Mazmur 39:4-6
Konteks39:4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life! 1
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass! 2
39:5 Look, you make my days short-lived, 3
and my life span is nothing from your perspective. 4
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor. 5
39:6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. 6
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.” 7
Mazmur 39:12-13
Konteks39:12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cry for help!
Do not ignore my sobbing! 8
For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land;
I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were. 9
39:13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy
before I pass away. 10
Mazmur 39:1
KonteksFor the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39:1 I decided, 12 “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. 13
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil man.” 14
Mazmur 3:1--12:8
KonteksA psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom. 16
3:1 Lord, how 17 numerous are my enemies!
Many attack me. 18
3:2 Many say about me,
“God will not deliver him.” 19 (Selah) 20
3:3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; 21
you are my glory 22 and the one who restores me. 23
3:4 To the Lord I cried out, 24
and he answered me from his holy hill. 25 (Selah)
3:5 I rested and slept;
I awoke, 26 for the Lord protects 27 me.
3:6 I am not afraid 28 of the multitude of people 29
who attack me from all directions. 30
Deliver me, my God!
Yes, 32 you will strike 33 all my enemies on the jaw;
you will break the teeth 34 of the wicked. 35
you show favor to your people. 37 (Selah)
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.
4:1 When I call out, answer me,
O God who vindicates me! 39
Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. 40
Have mercy on me 41 and respond to 42 my prayer!
4:2 You men, 43 how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? 44
How long 45 will you love what is worthless 46
and search for what is deceptive? 47 (Selah)
4:3 Realize that 48 the Lord shows the godly special favor; 49
the Lord responds 50 when I cry out to him.
4:4 Tremble with fear and do not sin! 51
Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of your ways! 52 (Selah)
4:5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices 53
and trust in the Lord! 54
4:6 Many say, “Who can show us anything good?”
Smile upon us, Lord! 55
than those who have abundant grain and wine. 57
4:8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, 58
for you, Lord, make me safe and secure. 59
For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; 61 a psalm of David.
5:1 Listen to what I say, 62 Lord!
Carefully consider my complaint! 63
5:2 Pay attention to my cry for help,
my king and my God,
for I am praying to you!
5:3 Lord, in the morning 64 you will hear 65 me; 66
in the morning I will present my case to you 67 and then wait expectantly for an answer. 68
5:4 Certainly 69 you are not a God who approves of evil; 70
evil people 71 cannot dwell with you. 72
5:5 Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence; 73
you hate 74 all who behave wickedly. 75
the Lord despises 78 violent and deceitful people. 79
5:7 But as for me, 80 because of your great faithfulness I will enter your house; 81
I will bow down toward your holy temple as I worship you. 82
5:8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness 83
because of those who wait to ambush me, 84
remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me! 85
5:9 For 86 they do not speak the truth; 87
their stomachs are like the place of destruction, 88
their throats like an open grave, 89
their tongues like a steep slope leading into it. 90
May their own schemes be their downfall! 92
Drive them away 93 because of their many acts of insurrection, 94
for they have rebelled against you.
5:11 But may all who take shelter 95 in you be happy! 96
May they continually 97 shout for joy! 98
Shelter them 99 so that those who are loyal to you 100 may rejoice! 101
5:12 Certainly 102 you reward 103 the godly, 104 Lord.
Like a shield you protect 105 them 106 in your good favor. 107
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style; 109 a psalm of David.
6:1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger!
Do not discipline me in your raging fury! 110
6:2 Have mercy on me, 111 Lord, for I am frail!
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking! 112
6:3 I am absolutely terrified, 113
and you, Lord – how long will this continue? 114
6:4 Relent, Lord, rescue me! 115
Deliver me because of your faithfulness! 116
6:5 For no one remembers you in the realm of death, 117
In Sheol who gives you thanks? 118
6:6 I am exhausted as I groan;
all night long I drench my bed in tears; 119
my tears saturate the cushion beneath me. 120
6:7 My eyes 121 grow dim 122 from suffering;
they grow weak 123 because of all my enemies. 124
6:8 Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly, 125
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping! 126
6:9 The Lord has heard my appeal for mercy;
the Lord has accepted 127 my prayer.
6:10 May all my enemies be humiliated 128 and absolutely terrified! 129
May they turn back and be suddenly humiliated!
A musical composition 131 by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning 132 a Benjaminite named Cush. 133
7:1 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter. 134
Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me!
7:2 Otherwise they will rip 135 me 136 to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me. 137
7:3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say, 138
or am guilty of unjust actions, 139
7:4 or have wronged my ally, 140
or helped his lawless enemy, 141
7:5 may an enemy relentlessly chase 142 me 143 and catch me; 144
may he trample me to death 145
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. 146 (Selah)
7:6 Stand up angrily, 147 Lord!
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! 148
Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them! 149
7:7 The countries are assembled all around you; 150
take once more your rightful place over them! 151
7:8 The Lord judges the nations. 152
Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent, 153
because I am blameless, 154 O Exalted One! 155
7:9 May the evil deeds of the wicked 156 come to an end! 157
But make the innocent 158 secure, 159
O righteous God,
you who examine 160 inner thoughts and motives! 161
7:10 The Exalted God is my shield, 162
the one who delivers the morally upright. 163
7:11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day. 164
7:12 If a person 165 does not repent, God sharpens his sword 166
and prepares to shoot his bow. 167
7:13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; 168
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. 169
7:14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies – 170
and then falls into the hole he has made. 172
7:16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans 173
and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head. 174
7:17 I will thank the Lord for 175 his justice;
I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord! 176
For the music director, according to the gittith style; 178 a psalm of David.
how magnificent 180 is your reputation 181 throughout the earth!
You reveal your majesty in the heavens above! 182
8:2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies
you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, 183
so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy. 184
8:3 When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made,
and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place, 185
8:4 Of what importance is the human race, 186 that you should notice 187 them?
Of what importance is mankind, 188 that you should pay attention to them, 189
8:5 and make them a little less than the heavenly beings? 190
You grant mankind 191 honor and majesty; 192
8:6 you appoint them to rule over your creation; 193
you have placed 194 everything under their authority, 195
8:7 including all the sheep and cattle,
as well as the wild animals, 196
8:8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea
and everything that moves through the currents 197 of the seas.
how magnificent 199 is your reputation 200 throughout the earth! 201
For the music director; according to the alumoth-labben style; 203 a psalm of David.
9:1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart!
I will tell about all your amazing deeds! 204
9:2 I will be happy and rejoice in you!
I will sing praises to you, O sovereign One! 205
9:3 When my enemies turn back,
they trip and are defeated 206 before you.
9:4 For you defended my just cause; 207
from your throne you pronounced a just decision. 208
9:5 You terrified the nations with your battle cry; 209
you destroyed the wicked; 210
you permanently wiped out all memory of them. 211
9:6 The enemy’s cities have been reduced to permanent ruins; 212
you destroyed their cities; 213
all memory of the enemies has perished. 214
9:7 But the Lord 215 rules 216 forever;
he reigns in a just manner. 217
9:8 He judges the world fairly;
he makes just legal decisions for the nations. 218
9:9 Consequently 219 the Lord provides safety for the oppressed; 220
he provides safety in times of trouble. 221
9:10 Your loyal followers trust in you, 222
for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help. 223
9:11 Sing praises to the Lord, who rules 224 in Zion!
Tell the nations what he has done! 225
9:12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; 226
he did not overlook 227 their cry for help 228
“Have mercy on me, 230 Lord!
See how I am oppressed by those who hate me, 231
O one who can snatch me away 232 from the gates of death!
9:14 Then I will 233 tell about all your praiseworthy acts; 234
in the gates of Daughter Zion 235 I will rejoice because of your deliverance.” 236
9:15 The nations fell 237 into the pit they had made;
their feet were caught in the net they had hidden. 238
9:16 The Lord revealed himself;
he accomplished justice;
the wicked were ensnared by their own actions. 239 (Higgaion. 240 Selah)
9:17 The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol; 241
this is the destiny of 242 all the nations that ignore 243 God,
9:18 for the needy are not permanently ignored, 244
the hopes of the oppressed are not forever dashed. 245
Don’t let men be defiant! 247
May the nations be judged in your presence!
Let the nations know they are mere mortals! 249 (Selah)
10:1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble? 251
10:2 The wicked arrogantly chase the oppressed; 252
the oppressed are trapped 253 by the schemes the wicked have dreamed up. 254
10:3 Yes, 255 the wicked man 256 boasts because he gets what he wants; 257
the one who robs others 258 curses 259 and 260 rejects the Lord. 261
10:4 The wicked man is so arrogant he always thinks,
“God won’t hold me accountable; he doesn’t care.” 262
10:5 He is secure at all times. 263
He has no regard for your commands; 264
he disdains all his enemies. 265
“I will never 267 be upended,
because I experience no calamity.” 268
10:7 His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words; 269
his tongue injures and destroys. 270
10:8 He waits in ambush near the villages; 271
in hidden places he kills the innocent.
His eyes look for some unfortunate victim. 272
10:9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket; 273
he lies in ambush, waiting to catch 274 the oppressed;
he catches the oppressed 275 by pulling in his net. 276
10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;
they are trapped in his sturdy nets. 277
“God overlooks it;
he does not pay attention;
he never notices.” 279
O God, strike him down! 281
Do not forget the oppressed!
10:13 Why does the wicked man reject God? 282
He says to himself, 283 “You 284 will not hold me accountable.” 285
10:14 You have taken notice, 286
for 287 you always see 288 one who inflicts pain and suffering. 289
The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you; 290
you deliver 291 the fatherless. 292
10:15 Break the arm 293 of the wicked and evil man!
Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds, 294
which he thought you would not discover. 295
10:16 The Lord rules forever! 296
The nations are driven out of his land. 297
10:17 Lord, you have heard 298 the request 299 of the oppressed;
you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer. 300
10:18 You defend 301 the fatherless and oppressed, 302
so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. 303
For the music director; by David.
11:1 In the Lord I have taken shelter. 305
How can you say to me, 306
“Flee to a mountain like a bird! 307
11:2 For look, the wicked 308 prepare 309 their bows, 310
they put their arrows on the strings,
to shoot in the darkness 311 at the morally upright. 312
11:3 When the foundations 313 are destroyed,
what can the godly 314 accomplish?” 315
11:4 The Lord is in his holy temple; 316
the Lord’s throne is in heaven. 317
his eyes 320 examine 321 all people. 322
11:5 The Lord approves of 323 the godly, 324
but he 325 hates 326 the wicked and those who love to do violence. 327
11:6 May the Lord rain down 328 burning coals 329 and brimstone 330 on the wicked!
A whirlwind is what they deserve! 331
11:7 Certainly 332 the Lord is just; 333
he rewards godly deeds; 334
the upright will experience his favor. 335
For the music director; according to the sheminith style; 337 a psalm of David.
12:1 Deliver, Lord!
For the godly 338 have disappeared; 339
people of integrity 340 have vanished. 341
12:2 People lie to one another; 342
they flatter and deceive. 343
12:3 May the Lord cut off 344 all flattering lips,
and the tongue that boasts! 345
12:4 They say, 346 “We speak persuasively; 347
we know how to flatter and boast. 348
Who is our master?” 349
12:5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed, 350
because of the painful cries 351 of the needy,
I will spring into action,” 352 says the Lord.
“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.” 353
12:6 The Lord’s words are absolutely reliable. 354
They are as untainted as silver purified in a furnace on the ground,
where it is thoroughly refined. 355
12:7 You, Lord, will protect them; 356
you will continually shelter each one from these evil people, 357
12:8 for the wicked seem to be everywhere, 358
when people promote evil. 359
Mazmur 90:3-12
Konteks90:3 You make mankind return 360 to the dust, 361
and say, “Return, O people!”
90:4 Yes, 362 in your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday that quickly passes,
or like one of the divisions of the nighttime. 363
90:5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.” 364
In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up;
90:6 in the morning it glistens 365 and sprouts up;
at evening time it withers 366 and dries up.
90:7 Yes, 367 we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.
90:8 You are aware of our sins; 368
you even know about our hidden sins. 369
90:9 Yes, 370 throughout all our days we experience your raging fury; 371
the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh. 372
90:10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, 373
or eighty, if one is especially strong. 374
But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. 375
Yes, 376 they pass quickly 377 and we fly away. 378
90:11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger? 379
Your raging fury causes people to fear you. 380
90:12 So teach us to consider our mortality, 381
so that we might live wisely. 382
Mazmur 90:1
KonteksBook 4
(Psalms 90-106)
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90:1 O Lord, you have been our protector 384 through all generations!
Mazmur 3:1--11:7
KonteksA psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom. 386
3:1 Lord, how 387 numerous are my enemies!
Many attack me. 388
3:2 Many say about me,
“God will not deliver him.” 389 (Selah) 390
3:3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; 391
you are my glory 392 and the one who restores me. 393
3:4 To the Lord I cried out, 394
and he answered me from his holy hill. 395 (Selah)
3:5 I rested and slept;
I awoke, 396 for the Lord protects 397 me.
3:6 I am not afraid 398 of the multitude of people 399
who attack me from all directions. 400
Deliver me, my God!
Yes, 402 you will strike 403 all my enemies on the jaw;
you will break the teeth 404 of the wicked. 405
you show favor to your people. 407 (Selah)
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.
4:1 When I call out, answer me,
O God who vindicates me! 409
Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. 410
Have mercy on me 411 and respond to 412 my prayer!
4:2 You men, 413 how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? 414
How long 415 will you love what is worthless 416
and search for what is deceptive? 417 (Selah)
4:3 Realize that 418 the Lord shows the godly special favor; 419
the Lord responds 420 when I cry out to him.
4:4 Tremble with fear and do not sin! 421
Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of your ways! 422 (Selah)
4:5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices 423
and trust in the Lord! 424
4:6 Many say, “Who can show us anything good?”
Smile upon us, Lord! 425
than those who have abundant grain and wine. 427
4:8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, 428
for you, Lord, make me safe and secure. 429
For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; 431 a psalm of David.
5:1 Listen to what I say, 432 Lord!
Carefully consider my complaint! 433
5:2 Pay attention to my cry for help,
my king and my God,
for I am praying to you!
5:3 Lord, in the morning 434 you will hear 435 me; 436
in the morning I will present my case to you 437 and then wait expectantly for an answer. 438
5:4 Certainly 439 you are not a God who approves of evil; 440
evil people 441 cannot dwell with you. 442
5:5 Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence; 443
you hate 444 all who behave wickedly. 445
5:6 You destroy 446 liars; 447
the Lord despises 448 violent and deceitful people. 449
5:7 But as for me, 450 because of your great faithfulness I will enter your house; 451
I will bow down toward your holy temple as I worship you. 452
5:8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness 453
because of those who wait to ambush me, 454
remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me! 455
5:9 For 456 they do not speak the truth; 457
their stomachs are like the place of destruction, 458
their throats like an open grave, 459
their tongues like a steep slope leading into it. 460
May their own schemes be their downfall! 462
Drive them away 463 because of their many acts of insurrection, 464
for they have rebelled against you.
5:11 But may all who take shelter 465 in you be happy! 466
May they continually 467 shout for joy! 468
Shelter them 469 so that those who are loyal to you 470 may rejoice! 471
5:12 Certainly 472 you reward 473 the godly, 474 Lord.
Like a shield you protect 475 them 476 in your good favor. 477
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style; 479 a psalm of David.
6:1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger!
Do not discipline me in your raging fury! 480
6:2 Have mercy on me, 481 Lord, for I am frail!
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking! 482
6:3 I am absolutely terrified, 483
and you, Lord – how long will this continue? 484
6:4 Relent, Lord, rescue me! 485
Deliver me because of your faithfulness! 486
6:5 For no one remembers you in the realm of death, 487
In Sheol who gives you thanks? 488
6:6 I am exhausted as I groan;
all night long I drench my bed in tears; 489
my tears saturate the cushion beneath me. 490
6:7 My eyes 491 grow dim 492 from suffering;
they grow weak 493 because of all my enemies. 494
6:8 Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly, 495
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping! 496
6:9 The Lord has heard my appeal for mercy;
the Lord has accepted 497 my prayer.
6:10 May all my enemies be humiliated 498 and absolutely terrified! 499
May they turn back and be suddenly humiliated!
A musical composition 501 by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning 502 a Benjaminite named Cush. 503
7:1 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter. 504
Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me!
7:2 Otherwise they will rip 505 me 506 to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me. 507
7:3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say, 508
or am guilty of unjust actions, 509
7:4 or have wronged my ally, 510
or helped his lawless enemy, 511
7:5 may an enemy relentlessly chase 512 me 513 and catch me; 514
may he trample me to death 515
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. 516 (Selah)
7:6 Stand up angrily, 517 Lord!
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! 518
Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them! 519
7:7 The countries are assembled all around you; 520
take once more your rightful place over them! 521
7:8 The Lord judges the nations. 522
Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent, 523
because I am blameless, 524 O Exalted One! 525
7:9 May the evil deeds of the wicked 526 come to an end! 527
But make the innocent 528 secure, 529
O righteous God,
you who examine 530 inner thoughts and motives! 531
7:10 The Exalted God is my shield, 532
the one who delivers the morally upright. 533
7:11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day. 534
7:12 If a person 535 does not repent, God sharpens his sword 536
and prepares to shoot his bow. 537
7:13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; 538
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. 539
7:14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies – 540
and then falls into the hole he has made. 542
7:16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans 543
and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head. 544
7:17 I will thank the Lord for 545 his justice;
I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord! 546
For the music director, according to the gittith style; 548 a psalm of David.
how magnificent 550 is your reputation 551 throughout the earth!
You reveal your majesty in the heavens above! 552
8:2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies
you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, 553
so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy. 554
8:3 When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made,
and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place, 555
8:4 Of what importance is the human race, 556 that you should notice 557 them?
Of what importance is mankind, 558 that you should pay attention to them, 559
8:5 and make them a little less than the heavenly beings? 560
You grant mankind 561 honor and majesty; 562
8:6 you appoint them to rule over your creation; 563
you have placed 564 everything under their authority, 565
8:7 including all the sheep and cattle,
as well as the wild animals, 566
8:8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea
and everything that moves through the currents 567 of the seas.
how magnificent 569 is your reputation 570 throughout the earth! 571
For the music director; according to the alumoth-labben style; 573 a psalm of David.
9:1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart!
I will tell about all your amazing deeds! 574
9:2 I will be happy and rejoice in you!
I will sing praises to you, O sovereign One! 575
9:3 When my enemies turn back,
they trip and are defeated 576 before you.
9:4 For you defended my just cause; 577
from your throne you pronounced a just decision. 578
9:5 You terrified the nations with your battle cry; 579
you destroyed the wicked; 580
you permanently wiped out all memory of them. 581
9:6 The enemy’s cities have been reduced to permanent ruins; 582
you destroyed their cities; 583
all memory of the enemies has perished. 584
9:7 But the Lord 585 rules 586 forever;
he reigns in a just manner. 587
9:8 He judges the world fairly;
he makes just legal decisions for the nations. 588
9:9 Consequently 589 the Lord provides safety for the oppressed; 590
he provides safety in times of trouble. 591
9:10 Your loyal followers trust in you, 592
for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help. 593
9:11 Sing praises to the Lord, who rules 594 in Zion!
Tell the nations what he has done! 595
9:12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; 596
he did not overlook 597 their cry for help 598
“Have mercy on me, 600 Lord!
See how I am oppressed by those who hate me, 601
O one who can snatch me away 602 from the gates of death!
9:14 Then I will 603 tell about all your praiseworthy acts; 604
in the gates of Daughter Zion 605 I will rejoice because of your deliverance.” 606
9:15 The nations fell 607 into the pit they had made;
their feet were caught in the net they had hidden. 608
9:16 The Lord revealed himself;
he accomplished justice;
the wicked were ensnared by their own actions. 609 (Higgaion. 610 Selah)
9:17 The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol; 611
this is the destiny of 612 all the nations that ignore 613 God,
9:18 for the needy are not permanently ignored, 614
the hopes of the oppressed are not forever dashed. 615
Don’t let men be defiant! 617
May the nations be judged in your presence!
