Mazmur 78:1-72
KonteksA well-written song 2 by Asaph.
78:1 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction!
Listen to the words I speak! 3
78:2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;
I will make insightful observations about the past. 4
78:3 What we have heard and learned 5 –
that which our ancestors 6 have told us –
78:4 we will not hide from their 7 descendants.
We will tell the next generation
about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts, 8
about his strength and the amazing things he has done.
78:5 He established a rule 9 in Jacob;
he set up a law in Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to make his deeds known to their descendants, 10
78:6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,
might know about them.
They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. 11
78:7 Then they will place their confidence in God.
They will not forget the works of God,
and they will obey 12 his commands.
78:8 Then they will not be like their ancestors,
who were a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation that was not committed
and faithful to God. 13
78:9 The Ephraimites 14 were armed with bows, 15
but they retreated in the day of battle. 16
78:10 They did not keep their covenant with God, 17
and they refused to obey 18 his law.
78:11 They forgot what he had done, 19
the amazing things he had shown them.
78:12 He did amazing things in the sight of their ancestors,
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. 20
78:13 He divided the sea and led them across it;
he made the water stand in a heap.
78:14 He led them with a cloud by day,
and with the light of a fire all night long.
78:15 He broke open rocks in the wilderness,
and gave them enough water to fill the depths of the sea. 21
78:16 He caused streams to flow from the rock,
and made the water flow like rivers.
78:17 Yet they continued to sin against him,
and rebelled against the sovereign One 22 in the desert.
78:18 They willfully challenged God 23
by asking for food to satisfy their appetite.
78:19 They insulted God, saying, 24
“Is God really able to give us food 25 in the wilderness?
78:20 Yes, 26 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?”
78:21 When 27 the Lord heard this, he was furious.
A fire broke out against Jacob,
and his anger flared up 28 against Israel,
78:22 because they did not have faith in God,
and did not trust his ability to deliver them. 29
78:23 He gave a command to the clouds above,
and opened the doors in the sky.
78:24 He rained down manna for them to eat;
he gave them the grain of heaven. 30
78:25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. 31
He sent them more than enough to eat. 32
78:26 He brought the east wind through the sky,
and by his strength led forth the south wind.
78:27 He rained down meat on them like dust,
birds as numerous as the sand on the seashores. 33
78:28 He caused them to fall right in the middle of their camp,
all around their homes.
78:29 They ate until they were stuffed; 34
he gave them what they desired.
78:30 They were not yet filled up, 35
their food was still in their mouths,
78:31 when the anger of God flared up against them.
He killed some of the strongest of them;
he brought the young men of Israel to their knees.
78:32 Despite all this, they continued to sin,
and did not trust him to do amazing things. 36
78:33 So he caused them to die unsatisfied 37
and filled with terror. 38
78:34 When he struck them down, 39 they sought his favor; 40
they turned back and longed for God.
78:35 They remembered that God was their protector, 41
and that the sovereign God was their deliverer. 42
78:36 But they deceived him with their words, 43
and lied to him. 44
78:37 They were not really committed to him, 45
and they were unfaithful to his covenant.
78:38 Yet he is compassionate.
He forgives sin and does not destroy.
He often holds back his anger,
and does not stir up his fury. 46
78:39 He remembered 47 that they were made of flesh,
and were like a wind that blows past and does not return. 48
78:40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness,
and insulted him 49 in the desert!
78:41 They again challenged God, 50
and offended 51 the Holy One of Israel. 52
78:42 They did not remember what he had done, 53
how he delivered them from the enemy, 54
78:43 when he performed his awesome deeds 55 in Egypt,
and his acts of judgment 56 in the region of Zoan.
78:44 He turned their rivers into blood,
and they could not drink from their streams.
78:45 He sent swarms of biting insects against them, 57
as well as frogs that overran their land. 58
78:46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
the fruit of their labor to the locust.
78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail,
and their sycamore-fig trees with driving rain.
