Mazmur 31:1-23
KonteksFor the music director; a psalm of David.
31:1 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter!
Never let me be humiliated!
Vindicate me by rescuing me! 2
Quickly deliver me!
Be my protector and refuge, 4
a stronghold where I can be safe! 5
31:3 For you are my high ridge 6 and my stronghold;
for the sake of your own reputation 7 you lead me and guide me. 8
31:4 You will free me 9 from the net they hid for me,
for you are my place of refuge.
31:5 Into your hand I entrust my life; 10
you will rescue 11 me, O Lord, the faithful God.
31:6 I hate those who serve worthless idols, 12
but I trust in the Lord.
31:7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am. 13
31:8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;
you enable me to stand 14 in a wide open place.
31:9 Have mercy on me, for I am in distress!
My eyes grow dim 15 from suffering. 16
I have lost my strength. 17
31:10 For my life nears its end in pain;
my years draw to a close as I groan. 18
My strength fails me because of 19 my sin,
and my bones become brittle. 20
31:11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me; 21
my neighbors are appalled by my suffering 22 –
those who know me are horrified by my condition; 23
those who see me in the street run away from me.
31:12 I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about; 24
I am regarded as worthless, like a broken jar. 25
31:13 For I hear what so many are saying, 26
the terrifying news that comes from every direction. 27
When they plot together against me,
they figure out how they can take my life.
31:14 But I trust in you, O Lord!
I declare, “You are my God!”
31:15 You determine my destiny! 28
Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those who chase me.
31:16 Smile 29 on your servant!
Deliver me because of your faithfulness!
31:17 O Lord, do not let me be humiliated,
for I call out to you!
May evil men be humiliated!
May they go wailing to the grave! 30
31:18 May lying lips be silenced –
lips 31 that speak defiantly against the innocent 32
with arrogance and contempt!
31:19 How great is your favor, 33
which you store up for your loyal followers! 34
In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter 35 in you. 36
31:20 You hide them with you, where they are safe from the attacks 37 of men; 38
you conceal them in a shelter, where they are safe from slanderous attacks. 39
31:21 The Lord deserves praise 40
for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies. 41
31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said, 42
“I am cut off from your presence!” 43
But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers 44 of his!
The Lord protects those who have integrity,
but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. 45
Mazmur 35:1-28
KonteksBy David.
35:1 O Lord, fight 47 those who fight with me!
Attack those who attack me!
35:2 Grab your small shield and large shield, 48
and rise up to help me!
35:3 Use your spear and lance 49 against 50 those who chase me!
Assure me with these words: 51 “I am your deliverer!”
35:4 May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated!
May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed! 52
35:5 May they be 53 like wind-driven chaff,
as the Lord’s angel 54 attacks them! 55
35:6 May their path be 56 dark and slippery,
as the Lord’s angel chases them!
35:7 I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me
and dug a pit to trap me. 57
35:8 Let destruction take them by surprise! 58
Let the net they hid catch them!
Let them fall into destruction! 59
35:9 Then I will rejoice in the Lord
and be happy because of his deliverance. 60
35:10 With all my strength I will say, 61
“O Lord, who can compare to you?
You rescue 62 the oppressed from those who try to overpower them; 63
the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.” 64
35:11 Violent men perjure themselves, 65
and falsely accuse me. 66
35:12 They repay me evil for the good I have done; 67
I am overwhelmed with sorrow. 68
35:13 When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, 69
and refrained from eating food. 70
(If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!) 71
35:14 I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother. 72
I bowed down 73 in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother. 74
35:15 But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together;
they gathered together to ambush me. 75
They tore at me without stopping to rest. 76
35:16 When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly, 77
and tried to bite me. 78
35:17 O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? 79
Rescue 80 me 81 from their destructive attacks;
guard my life 82 from the young lions!
35:18 Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly; 83
I will praise you before a large crowd of people! 84
35:19 Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason 85 gloat 86 over me!
Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes! 87
35:20 For they do not try to make peace with others, 88
but plan ways to deceive those who are unsuspecting. 89
35:21 They are ready to devour me; 90
they say, “Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!” 91
35:22 But you take notice, 92 Lord!
O Lord, do not remain far away from me!
