Mazmur 4:2
Konteks4:2 You men, 1 how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? 2
How long 3 will you love what is worthless 4
and search for what is deceptive? 5 (Selah)
Mazmur 4:6
Konteks4:6 Many say, “Who can show us anything good?”
Smile upon us, Lord! 6
Mazmur 5:10
KonteksMay their own schemes be their downfall! 8
Drive them away 9 because of their many acts of insurrection, 10
for they have rebelled against you.
Mazmur 7:6
Konteks7:6 Stand up angrily, 11 Lord!
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! 12
Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them! 13
Mazmur 7:9
Konteks7:9 May the evil deeds of the wicked 14 come to an end! 15
But make the innocent 16 secure, 17
O righteous God,
you who examine 18 inner thoughts and motives! 19
Mazmur 8:2
Konteks8:2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies
you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, 20
so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy. 21
Mazmur 9:10
Konteks9:10 Your loyal followers trust in you, 22
for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help. 23
Mazmur 12:5
Konteks12:5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed, 24
because of the painful cries 25 of the needy,
I will spring into action,” 26 says the Lord.
“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.” 27
Mazmur 18:8
Konteks18:8 Smoke ascended from 28 his nose; 29
fire devoured as it came from his mouth; 30
he hurled down fiery coals. 31
Mazmur 18:15
Konteks18:15 The depths 32 of the sea 33 were exposed;
the inner regions 34 of the world were uncovered
by 35 your battle cry, 36 Lord,
by the powerful breath from your nose. 37
Mazmur 18:35
Konteks18:35 You give me your protective shield; 38
your right hand supports me; 39
your willingness to help 40 enables me to prevail. 41
Mazmur 18:50
Konteks18:50 He 42 gives his chosen king magnificent victories; 43
he is faithful 44 to his chosen ruler, 45
to David and his descendants 46 forever.” 47
Mazmur 19:10
Konteks19:10 They are of greater value 48 than gold,
than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight 49 than honey,
than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.
Mazmur 19:13
Konteks19:13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant 50 sins;
do not allow such sins to control me. 51
Then I will be blameless,
and innocent of blatant 52 rebellion.
Mazmur 20:5-6
Konteks20:5 Then we will shout for joy over your 53 victory;
we will rejoice 54 in the name of our God!
May the Lord grant all your requests!
20:6 Now I am sure 55 that the Lord will deliver 56 his chosen king; 57
he will intervene for him 58 from his holy heavenly temple, 59
and display his mighty ability to deliver. 60
Mazmur 22:23-24
Konteks22:23 You loyal followers of the Lord, 61 praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! 62
22:24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering 63 of the oppressed; 64
he did not ignore him; 65
when he cried out to him, he responded. 66
Mazmur 22:26
Konteks22:26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled! 67
Let those who seek his help praise the Lord!
May you 68 live forever!
Mazmur 31:7
Konteks31:7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am. 69
Mazmur 31:17
Konteks31:17 O Lord, do not let me be humiliated,
for I call out to you!
May evil men be humiliated!
May they go wailing to the grave! 70
Mazmur 31:22-23
Konteks31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said, 71
“I am cut off from your presence!” 72
But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers 73 of his!
The Lord protects those who have integrity,
but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. 74
Mazmur 36:6
Konteks36:6 Your justice is like the highest mountains, 75
your fairness like the deepest sea;
you preserve 76 mankind and the animal kingdom. 77
Mazmur 38:12
Konteks38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; 78
those who want to harm me speak destructive words;
all day long they say deceitful things.
Mazmur 39:11
Konteks39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins; 79
like a moth you slowly devour their strength. 80
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
Mazmur 40:16-17
Konteks40:16 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!
May those who love to experience 81 your deliverance say continually, 82
“May the Lord be praised!” 83
40:17 I am oppressed and needy! 84
May the Lord pay attention to me! 85
You are my helper and my deliverer!
O my God, do not delay!
Mazmur 45:4
Konteks45:4 Appear in your majesty and be victorious! 86
Ride forth for the sake of what is right, 87
on behalf of justice! 88
Then your right hand will accomplish mighty acts! 89
Mazmur 45:7
Konteks45:7 You love 90 justice and hate evil. 91
For this reason God, your God 92 has anointed you 93
with the oil of joy, 94 elevating you above your companions. 95
Mazmur 49:10
Konteks49:10 Surely 96 one sees 97 that even wise people die; 98
fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away 99
and leave their wealth to others. 100
Mazmur 52:7
Konteks52:7 “Look, here is the man who would not make 101 God his protector!
