A psalm – a song used at the dedication of the temple; 2 by David.
30:1 I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up, 3
and did not allow my enemies to gloat 4 over me.
40:3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, 5
praising our God. 6
May many see what God has done,
so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord! 7
For the music director; by the Korahites, a well-written song. 9
44:1 O God, we have clearly heard; 10
our ancestors 11 have told us
what you did 12 in their days,
in ancient times. 13
For the music director; according to the machalath style; 15 a well-written song 16 by David.
53:1 Fools say to themselves, 17 “There is no God.” 18
They sin and commit evil deeds; 19
none of them does what is right. 20
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song 22 by David.
55:1 Listen, O God, to my prayer!
Do not ignore 23 my appeal for mercy!
For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm, a song.
67:1 May God show us his favor 25 and bless us! 26
May he smile on us! 27 (Selah)
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 29 a psalm of Asaph; a song.
75:1 We give thanks to you, O God! We give thanks!
You reveal your presence; 30
people tell about your amazing deeds.
A song of ascents, 32 by Solomon.
127:1 If the Lord does not build a house, 33
then those who build it work in vain.
If the Lord does not guard a city, 34
then the watchman stands guard in vain.
A song of ascents, 36 by David.
131:1 O Lord, my heart is not proud,
nor do I have a haughty look. 37
I do not have great aspirations,
or concern myself with things that are beyond me. 38
1 sn Psalm 30. The author thanks the Lord for delivering him from death and urges others to join him in praise. The psalmist experienced divine discipline for a brief time, but when he cried out for help the Lord intervened and restored his favor.
2 tn Heb “a song of the dedication of the house.” The referent of “house” is unclear. It is possible that David wrote this psalm for the dedication ceremony of Solomon’s temple. Another possibility is that the psalm was used on the occasion of the dedication of the second temple following the return from exile, or on the occasion of the rededication of the temple in Maccabean times.
3 tn Elsewhere the verb דָּלָה (dalah) is used of drawing water from a well (Exod 2:16, 19; Prov 20:5). The psalmist was trapped in the pit leading to Sheol (see v. 3), but the
4 tn Or “rejoice.”
5 sn A new song was appropriate because the Lord had intervened in the psalmist’s experience in a fresh and exciting way.
6 tn Heb “and he placed in my mouth a new song, praise to our God.”
7 tn Heb “may many see and fear and trust in the
8 sn Psalm 44. The speakers in this psalm (the worshiping community within the nation Israel) were disappointed with God. The psalm begins on a positive note, praising God for leading Israel to past military victories. Verses 1-8 appear to be a song of confidence and petition which the people recited prior to battle. But suddenly the mood changes as the nation laments a recent defeat. The stark contrast between the present and the past only heightens the nation’s confusion. Israel trusted in God for victory, but the Lord rejected them and allowed them to be humiliated in battle. If Israel had been unfaithful to God, their defeat would make sense, but the nation was loyal to the Lord. Comparing the Lord to a careless shepherd, the nation urges God to wake up and to extend his compassion to his suffering people.
9 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 42.
10 tn Heb “with our ears we have heard.”
11 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 2; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “fathers” or “ancestors” depending on the context.
12 tn Heb “the work you worked.”
13 tn Heb “in the days of old.” This refers specifically to the days of Joshua, during Israel’s conquest of the land, as vv. 2-3 indicate.
14 sn Psalm 53. This psalm is very similar to Ps 14. The major difference comes in v. 5, which corresponds to, but differs quite a bit from, Ps 14:5-6, and in the use of the divine name. Ps 14 uses “the
15 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מָחֲלַת (makhalat, “machalath”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term also appears in the heading of Ps 88.
16 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 52.
17 tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
18 sn There is no God. This statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
19 tn Heb “they act corruptly, they do evil [with] injustice.” Ps 14:1 has עֲלִילָה (’alilah, “a deed”) instead of עָוֶל (’aval, “injustice”). The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
20 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
21 sn Psalm 55. The suffering and oppressed author laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.
22 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 52.
23 tn Heb “hide yourself from.”
24 sn Psalm 67. The psalmist prays for God’s blessing upon his people and urges the nations to praise him for he is the just ruler of the world.
25 tn Or “have mercy on us.”
26 tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. Note the jussive form יָאֵר (ya’er) in the next line.
27 tn Heb “may he cause his face to shine with us.”
28 sn Psalm 75. The psalmist celebrates God’s just rule, which guarantees that the godly will be vindicated and the wicked destroyed.
29 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 superscription to Pss 57-59.
30 tn Heb “and near [is] your name.”
31 sn Psalm 127. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist teaches that one does not find security by one’s own efforts, for God alone gives stability and security.
32 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.
33 sn The expression build a house may have a double meaning here. It may refer on the surface level to a literal physical structure in which a family lives, but at a deeper, metaphorical level it refers to building, perpetuating, and maintaining a family line. See Deut 25:9; Ruth 4:11; 1 Sam 2:35; 2 Sam 7:27; 1 Kgs 11:38; 1 Chr 17:10, 25. Having a family line provided security in ancient Israel.
34 sn The city symbolizes community security, which is the necessary framework for family security.
35 sn Psalm 131. The psalmist affirms his humble dependence on the Lord and urges Israel to place its trust in God.
36 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.
37 tn Heb “and my eyes are not lifted up.”
38 tn Heb “I do not walk in great things, and in things too marvelous for me.”