35:23 Rouse yourself, wake up 93 and vindicate me! 94
My God and Lord, defend my just cause! 95
35:24 Vindicate me by your justice, O Lord my God!
Do not let them gloat 96 over me!
35:25 Do not let them say to themselves, 97 “Aha! We have what we wanted!” 98
Do not let them say, “We have devoured him!”
35:26 May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 99
May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! 100
35:27 May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice!
May they continually say, 101 “May the Lord be praised, 102 for he wants his servant to be secure.” 103
35:28 Then I will tell others about your justice, 104
and praise you all day long. 105
Mazmur 38:1-21
KonteksA psalm of David, written to get God’s attention. 107
38:1 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger!
Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury! 108
38:2 For your arrows pierce 109 me,
and your hand presses me down. 110
38:3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment; 111
I am deprived of health because of my sin. 112
38:4 For my sins overwhelm me; 113
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
38:5 My wounds 114 are infected and starting to smell, 115
because of my foolish sins. 116
38:6 I am dazed 117 and completely humiliated; 118
all day long I walk around mourning.
38:7 For I am overcome with shame 119
and my whole body is sick. 120
38:8 I am numb with pain and severely battered; 121
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel. 122
38:9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire; 123
my groaning is not hidden from you.
38:10 My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me;
I can hardly see. 124
38:11 Because of my condition, 125 even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; 126
my neighbors stand far away. 127
38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; 128
those who want to harm me speak destructive words;
all day long they say deceitful things.
38:13 But I am like a deaf man – I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak. 129
38:14 I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense. 130
38:15 Yet 131 I wait for you, O Lord!
You will respond, O Lord, my God!
38:16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me; 132
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me. 133
38:17 For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain. 134
38:18 Yes, 135 I confess my wrongdoing,
and I am concerned about my sins.
38:19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous; 136
those who hate me without cause outnumber me. 137
38:20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;
though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me. 138
38:21 Do not abandon me, O Lord!
My God, do not remain far away from me!
Mazmur 39:1-12
KonteksFor the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39:1 I decided, 140 “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. 141
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil man.” 142
I held back the urge to speak. 144
My frustration grew; 145
39:3 my anxiety intensified. 146
As I thought about it, I became impatient. 147
Finally I spoke these words: 148
39:4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life! 149
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass! 150
39:5 Look, you make my days short-lived, 151
and my life span is nothing from your perspective. 152
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor. 153
39:6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. 154
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.” 155
39:7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?
You are my only hope! 156
39:8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion!
Do not make me the object of fools’ insults!
39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth
because of what you have done. 157
39:10 Please stop wounding me! 158
You have almost beaten me to death! 159
39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins; 160
like a moth you slowly devour their strength. 161
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
39:12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cry for help!
Do not ignore my sobbing! 162
For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land;
I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were. 163
Mazmur 42:1-10
KonteksBook 2
(Psalms 42-72)
For the music director; a well-written song 165 by the Korahites.
42:1 As a deer 166 longs 167 for streams of water,
so I long 168 for you, O God!
for the living God.
I say, 170 “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?” 171
42:3 I cannot eat, I weep day and night; 172
all day long they say to me, 173 “Where is your God?”
42:4 I will remember and weep! 174
For I was once walking along with the great throng to the temple of God,
shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we celebrated the holy festival. 175
42:5 Why are you depressed, 176 O my soul? 177
Why are you upset? 178
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention. 179
so I will pray to you while I am trapped here in the region of the upper Jordan, 181
from Hermon, 182 from Mount Mizar. 183
42:7 One deep stream calls out to another 184 at the sound of your waterfalls; 185
all your billows and waves overwhelm me. 186
42:8 By day the Lord decrees his loyal love, 187
and by night he gives me a song, 188
a prayer 189 to the living God.
42:9 I will pray 190 to God, my high ridge: 191
“Why do you ignore 192 me?
Why must I walk around mourning 193
because my enemies oppress me?”
42:10 My enemies’ taunts cut into me to the bone, 194
as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 195
[31:1] 1 sn Psalm 31. The psalmist confidently asks the Lord to protect him. Enemies threaten him and even his friends have abandoned him, but he looks to the Lord for vindication. In vv. 19-24, which were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18, the psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him.
[31:1] 2 tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me.”
[31:2] 3 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
[31:2] 4 tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of refuge.”
