7:12 If a person 1 does not repent, God sharpens his sword 2
and prepares to shoot his bow. 3
10:7 His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words; 4
his tongue injures and destroys. 5
10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;
they are trapped in his sturdy nets. 6
18:22 For I am aware of all his regulations, 7
and I do not reject his rules. 8
21:2 You grant 9 him his heart’s desire;
you do not refuse his request. 10 (Selah)
28:8 The Lord strengthens his people; 11
he protects and delivers his chosen king. 12
29:11 The Lord gives 13 his people strength; 14
the Lord grants his people security. 15
30:4 Sing to the Lord, you faithful followers 16 of his;
give thanks to his holy name. 17
34:9 Remain loyal to 18 the Lord, you chosen people of his, 19
for his loyal followers 20 lack nothing!
41:3 The Lord supports 21 him on his sickbed;
you completely heal him from his illness. 22
55:20 He 23 attacks 24 his friends; 25
he breaks his solemn promises to them. 26
56:10 In God – I boast in his promise 27 –
in the Lord – I boast in his promise 28 –
77:8 Has his loyal love disappeared forever?
Has his promise 29 failed forever?
77:9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has his anger stifled his compassion?”
78:62 He delivered his people over to the sword,
and was angry with his chosen nation. 30
89:25 I will place his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers. 31
89:36 His dynasty will last forever. 32
His throne will endure before me, like the sun, 33
89:40 You have broken down all his 34 walls;
you have made his strongholds a heap of ruins.
89:42 You have allowed his adversaries to be victorious, 35
and all his enemies to rejoice.
89:44 You have brought to an end his splendor, 36
and have knocked 37 his throne to the ground.
95:5 The sea is his, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
96:3 Tell the nations about his splendor!
Tell 38 all the nations about his amazing deeds!
97:6 The sky declares his justice,
and all the nations see his splendor.
103:7 The Lord revealed his faithful acts 39 to Moses,
his deeds to the Israelites.
103:18 to those who keep his covenant,
who are careful to obey his commands. 40
103:19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven;
his kingdom extends over everything. 41
104:4 He makes the winds his messengers,
and the flaming fire his attendant. 42
105:1 Give thanks to the Lord!
Call on his name!
Make known his accomplishments among the nations!
105:18 The shackles hurt his feet; 44
his neck was placed in an iron collar, 45
105:21 He put him in charge of his palace, 46
and made him manager of all his property,
105:22 giving him authority to imprison his officials 47
and to teach his advisers. 48
105:25 He caused them 49 to hate his people,
and to mistreat 50 his servants.
105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, 51
and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.
105:37 He brought his people 52 out enriched 53 with silver and gold;
none of his tribes stumbled.
105:43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced;
his chosen ones shouted with joy. 54
105:45 so that they might keep his commands
and obey 55 his laws.
Praise the Lord!
106:8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation, 56
that he might reveal his power.
106:45 He remembered his covenant with them,
and relented 57 because of his great loyal love.
111:3 His work is majestic and glorious, 58
and his faithfulness endures 59 forever.
111:5 He gives 60 food to his faithful followers; 61
he always remembers his covenant. 62
111:7 His acts are characterized by 63 faithfulness and justice;
all his precepts are reliable. 64
132:7 Let us go to his dwelling place!
Let us worship 65 before his footstool!
135:14 For the Lord vindicates 66 his people,
and has compassion on his servants. 67
136:15 and tossed 68 Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,
for his loyal love endures,
136:16 to the one who led his people through the wilderness,
for his loyal love endures,
136:22 as an inheritance to Israel his servant,
for his loyal love endures,
147:15 He 69 sends his command through the earth; 70
swiftly his order reaches its destination. 71
147:19 He proclaims his word to Jacob,
his statutes and regulations to Israel.
148:2 Praise him, all his angels! 72
Praise him, all his heavenly assembly! 73
150:2 Praise him for his mighty acts!
Praise him for his surpassing greatness!
1 tn Heb “If he”; the referent (a person who is a sinner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The subject of the first verb is understood as the sinner who fails to repent of his ways and becomes the target of God’s judgment (vv. 9, 14-16).
2 tn Heb “if he does not return, his sword he sharpens.” The referent (God) of the pronominal subject of the second verb (“sharpens”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Heb “his bow he treads and prepares it.” “Treading the bow” involved stepping on one end of it in order to string it and thus prepare it for battle.
4 tn Heb “[with] a curse his mouth is full, and lies and injury.”
