¹ tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.

² tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

³ tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

⁴ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.

⁵ sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.

⁶ tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”

⁷ sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.

⁸ tn Heb “the Lord [is] my light and my deliverance.” “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Another option is that “light” refers here to divine guidance (see Ps 43:3).

⁹ tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

¹⁰ tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

¹¹ tn Heb “[is] a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritic texts, the Amarna letters, and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 131, n. 2.

¹² tn Or “grace.”

¹³ tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those walking in integrity.”

¹⁴ sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the Lord is the king of the universe who preserves order and suppresses the destructive forces in the world.

¹⁵ sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.

¹⁶ tn Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.

¹⁷ tn Heb “places.”

¹⁸ sn Psalm 104. The psalmist praises God as the ruler of the world who sustains all life.

¹⁹ tn Heb “very great.”

²⁰ tn Or “be destroyed.”

²¹ tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.

²² tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”

²³ tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן, ’amen), traditionally transliterated “amen.”

²⁴ sn The final verse (v. 48) is a conclusion to this fourth “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and third “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52, respectively).

²⁵ sn Psalm 127. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist teaches that one does not find security by one’s own efforts, for God alone gives stability and security.

²⁶ 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.

²⁷ sn The expression build a house may have a double meaning here. It may refer on the surface level to a literal physical structure in which a family lives, but at a deeper, metaphorical level it refers to building, perpetuating, and maintaining a family line. See Deut 25:9; Ruth 4:11; 1 Sam 2:35; 2 Sam 7:27; 1 Kgs 11:38; 1 Chr 17:10, 25. Having a family line provided security in ancient Israel.

²⁸ sn The city symbolizes community security, which is the necessary framework for family security.