[31:2] 5 tn Heb “a house of strongholds to deliver me.”
[31:3] 6 sn The metaphor of the high ridge pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
[31:3] 7 tn Heb “name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the
[31:3] 8 tn The present translation assumes that the imperfect verbal forms are generalizing, “you lead me and guide me.” Other options are to take them as an expression of confidence about the future, “you will lead me and guide me” (cf. NASB), or as expressing a prayer, “lead me and guide me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[31:4] 9 tn Heb “bring me out.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form expresses the psalmist’s confidence about the future. Another option is to take the form as expressing a prayer, “free me.”
[31:5] 10 tn Heb “my spirit.” The noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) here refers to the animating spirit that gives the psalmist life.
[31:5] 11 tn Or “redeem.” The perfect verbal form is understood here as anticipatory, indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer that he can describe his deliverance as if it had already happened. Another option is to take the perfect as precative, expressing a wish or request (“rescue me”; cf. NIV). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
[31:6] 12 tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jonah 2:9.
[31:7] 13 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
[31:8] 14 tn Heb “you cause my feet to stand.”
[31:9] 15 tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”
[31:9] 16 tn Cf. Ps 6:7, which has a similar line.
[31:9] 17 tn Heb “my breath and my stomach [grow weak].” Apparently the verb in the previous line (“grow dim, be weakened”) is to be understood here. The Hebrew term נפשׁ can mean “life,” or, more specifically, “throat, breath.” The psalmist seems to be lamenting that his breathing is impaired because of the physical and emotional suffering he is forced to endure.
[31:10] 18 tn Heb “and my years in groaning.”
[31:10] 19 tn Heb “stumbles in.”
[31:10] 20 tn Heb “grow weak.”
[31:11] 21 tn Heb “because of all my enemies I am a reproach.”
[31:11] 22 tc Heb “and to my neighbors, exceedingly.” If the MT is retained, then these words probably go with what precedes. However the syntactical awkwardness of the text suggests it is textually corrupt. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 258) suggests that the initial mem (מ) on מְאֹד (me’od, “exceedingly”) be understood as an enclitic mem (ם) which was originally suffixed to the preceding form and then later misinterpreted. The resulting form אֵד (’ed) can then be taken as a defectively written form of אֵיד (’ed, “calamity”). If one follows this emendation, then the text reads literally, “and to my neighbors [I am one who experiences] calamity.” The noun פַחַד (fakhad, “[object of] horror”) occurs in the next line; אֵיד and פַחַד appear in parallelism elsewhere (see Prov 1:26-27).
[31:11] 23 tn Heb “and [an object of ] horror to those known by me.”
[31:12] 24 tn Heb “I am forgotten, like a dead man, from [the] heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the center of one’s thoughts.
[31:12] 25 tn Heb “I am like a broken jar.” One throws away a broken jar without a second thought because it is considered worthless and useless.
[31:13] 26 tn Heb “the report of many.”
[31:13] 27 tn Heb “the terror from all around.”
[31:15] 28 tn Heb “in your hand [are] my times.”
[31:16] 29 tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
[31:17] 30 tn The verb יִדְּמוּ (yiddÿmu) is understood as a form of דָּמַם (damam, “wail, lament”). Another option is to take the verb from דָּמַם (“be quiet”; see BDB 198-99 s.v. I דָּמַם), in which case one might translate, “May they lie silent in the grave.”
[31:18] 31 tn Heb “the [ones which].”
[31:19] 33 tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”
[31:19] 34 tn Heb “for those who fear you.”
[31:19] 35 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[31:19] 36 tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”
[31:20] 37 tn The noun רֹכֶס (rokhes) occurs only here. Its meaning is debated; some suggest “snare,” while others propose “slander” or “conspiracy.”
[31:20] 38 tn Heb “you hide them in the hiding place of your face from the attacks of man.” The imperfect verbal forms in this verse draw attention to God’s typical treatment of the faithful.
[31:20] 39 tn Heb “you conceal them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.”
[31:21] 40 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[31:21] 41 tn Heb “for he caused his faithfulness to be amazing to me in a besieged city.” The psalmist probably speaks figuratively here. He compares his crisis to being trapped in a besieged city, but the
[31:22] 42 tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”
[31:22] 43 tn Heb “from before your eyes.”