78:48 He rained hail down on their cattle, 59
and hurled lightning bolts down on their livestock. 60
78:49 His raging anger lashed out against them, 61
He sent fury, rage, and trouble
as messengers who bring disaster. 62
78:50 He sent his anger in full force; 63
he did not spare them from death;
he handed their lives over to destruction. 64
78:51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their reproductive power 65 in the tents of Ham.
78:52 Yet he brought out his people like sheep;
he led them through the wilderness like a flock.
78:53 He guided them safely along,
while the sea covered their enemies.
78:54 He brought them to the border of his holy land,
to this mountainous land 66 which his right hand 67 acquired.
78:55 He drove the nations out from before them;
he assigned them their tribal allotments 68
and allowed the tribes of Israel to settle down. 69
78:56 Yet they challenged and defied 70 the sovereign God, 71
and did not obey 72 his commands. 73
78:57 They were unfaithful 74 and acted as treacherously as 75 their ancestors;
they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow. 76
78:58 They made him angry with their pagan shrines, 77
and made him jealous with their idols.
78:59 God heard and was angry;
he completely rejected Israel.
78:60 He abandoned 78 the sanctuary at Shiloh,
the tent where he lived among men.
78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; 79
he gave the symbol of his splendor 80 into the hand of the enemy. 81
78:62 He delivered his people over to the sword,
and was angry with his chosen nation. 82
78:63 Fire consumed their 83 young men,
and their 84 virgins remained unmarried. 85
78:64 Their 86 priests fell by the sword,
but their 87 widows did not weep. 88
78:65 But then the Lord awoke from his sleep; 89
he was like a warrior in a drunken rage. 90
78:66 He drove his enemies back;
he made them a permanent target for insults. 91
78:67 He rejected the tent of Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
78:68 He chose the tribe of Judah,
and Mount Zion, which he loves.
78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; 92
as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. 93
78:70 He chose David, his servant,
and took him from the sheepfolds.
78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, 94
and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,
and of Israel, his chosen nation. 95
78:72 David 96 cared for them with pure motives; 97
he led them with skill. 98
Mazmur 95:1-11
Konteks95:1 Come! Let’s sing for joy to the Lord!
Let’s shout out praises to our protector who delivers us! 100
95:2 Let’s enter his presence 101 with thanksgiving!
Let’s shout out to him in celebration! 102
95:3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great king who is superior to 103 all gods.
95:4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, 104
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
95:5 The sea is his, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
95:6 Come! Let’s bow down and worship! 105
Let’s kneel before the Lord, our creator!
95:7 For he is our God;
we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep he owns. 106
Today, if only you would obey him! 107
95:8 He says, 108 “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, 109
like they were that day at Massah 110 in the wilderness, 111
95:9 where your ancestors challenged my authority, 112
and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.
95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted 113 with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; 114
they do not obey my commands.’ 115
95:11 So I made a vow in my anger,
‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’” 116
Mazmur 105:1--106:48
Konteks105:1 Give thanks to the Lord!
Call on his name!
Make known his accomplishments among the nations!
105:2 Sing to him!
Make music to him!
Tell about all his miraculous deeds!
105:3 Boast about his holy name!
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
105:4 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!
Seek his presence continually!
105:5 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed,
his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed, 118
105:6 O children 119 of Abraham, 120 God’s 121 servant,
you descendants 122 of Jacob, God’s 123 chosen ones!
105:7 He is the Lord our God;
he carries out judgment throughout the earth. 124
105:8 He always remembers his covenantal decree,
the promise he made 125 to a thousand generations –
105:9 the promise 126 he made to Abraham,
the promise he made by oath to Isaac!
105:10 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as a lasting promise, 127
105:11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.”
105:12 When they were few in number,
just a very few, and resident aliens within it,
105:13 they wandered from nation to nation,
and from one kingdom to another. 128
105:14 He let no one oppress them;
he disciplined kings for their sake,
105:15 saying, 129 “Don’t touch my chosen 130 ones!