He trusted in his great wealth
and was confident about his plans to destroy others.” 102
Mazmur 55:12
Konteks55:12 Indeed, 103 it is not an enemy who insults me,
or else I could bear it;
it is not one who hates me who arrogantly taunts me, 104
or else I could hide from him.
Mazmur 55:19
Konteks55:19 God, the one who has reigned as king from long ago,
will hear and humiliate them. 105 (Selah)
They refuse to change,
and do not fear God. 106
Mazmur 57:3
Konteks57:3 May he send help from heaven and deliver me 107
from my enemies who hurl insults! 108 (Selah)
May God send his loyal love and faithfulness!
Mazmur 59:11
Konteks59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,
because then my people might forget the lesson. 109
Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,
O Lord who shields us! 110
Mazmur 61:5
Konteks61:5 For you, O God, hear my vows;
you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers. 111
Mazmur 65:9
Konteks65:9 You visit the earth and give it rain; 112
you make it rich and fertile 113
with overflowing streams full of water. 114
You provide grain for them, 115
for you prepare the earth to yield its crops. 116
Mazmur 69:20
Konteks69:20 Their insults are painful 117 and make me lose heart; 118
I look 119 for sympathy, but receive none, 120
for comforters, but find none.
Mazmur 70:2
Konteks70:2 May those who are trying to take my life
be embarrassed and ashamed! 121
May those who want to harm me
be turned back and ashamed! 122
Mazmur 70:4
Konteks70:4 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!
May those who love to experience 123 your deliverance say continually, 124
Mazmur 84:11
Konteks84:11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. 127
The Lord bestows favor 128 and honor;
he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. 129
Mazmur 92:7
Konteks92:7 When the wicked sprout up like grass,
and all the evildoers glisten, 130
it is so that they may be annihilated. 131
Mazmur 102:2
Konteks102:2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble! 132
Listen to me! 133
When I call out to you, quickly answer me!
Mazmur 108:8
Konteks108:8 Gilead belongs to me,
as does Manasseh! 134
Ephraim is my helmet, 135
Judah my royal scepter. 136
Mazmur 140:4
Konteks140:4 O Lord, shelter me from the power 137 of the wicked!
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over. 138
[4:2] 2 tn Heb “how long my honor to shame?”
[4:2] 3 tn The interrogative construction עַד־מֶה (’ad-meh, “how long?”), is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
[4:2] 5 tn Heb “a lie.” Some see the metonymic language of v. 2b (“emptiness, lie”) as referring to idols or false gods. However, there is no solid immediate contextual evidence for such an interpretation. It is more likely that the psalmist addresses those who threaten him (see v. 1) and refers in a general way to their sinful lifestyle. (See R. Mosis, TDOT 7:121.) The two terms allude to the fact that sinful behavior is ultimately fruitless and self-destructive.
[4:6] 6 tn Heb “lift up upon us the light of your face,
[4:6] sn Smile upon us. Though many are discouraged, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and transform the situation.
[5:10] 7 tn Heb “declare/regard them as guilty.” Declaring the psalmist’s adversaries guilty is here metonymic for judging them or paying them back for their wrongdoing.
[5:10] 8 tn Heb “may they fall from their plans.” The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation. The psalmist calls judgment down on the evildoers. Their plans will be their downfall in that God will judge them for their evil schemes.
[5:10] 10 tn The Hebrew noun used here, פֶּשַׁע (pesha’), refers to rebellious actions. The psalmist pictures his enemies as rebels against God (see the next line).
[7:6] 11 tn Heb “in your anger.”
[7:6] 12 tn Heb “Lift yourself up in the angry outbursts of my enemies.” Many understand the preposition prefixed to עַבְרוֹת (’avrot, “angry outbursts”) as adversative, “against,” and the following genitive “enemies” as subjective. In this case one could translate, “rise up against my furious enemies” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The present translation, however, takes the preposition as indicating manner (cf. “in your anger” in the previous line) and understands the plural form of the noun as indicating an abstract quality (“fury”) or excessive degree (“raging fury”). Cf. Job 21:30.
