Mazmur 16:8

16:8 I constantly trust in the Lord; ¹ 

because he is at my right hand, I will not be upended.

Mazmur 27:13

27:13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience

the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? ² 

Mazmur 50:8

50:8 I am not condemning ³  you because of your sacrifices,

or because of your burnt sacrifices that you continually offer me. ⁴ 

Mazmur 74:12-13

74:12 But God has been my ⁵  king from ancient times,

performing acts of deliverance on the earth. ⁶ 

74:13 You destroyed ⁷  the sea by your strength;

you shattered the heads of the sea monster ⁸  in the water.

Mazmur 78:19

78:19 They insulted God, saying, ⁹ 

“Is God really able to give us food ¹⁰  in the wilderness?

Mazmur 82:1

Psalm 82 ¹¹ 

A psalm of Asaph.

82:1 God stands in ¹²  the assembly of El; ¹³ 

in the midst of the gods ¹⁴  he renders judgment. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 87:6-7

87:6 The Lord writes in the census book of the nations, ¹⁶ 

“This one was born there.” ¹⁷  (Selah)

87:7 As for the singers, as well as the pipers –

all of them sing within your walls. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 91:1

Psalm 91 ¹⁹ 

91:1 As for you, the one who lives ²⁰  in the shelter of the sovereign One, ²¹ 

and resides in the protective shadow ²²  of the mighty king ²³  –

Mazmur 91:6

91:6 the plague that comes in the darkness,

or the disease that comes at noon. ²⁴ 

Mazmur 103:15

103:15 A person’s life is like grass. ²⁵ 

Like a flower in the field it flourishes,

Mazmur 105:1

Psalm 105 ²⁶ 

105:1 Give thanks to the Lord!

Call on his name!

Make known his accomplishments among the nations!

Mazmur 106:16

106:16 In the camp they resented ²⁷  Moses,

and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. ²⁸ 

Mazmur 106:29

106:29 They made the Lord angry ²⁹  by their actions,

and a plague broke out among them.

Mazmur 110:2

110:2 The Lord ³⁰  extends ³¹  your dominion ³²  from Zion.

Rule in the midst of your enemies!

Mazmur 110:7

110:7 From the stream along the road he drinks;

then he lifts up his head. ³³ 

Mazmur 118:7

118:7 The Lord is on my side ³⁴  as my helper. ³⁵ 

I look in triumph on those who hate me.

Mazmur 119:54

119:54 Your statutes have been my songs ³⁶ 

in the house where I live. ³⁷ 

Mazmur 123:1

Psalm 123 ³⁸ 

A song of ascents. ³⁹ 

123:1 I look up ⁴⁰  toward you,

the one enthroned ⁴¹  in heaven.

Mazmur 127:4

127:4 Sons born during one’s youth

are like arrows in a warrior’s hand. ⁴² 

Mazmur 132:17

132:17 There I will make David strong; ⁴³ 

I have determined that my chosen king’s dynasty will continue. ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 135:8

135:8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,

including both men and animals.

Mazmur 136:6

136:6 to the one who spread out the earth over the water,

for his loyal love endures,

Mazmur 139:24

139:24 See if there is any idolatrous tendency ⁴⁵  in me,

and lead me in the reliable ancient path! ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 148:7

148:7 Praise the Lord from the earth,

you sea creatures and all you ocean depths,

[16:8]  ¹ tn Heb “I set the Lord before me continually.” This may mean that the psalmist is aware of the Lord’s presence and sensitive to his moral guidance (see v. 7), or that he trusts in the Lord’s protection (see the following line).

[27:13]  ² tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is incomplete: “If I had not believed [I would] see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” The words “Where would I be” are supplied in the translation to clarify the intent of the statement.

[50:8]  ³ tn Or “rebuking.”

[50:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “and your burnt sacrifices before me continually.”

[74:12]  ⁵ tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative here.

[74:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “in the midst of the earth.”

