¹ tn Heb “the fearers of the Lord.”

² tn Heb “the small along with the great.” The translation assumes that “small” and “great” here refer to age (see 2 Chr 15:13). Another option is to translate “both the insignificant and the prominent” (see Job 3:19; cf. NEB “high and low alike”).

³ tn Heb “precious in the eyes of the Lord [is] the death of his godly ones.” The point is not that God delights in or finds satisfaction in the death of his followers! The psalmist, who has been delivered from death, affirms that the life-threatening experiences of God’s followers get God’s attention, just as a precious or rare object would attract someone’s eye. See Ps 72:14 for a similar expression of this belief.

⁴ tn Heb “Who is this man, the one who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.” The singular (note “man”) is representative here (see v. 14, where the plural is used), and has thus been translated as a plural (“followers…they”).

⁵ 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).

⁶ tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The noun זֵכֵר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 6:5; 97:12.The Lord’s “name” is “holy” in the sense that it is a reminder of his uniqueness and greatness.

⁷ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

⁹ tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC 329 §111.u.

¹⁰ tn Heb “fear.”

¹¹ tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”

¹² tn Heb “those who fear him.”

¹³ tn Heb “draw out to full length.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “to those who know you.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “know”) is used here of those who “know” the Lord in the sense that they recognize his royal authority and obey his will (see Jer 22:16).

¹⁵ tn Heb “and your justice to.” The verb “extend” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).

¹⁶ tn Heb “the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

¹⁷ tn Or “gave,” if the events of the exodus and conquest period (see v. 6, 9) are primarily in view.

¹⁸ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

¹⁹ tn Or “he remembers his covenant forever” (see Ps 105:8).

²⁰ tn Heb “[you] fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

²¹ tn Or “[source of] help.”

²² tn Heb “and their shield.”

²³ tn Heb “fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

²⁴ tn Heb “to all who fear you.”

²⁵ tn Heb “those who fear you.”

²⁶ tn Heb “according to custom toward the lovers of your name.” The “lovers of” God’s “name” are the Lord’s loyal followers. See Pss 5:11; 69:36; Isa 56:6.

²⁷ tn Or “righteousness.”

²⁸ tn Heb “fearers.”