[31:23] 44 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) 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).
[31:23] 45 tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.
[35:1] 46 sn Psalm 35. The author, who faces ruthless enemies who seek his life for no reason, begs the Lord to fight his battles for him and to vindicate him by annihilating his adversaries.
[35:2] 48 tn Two different types of shields are mentioned here. See also Ezek 38:4. Many modern translations render the first term (translated here “small shield”) as “buckler” (cf. NASB “buckler and shield”; the order is often reversed in the translation, apparently for stylistic reasons: cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “shield and buckler”). The English term “buckler,” referring to a small round shield held on the arm to protect the upper body, is unfamiliar to many modern readers, so the term “small shield” was used in the present translation for clarity.
[35:3] 49 tn Or “javelin.” On the meaning of this word, which occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, see M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:210-11.
[35:3] 50 tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”
[35:3] 51 tn Heb “say to me,” or “say to my soul.”
[35:4] 52 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies. See also the distinct jussive form in v. 6.
[35:5] 53 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.
[35:5] 54 sn See the mention of the
[35:5] 55 tn Heb “as the
[35:6] 56 tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
[35:7] 57 tc Heb “for without cause they hid for me a pit of their net, without cause they dug for my life.” It appears that the words “pit” and “net” have been transposed. “Net” goes with the verb “hid” in the first line (see v. 8, as well as Pss 9:15; 31:4), while “pit” goes with the verb “dug” in the second line (see Ps 7:15).
[35:8] 58 tn Heb “let destruction [which] he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.
[35:8] 59 tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.
[35:9] 60 tn Heb “then my soul will rejoice in the
[35:10] 61 tn Heb “all my bones will say.”
[35:10] 62 tn Heb “[the one who] rescues.” The substantival participle in the Hebrew text characterizes God as one who typically rescues the oppressed.
[35:10] 63 tn Heb “from [the one who is] too strong for him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense. The typical oppressed individual and typical oppressor are in view.
[35:10] 64 tn Heb “the oppressed [one] and needy [one] from [the one who] robs him.” As in the previous line, the singular forms are used in a representative sense.
[35:11] 65 tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”
[35:11] 66 tn Heb “[that] which I do not know they ask me.”
[35:12] 67 tn Heb “they repay me evil instead of good.”
[35:12] 68 tn Heb “[there is] bereavement to my soul.”
[35:13] 69 tn Heb “as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.” Sackcloth was worn by mourners. When the psalmist’s enemies were sick, he was sorry for their misfortune and mourned for them.
[35:13] 70 sn Fasting was also a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities, such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
[35:13] 71 tn Heb “and my prayer upon my chest will return.” One could translate, “but my prayer was returning upon my chest,” but the use of the imperfect verbal form sets this line apart from the preceding and following lines (vv. 13a, 14), which use the perfect to describe the psalmist’s past actions.
[35:14] 72 tn Heb “like a friend, like a brother to me I walked about.”
[35:14] 73 sn I bowed down. Bowing down was a posture for mourning. See Ps 38:6.
[35:14] 74 tn Heb “like mourning for a mother [in] sorrow I bowed down.”
[35:15] 75 tn Heb “they gathered together against me, stricken [ones], and I did not know.” The Hebrew form נֵכִים (nekhim, “stricken ones” ?) is problematic. Some suggest an emendation to נָכְרִים[כְ] (kÿnokhÿrim, “foreigners”) or “like foreigners,” which would fit with what follows, “[like] foreigners that I do not recognize.” Perhaps the form should be read as a Qal active participle, נֹכִים (nokhim, “ones who strike”) from the verbal root נָכָה (nakhah, “to strike”). The Qal of this verb is unattested in biblical Hebrew, but the peal (basic) stem appears in Old Aramaic (J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire [BibOr], 114; DNWSI 1:730.) In this case one might translate, “attackers gathered together against me though I was not aware of it” (cf. NASB “smiters”; NEB, NRSV “ruffians”; NIV “attackers”).
[35:15] 76 tn Heb “they tore and did not keep quiet.” By using the verb “tear,” the psalmist likens his enemies to a wild animal (see Hos 13:8). In v. 17 he compares them to hungry young lions.
