5:8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness 1
because of those who wait to ambush me, 2
remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me! 3
10:15 Break the arm 4 of the wicked and evil man!
Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds, 5
which he thought you would not discover. 6
31:19 How great is your favor, 7
which you store up for your loyal followers! 8
In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter 9 in you. 10
32:9 Do not be 11 like an unintelligent horse or mule, 12
which will not obey you
unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. 13
133:2 It is like fine oil poured on the head
which flows down the beard 14 –
Aaron’s beard,
and then flows down his garments. 15
149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies 16 have been sentenced. 17
All his loyal followers will be vindicated. 18
Praise the Lord!
1 tn God’s providential leading is in view. His צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) includes here the deliverance that originates in his righteousness; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 842 s.v.
2 tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 27:11; 56:2.
3 tn Heb “make level before me your way.” The imperative “make level” is Hiphil in the Kethib (consonantal text); Piel in the Qere (marginal reading). God’s “way” is here the way in which he leads the psalmist providentially (see the preceding line, where the psalmist asks the Lord to lead him).
4 sn The arm symbolizes the strength of the wicked, which they use to oppress and exploit the weak.
5 tn Heb “you seek his wickedness.” As in v. 13, the verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as describing a fact, “you hold him accountable,” or as anticipating divine judgment, “you will hold him accountable.” However, since the verb is in apparent parallelism with the preceding imperative (“break”), it is better to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s desire or request.
6 tn Heb “you will not find.” It is uncertain how this statement relates to what precedes. Some take בַל (bal), which is used as a negative particle in vv. 4, 6, 11, 18, as asseverative here, “Indeed find (i.e., judge his wickedness).” The translation assumes that the final words are an asyndetic relative clause which refers back to what the wicked man boasted in God’s face (“you will not find [i.e., my wickedness]”). See v. 13.
7 tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”
8 tn Heb “for those who fear you.”
9 tn “Taking shelter” in the
10 tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”
11 tn The verb form is plural (i.e., “do not all of you be”); the psalmist addresses the whole group.
12 tn Heb “like a horse, like a mule without understanding.”
13 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.”
14 tn Heb “[it is] like the good oil on the head, going down on the beard.”
15 tn Heb “which goes down in accordance with his measured things.” The Hebrew phrase מִדּוֹתָיו (middotayv, “his measured things”) refers here to the robes worn by Aaron. HALOT 546 s.v. *מַד derives the form from מַד (midah, “robe”) rather than מִדָּה (middah, “measured thing”). Ugaritic md means “robe” and is pluralized mdt.
16 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”
18 tn Heb “it is honor for all his godly ones.” The judgment of the oppressive kings will bring vindication and honor to God’s people (see vv. 4-5).