Mazmur 1:2

1:2 Instead ¹  he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; ² 

he meditates on ³  his commands ⁴  day and night.

Mazmur 22:3

22:3 You are holy;

you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. ⁵ 

Mazmur 56:3

56:3 When ⁶  I am afraid,

I trust in you.

Mazmur 69:10

69:10 I weep and refrain from eating food, ⁷ 

which causes others to insult me. ⁸ 

Mazmur 71:7

71:7 Many are appalled when they see me, ⁹ 

but you are my secure shelter.

Mazmur 74:12

74:12 But God has been my ¹⁰  king from ancient times,

performing acts of deliverance on the earth. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 75:7

75:7 For God is the judge! ¹² 

He brings one down and exalts another. ¹³ 

Mazmur 89:23

89:23 I will crush his enemies before him;

I will strike down those who hate him.

Mazmur 116:6

116:6 The Lord protects ¹⁴  the untrained; ¹⁵ 

I was in serious trouble ¹⁶  and he delivered me.

Mazmur 118:11

118:11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me.

Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.

Mazmur 119:23

119:23 Though rulers plot and slander me, ¹⁷ 

your servant meditates on your statutes.

[1:2]  ¹ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.

[1:2]  ² tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the Lord’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the Lord’s commands.” However, even if one translates the line this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will; thus “obeying” has been used in the translation rather than “studying.”

[1:2]  ³ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.

[1:2]  ⁴ tn Or “his law.”

[22:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the Lord as sitting enthroned as king in his temple, receiving the praises that his people Israel offer up to him.

[56:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “[in] a day.”

[69:10]  ⁷ sn Fasting was a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.

[69:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “and it becomes insults to me.”

[71:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “like a sign [i.e., portent or bad omen] I am to many.”

[74:12]  ¹⁰ tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative here.

[74:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in the midst of the earth.”

[75:7]  ¹² tn Or “judges.”

[75:7]  ¹³ tn The imperfects here emphasize the generalizing nature of the statement.

[116:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “guards.” The active participle indicates this is a characteristic of the Lord.

[116:6]  ¹⁵ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Ps 19:7.

[116:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “I was low.”

[119:23]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “though rulers sit, about me they talk together.” (For another example of the Niphal of דָּבַר (davar) used with a suffixed form of the preposition ב, see Ezek 33:30.)