[35:16] 77 tc The MT reads “as profane [ones] of mockers of food,” which is nonsensical. The present translation assumes (1) an emendation of בְּחַנְפֵי (bÿkhanfey, “as profane men”) to בְּחַנְפִי (bekhanfiy, “when I tripped”; preposition + Qal infinitive construct from II חָנַף [“limp”] + first common singular pronominal suffix) and (2) an emendation of לַעֲגֵי מָעוֹג (la’agey ma’og, “mockers of food”) to עָגוּ[ם]לַעְגָּ (la’gam ’agu, “[with] taunting they taunted”; masculine plural noun with enclitic mem + Qal perfect third common plural from לַּעַג [la’ag, “taunt”]).
[35:16] 78 tn Heb “gnashing at me with their teeth.” The infinitive absolute adds a complementary action – they gnashed with their teeth as they taunted.
[35:17] 79 tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”
[35:17] 80 tn Heb “bring back, restore.”
[35:17] 82 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).
[35:18] 83 sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Ps 22:25.
[35:18] 84 tn Heb “among numerous people.”
[35:19] 85 tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Ps 38:19).
[35:19] 87 tn Heb “[do not let] those who hate me without cause pinch [i.e., wink] an eye.” The negative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (see the preceding line). In the Book of Proverbs “winking an eye” is associated with deceit and trickery (see 6:13; 10:10; 16:30).
[35:20] 88 tn Heb “for they do not speak peace.”
[35:20] 89 tn Heb “but against the quiet ones of the land words of deceit they plan.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 20 highlight their characteristic behavior.
[35:21] 90 tn Heb “and they cause their mouth to be wide against me.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the generalizing mood of the previous verse. For other examples of this use of the prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive, see GKC 329 §111.t.
[35:21] 91 tn Heb “our eye sees.” Apparently this is an idiom meaning to “look in triumph” or “gloat over” (see Ps 54:7).
[35:22] 92 tn Heb “you see, O
[35:23] 93 sn Though he is confident that the Lord is aware of his situation (see v. 22a), the psalmist compares the Lord’s inactivity to sleep and urges him to wake up.
[35:23] 94 tn Heb “for my justice.”
[35:23] 95 tn Heb “for my cause.”
[35:25] 97 tn Heb “in their heart[s].”
[35:25] 98 tn Heb “Aha! Our desire!” The “desire” of the psalmist’s enemies is to triumph over him.
[35:26] 99 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”
[35:26] 100 tn Heb “may they be clothed with shame and humiliation, the ones who magnify [themselves] against me.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 26 are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-25, where the negative particle אַל (’al) appears before the prefixed verbal forms, indicating they are jussives). The psalmist is calling down judgment on his enemies.
[35:27] 101 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27a are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-26).
[35:27] 102 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
[35:27] 103 tn Heb “the one who desires the peace of his servant.”
[35:28] 104 tn Heb “and my tongue will proclaim your justice.”
[35:28] 105 tn Heb “all the day your praise.” The verb “proclaim” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
[38:1] 106 sn Psalm 38. The author asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies. He confesses his sin and recognizes that the crisis he faces is the result of divine discipline. Yet he begs the Lord not to reject him.
[38:1] 107 tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “to cause to remember.” The same form, the Hiphil infinitive of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”), also appears in the heading of Ps 70. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 303).
[38:1] 108 tn The words “continue to” are supplied in the translation of both lines. The following verses make it clear that the psalmist is already experiencing divine rebuke/punishment. He asks that it might cease.
[38:1] sn Compare Ps 38:1 with Ps 6:1, which has similar wording.
[38:2] 109 tn The verb Hebrew נָחַת (nakhat) apparently here means “penetrate, pierce” (note the use of the Qal in Prov 17:10). The psalmist pictures the
[38:2] 110 tn Heb “and your hand [?] upon me.” The meaning of the verb נָחַת (nakhat) is unclear in this context. It is preferable to emend the form to וַתָּנַח (vattanakh) from the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “rest”). In this case the text would read literally, “and your hand rests upon me” (see Isa 25:10, though the phrase is used in a positive sense there, unlike Ps 38:2).
[38:3] 111 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh from before your anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger at the psalmist’s sin.
[38:3] 112 tn Heb “there is no health in my bones from before my sin.”
[38:4] 113 tn Heb “pass over my head.”
