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.
9:14 Then I will 5 tell about all your praiseworthy acts; 6
in the gates of Daughter Zion 7 I will rejoice because of your deliverance.” 8
18:30 The one true God acts in a faithful manner; 9
the Lord’s promise 10 is reliable; 11
he is a shield to all who take shelter 12 in him.
25:7 Do not hold against me 13 the sins of my youth 14 or my rebellious acts!
Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord! 15
31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers 16 of his!
The Lord protects those who have integrity,
but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. 17
By David; a well-written song. 19
32:1 How blessed 20 is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, 21
whose sin is pardoned! 22
45:4 Appear in your majesty and be victorious! 23
Ride forth for the sake of what is right, 24
on behalf of justice! 25
Then your right hand will accomplish mighty acts! 26
65:8 Even those living in the most remote areas are awestruck by your acts; 27
you cause those living in the east and west to praise you. 28
79:13 Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will continually thank you. 29
We will tell coming generations of your praiseworthy acts. 30
107:43 Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things!
Let them consider the Lord’s acts of loyal love!
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 tn Or “so that I might.”
6 tn Heb “all your praise.” “Praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt it.
7 sn Daughter Zion is an idiomatic title for Jerusalem. It appears frequently in the prophets, but only here in the psalms.
8 tn Heb “in your deliverance.”
9 tn Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל (ha’el, “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).
10 sn The
11 tn Heb “the word of the
12 sn Take shelter. See the note on the word “shelter” in v. 2.
13 tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing.
14 sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom.
15 tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O
16 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
17 tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.
18 sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.
19 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
20 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). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.
21 tn Heb “lifted up.”
22 tn Heb “covered over.”
23 tn Heb “and your majesty, be successful.” The syntax is awkward. The phrase “and your majesty” at the beginning of the verse may be accidentally repeated (dittography); it appears at the end of v. 3.
24 tn Or “for the sake of truth.”
25 tc The precise meaning of the MT is uncertain. The form עַנְוָה (’anvah) occurs only here. One could emend the text to עֲנָוָה וְצֶדֶק (’anavah vÿtsedeq, “[for the sake of truth], humility, and justice”). In this case “humility” would perhaps allude to the king’s responsibility to “serve” his people by promoting justice (cf. NIV “in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness”). The present translation assumes an emendation to יַעַן (ya’an, “because; on account of”) which would form a suitable parallel to עַל־דְּבַר (’al-dÿvar, “because; for the sake of”) in the preceding line.
26 tn Heb “and your right hand will teach you mighty acts”; or “and may your right hand teach you mighty acts.” After the imperatives in the first half of the verse, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive likely indicates purpose (“so that your right hand might teach you mighty acts”) or result (see the present translation). The “right hand” here symbolizes the king’s military strength. His right hand will “teach” him mighty acts by performing them and thereby causing him to experience their magnificence.
27 tn Heb “and the inhabitants of the ends fear because of your signs.” God’s “signs” are the “awesome acts” (see v. 5) he performs in the earth.
28 tn Heb “the goings out of the morning and the evening you cause to shout for joy.” The phrase “goings out of the morning and evening” refers to the sunrise and sunset, that is, the east and the west.
29 tn Or (hyperbolically) “will thank you forever.”
30 tn Heb “to a generation and a generation we will report your praise.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14.