5:10 Condemn them, 1 O God!
May their own schemes be their downfall! 2
Drive them away 3 because of their many acts of insurrection, 4
for they have rebelled against you.
5:11 But may all who take shelter 5 in you be happy! 6
May they continually 7 shout for joy! 8
Shelter them 9 so that those who are loyal to you 10 may rejoice! 11
11:2 For look, the wicked 12 prepare 13 their bows, 14
they put their arrows on the strings,
to shoot in the darkness 15 at the morally upright. 16
12:6 The Lord’s words are absolutely reliable. 17
They are as untainted as silver purified in a furnace on the ground,
where it is thoroughly refined. 18
For the music director; by David.
14:1 Fools say to themselves, 20 “There is no God.” 21
They sin and commit evil deeds; 22
none of them does what is right. 23
14:4 All those who behave wickedly 24 do not understand – 25
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to the Lord.
22:8 They say, 26
“Commit yourself 27 to the Lord!
Let the Lord 28 rescue him!
Let the Lord 29 deliver him, for he delights in him.” 30
22:16 Yes, 31 wild dogs surround me –
a gang of evil men crowd around me;
like a lion they pin my hands and feet. 32
28:3 Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly, 33
who talk so friendly to their neighbors, 34
while they plan to harm them! 35
28:5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,
or the way he carries out justice. 36
The Lord 37 will permanently demolish them. 38
31:17 O Lord, do not let me be humiliated,
for I call out to you!
May evil men be humiliated!
May they go wailing to the grave! 39
32:9 Do not be 40 like an unintelligent horse or mule, 41
which will not obey you
unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. 42
35:13 When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, 43
and refrained from eating food. 44
(If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!) 45
35:27 May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice!
May they continually say, 46 “May the Lord be praised, 47 for he wants his servant to be secure.” 48
37:28 For the Lord promotes 49 justice,
and never abandons 50 his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure, 51
but the children 52 of evil men are wiped out. 53
37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, 54
for they seek his protection.
38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; 55
those who want to harm me speak destructive words;
all day long they say deceitful things.
39:6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. 56
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.” 57
40:12 For innumerable dangers 58 surround me.
My sins overtake me
so I am unable to see;
they outnumber the hairs of my head
so my strength fails me. 59
42:10 My enemies’ taunts cut into me to the bone, 60
as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 61
53:4 All those who behave wickedly 62 do not understand 63 –
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to God.
55:3 because of what the enemy says, 64
and because of how the wicked 65 pressure me, 66
for they hurl trouble 67 down upon me 68
and angrily attack me.
55:15 May death destroy them! 69
May they go down alive into Sheol! 70
For evil is in their dwelling place and in their midst.
55:19 God, the one who has reigned as king from long ago,
will hear and humiliate them. 71 (Selah)
They refuse to change,
and do not fear God. 72
55:21 His words are as smooth as butter, 73
but he harbors animosity in his heart. 74
His words seem softer than oil,
but they are really like sharp swords. 75
59:3 For look, they wait to ambush me; 76
powerful men stalk 77 me,
but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord. 78
59:4 Though I have done nothing wrong, 79 they are anxious to attack. 80
Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me! 81
59:13 Angrily wipe them out! Wipe them out so they vanish!
Let them know that God rules
in Jacob and to the ends of the earth! (Selah)
62:9 Men are nothing but a mere breath;
human beings are unreliable. 82
When they are weighed in the scales,
all of them together are lighter than air. 83
74:2 Remember your people 84 whom you acquired in ancient times,
whom you rescued 85 so they could be your very own nation, 86
as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!
78:6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,
might know about them.
They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. 87
78:8 Then they will not be like their ancestors,
who were a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation that was not committed
and faithful to God. 88
A psalm of Asaph.
79:1 O God, foreigners 90 have invaded your chosen land; 91
they have polluted your holy temple
and turned Jerusalem 92 into a heap of ruins.
79:2 They have given the corpses of your servants
to the birds of the sky; 93
the flesh of your loyal followers
to the beasts of the earth.
84:6 As they pass through the Baca Valley, 94
he provides a spring for them. 95
The rain 96 even covers it with pools of water. 97
95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted 98 with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; 99
they do not obey my commands.’ 100
95:11 So I made a vow in my anger,
‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’” 101
99:6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel was one of those who prayed to him. 102
They 103 prayed to the Lord and he answered them.
