Mazmur 12:1-8
KonteksFor the music director; according to the sheminith style; 2 a psalm of David.
12:1 Deliver, Lord!
For the godly 3 have disappeared; 4
people of integrity 5 have vanished. 6
12:2 People lie to one another; 7
they flatter and deceive. 8
12:3 May the Lord cut off 9 all flattering lips,
and the tongue that boasts! 10
12:4 They say, 11 “We speak persuasively; 12
we know how to flatter and boast. 13
Who is our master?” 14
12:5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed, 15
because of the painful cries 16 of the needy,
I will spring into action,” 17 says the Lord.
“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.” 18
12:6 The Lord’s words are absolutely reliable. 19
They are as untainted as silver purified in a furnace on the ground,
where it is thoroughly refined. 20
12:7 You, Lord, will protect them; 21
you will continually shelter each one from these evil people, 22
12:8 for the wicked seem to be everywhere, 23
when people promote evil. 24
Mazmur 44:1-26
KonteksFor the music director; by the Korahites, a well-written song. 26
44:1 O God, we have clearly heard; 27
our ancestors 28 have told us
what you did 29 in their days,
in ancient times. 30
44:2 You, by your power, 31 defeated nations and settled our fathers on their land; 32
you crushed 33 the people living there 34 and enabled our ancestors to occupy it. 35
44:3 For they did not conquer 36 the land by their swords,
and they did not prevail by their strength, 37
but rather by your power, 38 strength 39 and good favor, 40
for you were partial to 41 them.
44:4 You are my 42 king, O God!
Decree 43 Jacob’s 44 deliverance!
44:5 By your power 45 we will drive back 46 our enemies;
by your strength 47 we will trample down 48 our foes! 49
44:6 For I do not trust in my bow,
and I do not prevail by my sword.
44:7 For you deliver 50 us from our enemies;
you humiliate 51 those who hate us.
44:8 In God I boast all day long,
and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)
44:9 But 52 you rejected and embarrassed us!
You did not go into battle with our armies. 53
44:10 You made us retreat 54 from the enemy.
Those who hate us take whatever they want from us. 55
44:11 You handed us 56 over like sheep to be eaten;
you scattered us among the nations.
44:12 You sold 57 your people for a pittance; 58
you did not ask a high price for them. 59
44:13 You made us 60 an object of disdain to our neighbors;
those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. 61
44:14 You made us 62 an object of ridicule 63 among the nations;
foreigners treat us with contempt. 64
44:15 All day long I feel humiliated 65
and am overwhelmed with shame, 66
44:16 before the vindictive enemy
who ridicules and insults me. 67
44:17 All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you 68
or violated your covenant with us. 69
44:18 We have not been unfaithful, 70
nor have we disobeyed your commands. 71
44:19 Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs; 72
you have covered us with darkness. 73
44:20 If we had rejected our God, 74
and spread out our hands in prayer to another god, 75
44:21 would not God discover it,
for he knows 76 one’s thoughts? 77
44:22 Yet because of you 78 we are killed all day long;
we are treated like 79 sheep at the slaughtering block. 80
44:23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Wake up! 81 Do not reject us forever!
44:24 Why do you look the other way, 82
and ignore 83 the way we are oppressed and mistreated? 84
44:25 For we lie in the dirt,
with our bellies pressed to the ground. 85
44:26 Rise up and help us!
Rescue us 86 because of your loyal love!
Mazmur 60:1-12
KonteksFor the music director; according to the shushan-eduth style; 88 a prayer 89 of David written to instruct others. 90 It was written when he fought against Aram Naharaim and Aram-Zobah. That was when Joab turned back and struck down 91 12,000 Edomites 92 in the Valley of Salt. 93
60:1 O God, you have rejected us. 94
You suddenly turned on us in your anger. 95
Please restore us! 96
60:2 You made the earth quake; you split it open. 97
Repair its breaches, for it is ready to fall. 98
60:3 You have made your people experience hard times; 99
you have made us drink intoxicating wine. 100
60:4 You have given your loyal followers 101 a rallying flag,
so that they might seek safety from the bow. 102 (Selah)
60:5 Deliver by your power 103 and answer me, 104
so that the ones you love may be safe. 105
60:6 God has spoken in his sanctuary: 106
“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem;
the Valley of Succoth I will measure off. 107
60:7 Gilead belongs to me,
as does Manasseh! 108
Ephraim is my helmet, 109
Judah my royal scepter. 110
60:8 Moab is my washbasin. 111
I will make Edom serve me. 112
I will shout in triumph over Philistia.” 113
60:9 Who will lead me into the fortified city?
Who will bring me to Edom? 114
60:10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
O God, you do not go into battle with our armies.
60:11 Give us help against the enemy,
for any help men might offer is futile. 115
60:12 By God’s power we will conquer; 116
he will trample down 117 our enemies.
Mazmur 74:1-23
KonteksA well-written song 119 by Asaph.
74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? 120
Why does your anger burn 121 against the sheep of your pasture?
74:2 Remember your people 122 whom you acquired in ancient times,
whom you rescued 123 so they could be your very own nation, 124
as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!
74:3 Hurry and look 125 at the permanent ruins,
and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple! 126
74:4 Your enemies roar 127 in the middle of your sanctuary; 128
they set up their battle flags. 129
74:5 They invade like lumberjacks
swinging their axes in a thick forest. 130
74:6 And now 131 they are tearing down 132 all its engravings 133
with axes 134 and crowbars. 135
74:7 They set your sanctuary on fire;
they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground. 136
74:8 They say to themselves, 137
“We will oppress all of them.” 138
They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land. 139
74:9 We do not see any signs of God’s presence; 140
there are no longer any prophets 141
and we have no one to tell us how long this will last. 142
74:10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults?
Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?
74:11 Why do you remain inactive?
Intervene and destroy him! 143
74:12 But God has been my 144 king from ancient times,
performing acts of deliverance on the earth. 145
74:13 You destroyed 146 the sea by your strength;
you shattered the heads of the sea monster 147 in the water.
74:14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; 148
you fed 149 him to the people who live along the coast. 150
74:15 You broke open the spring and the stream; 151
you dried up perpetually flowing rivers. 152
74:16 You established the cycle of day and night; 153
you put the moon 154 and sun in place. 155
74:17 You set up all the boundaries 156 of the earth;
you created the cycle of summer and winter. 157
74:18 Remember how 158 the enemy hurls insults, O Lord, 159
and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name!
74:19 Do not hand the life of your dove 160 over to a wild animal!
Do not continue to disregard 161 the lives of your oppressed people!
74:20 Remember your covenant promises, 162
for the dark regions of the earth are full of places where violence rules. 163
74:21 Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame!
Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! 164
74:22 Rise up, O God! Defend your honor! 165
Remember how fools insult you all day long! 166
74:23 Do not disregard 167 what your enemies say, 168
or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you. 169
Mazmur 79:1-13
KonteksA psalm of Asaph.