[74:13]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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.

[78:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “they spoke against God, they said.”

[78:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to arrange a table [for food].”

[82:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 82. The psalmist pictures God standing in the “assembly of El” where he accuses the “gods” of failing to promote justice on earth. God pronounces sentence upon them, announcing that they will die like men. Having witnessed the scene, the psalmist then asks God to establish his just rule over the earth.

[82:1]  ¹² tn Or “presides over.”

[82:1]  ¹³ tn The phrase עֲדַת אֵל (’adat ’el, “assembly of El”) appears only here in the OT. (1) Some understand “El” to refer to God himself. In this case he is pictured presiding over his own heavenly assembly. (2) Others take אֵל as a superlative here (“God stands in the great assembly”), as in Pss 36:6 and 80:10. (3) The present translation assumes this is a reference to the Canaanite high god El, who presided over the Canaanite divine assembly. (See Isa 14:13, where El’s assembly is called “the stars of El.”) In the Ugaritic myths the phrase ’dt ’ilm refers to the “assembly of the gods,” who congregate in King Kirtu’s house, where Baal asks El to bless Kirtu’s house (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). If the Canaanite divine assembly is referred to here in Ps 82:1, then the psalm must be understood as a bold polemic against Canaanite religion. Israel’s God invades El’s assembly, denounces its gods as failing to uphold justice, and announces their coming demise. For an interpretation of the psalm along these lines, see W. VanGemeren, “Psalms,” EBC 5:533-36.

[82:1]  ¹⁴ sn The present translation assumes that the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”) here refers to the pagan gods who supposedly comprise El’s assembly according to Canaanite religion. Those who reject the polemical view of the psalm prefer to see the referent as human judges or rulers (אֱלֹהִים sometimes refers to officials appointed by God, see Exod 21:6; 22:8-9; Ps 45:6) or as angelic beings (אֱלֹהִים sometimes refers to angelic beings, see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5).

[82:1]  ¹⁵ sn The picture of God rendering judgment among the gods clearly depicts his sovereign authority as universal king (see v. 8, where the psalmist boldly affirms this truth).

[87:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the Lord records in the writing of the nations.”

[87:6]  ¹⁷ tn As noted in v. 4, the translation assumes a contrast between “there” (the various foreign lands) and “in her” (Zion). In contrast to foreigners, the citizens of Zion have special status because of their birthplace (v. 5). In this case vv. 4 and 6 form a structural frame around v. 5.

[87:7]  ¹⁸ tc Heb “and singers, like pipers, all my springs [are] in you.” The participial form חֹלְלִים (kholÿlim) appears to be from a denominative verb meaning “play the pipe,” though some derive the form from חוּל (khul, “dance”). In this case the duplicated lamed (ל) requires an emendation to מְחֹלְלִים (mÿkholÿlim, “a Polel form). The words are addressed to Zion. As it stands, the Hebrew text makes little, if any, sense. “Springs” are often taken here as a symbol of divine blessing and life”), but this reading does not relate to the preceding line in any apparent way. The present translation assumes an emendation of כָּל־מַעְיָנַי (kol-ma’yanay, “all my springs”) to כֻּלָּם עָנוּ (kullam ’anu, “all of them sing,” with the form עָנוּ being derived from עָנָה, ’anah, “sing”).

[91:1]  ¹⁹ sn Psalm 91. In this psalm an individual (perhaps a priest) addresses one who has sought shelter in the Lord and assures him that God will protect him from danger (vv. 1-13). In vv. 14-16 God himself promises to keep his loyal follower safe.

[91:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “[O] one who lives.”

[91:1]  ²¹ tn Traditionally “the Most High.”

[91:1]  ²² sn The Lord is compared here to a bird who protects its young under the shadow of its wings (see v. 4).

[91:1]  ²³ sn The divine name used here is “Shaddai” (שַׁדַּי, shadday; see also Ps 68:14). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the mighty king (sovereign judge) of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness.

