Mazmur 46:2

46:2 For this reason we do not fear ¹  when the earth shakes, ² 

and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, ³ 

Mazmur 60:2

60:2 You made the earth quake; you split it open. ⁴ 

Repair its breaches, for it is ready to fall. ⁵ 

Mazmur 68:22

68:22 The Lord says,

“I will retrieve them ⁶  from Bashan,

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,

Mazmur 69:15

69:15 Don’t let the current overpower me!

Don’t let the deep swallow me up!

Don’t let the pit ⁷  devour me! ⁸ 

Mazmur 78:69

78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; ⁹ 

as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 89:11

89:11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.

You made the world and all it contains. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 99:4

99:4 The king is strong;

he loves justice. ¹² 

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; ¹³ 

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

Mazmur 104:7

104:7 Your shout made the waters retreat;

at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off –

Mazmur 119:90

119:90 You demonstrate your faithfulness to all generations. ¹⁴ 

You established the earth and it stood firm.

[46:2]  ¹ tn The imperfect is taken in a generalizing sense (cf. NEB) because the situation described in vv. 2-3 is understood as symbolizing typical world conditions. In this case the imperfect draws attention to the typical nature of the response. The covenant community characteristically responds with confidence, not fear. Another option is to take the situation described as purely hypothetical. In this case one might translate, “We will not fear, even though the earth should shake” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[46:2]  ² tn The Hiphil infinitival form is normally taken to mean “when [the earth] is altered,” being derived from מוּר (mur, “to change”). In this case the Hiphil would be intransitive, as in Ps 15:4. HALOT 560 s.v. II מור emends the form to a Niphal and derives it from a homonymic root מוּר attested in Arabic with the meaning “shake.”

[46:2]  ³ tn Heb “heart of the seas.” The plural may be used for emphasis, pointing to the deepest sea. Note that the next verse uses a singular pronoun (“its waters,” “its swelling”) in referring back to the plural noun.

[60:2]  ⁴ tn The verb פָּצַם (patsam, “split open”) occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “crack,” and an Aramaic cognate is used in Tg. Jer 22:14 with the meaning “break open, frame.” See BDB 822 s.v. and Jastrow 1205 s.v. פְּצַם.

[60:2]  sn You made the earth quake; you split it open. The psalmist uses the imagery of an earthquake to describe the nation’s defeat.

[60:2]  ⁵ sn It is ready to fall. The earth is compared to a wall that has been broken by the force of the earthquake (note the preceding line) and is ready to collapse.

[68:22]  ⁶ tn That is, the enemies mentioned in v. 21. Even if they retreat to distant regions, God will retrieve them and make them taste his judgment.

[69:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “well,” which here symbolizes the place of the dead (cf. Ps 55:23).

[69:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “do not let the well close its mouth upon me.”

[78:69]  ⁹ tc Heb “and he built like the exalting [ones] his sanctuary.” The phrase כְּמוֹ־רָמִים (kÿmo-ramim, “like the exalting [ones]”) is a poetic form of the comparative preposition followed by a participial form of the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”). The text should be emended to כִּמְרֹמִים (kimromim, “like the [heavenly] heights”). See Ps 148:1, where “heights” refers to the heavens above.

[78:69]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “like the earth, [which] he established permanently.” The feminine singular suffix on the Hebrew verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish”) refers to the grammatically feminine noun “earth.”

[89:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the world and its fullness, you established them.”

[99:4]  ¹² tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (’oz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (’az, “strong”).

[99:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “you establish fairness.”

[119:90]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to a generation and a generation [is] your faithfulness.”