79:1 O God, foreigners 171 have invaded your chosen land; 172
they have polluted your holy temple
and turned Jerusalem 173 into a heap of ruins.
79:2 They have given the corpses of your servants
to the birds of the sky; 174
the flesh of your loyal followers
to the beasts of the earth.
79:3 They have made their blood flow like water
all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury them. 175
79:4 We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors;
those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. 176
79:5 How long will this go on, O Lord? 177
Will you stay angry forever?
How long will your rage 178 burn like fire?
79:6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you, 179
on the kingdoms that do not pray to you! 180
79:7 For they have devoured Jacob
and destroyed his home.
79:8 Do not hold us accountable for the sins of earlier generations! 181
Quickly send your compassion our way, 182
for we are in serious trouble! 183
79:9 Help us, O God, our deliverer!
For the sake of your glorious reputation, 184 rescue us!
Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation! 185
79:10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Before our very eyes may the shed blood of your servants
be avenged among the nations! 186
79:11 Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners! 187
Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die! 188
79:12 Pay back our neighbors in full! 189
May they be insulted the same way they insulted you, O Lord! 190
79:13 Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will continually thank you. 191
We will tell coming generations of your praiseworthy acts. 192
Mazmur 83:1-18
KonteksA song, a psalm of Asaph.
83:1 O God, do not be silent!
Do not ignore us! 194 Do not be inactive, O God!
83:2 For look, your enemies are making a commotion;
those who hate you are hostile. 195
83:3 They carefully plot 196 against your people,
and make plans to harm 197 the ones you cherish. 198
83:4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation! 199
Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”
83:5 Yes, 200 they devise a unified strategy; 201
they form an alliance 202 against you.
83:6 It includes 203 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites, 204
83:7 Gebal, 205 Ammon, and Amalek,
Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre. 206
83:8 Even Assyria has allied with them,
lending its strength to the descendants of Lot. 207 (Selah)
83:9 Do to them as you did to Midian 208 –
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River! 209
83:10 They were destroyed at Endor; 210
their corpses were like manure 211 on the ground.
83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, 212
and all their rulers like Zebah and Zalmunna, 213
83:12 who said, 214 “Let’s take over 215 the pastures of God!”
83:13 O my God, make them like dead thistles, 216
like dead weeds blown away by 217 the wind!
83:14 Like the fire that burns down the forest,
or the flames that consume the mountainsides, 218
83:15 chase them with your gale winds,
and terrify 219 them with your windstorm.
83:16 Cover 220 their faces with shame,
so they might seek 221 you, 222 O Lord.
83:17 May they be humiliated and continually terrified! 223
May they die in shame! 224
83:18 Then they will know 225 that you alone are the Lord, 226
the sovereign king 227 over all the earth.
Mazmur 85:1-13
KonteksFor the music director; written by the Korahites, a psalm.
85:1 O Lord, you showed favor to your land;
you restored the well-being of Jacob. 229
85:2 You pardoned 230 the wrongdoing of your people;
you forgave 231 all their sin. (Selah)
85:3 You withdrew all your fury;
you turned back from your raging anger. 232
85:4 Restore us, O God our deliverer!
Do not be displeased with us! 233
85:5 Will you stay mad at us forever?
Will you remain angry throughout future generations? 234
85:6 Will you not revive us once more?
Then your people will rejoice in you!
85:7 O Lord, show us your loyal love!
Bestow on us your deliverance!
85:8 I will listen to what God the Lord says. 235
For he will make 236 peace with his people, his faithful followers. 237
Yet they must not 238 return to their foolish ways.
85:9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance; 239
then his splendor will again appear in our land. 240
85:10 Loyal love and faithfulness meet; 241
deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss. 242
85:11 Faithfulness grows from the ground,
and deliverance looks down from the sky. 243
85:12 Yes, the Lord will bestow his good blessings, 244
and our land will yield 245 its crops.
85:13 Deliverance goes 246 before him,
and prepares 247 a pathway for him. 248
Mazmur 106:1-48
Konteks106:1 Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures! 250
106:2 Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts,
or relate all his praiseworthy deeds? 251
106:3 How blessed are those who promote justice,
and do what is right all the time!
106:4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people!
Pay attention to me, when you deliver,
106:5 so I may see the prosperity 252 of your chosen ones,
rejoice along with your nation, 253
and boast along with the people who belong to you. 254
106:6 We have sinned like 255 our ancestors; 256
we have done wrong, we have done evil.
106:7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds,
they failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,
and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea. 257
106:8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation, 258
that he might reveal his power.
106:9 He shouted at 259 the Red Sea and it dried up;
he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.
106:10 He delivered them from the power 260 of the one who hated them,
and rescued 261 them from the power 262 of the enemy.
106:11 The water covered their enemies;
not even one of them survived. 263
106:12 They believed his promises; 264
they sang praises to him.
106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; 265
they did not wait for his instructions. 266
106:14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving 267 for meat; 268
they challenged God 269 in the desert.
106:15 He granted their request,
then struck them with a disease. 270
106:16 In the camp they resented 271 Moses,
and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. 272
106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it engulfed 273 the group led by Abiram. 274
106:18 Fire burned their group;
the flames scorched the wicked. 275
106:19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,
and worshiped a metal idol.
106:20 They traded their majestic God 276
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
106:21 They rejected 277 the God who delivered them,
the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,
106:22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,
mighty 278 acts by the Red Sea.
106:23 He threatened 279 to destroy them,
but 280 Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him 281
and turned back his destructive anger. 282
106:24 They rejected the fruitful land; 283
they did not believe his promise. 284
106:25 They grumbled in their tents; 285
they did not obey 286 the Lord.
106:26 So he made a solemn vow 287
that he would make them die 288 in the desert,
106:27 make their descendants 289 die 290 among the nations,
and scatter them among foreign lands. 291
106:28 They worshiped 292 Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. 293
106:29 They made the Lord angry 294 by their actions,
and a plague broke out among them.
106:30 Phinehas took a stand and intervened, 295
and the plague subsided.
106:31 This brought him a reward,
an eternal gift. 296
106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered 297 because of them,
106:33 for they aroused 298 his temper, 299
and he spoke rashly. 300
106:34 They did not destroy the nations, 301
as the Lord had commanded them to do.
106:35 They mixed in with the nations
and learned their ways. 302
106:36 They worshiped 303 their idols,
which became a snare to them. 304
106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. 305
106:38 They shed innocent blood –
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.
The land was polluted by bloodshed. 306
106:39 They were defiled by their deeds,
and unfaithful in their actions. 307
106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people 308
and despised the people who belong to him. 309
106:41 He handed them over to 310 the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
106:42 Their enemies oppressed them;
they were subject to their authority. 311
106:43 Many times he delivered 312 them,
but they had a rebellious attitude, 313
and degraded themselves 314 by their sin.
