7:9 May the evil deeds of the wicked 1 come to an end! 2
But make the innocent 3 secure, 4
O righteous God,
you who examine 5 inner thoughts and motives! 6
11:4 The Lord is in his holy temple; 7
the Lord’s throne is in heaven. 8
His eyes 9 watch; 10
his eyes 11 examine 12 all people. 13
1 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
2 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation here.
3 tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.
4 tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.
5 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.
6 tn Heb “and [the one who] tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order to improve the English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
7 tn Because of the royal imagery involved here, one could translate “lofty palace.” The
8 sn The
9 sn His eyes. The anthropomorphic language draws attention to God’s awareness of and interest in the situation on earth. Though the enemies are hidden by the darkness (v. 2), the Lord sees all.
10 tn The two Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this verse describe the
11 tn Heb “eyelids.”
12 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 7:9; 26:2; 139:23.
13 tn Heb “test the sons of men.”