Let the nations know they are mere mortals! 619 (Selah)
10:1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble? 621
10:2 The wicked arrogantly chase the oppressed; 622
the oppressed are trapped 623 by the schemes the wicked have dreamed up. 624
10:3 Yes, 625 the wicked man 626 boasts because he gets what he wants; 627
the one who robs others 628 curses 629 and 630 rejects the Lord. 631
10:4 The wicked man is so arrogant he always thinks,
“God won’t hold me accountable; he doesn’t care.” 632
10:5 He is secure at all times. 633
He has no regard for your commands; 634
he disdains all his enemies. 635
“I will never 637 be upended,
because I experience no calamity.” 638
10:7 His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words; 639
his tongue injures and destroys. 640
10:8 He waits in ambush near the villages; 641
in hidden places he kills the innocent.
His eyes look for some unfortunate victim. 642
10:9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket; 643
he lies in ambush, waiting to catch 644 the oppressed;
he catches the oppressed 645 by pulling in his net. 646
10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;
they are trapped in his sturdy nets. 647
“God overlooks it;
he does not pay attention;
he never notices.” 649
O God, strike him down! 651
Do not forget the oppressed!
10:13 Why does the wicked man reject God? 652
He says to himself, 653 “You 654 will not hold me accountable.” 655
10:14 You have taken notice, 656
for 657 you always see 658 one who inflicts pain and suffering. 659
The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you; 660
you deliver 661 the fatherless. 662
10:15 Break the arm 663 of the wicked and evil man!
Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds, 664
which he thought you would not discover. 665
10:16 The Lord rules forever! 666
The nations are driven out of his land. 667
10:17 Lord, you have heard 668 the request 669 of the oppressed;
you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer. 670
10:18 You defend 671 the fatherless and oppressed, 672
so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. 673
For the music director; by David.
11:1 In the Lord I have taken shelter. 675
How can you say to me, 676
“Flee to a mountain like a bird! 677
11:2 For look, the wicked 678 prepare 679 their bows, 680
they put their arrows on the strings,
to shoot in the darkness 681 at the morally upright. 682
11:3 When the foundations 683 are destroyed,
what can the godly 684 accomplish?” 685
11:4 The Lord is in his holy temple; 686
the Lord’s throne is in heaven. 687
his eyes 690 examine 691 all people. 692
11:5 The Lord approves of 693 the godly, 694
but he 695 hates 696 the wicked and those who love to do violence. 697
11:6 May the Lord rain down 698 burning coals 699 and brimstone 700 on the wicked!
A whirlwind is what they deserve! 701
11:7 Certainly 702 the Lord is just; 703
he rewards godly deeds; 704
the upright will experience his favor. 705
Mazmur 23:1--28:9
KonteksA psalm of David.
23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, 707
I lack nothing. 708
23:2 He takes me to lush pastures, 709
he leads me to refreshing water. 710
23:3 He restores my strength. 711
He leads me down 712 the right paths 713
for the sake of his reputation. 714
23:4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, 715
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff reassure me. 718
23:5 You prepare a feast before me 719
in plain sight of my enemies.
You refresh 720 my head with oil;
my cup is completely full. 721
23:6 Surely your goodness and faithfulness 722 will pursue 723 me all my days, 724
and I will live in 725 the Lord’s house 726 for the rest of my life. 727
A psalm of David.
24:1 The Lord owns the earth and all it contains,
the world and all who live in it.
24:2 For he set its foundation upon the seas,
and established 729 it upon the ocean currents. 730
24:3 Who is allowed to ascend 731 the mountain of the Lord? 732
Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?
24:4 The one whose deeds are blameless
and whose motives are pure, 733
who does not lie, 734
or make promises with no intention of keeping them. 735
24:5 Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, 736
and vindicated by the God who delivers them. 737
24:6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor,
Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him. 738 (Selah)
Rise up, 740 you eternal doors!
Then the majestic king 741 will enter! 742
24:8 Who is this majestic king? 743
The Lord who is strong and mighty!
The Lord who is mighty in battle!
24:9 Look up, you gates!
Rise up, you eternal doors!
Then the majestic king will enter!
24:10 Who is this majestic king?
The Lord who commands armies! 744
He is the majestic king! (Selah)
By David.
25:1 O Lord, I come before you in prayer. 746
25:2 My God, I trust in you.
Please do not let me be humiliated;
do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!
25:3 Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated.
Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted 747 and humiliated.
25:4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!
Teach me your paths! 748
25:5 Guide me into your truth 749 and teach me.
For you are the God who delivers me;
on you I rely all day long.
25:6 Remember 750 your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,
for you have always acted in this manner. 751
25:7 Do not hold against me 752 the sins of my youth 753 or my rebellious acts!
Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord! 754
25:8 The Lord is both kind and fair; 755
that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live. 756
25:9 May he show 757 the humble what is right! 758
May he teach 759 the humble his way!
25:10 The Lord always proves faithful and reliable 760
to those who follow the demands of his covenant. 761
25:11 For the sake of your reputation, 762 O Lord,
forgive my sin, because it is great. 763
25:12 The Lord shows his faithful followers
the way they should live. 764
25:13 They experience his favor; 765
their descendants 766 inherit the land. 767
25:14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, 768
and he reveals his covenantal demands to them. 769
25:15 I continually look to the Lord for help, 770
for he will free my feet from the enemy’s net. 771
25:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,
for I am alone 772 and oppressed!
25:17 Deliver me from my distress; 773
rescue me from my suffering! 774
25:18 See my pain and suffering!
Forgive all my sins! 775
25:19 Watch my enemies, for they outnumber me;
they hate me and want to harm me. 776
25:20 Protect me 777 and deliver me!
Please do not let me be humiliated,
for I have taken shelter in you!
25:21 May integrity and godliness protect me,
for I rely on you!
25:22 O God, rescue 778 Israel
from all their distress! 779
By David.
26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have integrity, 781
and I trust in the Lord without wavering.
26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me!
Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives! 782
26:3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness, 783
and your loyalty continually motivates me. 784
26:4 I do not associate 785 with deceitful men,
or consort 786 with those who are dishonest. 787
26:5 I hate the mob 788 of evil men,
and do not associate 789 with the wicked.
26:6 I maintain a pure lifestyle, 790
so I can appear before your altar, 791 O Lord,
and to tell about all your amazing deeds. 793
26:8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live, 794
the place where your splendor is revealed. 795
26:9 Do not sweep me away 796 with sinners,
or execute me along with violent people, 797
26:10 who are always ready to do wrong 798
or offer a bribe. 799
26:11 But I have integrity! 800
Rescue me 801 and have mercy on me!
and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.
By David.
27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! 804
I fear no one! 805
The Lord protects my life!
I am afraid of no one! 806
27:2 When evil men attack me 807
to devour my flesh, 808
when my adversaries and enemies attack me, 809
they stumble and fall. 810
27:3 Even when an army is deployed against me,
I do not fear. 811
Even when war is imminent, 812
I remain confident. 813
27:4 I have asked the Lord for one thing –
this is what I desire!
I want to live 814 in the Lord’s house 815 all the days of my life,
so I can gaze at the splendor 816 of the Lord
and contemplate in his temple.
27:5 He will surely 817 give me shelter 818 in the day of danger; 819
he will hide me in his home; 820
he will place me 821 on an inaccessible rocky summit. 822
27:6 Now I will triumph
over my enemies who surround me! 823
I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy! 824
I will sing praises to the Lord!
27:7 Hear me, 825 O Lord, when I cry out!
Have mercy on me and answer me!
27:8 My heart tells me to pray to you, 826
and I do pray to you, O Lord. 827
Do not push your servant away in anger!
You are my deliverer! 829
Do not forsake or abandon me,
O God who vindicates me!
27:10 Even if my father and mother abandoned me, 830
the Lord would take me in. 831
27:11 Teach me how you want me to live; 832
lead me along a level path 833 because of those who wait to ambush me! 834
27:12 Do not turn me over to my enemies, 835
for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me. 836
27:13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience
the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? 837
Be strong and confident! 839
Rely on the Lord!
By David.
28:1 To you, O Lord, I cry out!
My protector, 841 do not ignore me! 842
If you do not respond to me, 843
I will join 844 those who are descending into the grave. 845
28:2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,
when I lift my hands 846 toward your holy temple! 847
28:3 Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly, 848
who talk so friendly to their neighbors, 849
while they plan to harm them! 850
28:4 Pay them back for their evil deeds!
Pay them back for what they do!
Punish them! 851
28:5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,
or the way he carries out justice. 852
The Lord 853 will permanently demolish them. 854
28:6 The Lord deserves praise, 855
for he has heard my plea for mercy! 856
28:7 The Lord strengthens and protects me; 857
I trust in him with all my heart. 858
I am rescued 859 and my heart is full of joy; 860
I will sing to him in gratitude. 861
28:8 The Lord strengthens his people; 862
he protects and delivers his chosen king. 863
28:9 Deliver your people!
Empower 864 the nation that belongs to you! 865
Care for them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms 866 at all times! 867
[39:4] 1 tn Heb “Cause me to know, O
[39:4] 2 tn Heb “Let me know how transient I am!”
[39:5] 3 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] 4 tn Heb “is like nothing before you.”
[39:5] 5 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] 6 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] 7 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.
[39:12] 8 tn Heb “do not be deaf to my tears.”
[39:12] 9 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.
[39:13] 10 tn Heb “Gaze away from me and I will smile before I go and am not.” The precise identification of the initial verb form (הָשַׁע, hasha’) is uncertain. It could be from the root שָׁעָע (sha’a’, “smear”), but “your eyes” would be the expected object in this case (see Isa 6:10). The verb may be an otherwise unattested Hiphil form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “to gaze”) meaning “cause your gaze to be.” Some prefer to emend the form to the Qal שְׁעֵה (shÿ’eh, “gaze”; see Job 14:6). If one does read a form of the verb “to gaze,” the angry divine “gaze” of discipline would seem to be in view (see vv. 10-11). For a similar expression of this sentiment see Job 10:20-21.
[39:1] 11 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] 13 tn Heb “I will watch my ways, from sinning with my tongue.”
[39:1] 14 sn The psalmist wanted to voice a lament to the
[3:1] 15 sn Psalm 3. The psalmist acknowledges that he is confronted by many enemies (vv. 1-2). But, alluding to a divine oracle he has received (vv. 4-5), he affirms his confidence in God’s ability to protect him (vv. 3, 6) and requests that God make his promise a reality (vv. 7-8).
[3:1] 16 sn According to Jewish tradition, David offered this prayer when he was forced to flee from Jerusalem during his son Absalom’s attempted coup (see 2 Sam 15:13-17).
[3:1] 17 tn The Hebrew term מָה (mah, “how”) is used here as an adverbial exclamation (see BDB 553 s.v.).
[3:1] 18 tn Heb “many rise up against me.”
[3:2] 19 tn Heb “there is no deliverance for him in God.”
[3:2] 20 sn The function of the Hebrew term סֶלָה (selah), transliterated here “Selah,” is uncertain. It may be a musical direction of some kind.
[3:3] 21 tn Heb “a shield round about me.”
[3:3] 22 tn Heb “my glory,” or “my honor.” The psalmist affirms that the
[3:3] 23 tn Heb “[the one who] lifts my head.” This phrase could be understood to refer to a general strengthening of the psalmist by God during difficult circumstances. However, if one takes the suggestion of the superscription that this is a Davidic psalm written during the revolt of Absalom, the phrase “lift the head” could refer to the psalmist’s desire for restoration to his former position (cf. Gen 40:13 where the same phrase is used). Like the Hebrew text, the present translation (“who restores me”) can be understood in either sense.
[3:4] 24 tn The prefixed verbal form could be an imperfect, yielding the translation “I cry out,” but the verb form in the next line (a vav [ו] consecutive with the preterite) suggests this is a brief narrative of what has already happened. Consequently the verb form in v. 4a is better understood as a preterite, “I cried out.” (For another example of the preterite of this same verb form, see Ps 30:8.) Sometime after the crisis arose, the psalmist prayed to the Lord and received an assuring answer. Now he confidently awaits the fulfillment of the divine promise.
[3:4] 25 sn His holy hill. That is, Zion (see Pss 2:6; 48:1-2). The psalmist recognizes that the
[3:5] 26 tn The three verbal forms that appear in succession here (perfect + vav [ו] consecutive with preterite + perfect) are most naturally taken as narrational. When the psalmist received an assuring word from the
[3:5] 27 tn Or “supports”; “sustains.” In this explanatory causal clause the imperfect verbal form probably has a habitual or present progressive nuance, for the psalmist is confident of God’s continual protection (see v. 3). Another option is to take the verb as a preterite, “for the
[3:6] 28 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s continuing attitude as he faces the crisis at hand.
[3:6] 29 tn Or perhaps “troops.” The Hebrew noun עָם (’am) sometimes refers to a military contingent or army.
[3:6] 30 tn Heb “who all around take a stand against me.”
[3:7] 31 tn In v. 2 the psalmist describes his enemies as those who “confront” him (קָמִים [qamim], literally, “rise up against him”). Now, using the same verbal root (קוּם, qum) he asks the
[3:7] 32 tn Elsewhere in the psalms the particle כִּי (ki), when collocated with a perfect verbal form and subordinated to a preceding imperative directed to God, almost always has an explanatory or causal force (“for, because”) and introduces a motivating argument for why God should respond positively to the request (see Pss 5:10; 6:2; 12:1; 16:1; 41:4; 55:9; 56:1; 57:1; 60:2; 69:1; 74:20; 119:94; 123:3; 142:6; 143:8). (On three occasions the כִּי is recitative after a verb of perception [“see/know that,” see Pss 4:3; 25:19; 119:159]). If כִּי is taken as explanatory here, then the psalmist is arguing that God should deliver him now because that is what God characteristically does. However, such a motivating argument is not used in the passages cited above. The motivating argument usually focuses on the nature of the psalmist’s dilemma or the fact that he trusts in the Lord. For this reason it is unlikely that כִּי has its normal force here. Most scholars understand the particle כִּי as having an asseverative (emphasizing) function here (“indeed, yes”; NEB leaves the particle untranslated).
[3:7] 33 tn If the particle כִּי (ki) is taken as explanatory, then the perfect verbal forms in v. 7b would describe God’s characteristic behavior. However, as pointed out in the preceding note on the word “yes,” the particle probably has an asseverative force here. If so, the perfects may be taken as 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, he can describe God’s assault on his enemies as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm, as expressed before (vv. 3-6) and after this (v. 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“Strike all my enemies on the jaw, break the teeth of the wicked”). 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.
[3:7] 34 sn The expression break the teeth may envision violent hand-to hand combat, though it is possible that the enemies are pictured here as a dangerous animal (see Job 29:17).
[3:7] 35 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
[3:8] 36 tn Heb “to the
[3:8] 37 tn Heb “upon your people [is] your blessing.” In this context God’s “blessing” includes deliverance/protection, vindication, and sustained life (see Pss 21:3, 6; 24:5).
[4:1] 38 sn Psalm 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.
[4:1] 39 tn Heb “God of my righteousness.”
[4:1] 40 tn Heb “in distress (or “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). 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.
[4:1] 41 tn Or “show me favor.”
[4:2] 43 tn Heb “sons of man.”
[4:2] 44 tn Heb “how long my honor to shame?”
[4:2] 45 tn The interrogative construction עַד־מֶה (’ad-meh, “how long?”), is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
[4:2] 47 tn Heb “a lie.” Some see the metonymic language of v. 2b (“emptiness, lie”) as referring to idols or false gods. However, there is no solid immediate contextual evidence for such an interpretation. It is more likely that the psalmist addresses those who threaten him (see v. 1) and refers in a general way to their sinful lifestyle. (See R. Mosis, TDOT 7:121.) The two terms allude to the fact that sinful behavior is ultimately fruitless and self-destructive.
[4:3] 48 tn Heb “and know that.”
[4:3] 49 tn Heb “that the
[4:4] 51 sn The psalmist warns his enemies that they need to tremble with fear before God and repudiate their sinful ways.
[4:4] 52 tn Heb “say in your heart(s) on your bed(s) and wail/lament.” The verb דֹמּוּ (dommu) is understood as a form of דָמָם (“wail, lament”) in sorrow and repentance. Another option is to take the verb from II דָמָם (damam, “be quiet”); cf. NIV, NRSV “be silent.”
[4:5] 53 tn Or “proper, right.” The phrase also occurs in Deut 33:19 and Ps 51:19.
[4:5] 54 sn Trust in the
[4:6] 55 tn Heb “lift up upon us the light of your face,
[4:6] sn Smile upon us. Though many are discouraged, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and transform the situation.
[4:7] 56 tn Heb “you place joy in my heart.” Another option is to understand the perfect verbal form as indicating certitude, “you will make me happier.”
[4:7] 57 tn Heb “from (i.e., more than) the time (when) their grain and their wine are abundant.”
[4:8] 58 tn Heb “in peace at the same time I will lie down and sleep.”
[4:8] 59 tn Heb “for you,
[5:1] 60 sn Psalm 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.
[5:1] 61 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word נְחִילוֹת (nÿkhilot), which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to חָלִיל (khalil, “flute”).
[5:1] 63 tn Or “sighing.” The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.
[5:3] 64 sn In the morning is here viewed as the time of prayer (Pss 59:16; 88:13) and/or of deliverance (Ps 30:5).
[5:3] 65 tn The imperfect is here understood in a specific future sense; the psalmist is expressing his confidence that God will be willing to hear his request. Another option is to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s wish or request. In this case one could translate, “
[5:3] 67 tn Heb “I will arrange for you.” Some understand a sacrifice or offering as the implied object (cf. NEB “I set out my morning sacrifice”). The present translation assumes that the implied object is the psalmist’s case/request. See Isa 44:7.
[5:3] 68 tn Heb “and I will watch.”
[5:4] 70 tn Heb “not a God [who] delights [in] wickedness [are] you.”
[5:4] 71 tn The Hebrew text has simply the singular form רע, which may be taken as an abstract noun “evil” (the reference to “wickedness” in the preceding line favors this; cf. NEB, NASB, NRSV) or as a substantival adjective “evil one” (the references to evil people in the next two verses favor this; cf. NIV “with you the wicked cannot dwell”).
[5:4] 72 tn Heb “cannot dwell as a resident alien [with] you.” The negated imperfect verbal form here indicates incapability or lack of permission. These people are morally incapable of dwelling in God’s presence and are not permitted to do so.
[5:4] sn Only the godly are allowed to dwell with the Lord. Evil people are excluded. See Ps 15.
[5:5] 73 tn Heb “before your eyes.”
[5:5] 74 sn You hate. The
[5:5] 75 tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.”
[5:6] 76 tn The imperfect verbal form indicates God’s typical response to such individuals. Another option is to translate the verb as future (“You will destroy”); the psalmist may be envisioning a time of judgment when God will remove the wicked from the scene.
[5:6] 77 tn Heb “those who speak a lie.” In the OT a “lie” does not refer in a general philosophical sense to any statement that fails to correspond to reality. Instead it refers more specifically to a slanderous and/or deceitful statement that promotes one’s own selfish, sinful interests and/or exploits or harms those who are innocent. Note the emphasis on violence and deceit in the following line.
[5:6] 78 tn The imperfect verbal form highlights the
[5:6] 79 tn Heb “a man of bloodshed and deceit.” The singular אִישׁ (’ish, “man”) is used here in a collective or representative sense; thus the translation “people” is appropriate here. Note the plural forms in vv. 5-6a.
[5:7] 80 sn But as for me. By placing the first person pronoun at the beginning of the verse, the psalmist highlights the contrast between the evildoers’ actions and destiny, outlined in the preceding verses, with his own.
[5:7] 81 sn I will enter your house. The psalmist is confident that God will accept him into his presence, in contrast to the evildoers (see v. 5).
[5:7] 82 tn Heb “in fear [of] you.” The Hebrew noun יִרְאָה (yir’ah, “fear”), when used of fearing God, is sometimes used metonymically for what it ideally produces: “worship, reverence, piety.”
[5:8] 83 tn God’s providential leading is in view. His צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) includes here the deliverance that originates in his righteousness; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 842 s.v.
[5:8] 84 tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 27:11; 56:2.
[5:8] 85 tn Heb “make level before me your way.” The imperative “make level” is Hiphil in the Kethib (consonantal text); Piel in the Qere (marginal reading). God’s “way” is here the way in which he leads the psalmist providentially (see the preceding line, where the psalmist asks the Lord to lead him).
[5:9] 87 tn Heb “for there is not in his mouth truthfulness.” The singular pronoun (“his”) probably refers back to the “man of bloodshed and deceit” mentioned in v. 6. The singular is collective or representative, as the plural in the next line indicates, and so has been translated “they.”
[5:9] 88 tn Heb “their inward part[s] [is] destruction.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse.
[5:9] 89 tn Heb “their throat is an open grave.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse. The metaphor is suggested by the physical resemblance of the human throat to a deeply dug grave; both are dark chasms.