106:44 Yet he took notice of their distress,
when he heard their cry for help.
106:45 He remembered his covenant with them,
and relented 315 because of his great loyal love.
106:46 He caused all their conquerors 316
to have pity on them.
106:47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God!
Gather us from among the nations!
Then we will give thanks 317 to your holy name,
and boast about your praiseworthy deeds. 318
106:48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise, 319
in the future and forevermore. 320
Let all the people say, “We agree! 321 Praise the Lord!” 322
Mazmur 123:1-4
KonteksA song of ascents. 324
123:1 I look up 325 toward you,
the one enthroned 326 in heaven.
123:2 Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress, 327
so my eyes will look to the Lord, our God, until he shows us favor.
123:3 Show us favor, O Lord, show us favor!
For we have had our fill of humiliation, and then some. 328
123:4 We have had our fill 329
of the taunts of the self-assured,
of the contempt of the proud.
Mazmur 129:1-8
KonteksA song of ascents. 331
129:1 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”
let Israel say.
129:2 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not defeated me.
129:3 The plowers plowed my back;
they made their furrows long.
129:4 The Lord is just;
he cut the ropes of the wicked.” 332
129:5 May all who hate Zion
be humiliated and turned back!
129:6 May they be like the grass on the rooftops
which withers before one can even pull it up, 333
129:7 which cannot fill the reaper’s hand,
or the lap of the one who gathers the grain!
129:8 Those who pass by will not say, 334
“May you experience the Lord’s blessing!
We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”
Mazmur 137:1-9
Konteks137:1 By the rivers of Babylon
we sit down and weep 336
when we remember Zion.
137:2 On the poplars in her midst
we hang our harps,
137:3 for there our captors ask us to compose songs; 337
those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying: 338
“Sing for us a song about Zion!” 339
137:4 How can we sing a song to the Lord
in a foreign land?
137:5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand be crippled! 340
137:6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
and do not give Jerusalem priority
over whatever gives me the most joy. 341
137:7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell. 342
They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, 343
right to its very foundation!”
137:8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! 344
How blessed will be the one who repays you
for what you dished out to us! 345
137:9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies
and smashes them on a rock! 346
[12:1] 1 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] 2 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] 3 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] 4 tn Or “have come to an end.”
[12:1] 5 tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”
[12:1] 6 tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”
[12:2] 7 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] 8 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] 9 tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the
[12:3] 10 tn Heb “a tongue speaking great [things].”
[12:4] 11 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] 12 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] 13 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] 14 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] 15 tn The term translated “oppressed” is an objective genitive; the oppressed are the recipients/victims of violence.
[12:5] 16 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] 17 tn Heb “I will rise up.”
[12:5] 18 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] 19 tn Heb “the words of the
[12:6] 20 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] 21 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] 22 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] 23 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] 24 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.”
[44:1] 25 sn Psalm 44. The speakers in this psalm (the worshiping community within the nation Israel) were disappointed with God. The psalm begins on a positive note, praising God for leading Israel to past military victories. Verses 1-8 appear to be a song of confidence and petition which the people recited prior to battle. But suddenly the mood changes as the nation laments a recent defeat. The stark contrast between the present and the past only heightens the nation’s confusion. Israel trusted in God for victory, but the Lord rejected them and allowed them to be humiliated in battle. If Israel had been unfaithful to God, their defeat would make sense, but the nation was loyal to the Lord. Comparing the Lord to a careless shepherd, the nation urges God to wake up and to extend his compassion to his suffering people.
[44:1] 26 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 42.
[44:1] 27 tn Heb “with our ears we have heard.”
[44:1] 28 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 2; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “fathers” or “ancestors” depending on the context.
[44:1] 29 tn Heb “the work you worked.”
[44:1] 30 tn Heb “in the days of old.” This refers specifically to the days of Joshua, during Israel’s conquest of the land, as vv. 2-3 indicate.
[44:2] 31 tn Heb “you, your hand.”
[44:2] 32 tn Heb “dispossessed nations and planted them.” The third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1). See Ps 80:8, 15.
[44:2] 33 tn The verb form in the Hebrew text is a Hiphil preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive) from רָעַע (ra’a’, “be evil; be bad”). If retained it apparently means, “you injured; harmed.” Some prefer to derive the verb from רָעַע (“break”; cf. NEB “breaking up the peoples”), in which case the form must be revocalized as Qal (since this verb is unattested in the Hiphil).
[44:2] 35 tn Heb “and you sent them out.” The translation assumes that the third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1), as in the preceding parallel line. See Ps 80:11, where Israel, likened to a vine, “spreads out” its tendrils to the west and east. Another option is to take the “peoples” as the referent of the pronoun and translate, “and you sent them away,” though this does not provide as tight a parallel with the corresponding line.
[44:3] 36 tn Or “take possession of.”
[44:3] 37 tn Heb “and their arm did not save them.” The “arm” here symbolizes military strength.
[44:3] 38 tn Heb “your right hand.” The
[44:3] 40 tn Heb “light of your face.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
[44:3] 41 tn Or “favorable toward.”
[44:4] 42 sn The speaker changes here to an individual, perhaps the worship leader or the king. The oscillation between singular (vv. 4, 6) and plural (vv. 1-3, 5, 7-8) in vv. 1-8 may reflect an antiphonal ceremony.
[44:4] 43 tc The LXX assumes a participle here (מְצַוֶּה [mÿtsavveh], “the one who commands/decrees”) which would stand in apposition to “my God.” It is possible that the MT, which has the imperative (צַוֵּה, tsavveh) form, has suffered haplography of the letter mem (ם). Note that the preceding word (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) ends in mem. Another option is that the MT is divided in the wrong place; perhaps one could move the final mem from אֱלֹהִים to the beginning of the next word and read מְצַוֶּה אֱלֹהָי (’elohay mÿtsavveh, “[You are my king,] my God, the one who decrees”).
[44:4] tn Or “command.” This may be the Israelites’ petition prior to the battle. See the introductory note to the psalm.
[44:4] 44 tn That is, Israel. See Pss 14:7; 22:23.
[44:5] 46 tn Heb “gore” (like an ox). If this portion of the psalm contains the song of confidence/petition the Israelites recited prior to battle, then the imperfects here and in the next line may express their expectation of victory. Another option is that the imperfects function in an emphatic generalizing manner. In this case one might translate, “you [always] drive back…you [always] trample down.”
[44:5] sn The Hebrew verb translated “drive back” is literally “gore”; the imagery is that of a powerful wild ox that “gores” its enemies and tramples them underfoot.
[44:5] 47 tn Heb “in your name.” The
[44:5] 48 sn The image of the powerful wild ox continues; see the note on the phrase “drive back” in the preceding line.
[44:5] 49 tn Heb “those who rise up [against] us.”
