Mazmur 27:13-14

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

the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? ¹ 

27:14 Rely ²  on the Lord!

Be strong and confident! ³ 

Rely on the Lord!

Mazmur 37:5

37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! ⁴ 

Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. ⁵ 

Mazmur 55:22

55:22 Throw your burden ⁶  upon the Lord,

and he will sustain you. ⁷ 

He will never allow the godly to be upended. ⁸ 

Mazmur 56:3-4

56:3 When ⁹  I am afraid,

I trust in you.

56:4 In God – I boast in his promise ¹⁰  –

in God I trust, I am not afraid.

What can mere men ¹¹  do to me? ¹² 

[27:13]  ¹ 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.

[27:14]  ² tn Or “wait.”

[27:14]  ³ tn Heb “be strong and let your heart be confident.”

[37:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “roll your way upon the Lord.” The noun “way” may refer here to one’s activities or course of life.

[37:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the Lord will vindicate those who trust in him.

[55:22]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here.

[55:22]  ⁷ tn The pronoun is singular; the psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually.

[55:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “he will never allow swaying for the righteous.”

[56:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “[in] a day.”

[56:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in God I boast, his word.” The syntax in the Hebrew text is difficult. (1) The line could be translated, “in God I boast, [in] his word.” Such a translation assumes that the prepositional phrase “in God” goes with the following verb “I boast” (see Ps 44:8) and that “his word” is appositional to “in God” and more specifically identifies the basis for the psalmist’s confidence. God’s “word” is here understood as an assuring promise of protection. Another option (2) is to translate, “in God I will boast [with] a word.” In this case, the “word” is a song of praise. (In this view the pronominal suffix “his” must be omitted as in v. 10.) The present translation reflects yet another option (3): In this case “I praise his word” is a parenthetical statement, with “his word” being the object of the verb. The sentence begun with the prepositional phrase “in God” is then completed in the next line, with the prepositional phrase being repeated after the parenthesis.

[56:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “flesh,” which refers by metonymy to human beings (see v. 11, where “man” is used in this same question), envisioned here as mortal and powerless before God.

[56:4]  ¹² tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.