[7:6] 13 tc Heb “Wake up to me [with the] judgment [which] you have commanded.” The LXX understands אֵלִי (’eliy, “my God”) instead of אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”; the LXX reading is followed by NEB, NIV, NRSV.) If the reading of the MT is retained, the preposition probably has the sense of “on account of, for the sake of.” The noun מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “judgment”) is probably an adverbial accusative, modifying the initial imperative, “wake up.” In this case צִוִּיתָ (tsivvita, “[which] you have commanded”) is an asyndetic relative clause. Some take the perfect as precative. In this case one could translate the final line, “Wake up for my sake! Decree judgment!” (cf. NIV). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
[7:9] 14 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
[7:9] 15 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation here.
[7:9] 16 tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.
[7:9] 17 tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.
[7:9] 18 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.
[7:9] 19 tn Heb “and [the one who] tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order to improve the English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
[8:2] 20 tn Heb “you establish strength because of your foes.” The meaning of the statement is unclear. The present translation follows the reading of the LXX which has “praise” (αἶνος, ainos) in place of “strength” (עֹז, ’oz); cf. NIV, NCV, NLT.
[8:2] 21 tn Heb “to cause to cease an enemy and an avenger.” The singular forms are collective. The Hitpael participle of נָקַם (naqam) also occurs in Ps 44:16.
[9:10] 22 tn Heb “and the ones who know your name trust in you.” The construction vav (ו) conjunctive + imperfect at the beginning of the verse expresses another consequence of the statement made in v. 8. “To know” the
[9:10] 23 tn Heb “the ones who seek you.”
[12:5] 24 tn The term translated “oppressed” is an objective genitive; the oppressed are the recipients/victims of violence.
[12:5] 25 tn Elsewhere in the psalms this noun is used of the painful groans of prisoners awaiting death (79:11; 102:20). The related verb is used of the painful groaning of those wounded in combat (Jer 51:52; Ezek 26:15) and of the mournful sighing of those in grief (Ezek 9:4; 24:17).
[12:5] 26 tn Heb “I will rise up.”
[12:5] 27 tn Heb “I will place in deliverance, he pants for it.” The final two words in Hebrew (יָפִיחַ לוֹ, yafiakh lo) comprise an asyndetic relative clause, “the one who pants for it.” “The one who pants” is the object of the verb “place” and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix (in the phrase “for it”) is “deliverance.” Another option is to translate, “I will place in deliverance the witness for him,” repointing יָפִיחַ (a Hiphil imperfect from פּוּחַ, puakh, “pant”) as יָפֵחַ (yafeakh), a noun meaning “witness.” In this case the
[18:8] 28 tn Heb “within”; or “[from] within.” For a discussion of the use of the preposition -בְּ (bÿ) here, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 163-64.
[18:8] 29 tn Or “in his anger.” The noun אַף (’af) can carry the abstract meaning “anger,” but the parallelism (note “from his mouth”) suggests the more concrete meaning “nose” here. See also v. 15, “the powerful breath of your nose.”
[18:8] 30 tn Heb “fire from his mouth devoured.” In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the two perfect verbal forms in the verse.
[18:8] sn Fire devoured as it came from his mouth. For other examples of fire as a weapon in OT theophanies and ancient Near Eastern portrayals of warring gods and kings, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 165-67.
[18:8] 31 tn Heb “coals burned from him.” Perhaps the psalmist pictures God’s fiery breath igniting coals (cf. Job 41:21), which he then hurls as weapons (cf. Ps 120:4).
[18:15] 33 tc Ps 18:15 reads “water” (cf. Ps 42:1); “sea” is the reading of 2 Sam 22:16.
[18:15] 34 tn Or “foundations.”
[18:15] 35 tn Heb “from.” The preposition has a causal sense here.
[18:15] 36 tn The noun is derived from the verb גָּעַר (ga’ar), which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
[18:15] 37 tn 2 Sam 22:16 reads “by the battle cry of the
[18:35] 38 tn Heb “and you give to me the shield of your deliverance.”
[18:35] sn You give me your protective shield. Ancient Near Eastern literature often refers to a god giving a king special weapons. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 260-61.
[18:35] 39 tc 2 Sam 22:36 omits this line, perhaps due to homoioarcton. A scribe’s eye may have jumped from the vav (ו) prefixed to “your right hand” to the vav prefixed to the following “and your answer,” causing the copyist to omit by accident the intervening words (“your right hand supports me and”).