[44:7] 50 tn Or “have delivered,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).
[44:7] 51 tn Or “have humiliated,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).
[44:9] 52 tn The particle אַף (’af, “but”) is used here as a strong adversative contrasting the following statement with what precedes.
[44:9] 53 tn Heb “you did not go out with our armies.” The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
[44:10] 54 tn Heb “you caused us to turn backward.”
[44:10] 55 tn Heb “plunder for themselves.” The prepositional phrase לָמוֹ (lamo, “for themselves”) here has the nuance “at their will” or “as they please” (see Ps 80:6).
[44:11] 56 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
[44:12] 57 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
[44:12] 58 tn Heb “for what is not wealth.”
[44:12] 59 tn Heb “you did not multiply their purchase prices.”
[44:13] 60 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
[44:13] 61 tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.”
[44:14] 62 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
[44:14] 63 tn Heb “a proverb,” or “[the subject of] a mocking song.”
[44:14] 64 tn Heb “a shaking of the head among the peoples.” Shaking the head was a derisive gesture (see Jer 18:16; Lam 2:15).
[44:15] 65 tn Heb “all the day my humiliation [is] in front of me.”
[44:15] 66 tn Heb “and the shame of my face covers me.”
[44:16] 67 tn Heb “from the voice of one who ridicules and insults, from the face of an enemy and an avenger.” See Ps 8:2.
[44:17] 68 tn Heb “we have not forgotten you.” To “forget” God refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see v. 20, as well as Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 9:17).Thus the translation “we have not rejected you” has been used.
[44:17] 69 tn Heb “and we did not deal falsely with your covenant.”
[44:18] 70 tn Heb “our heart did not turn backward.” Cf. Ps 78:57.
[44:18] 71 tn Heb “and our steps did [not] turn aside from your path.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line). God’s “path” refers to his commands, i.e., the moral pathway he has prescribed for the psalmist. See Pss 17:5; 25:4.
[44:19] 72 tn Heb “yet you have battered us in a place of jackals.”
[44:19] 73 tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל+מָוֶת [mavet + tsel]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness” (cf. NIV, NRSV). 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. In Ps 44:19 darkness symbolizes defeat and humiliation.
[44:20] 74 tn Heb “If we had forgotten the name of our God.” To “forget the name” here refers to rejecting the
[44:20] 75 tn Heb “and spread out your hands to another god.” Spreading out the hands was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). In its most fundamental sense זר (“another; foreign; strange”) refers to something that is outside one’s circle, often making association with it inappropriate. A “strange” god is an alien deity, an “outside god” (see L. A. Snijders, TDOT 4:54-55).
[44:21] 76 tn The active participle describes what is characteristically true.
[44:21] 77 tn Heb “would not God search out this, for he knows the hidden things of [the] heart?” The expression “search out” is used metonymically here, referring to discovery, the intended effect of a search. The “heart” (i.e., mind) is here viewed as the seat of one’s thoughts. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he would!” The point seems to be this: There is no way the Israelites who are the speakers in the psalm would reject God and turn to another god, for the omniscient God would easily discover such a sin.
[44:22] 78 tn The statement “because of you” (1) may simply indicate that God is the cause of the Israelites’ defeat (see vv. 9-14, where the nation’s situation is attributed directly to God’s activity, and cf. NEB, NRSV), or (2) it may suggest they suffer because of their allegiance to God (see Ps 69:7 and Jer 15:15). In this case one should translate, “for your sake” (cf. NASB, NIV). The citation of this verse in Rom 8:36 follows the LXX (Ps 43:23 LXX), where the Greek term ἕνεκεν (Jeneken; LXX ἕνεκα) may likewise mean “because of” or “for the sake of” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἕνεκα 1).
[44:22] 79 tn Or “regarded as.”
[44:22] 80 tn Heb “like sheep of slaughtering,” that is, sheep destined for slaughter.
[44:23] 81 sn Wake up! See Ps 35:23.
[44:24] 82 tn Heb “Why do you hide your face?” 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).
[44:24] 84 tn Heb “our oppression and our affliction.”
[44:25] 85 tn Heb “for our being/life sinks down to the dirt, our belly clings to the earth.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
[44:26] 86 tn Or “redeem us.” See Pss 25:22; 26:11; 69:18; 119:134.
[60:1] 87 sn Psalm 60. The psalmist grieves over Israel’s humiliation, but in response to God’s assuring word, he asks for divine help in battle and expresses his confidence in victory.
[60:1] 88 tn The Hebrew expression means “lily of the testimony.” It may refer to a particular music style or to a tune title.
[60:1] 89 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-59, is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
[60:1] 91 tn In Josh 8:21 and Judg 20:48 the two verbs “turn back” and “strike down” are also juxtaposed. There they refer to a military counter-attack.
[60:1] 92 tn Heb “12,000 of Edom.” Perhaps one should read אֲרַם (’aram, “Aram”) here rather than אֱדוֹם (’edom, “Edom”).
[60:1] 93 sn The heading apparently refers to the military campaign recorded in 2 Sam 10 and 1 Chr 19.
[60:1] 94 sn You have rejected us. See Pss 43:2; 44:9, 23.
[60:1] 95 tn Heb “you broke out upon us, you were angry.”
[60:1] 96 tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
[60:2] 97 tn The verb פָּצַם (patsam, “split open”) occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “crack,” and an Aramaic cognate is used in Tg. Jer 22:14 with the meaning “break open, frame.” See BDB 822 s.v. and Jastrow 1205 s.v. פְּצַם.
[60:2] sn You made the earth quake; you split it open. The psalmist uses the imagery of an earthquake to describe the nation’s defeat.
[60:2] 98 sn It is ready to fall. The earth is compared to a wall that has been broken by the force of the earthquake (note the preceding line) and is ready to collapse.
[60:3] 99 tn Heb “you have caused your people to see [what is] hard.”
[60:3] 100 tn Heb “wine of staggering,” that is, intoxicating wine that makes one stagger in drunkenness. Intoxicating wine is here an image of divine judgment that makes its victims stagger like drunkards. See Isa 51:17-23.
[60:4] 101 tn Heb “those who fear you.”
[60:4] 102 tn There is a ray of hope in that God has allowed his loyal followers to rally under a battle flag. The translation assumes the verb is from the root נוּס (nus, “flee”) used here in the Hitpolel in the sense of “find safety for oneself” (HALOT 681 s.v. נוס) or “take flight for oneself” (BDB 630-31 s.v. נוּס). Another option is to take the verb as a denominative from נֵס (nes, “flag”) and translate “that it may be displayed” (BDB 651 s.v. II נסס) or “that they may assemble under the banner” (HALOT 704 s.v. II נסס). Here קֹשֶׁט (qoshet) is taken as an Aramaized form of קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “bow”; BDB 905-6 s.v. קֶשֶׁת), though some understand the homonymic קֹשְׁטְ (qosht, “truth”) here (see Prov 22:21; cf. NASB). If one follows the latter interpretation, the line may be translated, “so that they might assemble under the banner for the sake of truth.”
