7:13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; 1
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. 2
10:12 Rise up, Lord! 3
O God, strike him down! 4
Do not forget the oppressed!
18:12 From the brightness in front of him came
hail and fiery coals. 5
21:2 You grant 6 him his heart’s desire;
you do not refuse his request. 7 (Selah)
21:3 For you bring him 8 rich 9 blessings; 10
you place a golden crown on his head.
22:30 A whole generation 11 will serve him;
they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord. 12
33:21 For our hearts rejoice in him,
for we trust in his holy name.
34:5 Those who look to him for help are happy;
their faces are not ashamed. 13
34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him 14 from all his troubles.
34:22 The Lord rescues his servants; 15
all who take shelter in him escape punishment. 16
37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! 17
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. 18
61:7 May he reign 19 forever before God!
Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness should protect him. 20
66:2 Sing praises about the majesty of his reputation! 21
Give him the honor he deserves! 22
72:9 Before him the coastlands 23 will bow down,
and his enemies will lick the dust. 24
76:12 He humbles princes; 25
the kings of the earth regard him as awesome. 26
78:17 Yet they continued to sin against him,
and rebelled against the sovereign One 27 in the desert.
78:32 Despite all this, they continued to sin,
and did not trust him to do amazing things. 28
78:37 They were not really committed to him, 29
and they were unfaithful to his covenant.
78:70 He chose David, his servant,
and took him from the sheepfolds.
81:15 (May those who hate the Lord 30 cower in fear 31 before him!
May they be permanently humiliated!) 32
89:20 I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king. 33
89:33 But I will not remove 34 my loyal love from him,
nor be unfaithful to my promise. 35
89:38 But you have spurned 36 and rejected him;
you are angry with your chosen king. 37
89:43 You turn back 38 his sword from the adversary, 39
and have not sustained him in battle. 40
89:45 You have cut short his youth, 41
and have covered him with shame. (Selah)
94:13 in order to protect him from times of trouble, 42
until the wicked are destroyed. 43
95:4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, 44
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
96:6 Majestic splendor emanates from him; 45
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful. 46
96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire! 47
Tremble before him, all the earth!
97:2 Dark clouds surround him;
equity and justice are the foundation of his throne. 48
97:3 Fire goes before him;
on every side 49 it burns up his enemies.
100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give him thanks!
Praise his name!
102:21 so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,
and praise him 50 in Jerusalem, 51
104:34 May my thoughts 52 be pleasing to him!
I will rejoice in the Lord.
105:19 until the time when his prediction 53 came true.
The Lord’s word 54 proved him right. 55
105:20 The king authorized his release; 56
the ruler of nations set him free.
105:22 giving him authority to imprison his officials 57
and to teach his advisers. 58
106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered 59 because of them,
106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people 60
and despised the people who belong to him. 61
109:6 62 Appoint an evil man to testify against him! 63
May an accuser stand 64 at his right side!
109:12 May no one show him kindness! 65
May no one have compassion 66 on his fatherless children!
109:30 I will thank the Lord profusely, 67
in the middle of a crowd 68 I will praise him,
113:8 that he might seat him with princes,
with the princes of his people.
117:1 Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Applaud him, all you foreigners! 70
119:2 How blessed are those who observe his rules,
and seek him with all their heart,
145:20 The Lord protects those who love him,
but he destroys all the wicked.
148:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the sky!
Praise him in the heavens!
148:4 Praise him, O highest heaven,
and you waters above the sky! 72
1 tn Heb “and for him he prepares the weapons of death.”
2 tn Heb “his arrows into flaming [things] he makes.”
3 sn Rise up, O
4 tn Heb “lift up your hand.” Usually the expression “lifting the hand” refers to praying (Pss 28:2; 134:2) or making an oath (Ps 106:26), but here it probably refers to “striking a blow” (see 2 Sam 18:28; 20:21). Note v. 15, where the psalmist asks the
5 tc Heb “from the brightness in front of him his clouds came, hail and coals of fire.” 2 Sam 22:13 reads, “from the brightness in front of him burned coals of fire.” The Lucianic family of texts within the Greek tradition of 2 Sam 22:13 seems to assume the underlying Hebrew text: מנגה נגדו עברו ברד וגחלי אשׁ, “from the brightness in front of him came hail and coals of fire” (the basis for the present translation). The textual situation is perplexing and the identity of the original text uncertain. The verbs עָבָרוּ (’avaru; Ps 18:12) and בָּעֲרוּ (ba’aru; 2 Sam 22:13) appear to be variants involving a transposition of the first two letters. The noun עָבָיו (’avayv, “his clouds,” Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the following עָבְרוּ, ’avru), or it could have accidentally dropped out from the text of 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ, which might have originally read עָבְרוּ). The noun בָּרָד (barad, “hail,” Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the preceding עָבְרוּ), or it could have dropped out from 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ, which might have originally read עָבְרוּ). For a fuller discussion of the text and its problems, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 74-76.
6 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.
7 tn Heb “and the request of his lips you do not refuse.”
8 tn Or “meet him [with].”
9 tn Heb “good.”
10 sn You bring him rich blessings. The following context indicates that God’s “blessings” include deliverance/protection, vindication, sustained life, and a long, stable reign (see also Pss 3:8; 24:5).
11 tn Heb “offspring.”
12 tn Heb “it will be told concerning the Lord to the generation.” The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
13 tc Heb “they look to him and are radiant and their faces are not ashamed.” The third person plural subject (“they”) is unidentified; there is no antecedent in the Hebrew text. For this reason some prefer to take the perfect verbal forms in the first line as imperatives, “look to him and be radiant” (cf. NEB, NRSV). Some medieval Hebrew
14 tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.