[38:5] 114 sn The reference to wounds may be an extension of the metaphorical language of v. 2. The psalmist pictures himself as one whose flesh is ripped and torn by arrows.
[38:5] 115 tn Heb “my wounds stink, they are festering” (cf. NEB).
[38:5] 116 tn Heb “from before my foolishness.”
[38:6] 117 tn The verb’s precise shade of meaning in this context is not entirely clear. The verb, which literally means “to bend,” may refer to the psalmist’s posture. In Isa 21:3 it seems to mean “be confused, dazed.”
[38:6] 118 tn Heb “I am bowed down to excess.”
[38:7] 119 tn Heb “for my loins are filled with shame.” The “loins” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. The present translation assumes that נִקְלֶה (niqleh) is derived from קָלָה (qalah, “be dishonored”). Some derive it instead from a homonymic root קָלָה (qalah), meaning “to roast.” In this case one might translate “fever” (cf. NEB “my loins burn with fever”).
[38:7] 120 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh” (see v. 3).
[38:8] 121 tn Heb “I am numb and crushed to excess.”
[38:8] 122 tn Heb “I roar because of the moaning of my heart.”
[38:9] 123 tn Heb “O Lord, before you [is] all my desire.”
[38:10] 124 tn Heb “and the light of my eyes, even they, there is not with me.” The “light of the eyes” may refer to physical energy (see 1 Sam 14:27, 29), life itself (Ps 13:3), or the ability to see (Prov 29:23).
[38:11] 125 tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”
[38:11] 126 tn Heb “stand [aloof].”
[38:11] 127 tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”
[38:12] 128 tn Heb “lay snares.”
[38:13] 129 sn I am like a deaf man…like a mute. The psalmist is like a deaf mute; he is incapable of defending himself and is vulnerable to his enemies’ deception (see v. 14).
[38:14] 130 tn Heb “and there is not in his mouth arguments.”
[38:15] 131 tn Or perhaps “surely.”
[38:16] 132 tn Heb “For I said, ‘Lest they rejoice over me.’” The psalmist recalls the motivating argument of his petition. He probably prefaced this statement with a prayer for deliverance (see Pss 7:1-2; 13:3-4; 28:1).
[38:16] 133 tn Heb “they will magnify against me.” See Pss 35:26; 55:13.
[38:17] 134 tn Heb “and my pain [is] before me continually.”
[38:18] 135 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
[38:19] 136 tn Heb “and my enemies, life, are many.” The noun חַיִּים (khayyim, “life”) fits very awkwardly here. The translation assumes an emendation to חִנָּם (khinam, “without reason”; note the parallelism with שֶׁקֶר [sheqer, “falsely”] and see Pss 35:19; 69:4; Lam 3:52). The verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority (note the parallel verb רָבַב, ravav, “be many”).
[38:19] 137 tn Heb “are many.”
[38:20] 138 tn Heb “the ones who repay evil instead of good accuse me, instead of my pursuing good.”
[39:1] 139 sn Psalm 39. The psalmist laments his frailty and mortality as he begs the Lord to take pity on him and remove his disciplinary hand.
[39:1] 141 tn Heb “I will watch my ways, from sinning with my tongue.”
[39:1] 142 sn The psalmist wanted to voice a lament to the
[39:2] 143 tn Heb “I was mute [with] silence.”
[39:2] 144 tn Heb “I was quiet from good.” He kept quiet, resisting the urge to find emotional release and satisfaction by voicing his lament.
[39:2] sn I held back the urge to speak. For a helpful discussion of the relationship (and tension) between silence and complaint in ancient Israelite lamentation, see E. S. Gerstenberger, Psalms, Part I (FOTL), 166-67.
[39:2] 145 tn Heb “and my pain was stirred up.” Emotional pain is in view here.
[39:3] 146 tn Heb “my heart was hot within me.”
[39:3] 147 tn Heb “In my reflection fire burned.” The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite (past tense) or an imperfect being used in a past progressive or customary sense (“fire was burning”).
[39:3] 148 tn Heb “I spoke with my tongue.” The phrase “these words” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[39:4] 149 tn Heb “Cause me to know, O
[39:4] 150 tn Heb “Let me know how transient I am!”
[39:5] 151 tn Heb “Look, handbreadths you make my days.” The “handbreadth” (equivalent to the width of four fingers) was one of the smallest measures used by ancient Israelites. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 309.