Don’t harm my prophets!”
105:16 He called down a famine upon the earth;
he cut off all the food supply. 131
105:17 He sent a man ahead of them 132 –
Joseph was sold as a servant.
105:18 The shackles hurt his feet; 133
his neck was placed in an iron collar, 134
105:19 until the time when his prediction 135 came true.
The Lord’s word 136 proved him right. 137
105:20 The king authorized his release; 138
the ruler of nations set him free.
105:21 He put him in charge of his palace, 139
and made him manager of all his property,
105:22 giving him authority to imprison his officials 140
and to teach his advisers. 141
105:23 Israel moved to 142 Egypt;
Jacob lived for a time 143 in the land of Ham.
105:24 The Lord 144 made his people very fruitful,
and made them 145 more numerous than their 146 enemies.
105:25 He caused them 147 to hate his people,
and to mistreat 148 his servants.
105:26 He sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, 149
and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.
they did not disobey his orders. 151
105:29 He turned their water into blood,
and killed their fish.
105:30 Their land was overrun by frogs,
which even got into the rooms of their kings.
105:31 He ordered flies to come; 152
gnats invaded their whole territory.
105:32 He sent hail along with the rain; 153
there was lightning in their land. 154
105:33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees,
and broke the trees throughout their territory.
105:34 He ordered locusts to come, 155
innumerable grasshoppers.
105:35 They ate all the vegetation in their land,
and devoured the crops of their fields. 156
105:36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of their reproductive power. 157
105:37 He brought his people 158 out enriched 159 with silver and gold;
none of his tribes stumbled.
105:38 Egypt was happy when they left,
for they were afraid of them. 160
105:39 He spread out a cloud for a cover, 161
and provided a fire to light up the night.
105:40 They asked for food, 162 and he sent quails;
he satisfied them with food from the sky. 163
105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;
a river ran through dry regions.
105:42 Yes, 164 he remembered the sacred promise 165
he made to Abraham his servant.
105:43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced;
his chosen ones shouted with joy. 166
105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,
and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, 167
105:45 so that they might keep his commands
and obey 168 his laws.
Praise the Lord!
106:1 Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures! 170
106:2 Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts,
or relate all his praiseworthy deeds? 171
106:3 How blessed are those who promote justice,
and do what is right all the time!
106:4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people!
Pay attention to me, when you deliver,
106:5 so I may see the prosperity 172 of your chosen ones,
rejoice along with your nation, 173
and boast along with the people who belong to you. 174
106:6 We have sinned like 175 our ancestors; 176
we have done wrong, we have done evil.
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. 177
106:8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation, 178
that he might reveal his power.
106:9 He shouted at 179 the Red Sea and it dried up;
he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.
106:10 He delivered them from the power 180 of the one who hated them,
and rescued 181 them from the power 182 of the enemy.
106:11 The water covered their enemies;
not even one of them survived. 183
106:12 They believed his promises; 184
they sang praises to him.
106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; 185
they did not wait for his instructions. 186
106:14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving 187 for meat; 188
they challenged God 189 in the desert.
106:15 He granted their request,
then struck them with a disease. 190
106:16 In the camp they resented 191 Moses,
and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. 192
106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it engulfed 193 the group led by Abiram. 194
106:18 Fire burned their group;
the flames scorched the wicked. 195
106:19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,
and worshiped a metal idol.
106:20 They traded their majestic God 196
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
106:21 They rejected 197 the God who delivered them,
the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,
106:22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,
mighty 198 acts by the Red Sea.
106:23 He threatened 199 to destroy them,
but 200 Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him 201
and turned back his destructive anger. 202
106:24 They rejected the fruitful land; 203
they did not believe his promise. 204
106:25 They grumbled in their tents; 205
they did not obey 206 the Lord.