[5:9] 90 tn Heb “they make smooth their tongue.” Flattering, deceitful words are in view. See Ps 12:2. The psalmist’s deceitful enemies are compared to the realm of death/Sheol in v. 9b. Sheol was envisioned as a dark region within the earth, the entrance to which was the grave with its steep slopes (cf. Ps 88:4-6). The enemies’ victims are pictured here as slipping down a steep slope (the enemies’ tongues) and falling into an open grave (their throat) that terminates in destruction in the inner recesses of Sheol (their stomach). The enemies’ קרב (“inward part”) refers here to their thoughts and motives, which are destructive in their intent. The throat is where these destructive thoughts are transformed into words, and their tongue is what they use to speak the deceitful words that lead their innocent victims to their demise.
[5:9] sn As the psalmist walks down the path in which God leads him, he asks the
[5:10] 91 tn Heb “declare/regard them as guilty.” Declaring the psalmist’s adversaries guilty is here metonymic for judging them or paying them back for their wrongdoing.
[5:10] 92 tn Heb “may they fall from their plans.” The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation. The psalmist calls judgment down on the evildoers. Their plans will be their downfall in that God will judge them for their evil schemes.
[5:10] 93 tn Or “banish them.”
[5:10] 94 tn The Hebrew noun used here, פֶּשַׁע (pesha’), refers to rebellious actions. The psalmist pictures his enemies as rebels against God (see the next line).
[5:11] 95 sn Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
[5:11] 96 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer. The psalmist calls on God to reward his faithful followers.
[5:11] 97 tn Or perhaps more hyperbolically, “forever.”
[5:11] 98 tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer.
[5:11] 99 tn Heb “put a cover over them.” The verb form is a Hiphil imperfect from סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “cover, shut off”). The imperfect expresses the psalmist’s wish or request.
[5:11] 100 tn Heb “the lovers of your name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to the Lord. See Pss 69:36; 119:132; Isa 56:6.
[5:11] 101 tn The vav (ו) with prefixed verbal form following the volitional “shelter them” indicates purpose or result (“so that those…may rejoice).
[5:12] 103 tn Or “bless.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line highlight how God characteristically rewards and protects the godly.
[5:12] 104 tn Or “innocent.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense.
[5:12] 105 tn Heb “surround.” In 1 Sam 23:26 the verb describes how Saul and his men hemmed David in as they chased him.
[5:12] 106 tn Heb “him.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense and is thus translated “them.”
[5:12] 107 tn Or “with favor” (cf. NRSV). There is no preposition before the noun in the Hebrew text, nor is there a pronoun attached. “Favor” here stands by metonymy for God’s defensive actions on behalf of the one whom he finds acceptable.
[6:1] 108 sn Psalm 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, the psalmist then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.
[6:1] 109 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit, “sheminith”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
[6:1] 110 sn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).
[6:2] 111 tn Or “show me favor.”
[6:2] 112 tn Normally the verb בָּהַל (bahal) refers to an emotional response and means “tremble with fear, be terrified” (see vv. 3, 10). Perhaps here the “bones” are viewed as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. However, the verb may describe one of the effects of his physical ailment, perhaps a fever. In Ezek 7:27 the verb describes how the hands of the people will shake with fear when they experience the horrors of divine judgment.
[6:3] 113 tn Heb “my being is very terrified.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
[6:3] 114 tn Heb “and you,
[6:4] 115 tn Heb “my being,” or “my life.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
[6:4] 116 sn Deliver me because of your faithfulness. Though the psalmist is experiencing divine discipline, he realizes that God has made a commitment to him in the past, so he appeals to God’s faithfulness in his request for help.
[6:5] 117 tn Heb “for there is not in death your remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זֵכֶר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 30:4; 97:12. “Death” here refers to the realm of death where the dead reside. See the reference to Sheol in the next line.
[6:5] 118 tn The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”
[6:5] sn In Sheol who gives you thanks? According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 30:9; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!
[6:6] 119 tn Heb “I cause to swim through all the night my bed.”
[6:6] 120 tn Heb “with my tears my bed I flood/melt.”
[6:7] 121 tn The Hebrew text has the singular “eye” here.
[6:7] 122 tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”
[6:7] 123 tn Or perhaps, “grow old.”
[6:7] 124 sn In his weakened condition the psalmist is vulnerable to the taunts and threats of his enemies.
[6:8] 125 tn Heb “all [you] workers of wickedness.” See Ps 5:5.
[6:8] 126 sn The
[6:9] 127 tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a preterite here; it is parallel to a perfect and refers to the fact that the
[6:10] 128 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling judgment down on his enemies.
[6:10] 129 tn Heb “and may they be very terrified.” The psalmist uses the same expression in v. 3 to describe the terror he was experiencing. Now he asks the
[7:1] 130 sn Psalm 7. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from his enemies. He protests his innocence and declares his confidence in God’s justice.
[7:1] 131 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שִׁגָּיוֹן (shiggayon; translated here “musical composition”) is uncertain. Some derive the noun from the verbal root שָׁגָה (shagah, “swerve, reel”) and understand it as referring to a “wild, passionate song, with rapid changes of rhythm” (see BDB 993 s.v. שִׁגָּיוֹן). But this proposal is purely speculative. The only other appearance of the noun is in Hab 3:1, where it occurs in the plural.
[7:1] 132 tn Or “on account of.”
[7:1] 133 sn Apparently this individual named Cush was one of David’s enemies.
[7:1] 134 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
[7:2] 135 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew text, even though “all who chase me” in v. 1 refers to a whole group of enemies. The singular is also used in vv. 4-5, but the psalmist returns to the plural in v. 6. The singular is probably collective, emphasizing the united front that the psalmist’s enemies present. This same alternation between a collective singular and a plural referring to enemies appears in Pss 9:3, 6; 13:4; 31:4, 8; 41:6, 10-11; 42:9-10; 55:3; 64:1-2; 74:3-4; 89:22-23; 106:10-11; 143:3, 6, 9.
[7:2] 136 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
[7:2] 137 tn Heb “tearing and there is no one rescuing.” The verbal form translated “tearing” is a singular active participle.
[7:3] 138 tn Heb “if I have done this.”
[7:3] 139 tn Heb “if there is injustice in my hands.” The “hands” figuratively suggest deeds or actions.
[7:4] 140 tn Heb “if I have repaid the one at peace with me evil.” The form שׁוֹלְמִי (sholÿmi, “the one at peace with me”) probably refers to a close friend or ally, i.e., one with whom the psalmist has made a formal agreement. See BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלוֹם 4.a.
[7:4] 141 tn Heb “or rescued my enemy in vain.” The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive (the verb form is pseudo-cohortative; see IBHS 576-77 §34.5.3) carries on the hypothetical nuance of the perfect in the preceding line. Some regard the statement as a parenthetical assertion that the psalmist is kind to his enemies. Others define חָלַץ (khalats) as “despoil” (cf. NASB, NRSV “plundered”; NIV “robbed”), an otherwise unattested nuance for this verb. Still others emend the verb to לָחַץ (lakhats, “oppress”). Most construe the adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “emptily, vainly”) with “my enemy,” i.e., the one who is my enemy in vain.” The present translation (1) assumes an emendation of צוֹרְרִי (tsorÿriy, “my enemy”) to צוֹרְרוֹ (tsorÿro, “his [i.e., the psalmist’s ally’s] enemy”) following J. Tigay, “Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties,” JBL 89 (1970): 178-86, (2) understands the final mem (ם) on רֵיקָם as enclitic, and (3) takes רִיק (riq) as an adjective modifying “his enemy.” (For other examples of a suffixed noun followed by an attributive adjective without the article, see Pss 18:17 (“my strong enemy”), 99:3 (“your great and awesome name”) and 143:10 (“your good spirit”). The adjective רִיק occurs with the sense “lawless” in Judg 9:4; 11:3; 2 Chr 13:7. In this case the psalmist affirms that he has not wronged his ally, nor has he given aid to his ally’s enemies. Ancient Near Eastern treaties typically included such clauses, with one or both parties agreeing not to lend aid to the treaty partner’s enemies.
[7:5] 142 tn The vocalization of the verb form seems to be a mixture of Qal and Piel (see GKC 168 §63.n). The translation assumes the Piel, which would emphasize the repetitive nature of the action. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a jussive. The psalmist is so certain that he is innocent of the sins mentioned in vv. 3-4, he pronounces an imprecation on himself for rhetorical effect.
[7:5] 143 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
[7:5] 144 tn Heb “and may he overtake.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. The object “me,” though unexpressed, is understood from the preceding statement.
[7:5] 145 tn Heb “and may he trample down to the earth my life.”
[7:5] 146 tn Heb “and my honor in the dust may he cause to dwell.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. Some emend כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy, “my honor”) to כְבֵדִי (khÿvediy, “my liver” as the seat of life), but the term כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy) is to be retained since it probably refers to the psalmist’s dignity or honor.
[7:6] 147 tn Heb “in your anger.”
[7:6] 148 tn Heb “Lift yourself up in the angry outbursts of my enemies.” Many understand the preposition prefixed to עַבְרוֹת (’avrot, “angry outbursts”) as adversative, “against,” and the following genitive “enemies” as subjective. In this case one could translate, “rise up against my furious enemies” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The present translation, however, takes the preposition as indicating manner (cf. “in your anger” in the previous line) and understands the plural form of the noun as indicating an abstract quality (“fury”) or excessive degree (“raging fury”). Cf. Job 21:30.
[7:6] 149 tc Heb “Wake up to me [with the] judgment [which] you have commanded.” The LXX understands אֵלִי (’eliy, “my God”) instead of אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”; the LXX reading is followed by NEB, NIV, NRSV.) If the reading of the MT is retained, the preposition probably has the sense of “on account of, for the sake of.” The noun מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “judgment”) is probably an adverbial accusative, modifying the initial imperative, “wake up.” In this case צִוִּיתָ (tsivvita, “[which] you have commanded”) is an asyndetic relative clause. Some take the perfect as precative. In this case one could translate the final line, “Wake up for my sake! Decree judgment!” (cf. NIV). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
[7:7] 150 tn Heb “and the assembly of the peoples surrounds you.” Some understand the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may the assembly of the peoples surround you.”
[7:7] 151 tn Heb “over it (the feminine suffix refers back to the feminine noun “assembly” in the preceding line) on high return.” Some emend שׁוּבָה (shuvah, “return”) to שֵׁבָה (shevah, “sit [in judgment]”) because they find the implication of “return” problematic. But the psalmist does not mean to imply that God has abandoned his royal throne and needs to regain it. Rather he simply urges God, as sovereign king of the world, to once more occupy his royal seat of judgment and execute judgment, as the OT pictures God doing periodically.
[7:8] 152 sn The
[7:8] 153 tn Heb “judge me, O
[7:8] 154 tn Heb “according to my blamelessness.” The imperative verb translated “vindicate” governs the second line as well.
[7:8] 155 tn The Hebrew form עָלָי (’alay) has been traditionally understood as the preposition עַל (’al, “over”) with a first person suffix. But this is syntactically awkward and meaningless. The form is probably a divine title derived from the verbal root עָלָה (’alah, “ascend”). This relatively rare title appears elsewhere in the OT (see HALOT 824-25 s.v. I עַל, though this text is not listed) and in Ugaritic as an epithet for Baal (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 98). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:44-45, and P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 98.
[7:9] 156 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
[7:9] 157 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation here.
[7:9] 158 tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.
[7:9] 159 tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.
[7:9] 160 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.
[7:9] 161 tn Heb “and [the one who] tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order to improve the English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
[7:10] 162 tn Traditionally, “my shield is upon God” (cf. NASB). As in v. 8, עַל (’al) should be understood as a divine title, here compounded with “God” (cf. NIV, “God Most High”). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:45-46. The shield metaphor pictures God as a protector against deadly attacks.
[7:10] 163 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
[7:11] 164 tn Heb “God (the divine name אֵל [’el] is used) is angry during all the day.” The verb זֹעֵם (zo’em) means “be indignant, be angry, curse.” Here God’s angry response to wrongdoing and injustice leads him to prepare to execute judgment as described in the following verses.
[7:12] 165 tn Heb “If he”; the referent (a person who is a sinner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The subject of the first verb is understood as the sinner who fails to repent of his ways and becomes the target of God’s judgment (vv. 9, 14-16).
[7:12] 166 tn Heb “if he does not return, his sword he sharpens.” The referent (God) of the pronominal subject of the second verb (“sharpens”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:12] 167 tn Heb “his bow he treads and prepares it.” “Treading the bow” involved stepping on one end of it in order to string it and thus prepare it for battle.
[7:13] 168 tn Heb “and for him he prepares the weapons of death.”
[7:13] 169 tn Heb “his arrows into flaming [things] he makes.”
[7:14] 170 tn Heb “and he conceives harm and gives birth to a lie.”
[7:14] sn Pregnant with wickedness…gives birth to harmful lies. The psalmist metaphorically pictures the typical sinner as a pregnant woman, who is ready to give birth to wicked, destructive schemes and actions.
[7:15] 171 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.
[7:15] 172 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.
[7:16] 173 tn Heb “his harm [i.e., the harm he conceived for others, see v. 14] returns on his head.”
[7:16] 174 tn Heb “and on his forehead his violence [i.e., the violence he intended to do to others] comes down.”
[7:17] 175 tn Heb “according to.”
[7:17] 176 tn Heb “[to] the name of the
[8:1] 177 sn Psalm 8. In this hymn to the sovereign creator, the psalmist praises God’s majesty and marvels that God has given mankind dominion over the created order.
[8:1] 178 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הגתית is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or type of instrument.
[8:1] 179 tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the
[8:1] 180 tn Or “awesome”; or “majestic.”
[8:1] 181 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[8:1] 182 tc Heb “which, give, your majesty on the heavens.” The verb form תְּנָה (tÿnah; an imperative?) is corrupt. The form should be emended to a second masculine singular perfect (נָתַתָּה, natatah) or imperfect (תִתֵן, titen) form. The introductory אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) can be taken as a relative pronoun (“you who”) or as a causal conjunction (“because”). One may literally translate, “you who [or “because you”] place your majesty upon the heavens.” For other uses of the phrase “place majesty upon” see Num 27:20 and 1 Chr 29:25.
[8:2] 183 tn Heb “you establish strength because of your foes.” The meaning of the statement is unclear. The present translation follows the reading of the LXX which has “praise” (αἶνος, ainos) in place of “strength” (עֹז, ’oz); cf. NIV, NCV, NLT.
[8:2] 184 tn Heb “to cause to cease an enemy and an avenger.” The singular forms are collective. The Hitpael participle of נָקַם (naqam) also occurs in Ps 44:16.
[8:3] 185 tn Heb “when I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and stars which you established.” The verb “[and] see” is understood by ellipsis in the second half of the verse.
[8:4] 186 tn Heb “What is man[kind]?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race.
[8:4] 187 tn Heb “remember him.”
[8:4] 188 tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
[8:4] 189 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.
[8:5] 190 tn Heb “and you make him lack a little from [the] gods [or “God”].” The Piel form of חָסַר (khasar, “to decrease, to be devoid”) is used only here and in Eccl 4:8, where it means “to deprive, to cause to be lacking.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive either carries on the characteristic nuance of the imperfect in v. 5b or indicates a consequence (“so that you make him…”) of the preceding statement (see GKC 328 §111.m). Some prefer to make this an independent clause and translate it as a new sentence, “You made him….” In this case the statement might refer specifically to the creation of the first human couple, Adam and Eve (cf. Gen 1:26-27). The psalmist does appear to allude to Gen 1:26-27, where mankind is created in the image of God and his angelic assembly (note “let us make man in our image” in Gen 1:26). However, the psalmist’s statement need not be limited in its focus to that historical event, for all mankind shares the image imparted to the first human couple. Consequently the psalmist can speak in general terms of the exalted nature of mankind. The referent of אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God” or “the heavenly beings”) is unclear. Some understand this as a reference to God alone, but the allusion to Gen 1:26-27 suggests a broader referent, including God and the other heavenly beings (known in other texts as “angels”). The term אֱלֹהִים is also used in this way in Gen 3:5, where the serpent says to the woman, “you will be like the heavenly beings who know good and evil.” (Note Gen 3:22, where God says, “the man has become like one of us.”) Also אֱלֹהִים may refer to the members of the heavenly assembly in Ps 82:1, 6. The LXX (the ancient Greek translation of the OT) reads “angels” in Ps 8:5 (this is the source of the quotation of Ps 8:5 in Heb 2:7).
[8:5] 191 tn Heb “you crown him [with].” The imperfect verbal forms in this and the next line describe God’s characteristic activity.
[8:5] 192 sn Honor and majesty. These terms allude to mankind’s royal status as God’s vice-regents (cf. v. 6 and Gen 1:26-30).
[8:6] 193 tn Heb “you cause [i.e., “permit, allow”] him to rule over the works of your hands.”
[8:6] 194 tn The perfect verbal form probably has a present perfect nuance here. It refers to the continuing effects of God’s original mandate (see Gen 1:26-30).
[8:6] 195 tn Heb “under his feet.”
[8:6] sn Placed everything under their authority. This verse affirms that mankind rules over God’s creation as his vice-regent. See Gen 1:26-30.
[8:7] 196 tn Heb “and also the beasts of the field.”
[8:9] 198 tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the
[8:9] 199 tn Or “awesome, majestic.”
[8:9] 200 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[8:9] 201 sn Using the poetic device of inclusio, the psalmist ends the psalm the way he began it. The concluding refrain is identical to v. 1.
[9:1] 202 sn Psalm 9. The psalmist, probably speaking on behalf of Israel or Judah, praises God for delivering him from hostile nations. He celebrates God’s sovereignty and justice, and calls on others to join him in boasting of God’s greatness. Many Hebrew
[9:1] 203 tc The meaning of the Hebrew term עַלְמוּת (’almut) is uncertain. Some
[9:1] 204 tn The cohortative forms in vv. 1-2 express the psalmist’s resolve to praise God publicly.
[9:2] 205 tn Heb “[to] your name, O Most High.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyo/) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
[9:3] 206 tn Or “perish”; or “die.” The imperfect verbal forms in this line either emphasize what typically happens or describe vividly the aftermath of a recent battle in which the
[9:4] 207 tn Heb “for you accomplished my justice and my legal claim.”
[9:4] 208 tn Heb “you sat on a throne [as] one who judges [with] righteousness.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 4 probably allude to a recent victory (see vv. 5-7). Another option is to understand the verbs as describing what is typical (“you defend…you sit on a throne”).
[9:5] 209 tn The verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) is often understood to mean “rebuke” and in this context taken to refer to the
[9:5] 210 tn The singular form is collective (note “nations” and “their name”). In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). In this context the hostile nations who threaten Israel/Judah are in view.
[9:5] 211 tn Heb “their name you wiped out forever and ever.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 5 probably refer to a recent victory (definite past or present perfect use), although they might express what is typical (characteristic use).
[9:6] 212 tn Heb “the enemy – they have come to an end [in] ruins permanently.” The singular form אוֹיֵב (’oyev, “enemy”) is collective. It is placed at the beginning of the verse to heighten the contrast with יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the
[9:6] 213 tn Heb “you uprooted cities.”
[9:6] 214 tn Heb “it has perished, their remembrance, they.” The independent pronoun at the end of the line is in apposition to the preceding pronominal suffix and lends emphasis (see IBHS 299 §16.3.4). The referent of the masculine pronoun is the nations/enemies (cf. v. 5), not the cities (the Hebrew noun עָרִים [’arim, “cities”] is grammatically feminine). This has been specified in the present translation for clarity; many modern translations retain the pronoun “them,” resulting in ambiguity (cf. NRSV “their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished”).
[9:7] 215 tn The construction vav (ו) + subject highlights the contrast between the exalted
[9:7] 216 tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, see v. 4). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.
[9:7] 217 tn Heb “he establishes for justice his throne.”
[9:8] 218 tn Heb “the peoples.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 8 either describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).
[9:9] 219 tn Following the imperfect in v. 9, the construction vav (ו) conjunctive + shortened form of the prefixed verb הָיָה (hayah) indicates a consequence or result of the preceding statement. The construction functions this same way in Pss 81:15 and 104:20.
[9:9] 220 tn Heb “and the
[9:9] 221 tn Heb “[he is] an elevated place for times in trouble.” Here an “elevated place” refers to a stronghold, a defensible, secure position that represents a safe haven in times of unrest or distress (cf. NEB “tower of strength”; NIV, NRSV “stronghold”).
