55:23 But you, O God, will bring them 1 down to the deep Pit. 2
Violent and deceitful people 3 will not live even half a normal lifespan. 4
But as for me, I trust in you.
59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,
because then my people might forget the lesson. 5
Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,
O Lord who shields us! 6
133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, 7
which flows down upon the hills of Zion. 8
Indeed 9 that is where the Lord has decreed
a blessing will be available – eternal life. 10
138:2 I will bow down toward your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name,
because of your loyal love and faithfulness,
for you have exalted your promise above the entire sky. 11
144:14 Our cattle will be weighted down with produce. 12
No one will break through our walls,
no one will be taken captive,
and there will be no terrified cries in our city squares. 13
1 tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).
2 tn Heb “well of the pit.” The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 103:4).
3 tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”
4 tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”
5 tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”
sn My people might forget the lesson. Swift, sudden destruction might be quickly forgotten. The psalmist wants God’s judgment to be prolonged so that it might be a continual reminder of divine justice.
6 tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”
7 sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.
8 sn The hills of Zion are those surrounding Zion (see Pss 87:1; 125:2). The psalmist does not intend to suggest that the dew from Mt. Hermon in the distant north actually flows down upon Zion. His point is that the same kind of heavy dew that replenishes Hermon may also be seen on Zion’s hills. See A. Cohen, Psalms (SoBB), 439. “Dew” here symbolizes divine blessing, as the next line suggests.
9 tn Or “for.”
10 tn Heb “there the
11 tc The MT reads, “for you have made great over all your name your word.” If retained, this must mean that God's mighty intervention, in fulfillment of his word of promise, surpassed anything he had done prior to this. However, the statement is odd and several emendations have been proposed. Some read, “for you have exalted over everything your name and your word,” while others suggest, “for you have exalted over all the heavens your name and your word.” The translation assumes an emendation of “your name” to “your heavens” (a construction that appears in Pss 8:3 and 144:5). The point is that God has been faithful to his promise and the reliability of that promise is apparent to all. For a fuller discussion of these options, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 244.
12 tn Heb “weighted down.” This probably refers (1) to the cattle having the produce from the harvest placed on their backs to be transported to the storehouses (see BDB 687 s.v. סָבַל). Other options are (2) to take this as reference to the cattle being pregnant (see HALOT 741 s.v. סבל pu) or (3) to their being well-fed or fattened (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 288).
13 tn Heb “there [will be] no breach, and there [will be] no going out, and there [will be] no crying out in our broad places.”