106:26 So he made a solemn vow 207
that he would make them die 208 in the desert,
106:27 make their descendants 209 die 210 among the nations,
and scatter them among foreign lands. 211
106:28 They worshiped 212 Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. 213
106:29 They made the Lord angry 214 by their actions,
and a plague broke out among them.
106:30 Phinehas took a stand and intervened, 215
and the plague subsided.
106:31 This brought him a reward,
an eternal gift. 216
106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered 217 because of them,
106:33 for they aroused 218 his temper, 219
and he spoke rashly. 220
106:34 They did not destroy the nations, 221
as the Lord had commanded them to do.
106:35 They mixed in with the nations
and learned their ways. 222
106:36 They worshiped 223 their idols,
which became a snare to them. 224
106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. 225
106:38 They shed innocent blood –
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.
The land was polluted by bloodshed. 226
106:39 They were defiled by their deeds,
and unfaithful in their actions. 227
106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people 228
and despised the people who belong to him. 229
106:41 He handed them over to 230 the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
106:42 Their enemies oppressed them;
they were subject to their authority. 231
106:43 Many times he delivered 232 them,
but they had a rebellious attitude, 233
and degraded themselves 234 by their sin.
106:44 Yet he took notice of their distress,
when he heard their cry for help.
106:45 He remembered his covenant with them,
and relented 235 because of his great loyal love.
106:46 He caused all their conquerors 236
to have pity on them.
106:47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God!
Gather us from among the nations!
Then we will give thanks 237 to your holy name,
and boast about your praiseworthy deeds. 238
106:48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise, 239
in the future and forevermore. 240
Let all the people say, “We agree! 241 Praise the Lord!” 242
Mazmur 114:1-8
Konteks114:1 When Israel left Egypt,
when the family of Jacob left a foreign nation behind, 244
114:2 Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel his kingdom.
114:3 The sea looked and fled; 245
the Jordan River 246 turned back. 247
114:4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs. 248
114:5 Why do you flee, O sea?
Why do you turn back, O Jordan River?
114:6 Why do you skip like rams, O mountains,
like lambs, O hills?
114:7 Tremble, O earth, before the Lord –
before the God of Jacob,
114:8 who turned a rock into a pool of water,
a hard rock into springs of water! 249
[78:1] 1 sn Psalm 78. The author of this lengthy didactic psalm rehearses Israel’s history. He praises God for his power, goodness and patience, but also reminds his audience that sin angers God and prompts his judgment. In the conclusion to the psalm the author elevates Jerusalem as God’s chosen city and David as his chosen king.
[78:1] 2 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 74.
[78:1] 3 tn Heb “Turn your ear to the words of my mouth.”
[78:2] 4 tn Heb “I will open with a wise saying my mouth, I will utter insightful sayings from long ago.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה+מָשָׁל (mashal + khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6), and an insightful song that reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent death (Ps 49:4).
[78:3] 6 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 5, 8, 12, 57).
[78:4] 7 tn The pronominal suffix refers back to the “fathers” (“our ancestors,” v. 3).
[78:4] 8 tn Heb “to a following generation telling the praises of the
[78:5] 9 tn The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).
[78:5] 10 tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the
[78:6] 11 tn Heb “in order that they might know, a following generation, sons [who] will be born, they will arise and will tell to their sons.”
[78:8] 13 tn Heb “a generation that did not make firm its heart and whose spirit was not faithful with God.” The expression “make firm the heart” means “to be committed, devoted” (see 1 Sam 7:3).
[78:9] 14 tn Heb “the sons of Ephraim.” Ephraim probably stands here by synecdoche (part for whole) for the northern kingdom of Israel.
[78:9] 15 tn Heb “ones armed, shooters of bow.” It is possible that the term נוֹשְׁקֵי (noshÿqey, “ones armed [with]”) is an interpretive gloss for the rare רוֹמֵי (romey, “shooters of”; on the latter see BDB 941 s.v. I רָמָה). The phrase נוֹשְׁקֵי קֶשֶׁת (noshÿqey qeshet, “ones armed with a bow”) appears in 1 Chr 12:2; 2 Chr 17:17.
