A musical composition 2 by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning 3 a Benjaminite named Cush. 4
7:1 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter. 5
Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me!
For the music director; according to the alumoth-labben style; 7 a psalm of David.
9:1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart!
I will tell about all your amazing deeds! 8
17:3 You have scrutinized my inner motives; 9
you have examined me during the night. 10
You have carefully evaluated me, but you find no sin.
I am determined I will say nothing sinful. 11
27:6 Now I will triumph
over my enemies who surround me! 12
I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy! 13
I will sing praises to the Lord!
A psalm – a song used at the dedication of the temple; 15 by David.
30:1 I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up, 16
and did not allow my enemies to gloat 17 over me.
31:13 For I hear what so many are saying, 18
the terrifying news that comes from every direction. 19
When they plot together against me,
they figure out how they can take my life.
Written by David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away. 21
34:1 I will praise 22 the Lord at all times;
my mouth will continually praise him. 23
35:10 With all my strength I will say, 24
“O Lord, who can compare to you?
You rescue 25 the oppressed from those who try to overpower them; 26
the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.” 27
59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,
because then my people might forget the lesson. 28
Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,
O Lord who shields us! 29
73:28 But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. 30
I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter,
as 31 I declare all the things you have done.
A song of ascents, 33 by David.
131:1 O Lord, my heart is not proud,
nor do I have a haughty look. 34
I do not have great aspirations,
or concern myself with things that are beyond me. 35
1 sn Psalm 7. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from his enemies. He protests his innocence and declares his confidence in God’s justice.
2 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שִׁגָּיוֹן (shiggayon; translated here “musical composition”) is uncertain. Some derive the noun from the verbal root שָׁגָה (shagah, “swerve, reel”) and understand it as referring to a “wild, passionate song, with rapid changes of rhythm” (see BDB 993 s.v. שִׁגָּיוֹן). But this proposal is purely speculative. The only other appearance of the noun is in Hab 3:1, where it occurs in the plural.
3 tn Or “on account of.”
4 sn Apparently this individual named Cush was one of David’s enemies.
5 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
6 sn Psalm 9. The psalmist, probably speaking on behalf of Israel or Judah, praises God for delivering him from hostile nations. He celebrates God’s sovereignty and justice, and calls on others to join him in boasting of God’s greatness. Many Hebrew
7 tc The meaning of the Hebrew term עַלְמוּת (’almut) is uncertain. Some
8 tn The cohortative forms in vv. 1-2 express the psalmist’s resolve to praise God publicly.
9 tn Heb “you tested my heart.”
10 tn Heb “you visited [at] night.”
11 tc Heb “you tested me, you do not find, I plan, my mouth will not cross over.” The Hebrew verbal form זַמֹּתִי (zammotiy) is a Qal perfect, first person singular from the root זָמַם (zamam, “plan, plan evil”). Some emend the form to a suffixed form of the noun, זִמָּתִי (zimmatiy, “my plan/evil plan”), and take it as the object of the preceding verb “find.” However, the suffix seems odd, since the psalmist is denying that he has any wrong thoughts. If one takes the form with what precedes, it might make better sense to read זִמּוֹת (zimmot, “evil plans”). However, this emendation leaves an unclear connection with the next line. The present translation maintains the verbal form found in the MT and understands it in a neutral sense, “I have decided” (see Jer 4:28). The words “my mouth will not cross over” (i.e., “transgress, sin”) can then be taken as a noun clause functioning as the object of the verb.
12 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).
13 tn Heb “I will sacrifice in his tent sacrifices of a shout for joy” (that is, “sacrifices accompanied by a joyful shout”).
14 sn Psalm 30. The author thanks the Lord for delivering him from death and urges others to join him in praise. The psalmist experienced divine discipline for a brief time, but when he cried out for help the Lord intervened and restored his favor.
15 tn Heb “a song of the dedication of the house.” The referent of “house” is unclear. It is possible that David wrote this psalm for the dedication ceremony of Solomon’s temple. Another possibility is that the psalm was used on the occasion of the dedication of the second temple following the return from exile, or on the occasion of the rededication of the temple in Maccabean times.
16 tn Elsewhere the verb דָּלָה (dalah) is used of drawing water from a well (Exod 2:16, 19; Prov 20:5). The psalmist was trapped in the pit leading to Sheol (see v. 3), but the
17 tn Or “rejoice.”
18 tn Heb “the report of many.”
19 tn Heb “the terror from all around.”
20 sn Psalm 34. In this song of thanksgiving the psalmist praises God for delivering him from distress. He encourages others to be loyal to the Lord, tells them how to please God, and assures them that the Lord protects his servants. The psalm is an acrostic; vv. 1-21 begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. (Verse 6 begins with the letter he (ה) and v. 7 with the letter zayin (ז). The letter vav (ו), which comes between ה and ז, seems to be omitted, although it does appear at the beginning of v. 6b. The final verse of the psalm, which begins with the letter pe (פ), is outside the acrostic scheme.
21 tn Heb “By David, when he changed his sense before Abimelech and he drove him away and he went.”
sn Pretended to be insane. The psalm heading appears to refer to the account in 1 Sam 21:10-15 which tells how David, fearful that King Achish of Gath might kill him, pretended to be insane in hopes that the king would simply send him away. The psalm heading names the king Abimelech, not Achish, suggesting that the tradition is confused on this point. However, perhaps “Abimelech” was a royal title, rather than a proper name. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 278.
22 tn Heb “bless.”
23 tn Heb “continually [will] his praise [be] in my mouth.”
24 tn Heb “all my bones will say.”
25 tn Heb “[the one who] rescues.” The substantival participle in the Hebrew text characterizes God as one who typically rescues the oppressed.
26 tn Heb “from [the one who is] too strong for him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense. The typical oppressed individual and typical oppressor are in view.
27 tn Heb “the oppressed [one] and needy [one] from [the one who] robs him.” As in the previous line, the singular forms are used in a representative sense.
28 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.
29 tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”
30 tn Heb “but as for me, the nearness of God for me [is] good.”
31 tn The infinitive construct with -לְ (lÿ) is understood here as indicating an attendant circumstance. Another option is to take it as indicating purpose (“so that I might declare”) or result (“with the result that I declare”).
32 sn Psalm 131. The psalmist affirms his humble dependence on the Lord and urges Israel to place its trust in God.
33 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.
34 tn Heb “and my eyes are not lifted up.”
35 tn Heb “I do not walk in great things, and in things too marvelous for me.”