Psalms 28:5

28:5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,

or the way he carries out justice. ¹ 

The Lord ²  will permanently demolish them. ³ 

Psalms 37:28

37:28 For the Lord promotes ⁴  justice,

and never abandons ⁵  his faithful followers.

They are permanently secure, ⁶ 

but the children ⁷  of evil men are wiped out. ⁸ 

Psalms 68:16

68:16 Why do you look with envy, ⁹  O mountains ¹⁰  with many peaks,

at the mountain where God has decided to live? ¹¹ 

Indeed ¹²  the Lord will live there ¹³  permanently!

Psalms 74:1

Psalm 74 ¹⁴ 

A well-written song ¹⁵  by Asaph.

74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? ¹⁶ 

Why does your anger burn ¹⁷  against the sheep of your pasture?

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¹ tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context “the Lord’s actions” and “the work of his hands” probably refer to the way he carries out justice by vindicating the godly and punishing the wicked. (Note the final line of the verse, which refers to divine judgment. See also Ps 92:4-7.) Evil men do not “understand” God’s just ways; they fail to realize he will protect the innocent. Consequently they seek to harm the godly, as if they believe they will never be held accountable for their actions.

² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord, who is referred to in the two immediately preceding lines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.

⁴ tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world. The active participle describes characteristic behavior.

⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.

⁶ tn Or “protected forever.”

⁷ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

⁸ tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.

⁹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb רָצַד (ratsad), translated here “look with envy,” is uncertain; it occurs only here in the OT. See BDB 952-53. A cognate verb occurs in later Aramaic with the meaning “to lie in wait; to watch” (Jastrow 1492 s.v. רְצַד).

¹⁰ tn Perhaps the apparent plural form should be read as a singular with enclitic mem (ם; later misinterpreted as a plural ending). The preceding verse has the singular form.

¹¹ tn Heb “[at] the mountain God desires for his dwelling place.” The reference is to Mount Zion/Jerusalem.

¹² tn The Hebrew particle אַף (’af) has an emphasizing function here.

¹³ tn The word “there” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹⁴ sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 b.c., asks God to consider Israel’s sufferings and intervene on behalf of his people. He describes the ruined temple, recalls God’s mighty deeds in the past, begs for mercy, and calls for judgment upon God’s enemies.

¹⁵ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

¹⁶ sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.

¹⁷ tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.