3:7 Rise up, 1 Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
Yes, 2 you will strike 3 all my enemies on the jaw;
you will break the teeth 4 of the wicked. 5
5:3 Lord, in the morning 6 you will hear 7 me; 8
in the morning I will present my case to you 9 and then wait expectantly for an answer. 10
5:11 But may all who take shelter 11 in you be happy! 12
May they continually 13 shout for joy! 14
Shelter them 15 so that those who are loyal to you 16 may rejoice! 17
8:2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies
you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, 18
so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy. 19
8:4 Of what importance is the human race, 20 that you should notice 21 them?
Of what importance is mankind, 22 that you should pay attention to them, 23
For the music director; a psalm of David.
13:1 How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me? 25
How long will you pay no attention to me? 26
16:11 You lead me in 27 the path of life; 28
I experience absolute joy in your presence; 29
you always give me sheer delight. 30
18:26 You prove to be reliable 31 to one who is blameless,
but you prove to be deceptive 32 to one who is perverse. 33
18:48 He delivers me 34 from my enemies;
you snatch me away 35 from those who attack me; 36
you rescue me from violent men.
For the music director; a psalm of David.
21:1 O Lord, the king rejoices in the strength you give; 38
he takes great delight in the deliverance you provide. 39
22:10 I have been dependent on you since birth; 40
from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God. 41
23:5 You prepare a feast before me 42
in plain sight of my enemies.
You refresh 43 my head with oil;
my cup is completely full. 44
25:5 Guide me into your truth 45 and teach me.
For you are the God who delivers me;
on you I rely all day long.
30:12 So now 46 my heart 47 will sing to you and not be silent;
O Lord my God, I will always 48 give thanks to you.
31:3 For you are my high ridge 49 and my stronghold;
for the sake of your own reputation 50 you lead me and guide me. 51
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. 52
31:8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;
you enable me to stand 53 in a wide open place.
31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said, 54
“I am cut off from your presence!” 55
But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
37:34 Rely 56 on the Lord! Obey his commands! 57
Then he will permit you 58 to possess the land;
you will see the demise of evil men. 59
39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins; 60
like a moth you slowly devour their strength. 61
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
40:6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. 62
You make that quite clear to me! 63
You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.
40:16 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!
May those who love to experience 64 your deliverance say continually, 65
“May the Lord be praised!” 66
42:5 Why are you depressed, 67 O my soul? 68
Why are you upset? 69
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention. 70
42:11 Why are you depressed, 71 O my soul? 72
Why are you upset? 73
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention. 74
43:2 For you are the God who shelters me. 75
Why do you reject me? 76
Why must I walk around 77 mourning 78
because my enemies oppress me?
43:5 Why are you depressed, 79 O my soul? 80
Why are you upset? 81
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention. 82
44:2 You, by your power, 83 defeated nations and settled our fathers on their land; 84
you crushed 85 the people living there 86 and enabled our ancestors to occupy it. 87
44:19 Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs; 88
you have covered us with darkness. 89
48:10 The praise you receive as far away as the ends of the earth
is worthy of your reputation, O God. 90
You execute justice! 91
For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.
49:1 Listen to this, all you nations!
Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world! 93
56:13 when you deliver 94 my life from death.
You keep my feet from stumbling, 95
so that I might serve 96 God as I enjoy life. 97
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 99 a prayer 100 of David.
58:1 Do you rulers really pronounce just decisions? 101
Do you judge people 102 fairly?
59:17 You are my source of strength! I will sing praises to you! 103
For God is my refuge, 104 the God who loves me. 105
62:3 How long will you threaten 106 a man?
All of you are murderers, 107
as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence. 108
For the music director; a psalm of David, a song.
65:1 Praise awaits you, 110 O God, in Zion.
Vows made to you are fulfilled.
65:8 Even those living in the most remote areas are awestruck by your acts; 111
you cause those living in the east and west to praise you. 112
65:10 You saturate 113 its furrows,
and soak 114 its plowed ground. 115
With rain showers you soften its soil, 116
and make its crops grow. 117
66:12 You allowed men to ride over our heads;
we passed through fire and water,
but you brought us out into a wide open place. 118
70:4 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!
