Mazmur 4:2

4:2 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 5:8

5:8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness ⁶ 

because of those who wait to ambush me, ⁷ 

remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me! ⁸ 

Mazmur 5:11

5:11 But may all who take shelter ⁹  in you be happy! ¹⁰ 

May they continually ¹¹  shout for joy! ¹² 

Shelter them ¹³  so that those who are loyal to you ¹⁴  may rejoice! ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 7:6

7:6 Stand up angrily, ¹⁶  Lord!

Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! ¹⁷ 

Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them! ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 16:4

16:4 their troubles multiply,

they desire other gods. ¹⁹ 

I will not pour out drink offerings of blood to their gods, ²⁰ 

nor will I make vows in the name of their gods. ²¹ 

Mazmur 17:3

17:3 You have scrutinized my inner motives; ²² 

you have examined me during the night. ²³ 

You have carefully evaluated me, but you find no sin.

I am determined I will say nothing sinful. ²⁴ 

Mazmur 18:15

18:15 The depths ²⁵  of the sea ²⁶  were exposed;

the inner regions ²⁷  of the world were uncovered

by ²⁸  your battle cry, ²⁹  Lord,

by the powerful breath from your nose. ³⁰ 

Mazmur 18:43

18:43 You rescue me from a hostile army; ³¹ 

you make me ³²  a leader of nations;

people over whom I had no authority are now my subjects. ³³ 

Mazmur 20:5

20:5 Then we will shout for joy over your ³⁴  victory;

we will rejoice ³⁵  in the name of our God!

May the Lord grant all your requests!

Mazmur 31:11

31:11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me; ³⁶ 

my neighbors are appalled by my suffering ³⁷  –

those who know me are horrified by my condition; ³⁸ 

those who see me in the street run away from me.

Mazmur 31:17

31:17 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! ³⁹ 

Mazmur 31:22

31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said, ⁴⁰ 

“I am cut off from your presence!” ⁴¹ 

But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.

Mazmur 36:6

36:6 Your justice is like the highest mountains, ⁴² 

your fairness like the deepest sea;

you preserve ⁴³  mankind and the animal kingdom. ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 37:7

37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! ⁴⁵ 

Wait confidently ⁴⁶  for him!

Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, ⁴⁷ 

a man who carries out wicked schemes!

Mazmur 40:3

40:3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, ⁴⁸ 

praising our God. ⁴⁹ 

May many see what God has done,

so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord! ⁵⁰ 

Mazmur 55:15

55:15 May death destroy them! ⁵¹ 

May they go down alive into Sheol! ⁵² 

For evil is in their dwelling place and in their midst.

Mazmur 59:13

59:13 Angrily wipe them out! Wipe them out so they vanish!

Let them know that God rules

in Jacob and to the ends of the earth! (Selah)

Mazmur 65:1

Psalm 65 ⁵³ 

For the music director; a psalm of David, a song.

65:1 Praise awaits you, ⁵⁴  O God, in Zion.

Vows made to you are fulfilled.

Mazmur 66:15

66:15 I will offer up to you fattened animals as burnt sacrifices,

along with the smell of sacrificial rams.

I will offer cattle and goats. (Selah)

Mazmur 68:4

68:4 Sing to God! Sing praises to his name!

Exalt the one who rides on the clouds! ⁵⁵ 

For the Lord is his name! ⁵⁶ 

Rejoice before him!

Mazmur 78:20

78:20 Yes, ⁵⁷  he struck a rock and water flowed out,

streams gushed forth.

But can he also give us food?

Will he provide meat for his people?”

Mazmur 88:5

88:5 adrift ⁵⁸  among the dead,

like corpses lying in the grave,

whom you remember no more,

and who are cut off from your power. ⁵⁹ 

Mazmur 90:10

90:10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, ⁶⁰ 

or eighty, if one is especially strong. ⁶¹ 

But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. ⁶² 

Yes, ⁶³  they pass quickly ⁶⁴  and we fly away. ⁶⁵ 

Mazmur 95:10

95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted ⁶⁶  with that generation,

and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; ⁶⁷ 

they do not obey my commands.’ ⁶⁸ 

Mazmur 98:1

Psalm 98 ⁶⁹ 

A psalm.

98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, ⁷⁰ 

for he performs ⁷¹  amazing deeds!

His right hand and his mighty arm

accomplish deliverance. ⁷² 

Mazmur 98:3

98:3 He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel. ⁷³ 

All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us. ⁷⁴ 

Mazmur 101:6

101:6 I will favor the honest people of the land, ⁷⁵ 

and allow them to live with me. ⁷⁶ 

Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me. ⁷⁷ 

Mazmur 106:7

106:7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds,

they failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,

and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea. ⁷⁸ 

Mazmur 119:75

119:75 I know, Lord, that your regulations ⁷⁹  are just.

