40:4 How blessed 1 is the one 2 who trusts in the Lord 3
and does not seek help from 4 the proud or from liars! 5
97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects 6 the lives of his faithful followers;
he delivers them from the power 7 of the wicked.
106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. 8
A song of ascents. 10
134:1 Attention! 11 Praise the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord,
who serve 12 in the Lord’s temple during the night.
1 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
2 tn Heb “man.” See the note on the word “one” in Ps 1:1.
3 tn Heb “who has made the
4 tn Heb “and does not turn toward.”
5 tn Heb “those falling away toward a lie.”
6 tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the
7 tn Heb “hand.”
8 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.
9 sn Psalm 134. The psalmist calls on the temple servants to praise God (vv. 1-2). They in turn pronounce a blessing on the psalmist (v. 3).
10 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.
11 tn Heb “Look!”
12 tn Heb “stand.”