15 tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.
16 tn “Taking shelter” in the
17 tn Heb “roll your way upon the
18 tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the
19 tn Heb “sit [enthroned].” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive here, expressing the psalmist’s prayer.
20 tn Heb “loyal love and faithfulness appoint, let them protect him.”
21 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
22 tn Heb “make honorable his praise.”
23 tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.
24 sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.
25 tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to HALOT 148 s.v. II בצר, the Hebrew verb בָּצַר (batsar) is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect tense highlighting God’s typical behavior.
26 tn Heb “[he is] awesome to the kings of the earth.”
27 tn Heb “rebelling [against] the Most High.”
28 tn Heb “and did not believe in his amazing deeds.”
29 tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”
30 tn “Those who hate the
31 tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 66:3 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “to be weak; to be powerless” (see also Ps 109:24). The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, parallel to the jussive form in the next line.
32 tc Heb “and may their time be forever.” The Hebrew term עִתָּם (’ittam, “their time”) must refer here to the “time” of the demise and humiliation of those who hate the
tn The verb form at the beginning of the line is jussive, indicating that this is a prayer. The translation assumes that v. 15 is a parenthetical “curse” offered by the psalmist. Having heard the reference to Israel’s enemies (v. 14), the psalmist inserts this prayer, reminding the Lord that they are God’s enemies as well.
33 tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.
34 tn Heb “break”; “make ineffectual.” Some prefer to emend אָפִיר (’afir; the Hiphil of פָּרַר, parar, “to break”) to אָסִיר (’asir; the Hiphil of סוּר, sur, “to turn aside”), a verb that appears in 2 Sam 7:15.
35 tn Heb “and I will not deal falsely with my faithfulness.”
36 tn The Hebrew construction (conjunction + pronoun, followed by the verb) draws attention to the contrast between what follows and what precedes.
37 tn Heb “your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 132:10, 17).
38 tn The perfect verbal form predominates in vv. 38-45. The use of the imperfect in this one instance may be for rhetorical effect. The psalmist briefly lapses into dramatic mode, describing the king’s military defeat as if it were happening before his very eyes.
39 tc Heb “you turn back, rocky summit, his sword.” The Hebrew term צוּר (tsur, “rocky summit”) makes no sense here, unless it is a divine title understood as vocative, “you turn back, O Rocky Summit, his sword.” Some emend the form to צֹר (tsor, “flint”) on the basis of Josh 5:2, which uses the phrase חַרְבוֹת צֻרִים (kharvot tsurim, “flint knives”). The noun צֹר (tsor, “flint”) can then be taken as “flint-like edge,” indicating the sharpness of the sword. Others emend the form to אָחוֹר (’akhor, “backward”) or to מִצַּר (mitsar, “from the adversary”). The present translation reflects the latter, assuming an original reading תָּשִׁיב מִצָּר חַרְבּוֹ (tashiv mitsar kharbo), which was corrupted to תָּשִׁיב צָר חַרְבּוֹ (tashiv tsar kharbo) by virtual haplography (confusion of bet/mem is well-attested) with צָר (tsar, “adversary”) then being misinterpreted as צוּר in the later tradition.
40 tn Heb “and you have not caused him to stand in the battle.”
41 tn Heb “the days of his youth” (see as well Job 33:25).
42 tn Heb “to give him rest from the days of trouble.”
43 tn Heb “until a pit is dug for the wicked.”
44 tn The phrase “in his hand” means within the sphere of his authority.
45 tn Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”
46 tn Heb “strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary.”
47 tn Or “in holy splendor.”
48 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
49 tn Heb “all around.”
50 tn Heb “his praise.”
51 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
52 tn That is, the psalmist’s thoughts as expressed in his songs of praise.
53 tn Heb “word,” probably referring to Joseph’s prediction about the fate of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker (see Gen 41:9-14).
54 tn This line may refer to Joseph’s prediction of the famine in response to Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph emphasized to Pharaoh that the interpretation of the dream came from God (see Gen 41:16, 25, 28, 32, 39).
55 tn Heb “refined him.”
56 tn Heb “[the] king sent and set him free.”
57 tn Heb “to bind his officials by his will.”
58 tn Heb “and his elders he taught wisdom.”
59 tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”
60 tn Heb “the anger of the
61 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
62 sn In vv. 6-19 the psalmist calls on God to judge his enemies severely. Some attribute this curse-list to the psalmist’s enemies rather than the psalmist. In this case one should paraphrase v. 6: “They say about me, ‘Appoint an evil man, etc.’” Those supporting this line of interpretation point out that vv. 2-5 and 20 refer to the enemies’ attack on the psalmist being a verbal one. Furthermore in vv. 1-5, 20 the psalmist speaks of his enemies in the plural, while vv. 6-19 refer to an individual. This use of the singular in vv. 6-19 could be readily explained if this is the psalmist’s enemies’ curse on him. However, it is much more natural to understand vv. 6-19 as the psalmist’s prayer against his enemies. There is no introductory quotation formula in v. 6 to indicate that the psalmist is quoting anyone, and the statement “may the
63 tn Heb “appoint against him an evil [man].”
64 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive here (note the imperative in the preceding line).
65 tn Heb “may there not be for him one who extends loyal love.”
66 tn Perhaps this refers to being generous (see Ps 37:21).
67 tn Heb “I will thank the
68 tn Heb “many.”
69 sn Psalm 117. The psalmist tells the nations to praise the Lord for his loyal love and faithfulness.
70 tn Or “peoples” (see Ps 108:3).
71 sn Psalm 148. The psalmist calls upon all creation to praise the Lord, for he is the creator and sovereign king of the world.
72 sn The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. See also Ps 104:3. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 47.