snatch it away” after “my life.”
99 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.
sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.
100 tn Heb “those who seek my harm.”
101 tn Heb “will have become embarrassed and ashamed.” The perfect verbal forms function here as future perfects, indicating future actions which will precede chronologically the action expressed by the main verb in the preceding line.
102 sn “Rahab,” which means “proud one,” is used here as a title for Egypt (see Isa 30:7).
103 tn Heb “to those who know me” (see Ps 36:10). Apparently the
104 tn Heb “Look.”
105 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
106 tn Heb “Cush.”
107 tn Heb “and this one was born there.” The words “It is said of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarification and stylistic purposes (see v. 5). Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand “there” as referring to Zion, but it seems more likely that the adverb refers to the nations just mentioned. The foreigners are identified by their native lands.
108 tn Heb “and am dying from youth.”
109 tn Heb “I carry your horrors [?].” The meaning of the Hebrew form אָפוּנָה (’afunah), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. It may be an adverb meaning “very much” (BDB 67 s.v.), though some prefer to emend the text to אָפוּגָה (’afugah, “I am numb”) from the verb פוּג (pug; see Pss 38:8; 77:2).
110 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.
111 tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”
112 tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the
113 tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are compared to sheep (see v. 7).
114 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble.” The idiom “to hide the face” can mean “to ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “to reject” (see Pss 29:7; 30:7; 88:14).
115 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
116 tn Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.
117 tn Heb “places.”
118 tn Heb “in my duration.”
119 sn Psalm 108. With some minor variations, this psalm is a composite of Ps 57:7-11 (see vv. 1-5) and Ps 60:5-12 (see vv. 6-13).
120 tn Or perhaps “confident”; Heb “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.
121 tn Heb “also my glory,” but this makes little sense in the context. Some view the term כָּבוֹד (“glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvodiy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 57:9; as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 3:93. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”
122 tn Heb “but you,
123 sn Psalm 111. The psalmist praises God for his marvelous deeds, especially the way in which he provides for and delivers his people. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (twenty-two in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
124 tn Heb “from the distress.” The noun מֵצַר (metsar, “straits; distress”) occurs only here and in Lam 1:3. In Ps 116:3 מצר should probably be emended to מְצָדֵי (mÿtsadey, “snares of”).
125 tn Heb “the
126 sn Psalm 138. The psalmist vows to thank the Lord for his deliverance and protection.
127 tn The referent of the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is unclear. It refers either to the angelic assembly (see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5) or to the pagan gods (see Pss 82:1, 6; 86:8; 97:7), in which case the psalmist’s praise takes on a polemical tone.
128 tn Or “distress.”
129 tn Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”
130 tc The Hebrew term אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) should probably be emended to כֲּאַשֶׁר (ka’asher, “when”). The kaf (כ) may have been lost by haplography (note the kaf at the end of the preceding form).
131 sn The phrase depths of the earth may be metaphorical (euphemistic) or it may reflect a prescientific belief about the origins of the embryo deep beneath the earth’s surface (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 96-97). Job 1:21 also closely associates the mother’s womb with the earth.
132 tn Heb “they are thrown down by the hands of a cliff, their judges.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The perfect verbal form is understood as rhetorical; the psalmist describes the anticipated downfall of the wicked as if it had already occurred. “Their judges” could be taken as the subject of the verb, but this makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes the judges are the agents and that the wicked, mentioned earlier in the psalm, are the subjects of the verb.
133 tn It is unclear how this statement relates to the preceding sentence. Perhaps the judges are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the verb “will listen,” and “my words” are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the phrase “are pleasant.” The psalmist may be affirming here his confidence that he will be vindicated when he presents his case before the judges, while the wicked will be punished.
134 tn Heb “there is no one who recognizes me.”
135 tn Heb “ a place of refuge perishes from me.”
136 tn Heb “there is no one who seeks for the sake of my life.”
137 tn Heb “for I am very low.”
138 tn Or “for.”
139 tn Heb “an enemy.” The singular is used in a representative sense to describe a typical member of the larger group of enemies (note the plural “enemies” in vv. 9, 12).
140 tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”
141 tn Or “sit.”
142 sn Dark regions refers to Sheol, which the psalmist views as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).
143 tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”
144 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” (1) can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) can carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
145 tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
146 tn Heb “the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit; cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See Ps 28:1.
147 tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.
148 tn Heb “your good spirit.” God’s “spirit” may refer here to his presence (see the note on the word “presence” in Ps 139:7) or to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
149 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. Taking the statement as a prayer fits well with the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.
150 sn A level land (where one can walk free of obstacles) here symbolizes divine blessing and protection. See Pss 26:12 and 27:11 for similar imagery.