¹ tn Heb “if only my ways were established.”

² tn Heb “my soul languishes for longing for.”

³ tn Heb “men of my counsel.” That is, God’s rules are like advisers to the psalmist, for they teach him how to live in a godly manner that refutes the accusations of his enemies.

⁴ tn Heb “my soul clings to the dirt.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

⁵ tn Heb “according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural “your words.”

⁶ tn Heb “for you make wide my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and understanding. The Lord gives the psalmist the desire and moral understanding that are foundational to the willing obedience depicted metaphorically in the preceding line. In Isa 60:5 the expression “your heart will be wide” means “your heart will swell with pride,” but here the nuance appears to be different.

⁷ tn Or “make me walk.”

⁸ tn Heb “for in it I delight.”

⁹ tn Or “righteousness.”

¹⁰ tn God’s “word” refers here to his law (see v. 11).