99:8 O Lord our God, you answered them.
They found you to be a forgiving God,
but also one who punished their sinful deeds. 104
107:26 They 105 reached up to the sky,
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength 106 left them 107 because the danger was so great. 108
A song of ascents, 110 by David.
122:1 I was glad because 111 they said to me,
“We will go to the Lord’s temple.”
137:7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell. 112
They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, 113
right to its very foundation!”
139:18 If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you. 114
140:5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men 115 spread a net by the path;
they set traps for me. (Selah)
140:8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way! 116
Do not allow their 117 plan to succeed when they attack! 118 (Selah)
140:10 May he rain down 119 fiery coals upon them!
May he throw them into the fire!
From bottomless pits they will not escape. 120
142:3 Even when my strength leaves me, 121
you watch my footsteps. 122
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
142:6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble! 123
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
1 tn Heb “declare/regard them as guilty.” Declaring the psalmist’s adversaries guilty is here metonymic for judging them or paying them back for their wrongdoing.
2 tn Heb “may they fall from their plans.” The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation. The psalmist calls judgment down on the evildoers. Their plans will be their downfall in that God will judge them for their evil schemes.
3 tn Or “banish them.”
4 tn The Hebrew noun used here, פֶּשַׁע (pesha’), refers to rebellious actions. The psalmist pictures his enemies as rebels against God (see the next line).
5 sn Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
6 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer. The psalmist calls on God to reward his faithful followers.
7 tn Or perhaps more hyperbolically, “forever.”
8 tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer.
9 tn Heb “put a cover over them.” The verb form is a Hiphil imperfect from סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “cover, shut off”). The imperfect expresses the psalmist’s wish or request.
10 tn Heb “the lovers of your name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to the Lord. See Pss 69:36; 119:132; Isa 56:6.
11 tn The vav (ו) with prefixed verbal form following the volitional “shelter them” indicates purpose or result (“so that those…may rejoice).
12 tn In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and threaten his people (Ps 3:8).
13 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form depicts the enemies’ hostile action as underway.
14 tn Heb “a bow.”
15 sn In the darkness. The enemies’ attack, the precise form of which is not indicated, is compared here to a night ambush by archers; the psalmist is defenseless against this deadly attack.
16 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
17 tn Heb “the words of the
18 tn Heb “[like] silver purified in a furnace of [i.e., “on”] the ground, refined seven times.” The singular participle מְזֻקָּק (mÿzuqqaq, “refined”) modifies “silver.” The number seven is used rhetorically to express the thorough nature of the action. For other rhetorical/figurative uses of שִׁבְעָתָיִם (shiv’atayim, “seven times”), see Gen 4:15, 24; Ps 79:12; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
19 sn Psalm 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.
20 tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
21 sn “There is no God.” The statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that God is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
22 tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
23 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
24 tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8.
25 tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question (rendered in the translation as a positive affirmation) expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-7).
26 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. The psalmist here quotes the sarcastic taunts of his enemies.
27 tn Heb “roll [yourself].” The Hebrew verb גלל here has the sense of “commit” (see Prov 16:3). The imperatival form in the Hebrew text indicates the enemies here address the psalmist. Since they refer to him in the third person in the rest of the verse, some prefer to emend the verb to a perfect, “he commits himself to the
28 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
29 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
30 tn That is, “for he [the
sn This statement does not necessarily reflect the enemies’ actual belief, but it does reflect the psalmist’s confession. The psalmist’s enemies sarcastically appeal to God to help him, because he claims to be an object of divine favor. However, they probably doubted the reality of his claim.
31 tn Or “for.”
