Discovery BoxPsalms 32:5 
Context32:5 Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess 1 my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins. 2 (Selah)
Psalms 59:11
Context59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,
because then my people might forget the lesson. 3
Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,
O Lord who shields us! 4
Psalms 127:1
ContextA song of ascents, 6 by Solomon.
127:1 If the Lord does not build a house, 7
then those who build it work in vain.
If the Lord does not guard a city, 8
then the watchman stands guard in vain.
1 tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”
2 tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.
3 tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”
sn My people might forget the lesson. Swift, sudden destruction might be quickly forgotten. The psalmist wants God’s judgment to be prolonged so that it might be a continual reminder of divine justice.
4 tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 sn The city symbolizes community security, which is the necessary framework for family security.