[9:10] 222 tn Heb “and the ones who know your name trust in you.” The construction vav (ו) conjunctive + imperfect at the beginning of the verse expresses another consequence of the statement made in v. 8. “To know” the
[9:10] 223 tn Heb “the ones who seek you.”
[9:11] 224 tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, and therefore ruling – see v. 4). Another option is to translate as “lives” or “dwells.”
[9:11] 225 tn Heb “declare among the nations his deeds.”
[9:12] 226 tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “to seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea “to seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form דָּמִים (damim, “shed blood”) occurs only here as the object of דָּרַשׁ (darash); the singular form דָּם (dam, “blood”) appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:12] 227 tn Heb “did not forget.”
[9:12] 228 tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.
[9:13] 229 tn The words “when they prayed,” though not represented in the Hebrew text, are supplied in the translation for clarification. The petition in vv. 13-14 is best understood as the cry for help which the oppressed offered to God when the nations threatened. The
[9:13] 230 tn Or “show me favor.”
[9:13] 231 tn Heb “see my misery from the ones who hate me.”
[9:13] 232 tn Heb “one who lifts me up.”
[9:14] 233 tn Or “so that I might.”
[9:14] 234 tn Heb “all your praise.” “Praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt it.
[9:14] 235 sn Daughter Zion is an idiomatic title for Jerusalem. It appears frequently in the prophets, but only here in the psalms.
[9:14] 236 tn Heb “in your deliverance.”
[9:15] 237 tn Heb “sank down.”
[9:15] 238 sn The hostility of the nations against God’s people is their downfall, for it prompts God to intervene and destroy them. See also Ps 7:15-16.
[9:16] 239 tn Heb “by the work of his hands [the] wicked [one] was ensnared. The singular form רָשָׁע (rasha’, “wicked”) is collective or representative here (see vv. 15, 17). The form נוֹקֵשׁ (noqesh) appears to be an otherwise unattested Qal form (active participle) from נָקַשׁ (naqash), but the form should be emended to נוֹקַשׁ (noqash), a Niphal perfect from יָקַשׁ (yaqash).
[9:16] 240 tn This is probably a technical musical term.
[9:17] 241 tn Heb “the wicked turn back to Sheol.” The imperfect verbal form either emphasizes what typically happens or describes vividly the aftermath of the
[9:17] 242 tn The words “this is the destiny of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The verb “are turned back” is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[9:17] 243 tn Heb “forget.” “Forgetting God” refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see also Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 44:20). The nations’ refusal to acknowledge God’s sovereignty accounts for their brazen attempt to attack and destroy his people.
[9:18] 245 tn Heb “the hope of the afflicted does [not] perish forever.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The imperfect verbal forms express what typically happens.
[9:19] 246 sn Rise up,
[9:20] 248 tn Heb “place,
[9:20] 249 tn Heb “let the nations know they [are] man[kind]”; i.e., mere human beings (as opposed to God).
[10:1] 250 sn Psalm 10. Many Hebrew
[10:1] 251 tn Heb “you hide for times in trouble.” The interrogative “why” is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The Hiphil verbal form “hide” has no expressed object. Some supply “your eyes” by ellipsis (see BDB 761 s.v. I עָלַם Hiph and HALOT 835 s.v. I עלם hif) or emend the form to a Niphal (“you hide yourself,” see BHS, note c; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[10:2] 252 tn Heb “because of the pride of [the] wicked he burns [i.e. hotly pursues] [the] oppressed.” The singular forms רָשָׁע (rasha’, “wicked”) and עָנִי (’aniy, “oppressed”) are collective and representative, as indicated in the next line, which uses plural verb forms to describe the actions of both.
[10:2] 253 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 2 describe either what typically happens (from the psalmist’s perspective) or what the psalmist was experiencing at the time he offered this prayer.
[10:2] 254 tn Heb “they are trapped in the schemes which they have thought up.” The referents of the two pronominal suffixes on the verbs have been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent of the first suffix (“they”) is taken as the oppressed, while the referent of the second (“they”) is taken to be the wicked (cf. NIV, which renders “wicked” in the previous line as a collective singular). Others take the referent of both occurrences of “they” in the line to be the wicked (cf. NRSV, “let them be caught in the schemes they have devised”).
[10:3] 255 tn The translation assumes כִּי (ki) is asseverative: “indeed, certainly.” Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 3 as giving the reason why the wicked so arrogantly seek to destroy the helpless (so NASB, NRSV).
[10:3] 256 tn The representative or typical evildoer is described in vv. 3-11, 13, 15. Since the singular form predominates in these verses, it has been retained in the translation.
[10:3] 257 tn Heb “the wicked [one] boasts on account of the desire of his appetite.” The translation assumes that the preposition עַל (’al) introduces the reason why the wicked boasts (cf. this use of עַל with הָלַל (halal) in Ps 119:164 and Ezra 3:11). In this case, the “desire of his appetite” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired.
[10:3] 258 tn The translation assumes the active participle is substantival, referring to the wicked man mentioned in the preceding line. The substantival participle is then understood as the subject of the following verbs. For other examples of the participle of בָּצַע (batsar) used of those who desire and/or acquire wealth through dishonest and/or violent means, see Prov 1:19; 15:27; Jer 6:13; 8:10; Hab 2:9.
[10:3] 259 tn The verb בָּרַךְ (barakh) normally means “to bless,” but in a few cases it exhibits the polarized meaning “to curse” (1 Kgs 21:10, 13; Job 1:5-11; 2:5-9). (Some regard this use of בָּרַךְ as a mere euphemism.) The verb refers to the act of pronouncing or calling down a formal curse upon the object of one’s anger.
[10:3] 260 tn The conjunction “and” is supplied in the translation; it does not appear in the Hebrew text.
[10:3] 261 tn Another option is to translate, “he blesses one who robs others, [but] he curses the
[10:4] 262 tn Heb “the wicked [one], according to the height of his nose, he does not seek, there is no God, all his thoughts.” The phrase “height of his nose” probably refers to an arrogant or snooty attitude; it likely pictures one with his nose turned upward toward the sky in pride. One could take the “wicked” as the subject of the negated verb “seek,” in which case the point is that the wicked do not “seek” God. The translation assumes that this statement, along with “there is no God,” is what the wicked man thinks to himself. In this case God is the subject of the verb “seek,” and the point is that God will not hold the wicked man accountable for his actions. Verse 13 strongly favors this interpretation. The statement “there is no God” is not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see v. 11).
[10:5] 263 tn Heb “they are firm, his ways, at every time.” The verb חַיִל (khayil, “be firm, be strong”) occurs only here and in Job 20:21, where it has the sense “endure.”
[10:5] 264 tc Heb “[on a] height, your judgments from before him.” If the MT is retained, then the idea may be that God’s “judgments” are high above (i.e., not recognized) by the wicked man. However, the syntax is awkward. The translation assumes an emendation of מָרוֹם (marom, “height”) to סָרוּ (saru, “[your judgments] are turned aside”), the final mem (ם) being dittographic (note the initial mem on the immediately following word [מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ, mishÿfatekha, “your judgments”). “Judgments” probably refers here to God’s laws or commands, rather than his judicial decisions or acts of judgment.
[10:5] 265 tn Heb “all his enemies, he snorts against them.” This may picture the wicked man defiantly challenging his enemies because he is confident of success. Another option is to take יָפִיחַ (yafiakh) from the root יָפַח (yafakh, “to testify”) and translate “he testifies against all his enemies,” implying that he gets the upper hand over them in legal battles. The noun יָפֵחַ (yafeakh, “witness”) is attested in biblical Hebrew (see Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3). The verb, however, is not clearly attested.
[10:6] 266 tn Heb “he says in his heart/mind.”
[10:6] 267 tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.” The traditional accentuation of the MT understands these words with the following line.
[10:6] 268 tn Heb “who, not in calamity.” If אֲשֶׁר (’asher) is taken as a relative pronoun here, then one could translate, “[I] who [am] not in calamity.” Some emend אֲשֶׁר to אֹשֶׁר (’osher, “happiness”; see HALOT 99 s.v. אֹשֶׁר); one might then translate, “[I live in] happiness, not in calamity.” The present translation assumes that אֲשֶׁר functions here as a causal conjunction, “because, for.” For this use of אֲשֶׁר, see BDB 83 s.v. אֲשֶׁר 8.c (where the present text is not cited).
[10:7] 269 tn Heb “[with] a curse his mouth is full, and lies and injury.”
[10:7] 270 tn Heb “under his tongue are destruction and wickedness.” The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 90:10. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10.
[10:8] 271 tn Heb “he sits in the ambush of the villages.”
[10:8] 272 tn Heb “his eyes for an unfortunate person lie hidden.” The language may picture a lion (see v. 9) peering out from its hiding place in anticipation that an unsuspecting victim will soon come strolling along.
[10:9] 273 tn Or “in its den.”
[10:9] 274 tn The verb, which also appears in the next line, occurs only here and in Judg 21:21.
[10:9] 275 tn The singular form is collective (see v. 10) or refers to the typical or representative oppressed individual.
[10:9] 276 tn Or “when he [i.e., the wicked man] pulls in his net.”
[10:9] sn The background of the imagery is hunting, where the hunter uses a net to entrap an unsuspecting bird or wild animal.
[10:10] 277 tn Heb “he crushes, he is bowed down, and he falls into his strong [ones], [the] unfortunate [ones].” This verse presents several lexical and syntactical difficulties. The first word (יִדְכֶּה, yidekeh) is an otherwise unattested Qal form of the verb דָּכָה (dakhah, “crush”). (The Qere [marginal] form is imperfect; the consonantal text [Kethib] has the perfect with a prefixed conjunction vav [ו].) If the wicked man’s victim is the subject, which seems to be the case (note the two verbs which follow), then the form should be emended to a Niphal (יִדָּכֶה, yiddakheh). The phrase בַּעֲצוּמָיו (ba’atsumayv, “into his strong [ones]”), poses interpretive problems. The preposition -בְּ (bet) follows the verb נָפַל (nafal, “fall”), so it may very well carry the nuance “into” here, with “his strong [ones]” then referring to something into which the oppressed individual falls. Since a net is mentioned in the preceding verse as the instrument used to entrap the victim, it is possible that “strong [ones]” here refers metonymically to the wicked man’s nets or traps. Ps 35:8 refers to a man falling into a net (רֶשֶׁת, reshet), as does Ps 141:10 (where the plural of מִכְמָר [mikhmar, “net”] is used). A hunter’s net (רֶשֶׁת), is associated with snares (פַּח [pakh], מֹקְשִׁים, [moqÿshim]) and ropes (חֲבָלִים, khavalim) in Ps 140:5. The final word in the verse (חֶלְכָּאִים (khelka’im, “unfortunate [ones]”) may be an alternate form of חֵלְכָח (khelkhakh, “unfortunate [one]”; see vv. 8, 14). The Qere (marginal reading) divides the form into two words, חֵיל כָּאִים (khel ka’im, “army/host of disheartened [ones]”). The three verb forms in v. 10 are singular because the representative “oppressed” individual is the grammatical subject (see the singular עָנִי [’aniy] in v. 9).
[10:11] 278 tn Heb “he says in his heart.” See v. 6.
[10:11] 279 tn Heb “God forgets, he hides his face, he never sees.”
[10:12] 280 sn Rise up, O
[10:12] 281 tn Heb “lift up your hand.” Usually the expression “lifting the hand” refers to praying (Pss 28:2; 134:2) or making an oath (Ps 106:26), but here it probably refers to “striking a blow” (see 2 Sam 18:28; 20:21). Note v. 15, where the psalmist asks the
[10:13] 282 tn The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s outrage that the wicked would have the audacity to disdain God.
[10:13] 283 tn Heb “he says in his heart” (see vv. 6, 11). Another option is to understand an ellipsis of the interrogative particle here (cf. the preceding line), “Why does he say in his heart?”
[10:13] 284 tn Here the wicked man addresses God directly.
[10:13] 285 tn Heb “you will not seek.” The verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as generalizing about what is typical and translate, “you do not hold [people] accountable.”
[10:14] 286 tn Heb “you see.” One could translate the perfect as generalizing, “you do take notice.”
[10:14] 287 tn If the preceding perfect is taken as generalizing, then one might understand כִּי (ki) as asseverative: “indeed, certainly.”
[10:14] 288 tn Here the imperfect emphasizes God’s typical behavior.
[10:14] 289 tn Heb “destruction and suffering,” which here refers metonymically to the wicked, who dish out pain and suffering to their victims.
[10:14] 290 tn Heb “to give into your hand, upon you, he abandons, [the] unfortunate [one].” The syntax is awkward and the meaning unclear. It is uncertain who or what is being given into God’s hand. Elsewhere the idiom “give into the hand” means to deliver into one’s possession. If “to give” goes with what precedes (as the accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests), then this may refer to the wicked man being delivered over to God for judgment. The present translation assumes that “to give” goes with what follows (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The verb יַעֲזֹב (ya’azov) here has the nuance “entrust” (see Gen 39:6; Job 39:11); the direct object (“[his] cause”) is implied.
[10:14] 292 tn Heb “[for] one who is fatherless, you are a deliverer.” The noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9).
[10:14] sn The fatherless. Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 68:5; 82:3; 94:6; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
[10:15] 293 sn The arm symbolizes the strength of the wicked, which they use to oppress and exploit the weak.
[10:15] 294 tn Heb “you seek his wickedness.” As in v. 13, the verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as describing a fact, “you hold him accountable,” or as anticipating divine judgment, “you will hold him accountable.” However, since the verb is in apparent parallelism with the preceding imperative (“break”), it is better to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s desire or request.
[10:15] 295 tn Heb “you will not find.” It is uncertain how this statement relates to what precedes. Some take בַל (bal), which is used as a negative particle in vv. 4, 6, 11, 18, as asseverative here, “Indeed find (i.e., judge his wickedness).” The translation assumes that the final words are an asyndetic relative clause which refers back to what the wicked man boasted in God’s face (“you will not find [i.e., my wickedness]”). See v. 13.
[10:16] 296 tn Heb “the
[10:16] 297 tn Or “the nations perish from his land.” The perfect verb form may express what is typical or it may express rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude that God’s deliverance is “as good as done.”
[10:16] sn The nations may be the underlying reality behind the psalmist’s references to the “wicked” in the earlier verses. This reference to the nations may have motivated the combining of Ps 10 with Ps 9 (see Ps 9:5, 15, 19).
[10:17] 298 sn You have heard. The psalmist is confident that God has responded positively to his earlier petitions for divine intervention. The psalmist apparently prayed the words of vv. 16-18 after the reception of an oracle of deliverance (given in response to the confident petition of vv. 12-15) or after the Lord actually delivered him from his enemies.
[10:17] 300 tn Heb “you make firm their heart, you cause your ear to listen.”
[10:18] 301 tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”
[10:18] 302 tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.
[10:18] 303 tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.
[11:1] 304 sn Psalm 11. The psalmist rejects the advice to flee from his dangerous enemies. Instead he affirms his confidence in God’s just character and calls down judgment on evildoers.
[11:1] 305 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
[11:1] 306 tn The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
[11:1] 307 tc The MT is corrupt here. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads: “flee [masculine plural!] to your [masculine plural!] mountain, bird.” The Qere (marginal reading) has “flee” in a feminine singular form, agreeing grammatically with the addressee, the feminine noun “bird.” Rather than being a second masculine plural pronominal suffix, the ending כֶם- (-khem) attached to “mountain” is better interpreted as a second feminine singular pronominal suffix followed by an enclitic mem (ם). “Bird” may be taken as vocative (“O bird”) or as an adverbial accusative of manner (“like a bird”). Either way, the psalmist’s advisers compare him to a helpless bird whose only option in the face of danger is to fly away to an inaccessible place.
[11:2] 308 tn In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and threaten his people (Ps 3:8).
[11:2] 309 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form depicts the enemies’ hostile action as underway.
[11:2] 311 sn In the darkness. The enemies’ attack, the precise form of which is not indicated, is compared here to a night ambush by archers; the psalmist is defenseless against this deadly attack.
[11:2] 312 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
[11:3] 313 tn The precise meaning of this rare word is uncertain. An Ugaritic cognate is used of the “bottom” or “base” of a cliff or mountain (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47, 159). The noun appears in postbiblical Hebrew with the meaning “foundation” (see Jastrow 1636 s.v. שָׁת).
[11:3] 314 tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure [of heart]” in the previous verse.
[11:3] 315 sn The quotation of the advisers’ words (which begins in 11:1c) ends at this point. They advise the psalmist to flee because the enemy is poised to launch a deadly attack. In such a lawless and chaotic situation godly people like the psalmist can accomplish nothing, so they might as well retreat to a safe place.
[11:4] 316 tn Because of the royal imagery involved here, one could translate “lofty palace.” The
[11:4] 317 sn The
[11:4] 318 sn His eyes. The anthropomorphic language draws attention to God’s awareness of and interest in the situation on earth. Though the enemies are hidden by the darkness (v. 2), the Lord sees all.
[11:4] 319 tn The two Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this verse describe the
[11:4] 321 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 7:9; 26:2; 139:23.
[11:4] 322 tn Heb “test the sons of men.”
[11:5] 323 tn Heb “examines,” the same verb used in v. 4b. But here it is used in a metonymic sense of “examine and approve” (see Jer 20:12).
[11:5] 324 tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure (of heart)” in v. 2.
[11:5] 325 tn Heb “his [very] being.” A נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, soul”) is also attributed to the Lord in Isa 1:14, where a suffixed form of the noun appears as the subject of the verb “hate.” Both there and here the term is used of the seat of one’s emotions and passions.
[11:5] 326 sn He hates the wicked. The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds, and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 5:5.
[11:5] 327 tn Heb “the wicked [one] and the lover of violence.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked [ones]”) in vv. 2 and 6.
[11:6] 328 tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the
[11:6] 329 tc The MT reads “traps, fire, and brimstone,” but the image of God raining traps, or snares, down from the sky is bizarre and does not fit the fire and storm imagery of this verse. The noun פַּחִים (pakhim, “traps, snares”) should be emended to פַּחֲמֵי (pakhamey, “coals of [fire]”). The rare noun פֶּחָם (pekham, “coal”) occurs in Prov 26:21 and Isa 44:12; 54:16.
[11:6] 330 sn The image of God “raining down” brimstone on the objects of his judgment also appears in Gen 19:24 and Ezek 38:22.
[11:6] 331 tn Heb “[may] a wind of rage [be] the portion of their cup.” The precise meaning of the rare noun זִלְעָפוֹת (zil’afot) is uncertain. It may mean “raging heat” (BDB 273 s.v. זַלְעָפָה) or simply “rage” (HALOT 272 s.v. זַלְעָפָה). If one understands the former sense, then one might translate “hot wind” (cf. NEB, NRSV). The present translation assumes the latter nuance, “a wind of rage” (the genitive is attributive) referring to a “whirlwind” symbolic of destructive judgment. In this mixed metaphor, judgment is also compared to an allotted portion of a beverage poured into one’s drinking cup (see Hab 2:15-16).
[11:7] 334 tn Heb “he loves righteous deeds.” The “righteous deeds” are probably those done by godly people (see v. 5). The Lord “loves” such deeds in the sense that he rewards them. Another option is to take צְדָקוֹת (tsÿdaqot) as referring to God’s acts of justice (see Ps 103:6). In this case one could translate, “he loves to do just deeds.”
[11:7] 335 tn Heb “the upright will see his face.” The singular subject (“upright”) does not agree with the plural verb. However, collective singular nouns can be construed with a plural predicate (see GKC 462 §145.b). Another possibility is that the plural verb יֶחֱזוּ (yekhezu) is a corruption of an original singular form. To “see” God’s “face” means to have access to his presence and to experience his favor (see Ps 17:15 and Job 33:26 [where רָאָה (ra’ah), not חָזָה (khazah), is used]). On the form פָנֵימוֹ (fanemo, “his face”) see GKC 300-301 §103.b, n. 3.
[12:1] 336 sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.
[12:1] 337 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
[12:1] 338 tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[12:1] 339 tn Or “have come to an end.”
[12:1] 340 tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”
[12:1] 341 tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”
[12:2] 342 tn Heb “falsehood they speak, a man with his neighbor.” The imperfect verb forms in v. 2 describe what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.