[39:5] 152 tn Heb “is like nothing before you.”
[39:5] 153 tn Heb “surely, all vapor [is] all mankind, standing firm.” Another option is to translate, “Surely, all mankind, though seemingly secure, is nothing but a vapor.”
[39:6] 154 tn Heb “surely, as an image man walks about.” The preposition prefixed to “image” indicates identity here.
[39:6] sn People go through life (Heb “man walks about”). “Walking” is here used as a metaphor for living. The point is that human beings are here today, gone tomorrow. They have no lasting substance and are comparable to mere images or ghosts.
[39:6] 155 tc Heb “Surely [in] vain they strive, he accumulates and does not know who gathers them.” The MT as it stands is syntactically awkward. The verb forms switch from singular (“walks about”) to plural (“they strive”) and then back to singular (“accumulates and does not know”), even though the subject (generic “man”) remains the same. Furthermore there is no object for the verb “accumulates” and no plural antecedent for the plural pronoun (“them”) attached to “gathers.” These problems can be removed if one emends the text from הֶבֶל יֶהֱמָיוּן (hevel yehemaun, “[in] vain they strive”) to הֶבְלֵי הָמוֹן (hevley hamon, “vain things of wealth”). This assumes a misdivision in the MT and a virtual dittography of vav (ו) between the mem and nun of המון. The present translation follows this emendation.
[39:7] 156 tn Heb “my hope, for you it [is].”
[39:9] 157 tn Heb “because you acted.” The psalmist has in mind God’s disciplinary measures (see vv. 10-13).
[39:10] 158 tn Heb “remove from upon me your wound.”
[39:10] 159 tn Heb “from the hostility of your hand I have come to an end.”
[39:11] 160 tn “with punishments on account of sin you discipline a man.”
[39:11] 161 tc Heb “you cause to dissolve, like a moth, his desired [thing].” The translation assumes an emendation of חֲמוּדוֹ (khamudo, “his desirable [thing]”) to חֶמְדוֹ (khemdo, “his loveliness” [or “beauty”]), a reading that is supported by a few medieval Hebrew
[39:12] 162 tn Heb “do not be deaf to my tears.”
[39:12] 163 tn Heb “For a resident alien [am] I with you, a sojourner like all my fathers.”
[39:12] sn Resident aliens were dependent on the mercy and goodwill of others. The Lord was concerned that resident aliens be treated properly. See Deut 24:17-22, Ps 146:9.
[42:1] 164 sn Psalm 42. The psalmist recalls how he once worshiped in the Lord’s temple, but laments that he is now oppressed by enemies in a foreign land. Some medieval Hebrew
[42:1] 165 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
[42:1] 166 tn Since the accompanying verb is feminine in form, the noun אָיִּל (’ayyil, “male deer”) should be emended to אַיֶּלֶת (’ayyelet, “female deer”). Haplography of the letter tav has occurred; note that the following verb begins with tav.
[42:1] 167 tn Or “pants [with thirst].”
[42:1] 168 tn Or “my soul pants [with thirst].” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[42:2] 169 tn Or “my soul thirsts.”
[42:2] 170 tn The words “I say” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.
[42:2] 171 tn Heb “When will I go and appear [to] the face of God?” Some emend the Niphal verbal form אֵרָאֶה (’era’eh, “I will appear”) to a Qal אֶרְאֶה (’er’eh, “I will see”; see Gen 33:10), but the Niphal can be retained if one understands ellipsis of אֶת (’et) before “face” (see Exod 34:24; Deut 31:11).
[42:3] 172 tn Heb “My tears have become my food day and night.”
[42:3] 173 tn Heb “when [they] say to me all the day.” The suffixed third masculine plural pronoun may have been accidentally omitted from the infinitive בֶּאֱמֹר (be’ÿmor, “when [they] say”). Note the term בְּאָמְרָם (bÿ’omram, “when they say”) in v. 10.