[78:9] 16 sn They retreated. This could refer to the northern tribes’ failure to conquer completely their allotted territory (see Judg 1), or it could refer generally to the typical consequence (military defeat) of their sin (see vv. 10-11).
[78:10] 17 tn Heb “the covenant of God.”
[78:11] 19 tn Heb “his deeds.”
[78:12] 20 sn The region of Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta, where the enslaved Israelites lived (see Num 13:22; Isa 19:11, 13; 30:4; Ezek 30:14).
[78:15] 21 tn Heb “and caused them to drink, like the depths, abundantly.”
[78:17] 22 tn Heb “rebelling [against] the Most High.”
[78:18] 23 tn Heb “and they tested God in their heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the center of their volition.
[78:19] 24 tn Heb “they spoke against God, they said.”
[78:19] 25 tn Heb “to arrange a table [for food].”
[78:21] 27 tn Heb “therefore.”
[78:21] 28 tn Heb “and also anger went up.”
[78:22] 29 tn Heb “and they did not trust his deliverance.”
[78:24] 30 sn Manna was apparently shaped like a seed (Exod 16:31), perhaps explaining why it is here compared to grain.
[78:25] 31 sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[78:25] 32 tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”
[78:27] 33 tn Heb “and like the sand of the seas winged birds.”
[78:29] 34 tn Heb “and they ate and were very satisfied.”
[78:30] 35 tn Heb “they were not separated from their desire.”
[78:32] 36 tn Heb “and did not believe in his amazing deeds.”
[78:33] 37 tn Heb “and he ended in vanity their days.”
[78:33] 38 tn Heb “and their years in terror.”
[78:34] 39 tn Or “killed them,” that is, killed large numbers of them.
[78:34] 40 tn Heb “they sought him.”
[78:35] 41 tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”
[78:35] 42 tn Heb “and [that] God Most High [was] their redeemer.”
[78:36] 43 tn Heb “with their mouth.”
[78:36] 44 tn Heb “and with their tongue they lied to him.”
[78:37] 45 tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”
[78:38] 46 tn One could translate v. 38 in the past tense (“he was compassionate…forgave sin and did not destroy…held back his anger, and did not stir up his fury”), but the imperfect verbal forms are probably best understood as generalizing. Verse 38 steps back briefly from the narrational summary of Israel’s history and lays the theological basis for v. 39, which focuses on God’s mercy toward sinful Israel.
[78:39] 47 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive signals a return to the narrative.
[78:39] 48 tn Heb “and he remembered that they [were] flesh, a wind [that] goes and does not return.”
[78:40] 49 tn Or “caused him pain.”
[78:41] 50 tn Heb “and they returned and tested God.” The Hebrew verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate that an earlier action was repeated.
[78:41] 51 tn Or “wounded, hurt.” The verb occurs only here in the OT.
[78:41] 52 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the
[78:42] 53 tn Heb “his hand,” symbolizing his saving activity and strength, as the next line makes clear.
[78:42] 54 tn Heb “[the] day [in] which he ransomed them from [the] enemy.”
[78:43] 55 tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).
[78:43] 56 tn Or “portents, omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are referred to here (see vv. 44-51).
[78:45] 57 tn Heb “and he sent an insect swarm against them and it devoured them.”
[78:45] 58 tn Heb “and a swarm of frogs and it destroyed them.”
[78:48] 59 tn Heb “and he turned over to the hail their cattle.”
[78:48] 60 tn Heb “and their livestock to the flames.” “Flames” here refer to the lightning bolts that accompanied the storm.
[78:49] 61 tn Heb “he sent against them the rage of his anger.” The phrase “rage of his anger” 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.
[78:49] 62 tn Heb “fury and indignation and trouble, a sending of messengers of disaster.”
