8:2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies
you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, 1
so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy. 2
22:23 You loyal followers of the Lord, 3 praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! 4
22:25 You are the reason I offer praise 5 in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. 6
30:9 “What 7 profit is there in taking my life, 8
in my descending into the Pit? 9
Can the dust of the grave 10 praise you?
Can it declare your loyalty? 11
33:1 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord!
It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.
A song, a psalm by the Korahites.
48:1 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise
in the city of our God, 14 his holy hill.
48:10 The praise you receive as far away as the ends of the earth
is worthy of your reputation, O God. 15
You execute justice! 16
For the music director; a psalm of David, a song.
65:1 Praise awaits you, 18 O God, in Zion.
Vows made to you are fulfilled.
65:8 Even those living in the most remote areas are awestruck by your acts; 19
you cause those living in the east and west to praise you. 20
104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist! 21
107:32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people!
Let them praise him in the place where the leaders preside! 22
A song, a psalm of David.
108:1 I am determined, 24 O God!
I will sing and praise you with my whole heart. 25
111:1 Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the assembly of the godly and the congregation.
111:10 To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living; 27
all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight. 28
He will receive praise forever. 29
A song of ascents. 31
134:1 Attention! 32 Praise the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord,
who serve 33 in the Lord’s temple during the night.
By David.
144:1 The Lord, my protector, 35 deserves praise 36 –
the one who trains my hands for battle, 37
and my fingers for war,
146:2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live!
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist!
148:13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty extends over the earth and sky.
149:3 Let them praise his name with dancing!
Let them sing praises to him to the accompaniment of the tambourine and harp!
149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies 38 have been sentenced. 39
All his loyal followers will be vindicated. 40
Praise the Lord!
1 tn Heb “you establish strength because of your foes.” The meaning of the statement is unclear. The present translation follows the reading of the LXX which has “praise” (αἶνος, ainos) in place of “strength” (עֹז, ’oz); cf. NIV, NCV, NLT.
2 tn Heb “to cause to cease an enemy and an avenger.” The singular forms are collective. The Hitpael participle of נָקַם (naqam) also occurs in Ps 44:16.
3 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the
4 tn Heb “fear him.”
5 tn Heb “from with you [is] my praise.”
6 tn Heb “my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.” When asking the
7 sn The following two verses (vv. 9-10) contain the prayer (or an excerpt of the prayer) that the psalmist offered to the Lord during his crisis.
8 tn Heb “What profit [is there] in my blood?” “Blood” here represents his life.
9 tn The Hebrew term שָׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 49:9; 55:24; 103:4).
10 tn Heb “dust.” The words “of the grave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
11 tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “Of course not!”
sn According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 6:5; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!
12 sn Psalm 33. In this hymn the psalmist praises the Lord as the sovereign creator and just ruler of the world who protects and vindicates those who fear him.
13 sn Psalm 48. This so-called “Song of Zion” celebrates the greatness and glory of the Lord’s dwelling place, Jerusalem. His presence in the city elevates it above all others and assures its security.
14 sn The city of our God is Jerusalem, which is also referred to here as “his holy hill,” that is, Zion (see v. 2, as well as Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; 87:1; Dan 9:16).
15 tn Heb “like your name, O God, so [is] your praise to the ends of the earth.” Here “name” refers to God’s reputation and revealed character.
16 tn Heb “your right hand is full of justice.” The “right hand” suggests activity and power.
17 sn Psalm 65. The psalmist praises God because he forgives sin and blesses his people with an abundant harvest.
18 tn Heb “for you, silence, praise.” Many prefer to emend the noun דֻּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”) to a participle דּוֹמִיָּה (domiyyah), from the root דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”), understood here in the sense of “wait.”
19 tn Heb “and the inhabitants of the ends fear because of your signs.” God’s “signs” are the “awesome acts” (see v. 5) he performs in the earth.
20 tn Heb “the goings out of the morning and the evening you cause to shout for joy.” The phrase “goings out of the morning and evening” refers to the sunrise and sunset, that is, the east and the west.
21 tn Heb “in my duration.”
22 tn Heb “in the seat of the elders.”
23 sn Psalm 108. With some minor variations, this psalm is a composite of Ps 57:7-11 (see vv. 1-5) and Ps 60:5-12 (see vv. 6-13).
24 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.
25 tn Heb “also my glory,” but this makes little sense in the context. Some view the term כָּבוֹד (“glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvodiy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 57:9; as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 3:93. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”
26 sn Psalm 111. The psalmist praises God for his marvelous deeds, especially the way in which he provides for and delivers his people. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (twenty-two in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
27 tn Heb “the beginning of wisdom [is] the fear of the
28 tn Heb “good sense [is] to all who do them.” The third masculine plural pronominal suffix must refer back to the “precepts” mentioned in v. 7. In the translation the referent has been specified for clarity. The phrase שֵׂכֶל טוֹב (shekhel tov) also occurs in Prov 3:4; 13:15 and 2 Chr 30:22.
29 tn Heb “his praise stands forever.”
30 sn Psalm 134. The psalmist calls on the temple servants to praise God (vv. 1-2). They in turn pronounce a blessing on the psalmist (v. 3).
31 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.
32 tn Heb “Look!”
33 tn Heb “stand.”
34 sn Psalm 144. The psalmist expresses his confidence in God, asks for a mighty display of divine intervention in an upcoming battle, and anticipates God’s rich blessings on the nation in the aftermath of military victory.
35 tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The
36 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
37 sn The one who trains my hands for battle. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement (see Ps 18:34). Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
38 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”
40 tn Heb “it is honor for all his godly ones.” The judgment of the oppressive kings will bring vindication and honor to God’s people (see vv. 4-5).