[12:2] 343 tn Heb “[with] a lip of smoothness, with a heart and a heart they speak.” Speaking a “smooth” word refers to deceptive flattery (cf. Ps 5:9; 55:21; Prov 2:16; 5:3; 7:5, 21; 26:28; 28:23; Isa 30:10). “Heart” here refers to their mind, from which their motives and intentions originate. The repetition of the noun indicates diversity (see GKC 396 §123.f, IBHS 116 §7.2.3c, and Deut 25:13, where the phrase “weight and a weight” refers to two different measuring weights). These people have two different types of “hearts.” Their flattering words seem to express kind motives and intentions, but this outward display does not really reflect their true motives. Their real “heart” is filled with evil thoughts and destructive intentions. The “heart” that is seemingly displayed through their words is far different from the real “heart” they keep disguised. (For the idea see Ps 28:3.) In 1 Chr 12:33 the phrase “without a heart and a heart” means “undivided loyalty.”
[12:3] 344 tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the
[12:3] 345 tn Heb “a tongue speaking great [things].”
[12:4] 346 tn Heb “which say.” The plural verb after the relative pronoun indicates a plural antecedent for the pronoun, probably “lips” in v. 3.
[12:4] 347 tn Heb “to our tongue we make strong.” The Hiphil of גָבַר (gavar) occurs only here and in Dan 9:27, where it refers to making strong, or confirming, a covenant. Here in Ps 12 the evildoers “make their tongue strong” in the sense that they use their tongue to produce flattering and arrogant words to accomplish their purposes. The preposition -לְ (l) prefixed to “our tongue” may be dittographic.
[12:4] 348 tn Heb “our lips [are] with us.” This odd expression probably means, “our lips are in our power,” in the sense that they say what they want, whether it be flattery or boasting. For other cases where אֵת (’et, “with”) has the sense “in the power of,” see Ps 38:10 and other texts listed by BDB 86 s.v. 3.a.
[12:4] 349 sn The rhetorical question expresses the arrogant attitude of these people. As far as they are concerned, they are answerable to no one for how they speak.
[12:5] 350 tn The term translated “oppressed” is an objective genitive; the oppressed are the recipients/victims of violence.
[12:5] 351 tn Elsewhere in the psalms this noun is used of the painful groans of prisoners awaiting death (79:11; 102:20). The related verb is used of the painful groaning of those wounded in combat (Jer 51:52; Ezek 26:15) and of the mournful sighing of those in grief (Ezek 9:4; 24:17).
[12:5] 352 tn Heb “I will rise up.”
[12:5] 353 tn Heb “I will place in deliverance, he pants for it.” The final two words in Hebrew (יָפִיחַ לוֹ, yafiakh lo) comprise an asyndetic relative clause, “the one who pants for it.” “The one who pants” is the object of the verb “place” and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix (in the phrase “for it”) is “deliverance.” Another option is to translate, “I will place in deliverance the witness for him,” repointing יָפִיחַ (a Hiphil imperfect from פּוּחַ, puakh, “pant”) as יָפֵחַ (yafeakh), a noun meaning “witness.” In this case the
[12:6] 354 tn Heb “the words of the
[12:6] 355 tn Heb “[like] silver purified in a furnace of [i.e., “on”] the ground, refined seven times.” The singular participle מְזֻקָּק (mÿzuqqaq, “refined”) modifies “silver.” The number seven is used rhetorically to express the thorough nature of the action. For other rhetorical/figurative uses of שִׁבְעָתָיִם (shiv’atayim, “seven times”), see Gen 4:15, 24; Ps 79:12; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
[12:7] 356 tn The third person plural pronominal suffix on the verb is masculine, referring back to the “oppressed” and “needy” in v. 5 (both of those nouns are plural in form), suggesting that the verb means “protect” here. The suffix does not refer to אִמֲרוֹת (’imarot, “words”) in v. 6, because that term is feminine gender.
[12:7] 357 tn Heb “you will protect him from this generation permanently.” The third masculine singular suffix on the verb “protect” is probably used in a distributive sense, referring to each one within the group mentioned previously (the oppressed/needy, referred to as “them” in the preceding line). On this grammatical point see GKC 396 §123.f (where the present text is not cited). (Some Hebrew
[12:8] 358 tn Heb “the wicked walk all around.” One could translate v. 8a as an independent clause, in which case it would be a concluding observation in proverbial style. The present translation assumes that v. 8a is a subordinate explanatory clause, or perhaps a subordinate temporal clause (“while the wicked walk all around”). The adverb סָבִיב (saviv, “around”), in combination with the Hitpael form of the verb “walk” (which indicates repeated action), pictures the wicked as ubiquitous. They have seemingly overrun society.
[12:8] 359 tn Heb “when evil is lifted up by the sons of man.” The abstract noun זֻלּוּת (zulut, “evil”) occurs only here. On the basis of evidence from the cognate languages (see HALOT 272 s.v.), one might propose the meaning “base character,” or “morally foolish behavior.”
[90:3] 360 tn In this context the shortened prefix form does not function as a preterite, but indicates what is typical of the world.
[90:3] 361 tn The Hebrew term דַּכָּא (daka’) carries the basic sense of “crushed.” Elsewhere it refers to those who are “crushed” in spirit or contrite of heart (see Ps 34:18; Isa 57:15). If one understands this nuance here, then v. 3 is observing that God leads mankind to repentance (the term שׁוּב, shuv, “return,” which appears twice in this verse, is sometimes used of repentance.) However, the following context laments mankind’s mortality and the brevity of life, so it is doubtful if v. 3 should be understood so positively. It is more likely that דַּכָּא here refers to “crushed matter,” that is, the dust that fills the grave (see HALOT 221 s.v. s.v. I דַּכָּא; BDB 194 s.v. דַּכָּא). In this case one may hear an echo of Gen 3:19.
[90:4] 363 sn The divisions of the nighttime. The ancient Israelites divided the night into distinct periods, or “watches.”
[90:5] 364 tn Heb “you bring them to an end [with] sleep.” The Hebrew verb זָרַם (zaram) has traditionally been taken to mean “flood” or “overwhelm” (note the Polel form of a root זרם in Ps 77:17, where the verb is used of the clouds pouring down rain). However, the verb form here is Qal, not Polel, and is better understood as a homonym meaning “to make an end [of life].” The term שֵׁנָה (shenah, “sleep”) can be taken as an adverbial accusative; it is a euphemism here for death (see Ps 76:5-6).
[90:6] 365 tn Or “flourishes.” The verb is used of a crown shining in Ps 132:18. Perhaps here in Ps 90:6 it refers to the glistening of the grass in the morning dew.
[90:6] 366 tn The Polel form of this verb occurs only here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a Qal (which necessitates eliminating the final lamed [ל] as dittographic). See Ps 37:2.
[90:8] 368 tn Heb “you set our sins in front of you.”
[90:8] 369 tn Heb “what we have hidden to the light of your face.” God’s face is compared to a light or lamp that exposes the darkness around it.
[90:9] 371 tn Heb “all our days pass by in your anger.”
[90:9] 372 tn Heb “we finish our years like a sigh.” In Ezek 2:10 the word הֶגֶה (hegeh) elsewhere refers to a grumbling or moaning sound. Here a brief sigh or moan is probably in view. If so, the simile pictures one’s lifetime as transient. Another option is that the simile alludes to the weakness that characteristically overtakes a person at the end of one’s lifetime. In this case the phrase could be translated, “we end our lives with a painful moan.”
[90:10] 373 tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”
[90:10] 374 tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”
[90:10] 375 tn Heb “and their pride [is] destruction and wickedness.” The Hebrew noun רֹהַב (rohav) occurs only here. BDB 923 s.v. assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root רהב (“to act stormily [boisterously, arrogantly]”). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).
[90:10] 377 tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb גּוּז (guz) means “to pass” here; it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.
[90:10] 378 sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).
[90:11] 379 tn Heb “Who knows the strength of your anger?”
[90:11] 380 tn Heb “and like your fear [is] your raging fury.” Perhaps one should emend וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ (ukhyir’otekh, “and like your fear”) to יִרְאָתְךְ (yir’otkh, “your fear”), understanding a virtual dittography (אַפֶּךָ וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ, ’apekha ukhyir’otekh) to have occurred. In this case the psalmist asserts “your fear [is] your raging fury,” that is, your raging fury is what causes others to fear you. The suffix on “fear” is understood as objective.
[90:12] 381 tn Heb “to number our days,” that is, to be aware of how few they really are.
[90:12] 382 tn Heb “and we will bring a heart of wisdom.” After the imperative of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates purpose/result. The Hebrew term “heart” here refers to the center of one’s thoughts, volition, and moral character.
[90:1] 383 sn Psalm 90. In this communal lament the worship leader affirms that the eternal God and creator of the world has always been Israel’s protector. But God also causes men, who are as transient as grass, to die, and in his fierce anger he decimates his covenant community, whose brief lives are filled with suffering and end in weakness. The community asks for wisdom, the restoration of God’s favor, a fresh revelation of his power, and his blessing upon their labors.
[90:1] 384 tn Or “place of safety.” See Ps 71:3.
[3:1] 385 sn Psalm 3. The psalmist acknowledges that he is confronted by many enemies (vv. 1-2). But, alluding to a divine oracle he has received (vv. 4-5), he affirms his confidence in God’s ability to protect him (vv. 3, 6) and requests that God make his promise a reality (vv. 7-8).
[3:1] 386 sn According to Jewish tradition, David offered this prayer when he was forced to flee from Jerusalem during his son Absalom’s attempted coup (see 2 Sam 15:13-17).
[3:1] 387 tn The Hebrew term מָה (mah, “how”) is used here as an adverbial exclamation (see BDB 553 s.v.).
[3:1] 388 tn Heb “many rise up against me.”
[3:2] 389 tn Heb “there is no deliverance for him in God.”
[3:2] 390 sn The function of the Hebrew term סֶלָה (selah), transliterated here “Selah,” is uncertain. It may be a musical direction of some kind.
[3:3] 391 tn Heb “a shield round about me.”
[3:3] 392 tn Heb “my glory,” or “my honor.” The psalmist affirms that the
[3:3] 393 tn Heb “[the one who] lifts my head.” This phrase could be understood to refer to a general strengthening of the psalmist by God during difficult circumstances. However, if one takes the suggestion of the superscription that this is a Davidic psalm written during the revolt of Absalom, the phrase “lift the head” could refer to the psalmist’s desire for restoration to his former position (cf. Gen 40:13 where the same phrase is used). Like the Hebrew text, the present translation (“who restores me”) can be understood in either sense.
[3:4] 394 tn The prefixed verbal form could be an imperfect, yielding the translation “I cry out,” but the verb form in the next line (a vav [ו] consecutive with the preterite) suggests this is a brief narrative of what has already happened. Consequently the verb form in v. 4a is better understood as a preterite, “I cried out.” (For another example of the preterite of this same verb form, see Ps 30:8.) Sometime after the crisis arose, the psalmist prayed to the Lord and received an assuring answer. Now he confidently awaits the fulfillment of the divine promise.
[3:4] 395 sn His holy hill. That is, Zion (see Pss 2:6; 48:1-2). The psalmist recognizes that the
[3:5] 396 tn The three verbal forms that appear in succession here (perfect + vav [ו] consecutive with preterite + perfect) are most naturally taken as narrational. When the psalmist received an assuring word from the
[3:5] 397 tn Or “supports”; “sustains.” In this explanatory causal clause the imperfect verbal form probably has a habitual or present progressive nuance, for the psalmist is confident of God’s continual protection (see v. 3). Another option is to take the verb as a preterite, “for the
[3:6] 398 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s continuing attitude as he faces the crisis at hand.
[3:6] 399 tn Or perhaps “troops.” The Hebrew noun עָם (’am) sometimes refers to a military contingent or army.
[3:6] 400 tn Heb “who all around take a stand against me.”
[3:7] 401 tn In v. 2 the psalmist describes his enemies as those who “confront” him (קָמִים [qamim], literally, “rise up against him”). Now, using the same verbal root (קוּם, qum) he asks the
[3:7] 402 tn Elsewhere in the psalms the particle כִּי (ki), when collocated with a perfect verbal form and subordinated to a preceding imperative directed to God, almost always has an explanatory or causal force (“for, because”) and introduces a motivating argument for why God should respond positively to the request (see Pss 5:10; 6:2; 12:1; 16:1; 41:4; 55:9; 56:1; 57:1; 60:2; 69:1; 74:20; 119:94; 123:3; 142:6; 143:8). (On three occasions the כִּי is recitative after a verb of perception [“see/know that,” see Pss 4:3; 25:19; 119:159]). If כִּי is taken as explanatory here, then the psalmist is arguing that God should deliver him now because that is what God characteristically does. However, such a motivating argument is not used in the passages cited above. The motivating argument usually focuses on the nature of the psalmist’s dilemma or the fact that he trusts in the Lord. For this reason it is unlikely that כִּי has its normal force here. Most scholars understand the particle כִּי as having an asseverative (emphasizing) function here (“indeed, yes”; NEB leaves the particle untranslated).
[3:7] 403 tn If the particle כִּי (ki) is taken as explanatory, then the perfect verbal forms in v. 7b would describe God’s characteristic behavior. However, as pointed out in the preceding note on the word “yes,” the particle probably has an asseverative force here. If so, the perfects may be taken as 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, he can describe God’s assault on his enemies as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm, as expressed before (vv. 3-6) and after this (v. 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“Strike all my enemies on the jaw, break the teeth of the wicked”). 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.
[3:7] 404 sn The expression break the teeth may envision violent hand-to hand combat, though it is possible that the enemies are pictured here as a dangerous animal (see Job 29:17).
[3:7] 405 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
[3:8] 406 tn Heb “to the
[3:8] 407 tn Heb “upon your people [is] your blessing.” In this context God’s “blessing” includes deliverance/protection, vindication, and sustained life (see Pss 21:3, 6; 24:5).
[4:1] 408 sn Psalm 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.
[4:1] 409 tn Heb “God of my righteousness.”
[4:1] 410 tn Heb “in distress (or “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). 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.
[4:1] 411 tn Or “show me favor.”
[4:2] 413 tn Heb “sons of man.”
[4:2] 414 tn Heb “how long my honor to shame?”
[4:2] 415 tn The interrogative construction עַד־מֶה (’ad-meh, “how long?”), is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
[4:2] 417 tn Heb “a lie.” Some see the metonymic language of v. 2b (“emptiness, lie”) as referring to idols or false gods. However, there is no solid immediate contextual evidence for such an interpretation. It is more likely that the psalmist addresses those who threaten him (see v. 1) and refers in a general way to their sinful lifestyle. (See R. Mosis, TDOT 7:121.) The two terms allude to the fact that sinful behavior is ultimately fruitless and self-destructive.
[4:3] 418 tn Heb “and know that.”
[4:3] 419 tn Heb “that the
[4:4] 421 sn The psalmist warns his enemies that they need to tremble with fear before God and repudiate their sinful ways.
[4:4] 422 tn Heb “say in your heart(s) on your bed(s) and wail/lament.” The verb דֹמּוּ (dommu) is understood as a form of דָמָם (“wail, lament”) in sorrow and repentance. Another option is to take the verb from II דָמָם (damam, “be quiet”); cf. NIV, NRSV “be silent.”
[4:5] 423 tn Or “proper, right.” The phrase also occurs in Deut 33:19 and Ps 51:19.
[4:5] 424 sn Trust in the
[4:6] 425 tn Heb “lift up upon us the light of your face,
[4:6] sn Smile upon us. Though many are discouraged, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and transform the situation.
[4:7] 426 tn Heb “you place joy in my heart.” Another option is to understand the perfect verbal form as indicating certitude, “you will make me happier.”
[4:7] 427 tn Heb “from (i.e., more than) the time (when) their grain and their wine are abundant.”
[4:8] 428 tn Heb “in peace at the same time I will lie down and sleep.”
[4:8] 429 tn Heb “for you,
[5:1] 430 sn Psalm 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.
[5:1] 431 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word נְחִילוֹת (nÿkhilot), which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to חָלִיל (khalil, “flute”).
[5:1] 433 tn Or “sighing.” The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.
[5:3] 434 sn In the morning is here viewed as the time of prayer (Pss 59:16; 88:13) and/or of deliverance (Ps 30:5).
[5:3] 435 tn The imperfect is here understood in a specific future sense; the psalmist is expressing his confidence that God will be willing to hear his request. Another option is to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s wish or request. In this case one could translate, “
[5:3] 437 tn Heb “I will arrange for you.” Some understand a sacrifice or offering as the implied object (cf. NEB “I set out my morning sacrifice”). The present translation assumes that the implied object is the psalmist’s case/request. See Isa 44:7.
[5:3] 438 tn Heb “and I will watch.”
[5:4] 440 tn Heb “not a God [who] delights [in] wickedness [are] you.”
[5:4] 441 tn The Hebrew text has simply the singular form רע, which may be taken as an abstract noun “evil” (the reference to “wickedness” in the preceding line favors this; cf. NEB, NASB, NRSV) or as a substantival adjective “evil one” (the references to evil people in the next two verses favor this; cf. NIV “with you the wicked cannot dwell”).
[5:4] 442 tn Heb “cannot dwell as a resident alien [with] you.” The negated imperfect verbal form here indicates incapability or lack of permission. These people are morally incapable of dwelling in God’s presence and are not permitted to do so.
[5:4] sn Only the godly are allowed to dwell with the Lord. Evil people are excluded. See Ps 15.
[5:5] 443 tn Heb “before your eyes.”
[5:5] 444 sn You hate. The
[5:5] 445 tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.”
[5:6] 446 tn The imperfect verbal form indicates God’s typical response to such individuals. Another option is to translate the verb as future (“You will destroy”); the psalmist may be envisioning a time of judgment when God will remove the wicked from the scene.
[5:6] 447 tn Heb “those who speak a lie.” In the OT a “lie” does not refer in a general philosophical sense to any statement that fails to correspond to reality. Instead it refers more specifically to a slanderous and/or deceitful statement that promotes one’s own selfish, sinful interests and/or exploits or harms those who are innocent. Note the emphasis on violence and deceit in the following line.
[5:6] 448 tn The imperfect verbal form highlights the
[5:6] 449 tn Heb “a man of bloodshed and deceit.” The singular אִישׁ (’ish, “man”) is used here in a collective or representative sense; thus the translation “people” is appropriate here. Note the plural forms in vv. 5-6a.
[5:7] 450 sn But as for me. By placing the first person pronoun at the beginning of the verse, the psalmist highlights the contrast between the evildoers’ actions and destiny, outlined in the preceding verses, with his own.
[5:7] 451 sn I will enter your house. The psalmist is confident that God will accept him into his presence, in contrast to the evildoers (see v. 5).
[5:7] 452 tn Heb “in fear [of] you.” The Hebrew noun יִרְאָה (yir’ah, “fear”), when used of fearing God, is sometimes used metonymically for what it ideally produces: “worship, reverence, piety.”
[5:8] 453 tn God’s providential leading is in view. His צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) includes here the deliverance that originates in his righteousness; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 842 s.v.
[5:8] 454 tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 27:11; 56:2.
[5:8] 455 tn Heb “make level before me your way.” The imperative “make level” is Hiphil in the Kethib (consonantal text); Piel in the Qere (marginal reading). God’s “way” is here the way in which he leads the psalmist providentially (see the preceding line, where the psalmist asks the Lord to lead him).
[5:9] 457 tn Heb “for there is not in his mouth truthfulness.” The singular pronoun (“his”) probably refers back to the “man of bloodshed and deceit” mentioned in v. 6. The singular is collective or representative, as the plural in the next line indicates, and so has been translated “they.”
[5:9] 458 tn Heb “their inward part[s] [is] destruction.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse.
[5:9] 459 tn Heb “their throat is an open grave.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse. The metaphor is suggested by the physical resemblance of the human throat to a deeply dug grave; both are dark chasms.
[5:9] 460 tn Heb “they make smooth their tongue.” Flattering, deceitful words are in view. See Ps 12:2. The psalmist’s deceitful enemies are compared to the realm of death/Sheol in v. 9b. Sheol was envisioned as a dark region within the earth, the entrance to which was the grave with its steep slopes (cf. Ps 88:4-6). The enemies’ victims are pictured here as slipping down a steep slope (the enemies’ tongues) and falling into an open grave (their throat) that terminates in destruction in the inner recesses of Sheol (their stomach). The enemies’ קרב (“inward part”) refers here to their thoughts and motives, which are destructive in their intent. The throat is where these destructive thoughts are transformed into words, and their tongue is what they use to speak the deceitful words that lead their innocent victims to their demise.
[5:9] sn As the psalmist walks down the path in which God leads him, he asks the
[5:10] 461 tn Heb “declare/regard them as guilty.” Declaring the psalmist’s adversaries guilty is here metonymic for judging them or paying them back for their wrongdoing.