32 tn Heb “like a lion, my hands and my feet.” This reading is often emended because it is grammatically awkward, but perhaps its awkwardness is by rhetorical design. Its broken syntax may be intended to convey the panic and terror felt by the psalmist. The psalmist may envision a lion pinning the hands and feet of its victim to the ground with its paws (a scene depicted in ancient Near Eastern art), or a lion biting the hands and feet. The line has been traditionally translated, “they pierce my hands and feet,” and then taken as foreshadowing the crucifixion of Christ. Though Jesus does appropriate the language of this psalm while on the cross (compare v. 1 with Matt 27:46 and Mark 15:34), the NT does not cite this verse in describing the death of Jesus. (It does refer to vv. 7-8 and 18, however. See Matt 27:35, 39, 43; Mark 15:24, 29; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24.) If one were to insist on an emendation of כָּאֲרִי (ka’ariy, “like a lion”) to a verb, the most likely verbal root would be כָּרָה (karah, “dig”; see the LXX). In this context this verb could refer to the gnawing and tearing of wild dogs (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV). The ancient Greek version produced by Symmachus reads “bind” here, perhaps understanding a verbal root כרך, which is attested in later Hebrew and Aramaic and means “to encircle, entwine, embrace” (see HALOT 497-98 s.v. כרך and Jastrow 668 s.v. כָּרַךְ). Neither one of these proposed verbs can yield a meaning “bore, pierce.”
33 tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
34 tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”
35 tn Heb “and evil [is] in their heart[s].”
36 tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context “the
37 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
38 tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.
39 tn The verb יִדְּמוּ (yiddÿmu) is understood as a form of דָּמַם (damam, “wail, lament”). Another option is to take the verb from דָּמַם (“be quiet”; see BDB 198-99 s.v. I דָּמַם), in which case one might translate, “May they lie silent in the grave.”
40 tn The verb form is plural (i.e., “do not all of you be”); the psalmist addresses the whole group.
41 tn Heb “like a horse, like a mule without understanding.”
42 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.”
43 tn Heb “as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.” Sackcloth was worn by mourners. When the psalmist’s enemies were sick, he was sorry for their misfortune and mourned for them.
44 sn Fasting was also a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities, such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
45 tn Heb “and my prayer upon my chest will return.” One could translate, “but my prayer was returning upon my chest,” but the use of the imperfect verbal form sets this line apart from the preceding and following lines (vv. 13a, 14), which use the perfect to describe the psalmist’s past actions.
46 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27a are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-26).
47 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
48 tn Heb “the one who desires the peace of his servant.”
49 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the
50 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.
51 tn Or “protected forever.”
52 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
53 tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.
54 tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.
55 tn Heb “lay snares.”
56 tn Heb “surely, as an image man walks about.” The preposition prefixed to “image” indicates identity here.
sn People go through life (Heb “man walks about”). “Walking” is here used as a metaphor for living. The point is that human beings are here today, gone tomorrow. They have no lasting substance and are comparable to mere images or ghosts.
57 tc Heb “Surely [in] vain they strive, he accumulates and does not know who gathers them.” The MT as it stands is syntactically awkward. The verb forms switch from singular (“walks about”) to plural (“they strive”) and then back to singular (“accumulates and does not know”), even though the subject (generic “man”) remains the same. Furthermore there is no object for the verb “accumulates” and no plural antecedent for the plural pronoun (“them”) attached to “gathers.” These problems can be removed if one emends the text from הֶבֶל יֶהֱמָיוּן (hevel yehemaun, “[in] vain they strive”) to הֶבְלֵי הָמוֹן (hevley hamon, “vain things of wealth”). This assumes a misdivision in the MT and a virtual dittography of vav (ו) between the mem and nun of המון. The present translation follows this emendation.
58 tn Or “sinful deeds.” The Hebrew term used here can have a nonmoral nuance (“dangers”) or a moral one (“sinful deeds”) depending on the context. The next line (see “my sins”) seems to favor the moral sense, but the psalmist also speaks of enemies shortly after this (v. 14).
59 tn Heb “and my heart abandons me.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of emotional strength and courage. For a similar idea see Ps 38:10.
60 tc Heb “with a shattering in my bones my enemies taunt me.” A few medieval Hebrew
61 sn “Where is your God?” The enemies ask this same question in v. 3.
62 tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8. Ps 14:4 adds כֹּל (kol, “all of”) before “workers of wickedness.”
63 tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-6).
64 tn Heb “because of [the] voice of [the] enemy.”
65 tn The singular forms “enemy” and “wicked” are collective or representative, as the plural verb forms in the second half of the verse indicate.
66 tn Heb “from before the pressure of the wicked.” Some suggest the meaning “screech” (note the parallel “voice”; cf. NEB “shrill clamour”; NRSV “clamor”) for the rare noun עָקָה (’aqah, “pressure”).