[18:35] 40 tn The MT of Ps 18:35 appears to read, “your condescension,” apparently referring to God’s willingness to intervene (cf. NIV “you stoop down”). However, the noun עֲנָוָה (’anavah) elsewhere means “humility” and is used only here of God. The form עַנְוַתְךָ (’anvatÿkha) may be a fully written form of the suffixed infinitive construct of עָנָה (’anah, “to answer”; a defectively written form of the infinitive appears in 2 Sam 22:36). In this case the psalmist refers to God’s willingness to answer his prayer; one might translate, “your favorable response.”
[18:35] 41 tn Heb “makes me great.”
[18:50] 42 tn Or “the one who.”
[18:50] 43 tn Heb “magnifies the victories of his king.” “His king” refers to the psalmist, the Davidic king whom God has chosen to rule Israel.
[18:50] 44 tn Heb “[the one who] does loyalty.”
[18:50] 45 tn Heb “his anointed [one],” i.e., the psalmist/Davidic king. See Ps 2:2.
[18:50] 46 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[18:50] 47 sn If David is the author of the psalm (see the superscription), then he here anticipates that God will continue to demonstrate loyalty to his descendants who succeed him. If the author is a later Davidic king, then he views the divine favor he has experienced as the outworking of God’s faithful promises to David his ancestor.
[19:10] 48 tn Heb “more desirable.”
[19:10] 49 tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).
[19:13] 50 tn Or “presumptuous.”
[19:13] 51 tn Heb “let them not rule over me.”
[20:5] 53 sn Your victory. Here the king is addressed (see v. 1).
[20:5] 54 tc The Hebrew verb דָּגַל (dagal) occurs only here in the Qal. If accepted as original, it may carry the nuance “raise a banner,” but it is preferable to emend the form to נגיל (“we will rejoice”) which provides better parallelism with “shout for joy” and fits well with the prepositional phrase “in the name of our God” (see Ps 89:16).
[20:6] sn Now I am sure. The speaker is not identified. It is likely that the king, referring to himself in the third person (note “his chosen king”), responds to the people’s prayer. Perhaps his confidence is due to the reception of a divine oracle of salvation.
[20:6] 56 tn The perfect verbal form is probably used rhetorically to state that the deliverance is as good as done. In this way the speaker emphasizes the certainty of the deliverance. Another option is to take the statement as generalizing; the psalmist affirms that the
[20:6] 57 tn Heb “his anointed one.” This title refers to the Davidic king. See Pss 2:2 and 18:50.
[20:6] 58 tn Heb “he will answer him.”
[20:6] 59 tn Heb “from his holy heavens.”
[20:6] 60 tn Heb “with mighty acts of deliverance of his right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Ps 17:7).
[22:23] 61 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the
[22:24] 63 tn Or “affliction”; or “need.”
[22:24] 64 sn In this verse the psalmist refers to himself in the third person and characterizes himself as oppressed.
[22:24] 65 tn Heb “he did not hide his face from him.” For other uses of the idiom “hide the face” meaning “ignore,” see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9. Sometimes the idiom carries the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 27:9; 88:14).
[22:26] 67 sn Eat and be filled. In addition to praising the Lord, the psalmist also offers a thank offering to the Lord and invites others to share in a communal meal.
[22:26] 68 tn Heb “may your heart[s].”
[31:7] 69 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
[31:17] 70 tn The verb יִדְּמוּ (yiddÿmu) is understood as a form of דָּמַם (damam, “wail, lament”). Another option is to take the verb from דָּמַם (“be quiet”; see BDB 198-99 s.v. I דָּמַם), in which case one might translate, “May they lie silent in the grave.”
[31:22] 71 tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”
[31:22] 72 tn Heb “from before your eyes.”
[31:23] 73 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[31:23] 74 tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.
[36:6] 75 tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.
[36:6] 77 sn God’s justice/fairness is firm and reliable like the highest mountains and as abundant as the water in the deepest sea. The psalmist uses a legal metaphor to describe God’s preservation of his creation. Like a just judge who vindicates the innocent, God protects his creation from destructive forces.
[38:12] 78 tn Heb “lay snares.”
[39:11] 79 tn “with punishments on account of sin you discipline a man.”