[5:10] 462 tn Heb “may they fall from their plans.” The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation. The psalmist calls judgment down on the evildoers. Their plans will be their downfall in that God will judge them for their evil schemes.
[5:10] 463 tn Or “banish them.”
[5:10] 464 tn The Hebrew noun used here, פֶּשַׁע (pesha’), refers to rebellious actions. The psalmist pictures his enemies as rebels against God (see the next line).
[5:11] 465 sn Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
[5:11] 466 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer. The psalmist calls on God to reward his faithful followers.
[5:11] 467 tn Or perhaps more hyperbolically, “forever.”
[5:11] 468 tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer.
[5:11] 469 tn Heb “put a cover over them.” The verb form is a Hiphil imperfect from סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “cover, shut off”). The imperfect expresses the psalmist’s wish or request.
[5:11] 470 tn Heb “the lovers of your name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to the Lord. See Pss 69:36; 119:132; Isa 56:6.
[5:11] 471 tn The vav (ו) with prefixed verbal form following the volitional “shelter them” indicates purpose or result (“so that those…may rejoice).
[5:12] 473 tn Or “bless.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line highlight how God characteristically rewards and protects the godly.
[5:12] 474 tn Or “innocent.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense.
[5:12] 475 tn Heb “surround.” In 1 Sam 23:26 the verb describes how Saul and his men hemmed David in as they chased him.
[5:12] 476 tn Heb “him.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense and is thus translated “them.”
[5:12] 477 tn Or “with favor” (cf. NRSV). There is no preposition before the noun in the Hebrew text, nor is there a pronoun attached. “Favor” here stands by metonymy for God’s defensive actions on behalf of the one whom he finds acceptable.
[6:1] 478 sn Psalm 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, the psalmist then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.
[6:1] 479 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit, “sheminith”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
[6:1] 480 sn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).
[6:2] 481 tn Or “show me favor.”
[6:2] 482 tn Normally the verb בָּהַל (bahal) refers to an emotional response and means “tremble with fear, be terrified” (see vv. 3, 10). Perhaps here the “bones” are viewed as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. However, the verb may describe one of the effects of his physical ailment, perhaps a fever. In Ezek 7:27 the verb describes how the hands of the people will shake with fear when they experience the horrors of divine judgment.
[6:3] 483 tn Heb “my being is very terrified.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
[6:3] 484 tn Heb “and you,
[6:4] 485 tn Heb “my being,” or “my life.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
[6:4] 486 sn Deliver me because of your faithfulness. Though the psalmist is experiencing divine discipline, he realizes that God has made a commitment to him in the past, so he appeals to God’s faithfulness in his request for help.
[6:5] 487 tn Heb “for there is not in death your remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זֵכֶר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 30:4; 97:12. “Death” here refers to the realm of death where the dead reside. See the reference to Sheol in the next line.
[6:5] 488 tn The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”
[6:5] sn In Sheol who gives you thanks? According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 30:9; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!
[6:6] 489 tn Heb “I cause to swim through all the night my bed.”
[6:6] 490 tn Heb “with my tears my bed I flood/melt.”
[6:7] 491 tn The Hebrew text has the singular “eye” here.
[6:7] 492 tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”
[6:7] 493 tn Or perhaps, “grow old.”
[6:7] 494 sn In his weakened condition the psalmist is vulnerable to the taunts and threats of his enemies.
[6:8] 495 tn Heb “all [you] workers of wickedness.” See Ps 5:5.
[6:8] 496 sn The
[6:9] 497 tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a preterite here; it is parallel to a perfect and refers to the fact that the
[6:10] 498 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling judgment down on his enemies.
[6:10] 499 tn Heb “and may they be very terrified.” The psalmist uses the same expression in v. 3 to describe the terror he was experiencing. Now he asks the
[7:1] 500 sn Psalm 7. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from his enemies. He protests his innocence and declares his confidence in God’s justice.
[7:1] 501 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שִׁגָּיוֹן (shiggayon; translated here “musical composition”) is uncertain. Some derive the noun from the verbal root שָׁגָה (shagah, “swerve, reel”) and understand it as referring to a “wild, passionate song, with rapid changes of rhythm” (see BDB 993 s.v. שִׁגָּיוֹן). But this proposal is purely speculative. The only other appearance of the noun is in Hab 3:1, where it occurs in the plural.
[7:1] 502 tn Or “on account of.”
[7:1] 503 sn Apparently this individual named Cush was one of David’s enemies.
[7:1] 504 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
[7:2] 505 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew text, even though “all who chase me” in v. 1 refers to a whole group of enemies. The singular is also used in vv. 4-5, but the psalmist returns to the plural in v. 6. The singular is probably collective, emphasizing the united front that the psalmist’s enemies present. This same alternation between a collective singular and a plural referring to enemies appears in Pss 9:3, 6; 13:4; 31:4, 8; 41:6, 10-11; 42:9-10; 55:3; 64:1-2; 74:3-4; 89:22-23; 106:10-11; 143:3, 6, 9.
[7:2] 506 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
[7:2] 507 tn Heb “tearing and there is no one rescuing.” The verbal form translated “tearing” is a singular active participle.
[7:3] 508 tn Heb “if I have done this.”
[7:3] 509 tn Heb “if there is injustice in my hands.” The “hands” figuratively suggest deeds or actions.
[7:4] 510 tn Heb “if I have repaid the one at peace with me evil.” The form שׁוֹלְמִי (sholÿmi, “the one at peace with me”) probably refers to a close friend or ally, i.e., one with whom the psalmist has made a formal agreement. See BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלוֹם 4.a.
[7:4] 511 tn Heb “or rescued my enemy in vain.” The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive (the verb form is pseudo-cohortative; see IBHS 576-77 §34.5.3) carries on the hypothetical nuance of the perfect in the preceding line. Some regard the statement as a parenthetical assertion that the psalmist is kind to his enemies. Others define חָלַץ (khalats) as “despoil” (cf. NASB, NRSV “plundered”; NIV “robbed”), an otherwise unattested nuance for this verb. Still others emend the verb to לָחַץ (lakhats, “oppress”). Most construe the adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “emptily, vainly”) with “my enemy,” i.e., the one who is my enemy in vain.” The present translation (1) assumes an emendation of צוֹרְרִי (tsorÿriy, “my enemy”) to צוֹרְרוֹ (tsorÿro, “his [i.e., the psalmist’s ally’s] enemy”) following J. Tigay, “Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties,” JBL 89 (1970): 178-86, (2) understands the final mem (ם) on רֵיקָם as enclitic, and (3) takes רִיק (riq) as an adjective modifying “his enemy.” (For other examples of a suffixed noun followed by an attributive adjective without the article, see Pss 18:17 (“my strong enemy”), 99:3 (“your great and awesome name”) and 143:10 (“your good spirit”). The adjective רִיק occurs with the sense “lawless” in Judg 9:4; 11:3; 2 Chr 13:7. In this case the psalmist affirms that he has not wronged his ally, nor has he given aid to his ally’s enemies. Ancient Near Eastern treaties typically included such clauses, with one or both parties agreeing not to lend aid to the treaty partner’s enemies.
[7:5] 512 tn The vocalization of the verb form seems to be a mixture of Qal and Piel (see GKC 168 §63.n). The translation assumes the Piel, which would emphasize the repetitive nature of the action. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a jussive. The psalmist is so certain that he is innocent of the sins mentioned in vv. 3-4, he pronounces an imprecation on himself for rhetorical effect.
[7:5] 513 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
[7:5] 514 tn Heb “and may he overtake.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. The object “me,” though unexpressed, is understood from the preceding statement.
[7:5] 515 tn Heb “and may he trample down to the earth my life.”
[7:5] 516 tn Heb “and my honor in the dust may he cause to dwell.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. Some emend כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy, “my honor”) to כְבֵדִי (khÿvediy, “my liver” as the seat of life), but the term כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy) is to be retained since it probably refers to the psalmist’s dignity or honor.
[7:6] 517 tn Heb “in your anger.”
[7:6] 518 tn Heb “Lift yourself up in the angry outbursts of my enemies.” Many understand the preposition prefixed to עַבְרוֹת (’avrot, “angry outbursts”) as adversative, “against,” and the following genitive “enemies” as subjective. In this case one could translate, “rise up against my furious enemies” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The present translation, however, takes the preposition as indicating manner (cf. “in your anger” in the previous line) and understands the plural form of the noun as indicating an abstract quality (“fury”) or excessive degree (“raging fury”). Cf. Job 21:30.
[7:6] 519 tc Heb “Wake up to me [with the] judgment [which] you have commanded.” The LXX understands אֵלִי (’eliy, “my God”) instead of אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”; the LXX reading is followed by NEB, NIV, NRSV.) If the reading of the MT is retained, the preposition probably has the sense of “on account of, for the sake of.” The noun מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “judgment”) is probably an adverbial accusative, modifying the initial imperative, “wake up.” In this case צִוִּיתָ (tsivvita, “[which] you have commanded”) is an asyndetic relative clause. Some take the perfect as precative. In this case one could translate the final line, “Wake up for my sake! Decree judgment!” (cf. NIV). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
[7:7] 520 tn Heb “and the assembly of the peoples surrounds you.” Some understand the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may the assembly of the peoples surround you.”
[7:7] 521 tn Heb “over it (the feminine suffix refers back to the feminine noun “assembly” in the preceding line) on high return.” Some emend שׁוּבָה (shuvah, “return”) to שֵׁבָה (shevah, “sit [in judgment]”) because they find the implication of “return” problematic. But the psalmist does not mean to imply that God has abandoned his royal throne and needs to regain it. Rather he simply urges God, as sovereign king of the world, to once more occupy his royal seat of judgment and execute judgment, as the OT pictures God doing periodically.
[7:8] 522 sn The
[7:8] 523 tn Heb “judge me, O
[7:8] 524 tn Heb “according to my blamelessness.” The imperative verb translated “vindicate” governs the second line as well.
[7:8] 525 tn The Hebrew form עָלָי (’alay) has been traditionally understood as the preposition עַל (’al, “over”) with a first person suffix. But this is syntactically awkward and meaningless. The form is probably a divine title derived from the verbal root עָלָה (’alah, “ascend”). This relatively rare title appears elsewhere in the OT (see HALOT 824-25 s.v. I עַל, though this text is not listed) and in Ugaritic as an epithet for Baal (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 98). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:44-45, and P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 98.
[7:9] 526 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
[7:9] 527 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation here.
[7:9] 528 tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.
[7:9] 529 tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.
[7:9] 530 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.
[7:9] 531 tn Heb “and [the one who] tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order to improve the English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
[7:10] 532 tn Traditionally, “my shield is upon God” (cf. NASB). As in v. 8, עַל (’al) should be understood as a divine title, here compounded with “God” (cf. NIV, “God Most High”). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:45-46. The shield metaphor pictures God as a protector against deadly attacks.
[7:10] 533 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
[7:11] 534 tn Heb “God (the divine name אֵל [’el] is used) is angry during all the day.” The verb זֹעֵם (zo’em) means “be indignant, be angry, curse.” Here God’s angry response to wrongdoing and injustice leads him to prepare to execute judgment as described in the following verses.
[7:12] 535 tn Heb “If he”; the referent (a person who is a sinner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The subject of the first verb is understood as the sinner who fails to repent of his ways and becomes the target of God’s judgment (vv. 9, 14-16).
[7:12] 536 tn Heb “if he does not return, his sword he sharpens.” The referent (God) of the pronominal subject of the second verb (“sharpens”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:12] 537 tn Heb “his bow he treads and prepares it.” “Treading the bow” involved stepping on one end of it in order to string it and thus prepare it for battle.
[7:13] 538 tn Heb “and for him he prepares the weapons of death.”
[7:13] 539 tn Heb “his arrows into flaming [things] he makes.”
[7:14] 540 tn Heb “and he conceives harm and gives birth to a lie.”
[7:14] sn Pregnant with wickedness…gives birth to harmful lies. The psalmist metaphorically pictures the typical sinner as a pregnant woman, who is ready to give birth to wicked, destructive schemes and actions.
[7:15] 541 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.
[7:15] 542 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.
[7:16] 543 tn Heb “his harm [i.e., the harm he conceived for others, see v. 14] returns on his head.”
[7:16] 544 tn Heb “and on his forehead his violence [i.e., the violence he intended to do to others] comes down.”
[7:17] 545 tn Heb “according to.”
[7:17] 546 tn Heb “[to] the name of the
[8:1] 547 sn Psalm 8. In this hymn to the sovereign creator, the psalmist praises God’s majesty and marvels that God has given mankind dominion over the created order.
[8:1] 548 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הגתית is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or type of instrument.
[8:1] 549 tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the
[8:1] 550 tn Or “awesome”; or “majestic.”
[8:1] 551 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[8:1] 552 tc Heb “which, give, your majesty on the heavens.” The verb form תְּנָה (tÿnah; an imperative?) is corrupt. The form should be emended to a second masculine singular perfect (נָתַתָּה, natatah) or imperfect (תִתֵן, titen) form. The introductory אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) can be taken as a relative pronoun (“you who”) or as a causal conjunction (“because”). One may literally translate, “you who [or “because you”] place your majesty upon the heavens.” For other uses of the phrase “place majesty upon” see Num 27:20 and 1 Chr 29:25.
[8:2] 553 tn Heb “you establish strength because of your foes.” The meaning of the statement is unclear. The present translation follows the reading of the LXX which has “praise” (αἶνος, ainos) in place of “strength” (עֹז, ’oz); cf. NIV, NCV, NLT.
[8:2] 554 tn Heb “to cause to cease an enemy and an avenger.” The singular forms are collective. The Hitpael participle of נָקַם (naqam) also occurs in Ps 44:16.
[8:3] 555 tn Heb “when I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and stars which you established.” The verb “[and] see” is understood by ellipsis in the second half of the verse.
[8:4] 556 tn Heb “What is man[kind]?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race.
[8:4] 557 tn Heb “remember him.”
[8:4] 558 tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
[8:4] 559 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.
[8:5] 560 tn Heb “and you make him lack a little from [the] gods [or “God”].” The Piel form of חָסַר (khasar, “to decrease, to be devoid”) is used only here and in Eccl 4:8, where it means “to deprive, to cause to be lacking.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive either carries on the characteristic nuance of the imperfect in v. 5b or indicates a consequence (“so that you make him…”) of the preceding statement (see GKC 328 §111.m). Some prefer to make this an independent clause and translate it as a new sentence, “You made him….” In this case the statement might refer specifically to the creation of the first human couple, Adam and Eve (cf. Gen 1:26-27). The psalmist does appear to allude to Gen 1:26-27, where mankind is created in the image of God and his angelic assembly (note “let us make man in our image” in Gen 1:26). However, the psalmist’s statement need not be limited in its focus to that historical event, for all mankind shares the image imparted to the first human couple. Consequently the psalmist can speak in general terms of the exalted nature of mankind. The referent of אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God” or “the heavenly beings”) is unclear. Some understand this as a reference to God alone, but the allusion to Gen 1:26-27 suggests a broader referent, including God and the other heavenly beings (known in other texts as “angels”). The term אֱלֹהִים is also used in this way in Gen 3:5, where the serpent says to the woman, “you will be like the heavenly beings who know good and evil.” (Note Gen 3:22, where God says, “the man has become like one of us.”) Also אֱלֹהִים may refer to the members of the heavenly assembly in Ps 82:1, 6. The LXX (the ancient Greek translation of the OT) reads “angels” in Ps 8:5 (this is the source of the quotation of Ps 8:5 in Heb 2:7).
[8:5] 561 tn Heb “you crown him [with].” The imperfect verbal forms in this and the next line describe God’s characteristic activity.
[8:5] 562 sn Honor and majesty. These terms allude to mankind’s royal status as God’s vice-regents (cf. v. 6 and Gen 1:26-30).
[8:6] 563 tn Heb “you cause [i.e., “permit, allow”] him to rule over the works of your hands.”
[8:6] 564 tn The perfect verbal form probably has a present perfect nuance here. It refers to the continuing effects of God’s original mandate (see Gen 1:26-30).
[8:6] 565 tn Heb “under his feet.”
[8:6] sn Placed everything under their authority. This verse affirms that mankind rules over God’s creation as his vice-regent. See Gen 1:26-30.
[8:7] 566 tn Heb “and also the beasts of the field.”
[8:9] 568 tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the
[8:9] 569 tn Or “awesome, majestic.”
[8:9] 570 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[8:9] 571 sn Using the poetic device of inclusio, the psalmist ends the psalm the way he began it. The concluding refrain is identical to v. 1.
[9:1] 572 sn Psalm 9. The psalmist, probably speaking on behalf of Israel or Judah, praises God for delivering him from hostile nations. He celebrates God’s sovereignty and justice, and calls on others to join him in boasting of God’s greatness. Many Hebrew
[9:1] 573 tc The meaning of the Hebrew term עַלְמוּת (’almut) is uncertain. Some
[9:1] 574 tn The cohortative forms in vv. 1-2 express the psalmist’s resolve to praise God publicly.
[9:2] 575 tn Heb “[to] your name, O Most High.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyo/) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
[9:3] 576 tn Or “perish”; or “die.” The imperfect verbal forms in this line either emphasize what typically happens or describe vividly the aftermath of a recent battle in which the
[9:4] 577 tn Heb “for you accomplished my justice and my legal claim.”
[9:4] 578 tn Heb “you sat on a throne [as] one who judges [with] righteousness.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 4 probably allude to a recent victory (see vv. 5-7). Another option is to understand the verbs as describing what is typical (“you defend…you sit on a throne”).
[9:5] 579 tn The verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) is often understood to mean “rebuke” and in this context taken to refer to the
[9:5] 580 tn The singular form is collective (note “nations” and “their name”). In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). In this context the hostile nations who threaten Israel/Judah are in view.
[9:5] 581 tn Heb “their name you wiped out forever and ever.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 5 probably refer to a recent victory (definite past or present perfect use), although they might express what is typical (characteristic use).
[9:6] 582 tn Heb “the enemy – they have come to an end [in] ruins permanently.” The singular form אוֹיֵב (’oyev, “enemy”) is collective. It is placed at the beginning of the verse to heighten the contrast with יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the
[9:6] 583 tn Heb “you uprooted cities.”
[9:6] 584 tn Heb “it has perished, their remembrance, they.” The independent pronoun at the end of the line is in apposition to the preceding pronominal suffix and lends emphasis (see IBHS 299 §16.3.4). The referent of the masculine pronoun is the nations/enemies (cf. v. 5), not the cities (the Hebrew noun עָרִים [’arim, “cities”] is grammatically feminine). This has been specified in the present translation for clarity; many modern translations retain the pronoun “them,” resulting in ambiguity (cf. NRSV “their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished”).
[9:7] 585 tn The construction vav (ו) + subject highlights the contrast between the exalted
[9:7] 586 tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, see v. 4). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.
[9:7] 587 tn Heb “he establishes for justice his throne.”
[9:8] 588 tn Heb “the peoples.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 8 either describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).
[9:9] 589 tn Following the imperfect in v. 9, the construction vav (ו) conjunctive + shortened form of the prefixed verb הָיָה (hayah) indicates a consequence or result of the preceding statement. The construction functions this same way in Pss 81:15 and 104:20.
[9:9] 590 tn Heb “and the
[9:9] 591 tn Heb “[he is] an elevated place for times in trouble.” Here an “elevated place” refers to a stronghold, a defensible, secure position that represents a safe haven in times of unrest or distress (cf. NEB “tower of strength”; NIV, NRSV “stronghold”).
[9:10] 592 tn Heb “and the ones who know your name trust in you.” The construction vav (ו) conjunctive + imperfect at the beginning of the verse expresses another consequence of the statement made in v. 8. “To know” the
[9:10] 593 tn Heb “the ones who seek you.”
[9:11] 594 tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, and therefore ruling – see v. 4). Another option is to translate as “lives” or “dwells.”
[9:11] 595 tn Heb “declare among the nations his deeds.”
[9:12] 596 tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “to seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea “to seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form דָּמִים (damim, “shed blood”) occurs only here as the object of דָּרַשׁ (darash); the singular form דָּם (dam, “blood”) appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:12] 597 tn Heb “did not forget.”
[9:12] 598 tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.
[9:13] 599 tn The words “when they prayed,” though not represented in the Hebrew text, are supplied in the translation for clarification. The petition in vv. 13-14 is best understood as the cry for help which the oppressed offered to God when the nations threatened. The
[9:13] 600 tn Or “show me favor.”