[60:5] 103 tn Heb “right hand.”
[60:5] 104 tn The Qere (marginal reading) has “me,” while the Kethib (consonantal text) has “us.”
[60:5] 105 tn Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text, “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”
[60:6] 106 tn Heb “in his holy place.”
[60:6] 107 sn Shechem stands for the territory west of the Jordan, the Valley of Succoth for the region east of the Jordan.
[60:7] 108 sn Gilead was located east of the Jordan. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.
[60:7] 109 tn Heb “the protection of my head.”
[60:7] sn Ephraim, named after one of Joseph’s sons, was one of two major tribes located west of the Jordan. By comparing Ephraim to a helmet, the Lord suggests that the Ephraimites played a primary role in the defense of his land.
[60:7] 110 sn Judah, like Ephraim, was the other major tribe west of the Jordan. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.
[60:8] 111 sn The metaphor of the washbasin, used to rinse one’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 6-7), would be reduced to the status of a servant.
[60:8] 112 tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of,” i.e., “I will take possession of Edom.” Others translate עַל (’al) as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.
[60:8] 113 tc Heb “over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph.” The translation follows the text of Ps 108:9. When the initial עֲלֵיוֹ (’aleyo, “over”) was misread as עָלַי (’alay, “over me”), the first person verb form was probably altered to an imperative to provide better sense to the line.
[60:9] 114 sn In v. 9 the psalmist speaks again and acknowledges his need for help in battle. He hopes God will volunteer, based on the affirmation of sovereignty over Edom in v. 8, but he is also aware that God has seemingly rejected the nation (v. 10, see also v. 1).
[60:11] 115 tn Heb “and futile [is] the deliverance of man.”
[60:12] 116 tn Heb “in God we will accomplish strength.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 108:13; 118:15-16).
[60:12] 117 sn Trample down. On this expression see Ps 44:5.
[74:1] 118 sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586
[74:1] 119 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
[74:1] 120 sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.
[74:1] 121 tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.
[74:2] 122 tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.
[74:2] 123 tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).
[74:2] 124 tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).
[74:3] 125 tn Heb “lift up your steps to,” which may mean “run, hurry.”
[74:3] 126 tn Heb “everything [the] enemy has damaged in the holy place.”
[74:4] 127 tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.
[74:4] 128 tn Heb “your meeting place.”
[74:4] 129 tn Heb “they set up their banners [as] banners.” The Hebrew noun אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) here refers to the enemy army’s battle flags and banners (see Num 2:12).
[74:5] 130 tn Heb “it is known like one bringing upwards, in a thicket of wood, axes.” The Babylonian invaders destroyed the woodwork in the temple.
[74:6] 131 tn This is the reading of the Qere (marginal reading). The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and a time.”
[74:6] 132 tn The imperfect verbal form vividly describes the act as underway.
[74:6] 133 tn Heb “its engravings together.”
[74:6] 134 tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 49-50).
[74:6] 135 tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT. An Akkadian cognate refers to a “pickaxe” (cf. NEB “hatchet and pick”; NIV “axes and hatchets”; NRSV “hatchets and hammers”).
[74:7] 136 tn Heb “to the ground they desecrate the dwelling place of your name.”
[74:8] 137 tn Heb “in their heart.”
[74:8] 138 tc Heb “[?] altogether.” The Hebrew form נִינָם (ninam) is problematic. It could be understood as the noun נִין (nin, “offspring”) but the statement “their offspring altogether” would make no sense here. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:159) emends יָחַד (yakhad, “altogether”) to יָחִיד (yakhid, “alone”) and translate “let their offspring be solitary” (i.e., exiled). Another option is to understand the form as a Qal imperfect first common plural from יָנָה (yanah, “to oppress”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix, “we will oppress them.” However, this verb, when used in the finite form, always appears in the Hiphil. Therefore, it is preferable to emend the form to the Hiphil נוֹנֵם (nonem, “we will oppress them”).
[74:8] 139 tn Heb “they burn down all the meeting places of God in the land.”
[74:9] 140 tn Heb “our signs we do not see.” Because of the reference to a prophet in the next line, it is likely that the “signs” in view here include the evidence of God’s presence as typically revealed through the prophets. These could include miraculous acts performed by the prophets (see, for example, Isa 38:7-8) or object lessons which they acted out (see, for example, Isa 20:3).
[74:9] 141 tn Heb “there is not still a prophet.”
[74:9] 142 tn Heb “and [there is] not with us one who knows how long.”
[74:11] 143 tn Heb “Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? From the midst of your chest, destroy!” The psalmist pictures God as having placed his right hand (symbolic of activity and strength) inside his robe against his chest. He prays that God would pull his hand out from under his robe and use it to destroy the enemy.
[74:12] 144 tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative here.
[74:12] 145 tn Heb “in the midst of the earth.”
[74:13] 146 tn The derivation and meaning of the Polel verb form פּוֹרַרְתָּ (porarta) are uncertain. The form may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “break, shatter,” though the biblical Hebrew cognate of this verb always appears in the Hiphil or Hophal stem. BDB 830 s.v. II פָּרַר suggests a homonym here, meaning “to split; to divide.” A Hitpolel form of a root פָּרַר (parar) appears in Isa 24:19 with the meaning “to shake violently.”
[74:13] 147 tn The Hebrew text has the plural form, “sea monsters” (cf. NRSV “dragons”), but it is likely that an original enclitic mem has been misunderstood as a plural ending. The imagery of the mythological sea monster is utilized here. See the note on “Leviathan” in v. 14.
[74:14] 148 sn You crushed the heads of Leviathan. The imagery of vv. 13-14 originates in West Semitic mythology. The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon [Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַּנִין (tanin), translated “sea monster” in v. 13] vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling [Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן (’aqallaton), translated “squirming” in Isa 27:1] serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (note the use of the plural “heads” here and in v. 13). (See CTA 3.iii.38-39 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 50.) (2) “For all that you smote Leviathan the slippery [Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ (bariakh), translated “fast moving” in Isa 27:1] serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5.i.1-3 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 68.) In the myths Leviathan is a sea creature that symbolizes the destructive water of the sea and, in turn, the forces of chaos that threaten the established order. In the OT, the battle with the sea motif is applied to Yahweh’s victories over the forces of chaos at creation and in history (see Pss 74:13-14; 77:16-20; 89:9-10; Isa 51:9-10). Yahweh’s subjugation of the waters of chaos is related to his kingship (see Pss 29:3, 10; 93:3-4). Isa 27:1 applies imagery from Canaanite mythology to Yahweh’s eschatological victory over his enemies. Apocalyptic literature employs the imagery as well. The beasts of Dan 7 emerge from the sea, while Rev 13 speaks of a seven-headed beast coming from the sea. Here in Ps 74:13-14 the primary referent is unclear. The psalmist may be describing God’s creation of the world (note vv. 16-17 and see Ps 89:9-12), when he brought order out of a watery mass, or the exodus (see Isa 51:9-10), when he created Israel by destroying the Egyptians in the waters of the sea.