[39:11] 80 tc Heb “you cause to dissolve, like a moth, his desired [thing].” The translation assumes an emendation of חֲמוּדוֹ (khamudo, “his desirable [thing]”) to חֶמְדוֹ (khemdo, “his loveliness” [or “beauty”]), a reading that is supported by a few medieval Hebrew
[40:16] 81 tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by the
[40:16] 82 tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing upon the godly.
[40:16] 83 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
[40:17] 84 sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.
[40:17] 85 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a jussive of prayer (as in the present translation; cf. NIV) or as an imperfect, “The
[45:4] 86 tn Heb “and your majesty, be successful.” The syntax is awkward. The phrase “and your majesty” at the beginning of the verse may be accidentally repeated (dittography); it appears at the end of v. 3.
[45:4] 87 tn Or “for the sake of truth.”
[45:4] 88 tc The precise meaning of the MT is uncertain. The form עַנְוָה (’anvah) occurs only here. One could emend the text to עֲנָוָה וְצֶדֶק (’anavah vÿtsedeq, “[for the sake of truth], humility, and justice”). In this case “humility” would perhaps allude to the king’s responsibility to “serve” his people by promoting justice (cf. NIV “in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness”). The present translation assumes an emendation to יַעַן (ya’an, “because; on account of”) which would form a suitable parallel to עַל־דְּבַר (’al-dÿvar, “because; for the sake of”) in the preceding line.
[45:4] 89 tn Heb “and your right hand will teach you mighty acts”; or “and may your right hand teach you mighty acts.” After the imperatives in the first half of the verse, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive likely indicates purpose (“so that your right hand might teach you mighty acts”) or result (see the present translation). The “right hand” here symbolizes the king’s military strength. His right hand will “teach” him mighty acts by performing them and thereby causing him to experience their magnificence.
[45:7] 90 sn To love justice means to actively promote it.
[45:7] 91 sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.
[45:7] 92 tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“
[45:7] 93 sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.
[45:7] 94 sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.
[45:7] 95 tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.
[45:7] sn Verses 6-7 are quoted in Heb 1:8-9, where they are applied to Jesus.
[49:10] 96 tn The particle כִּי (ki) is understood here as asseverative (emphatic).
[49:10] 97 tn The subject of the verb is probably the typical “man” mentioned in v. 7. The imperfect can be taken here as generalizing or as indicating potential (“surely he/one can see”).
[49:10] 98 tn The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to what is characteristically true. The vav (ו) consecutive with perfect in the third line carries the same force.
[49:10] 99 tn Heb “together a fool and a brutish [man] perish.” The adjective בַּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish”) refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 73:22; 92:6; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).
[49:10] 100 sn Death shows no respect for anyone. No matter how wise or foolish an individual happens to be, all pass away.
[52:7] 101 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action. The evildoer customarily rejected God and trusted in his own abilities. Another option is to take the imperfect as generalizing, “[here is the man who] does not make.”
[52:7] 102 tn Heb “he was strong in his destruction.” “Destruction” must refer back to the destructive plans mentioned in v. 2. The verb (derived from the root עָזַז, ’azaz, “be strong”) as it stands is either an imperfect (if so, probably used in a customary sense) or a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive). However the form should probably be emended to וַיָּעָז (vayya’az), a Qal preterite (with vav [ו] consecutive) from עָזַז. Note the preterite form without vav (ו) consecutive in the preceding line (וַיִּבְטַח, vayyivtakh, “and he trusted”). The prefixed vav (ו) was likely omitted by haplography (note the suffixed vav [ו] on the preceding עָשְׁרוֹ, ’oshro, “his wealth”).
[55:12] 104 tn Heb “[who] magnifies against me.” See Pss 35:26; 38:16.
[55:19] 105 tc Heb “God will hear and answer them, even [the] one who sits [from] ancient times.” The prefixed verbal from with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the anticipatory force of the preceding imperfect. The verb appears to be a Qal form from עָנָה (’anah, “to answer”). If this reading is retained, the point would be that God “answered” them in judgment. The translation assumes an emendation to the Piel וַיְעַנֵּם (vay’annem; see 2 Kgs 17:20) and understands the root as עָנָה (’anah, “to afflict”; see also 1 Kgs 8:35).
