Mazmur 14:3

14:3 Everyone rejects God; ¹ 

they are all morally corrupt. ² 

None of them does what is right, ³ 

not even one!

Mazmur 18:41

18:41 They cry out, but there is no one to help them; ⁴ 

they cry out to the Lord, ⁵  but he does not answer them.

Mazmur 38:13

38:13 But I am like a deaf man – I hear nothing;

I am like a mute who cannot speak. ⁶ 

Mazmur 51:16

51:16 Certainly ⁷  you do not want a sacrifice, or else I would offer it; ⁸ 

you do not desire a burnt sacrifice. ⁹ 

Mazmur 53:3

53:3 Everyone rejects God; ¹⁰ 

they are all morally corrupt. ¹¹ 

None of them does what is right, ¹² 

not even one!

Mazmur 125:3

125:3 Indeed, ¹³  the scepter of a wicked king ¹⁴  will not settle ¹⁵ 

upon the allotted land of the godly.

Otherwise the godly might

do what is wrong. ¹⁶ 

[14:3]  ¹ tn Heb “everyone turns aside.”

[14:3]  ² tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”

[14:3]  ³ tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

[18:41]  ⁴ tn Heb “but there is no deliverer.”

[18:41]  ⁵ tn Heb “to the Lord.” The words “they cry out” are supplied in the translation because they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).

[18:41]  sn They cry out. This reference to the psalmist’s enemies crying out for help to the Lord suggests that the psalmist refers here to enemies within the covenant community, rather than foreigners. However, the militaristic context suggests foreign enemies are in view. Ancient Near Eastern literature indicates that defeated enemies would sometimes cry out for mercy to the god(s) of their conqueror. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 271.

[38:13]  ⁶ sn I am like a deaf man…like a mute. The psalmist is like a deaf mute; he is incapable of defending himself and is vulnerable to his enemies’ deception (see v. 14).

[51:16]  ⁷ tn Or “For.” The translation assumes the particle is asseverative (i.e., emphasizing: “certainly”). (Some translations that consider the particle asseverative leave it untranslated.) If taken as causal or explanatory (“for”, cf. NRSV), the verse would explain why the psalmist is pleading for forgiveness, rather than merely offering a sacrifice.

[51:16]  ⁸ tn The translation assumes that the cohortative is used in a hypothetical manner in a formally unmarked conditional sentence, “You do not want a sacrifice, should I offer [it]” (cf. NEB). For other examples of cohortatives in the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, see GKC 320 §108.e. (It should be noted, however, that GKC understands this particular verse in a different manner. See GKC 320 §108.f, where it is suggested that the cohortative is part of an apodosis with the protasis being suppressed.)

[51:16]  ⁹ sn You do not desire a burnt sacrifice. The terminology used in v. 16 does not refer to expiatory sacrifices, but to dedication and communion offerings. This is not a categorical denial of the sacrificial system in general or of the importance of such offerings. The psalmist is talking about his specific situation. Dedication and communion offerings have their proper place in worship (see v. 19), but God requires something more fundamental, a repentant and humble attitude (see v. 17), before these offerings can have real meaning.

[53:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all of it turns away.” Ps 14:1 has הָכֹּל (hakkol) instead of כֻּלּוֹ, and סָר (sar, “turn aside”) instead of סָג (sag, “turn away”).

[53:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”

[53:3]  ¹² tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

[125:3]  ¹³ tn Or “for.”

[125:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.

[125:3]  ¹⁵ tn Or “rest.”

[125:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful example can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the people he rules.