[78:50] 63 tn Heb “he leveled a path for his anger.” There were no obstacles to impede its progress; it moved swiftly and destructively.
[78:50] 64 tn Or perhaps “[the] plague.”
[78:51] 65 tn Heb “the beginning of strength.” If retained, the plural form אוֹנִים (’onim, “strength”) probably indicates degree (“great strength”), but many ancient witnesses read “their strength,” which presupposes an emendation to אֹנָם (’onam; singular form of the noun with third masculine plural pronominal suffix).
[78:54] 66 tn Heb “this mountain.” The whole land of Canaan seems to be referred to here. In Exod 15:17 the promised land is called the “mountain of your [i.e., God’s] inheritance.”
[78:54] 67 tn The “right hand” here symbolizes God’s military strength (see v. 55).
[78:55] 68 tn Heb “he caused to fall [to] them with a measuring line an inheritance.”
[78:55] 69 tn Heb “and caused the tribes of Israel to settle down in their tents.”
[78:56] 70 tn Or “tested and rebelled against.”
[78:56] 71 tn Heb “God, the Most High.”
[78:56] 73 tn Heb “his testimonies” (see Ps 25:10).
[78:57] 74 tn Heb “they turned back.”
[78:57] 75 tn Or “acted treacherously like.”
[78:57] 76 tn Heb “they turned aside like a deceitful bow.”
[78:58] 77 tn Traditionally, “high places.”
[78:61] 79 tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” The expression “his strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.
[78:61] 80 tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” The expression “his splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.
[78:61] 81 sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).
[78:62] 82 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
[78:63] 83 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
[78:63] 84 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
[78:63] 85 tn Heb “were not praised,” that is, in wedding songs. The young men died in masses, leaving no husbands for the young women.
[78:64] 86 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
[78:64] 87 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
[78:64] 88 sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.
[78:65] 89 tn Heb “and the master awoke like one sleeping.” The
[78:65] 90 tn Heb “like a warrior overcome with wine.” The Hebrew verb רוּן (run, “overcome”) occurs only here in the OT. The phrase “overcome with wine” could picture a drunken warrior controlled by his emotions and passions (as in the present translation), or it could refer to a warrior who awakes from a drunken stupor.
[78:66] 91 tn Heb “a permanent reproach he made them.”
[78:69] 92 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] 93 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.”
[78:71] 94 tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”
[78:71] 95 tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”
[78:72] 96 tn Heb “He”; the referent (David, God’s chosen king, mentioned in v. 70) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[78:72] 97 tn Heb “and he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart.”
[78:72] 98 tn Heb “and with the understanding of his hands he led them.”
[95:1] 99 sn Psalm 95. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God as the creator of the world and the nation’s protector, but he also reminds the people not to rebel against God.
[95:1] 100 tn Heb “to the rocky summit of our deliverance.”
[95:2] 101 tn Heb “meet his face.”
[95:2] 102 tn Heb “with songs of joy.”
[95:4] 104 tn The phrase “in his hand” means within the sphere of his authority.
[95:6] 105 tn Heb “kneel down.”
[95:7] 106 tn Heb “of his hand.”
[95:7] 107 tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.
[95:8] 108 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).
[95:8] 109 sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.
[95:8] 110 sn The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).
[95:8] 111 tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”
[95:9] 112 tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”
[95:10] 113 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] 114 tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”
[95:10] 115 tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the
[95:11] 116 tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are compared to sheep (see v. 7).
[105:1] 117 sn Psalm 105. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God because he delivered his people from Egypt in fulfillment of his covenantal promises to Abraham. A parallel version of vv. 1-15 appears in 1 Chr 16:8-22.
[105:5] 118 tn Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”
[105:6] 119 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[105:6] 120 tc Some
[105:6] 121 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[105:6] 123 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[105:7] 124 tn Heb “in all the earth [are] his judgments.”
[105:8] 125 tn Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 10-12 make clear.