May those who love to experience 119 your deliverance say continually, 120
“May God 121 be praised!” 122
71:19 Your justice, O God, extends to the skies above; 123
you have done great things. 124
O God, who can compare to you? 125
77:16 The waters 126 saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and trembled. 127
Yes, the depths of the sea 128 shook with fear. 129
79:6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you, 130
on the kingdoms that do not pray to you! 131
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. 133
86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! 134
Then I will obey your commands. 135
Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! 136
88:8 You cause those who know me to keep their distance;
you make me an appalling sight to them.
I am trapped and cannot get free. 137
88:9 My eyes grow weak because of oppression.
I call out to you, O Lord, all day long;
I spread out my hands in prayer to you. 138
91:4 He will shelter you 139 with his wings; 140
you will find safety under his wings.
His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall. 141
92:4 For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work.
I will sing for joy because of what you have done. 142
99:4 The king is strong;
he loves justice. 143
You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; 144
you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
99:8 O Lord our God, you answered them.
They found you to be a forgiving God,
but also one who punished their sinful deeds. 145
102:26 They will perish,
but you will endure. 146
They will wear out like a garment;
like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear. 147
104:29 When you ignore them, they panic. 148
When you take away their life’s breath, they die
and return to dust.
129:8 Those who pass by will not say, 149
“May you experience the Lord’s blessing!
We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”
137:8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! 150
How blessed will be the one who repays you
for what you dished out to us! 151
By David.
138:1 I will give you thanks with all my heart;
before the heavenly assembly 153 I will sing praises to you.
138:7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, 154 you revive me.
You oppose my angry enemies, 155
and your right hand delivers me.
139:3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; 156
you are aware of everything I do. 157
139:8 If I were to ascend 158 to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. 159
139:12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, 160
and the night is as bright as 161 day;
darkness and light are the same to you. 162
A psalm of David.
141:1 O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me!
Pay attention to me when I cry out to you!
142:5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security 164 in the land of the living.”
143:8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning, 165
for I trust in you.
Show me the way I should go, 166
because I long for you. 167
143:10 Teach me to do what pleases you, 168
for you are my God.
May your kind presence 169
lead me 170 into a level land. 171
144:3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race, 172 that you should notice them?
Of what importance is mankind, 173 that you should be concerned about them? 174
144:9 O God, I will sing a new song to you!
Accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, I will sing praises to you,
1 tn In v. 2 the psalmist describes his enemies as those who “confront” him (קָמִים [qamim], literally, “rise up against him”). Now, using the same verbal root (קוּם, qum) he asks the
2 tn Elsewhere in the psalms the particle כִּי (ki), when collocated with a perfect verbal form and subordinated to a preceding imperative directed to God, almost always has an explanatory or causal force (“for, because”) and introduces a motivating argument for why God should respond positively to the request (see Pss 5:10; 6:2; 12:1; 16:1; 41:4; 55:9; 56:1; 57:1; 60:2; 69:1; 74:20; 119:94; 123:3; 142:6; 143:8). (On three occasions the כִּי is recitative after a verb of perception [“see/know that,” see Pss 4:3; 25:19; 119:159]). If כִּי is taken as explanatory here, then the psalmist is arguing that God should deliver him now because that is what God characteristically does. However, such a motivating argument is not used in the passages cited above. The motivating argument usually focuses on the nature of the psalmist’s dilemma or the fact that he trusts in the Lord. For this reason it is unlikely that כִּי has its normal force here. Most scholars understand the particle כִּי as having an asseverative (emphasizing) function here (“indeed, yes”; NEB leaves the particle untranslated).
3 tn If the particle כִּי (ki) is taken as explanatory, then the perfect verbal forms in v. 7b would describe God’s characteristic behavior. However, as pointed out in the preceding note on the word “yes,” the particle probably has an asseverative force here. If so, the perfects may be taken as indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s assault on his enemies as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm, as expressed before (vv. 3-6) and after this (v. 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“Strike all my enemies on the jaw, break the teeth of the wicked”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
4 sn The expression break the teeth may envision violent hand-to hand combat, though it is possible that the enemies are pictured here as a dangerous animal (see Job 29:17).
5 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
6 sn In the morning is here viewed as the time of prayer (Pss 59:16; 88:13) and/or of deliverance (Ps 30:5).
7 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, “
8 tn Heb “my voice.”
9 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.
10 tn Heb “and I will watch.”
11 sn Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
12 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer. The psalmist calls on God to reward his faithful followers.
13 tn Or perhaps more hyperbolically, “forever.”
14 tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer.