[91:6]  ²⁴ sn As in Deut 32:23-24, vv. 5-6 closely associate military attack and deadly disease. Perhaps the latter alludes to one of the effects of siege warfare on the population of an entrapped city, which was especially vulnerable to the outbreak of epidemics.

[103:15]  ²⁵ tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.

[105:1]  ²⁶ sn Psalm 105. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God because he delivered his people from Egypt in fulfillment of his covenantal promises to Abraham. A parallel version of vv. 1-15 appears in 1 Chr 16:8-22.

[106:16]  ²⁷ tn Or “envied.”

[106:16]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the holy one of the Lord.”

[106:29]  ²⁹ tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew mss. Perhaps it was accidentally left off, an original וַיַּכְעִיסוּהוּ (vayyakh’isuhu) being misread as וַיַּכְעִיסוּ (vayyakh’isu). In the translation the referent of the pronominal suffix (the Lord) has been specified for clarity to avoid confusion with Baal of Peor (mentioned in the previous verse).

[110:2]  ³⁰ tn Since the Lord is mentioned in the third person (note the use of the first person in v. 1), it is likely that these are the psalmist’s words to the king, not a continuation of the oracle per se.

[110:2]  ³¹ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though it could be taken as future.

[110:2]  ³² tn Heb “your strong scepter,” symbolic of the king’s royal authority and dominion.

[110:7]  ³³ tn Here the expression “lifts up the head” refers to the renewed physical strength and emotional vigor (see Ps 3:3) provided by the refreshing water. For another example of a victorious warrior being energized by water in the aftermath of battle, see Judg 15:18-19 (see also 1 Sam 30:11-12, where the setting is different, however).

[118:7]  ³⁴ tn Heb “for me.”

[118:7]  ³⁵ tn Heb “among my helpers.” The preposition may indicate identity here, while the plural may be one of majesty or respect.

[119:54]  ³⁶ tn Heb “songs were your statutes to me.”

[119:54]  ³⁷ tn Heb “in the house of my dwelling place.” Some take the Hebrew noun מָגוֹר (magor) in the sense of “temporary abode,” and see this as a reference to the psalmist’s status as a resident alien (see v. 19). But the noun can refer to a dwelling place in general (see Ps 55:15).

[123:1]  ³⁸ sn Psalm 123. The psalmist, speaking for God’s people, acknowledges his dependence on God in the midst of a crisis.

[123:1]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”

[123:1]  ⁴¹ 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).

[127:4]  ⁴² tn Heb “like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so [are] sons of youth.” Arrows are used in combat to defend oneself against enemies; sons are viewed here as providing social security and protection (see v. 5). The phrase “sons of youth” is elliptical, meaning “sons [born during the father’s] youth.” Such sons will have grown up to be mature adults and will have children of their own by the time the father reaches old age and becomes vulnerable to enemies. Contrast the phrase “son of old age” in Gen 37:3 (see also 44:20), which refers to Jacob’s age when Joseph was born.

[132:17]  ⁴³ tn Heb “there I will cause a horn to sprout for David.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Pss 18:2; 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that used its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36.

[132:17]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “I have arranged a lamp for my anointed one.” Here the “lamp” is a metaphor for the Davidic dynasty (see 1 Kgs 11:36).

[139:24]  ⁴⁵ tn Many understand the Hebrew term עֹצֶב (’otsev) as a noun meaning “pain,” and translate the phrase דֶּרֶךְ עֹצֶב (derekh ’otsev) as “of pain,” but this makes little sense here. (Some interpret it to refer to actions which bring pain to others.) It is preferable to take עֹצֶב as “idol” (see HALOT 865 s.v. I עֹצֶב) and understand “way of an idol” to refer to idolatrous actions or tendency. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.

[139:24]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “in the path of antiquity.” This probably refers to the moral path prescribed by the Lord at the beginning of Israel’s history. See Jer 6:16; 18:15, as well as L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.