32:9 Do not be 1 like an unintelligent horse or mule, 2
which will not obey you
unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. 3
37:34 Rely 4 on the Lord! Obey his commands! 5
Then he will permit you 6 to possess the land;
you will see the demise of evil men. 7
78:7 Then they will place their confidence in God.
They will not forget the works of God,
and they will obey 8 his commands.
86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! 9
Then I will obey your commands. 10
Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! 11
95:7 For he is our God;
we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep he owns. 12
Today, if only you would obey him! 13
95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted 14 with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; 15
they do not obey my commands.’ 16
111:10 To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living; 17
all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight. 18
He will receive praise forever. 19
1 tn The verb form is plural (i.e., “do not all of you be”); the psalmist addresses the whole group.
2 tn Heb “like a horse, like a mule without understanding.”
3 tn Heb “with a bridle and bit, its [?] to hold, not to come near to you.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun עֲדִי (’adiy) is uncertain. Normally the word refers to “jewelry,” so some suggest the meaning “trappings” here (cf. NASB). Some emend the form to לְחֵיהֶם (lÿkhehem, “their jawbones”) but it is difficult to see how the present Hebrew text, even if corrupt, could have derived from this proposed original reading. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 265) takes the form from an Arabic root and translates “whose gallop.” Cf. also NRSV “whose temper must be curbed.”
4 tn Or “wait.”
5 tn Heb “keep his way.” The
6 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.
7 tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”
8 tn Heb “keep.”
9 tn Heb “teach me your way.” The
10 tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The
11 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).
12 tn Heb “of his hand.”
13 tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.
14 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.
15 tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”
16 tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the
17 tn Heb “the beginning of wisdom [is] the fear of the
18 tn Heb “good sense [is] to all who do them.” The third masculine plural pronominal suffix must refer back to the “precepts” mentioned in v. 7. In the translation the referent has been specified for clarity. The phrase שֵׂכֶל טוֹב (shekhel tov) also occurs in Prov 3:4; 13:15 and 2 Chr 30:22.
19 tn Heb “his praise stands forever.”