78:25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. 1
He sent them more than enough to eat. 2
97:3 Fire goes before him;
on every side 3 it burns up his enemies.
A song of ascents. 5
128:1 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, 6
each one who keeps his commands! 7
140:2 who plan ways to harm me. 8
All day long they stir up conflict. 9
146:2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live!
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist!
147:18 He then orders it all to melt; 10
he breathes on it, 11 and the water flows.
1 sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).
2 tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”
3 tn Heb “all around.”
4 sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.
5 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.
6 tn Heb “every fearer of the
7 tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”
8 tn Heb “they devise wicked [plans] in [their] mind.”
9 tc Heb “they attack [for] war.” Some revocalize the verb (which is a Qal imperfect from גּוּר, gur, “to attack”) as יְגָרוּ (yÿgaru), a Piel imperfect from גָרָה (garah, “stir up strife”). This is followed in the present translation.
10 tn Heb “he sends his word and melts them.”
11 tn Heb “he blows his breath.”