[55:19] 106 tn Heb “[the ones] for whom there are no changes, and they do not fear God.”
[57:3] 107 tn Heb “may he send from heaven and deliver me.” The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. The second verb, which has a vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, probably indicates purpose. Another option is to take the forms as imperfects expressing confidence, “he will send from heaven and deliver me” (cf. NRSV).
[57:3] 108 tn Heb “he hurls insults, one who crushes me.” The translation assumes that this line identifies those from whom the psalmist seeks deliverance. (The singular is representative; the psalmist is surrounded by enemies, see v. 4.) Another option is to understand God as the subject of the verb חָרַף (kharaf), which could then be taken as a homonym of the more common root חָרַף (“insult”) meaning “confuse.” In this case “one who crushes me” is the object of the verb. One might translate, “he [God] confuses my enemies.”
[59:11] 109 tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”
[59:11] sn My people might forget the lesson. Swift, sudden destruction might be quickly forgotten. The psalmist wants God’s judgment to be prolonged so that it might be a continual reminder of divine justice.
[59:11] 110 tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”
[61:5] 111 tn Heb “you grant the inheritance of those who fear your name.” “Inheritance” is normally used of land which is granted as an inheritance; here it refers metaphorically to the blessings granted God’s loyal followers. To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).
[65:9] 112 tn The verb form is a Polel from שׁוּק (shuq, “be abundant”), a verb which appears only here and in Joel 2:24 and 3:13, where it is used in the Hiphil stem and means “overflow.”
[65:9] 113 tn Heb “you greatly enrich it.”
[65:9] 114 tn Heb “[with] a channel of God full of water.” The divine name is probably used here in a superlative sense to depict a very deep stream (“a stream fit for God,” as it were).
[65:9] 115 tn The pronoun apparently refers to the people of the earth, mentioned in v. 8.
[65:9] 116 tn Heb “for thus [referring to the provision of rain described in the first half of the verse] you prepare it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix attached to the verb “prepare” refers back to the “earth,” which is a feminine noun with regard to grammatical form.
[69:20] 117 tn Heb “break my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the origin of the psalmist’s emotions.
[69:20] 118 tn The verb form appears to be a Qal preterite from an otherwise unattested root נוּשׁ (nush), which some consider an alternate form of אָנַשׁ (’anash, “be weak; be sick”; see BDB 60 s.v. I אָנַשׁ). Perhaps the form should be emended to a Niphal, וָאֵאָנְשָׁה (va’e’onshah, “and I am sick”). The Niphal of אָנַשׁ occurs in 2 Sam 12:15, where it is used to describe David’s sick child.
[69:20] 120 tn Heb “and I wait for sympathy, but there is none.” The form נוּד (nud) is an infinitive functioning as a verbal noun:, “sympathizing.” Some suggest emending the form to a participle נָד (nad, “one who shows sympathy”). The verb נוּד (nud) also has the nuance “show sympathy” in Job 2:11; 42:11 and Isa 51:19.
[70:2] 121 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed, the ones seeking my life.” Ps 40:14 has “together” after “ashamed,” and “to snatch it away” after “my life.”
[70:2] 122 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.
[70:2] sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.
[70:4] 123 tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by God.
[70:4] 124 tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing on the godly.
[70:4] 125 tn Ps 40:16 uses the divine name “
[70:4] 126 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
[84:11] 127 tn Heb “[is] a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritic texts, the Amarna letters, and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 131, n. 2.
[84:11] 129 tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those walking in integrity.”
[92:7] 131 tn Heb “in order that they might be destroyed permanently.”
[92:7] sn God allows the wicked to prosper temporarily so that he might reveal his justice. When the wicked are annihilated, God demonstrates that wickedness does not pay off.
[102:2] 132 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble.” The idiom “to hide the face” can mean “to ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “to reject” (see Pss 29:7; 30:7; 88:14).
[102:2] 133 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
[108:8] 134 tn Gilead was located east of the Jordan River. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.
[108:8] 135 tn Heb “the protection of my head.”
[108:8] sn Ephraim, one of Joseph’s sons, was one of two major tribes located west of the Jordan River. By comparing Ephraim to a helmet, the Lord suggests that the Ephraimites played a primary role in the defense of his land.
[108:8] 136 sn Judah, like Ephraim, was the other major tribe west of the Jordan River. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.