15 tn Heb “put a cover over them.” The verb form is a Hiphil imperfect from סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “cover, shut off”). The imperfect expresses the psalmist’s wish or request.
16 tn Heb “the lovers of your name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to the Lord. See Pss 69:36; 119:132; Isa 56:6.
17 tn The vav (ו) with prefixed verbal form following the volitional “shelter them” indicates purpose or result (“so that those…may rejoice).
18 tn Heb “you establish strength because of your foes.” The meaning of the statement is unclear. The present translation follows the reading of the LXX which has “praise” (αἶνος, ainos) in place of “strength” (עֹז, ’oz); cf. NIV, NCV, NLT.
19 tn Heb “to cause to cease an enemy and an avenger.” The singular forms are collective. The Hitpael participle of נָקַם (naqam) also occurs in Ps 44:16.
20 tn Heb “What is man[kind]?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race.
21 tn Heb “remember him.”
22 tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
23 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.
24 sn Psalm 13. The psalmist, who is close to death, desperately pleads for God’s deliverance and affirms his trust in God’s faithfulness.
25 tn Heb “will you forget me continually.”
26 tn Heb “will you hide your face from me.”
27 tn Heb “cause me to know”; or “cause me to experience.”
28 tn This is a metaphorical way of saying, “you preserve my life.” The phrase “path of life” stands in contrast to death/Sheol in Prov 2:18-19; 5:5-6; 15:24.
29 tn Heb “abundance of joy [is] with your face.” The plural form of the noun שִׂמְחָה (simkhah, “joy”) occurs only here and in Ps 45:15. It may emphasize the degree of joy experienced.
30 tn Heb “delight [is] in your right hand forever.” The plural form of the adjective נָעִים (na’im, “pleasant, delightful”) may here emphasize the degree of delight experienced (see Job 36:11).
31 tn Or “blameless.”
32 tn The Hebrew verb פָתַל (patal) is used in only three other texts. In Gen 30:8 it means literally “to wrestle,” or “to twist.” In Job 5:13 it refers to devious individuals, and in Prov 8:8 to deceptive words.
33 tn The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted, crooked,” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse. It appears frequently in Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6). A righteous king opposes such people (Ps 101:4).
sn Verses 25-26 affirm God’s justice. He responds to people in accordance with their moral character. His response mirrors their actions. The faithful and blameless find God to be loyal and reliable in his dealings with them. But deceivers discover he is able and willing to use deceit to destroy them. For a more extensive discussion of the theme of divine deception in the OT, see R. B. Chisholm, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28.
34 tn Heb “[the one who] delivers me.” 2 Sam 22:49 reads “and [the one who] brings me out.”
35 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
36 tn Heb “from those who rise against me.”
37 sn Psalm 21. The psalmist praises the Lord for the way he protects and blesses the Davidic king.
38 tn Heb “in your strength.” The translation interprets the pronominal suffix as subjective, rather than merely descriptive (or attributive).
39 tn Heb “and in your deliverance, how greatly he rejoices.”
40 tn Heb “upon you I was cast from [the] womb.”
41 tn Heb “from the womb of my mother you [have been] my God.”
sn Despite the enemies’ taunts, the psalmist is certain of his relationship with God, which began from the time of his birth (from the time I came out of my mother’s womb).
42 sn In v. 5 the metaphor switches. (It would be very odd for a sheep to have its head anointed and be served wine.) The background for the imagery is probably the royal banquet. Ancient Near Eastern texts describe such banquets in similar terms to those employed by the psalmist. (See M. L. Barre and J. S. Kselman, “New Exodus, Covenant, and Restoration in Psalm 23,” The Word of the Lord Shall Go Forth, 97-127.) The reality behind the imagery is the Lord’s favor. Through his blessings and protection he demonstrates to everyone, including dangerous enemies, that the psalmist has a special relationship with him.
43 tn The imperfect verbal form in v. 5a carries on the generalizing mood of vv. 1-4. However, in v. 5b the psalmist switches to a perfect (דִּשַּׁנְתָּ, dishanta), which may have a generalizing force as well. But then again the perfect is conspicuous here and may be present perfect in sense, indicating that the divine host typically pours oil on his head prior to seating him at the banquet table. The verb דָשַׁן (dashan; the Piel is factitive) is often translated “anoint,” but this is misleading, for it might suggest a symbolic act of initiation into royal status. One would expect the verb מָשָׁח (mashan) in this case; דָשַׁן here describes an act of hospitality extended to guests and carries the nuance “refresh.” In Prov 15:30 it stands parallel to “make happy” and refers to the effect that good news has on the inner being of its recipient.