5 tn Heb “under his tongue are destruction and wickedness.” The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 90:10. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10.
6 tn Heb “he crushes, he is bowed down, and he falls into his strong [ones], [the] unfortunate [ones].” This verse presents several lexical and syntactical difficulties. The first word (יִדְכֶּה, yidekeh) is an otherwise unattested Qal form of the verb דָּכָה (dakhah, “crush”). (The Qere [marginal] form is imperfect; the consonantal text [Kethib] has the perfect with a prefixed conjunction vav [ו].) If the wicked man’s victim is the subject, which seems to be the case (note the two verbs which follow), then the form should be emended to a Niphal (יִדָּכֶה, yiddakheh). The phrase בַּעֲצוּמָיו (ba’atsumayv, “into his strong [ones]”), poses interpretive problems. The preposition -בְּ (bet) follows the verb נָפַל (nafal, “fall”), so it may very well carry the nuance “into” here, with “his strong [ones]” then referring to something into which the oppressed individual falls. Since a net is mentioned in the preceding verse as the instrument used to entrap the victim, it is possible that “strong [ones]” here refers metonymically to the wicked man’s nets or traps. Ps 35:8 refers to a man falling into a net (רֶשֶׁת, reshet), as does Ps 141:10 (where the plural of מִכְמָר [mikhmar, “net”] is used). A hunter’s net (רֶשֶׁת), is associated with snares (פַּח [pakh], מֹקְשִׁים, [moqÿshim]) and ropes (חֲבָלִים, khavalim) in Ps 140:5. The final word in the verse (חֶלְכָּאִים (khelka’im, “unfortunate [ones]”) may be an alternate form of חֵלְכָח (khelkhakh, “unfortunate [one]”; see vv. 8, 14). The Qere (marginal reading) divides the form into two words, חֵיל כָּאִים (khel ka’im, “army/host of disheartened [ones]”). The three verb forms in v. 10 are singular because the representative “oppressed” individual is the grammatical subject (see the singular עָנִי [’aniy] in v. 9).
7 tn Heb “for all his regulations [are] before me.” The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “regulations”) refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf. Deut 17:18-20). See also Pss 19:9 (cf. vv. 7-8); 89:30; 147:20 (cf. v. 19), as well as the numerous uses of the term in Ps 119.
8 tn Heb “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” 2 Sam 22:23 reads, “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; the psalmist here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The Lord’s “rules” are the stipulations of the covenant which the king was responsible to obey (see Ps 89:31; cf. v. 30 and Deut 17:18-20).
9 tn The translation assumes the perfect verbal forms in v. 2 are generalizing, stating factually what God typically does for the king. Another option is to take them as present perfects, “you have granted…you have not refused.” See v. 4, which mentions a specific request for a long reign.
10 tn Heb “and the request of his lips you do not refuse.”
11 tn Heb “the
12 tn Heb “he [is] a refuge of help for his anointed one.” The noun מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh, “anointed one”) refers to the Davidic king, who perhaps speaks as representative of the nation in this psalm. See Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17.
13 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 11 are either descriptive or generalizing.
14 sn Strength. This probably refers to military power; see the use of the noun in 1 Sam 2:10 and Ps 86:16.
15 tn Heb “blesses his people with peace.” The Hebrew term שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) probably refers here to the protection and prosperity experienced by God’s people after the
16 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד) 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 Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The noun זֵכֵר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the
18 tn Heb “fear.”
19 tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”
20 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
21 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive, continuing the prayer of v. 2, but the parallel line in v. 3b employs the perfect, suggesting that the psalmist is again speaking in the indicative mood (see v. 1b). The imperfect can be understood as future or as generalizing (see v. 1).
22 tn Heb “all his bed you turn in his illness.” The perfect is used here in a generalizing sense (see v. 1) or in a rhetorical manner to emphasize that the healing is as good as done.
23 sn He. This must refer to the psalmist’s former friend, who was addressed previously in vv. 12-14.
24 tn Heb “stretches out his hand against.”
25 tc The form should probably be emended to an active participle (שֹׁלְמָיו, sholÿmayv) from the verbal root שָׁלַם (shalam, “be in a covenant of peace with”). Perhaps the translation “his friends” suggests too intimate a relationship. Another option is to translate, “he attacks those who made agreements with him.”
26 tn Heb “he violates his covenant.”
