40:3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, 1
praising our God. 2
May many see what God has done,
so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord! 3
47:9 The nobles of the nations assemble,
along with the people of the God of Abraham, 4
for God has authority over the rulers 5 of the earth.
He is highly exalted! 6
53:5 They are absolutely terrified, 7
even by things that do not normally cause fear. 8
For God annihilates 9 those who attack you. 10
You are able to humiliate them because God has rejected them. 11
78:4 we will not hide from their 12 descendants.
We will tell the next generation
about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts, 13
about his strength and the amazing things he has done.
133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, 14
which flows down upon the hills of Zion. 15
Indeed 16 that is where the Lord has decreed
a blessing will be available – eternal life. 17
1 sn A new song was appropriate because the Lord had intervened in the psalmist’s experience in a fresh and exciting way.
2 tn Heb “and he placed in my mouth a new song, praise to our God.”
3 tn Heb “may many see and fear and trust in the
4 tc The words “along with” do not appear in the MT. However, the LXX has “with,” suggesting that the original text may have read עִם עַם (’im ’am, “along with the people”). In this case the MT is haplographic (the consonantal sequence ayin-mem [עם] being written once instead of twice). Another option is that the LXX is simply and correctly interpreting “people” as an adverbial accusative and supplying the appropriate preposition.
5 tn Heb “for to God [belong] the shields of the earth.” Perhaps the rulers are called “shields” because they are responsible for protecting their people. See Ps 84:9, where the Davidic king is called “our shield,” and perhaps also Hos 4:18.
6 tn The verb עָלָה (’alah, “ascend”) appears once more (see v. 5), though now in the Niphal stem.
7 tn Heb “there they are afraid [with] fear.” The perfect verbal form is probably used in a rhetorical manner; the psalmist describes the future demise of the oppressors as if it were already occurring. The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is also used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the wicked standing in fear at a spot that is this vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.). The cognate accusative following the verb emphasizes the degree of their terror (“absolutely”).
8 tn Heb “there is no fear.” Apparently this means the evildoers are so traumatized with panic (see v. 5b) that they now jump with fear at everything, even those things that would not normally cause fear. Ps 14:5 omits this line.
9 tn Heb “scatters the bones.” The perfect is used in a rhetorical manner, describing this future judgment as if it were already accomplished. Scattering the bones alludes to the aftermath of a battle. God annihilates his enemies, leaving their carcasses spread all over the battlefield. As the bodies are devoured by wild animals and decay, the bones of God’s dead enemies are exposed. See Ps 141:7.
10 tn Heb “[those who] encamp [against] you.” The second person masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to God’s people viewed as a collective whole. Instead of “for God scatters the bones of those who encamp against you,” Ps 14:5 reads, “for God is with a godly generation.”
11 tn Once again the perfect is used in a rhetorical manner, describing this future judgment as if it were already accomplished. As in the previous line, God’s people are probably addressed. The second person singular verb form is apparently collective, suggesting that the people are viewed here as a unified whole. Ps 14:6 reads here “the counsel of the oppressed you put to shame, even though God is his shelter,” the words being addressed to the wicked.
12 tn The pronominal suffix refers back to the “fathers” (“our ancestors,” v. 3).
13 tn Heb “to a following generation telling the praises of the
14 sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.
15 sn The hills of Zion are those surrounding Zion (see Pss 87:1; 125:2). The psalmist does not intend to suggest that the dew from Mt. Hermon in the distant north actually flows down upon Zion. His point is that the same kind of heavy dew that replenishes Hermon may also be seen on Zion’s hills. See A. Cohen, Psalms (SoBB), 439. “Dew” here symbolizes divine blessing, as the next line suggests.
16 tn Or “for.”
17 tn Heb “there the