44 tn The rare noun רְַָויָה (rÿvayah) is derived from the well-attested verb רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated, drink one’s fill”). In this context, where it describes a cup, it must mean “filled up,” but not necessarily to overflowing.
45 sn The
46 tn Heb “so that”; or “in order that.”
47 tn Heb “glory.” Some view כָבוֹד (khavod, “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 (kÿvediy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 57:9; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. 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.” “Heart” is used in the translation above for the sake of English idiom; the expression “my liver sings” would seem odd indeed to the modern reader.
48 tn Or “forever.”
49 sn The metaphor of the high ridge pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
50 tn Heb “name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the
51 tn The present translation assumes that the imperfect verbal forms are generalizing, “you lead me and guide me.” Other options are to take them as an expression of confidence about the future, “you will lead me and guide me” (cf. NASB), or as expressing a prayer, “lead me and guide me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
52 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
53 tn Heb “you cause my feet to stand.”
54 tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”
55 tn Heb “from before your eyes.”
56 tn Or “wait.”
57 tn Heb “keep his way.” The
58 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.
59 tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”
60 tn “with punishments on account of sin you discipline a man.”
61 tc Heb “you cause to dissolve, like a moth, his desired [thing].” The translation assumes an emendation of חֲמוּדוֹ (khamudo, “his desirable [thing]”) to חֶמְדוֹ (khemdo, “his loveliness” [or “beauty”]), a reading that is supported by a few medieval Hebrew
62 tn Heb “sacrifice and offering you do not desire.” The statement is exaggerated for the sake of emphasis (see Ps 51:16 as well). God is pleased with sacrifices, but his first priority is obedience and loyalty (see 1 Sam 15:22). Sacrifices and offerings apart from genuine allegiance are meaningless (see Isa 1:11-20).
63 tn Heb “ears you hollowed out for me.” The meaning of this odd expression is debated (this is the only collocation of “hollowed out” and “ears” in the OT). It may have been an idiomatic expression referring to making a point clear to a listener. The LXX has “but a body you have prepared for me,” a reading which is followed in Heb 10:5.
64 tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by the
65 tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing upon the godly.
66 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
67 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
68 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
69 tn Heb “and [why] are you in turmoil upon me?” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the descriptive present nuance of the preceding imperfect. See GKC 329 §111.t.
70 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of his face.” The verse division in the Hebrew text is incorrect. אֱלֹהַי (’elohay, “my God”) at the beginning of v. 7 belongs with the end of v. 6 (see the corresponding refrains in 42:11 and 43:5, both of which end with “my God” after “saving acts of my face”). The Hebrew term פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”) should be emended to פְּנֵי (pÿney, “face of”). The emended text reads, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention.
71 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
72 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
73 tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”
74 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read יְשׁוּעֹת פְנֵי אֱלֹהָי (yÿshu’ot fÿney ’elohay, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God”), that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is almost identical to the one in v. 5. See also Ps 43:5.
75 tn Heb “God of my place of refuge,” that is, “God who is my place of refuge.” See Ps 31:4.
76 tn The question is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but זָנַח (zanakh, “reject”) is a stronger verb than שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”).
77 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.
78 sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar statement.
79 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
80 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
81 tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”
82 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read יְשׁוּעֹת פְנֵי אֱלֹהָי (yÿshu’ot fÿney ’elohay, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is identical to the one in Ps 42:11. See also 42:5, which differs only slightly.
83 tn Heb “you, your hand.”
84 tn Heb “dispossessed nations and planted them.” The third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1). See Ps 80:8, 15.
85 tn The verb form in the Hebrew text is a Hiphil preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive) from רָעַע (ra’a’, “be evil; be bad”). If retained it apparently means, “you injured; harmed.” Some prefer to derive the verb from רָעַע (“break”; cf. NEB “breaking up the peoples”), in which case the form must be revocalized as Qal (since this verb is unattested in the Hiphil).
86 tn Or “peoples.”
87 tn Heb “and you sent them out.” The translation assumes that the third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1), as in the preceding parallel line. See Ps 80:11, where Israel, likened to a vine, “spreads out” its tendrils to the west and east. Another option is to take the “peoples” as the referent of the pronoun and translate, “and you sent them away,” though this does not provide as tight a parallel with the corresponding line.