[74:14] 149 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite in this narrational context.
[74:14] 150 sn You fed him to the people. This pictures the fragments of Leviathan’s dead corpse washing up on shore and being devoured by those who find them. If the exodus is in view, then it may allude to the bodies of the dead Egyptians which washed up on the shore of the Red Sea (see Exod 14:30).
[74:15] 151 sn You broke open the spring and the stream. Perhaps this alludes to the way in which God provided water for the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness following the exodus (see Ps 78:15-16, 20; 105:41).
[74:15] 152 sn Perpetually flowing rivers are rivers that contain water year round, unlike the seasonal streams that flow only during the rainy season. Perhaps the psalmist here alludes to the drying up of the Jordan River when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan under Joshua (see Josh 3-4).
[74:16] 153 tn Heb “To you [is] day, also to you [is] night.”
[74:16] 154 tn Heb “[the] light.” Following the reference to “day and night” and in combination with “sun,” it is likely that the Hebrew term מָאוֹר (ma’or, “light”) refers here to the moon.
[74:16] 155 tn Heb “you established [the] light and [the] sun.”
[74:17] 156 tn This would appear to refer to geographical boundaries, such as mountains, rivers, and seacoasts. However, since the day-night cycle has just been mentioned (v. 16) and the next line speaks of the seasons, it is possible that “boundaries” here refers to the divisions of the seasons. See C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:156.
[74:17] 157 tn Heb “summer and winter, you, you formed them.”
[74:18] 158 tn Heb “remember this.”
[74:18] 159 tn Or “[how] the enemy insults the
[74:19] 160 sn Your dove. The psalmist compares weak and vulnerable Israel to a helpless dove.
[74:19] 161 tn Heb “do not forget forever.”
[74:20] 162 tc Heb “look at the covenant.” The LXX reads “your covenant,” which seems to assume a second person pronominal suffix. The suffix may have been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word (כִּי) begins with kaf (כ).
[74:20] 163 tn Heb “for the dark places of the earth are full of dwelling places of violence.” The “dark regions” are probably the lands where the people have been exiled (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:157). In some contexts “dark regions” refers to Sheol (Ps 88:6) or to hiding places likened to Sheol (Ps 143:3; Lam 3:6).
[74:21] 164 sn Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! The statement is metonymic. The point is this: May the oppressed be delivered from their enemies! Then they will have ample reason to praise God’s name.
[74:22] 165 tn Or “defend your cause.”
[74:22] 166 tn Heb “remember your reproach from a fool all the day.”
[74:23] 168 tn Heb “the voice of your enemies.”
[74:23] 169 tn Heb “the roar of those who rise up against you, which ascends continually.”
[79:1] 170 sn Psalm 79. The author laments how the invading nations have destroyed the temple and city of Jerusalem. He asks God to forgive his people and to pour out his vengeance on those who have mistreated them.
[79:1] 172 tn Heb “have come into your inheritance.”
[79:1] 173 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[79:2] 174 tn Heb “[as] food for the birds of the sky.”
[79:3] 175 tn Heb “they have poured out their blood like water, all around Jerusalem, and there is no one burying.”
[79:4] 176 tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.” See Ps 44:13.
[79:5] 177 tn Heb “How long, O
[79:5] 178 tn Or “jealous anger.”
[79:6] 179 tn Heb “which do not know you.” Here the Hebrew term “know” means “acknowledge the authority of.”
[79:6] 180 sn The kingdoms that do not pray to you. The people of these kingdoms pray to other gods, not the Lord, because they do not recognize his authority over them.
[79:8] 181 tn Heb “do not remember against us sins, former.” Some understand “former” as an attributive adjective modifying sins, “former [i.e., chronologically prior] sins” (see BDB 911 s.v. רִאשׁוֹן). The present translation assumes that ראשׁנים (“former”) here refers to those who lived formerly, that is, the people’s ancestors (see Lam 5:7). The word is used in this way in Lev 26:45; Deut 19:14 and Eccl 1:11.
[79:8] 182 tn Heb “may your compassion quickly confront us.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating a tone of prayer.
[79:8] 183 tn Heb “for we are very low.”
[79:9] 184 tn Heb “the glory of your name.” Here and in the following line “name” stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[79:9] 185 tn Heb “your name.”
[79:10] 186 tn Heb “may it be known among the nations, to our eyes, the vengeance of the shed blood of your servants.”
[79:11] 187 tn Heb “may the painful cry of the prisoner come before you.”
[79:11] 188 tn Heb “according to the greatness of your arm leave the sons of death.” God’s “arm” here symbolizes his strength to deliver. The verbal form הוֹתֵר (hoter) is a Hiphil imperative from יָתַר (yatar, “to remain; to be left over”). Here it must mean “to leave over; to preserve.” However, it is preferable to emend the form to הַתֵּר (hatter), a Hiphil imperative from נָתַר (natar, “be free”). The Hiphil form is used in Ps 105:20 of Pharaoh freeing Joseph from prison. The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 102:21) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.
[79:12] 189 tn Heb “Return to our neighbors sevenfold into their lap.” The number seven is used rhetorically to express the thorough nature of the action. For other rhetorical/figurative uses of the Hebrew phrase שִׁבְעָתַיִם (shiv’atayim, “seven times”) see Gen 4:15, 24; Ps 12:6; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
[79:12] 190 tn Heb “their reproach with which they reproached you, O Lord.”
[79:13] 191 tn Or (hyperbolically) “will thank you forever.”
[79:13] 192 tn Heb “to a generation and a generation we will report your praise.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14.
[83:1] 193 sn Psalm 83. The psalmist asks God to deliver Israel from the attacks of foreign nations. Recalling how God defeated Israel’s enemies in the days of Deborah and Gideon, he prays that the hostile nations would be humiliated.
[83:1] 194 tn Heb “do not be deaf.”
[83:2] 195 tn Heb “lift up [their] head[s].” The phrase “lift up [the] head” here means “to threaten; to be hostile,” as in Judg 8:28.
[83:3] 196 tn Heb “they make crafty a plot.”
[83:3] 197 tn Heb “and consult together against.”
[83:3] 198 tn The passive participle of the Hebrew verb צָפַן (tsafan, “to hide”) is used here in the sense of “treasured; cherished.”
[83:4] 199 tn Heb “we will cause them to disappear from [being] a nation.”
[83:5] 201 tn Heb “they consult [with] a heart together.”