[105:10] 127 tn Or “eternal covenant.”
[105:13] 128 tn Heb “and from a kingdom to another nation.”
[105:15] 129 tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[105:15] 130 tn Heb “anointed.”
[105:16] 131 tn Heb “and every staff of food he broke.” The psalmist refers to the famine that occurred in Joseph’s time (see v. 17 and Gen 41:53-57).
[105:17] 132 tn After the reference to the famine in v. 16, v. 17 flashes back to events that preceded the famine (see Gen 37).
[105:18] 133 tn Heb “they afflicted his feet with shackles.”
[105:18] 134 tn Heb “his neck came [into] iron.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with the suffix could mean simply “he” or “his life.” But the nuance “neck” makes good sense here (note the reference to his “feet” in the preceding line). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 38.
[105:19] 135 tn Heb “word,” probably referring to Joseph’s prediction about the fate of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker (see Gen 41:9-14).
[105:19] 136 tn This line may refer to Joseph’s prediction of the famine in response to Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph emphasized to Pharaoh that the interpretation of the dream came from God (see Gen 41:16, 25, 28, 32, 39).
[105:19] 137 tn Heb “refined him.”
[105:20] 138 tn Heb “[the] king sent and set him free.”
[105:21] 139 tn Heb “he made him master of his house.”
[105:22] 140 tn Heb “to bind his officials by his will.”
[105:22] 141 tn Heb “and his elders he taught wisdom.”
[105:23] 142 tn Heb “entered.”
[105:23] 143 tn Heb “lived as a resident alien.”
[105:24] 144 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[105:24] 145 tn Heb “him,” referring to “his people.”
[105:24] 146 tn Heb “his,” referring to “his people.”
[105:25] 147 tn Heb “their heart.”
[105:25] 148 tn Or “to deal deceptively.” The Hitpael of נָכַל (nakhal) occurs only here and in Gen 37:18, where it is used of Joseph’s brothers “plotting” to kill him.
[105:27] 149 tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).
[105:28] 150 tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”
[105:28] sn He made it dark. The psalmist begins with the ninth plague (see Exod 10:21-29).
[105:28] 151 tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.
[105:31] 152 tn Heb “he spoke and flies came.”
[105:32] 153 tn Heb “he gave their rains hail.”
[105:32] 154 tn Heb “fire of flames [was] in their land.”
[105:34] 155 tn Heb “he spoke and locusts came.”
[105:35] 156 tn Heb “the fruit of their ground.”
[105:36] 157 tn Heb “the beginning of all their strength,” that is, reproductive power (see Ps 78:51).
[105:36] sn Verses 28-36 recall the plagues in a different order than the one presented in Exodus: v. 28 (plague 9), v. 29 (plague 1), v. 30 (plague 2), v. 31a (plague 4), v. 31b (plague 3), vv. 32-33 (plague 7), vv. 34-35 (plague 8), v. 36 (plague 10). No reference is made in Ps 105 to plagues 5 and 6.
[105:37] 158 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the
[105:37] 159 tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[105:38] 160 tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”
[105:40] 162 tn Heb “he [i.e., his people] asked.” The singular form should probably be emended to a plural שָׁאֲלוּ (sha’alu, “they asked”), the vav (ו) having fallen off by haplography (note the vav at the beginning of the following form).
[105:40] 163 tn Or “bread of heaven.” The reference is to manna (see Exod 16:4, 13-15).
[105:42] 165 tn Heb “his holy word.”
[105:43] 166 tn Heb “and he led his people out with joy, with a ringing cry, his chosen ones.”
[105:44] 167 tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”
[106:1] 169 sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.
[106:1] 170 tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”
[106:2] 171 tn Heb “[or] cause to be heard all his praise.”
[106:5] 173 tn Heb “in order that [I may] rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”
[106:5] 174 tn Heb “with your inheritance.”
[106:6] 176 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 7).
[106:7] 177 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.
