7:17 I will thank the Lord for 1 his justice;
I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord! 2
9:11 Sing praises to the Lord, who rules 3 in Zion!
Tell the nations what he has done! 4
13:6 I will sing praises 5 to the Lord
when he vindicates me. 6
21:13 Rise up, O Lord, in strength! 7
We will sing and praise 8 your power!
30:4 Sing to the Lord, you faithful followers 9 of his;
give thanks to his holy name. 10
33:3 Sing to him a new song! 11
Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him! 12
47:7 For God is king of the whole earth!
Sing a well-written song! 13
57:7 I am determined, 14 O God! I am determined!
I will sing and praise you!
66:2 Sing praises about the majesty of his reputation! 15
Give him the honor he deserves! 16
78:2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;
I will make insightful observations about the past. 17
87:7 As for the singers, as well as the pipers –
all of them sing within your walls. 18
96:2 Sing to the Lord! Praise his name!
Announce every day how he delivers! 19
98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands!
Let the mountains sing in unison
105:2 Sing to him!
Make music to him!
Tell about all his miraculous deeds!
119:172 May my tongue sing about your instructions, 20
for all your commands are just.
137:4 How can we sing a song to the Lord
in a foreign land?
145:7 They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, 21
and sing about your justice. 22
1 tn Heb “according to.”
2 tn Heb “[to] the name of the
3 tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, and therefore ruling – see v. 4). Another option is to translate as “lives” or “dwells.”
4 tn Heb “declare among the nations his deeds.”
5 tn The verb form is cohortative, indicating the psalmist’s resolve (or vow) to praise the
6 tn Or “for he will have vindicated me.” The verb form indicates a future perfect here. The idiom גָמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense.
7 tn Heb “in your strength,” but English idiom does not require the pronoun.
sn The psalm concludes with a petition to the Lord, asking him to continue to intervene in strength for the king and nation.
8 tn Heb “sing praise.”
9 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).
10 tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The noun זֵכֵר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the
11 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.
12 tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”
13 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term also occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142. Here, in a context of celebration, the meaning “skillful, well-written” would fit particularly well.
14 tn Or perhaps “confident”; Heb “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.
15 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
16 tn Heb “make honorable his praise.”
17 tn Heb “I will open with a wise saying my mouth, I will utter insightful sayings from long ago.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה+מָשָׁל (mashal + khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6), and an insightful song that reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent death (Ps 49:4).
18 tc Heb “and singers, like pipers, all my springs [are] in you.” The participial form חֹלְלִים (kholÿlim) appears to be from a denominative verb meaning “play the pipe,” though some derive the form from חוּל (khul, “dance”). In this case the duplicated lamed (ל) requires an emendation to מְחֹלְלִים (mÿkholÿlim, “a Polel form). The words are addressed to Zion. As it stands, the Hebrew text makes little, if any, sense. “Springs” are often taken here as a symbol of divine blessing and life”), but this reading does not relate to the preceding line in any apparent way. The present translation assumes an emendation of כָּל־מַעְיָנַי (kol-ma’yanay, “all my springs”) to כֻּלָּם עָנוּ (kullam ’anu, “all of them sing,” with the form עָנוּ being derived from עָנָה, ’anah, “sing”).
19 tn Heb “announce from day to day his deliverance.”
20 tn Heb “your word.”
21 tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”
22 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk…and sing.”