You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me. ⁸⁰ 

Mazmur 140:5

140:5 Proud men hide a snare for me;

evil men ⁸¹  spread a net by the path;

they set traps for me. (Selah)

Mazmur 143:7

143:7 Answer me quickly, Lord!

My strength is fading. ⁸² 

Do not reject me, ⁸³ 

or I will join ⁸⁴  those descending into the grave. ⁸⁵ 

Mazmur 148:14

148:14 He has made his people victorious, ⁸⁶ 

and given all his loyal followers reason to praise –

the Israelites, the people who are close to him. ⁸⁷ 

Praise the Lord!

[4:2]  ¹ tn Heb “sons of man.”

[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]  ⁴ tn Heb “emptiness.”

[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.

[5:8]  ⁶ tn God’s providential leading is in view. His צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) includes here the deliverance that originates in his righteousness; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 842 s.v.

[5:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 27:11; 56:2.

[5:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “make level before me your way.” The imperative “make level” is Hiphil in the Kethib (consonantal text); Piel in the Qere (marginal reading). God’s “way” is here the way in which he leads the psalmist providentially (see the preceding line, where the psalmist asks the Lord to lead him).

[5:11]  ⁹ sn Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).

[5:11]  ¹⁰ tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer. The psalmist calls on God to reward his faithful followers.

[5:11]  ¹¹ tn Or perhaps more hyperbolically, “forever.”

[5:11]  ¹² tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer.

[5:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “put a cover over them.” The verb form is a Hiphil imperfect from סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “cover, shut off”). The imperfect expresses the psalmist’s wish or request.

[5:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the lovers of your name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to the Lord. See Pss 69:36; 119:132; Isa 56:6.

[5:11]  ¹⁵ tn The vav (ו) with prefixed verbal form following the volitional “shelter them” indicates purpose or result (“so that those…may rejoice).

[7:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in your anger.”

[7:6]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ 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.

[16:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “their troubles multiply, another, they pay a dowry.” The meaning of the text is unclear. The Hebrew term עַצְּבוֹתָם (’atsÿvotam, “troubles”) appears to be a plural form of עַצֶּבֶת (’atsÿvet, “pain, wound”; see Job 9:28; Ps 147:3). Because idolatry appears to be in view (see v. 4b), some prefer to emend the noun to עַצְּבִים (’atsÿvim, “idols”). “Troubles” may be a wordplay on “idols” or a later alteration designed to emphasize that idolatry leads to trouble. The singular form אחר (“another”) is syntactically problematic here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a plural אֲחֵרִים (’akherim, “others”). (The final mem [ם] could have been lost by haplography; note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the next word.) In this case it might be taken as an abbreviated form of the well-attested phrase אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים (’elohim ’akherim, “other gods”). (In Isa 42:8 the singular form אַחַר (’akher, “another”) is used of another god.) The verb מָהַר (mahar) appears in the Qal stem; the only other use of a Qal verbal form of a root מָהַר is in Exod 22:15, where the denominative verb מָהֹר (mahor, “purchase [a wife]”) appears; cf. the related noun מֹהַר (mohar, “bride money, purchase price for a wife”). If that verb is understood here, then the idolaters are pictured as eager bridegrooms paying the price to acquire the object of their desire. Another option is to emend the verb to a Piel and translate, “hurry (after).”

[16:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood.” The third masculine plural suffix would appear to refer back to the people/leaders mentioned in v. 3. However, if we emend אֲחֵר (’akher, “another”) to the plural אֲחֵרִים (’akherim, “other [gods]”) in v. 4, the suffix can be understood as referring to these gods – “the drink offerings [made to] them.” The next line favors this interpretation. Perhaps this refers to some type of pagan cultic ritual. Elsewhere wine is the prescribed content of drink offerings.

[16:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “and I will not lift up their names upon my lips.” The expression “lift up the name” probably refers here to swearing an oath in the name of deity (see Exod 20:7; Deut 5:11). If so, the third masculine plural suffix on “names” likely refers to the pagan gods, not the people/leaders. See the preceding note.

[17:3]  ²² tn Heb “you tested my heart.”

[17:3]  ²³ tn Heb “you visited [at] night.”

[17:3]  ²⁴ tc Heb “you tested me, you do not find, I plan, my mouth will not cross over.” The Hebrew verbal form זַמֹּתִי (zammotiy) is a Qal perfect, first person singular from the root זָמַם (zamam, “plan, plan evil”). Some emend the form to a suffixed form of the noun, זִמָּתִי (zimmatiy, “my plan/evil plan”), and take it as the object of the preceding verb “find.” However, the suffix seems odd, since the psalmist is denying that he has any wrong thoughts. If one takes the form with what precedes, it might make better sense to read זִמּוֹת (zimmot, “evil plans”). However, this emendation leaves an unclear connection with the next line. The present translation maintains the verbal form found in the MT and understands it in a neutral sense, “I have decided” (see Jer 4:28). The words “my mouth will not cross over” (i.e., “transgress, sin”) can then be taken as a noun clause functioning as the object of the verb.