27 tn Heb “in God I praise a word.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult. The statement is similar to that of v. 4, except that the third person pronominal suffix is omitted here, where the text has simply “a word” instead of “his word.” (1) One could translate, “in God I will boast [with] a word.” In this case, the “word” refers to a song of praise. (2) If one assumes that God’s word is in view, as in v. 4, then one option is to translate, “in God I boast, [in] his word.” In this case the prepositional phrase “in God” goes with the following verb “I boast” (see Ps 44:8) and “[his] word” is appositional to “in God” and more specifically identifies the basis for the psalmist’s confidence. God’s “word” is here understood as an assuring promise of protection. (3) The present translation reflects another option: In this case “I praise [his] word” is a parenthetical statement, with “[his] word” being the object of the verb. The sentence begun with the prepositional phrase “in God” is then completed in v. 11, with the prepositional phrase being repeated after the parenthesis.
28 tn The phrase “in the
29 tn Heb “word,” which may refer here to God’s word of promise (note the reference to “loyal love” in the preceding line).
30 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
31 tn Some identify “the sea” as the Mediterranean and “the rivers” as the Euphrates and its tributaries. However, it is more likely that “the sea” and “the rivers” are symbols for hostile powers that oppose God and the king (see v. 9, as well as Ps 93:3-4).
32 tn Heb “his offspring forever will be.”
33 tn Heb “and his throne like the sun before me.”
34 tn The king here represents the land and cities over which he rules.
35 tn Heb “you have lifted up the right hand of his adversaries.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:13; 118:16).
36 tc The Hebrew text appears to read, “you have brought to an end from his splendor,” but the form מִטְּהָרוֹ (mittÿharo) should be slightly emended (the daghesh should be removed from the tet [ת]) and read simply “his splendor” (the initial mem [מ] is not the preposition, but a nominal prefix).
37 tn The Hebrew verb מָגַר (magar) occurs only here and perhaps in Ezek 21:17.
38 tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
39 tn Heb “made known his ways.” God’s “ways” in this context are his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 18:30; 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 138:5; 145:17).
40 tn Heb “to those who remember his precepts to do them.”
41 tn Heb “his kingdom rules over all.”
42 tc Heb “and his attendants a flaming fire.” The lack of agreement between the singular “fire” and plural “attendants” has prompted various emendations. Some read “fire and flame.” The present translation assumes an emendation to “his attendant” (יו in the Hebrew text being virtually dittographic).
sn In Ugaritic mythology Yam’s messengers appear as flaming fire before the assembly of the gods. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 42.
43 sn Psalm 105. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God because he delivered his people from Egypt in fulfillment of his covenantal promises to Abraham. A parallel version of vv. 1-15 appears in 1 Chr 16:8-22.
44 tn Heb “they afflicted his feet with shackles.”
45 tn Heb “his neck came [into] iron.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with the suffix could mean simply “he” or “his life.” But the nuance “neck” makes good sense here (note the reference to his “feet” in the preceding line). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 38.
46 tn Heb “he made him master of his house.”
47 tn Heb “to bind his officials by his will.”
48 tn Heb “and his elders he taught wisdom.”
49 tn Heb “their heart.”
50 tn Or “to deal deceptively.” The Hitpael of נָכַל (nakhal) occurs only here and in Gen 37:18, where it is used of Joseph’s brothers “plotting” to kill him.
51 tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).
52 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the
53 tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
54 tn Heb “and he led his people out with joy, with a ringing cry, his chosen ones.”
55 tn Heb “guard.”
56 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
57 tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.
58 tn For other uses of the Hebrew phrase וְהָדָר-הוֹד (hod-vÿhadar, “majesty and splendor”) see 1 Chr 16:27; Job 40:10; Pss 21:5; 96:6; 104:1.
59 tn Or “stands.”
60 tn Or “gave,” if the events of the exodus and conquest period (see v. 6, 9) are primarily in view.
61 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
62 tn Or “he remembers his covenant forever” (see Ps 105:8).
63 tn Heb “the deeds of his hands [are].”
64 tn That is, fair and for man’s good.
65 tn Or “bow down.”
66 tn Heb “judges,” but here the idea is that the
67 sn Verse 14 echoes Deut 32:36, where Moses affirms that God mercifully relents from fully judging his wayward people.
68 tn Or “shook off.”
69 tn Heb “the one who.”
70 tn Heb “the one who sends his word, the earth.” The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) is an adverbial accusative; one must supply a preposition before it (such as “through” or “to”) in the English translation.
71 tn Heb “swiftly his word runs.”
72 tn Or “heavenly messengers.”
73 tn Heb “all his host.”