[9:13] 601 tn Heb “see my misery from the ones who hate me.”
[9:13] 602 tn Heb “one who lifts me up.”
[9:14] 603 tn Or “so that I might.”
[9:14] 604 tn Heb “all your praise.” “Praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt it.
[9:14] 605 sn Daughter Zion is an idiomatic title for Jerusalem. It appears frequently in the prophets, but only here in the psalms.
[9:14] 606 tn Heb “in your deliverance.”
[9:15] 607 tn Heb “sank down.”
[9:15] 608 sn The hostility of the nations against God’s people is their downfall, for it prompts God to intervene and destroy them. See also Ps 7:15-16.
[9:16] 609 tn Heb “by the work of his hands [the] wicked [one] was ensnared. The singular form רָשָׁע (rasha’, “wicked”) is collective or representative here (see vv. 15, 17). The form נוֹקֵשׁ (noqesh) appears to be an otherwise unattested Qal form (active participle) from נָקַשׁ (naqash), but the form should be emended to נוֹקַשׁ (noqash), a Niphal perfect from יָקַשׁ (yaqash).
[9:16] 610 tn This is probably a technical musical term.
[9:17] 611 tn Heb “the wicked turn back to Sheol.” The imperfect verbal form either emphasizes what typically happens or describes vividly the aftermath of the
[9:17] 612 tn The words “this is the destiny of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The verb “are turned back” is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[9:17] 613 tn Heb “forget.” “Forgetting God” refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see also Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 44:20). The nations’ refusal to acknowledge God’s sovereignty accounts for their brazen attempt to attack and destroy his people.
[9:18] 615 tn Heb “the hope of the afflicted does [not] perish forever.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The imperfect verbal forms express what typically happens.
[9:19] 616 sn Rise up,
[9:20] 618 tn Heb “place,
[9:20] 619 tn Heb “let the nations know they [are] man[kind]”; i.e., mere human beings (as opposed to God).
[10:1] 620 sn Psalm 10. Many Hebrew
[10:1] 621 tn Heb “you hide for times in trouble.” The interrogative “why” is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The Hiphil verbal form “hide” has no expressed object. Some supply “your eyes” by ellipsis (see BDB 761 s.v. I עָלַם Hiph and HALOT 835 s.v. I עלם hif) or emend the form to a Niphal (“you hide yourself,” see BHS, note c; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[10:2] 622 tn Heb “because of the pride of [the] wicked he burns [i.e. hotly pursues] [the] oppressed.” The singular forms רָשָׁע (rasha’, “wicked”) and עָנִי (’aniy, “oppressed”) are collective and representative, as indicated in the next line, which uses plural verb forms to describe the actions of both.
[10:2] 623 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 2 describe either what typically happens (from the psalmist’s perspective) or what the psalmist was experiencing at the time he offered this prayer.
[10:2] 624 tn Heb “they are trapped in the schemes which they have thought up.” The referents of the two pronominal suffixes on the verbs have been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent of the first suffix (“they”) is taken as the oppressed, while the referent of the second (“they”) is taken to be the wicked (cf. NIV, which renders “wicked” in the previous line as a collective singular). Others take the referent of both occurrences of “they” in the line to be the wicked (cf. NRSV, “let them be caught in the schemes they have devised”).
[10:3] 625 tn The translation assumes כִּי (ki) is asseverative: “indeed, certainly.” Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 3 as giving the reason why the wicked so arrogantly seek to destroy the helpless (so NASB, NRSV).
[10:3] 626 tn The representative or typical evildoer is described in vv. 3-11, 13, 15. Since the singular form predominates in these verses, it has been retained in the translation.
[10:3] 627 tn Heb “the wicked [one] boasts on account of the desire of his appetite.” The translation assumes that the preposition עַל (’al) introduces the reason why the wicked boasts (cf. this use of עַל with הָלַל (halal) in Ps 119:164 and Ezra 3:11). In this case, the “desire of his appetite” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired.
[10:3] 628 tn The translation assumes the active participle is substantival, referring to the wicked man mentioned in the preceding line. The substantival participle is then understood as the subject of the following verbs. For other examples of the participle of בָּצַע (batsar) used of those who desire and/or acquire wealth through dishonest and/or violent means, see Prov 1:19; 15:27; Jer 6:13; 8:10; Hab 2:9.
[10:3] 629 tn The verb בָּרַךְ (barakh) normally means “to bless,” but in a few cases it exhibits the polarized meaning “to curse” (1 Kgs 21:10, 13; Job 1:5-11; 2:5-9). (Some regard this use of בָּרַךְ as a mere euphemism.) The verb refers to the act of pronouncing or calling down a formal curse upon the object of one’s anger.
[10:3] 630 tn The conjunction “and” is supplied in the translation; it does not appear in the Hebrew text.
[10:3] 631 tn Another option is to translate, “he blesses one who robs others, [but] he curses the
[10:4] 632 tn Heb “the wicked [one], according to the height of his nose, he does not seek, there is no God, all his thoughts.” The phrase “height of his nose” probably refers to an arrogant or snooty attitude; it likely pictures one with his nose turned upward toward the sky in pride. One could take the “wicked” as the subject of the negated verb “seek,” in which case the point is that the wicked do not “seek” God. The translation assumes that this statement, along with “there is no God,” is what the wicked man thinks to himself. In this case God is the subject of the verb “seek,” and the point is that God will not hold the wicked man accountable for his actions. Verse 13 strongly favors this interpretation. The statement “there is no God” is not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see v. 11).
[10:5] 633 tn Heb “they are firm, his ways, at every time.” The verb חַיִל (khayil, “be firm, be strong”) occurs only here and in Job 20:21, where it has the sense “endure.”
[10:5] 634 tc Heb “[on a] height, your judgments from before him.” If the MT is retained, then the idea may be that God’s “judgments” are high above (i.e., not recognized) by the wicked man. However, the syntax is awkward. The translation assumes an emendation of מָרוֹם (marom, “height”) to סָרוּ (saru, “[your judgments] are turned aside”), the final mem (ם) being dittographic (note the initial mem on the immediately following word [מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ, mishÿfatekha, “your judgments”). “Judgments” probably refers here to God’s laws or commands, rather than his judicial decisions or acts of judgment.
[10:5] 635 tn Heb “all his enemies, he snorts against them.” This may picture the wicked man defiantly challenging his enemies because he is confident of success. Another option is to take יָפִיחַ (yafiakh) from the root יָפַח (yafakh, “to testify”) and translate “he testifies against all his enemies,” implying that he gets the upper hand over them in legal battles. The noun יָפֵחַ (yafeakh, “witness”) is attested in biblical Hebrew (see Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3). The verb, however, is not clearly attested.
[10:6] 636 tn Heb “he says in his heart/mind.”
[10:6] 637 tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.” The traditional accentuation of the MT understands these words with the following line.
[10:6] 638 tn Heb “who, not in calamity.” If אֲשֶׁר (’asher) is taken as a relative pronoun here, then one could translate, “[I] who [am] not in calamity.” Some emend אֲשֶׁר to אֹשֶׁר (’osher, “happiness”; see HALOT 99 s.v. אֹשֶׁר); one might then translate, “[I live in] happiness, not in calamity.” The present translation assumes that אֲשֶׁר functions here as a causal conjunction, “because, for.” For this use of אֲשֶׁר, see BDB 83 s.v. אֲשֶׁר 8.c (where the present text is not cited).
[10:7] 639 tn Heb “[with] a curse his mouth is full, and lies and injury.”
[10:7] 640 tn Heb “under his tongue are destruction and wickedness.” The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 90:10. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10.
[10:8] 641 tn Heb “he sits in the ambush of the villages.”
[10:8] 642 tn Heb “his eyes for an unfortunate person lie hidden.” The language may picture a lion (see v. 9) peering out from its hiding place in anticipation that an unsuspecting victim will soon come strolling along.
[10:9] 643 tn Or “in its den.”
[10:9] 644 tn The verb, which also appears in the next line, occurs only here and in Judg 21:21.
[10:9] 645 tn The singular form is collective (see v. 10) or refers to the typical or representative oppressed individual.
[10:9] 646 tn Or “when he [i.e., the wicked man] pulls in his net.”
[10:9] sn The background of the imagery is hunting, where the hunter uses a net to entrap an unsuspecting bird or wild animal.
[10:10] 647 tn Heb “he crushes, he is bowed down, and he falls into his strong [ones], [the] unfortunate [ones].” This verse presents several lexical and syntactical difficulties. The first word (יִדְכֶּה, yidekeh) is an otherwise unattested Qal form of the verb דָּכָה (dakhah, “crush”). (The Qere [marginal] form is imperfect; the consonantal text [Kethib] has the perfect with a prefixed conjunction vav [ו].) If the wicked man’s victim is the subject, which seems to be the case (note the two verbs which follow), then the form should be emended to a Niphal (יִדָּכֶה, yiddakheh). The phrase בַּעֲצוּמָיו (ba’atsumayv, “into his strong [ones]”), poses interpretive problems. The preposition -בְּ (bet) follows the verb נָפַל (nafal, “fall”), so it may very well carry the nuance “into” here, with “his strong [ones]” then referring to something into which the oppressed individual falls. Since a net is mentioned in the preceding verse as the instrument used to entrap the victim, it is possible that “strong [ones]” here refers metonymically to the wicked man’s nets or traps. Ps 35:8 refers to a man falling into a net (רֶשֶׁת, reshet), as does Ps 141:10 (where the plural of מִכְמָר [mikhmar, “net”] is used). A hunter’s net (רֶשֶׁת), is associated with snares (פַּח [pakh], מֹקְשִׁים, [moqÿshim]) and ropes (חֲבָלִים, khavalim) in Ps 140:5. The final word in the verse (חֶלְכָּאִים (khelka’im, “unfortunate [ones]”) may be an alternate form of חֵלְכָח (khelkhakh, “unfortunate [one]”; see vv. 8, 14). The Qere (marginal reading) divides the form into two words, חֵיל כָּאִים (khel ka’im, “army/host of disheartened [ones]”). The three verb forms in v. 10 are singular because the representative “oppressed” individual is the grammatical subject (see the singular עָנִי [’aniy] in v. 9).
[10:11] 648 tn Heb “he says in his heart.” See v. 6.
[10:11] 649 tn Heb “God forgets, he hides his face, he never sees.”
[10:12] 650 sn Rise up, O
[10:12] 651 tn Heb “lift up your hand.” Usually the expression “lifting the hand” refers to praying (Pss 28:2; 134:2) or making an oath (Ps 106:26), but here it probably refers to “striking a blow” (see 2 Sam 18:28; 20:21). Note v. 15, where the psalmist asks the
[10:13] 652 tn The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s outrage that the wicked would have the audacity to disdain God.
[10:13] 653 tn Heb “he says in his heart” (see vv. 6, 11). Another option is to understand an ellipsis of the interrogative particle here (cf. the preceding line), “Why does he say in his heart?”
[10:13] 654 tn Here the wicked man addresses God directly.
[10:13] 655 tn Heb “you will not seek.” The verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as generalizing about what is typical and translate, “you do not hold [people] accountable.”
[10:14] 656 tn Heb “you see.” One could translate the perfect as generalizing, “you do take notice.”
[10:14] 657 tn If the preceding perfect is taken as generalizing, then one might understand כִּי (ki) as asseverative: “indeed, certainly.”
[10:14] 658 tn Here the imperfect emphasizes God’s typical behavior.
[10:14] 659 tn Heb “destruction and suffering,” which here refers metonymically to the wicked, who dish out pain and suffering to their victims.
[10:14] 660 tn Heb “to give into your hand, upon you, he abandons, [the] unfortunate [one].” The syntax is awkward and the meaning unclear. It is uncertain who or what is being given into God’s hand. Elsewhere the idiom “give into the hand” means to deliver into one’s possession. If “to give” goes with what precedes (as the accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests), then this may refer to the wicked man being delivered over to God for judgment. The present translation assumes that “to give” goes with what follows (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The verb יַעֲזֹב (ya’azov) here has the nuance “entrust” (see Gen 39:6; Job 39:11); the direct object (“[his] cause”) is implied.
[10:14] 662 tn Heb “[for] one who is fatherless, you are a deliverer.” The noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9).
[10:14] sn The fatherless. Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 68:5; 82:3; 94:6; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
[10:15] 663 sn The arm symbolizes the strength of the wicked, which they use to oppress and exploit the weak.
[10:15] 664 tn Heb “you seek his wickedness.” As in v. 13, the verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as describing a fact, “you hold him accountable,” or as anticipating divine judgment, “you will hold him accountable.” However, since the verb is in apparent parallelism with the preceding imperative (“break”), it is better to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s desire or request.
[10:15] 665 tn Heb “you will not find.” It is uncertain how this statement relates to what precedes. Some take בַל (bal), which is used as a negative particle in vv. 4, 6, 11, 18, as asseverative here, “Indeed find (i.e., judge his wickedness).” The translation assumes that the final words are an asyndetic relative clause which refers back to what the wicked man boasted in God’s face (“you will not find [i.e., my wickedness]”). See v. 13.
[10:16] 666 tn Heb “the
[10:16] 667 tn Or “the nations perish from his land.” The perfect verb form may express what is typical or it may express rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude that God’s deliverance is “as good as done.”
[10:16] sn The nations may be the underlying reality behind the psalmist’s references to the “wicked” in the earlier verses. This reference to the nations may have motivated the combining of Ps 10 with Ps 9 (see Ps 9:5, 15, 19).
[10:17] 668 sn You have heard. The psalmist is confident that God has responded positively to his earlier petitions for divine intervention. The psalmist apparently prayed the words of vv. 16-18 after the reception of an oracle of deliverance (given in response to the confident petition of vv. 12-15) or after the Lord actually delivered him from his enemies.
[10:17] 670 tn Heb “you make firm their heart, you cause your ear to listen.”
[10:18] 671 tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”
[10:18] 672 tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.
[10:18] 673 tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.
[11:1] 674 sn Psalm 11. The psalmist rejects the advice to flee from his dangerous enemies. Instead he affirms his confidence in God’s just character and calls down judgment on evildoers.
[11:1] 675 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
[11:1] 676 tn The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
[11:1] 677 tc The MT is corrupt here. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads: “flee [masculine plural!] to your [masculine plural!] mountain, bird.” The Qere (marginal reading) has “flee” in a feminine singular form, agreeing grammatically with the addressee, the feminine noun “bird.” Rather than being a second masculine plural pronominal suffix, the ending כֶם- (-khem) attached to “mountain” is better interpreted as a second feminine singular pronominal suffix followed by an enclitic mem (ם). “Bird” may be taken as vocative (“O bird”) or as an adverbial accusative of manner (“like a bird”). Either way, the psalmist’s advisers compare him to a helpless bird whose only option in the face of danger is to fly away to an inaccessible place.
[11:2] 678 tn In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and threaten his people (Ps 3:8).
[11:2] 679 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form depicts the enemies’ hostile action as underway.
[11:2] 681 sn In the darkness. The enemies’ attack, the precise form of which is not indicated, is compared here to a night ambush by archers; the psalmist is defenseless against this deadly attack.
[11:2] 682 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
[11:3] 683 tn The precise meaning of this rare word is uncertain. An Ugaritic cognate is used of the “bottom” or “base” of a cliff or mountain (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47, 159). The noun appears in postbiblical Hebrew with the meaning “foundation” (see Jastrow 1636 s.v. שָׁת).
[11:3] 684 tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure [of heart]” in the previous verse.
[11:3] 685 sn The quotation of the advisers’ words (which begins in 11:1c) ends at this point. They advise the psalmist to flee because the enemy is poised to launch a deadly attack. In such a lawless and chaotic situation godly people like the psalmist can accomplish nothing, so they might as well retreat to a safe place.
[11:4] 686 tn Because of the royal imagery involved here, one could translate “lofty palace.” The
[11:4] 687 sn The
[11:4] 688 sn His eyes. The anthropomorphic language draws attention to God’s awareness of and interest in the situation on earth. Though the enemies are hidden by the darkness (v. 2), the Lord sees all.
[11:4] 689 tn The two Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this verse describe the
[11:4] 691 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 7:9; 26:2; 139:23.
[11:4] 692 tn Heb “test the sons of men.”
[11:5] 693 tn Heb “examines,” the same verb used in v. 4b. But here it is used in a metonymic sense of “examine and approve” (see Jer 20:12).
[11:5] 694 tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure (of heart)” in v. 2.
[11:5] 695 tn Heb “his [very] being.” A נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, soul”) is also attributed to the Lord in Isa 1:14, where a suffixed form of the noun appears as the subject of the verb “hate.” Both there and here the term is used of the seat of one’s emotions and passions.
[11:5] 696 sn He hates the wicked. The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds, and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 5:5.
[11:5] 697 tn Heb “the wicked [one] and the lover of violence.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked [ones]”) in vv. 2 and 6.
[11:6] 698 tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the
[11:6] 699 tc The MT reads “traps, fire, and brimstone,” but the image of God raining traps, or snares, down from the sky is bizarre and does not fit the fire and storm imagery of this verse. The noun פַּחִים (pakhim, “traps, snares”) should be emended to פַּחֲמֵי (pakhamey, “coals of [fire]”). The rare noun פֶּחָם (pekham, “coal”) occurs in Prov 26:21 and Isa 44:12; 54:16.
[11:6] 700 sn The image of God “raining down” brimstone on the objects of his judgment also appears in Gen 19:24 and Ezek 38:22.
[11:6] 701 tn Heb “[may] a wind of rage [be] the portion of their cup.” The precise meaning of the rare noun זִלְעָפוֹת (zil’afot) is uncertain. It may mean “raging heat” (BDB 273 s.v. זַלְעָפָה) or simply “rage” (HALOT 272 s.v. זַלְעָפָה). If one understands the former sense, then one might translate “hot wind” (cf. NEB, NRSV). The present translation assumes the latter nuance, “a wind of rage” (the genitive is attributive) referring to a “whirlwind” symbolic of destructive judgment. In this mixed metaphor, judgment is also compared to an allotted portion of a beverage poured into one’s drinking cup (see Hab 2:15-16).
[11:7] 704 tn Heb “he loves righteous deeds.” The “righteous deeds” are probably those done by godly people (see v. 5). The Lord “loves” such deeds in the sense that he rewards them. Another option is to take צְדָקוֹת (tsÿdaqot) as referring to God’s acts of justice (see Ps 103:6). In this case one could translate, “he loves to do just deeds.”
[11:7] 705 tn Heb “the upright will see his face.” The singular subject (“upright”) does not agree with the plural verb. However, collective singular nouns can be construed with a plural predicate (see GKC 462 §145.b). Another possibility is that the plural verb יֶחֱזוּ (yekhezu) is a corruption of an original singular form. To “see” God’s “face” means to have access to his presence and to experience his favor (see Ps 17:15 and Job 33:26 [where רָאָה (ra’ah), not חָזָה (khazah), is used]). On the form פָנֵימוֹ (fanemo, “his face”) see GKC 300-301 §103.b, n. 3.
[23:1] 706 sn Psalm 23. In vv. 1-4 the psalmist pictures the Lord as a shepherd who provides for his needs and protects him from danger. The psalmist declares, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and then extends and develops that metaphor, speaking as if he were a sheep. In vv. 5-6 the metaphor changes as the psalmist depicts a great royal banquet hosted by the Lord. The psalmist is a guest of honor and recipient of divine favor, who enjoys unlimited access to the divine palace and the divine presence.
[23:1] 707 sn The LORD is my shepherd. The opening metaphor suggests the psalmist is assuming the role of a sheep. In vv. 1b-4 the psalmist extends the metaphor and explains exactly how the LORD is like a shepherd to him. At the surface level the language can be understood in terms of a shepherd’s relationship to his sheep. The translation of vv. 1-4 reflects this level. But, of course, each statement also points to an underlying reality.
[23:1] 708 tn The imperfect verbal form is best understood as generalizing; the psalmist highlights his typical or ongoing experience as a result of having the LORD as his shepherd (habitual present use). The next verse explains more specifically what he means by this statement.
[23:2] 709 tn Heb “he makes me lie down in lush pastures.” The Hiphil verb יַרְבִּיצֵנִי (yarbitseniy) has a causative-modal nuance here (see IBHS 445-46 §27.5 on this use of the Hiphil), meaning “allows me to lie down” (see also Jer 33:12). The point is that the shepherd takes the sheep to lush pastures and lets them eat and rest there. Both imperfect verbal forms in v. 2 are generalizing and highlight the psalmist’s typical experience.