[18:15]  ²⁵ tn Or “channels.”

[18:15]  ²⁶ tc Ps 18:15 reads “water” (cf. Ps 42:1); “sea” is the reading of 2 Sam 22:16.

[18:15]  ²⁷ tn Or “foundations.”

[18:15]  ²⁸ tn Heb “from.” The preposition has a causal sense here.

[18:15]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ tn 2 Sam 22:16 reads “by the battle cry of the Lord, by the blast of the breath of his nose.” The phrase “blast of the breath” (Heb “breath of breath”) employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.

[18:43]  ³¹ tn Heb “from the strivings of a people.” In this context the Hebrew term רִיב (riv, “striving”) probably has a militaristic sense (as in Judg 12:2; Isa 41:11), and עָם (’am, “people”) probably refers more specifically to an army (for other examples, see the verses listed in BDB 766 s.v. I עַם, עָם 2.d). Some understand the phrase as referring to attacks by the psalmist’s own countrymen, the “nation” being Israel. However, foreign enemies appear to be in view; note the reference to “nations” in the following line.

[18:43]  ³² tn 2 Sam 22:44 reads, “you keep me.”

[18:43]  ³³ tn Heb “a people whom I did not know serve me.” In this context “know” (יָדַע, yada’) probably refers to formal recognition by treaty. People who were once not under the psalmist’s authority now willingly submit to his rulership to avoid being conquered militarily (see vv. 44-45). The language may recall the events recorded in 2 Sam 8:9-10 and 10:19.

[20:5]  ³⁴ sn Your victory. Here the king is addressed (see v. 1).

[20:5]  ³⁵ 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).

[31:11]  ³⁶ tn Heb “because of all my enemies I am a reproach.”

[31:11]  ³⁷ tc Heb “and to my neighbors, exceedingly.” If the MT is retained, then these words probably go with what precedes. However the syntactical awkwardness of the text suggests it is textually corrupt. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 258) suggests that the initial mem (מ) on מְאֹד (me’od, “exceedingly”) be understood as an enclitic mem (ם) which was originally suffixed to the preceding form and then later misinterpreted. The resulting form אֵד (’ed) can then be taken as a defectively written form of אֵיד (’ed, “calamity”). If one follows this emendation, then the text reads literally, “and to my neighbors [I am one who experiences] calamity.” The noun פַחַד (fakhad, “[object of] horror”) occurs in the next line; אֵיד and פַחַד appear in parallelism elsewhere (see Prov 1:26-27).

[31:11]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and [an object of ] horror to those known by me.”

[31:17]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”

[31:22]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “from before your eyes.”

[36:6]  ⁴² tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.

[36:6]  ⁴³ tn Or “deliver.”

[36:6]  ⁴⁴ 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.

[37:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Be quiet before the Lord!”

[37:7]  ⁴⁶ tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (vÿhitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (vÿtokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, yÿhvah) and (2) the final lamed (ל) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).

[37:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”

[40:3]  ⁴⁸ sn A new song was appropriate because the Lord had intervened in the psalmist’s experience in a fresh and exciting way.

[40:3]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and he placed in my mouth a new song, praise to our God.”

[40:3]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “may many see and fear and trust in the Lord.” The translation assumes that the initial prefixed verbal form is a jussive (“may many see”), rather than an imperfect (“many will see”). The following prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) conjunctive are taken as indicating purpose or result (“so that they might swear allegiance…and trust”) after the introductory jussive.

[55:15]  ⁵¹ tc The meaning of the MT is unclear. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads יַשִּׁימָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashimavet ’alemo, “May devastation [be] upon them!”). The proposed noun יַשִּׁימָוֶת occurs only here and perhaps in the place name Beth-Jeshimoth in Num 33:49. The Qere (marginal text) has יַשִּׁי מָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashi mavet ’alemo). The verbal form יַשִּׁי is apparently an alternate form of יַשִּׁיא (yashi’), a Hiphil imperfect from נָשַׁא (nasha’, “deceive”). In this case one might read “death will come deceptively upon them.” This reading has the advantage of reading מָוֶת (mavet, “death”) which forms a natural parallel with “Sheol” in the next line. The present translation is based on the following reconstruction of the text: יְשִׁמֵּם מָוֶת (yeshimmem mavet). The verb assumed in the reconstruction is a Hiphil jussive third masculine singular from שָׁמַם (shamam, “be desolate”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix attached. This reconstruction assumes that (1) haplography has occurred in the traditional text (the original sequence of three mems [מ] was lost with only one mem remaining), resulting in the fusion of originally distinct forms in the Kethib, and (2) that עָלֵימוֹ (’alemo, “upon them”) is a later scribal addition attempting to make sense of a garbled and corrupt text. The preposition עַל (’al) does occur with the verb שָׁמַם (shamam), but in such cases the expression means “be appalled at/because of” (see Jer 49:20; 50:45). If one were to retain the prepositional phrase here, one would have to read the text as follows: יַשִּׁים מָוֶת עָלֵימוֹ (yashim mavet ’alemo, “Death will be appalled at them”). The idea seems odd, to say the least. Death is not collocated with this verb elsewhere.