67 tn Heb “wickedness,” but here the term refers to the destructive effects of their wicked acts.
68 tc The verb form in the MT appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוֹט (mot, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in the Kethib (consonantal text) of Ps 140:10, where the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read. Here in Ps 55:3 it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). It is odd for “rain down” to be used with an abstract object like “wickedness,” but in Job 20:23 God “rains down” anger (unless one emends the text there; see BHS).
69 tc The meaning of the MT is unclear. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads יַשִּׁימָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashimavet ’alemo, “May devastation [be] upon them!”). The proposed noun יַשִּׁימָוֶת occurs only here and perhaps in the place name Beth-Jeshimoth in Num 33:49. The Qere (marginal text) has יַשִּׁי מָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashi mavet ’alemo). The verbal form יַשִּׁי is apparently an alternate form of יַשִּׁיא (yashi’), a Hiphil imperfect from נָשַׁא (nasha’, “deceive”). In this case one might read “death will come deceptively upon them.” This reading has the advantage of reading מָוֶת (mavet, “death”) which forms a natural parallel with “Sheol” in the next line. The present translation is based on the following reconstruction of the text: יְשִׁמֵּם מָוֶת (yeshimmem mavet). The verb assumed in the reconstruction is a Hiphil jussive third masculine singular from שָׁמַם (shamam, “be desolate”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix attached. This reconstruction assumes that (1) haplography has occurred in the traditional text (the original sequence of three mems [מ] was lost with only one mem remaining), resulting in the fusion of originally distinct forms in the Kethib, and (2) that עָלֵימוֹ (’alemo, “upon them”) is a later scribal addition attempting to make sense of a garbled and corrupt text. The preposition עַל (’al) does occur with the verb שָׁמַם (shamam), but in such cases the expression means “be appalled at/because of” (see Jer 49:20; 50:45). If one were to retain the prepositional phrase here, one would have to read the text as follows: יַשִּׁים מָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashim mavet ’alemo, “Death will be appalled at them”). The idea seems odd, to say the least. Death is not collocated with this verb elsewhere.
70 sn Go down alive. This curse imagines a swift and sudden death for the psalmist’s enemies.
71 tc Heb “God will hear and answer them, even [the] one who sits [from] ancient times.” The prefixed verbal from with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the anticipatory force of the preceding imperfect. The verb appears to be a Qal form from עָנָה (’anah, “to answer”). If this reading is retained, the point would be that God “answered” them in judgment. The translation assumes an emendation to the Piel וַיְעַנֵּם (vay’annem; see 2 Kgs 17:20) and understands the root as עָנָה (’anah, “to afflict”; see also 1 Kgs 8:35).
72 tn Heb “[the ones] for whom there are no changes, and they do not fear God.”
73 tn Heb “the butter-like [words] of his mouth are smooth.” The noun מַחְמָאֹת (makhma’ot, “butter-like [words]”) occurs only here. Many prefer to emend the form to מֵחֶמְאָה (mekhem’ah, from [i.e., “than”] butter”), cf. NEB, NRSV “smoother than butter.” However, in this case “his mouth” does not agree in number with the plural verb חָלְקוּ (kholqu, “they are smooth”). Therefore some further propose an emendation of פִּיו (piv, “his mouth”) to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”). In any case, the point seems to that the psalmist’s former friend spoke kindly to him and gave the outward indications of friendship.
74 tn Heb “and war [is in] his heart.”
75 tn Heb “his words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.”
76 tn Heb “my life.”
77 tn The Hebrew verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 56:8.
78 sn The point is that the psalmist’s enemies have no justifiable reason for attacking him. He has neither rebelled or sinned against the
79 tn Heb “without sin.”
80 tn Heb “they run and they are determined.”
81 tn Heb “arise to meet me and see.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to meet; to encounter”) here carries the nuance of “to help.”
82 tn Heb “only a breath [are] the sons of mankind, a lie [are] the sons of man.” The phrases “sons of mankind” and “sons of man” also appear together in Ps 49:2. Because of the parallel line there, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, a number of interpreters and translators treat these expressions as polar opposites, בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes. But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand the phrases as synonymous expressions.
83 tn The noun הֶבֶל (hevel), translated “a breath” earlier in the verse, appears again here.
84 tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.
85 tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).
86 tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).
