¹ tn Heb “a pit he digs and he excavates it.” Apparently the imagery of hunting is employed; the wicked sinner digs this pit to entrap and destroy his intended victim. The redundancy in the Hebrew text has been simplified in the translation.

² tn The verb forms in vv. 15-16 describe the typical behavior and destiny of those who attempt to destroy others. The image of the evildoer falling into the very trap he set for his intended victim emphasizes the appropriate nature of God’s judgment.

³ tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, and therefore ruling – see v. 4). Another option is to translate as “lives” or “dwells.”

⁴ tn Heb “declare among the nations his deeds.”

⁵ tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord.”

⁶ sn He has heard my plea for mercy. The psalmist’s mood abruptly changes at this point, because the Lord responded positively to his petition and assured him that he would deliver him.

⁷ tn Heb “one God spoke, two which I heard.” This is a numerical saying utilizing the “x” followed by “x + 1” pattern to facilitate poetic parallelism. (See W. M. W. Roth, Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament [VTSup], 55-56.) As is typical in such sayings, a list corresponding to the second number (in this case “two”) follows. Another option is to translate, “God has spoken once, twice [he has spoken] that which I have heard.” The terms אַחַת (’akhat, “one; once”) and שְׁתַּיִם (shÿtayim, “two; twice”) are also juxtaposed in 2 Kgs 6:10 (where they refer to an action that was done more than “once or twice”) and in Job 33:14 (where they refer to God speaking “one way” and then in “another manner”).

⁸ tn Heb “that strength [belongs] to God.”

⁹ tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative here.

¹⁰ tn Heb “in the midst of the earth.”

¹¹ tn Heb “they are an arm for the sons of Lot.” The “arm” is here a symbol of military might.

sn The descendants of Lot were the Moabites and Ammonites.

¹² tn Heb “from antiquity [are] you.” As the context suggests, this refers specifically to God’s royal position, not his personal existence.

¹³ tn Heb “his kingdom rules over all.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “and let them proclaim his works with a ringing cry.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “the heavens [are] heavens to the Lord.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “to the sons of man.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “return, my soul, to your place of rest.”

¹⁸ tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense (cf. Ps 13:5).

¹⁹ tn Heb “my strength and protection [is] the Lord.” The Hebrew term זִמְרָת (zimrat) is traditionally understood as meaning “song” (“my strength and song [is] the Lord”) in which case one might translate, “for the Lord gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing). However, many recent commentators have argued that the noun זִמְרָת is here a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See HALOT 274 s.v.; cf. NEB “The Lord is my refuge and defence”; NRSV “my strength and my might.”

²⁰ tn Or “salvation.”

²¹ tn Heb “the works of the Lord.”

²² tn Heb “to every perfection I have seen an end, your command is very wide.” God’s law is beyond full comprehension, which is why the psalmist continually studies it (vv. 95, 97).

²³ tn Or “for.”

²⁴ tn Heb “he desired it for his dwelling place.”

²⁵ tn Or “for.”

²⁶ sn His special possession. The language echoes Exod 19:5; Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18. See also Mal 3:17.

²⁷ tn Heb “judges,” but here the idea is that the Lord “judges on behalf of” his people. The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to the Lord’s characteristic actions.

²⁸ sn Verse 14 echoes Deut 32:36, where Moses affirms that God mercifully relents from fully judging his wayward people.

²⁹ tn Heb “and great of strength.”

³⁰ tn Heb “to his wisdom there is no counting.”