[55:15]  ⁵² sn Go down alive. This curse imagines a swift and sudden death for the psalmist’s enemies.

[65:1]  ⁵³ sn Psalm 65. The psalmist praises God because he forgives sin and blesses his people with an abundant harvest.

[65:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “for you, silence, praise.” Many prefer to emend the noun דֻּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”) to a participle דּוֹמִיָּה (domiyyah), from the root דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”), understood here in the sense of “wait.”

[68:4]  ⁵⁵ tn Traditionally the Hebrew term עֲרָבוֹת (’aravot) is taken as “steppe-lands” (often rendered “deserts”), but here the form is probably a homonym meaning “clouds.” Verse 33, which depicts God as the one who “rides on the sky” strongly favors this (see as well Deut 33:26), as does the reference in v. 9 to God as the source of rain. The term עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “cloud”) is cognate with Akkadian urpatu/erpetu and with Ugaritic ’rpt. The phrase rkb ’rpt (“one who rides on the clouds”) appears in Ugaritic mythological texts as an epithet of the storm god Baal. The nonphonemic interchange of the bilabial consonants b and p is attested elsewhere in roots common to Hebrew and Ugaritic, though the phenomenon is relatively rare.

[68:4]  ⁵⁶ tc Heb “in the Lord his name.” If the MT is retained, the preposition -בְ (bet) is introducing the predicate (the so-called bet of identity), “the Lord is his name.” However, some prefer to emend the text to כִּי יָהּ שְׁמוֹ (ki yah shÿmo, “for Yah is his name”). This emendation, reflected in the present translation, assumes a confusion of bet (ב) and kaf (כ) and haplography of yod (י).

[78:20]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “look.”

[88:5]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “set free.”

[88:5]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “from your hand.”

[90:10]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”

[90:10]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”

[90:10]  ⁶² tn Heb “and their pride [is] destruction and wickedness.” The Hebrew noun רֹהַב (rohav) occurs only here. BDB 923 s.v. assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root רהב (“to act stormily [boisterously, arrogantly]”). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).

[90:10]  ⁶³ tn or “for.”

[90:10]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb גּוּז (guz) means “to pass” here; it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.

[90:10]  ⁶⁵ sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).

[95:10]  ⁶⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite or an imperfect. If the latter, it emphasizes the ongoing nature of the condition in the past. The translation reflects this interpretation of the verbal form.

[95:10]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”

[95:10]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the Lord’s “ways” are his commands, viewed as a pathway from which his people, likened to wayward sheep (see v. 7), wander.

[98:1]  ⁶⁹ sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.

[98:1]  ⁷⁰ sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.

[98:1]  ⁷¹ tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.

[98:1]  ⁷² tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.

[98:3]  ⁷³ tn Heb “he remembers his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.”

[98:3]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “the deliverance of our God,” with “God” being a subjective genitive (= God delivers).

[101:6]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “my eyes [are] on the faithful of the land.”

[101:6]  ⁷⁶ tn The Hebrew text simply reads, “in order to live with me.”

[101:6]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”

[106:7]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in vv. 9, 22). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.

[106:7]  sn They rebelled. The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12.

[119:75]  ⁷⁹ tn In this context (note the second line) the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim), which so often refers to the regulations of God’s law elsewhere in this psalm, may refer instead to his decisions or disciplinary judgment.

[119:75]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “and [in] faithfulness you afflicted me.”

[140:5]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “and ropes,” but many prefer to revocalize the noun as a participle (חֹבְלִים, khovÿlim) from the verb חָבַל (khaval, “act corruptly”).

[143:7]  ⁸² tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”

[143:7]  ⁸³ tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” (1) can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) can carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).

[143:7]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “I will be equal with.”

[143:7]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit; cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See Ps 28:1.

[148:14]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “and he lifted up a horn for his people.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Another option is to take the “horn” as a symbol for the Davidic king, through whom the Lord gives his people military victory.

[148:14]  ⁸⁷ tn “[there is] praise for all his loyal followers, to the sons of Israel, the people near him.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the victory that prompts it.