87 tn Heb “in order that they might know, a following generation, sons [who] will be born, they will arise and will tell to their sons.”
88 tn Heb “a generation that did not make firm its heart and whose spirit was not faithful with God.” The expression “make firm the heart” means “to be committed, devoted” (see 1 Sam 7:3).
89 sn Psalm 79. The author laments how the invading nations have destroyed the temple and city of Jerusalem. He asks God to forgive his people and to pour out his vengeance on those who have mistreated them.
90 tn Or “nations.”
91 tn Heb “have come into your inheritance.”
92 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
93 tn Heb “[as] food for the birds of the sky.”
94 tn The translation assumes that the Hebrew phrase עֵמֶק הַבָּכָא (’emeq habbakha’) is the name of an otherwise unknown arid valley through which pilgrims to Jerusalem passed. The term בָּכָא (bakha’) may be the name of a particular type of plant or shrub that grew in this valley. O. Borowski (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 130) suggests it is the black mulberry. Some take the phrase as purely metaphorical and relate בָּכָא to the root בָּכָה (bakhah, “to weep”). In this case one might translate, “the valley of weeping” or “the valley of affliction.”
95 tc The MT reads “a spring they make it,” but this makes little sense. Many medieval Hebrew
96 tn This rare word may refer to the early (or autumn) rains (see Joel 2:23).
97 tc The MT reads בְּרָכוֹת (bÿrakhot, “blessings”) but the preceding reference to a “spring” favors an emendation to בְּרֵכוֹת (bÿrekhot, “pools”).
sn Pools of water. Because water is so necessary for life, it makes an apt symbol for divine favor and blessing. As the pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem, God provided for their physical needs and gave them a token of his favor and of the blessings awaiting them at the temple.
98 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.
99 tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”
100 tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the
101 tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are compared to sheep (see v. 7).
102 tn Heb “among those who called on his name.”
103 tn Heb “those who.” The participle is in apposition to the phrase “those who called on his name” in the preceding line.
104 tn Heb “a God of lifting up [i.e., forgiveness] you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The present translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned (cf. NIV, NRSV). Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form נֹקֵם (noqem, “an avenger”) to נֹקָם (noqam), a rare Qal participial form of נָקַה (naqah, “purify”) with a suffixed pronoun. In this case one could translate, “and one who purified them from their [sinful] deeds” (cf. NEB “and held them innocent”).
105 tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).
106 tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
107 tn Or “melted.”
108 tn Heb “from danger.”
109 sn Psalm 122. The psalmist expresses his love for Jerusalem and promises to pray for the city’s security.
110 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.
111 tn Heb “in the ones saying to me.” After the verb שָׂמַח (samakh), the preposition בְּ (bet) usually introduces the reason for joy.
112 tn Heb “remember, O
113 tn Heb “lay [it] bare, lay [it] bare.”
114 tc Heb “I awake and I [am] still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to הֲקִצּוֹתִי (haqitsoti), a Hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb קָצַץ (qatsats) understood as a denominative of קֵץ (qets, “end”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252-53.
115 tn Heb “and ropes,” but many prefer to revocalize the noun as a participle (חֹבְלִים, khovÿlim) from the verb חָבַל (khaval, “act corruptly”).
116 tn Heb “do not grant the desires of the wicked.”
117 tn Heb “his.” The singular is used in a representative sense (see v. 1).
118 tn Heb “his plot do not promote, they rise up.” The translation understands the final verb as being an unmarked temporal clause. Another option is to revocalize the verb as a Hiphil and take the verb with the next verse, “those who surround me lift up [their] head,” which could refer to their proud attitude as they anticipate victory (see Ps 27:6).
119 tn The verb form in the Kethib (consonantal Hebrew text) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוּט (mut, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in Ps 55:3, where it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). In Ps 140:10 the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read.
120 tn Heb “into bottomless pits, they will not arise.” The translation assumes that the preposition -בְּ (bet) has the nuance “from” here. Another option is to connect the line with what precedes, take the final clause as an asyndetic relative clause, and translate, “into bottomless pits [from which] they cannot arise.” The Hebrew noun מַהֲמֹרָה (mahamorah, “bottomless pit”) occurs only here in the OT.
121 tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
122 tn Heb “you know my path.”
123 tn Heb “for I am very low.”