37:16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than
the wealth of many evil men, 1
56:2 Those who anticipate my defeat 2 attack me all day long.
Indeed, 3 many are fighting against me, O Exalted One. 4
68:15 The mountain of Bashan 5 is a towering mountain; 6
the mountain of Bashan is a mountain with many peaks. 7
92:14 They bear fruit even when they are old;
they are filled with vitality and have many leaves. 8
106:43 Many times he delivered 9 them,
but they had a rebellious attitude, 10
and degraded themselves 11 by their sin.
1 tn Heb “Better [is] a little to the godly one than the wealth of many evil ones.” The following verses explain why this is true. Though a godly individual may seem to have only meager possessions, he always has what he needs and will eventually possess the land. The wicked may prosper for a brief time, but will eventually be destroyed by divine judgment and lose everything.
2 tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 59:10.
3 tn Or “for.”
4 tn Some take the Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “on high; above”) as an adverb modifying the preceding participle and translate, “proudly” (cf. NASB; NIV “in their pride”). The present translation assumes the term is a divine title here. The
5 sn The mountain of Bashan probably refers to Mount Hermon.
6 tn Heb “a mountain of God.” The divine name is probably used here in a superlative sense to depict a very high mountain (“a mountain fit for God,” as it were). Cf. NIV “are majestic mountains”; NRSV “O mighty mountain.”
7 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term, which appears only here in the OT, is uncertain. HALOT 174 s.v. גַּבְנוֹן suggests “many-peaked,” while BDB 148 s.v. גַּבְנִן suggests “rounded summit.”
8 tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”
9 tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).
10 tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
11 tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.