[106:8] 178 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[106:10] 181 tn Or “redeemed.”
[106:11] 183 tn Heb “remained.”
[106:12] 184 tn Heb “his words.”
[106:13] 185 tn Heb “his works.”
[106:13] 186 tn Heb “his counsel.”
[106:14] 187 sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35.
[106:14] 188 tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”
[106:14] 189 tn Heb “they tested God.”
[106:15] 190 tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”
[106:15] sn Disease. See Num 11:33-34, where this plague is described.
[106:16] 192 tn Heb “the holy one of the
[106:17] 194 tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”
[106:18] 195 sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.
[106:20] 196 tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the
[106:22] 198 tn Or “awe-inspiring.”
[106:23] 199 tn Heb “and he said.”
[106:23] 200 tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”
[106:23] 201 tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”
[106:23] 202 tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”
[106:23] sn Verses 19-23 describe the events of Exod 32:1-35.
[106:24] 203 tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).
[106:24] 204 tn Heb “his word.”
[106:25] 205 sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.
[106:25] 206 tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”
[106:26] 207 tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).
[106:26] 208 tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”
[106:27] 209 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[106:27] 210 tn Heb “and to cause their offspring to fall.” Some emend the verb to “scatter” to form tighter parallelism with the following line (cf. NRSV “disperse”).
[106:27] 211 tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[106:28] 212 tn Heb “joined themselves to.”
[106:28] sn They worshiped Baal of Peor. See Num 25:3, 5. Baal of Peor was a local manifestation of the Canaanite deity Baal located at Peor.
[106:28] 213 tn Here “the dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 49).
[106:29] 214 tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew
[106:30] 215 sn The intervention of Phinehas is recounted in Num 25:7-8.
[106:31] 216 tn Heb “and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to a generation and a generation forever.” The verb חָשַׁב (khashav, “to reckon”) is collocated with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) only in Ps 106:31 and Gen 15:6, where God rewards Abram’s faith with a land grant.
[106:31] sn Brought him a reward. See Num 25:12-13.
[106:32] 217 tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”
[106:33] 218 tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.
[106:33] 219 tn Heb “his spirit.”
[106:33] 220 tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[106:33] sn Verses 32-33 allude to the events of Num 20:1-13.
[106:34] 221 tn That is, the nations of Canaan.
[106:35] 222 tn Heb “their deeds.”
[106:36] 224 sn Became a snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.
[106:37] 225 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.
[106:38] 226 sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.
[106:39] 227 tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the
[106:40] 228 tn Heb “the anger of the
[106:40] 229 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
[106:41] 230 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
[106:42] 231 tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”
[106:43] 232 tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).
[106:43] 233 tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
[106:43] 234 tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.
[106:45] 235 tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.
[106:47] 237 tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.
[106:47] 238 tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”
[106:48] 239 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
[106:48] 240 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
[106:48] 241 tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן, ’amen), traditionally transliterated “amen.”
[106:48] 242 sn The final verse (v. 48) is a conclusion to this fourth “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and third “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52, respectively).
[114:1] 243 sn Psalm 114. The psalmist recalls the events of the exodus and conquest and celebrates God’s kingship over his covenant people.
[114:1] 244 tn Heb “the house of Jacob from a nation speaking a foreign language.” The Hebrew verb לָעַז (la’at, “to speak a foreign language”) occurs only here in the OT.
[114:3] 245 sn The psalmist recalls the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).
[114:3] 246 tn Heb “the Jordan” (also in v. 5). The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[114:3] 247 sn The psalmist recalls the crossing of the Jordan River (Josh 3:13, 16).
[114:4] 248 sn The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. This may recall the theophany at Sinai when the mountain shook before God’s presence (Exod 19:18).
[114:8] 249 sn In v. 8 the psalmist recalls the event(s) recorded in Exod 17:6 and/or Num 20:11 (see also Deut 8:15 and Ps 78:15-16, 20).