[83:5] 202 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[83:6] 203 tn The words “it includes” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[83:6] 204 sn The Hagrites are also mentioned in 1 Chr 5:10, 19-20.
[83:7] 205 sn Some identify Gebal with the Phoenician coastal city of Byblos (see Ezek 27:9, where the name is spelled differently), though others locate this site south of the Dead Sea (see BDB 148 s.v. גְּבַל; HALOT 174 s.v. גְּבַל).
[83:7] 206 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[83:8] 207 tn Heb “they are an arm for the sons of Lot.” The “arm” is here a symbol of military might.
[83:8] sn The descendants of Lot were the Moabites and Ammonites.
[83:9] 208 tn Heb “do to them like Midian.”
[83:9] 209 sn The psalmist alludes here to Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (see Judg 7-8) and to Barak’s victory over Jabin’s army, which was led by his general Sisera (Judg 4-5).
[83:10] 210 sn Endor is not mentioned in the accounts of Gideon’s or Barak’s victories, but both battles took place in the general vicinity of the town. (See Y. Aharoni and M. Avi-Yonah, The Macmillan Bible Atlas, 46, 54.) Because Sisera and Jabin are mentioned in v. 9b, many understand them to be the subject of the verbs in v. 10, though they relate v. 10 to Gideon’s victory, which is referred to in v. 9a, 11. (See, for example, Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 263.)
[83:10] 211 tn Heb “they were manure.” In addition to this passage, corpses are compared to manure in 2 Kgs 9:37; Jer 8:2; 9:21; 16:4; 25:33.
[83:11] 212 sn Oreb and Zeeb were the generals of the Midianite army that was defeated by Gideon. The Ephraimites captured and executed both of them and sent their heads to Gideon (Judg 7:24-25).
[83:11] 213 sn Zebah and Zalmunna were the Midianite kings. Gideon captured them and executed them (Judg 8:1-21).
[83:12] 214 tn The translation assumes that “Zebah and Zalmunna” are the antecedents of the relative pronoun (“who [said]”). Another option is to take “their nobles…all their rulers” as the antecedent and to translate, “those who say.”
[83:12] 215 tn Heb “let’s take possession for ourselves.”
[83:13] 216 tn Or “tumbleweed.” The Hebrew noun גַּלְגַּל (galgal) refers to a “wheel” or, metaphorically, to a whirling wind (see Ps 77:18). If taken in the latter sense here, one could understand the term as a metonymical reference to dust blown by a whirlwind (cf. NRSV “like whirling dust”). However, HALOT 190 s.v. II גַּלְגַּל understands the noun as a homonym referring to a “dead thistle” here and in Isa 17:13. The parallel line, which refers to קַשׁ (qash, “chaff”), favors this interpretation.
[83:14] 218 sn The imagery of fire and flames suggests unrelenting, destructive judgment.
[83:15] 219 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 15 express the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
[83:16] 221 tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose or result (“then they will seek”).
[83:16] 222 tn Heb “your name,” which stands here for God’s person.
[83:17] 223 tn Heb “and may they be terrified to perpetuity.” The Hebrew expression עֲדֵי־עַד (’adey-’ad, “to perpetuity”) can mean “forevermore” (see Pss 92:7; 132:12, 14), but here it may be used hyperbolically, for the psalmist asks that the experience of judgment might lead the nations to recognize (v. 18) and even to seek (v. 16) God.
[83:17] 224 tn Heb “may they be ashamed and perish.” The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling severe judgment down on his enemies. The strong language of the imprecation seems to run contrary to the positive outcome of divine judgment envisioned in v. 16b. Perhaps the language of v. 17 is overstated for effect. Another option is that v. 16b expresses an ideal, while the strong imprecation of vv. 17-18 anticipates reality. It would be nice if the defeated nations actually pursued a relationship with God, but if judgment does not bring them to that point, the psalmist asks that they be annihilated so that they might at least be forced to acknowledge God’s power.
[83:18] 225 tn After the preceding jussives (v. 17), the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose (“so that they may know”) or result.
[83:18] 226 tn Heb “that you, your name [is] the
[83:18] 227 tn Traditionally “the Most High.”
[85:1] 228 sn Psalm 85. God’s people recall how he forgave their sins in the past, pray that he might now restore them to his favor, and anticipate renewed blessings.
[85:1] 229 tn Heb “you turned with a turning [toward] Jacob.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (shÿvut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv). See Pss 14:7; 53:6.
[85:2] 230 tn Heb “lifted up.”
[85:2] 231 tn Heb “covered over.”
[85:3] 232 tn Heb “the rage of your anger.” The phrase “rage of your anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81. See Pss 69:24; 78:49.
[85:4] 233 tn Heb “break your displeasure with us.” Some prefer to emend הָפֵר (hafer, “break”) to הָסֵר (haser, “turn aside”).
[85:5] 234 tn Heb “Will your anger stretch to a generation and a generation?”
[85:8] 235 sn I will listen. Having asked for the Lord’s favor, the psalmist (who here represents the nation) anticipates a divine word of assurance.
[85:8] 236 tn Heb “speak.” The idiom “speak peace” refers to establishing or maintaining peaceful relations with someone (see Gen 37:4; Zech 9:10; cf. Ps 122:8).
[85:8] 237 tn Heb “to his people and to his faithful followers.” The translation assumes that “his people” and “his faithful followers” are viewed as identical here.
[85:8] 238 tn Or “yet let them not.” After the negative particle אֵל (’el), the prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating the speaker’s desire or wish.
[85:9] 239 tn Heb “certainly his deliverance [is] near to those who fear him.”
[85:9] 240 tn Heb “to dwell, glory, in our land.” “Glory” is the subject of the infinitive. The infinitive with -לְ (lÿ), “to dwell,” probably indicates result here (“then”). When God delivers his people and renews his relationship with them, he will once more reveal his royal splendor in the land.
[85:10] 241 tn The psalmist probably uses the perfect verbal forms in v. 10 in a dramatic or rhetorical manner, describing what he anticipates as if it were already occurring or had already occurred.
[85:10] 242 sn Deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss. The psalmist personifies these abstract qualities to emphasize that God’s loyal love and faithfulness will yield deliverance and peace for his people.
[85:11] 243 sn The psalmist already sees undeniable signs of God’s faithfulness and expects deliverance to arrive soon.
[85:12] 244 tn Heb “what is good.”
[85:12] 245 tn Both “bestow” and “yield” translate the same Hebrew verb (נָתַן, natan). The repetition of the word emphasizes that agricultural prosperity is the direct result of divine blessing.
[85:13] 247 tn Or “will prepare.”
[85:13] 248 tn Heb “and it prepares for a way his footsteps.” Some suggest emending וְיָשֵׂם (vÿyasem, “and prepares”) to וְשָׁלוֹם (vÿshalom, “and peace”) since “deliverance” and “peace” are closely related earlier in v. 13. This could be translated, “and peace [goes ahead, making] a pathway for his footsteps” (cf. NEB).