[23:2] 710 tn Both genitives in v. 2 indicate an attribute of the noun they modify: דֶּשֶׁא (deshe’) characterizes the pastures as “lush” (i.e., rich with vegetation), while מְנֻחוֹת (mÿnukhot) probably characterizes the water as refreshing. In this case the plural indicates an abstract quality. Some take מְנֻחוֹת in the sense of “still, calm” (i.e., as describing calm pools in contrast to dangerous torrents) but it is unlikely that such a pastoral scene is in view. Shepherds usually watered their sheep at wells (see Gen 29:2-3; Exod 2:16-19). Another option is to take מְנֻחוֹת as “resting places” and to translate, “water of/at the resting places” (i.e., a genitive of location; see IBHS 147-48 §9.5.2e).
[23:2] sn Within the framework of the metaphor, the psalmist/sheep is declaring in v. 2 that his shepherd provides the essentials for physical life. At a deeper level the psalmist may be referring to more than just physical provision, though that would certainly be included.
[23:3] 711 tn The appearance of the Hebrew term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi), traditionally translated “my soul,” might suggest a spiritualized interpretation for the first line of v. 3. However, at the surface level of the shepherd/sheep metaphor, this is unlikely. When it occurs with a pronominal suffix נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. 4 נֶפֶשׁ.a). In this context, where the statement most naturally refers to the physical provision just described, the form is best translated simply “me.” The accompanying verb (a Polel form [factitive use] of שׁוּב [shuv]), if referring to the physical provision just described, carries the nuance “refresh, restore strength.”
[23:3] 712 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 (יְשׁוֹבֵב [yÿshovev] and יַנְחֵנִי [yakheniy]), like those in vv. 1-2, highlight what is typical of the shepherd/sheep relationship.
[23:3] 713 tn The attributive genitive צֶדֶק (tsedeq) is traditionally translated “righteousness” here, as if designating a moral or ethical quality. But this seems unlikely, for it modifies מַעְגְּלֵי (ma’ggÿley, “paths”). Within the shepherd/sheep metaphor, the phrase likely refers to “right” or “correct” paths, i.e. ones that lead to pastures, wells, or the fold. While צֶדֶק usually does carry a moral or ethical nuance, it can occasionally refer to less abstract things, such as weights and offerings. In this context, which emphasizes divine provision and protection, the underlying reality is probably God’s providential guidance. The psalmist is confident that God takes him down paths that will ultimately lead to something beneficial, not destructive.
[23:3] 714 tn The Hebrew term שֶׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the shepherd’s reputation. (The English term “name” is often used the same way.) The statement לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ (lÿma’an shÿmo, “for the sake of his name”) makes excellent sense within the framework of the shepherd/sheep metaphor. Shepherds, who sometimes hired out their services, were undoubtedly concerned about their vocational reputation. To maintain their reputation as competent shepherds, they had to know the “lay of the land” and make sure they led the sheep down the right paths to the proper destinations. The underlying reality is a profound theological truth: God must look out for the best interests of the one he has promised to protect, because if he fails to do so, his faithfulness could legitimately be called into question and his reputation damaged.
[23:4] 715 tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל [tsel] + מָוֶת [mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צָלַם, tsalam) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. If the word does indeed mean “darkness,” it modifies גַיְא (gay’, “valley, ravine”) quite naturally. At the metaphorical level, v. 4 pictures the shepherd taking his sheep through a dark ravine where predators might lurk. The life-threatening situations faced by the psalmist are the underlying reality behind the imagery.
[23:4] 716 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 4, as in vv. 1-3, highlight what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.
[23:4] 717 tn The Hebrew term רַע (ra’) is traditionally translated “evil” here, perhaps suggesting a moral or ethical nuance. But at the level of the metaphor, the word means “danger, injury, harm,” as a sheep might experience from a predator. The life-threatening dangers faced by the psalmist, especially the enemies mentioned in v. 5, are the underlying reality.
[23:4] 718 tn The Piel of נָחַם (nakham), when used with a human object, means “comfort, console.” But here, within the metaphorical framework, it refers to the way in which a shepherd uses his implements to assure the sheep of his presence and calm their nerves. The underlying reality is the emotional stability God provides the psalmist during life threatening situations.
[23:5] 719 sn In v. 5 the metaphor switches. (It would be very odd for a sheep to have its head anointed and be served wine.) The background for the imagery is probably the royal banquet. Ancient Near Eastern texts describe such banquets in similar terms to those employed by the psalmist. (See M. L. Barre and J. S. Kselman, “New Exodus, Covenant, and Restoration in Psalm 23,” The Word of the Lord Shall Go Forth, 97-127.) The reality behind the imagery is the Lord’s favor. Through his blessings and protection he demonstrates to everyone, including dangerous enemies, that the psalmist has a special relationship with him.
[23:5] 720 tn The imperfect verbal form in v. 5a carries on the generalizing mood of vv. 1-4. However, in v. 5b the psalmist switches to a perfect (דִּשַּׁנְתָּ, dishanta), which may have a generalizing force as well. But then again the perfect is conspicuous here and may be present perfect in sense, indicating that the divine host typically pours oil on his head prior to seating him at the banquet table. The verb דָשַׁן (dashan; the Piel is factitive) is often translated “anoint,” but this is misleading, for it might suggest a symbolic act of initiation into royal status. One would expect the verb מָשָׁח (mashan) in this case; דָשַׁן here describes an act of hospitality extended to guests and carries the nuance “refresh.” In Prov 15:30 it stands parallel to “make happy” and refers to the effect that good news has on the inner being of its recipient.
[23:5] 721 tn The rare noun רְַָויָה (rÿvayah) is derived from the well-attested verb רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated, drink one’s fill”). In this context, where it describes a cup, it must mean “filled up,” but not necessarily to overflowing.
[23:6] 722 tn The noun חֶסֶד (khesed; v. 6) has been the subject of several monographs. G. R. Clark concludes that חֶסֶד “is not merely an attitude or an emotion; it is an emotion that leads to an activity beneficial to the recipient.” He explains that an act of חֶסֶד is “a beneficent action performed, in the context of a deep and enduring commitment between two persons or parties, by one who is able to render assistance to the needy party who in the circumstances is unable to help him- or herself.” (See G. R. Clark, The Word Hesed in the Hebrew Bible [JSOTSup], 267.) HALOT 336-37 s.v. defines the word as “loyalty,” or “faithfulness.” Other appropriate meanings might be “commitment” and “devotion.”
[23:6] 723 tn The use of רָדַף (radaf, “pursue, chase”) with טוֹב וָחֶסֶד (tov vakhesed, “goodness and faithfulness”) as subject is ironic. This is the only place in the entire OT where either of these nouns appears as the subject of this verb רָדַף (radaf, “pursue”). This verb is often used to describe the hostile actions of enemies. One might expect the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 5) to chase him, but ironically God’s “goodness and faithfulness” (which are personified and stand by metonymy for God himself) pursue him instead. The word “pursue” is used outside of its normal context in an ironic manner and creates a unique, but pleasant word picture of God’s favor (or a kind God) “chasing down” the one whom he loves.
[23:6] 724 tn Heb “all the days of my life.”
[23:6] 725 tn The verb form וְשַׁבְתִּי (vÿshavtiy) is a Qal perfect (with vav [ו] consecutive), first common singular, from שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) and should be translated, “and I will return.” But this makes no sense when construed with the following phrase, “in the house of the
[23:6] 726 tn Heb “the house of the
[23:6] 727 tn The phrase אֹרֶךְ יָמִים (’orekh yamim, “length of days”) is traditionally translated “forever.” However, this phrase, when used elsewhere of people, usually refers to a lengthy period of time, such as one’s lifetime, and does not mean “forever” in the sense of eternity. (Cf. Deut 30:20; Job 12:12; Ps 91:16; Prov 3:2, 16; Lam 5:20.) Furthermore, the parallel phrase “all the days of my life” suggests this more limited meaning. Psalm 21:4, where the phrase is followed by “forever and ever,” may be an exception, though the juxtaposition of the phrases may be an example of intensification, where the second phrase goes beyond the limits of the first, rather than synonymity. Even if one takes both expressions as referring to eternal life, the language is part of the king’s hyperbolic description of the
[24:1] 728 sn Psalm 24. The psalmist affirms the universal kingship of the sovereign creator, reminds his people that only the morally pure are qualified to worship him, and celebrates his splendor as a mighty warrior king.
[24:2] 729 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite, referring to the creation of the world.
[24:2] 730 sn He…established it upon the ocean currents. The description reflects ancient Israelite prescientific cosmology, which is based on outward appearances. The language also suggests that God’s creative work involved the subjugation of chaos, symbolized by the sea.
[24:3] 731 tn The imperfects in v. 3 are modal, expressing potential or permission.
[24:3] 732 sn In this context the Lord’s mountain probably refers to Zion/Jerusalem (see Isa 2:2-3).
[24:4] 733 tn Heb “the innocent of hands and the pure of heart.” The “hands” allude to one’s actions, the “heart” to one’s thought life and motives.
[24:4] 734 tn Heb “who does not lift up for emptiness my life.” The first person pronoun on נַפְשִׁי (nafshiy, “my life”) makes little sense here; many medieval Hebrew
[24:4] 735 tn Heb “and does not swear an oath deceitfully.”
[24:5] 736 tn Heb “he (the righteous individual described in v. 4) lifts up a blessing from the
[24:5] 737 tn “and vindication from the God of his deliverance.”
[24:6] 738 tn Heb “this [is the] generation of the ones seeking him, the ones seeking your face, Jacob.” To “seek the
[24:6] sn This verse presents a somewhat idealized view of Jacob’s descendants as devoted worshipers of the Lord.
[24:7] 739 tn Heb “lift up your heads.” The gates of the Lord’s dwelling place are here personified. The idiom “lift up the head” often means “be confident, bold” (see Judg 8:28; Job 10:15; Ps 83:2; Zech 1:21).
[24:7] 740 tn Heb “lift yourselves up.”
[24:7] 741 tn Or “king of glory.”
[24:7] 742 tn Following the imperatives of the preceding lines, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
[24:8] 743 sn Who is this majestic king? Perhaps the personified gates/doors ask this question, in response to the command given in v. 7.
[24:10] 744 tn Traditionally, “the
[25:1] 745 sn Psalm 25. The psalmist asks for divine protection, guidance and forgiveness as he affirms his loyalty to and trust in the Lord. This psalm is an acrostic; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except for v. 18, which, like v. 19, begins with ר (resh) instead of the expected ק (qof). The final verse, which begins with פ (pe), stands outside the acrostic scheme.
[25:1] 746 tn Heb “to you, O
[25:3] 747 tn Heb “those who deal in treachery in vain.” The adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “in vain”) probably refers to the failure (or futility) of their efforts. Another option is to understand it as meaning “without cause” (cf. NIV “without excuse”; NRSV “wantonly treacherous”).
[25:4] 748 sn Teach me your paths. In this context the
[25:5] 749 sn The
[25:6] 750 tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating.
[25:6] 751 tn Heb “for from antiquity [are] they.”
[25:7] 752 tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing.
[25:7] 753 sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom.
[25:7] 754 tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O
[25:8] 755 tn Heb “good and just.”
[25:8] 756 tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”
[25:9] 757 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.
[25:9] 758 tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” The Hebrew term עֲנָוִים (’anavim, “humble”) usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.
[25:9] 759 tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).
[25:10] 760 tn Heb “all the paths of the
[25:10] 761 tn Heb “to the ones who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”
[25:11] 762 tn Heb “name.” By forgiving the sinful psalmist, the
[25:11] 763 sn Forgive my sin, because it is great. The psalmist readily admits his desperate need for forgiveness.
[25:12] 764 tn Heb “Who is this man, the one who fears the
[25:13] 765 tn Heb “his life in goodness dwells.” The singular is representative (see v. 14).
[25:13] 766 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[25:14] 768 tn Heb “the advice of the
[25:14] 769 tn Heb “and his covenant, to make them know.”
[25:15] 770 tn Heb “my eyes continually [are] toward the
[25:15] 771 tn Heb “for he will bring out from a net my feet.” The hostility of the psalmist’s enemies is probably in view (see v. 19).
[25:16] 772 tn That is, helpless and vulnerable.
[25:17] 773 tc Heb “the distresses of my heart, they make wide.” The text makes little if any sense as it stands, unless this is an otherwise unattested intransitive use of the Hiphil of רָחַב (rakhav, “be wide”). It is preferable to emend the form הִרְחִיבוּ (hirkhivu; Hiphil perfect third plural “they make wide”) to הַרְחֵיב (harkhev; Hiphil imperative masculine singular “make wide”). (The final vav [ו] can be joined to the following word and taken as a conjunction.) In this case one can translate, “[in/from] the distresses of my heart, make wide [a place for me],” that is, “deliver me from the distress I am experiencing.” For the expression “make wide [a place for me],” see Ps 4:1.
[25:17] 774 tn Heb “from my distresses lead me out.”
[25:18] 775 tn Heb “lift up all my sins.”
[25:19] 776 tn Heb “see my enemies for they are numerous, and [with] violent hatred they hate me.”
[25:22] 779 tn Heb “his distresses.”
[25:22] sn O God, rescue Israel from all their distress. It is possible that the psalmist speaks on behalf of the nation throughout this entire psalm. Another option is that v. 22 is a later addition to the psalm which applies an original individual lament to the covenant community. If so, it may reflect an exilic setting.
[26:1] 780 sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.
[26:1] 781 tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”
[26:2] 782 tn Heb “evaluate my kidneys and my heart.” The kidneys and heart were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
[26:3] 783 tn Heb “for your faithfulness [is] before my eyes.”
[26:3] 784 tn Heb “and I walk about in your loyalty.”
[26:3] sn The psalmist’s awareness of the Lord’s faithfulness and…loyalty toward him motivates him to remain loyal to the Lord and to maintain his moral purity.
[26:4] 786 tn Heb “go.” The psalmist uses the imperfect form of the verb to emphasize that he does not make a practice of associating with such people.
[26:4] 787 tn Heb “[those who] conceal themselves.”
[26:5] 788 tn Heb “assembly, company.”
[26:5] 789 tn Heb “sit.” The psalmist uses the imperfect form of the verb to emphasize that he does not make a practice of associating with such people.
[26:6] 790 tn Heb “I wash my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The imperfect verbal emphasizes that this is his habit.
[26:6] 791 tn Heb “so I can go around your altar” (probably in ritual procession). Following the imperfect of the preceding line, the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
[26:7] 792 tn Heb “to cause to be heard the sound of thanksgiving.”
[26:7] 793 tn The two infinitival forms (both with prefixed preposition -לְ, lamed) give the purpose for his appearance at the altar.
[26:8] 794 tn Heb “the dwelling of your house.”
[26:8] 795 tn Heb “the place of the abode of your splendor.”
[26:9] 796 tn Heb “do not gather up my life with.”
[26:9] 797 tn Heb “or with men of bloodshed my life.” The verb is supplied; it is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[26:10] 798 tn Heb “who [have] in their hands evil.”
[26:10] 799 tn Heb “and their right hand is full of a bribe.”
[26:11] 800 tn Heb “and I in my integrity walk.” The psalmist uses the imperfect verbal form to emphasize this is his practice. The construction at the beginning of the verse (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist and the sinners mentioned in vv. 9-10.
[26:11] 801 tn Or “redeem me.”
[26:12] 802 tn Heb “my foot stands in a level place.”
[27:1] 803 sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.
[27:1] 804 tn Heb “the
[27:1] 805 tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
[27:1] 806 tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
[27:2] 807 tn Heb “draw near to me.”
[27:2] 808 sn To devour my flesh. The psalmist compares his enemies to dangerous, hungry predators (see 2 Kgs 9:36; Ezek 39:17).
[27:2] 809 tn Heb “my adversaries and my enemies against me.” The verb “draw near” (that is, “attack”) is understood by ellipsis; see the previous line.
[27:2] 810 tn The Hebrew verbal forms are perfects. The translation assumes the psalmist is generalizing here, but another option is to take this as a report of past experience, “when evil men attacked me…they stumbled and fell.”
[27:3] 811 tn Heb “my heart does not fear.”
[27:3] 812 tn Heb “if war rises up against me.”
[27:3] 813 tn Heb “in this [i.e., “during this situation”] I am trusting.”
[27:4] 814 tn Heb “my living.”
[27:4] 815 sn The
[27:5] 817 tn Or “for he will.” The translation assumes the כִּי (ki) is asseverative here, rather than causal.
[27:5] 818 tn Heb “he will hide me in his hut.”
[27:5] 821 tn The three imperfect verb forms in v. 5 anticipate a positive response to the prayer offered in vv. 7-12.
[27:5] 822 tn Heb “on a rocky summit he lifts me up.” The
[27:6] 823 tn Heb “and now my head will be lifted up over my enemies all around me.”
[27:6] sn In vv. 1-3 the psalmist generalizes, but here we discover that he is facing a crisis and is under attack from enemies (see vv. 11-12).
[27:6] 824 tn Heb “I will sacrifice in his tent sacrifices of a shout for joy” (that is, “sacrifices accompanied by a joyful shout”).
[27:8] 826 tc Heb “concerning you my heart says, ‘Seek my face.’” The verb form “seek” is plural, but this makes no sense here, for the psalmist is addressed. The verb should be emended to a singular form. The first person pronominal suffix on “face” also makes little sense, unless it is the voice of the
[27:8] 827 tn Heb “your face, O
[27:9] 828 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
[27:9] 829 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[27:10] 830 tn Or “though my father and mother have abandoned me.”
[27:10] 831 tn Heb “gather me in”; or “receive me.”
[27:11] 832 tn Heb “teach me your way.” The
[27:11] 833 sn The level path refers to God’s moral principles (see the parallel line), which, if followed, will keep the psalmist blameless before his accusers (see v. 12).
[27:11] 834 tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 54:5; 56:2.
[27:12] 835 tn Heb “do not give me over to the desire of my enemies.”
[27:12] 836 tn Heb “for they have risen up against me, lying witnesses and a testifier of violence.” The form יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) is traditionally understood as a verb meaning “snort, breathe out”: “for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty” (KJV; cf. BDB 422 s.v.). A better option is to take the form as a noun meaning “a witness” (or “testifier”). See Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3.
[27:13] 837 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is incomplete: “If I had not believed [I would] see the goodness of the
[27:14] 839 tn Heb “be strong and let your heart be confident.”
[28:1] 840 sn Psalm 28. The author looks to the Lord for vindication, asks that the wicked be repaid in full for their evil deeds, and affirms his confidence that the Lord will protect his own.
[28:1] 841 tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.
[28:1] 842 tn Heb “do not be deaf from me.”
[28:1] 843 tn Heb “lest [if] you are silent from me.”
[28:1] 844 tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
[28:1] 845 tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.
[28:2] 846 sn I lift my hands. Lifting one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer.
[28:2] 847 tn The Hebrew term דְּבִיר (dÿvir, “temple”) actually refers to the most holy place within the sanctuary.
[28:3] 848 tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
[28:3] 849 tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”
[28:3] 850 tn Heb “and evil [is] in their heart[s].”
[28:4] 851 tn Heb “Give to them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds. According to the work of their hands give to them. Return their due to them.” The highly repetitive style reflects the psalmist’s agitated emotional state and draws attention to his yearning for justice.
[28:5] 852 tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context “the
[28:5] 853 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[28:5] 854 tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.
[28:6] 855 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[28:6] 856 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.
[28:7] 857 tn Heb “The
[28:7] 858 tn Heb “in him my heart trusts.”
[28:7] 859 tn Or “I am helped.”
[28:7] 860 tn Heb “and my heart exults.”
[28:7] 861 tn Heb “and from my song I will thank him.” As pointed in the Hebrew text, מִשִּׁירִי (mishiri) appears to be “from my song,” but the preposition “from” never occurs elsewhere with the verb “to thank” (Hiphil of יָדָה, yadah). Perhaps משׁיר is a noun form meaning “song.” If so, it can be taken as an adverbial accusative, “and [with] my song I will thank him.” See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 236.
[28:8] 862 tn Heb “the
[28:8] 863 tn Heb “he [is] a refuge of help for his anointed one.” The noun מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh, “anointed one”) refers to the Davidic king, who perhaps speaks as representative of the nation in this psalm. See Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17.
[28:9] 865 tn Heb “your inheritance.” The parallelism (note “your people”) indicates that Israel is in view.
[28:9] 866 tn Heb “shepherd them and lift them up.”
[28:9] sn The shepherd metaphor is sometimes associated with royal responsibility. See 2 Sam 5:2; 7:7; Mic 5:2-4).