[42:4] 174 tn Heb “These things I will remember and I will pour out upon myself my soul.” “These things” are identified in the second half of the verse as those times when the psalmist worshiped in the
[42:4] 175 tc Heb “for I was passing by with the throng [?], I was walking with [?] them to the house of God; with a voice of a ringing shout and thanksgiving a multitude was observing a festival.” The Hebrew phrase בַּסָּךְ אֶדַּדֵּם (bassakh ’eddaddem, “with the throng [?] I was walking with [?]”) is particularly problematic. The noun סָךְ (sakh) occurs only here. If it corresponds to הָמוֹן (hamon, “multitude”) then one can propose a meaning “throng.” The present translation assumes this reading (cf. NIV, NRSV). The form אֶדַּדֵּם (“I will walk with [?]”) is also very problematic. The form can be taken as a Hitpael from דָּדָה (dadah; this verb possibly appears in Isa 38:15), but the pronominal suffix is problematic. For this reason many emend the form to ם[י]אַדִּרִ (’adirim, “nobles”) or ם-רִ[י]אַדִ (’adirim, “great,” with enclitic mem [ם]). The present translation understands the latter and takes the adjective “great” as modifying “throng.” If one emends סָךְ (sakh, “throng [?]”) to סֹךְ (sokh, “shelter”; see the Qere of Ps 27:5), then ר[י]אַדִּ (’addir) could be taken as a divine epithet, “[in the shelter of] the majestic one,” a reading which may find support in the LXX and Syriac Peshitta.
[42:5] 176 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
[42:5] 177 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
[42:5] 178 tn Heb “and [why] are you in turmoil upon me?” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the descriptive present nuance of the preceding imperfect. See GKC 329 §111.t.
[42:5] 179 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of his face.” The verse division in the Hebrew text is incorrect. אֱלֹהַי (’elohay, “my God”) at the beginning of v. 7 belongs with the end of v. 6 (see the corresponding refrains in 42:11 and 43:5, both of which end with “my God” after “saving acts of my face”). The Hebrew term פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”) should be emended to פְּנֵי (pÿney, “face of”). The emended text reads, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention.
[42:6] 180 tn Heb “my God, upon me my soul bows down.” As noted earlier, “my God” belongs with the end of v. 6.
[42:6] 181 tn Heb “therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan.” “Remember” is here used metonymically for prayer (see vv. 8-9). As the next line indicates, the region of the upper Jordan, where the river originates, is in view.
[42:6] 182 tc Heb “Hermons.” The plural form of the name occurs only here in the OT. Some suggest the plural refers to multiple mountain peaks (cf. NASB) or simply retain the plural in the translation (cf. NEB), but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note that the next form in the text begins with the letter mem) or enclitic. At a later time it was misinterpreted as a plural marker and vocalized accordingly.
[42:6] 183 tn The Hebrew term מִצְעָר (mits’ar) is probably a proper name (“Mizar”), designating a particular mountain in the Hermon region. The name appears only here in the OT.
[42:7] 184 tn Heb “deep calls to deep.” The Hebrew noun תְּהוֹם (tÿhom) often refers to the deep sea, but here, where it is associated with Hermon, it probably refers to mountain streams. The word can be used of streams and rivers (see Deut 8:7; Ezek 31:4).
[42:7] 185 tn The noun צִנּוֹר (tsinnor, “waterfall”) occurs only here and in 2 Sam 5:8, where it apparently refers to a water shaft. The psalmist alludes to the loud rushing sound of mountain streams and cascading waterfalls. Using the poetic device of personification, he imagines the streams calling out to each other as they hear the sound of the waterfalls.
[42:7] 186 tn Heb “pass over me” (see Jonah 2:3). As he hears the sound of the rushing water, the psalmist imagines himself engulfed in the current. By implication he likens his emotional distress to such an experience.
[42:8] 187 sn The psalmist believes that the Lord has not abandoned him, but continues to extend his loyal love. To this point in the psalm, the author has used the name “God,” but now, as he mentions the divine characteristic of loyal love, he switches to the more personal divine name Yahweh (rendered in the translation as “the
[42:8] 188 tn Heb “his song [is] with me.”
[42:8] 189 tc A few medieval Hebrew
[42:9] 190 tn The cohortative form indicates the psalmist’s resolve.
[42:9] 191 tn This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28; Pss 18:2; 31:3.
[42:9] 193 sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar idea.
[42:10] 194 tc Heb “with a shattering in my bones my enemies taunt me.” A few medieval Hebrew
[42:10] 195 sn “Where is your God?” The enemies ask this same question in v. 3.
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