88 tn Heb “yet you have battered us in a place of jackals.”
89 tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל+מָוֶת [mavet + tsel]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness” (cf. NIV, NRSV). An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 44:19 darkness symbolizes defeat and humiliation.
90 tn Heb “like your name, O God, so [is] your praise to the ends of the earth.” Here “name” refers to God’s reputation and revealed character.
91 tn Heb “your right hand is full of justice.” The “right hand” suggests activity and power.
92 sn Psalm 49. In this so-called wisdom psalm (see v. 3) the psalmist states that he will not fear the rich enemies who threaten him, for despite their wealth, they are mere men who will die like everyone else. The psalmist is confident the Lord will vindicate the godly and protect them from the attacks of their oppressors.
93 tn The rare noun חָלֶד (kheled, “world”) occurs in Ps 17:14 and perhaps also in Isa 38:11 (see the note on “world” there).
94 tn The perfect verbal form is probably future perfect; the psalmist promises to make good on his vows once God has delivered him (see Pss 13:5; 52:9). (2) Another option is to understand the final two verses as being added later, after the
95 tn Heb “are not my feet [kept] from stumbling?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course they are!” The question has been translated as an affirmation for the sake of clarification of meaning.
96 tn Heb “walk before.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254; cf. the same idiom in 2 Kgs 20:3; Isa 38:3.
97 tn Heb “in the light of life.” The phrase is used here and in Job 33:30.
98 sn Psalm 58. The psalmist calls on God to punish corrupt judges because a vivid display of divine judgment will convince observers that God is the just judge of the world who vindicates the godly.
99 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 57, 59, and 75.
100 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam) which also appears in the heading to Pss 16 and 56-57, 59-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
101 tn Heb “Really [in] silence, what is right do you speak?” The Hebrew noun אֵלֶם (’elem, “silence”) makes little, if any, sense in this context. Some feel that this is an indictment of the addressees’ failure to promote justice; they are silent when they should make just decisions. The present translation assumes an emendation to אֵלִם (’elim), which in turn is understood as a defectively written form of אֵילִים (’elim, “rulers,” a metaphorical use of אַיִל, ’ayil, “ram”; see Exod 15:15; Ezek 17:13). The rhetorical question is sarcastic, challenging their claim to be just. Elsewhere the collocation of דָּבַר (davar, “speak”) with צֶדֶק (tsedeq, “what is right”) as object means “to speak the truth” (see Ps 52:3; Isa 45:19). Here it refers specifically to declaring what is right in a legal setting, as the next line indicates.
102 tn Heb “the sons of mankind.” The translation assumes the phrase is the object of the verb “to judge.” Some take it as a vocative, “Do you judge fairly, O sons of mankind?” (Cf. NASB; see Ezek 20:4; 22:2; 23:36.)
103 tn Heb “my strength, to you I will sing praises.”
104 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
105 tn Heb “the God of my loyal love.”
106 tn The verb form is plural; the psalmist addresses his enemies. The verb הוּת occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “shout at.”
107 tn The Hebrew text has a Pual (passive) form, but the verb form should be vocalized as a Piel (active) form. See BDB 953-54 s.v. רָצַח.
108 tn Heb “like a bent wall and a broken fence.” The point of the comparison is not entirely clear. Perhaps the enemies are depicted as dangerous, like a leaning wall or broken fence that is in danger of falling on someone (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:69).
109 sn Psalm 65. The psalmist praises God because he forgives sin and blesses his people with an abundant harvest.
110 tn Heb “for you, silence, praise.” Many prefer to emend the noun דֻּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”) to a participle דּוֹמִיָּה (domiyyah), from the root דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”), understood here in the sense of “wait.”
111 tn Heb “and the inhabitants of the ends fear because of your signs.” God’s “signs” are the “awesome acts” (see v. 5) he performs in the earth.
112 tn Heb “the goings out of the morning and the evening you cause to shout for joy.” The phrase “goings out of the morning and evening” refers to the sunrise and sunset, that is, the east and the west.
113 tn Heb “saturating” [the form is an infinitive absolute].
114 tn Heb “flatten, cause to sink.”
115 tn Heb “trenches,” or “furrows.”
116 tn Heb “soften it,” that is, the earth.
117 tn Heb “its vegetation you bless.” Divine “blessing” often involves endowing an object with special power or capacity.
