5:9 For 1 they do not speak the truth; 2
their stomachs are like the place of destruction, 3
their throats like an open grave, 4
their tongues like a steep slope leading into it. 5
10:9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket; 6
he lies in ambush, waiting to catch 7 the oppressed;
he catches the oppressed 8 by pulling in his net. 9
27:6 Now I will triumph
over my enemies who surround me! 10
I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy! 11
I will sing praises to the Lord!
59:16 As for me, I will sing about your strength;
I will praise your loyal love in the morning.
For you are my refuge 12
and my place of shelter when I face trouble. 13
For the music director; according to the gittith style; 15 written by the Korahites, a psalm.
84:1 How lovely is the place where you live, 16
O Lord who rules over all! 17
1 tn Or “certainly.”
2 tn Heb “for there is not in his mouth truthfulness.” The singular pronoun (“his”) probably refers back to the “man of bloodshed and deceit” mentioned in v. 6. The singular is collective or representative, as the plural in the next line indicates, and so has been translated “they.”
3 tn Heb “their inward part[s] [is] destruction.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse.
4 tn Heb “their throat is an open grave.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse. The metaphor is suggested by the physical resemblance of the human throat to a deeply dug grave; both are dark chasms.
5 tn Heb “they make smooth their tongue.” Flattering, deceitful words are in view. See Ps 12:2. The psalmist’s deceitful enemies are compared to the realm of death/Sheol in v. 9b. Sheol was envisioned as a dark region within the earth, the entrance to which was the grave with its steep slopes (cf. Ps 88:4-6). The enemies’ victims are pictured here as slipping down a steep slope (the enemies’ tongues) and falling into an open grave (their throat) that terminates in destruction in the inner recesses of Sheol (their stomach). The enemies’ קרב (“inward part”) refers here to their thoughts and motives, which are destructive in their intent. The throat is where these destructive thoughts are transformed into words, and their tongue is what they use to speak the deceitful words that lead their innocent victims to their demise.
sn As the psalmist walks down the path in which God leads him, he asks the
6 tn Or “in its den.”
7 tn The verb, which also appears in the next line, occurs only here and in Judg 21:21.
8 tn The singular form is collective (see v. 10) or refers to the typical or representative oppressed individual.
9 tn Or “when he [i.e., the wicked man] pulls in his net.”
sn The background of the imagery is hunting, where the hunter uses a net to entrap an unsuspecting bird or wild animal.
10 tn Heb “and now my head will be lifted up over my enemies all around me.”
sn In vv. 1-3 the psalmist generalizes, but here we discover that he is facing a crisis and is under attack from enemies (see vv. 11-12).
11 tn Heb “I will sacrifice in his tent sacrifices of a shout for joy” (that is, “sacrifices accompanied by a joyful shout”).
12 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).
13 tn Heb “and my shelter in the day of my distress.”
14 sn Psalm 84. The psalmist expresses his desire to be in God’s presence in the Jerusalem temple, for the Lord is the protector of his people.
15 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הַגִּתִּית (haggittit) is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or instrument.
16 tn Or “your dwelling place[s].” The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; this is the
17 tn Traditionally, “