[106:1] 249 sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.
[106:1] 250 tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”
[106:2] 251 tn Heb “[or] cause to be heard all his praise.”
[106:5] 253 tn Heb “in order that [I may] rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”
[106:5] 254 tn Heb “with your inheritance.”
[106:6] 256 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 7).
[106:7] 257 tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in vv. 9, 22). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.
[106:7] sn They rebelled. The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12.
[106:8] 258 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[106:10] 261 tn Or “redeemed.”
[106:11] 263 tn Heb “remained.”
[106:12] 264 tn Heb “his words.”
[106:13] 265 tn Heb “his works.”
[106:13] 266 tn Heb “his counsel.”
[106:14] 267 sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35.
[106:14] 268 tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”
[106:14] 269 tn Heb “they tested God.”
[106:15] 270 tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”
[106:15] sn Disease. See Num 11:33-34, where this plague is described.
[106:16] 272 tn Heb “the holy one of the
[106:17] 274 tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”
[106:18] 275 sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.
[106:20] 276 tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the
[106:22] 278 tn Or “awe-inspiring.”
[106:23] 279 tn Heb “and he said.”
[106:23] 280 tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”
[106:23] 281 tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”
[106:23] 282 tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”
[106:23] sn Verses 19-23 describe the events of Exod 32:1-35.
[106:24] 283 tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).
[106:24] 284 tn Heb “his word.”
[106:25] 285 sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.
[106:25] 286 tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”
[106:26] 287 tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).
[106:26] 288 tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”
[106:27] 289 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[106:27] 290 tn Heb “and to cause their offspring to fall.” Some emend the verb to “scatter” to form tighter parallelism with the following line (cf. NRSV “disperse”).
[106:27] 291 tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[106:28] 292 tn Heb “joined themselves to.”
[106:28] sn They worshiped Baal of Peor. See Num 25:3, 5. Baal of Peor was a local manifestation of the Canaanite deity Baal located at Peor.
[106:28] 293 tn Here “the dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 49).
[106:29] 294 tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew
[106:30] 295 sn The intervention of Phinehas is recounted in Num 25:7-8.
[106:31] 296 tn Heb “and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to a generation and a generation forever.” The verb חָשַׁב (khashav, “to reckon”) is collocated with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) only in Ps 106:31 and Gen 15:6, where God rewards Abram’s faith with a land grant.
[106:31] sn Brought him a reward. See Num 25:12-13.
[106:32] 297 tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”
[106:33] 298 tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.
[106:33] 299 tn Heb “his spirit.”
[106:33] 300 tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[106:33] sn Verses 32-33 allude to the events of Num 20:1-13.
[106:34] 301 tn That is, the nations of Canaan.
[106:35] 302 tn Heb “their deeds.”
[106:36] 304 sn Became a snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.
[106:37] 305 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.
[106:38] 306 sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.
[106:39] 307 tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the
[106:40] 308 tn Heb “the anger of the
[106:40] 309 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
[106:41] 310 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
[106:42] 311 tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”
[106:43] 312 tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).
[106:43] 313 tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
[106:43] 314 tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.
[106:45] 315 tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.
[106:47] 317 tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.
[106:47] 318 tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”
[106:48] 319 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
[106:48] 320 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
[106:48] 321 tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן, ’amen), traditionally transliterated “amen.”
[106:48] 322 sn The final verse (v. 48) is a conclusion to this fourth “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and third “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52, respectively).
[123:1] 323 sn Psalm 123. The psalmist, speaking for God’s people, acknowledges his dependence on God in the midst of a crisis.
[123:1] 324 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[123:1] 325 tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”
[123:1] 326 tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb יָשַׁב (yashav) is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12).
[123:2] 327 sn Servants look to their master for food, shelter, and other basic needs.
[123:3] 328 tn Heb “for greatly we are filled [with] humiliation.”
[123:4] 329 tn Heb “greatly our soul is full to it.”
[129:1] 330 sn Psalm 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.
[129:1] 331 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[129:4] 332 tn The background of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Perhaps the “ropes” are those used to harness the ox for plowing (see Job 39:10). Verse 3 pictures the wicked plowing God’s people as if they were a field. But when God “cut the ropes” of their ox, as it were, they could no longer plow. The point of the metaphor seems to be that God took away the enemies’ ability to oppress his people. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 187.
[129:6] 333 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁלַף (shalaf) normally means “to draw [a sword]” or “to pull.” BDB 1025 s.v. suggests the meaning “to shoot up” here, but it is more likely that the verb here means “to pluck; to pull up,” a nuance attested for this word in later Hebrew and Aramaic (see Jastrow 1587 s.v. שָׁלַף).
[129:8] 334 tn The perfect verbal form is used for rhetorical effect; it describes an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
[137:1] 335 sn Psalm 137. The Babylonian exiles lament their condition, vow to remain loyal to Jerusalem, and appeal to God for revenge on their enemies.
[137:1] 336 tn Heb “there we sit down, also we weep.”
[137:3] 337 tn Heb “ask us [for] the words of a song.”
[137:3] 338 tn Heb “our [?] joy.” The derivation and meaning of the Hebrew phrase תוֹלָלֵינוּ (tolalenu, “our [?]”) are uncertain. A derivation from תָּלַל (talal, “to mock”) fits contextually, but this root occurs only in the Hiphil stem. For a discussion of various proposals, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 236.
[137:3] 339 tn Heb “from a song of Zion.” Most modern translations read, “one of the songs of Zion,” taking the preposition מִן (min, “from”) as partitive and “song” as collective. The present translation assumes the mem (ם) is enclitic, being misunderstood later as the prefixed preposition.
[137:5] 340 tn Heb “may my right hand forget.” In this case one must supply an object, such as “how to move.” The elliptical nature of the text has prompted emendations (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 236). The translation assumes an emendation to תִּכְשַׁח (tikhshakh), from an otherwise unattested root כשׁח, meaning “to be crippled; to be lame.” See HALOT 502 s.v. כשׁח, which cites Arabic cognate evidence in support of the proposal. The corruption of the MT can be explained as an error of transposition facilitated by the use of שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”) just before this.
[137:6] 341 tn Heb “if I do not lift up Jerusalem over the top of my joy.”
[137:7] 342 tn Heb “remember, O
[137:7] 343 tn Heb “lay [it] bare, lay [it] bare.”
[137:8] 344 tn Heb “O devastated daughter of Babylon.” The psalmist dramatically anticipates Babylon’s demise.
[137:8] 345 tn Heb “O the happiness of the one who repays you your wage which you paid to us.”
[137:9] 346 sn For other references to the wholesale slaughter of babies in the context of ancient Near Eastern warfare, see 2 Kgs 8:12; Isa 13:16; Hos 13:16; Nah 3:10.
