4:7 You make me happier 1
than those who have abundant grain and wine. 2
8:5 and make them a little less than the heavenly beings? 3
You grant mankind 4 honor and majesty; 5
63:3 Because 6 experiencing 7 your loyal love is better than life itself,
my lips will praise you.
69:31 That will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull
with horns and hooves.
78:25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. 8
He sent them more than enough to eat. 9
87:2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
105:24 The Lord 10 made his people very fruitful,
and made them 11 more numerous than their 12 enemies.
118:8 It is better to take shelter 13 in the Lord
than to trust in people.
118:9 It is better to take shelter in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
119:36 Give me a desire for your rules, 14
rather than for wealth gained unjustly. 15
119:98 Your commandments 16 make me wiser than my enemies,
for I am always aware of them.
119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your rules.
119:127 For this reason 17 I love your commands
more than gold, even purest gold.
1 tn Heb “you place joy in my heart.” Another option is to understand the perfect verbal form as indicating certitude, “you will make me happier.”
2 tn Heb “from (i.e., more than) the time (when) their grain and their wine are abundant.”
3 tn Heb “and you make him lack a little from [the] gods [or “God”].” The Piel form of חָסַר (khasar, “to decrease, to be devoid”) is used only here and in Eccl 4:8, where it means “to deprive, to cause to be lacking.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive either carries on the characteristic nuance of the imperfect in v. 5b or indicates a consequence (“so that you make him…”) of the preceding statement (see GKC 328 §111.m). Some prefer to make this an independent clause and translate it as a new sentence, “You made him….” In this case the statement might refer specifically to the creation of the first human couple, Adam and Eve (cf. Gen 1:26-27). The psalmist does appear to allude to Gen 1:26-27, where mankind is created in the image of God and his angelic assembly (note “let us make man in our image” in Gen 1:26). However, the psalmist’s statement need not be limited in its focus to that historical event, for all mankind shares the image imparted to the first human couple. Consequently the psalmist can speak in general terms of the exalted nature of mankind. The referent of אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God” or “the heavenly beings”) is unclear. Some understand this as a reference to God alone, but the allusion to Gen 1:26-27 suggests a broader referent, including God and the other heavenly beings (known in other texts as “angels”). The term אֱלֹהִים is also used in this way in Gen 3:5, where the serpent says to the woman, “you will be like the heavenly beings who know good and evil.” (Note Gen 3:22, where God says, “the man has become like one of us.”) Also אֱלֹהִים may refer to the members of the heavenly assembly in Ps 82:1, 6. The LXX (the ancient Greek translation of the OT) reads “angels” in Ps 8:5 (this is the source of the quotation of Ps 8:5 in Heb 2:7).
4 tn Heb “you crown him [with].” The imperfect verbal forms in this and the next line describe God’s characteristic activity.
5 sn Honor and majesty. These terms allude to mankind’s royal status as God’s vice-regents (cf. v. 6 and Gen 1:26-30).
6 tn This line is understood as giving the basis for the praise promised in the following line. Another option is to take the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) as asseverative/emphasizing, “Indeed, your loyal love is better” (cf. NEB, which leaves the particle untranslated).
7 tn The word “experiencing” is supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist does not speak here of divine loyal love in some abstract sense, but of loyal love revealed and experienced.
8 sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).
9 tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”
10 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
11 tn Heb “him,” referring to “his people.”
12 tn Heb “his,” referring to “his people.”
13 tn “Taking shelter” in the
14 tn Heb “turn my heart to your rules.”
15 tn Heb “and not unjust gain.”
16 tn The plural form needs to be revocalized as a singular in order to agree with the preceding singular verb and the singular pronoun in the next line. The
17 tn “For this reason” connects logically with the statement made in v. 126. Because the judgment the psalmist fears (see vv. 119-120) is imminent, he remains loyal to God’s law.