118 tc The MT reads רְוָיָה (“saturation”) but this should be emended to רְוָחָה (rÿvakhah, “wide open place”; i.e., “relief”), a reading supported by several ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Jerome, Targum).
119 tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by God.
120 tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing on the godly.
121 tn Ps 40:16 uses the divine name “
122 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
123 tn Heb “your justice, O God, [is] unto the height.” The Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “height”) is here a title for the sky/heavens.
sn Extends to the skies above. Similar statements are made in Pss 36:5 and 57:10.
124 tn Heb “you who have done great things.”
125 tn Or “Who is like you?”
126 tn The waters of the Red Sea are here personified; they are portrayed as seeing God and fearing him.
127 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
128 tn The words “of the sea” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
129 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
130 tn Heb “which do not know you.” Here the Hebrew term “know” means “acknowledge the authority of.”
131 sn The kingdoms that do not pray to you. The people of these kingdoms pray to other gods, not the Lord, because they do not recognize his authority over them.
132 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.
133 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.
134 tn Heb “teach me your way.” The
135 tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The
136 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).
137 tn Heb “[I am] confined and I cannot go out.”
138 tn Heb “I spread out my hands to you.” Spreading out the hands toward God was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). The words “in prayer” have been supplied in the translation to clarify this.
139 tn Heb “put a cover over you” (see Ps 5:11).
140 tc The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural should be read. The final yod (י) of the suffix, which indicates the plural, has dropped off by haplography (note the yod [י] at the beginning of the next word).
141 tn Traditionally the Hebrew term סֹחֵרָה (sokherah), which occurs only here in the OT, has been understood to refer to a buckler or small shield (see BDB 695 s.v.). But HALOT 750 s.v., on the basis of evidence from the cognate languages, proposes the meaning “wall.”
142 tn Heb “the works of your hands.”
143 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
144 tn Heb “you establish fairness.”
145 tn Heb “a God of lifting up [i.e., forgiveness] you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The present translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned (cf. NIV, NRSV). Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form נֹקֵם (noqem, “an avenger”) to נֹקָם (noqam), a rare Qal participial form of נָקַה (naqah, “purify”) with a suffixed pronoun. In this case one could translate, “and one who purified them from their [sinful] deeds” (cf. NEB “and held them innocent”).
146 tn Heb “stand.”
147 tn The Hebrew verb חָלַף (khalaf) occurs twice in this line, once in the Hiphil (“you will remove them”) and once in the Qal (“they will disappear”). The repetition draws attention to the statement.
148 tn Heb “you hide your face, they are terrified.”
149 tn The perfect verbal form is used for rhetorical effect; it describes an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
150 tn Heb “O devastated daughter of Babylon.” The psalmist dramatically anticipates Babylon’s demise.
151 tn Heb “O the happiness of the one who repays you your wage which you paid to us.”
152 sn Psalm 138. The psalmist vows to thank the Lord for his deliverance and protection.
153 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.
154 tn Or “distress.”
155 tn Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”
156 tn Heb “my traveling and my lying down you measure.” The verb זָרָה (zarah, “to measure”) is probably here a denominative from זָרָת (zarat, “a span; a measure”), though some derive it from זָרָה (zarat, “to winnow; to sift”; see BDB 279-80 s.v. זָרָה).
157 tn Heb “all my ways.”
158 tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).
159 tn Heb “look, you.”
160 tn The words “to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
161 tn Heb “shines like.”
162 tn Heb “like darkness, like light.”
163 sn Psalm 141. The psalmist asks God to protect him from sin and from sinful men.
164 tn Heb “my portion.” The psalmist compares the
165 tn Heb “cause me to hear in the morning your loyal love.” Here “loyal love” probably stands metonymically for an oracle of assurance promising God’s intervention as an expression of his loyal love.
sn The morning is sometimes viewed as the time of divine intervention (see Pss 30:5; 59:16; 90:14).
166 sn The way probably refers here to God’s moral and ethical standards and requirements (see v. 10).
167 tn Heb “for to you I lift up my life.” The Hebrew expression נָאָשׂ נֶפֶשׁ (na’as nefesh, “to lift up [one’s] life”) means “to desire; to long for” (see Deut 24:15; Prov 19:18; Jer 22:27; 44:14; Hos 4:8, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 16).
168 tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.
169 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).
170 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.
171 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.
172 tn Heb “What is mankind?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race. See Ps 8:5.
173 tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
174 tn Heb “take account of him.” The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.