Mazmur 18:34

18:34 He trains my hands for battle; ¹ 

my arms can bend even the strongest bow. ² 

Mazmur 23:3

23:3 He restores my strength. ³ 

He leads me down ⁴  the right paths ⁵ 

for the sake of his reputation. ⁶ 

Mazmur 27:7

27:7 Hear me, ⁷  O Lord, when I cry out!

Have mercy on me and answer me!

Mazmur 33:2

33:2 Give thanks to the Lord with the harp!

Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument!

Mazmur 44:4

44:4 You are my ⁸  king, O God!

Decree ⁹  Jacob’s ¹⁰  deliverance!

Mazmur 73:12

73:12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, ¹¹ 

those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer. ¹² 

Mazmur 96:5

96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, ¹³ 

but the Lord made the sky.

Mazmur 96:9

96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire! ¹⁴ 

Tremble before him, all the earth!

Mazmur 104:9

104:9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,

so that they would not cover the earth again. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 109:6

109:6 ¹⁶ Appoint an evil man to testify against him! ¹⁷ 

May an accuser stand ¹⁸  at his right side!

Mazmur 109:25

109:25 I am disdained by them. ¹⁹ 

When they see me, they shake their heads. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 112:2

112:2 His descendants ²¹  will be powerful on the earth;

the godly ²²  will be blessed.

Mazmur 112:7

112:7 He does not fear bad news.

He ²³  is confident; he trusts ²⁴  in the Lord.

Mazmur 118:6

118:6 The Lord is on my side, ²⁵  I am not afraid!

What can people do to me? ²⁶ 

Mazmur 119:51

119:51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me. ²⁷ 

Yet I do not turn aside from your law.

Mazmur 119:66

119:66 Teach me proper discernment ²⁸  and understanding!

For I consider your commands to be reliable. ²⁹ 

Mazmur 124:1-2

Psalm 124 ³⁰ 

A song of ascents, ³¹  by David.

124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our side” –

let Israel say this! –

124:2 if the Lord had not been on our side,

when men attacked us, ³² 

[18:34]  ¹ sn He trains my hands. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.

[18:34]  ² tn Heb “and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms”; or “my arms bend a bow of bronze.” The verb נָחַת (nakhat) apparently means “pull back, bend” here (see HALOT 692 s.v. נחת). The third feminine singular verbal form appears to agree with the feminine singular noun קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “bow”). In this case the verb must be taken as Niphal (passive). However, it is possible that “my arms” is the subject of the verb and “bow” the object. In this case the verb is Piel (active). For other examples of a feminine singular verb being construed with a plural noun, see GKC 464 §145.k.

[18:34]  sn The strongest bow (Heb “bow of bronze”) probably refers to a bow laminated with bronze strips, or to a purely ceremonial or decorative bow made entirely from bronze. In the latter case the language is hyperbolic, for such a weapon would not be functional in battle.

[23:3]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.

[27:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “my voice.”

[44:4]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn That is, Israel. See Pss 14:7; 22:23.

[73:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Look, these [are] the wicked.”

[73:12]  ¹² tn Heb “the ones who are always at ease [who] increase wealth.”

[96:5]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement.

[96:9]  ¹⁴ tn Or “in holy splendor.”

[104:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a boundary you set up, they will not cross, they will not return to cover the earth.”

[109:6]  ¹⁶ sn In vv. 6-19 the psalmist calls on God to judge his enemies severely. Some attribute this curse-list to the psalmist’s enemies rather than the psalmist. In this case one should paraphrase v. 6: “They say about me, ‘Appoint an evil man, etc.’” Those supporting this line of interpretation point out that vv. 2-5 and 20 refer to the enemies’ attack on the psalmist being a verbal one. Furthermore in vv. 1-5, 20 the psalmist speaks of his enemies in the plural, while vv. 6-19 refer to an individual. This use of the singular in vv. 6-19 could be readily explained if this is the psalmist’s enemies’ curse on him. However, it is much more natural to understand vv. 6-19 as the psalmist’s prayer against his enemies. There is no introductory quotation formula in v. 6 to indicate that the psalmist is quoting anyone, and the statement “may the Lord repay my accusers in this way” in v. 20 most naturally appears to be a fitting conclusion to the prayer in vv. 6-19. But what about the use of the singular in vv. 6-19? Often in the psalms the psalmist will describe his enemies as a group, but then speak of them as an individual as well, as if viewing his adversaries collectively as one powerful foe. See, for example, Ps 7, where the psalmist uses both the plural (vv. 1, 6) and the singular (vv. 2, 4-5) in referring to enemies. Perhaps by using the singular in such cases, the psalmist wants to single out each enemy for individual attention, or perhaps he has one especially hostile enemy in mind who epitomizes the opposition of the whole group. This may well be the case in Ps 109. Perhaps we should understand the singular throughout vv. 6-19 in the sense of “each and every one.” For a lengthy and well-reasoned defense of the opposite view – that vv. 6-19 are a quotation of what the enemies said about the psalmist – see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 72-73.

[109:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “appoint against him an evil [man].”

[109:6]  ¹⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive here (note the imperative in the preceding line).

[109:25]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “as for me, I am a reproach to them.”

[109:25]  ²⁰ sn They shake their heads. Apparently shaking the head was a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 22:7; Lam 2:15.

[112:2]  ²¹ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[112:2]  ²² tn Heb “His seed will be mighty on the earth, the generation of the godly.” The Hebrew term דוֹר (dor, “generation”) could be taken as parallel to “offspring” and translated “posterity,” but the singular more likely refers to the godly as a class. See BDB 189-90 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.

[112:7]  ²³ tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition and emotions (see Ps 108:1).

[112:7]  ²⁴ tn The passive participle בָּטֻחַ [בָּטוּחַ] (batuakh [batuakh]) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action. See Isa 26:3.

[118:6]  ²⁵ tn Heb “for me.”

[118:6]  ²⁶ tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. See Ps 56:11.

[119:51]  ²⁷ tn Heb “scoff at me to excess.”

[119:66]  ²⁸ tn Heb “goodness of taste.” Here “taste” refers to moral and ethical discernment.

[119:66]  ²⁹ tn Heb “for I believe in your commands.”

[124:1]  ³⁰ sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.

[124:1]  ³¹ 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.

[124:2]  ³² tn Heb “rose up against us.”