Mazmur 7:7

7:7 The countries are assembled all around you; ¹ 

take once more your rightful place over them! ² 

Mazmur 8:5

8:5 and make them a little less than the heavenly beings? ³ 

You grant mankind ⁴  honor and majesty; ⁵ 

Mazmur 12:3

12:3 May the Lord cut off ⁶  all flattering lips,

and the tongue that boasts! ⁷ 

Mazmur 12:7

12:7 You, Lord, will protect them; ⁸ 

you will continually shelter each one from these evil people, ⁹ 

Mazmur 19:12

19:12 Who can know all his errors? ¹⁰ 

Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 25:7

25:7 Do not hold against me ¹²  the sins of my youth ¹³  or my rebellious acts!

Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord! ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 30:6

30:6 In my self-confidence I said,

“I will never be upended.” ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 33:16

33:16 No king is delivered by his vast army;

a warrior is not saved by his great might.

Mazmur 33:18

33:18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, ¹⁶ 

those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 34:22

34:22 The Lord rescues his servants; ¹⁸ 

all who take shelter in him escape punishment. ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 41:12

41:12 As for me, you uphold ²⁰  me because of my integrity; ²¹ 

you allow ²²  me permanent access to your presence. ²³ 

Mazmur 44:19

44:19 Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs; ²⁴ 

you have covered us with darkness. ²⁵ 

Mazmur 45:9

45:9 Princesses ²⁶  are among your honored guests, ²⁷ 

your bride ²⁸  stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir. ²⁹ 

Mazmur 49:13

49:13 This is the destiny of fools, ³⁰ 

and of those who approve of their philosophy. ³¹  (Selah)

Mazmur 50:23

50:23 Whoever presents a thank-offering honors me. ³² 

To whoever obeys my commands, I will reveal my power to deliver.” ³³ 

Mazmur 52:6

52:6 When the godly see this, they will be filled with awe,

and will mock the evildoer, saying: ³⁴ 

Mazmur 68:10

68:10 for you live among them. ³⁵ 

You sustain the oppressed with your good blessings, O God.

Mazmur 72:4

72:4 He will defend ³⁶  the oppressed among the people;

he will deliver ³⁷  the children ³⁸  of the poor

and crush the oppressor.

Mazmur 73:27

73:27 Yes, ³⁹  look! Those far from you ⁴⁰  die;

you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you. ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 76:9

76:9 when God arose to execute judgment,

and to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. (Selah)

Mazmur 81:15

81:15 (May those who hate the Lord ⁴²  cower in fear ⁴³  before him!

May they be permanently humiliated!) ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 82:5

82:5 They ⁴⁵  neither know nor understand.

They stumble ⁴⁶  around in the dark,

while all the foundations of the earth crumble. ⁴⁷ 

Mazmur 89:30

89:30 If his sons reject my law

and disobey my regulations,

Mazmur 90:5

90:5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.” ⁴⁸ 

In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up;

Mazmur 92:12

92:12 The godly ⁴⁹  grow like a palm tree;

they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. ⁵⁰ 

Mazmur 99:8

99:8 O Lord our God, you answered them.

They found you to be a forgiving God,

but also one who punished their sinful deeds. ⁵¹ 

Mazmur 101:7

101:7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace. ⁵² 

Liars will not be welcome in my presence. ⁵³ 

Mazmur 102:24

102:24 I say, “O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life! ⁵⁴ 

You endure through all generations. ⁵⁵ 

Mazmur 102:28

102:28 The children of your servants will settle down here,

and their descendants ⁵⁶  will live securely in your presence.” ⁵⁷ 

Mazmur 104:29

104:29 When you ignore them, they panic. ⁵⁸ 

When you take away their life’s breath, they die

and return to dust.

Mazmur 104:35

104:35 May sinners disappear ⁵⁹  from the earth,

and the wicked vanish!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Praise the Lord!

Mazmur 105:14

105:14 He let no one oppress them;

he disciplined kings for their sake,

Mazmur 118:12

118:12 They surrounded me like bees.

But they disappeared as quickly ⁶⁰  as a fire among thorns. ⁶¹ 

Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.

Mazmur 119:118

119:118 You despise ⁶²  all who stray from your statutes,

for they are deceptive and unreliable. ⁶³ 

Mazmur 132:7

132:7 Let us go to his dwelling place!

Let us worship ⁶⁴  before his footstool!

Mazmur 145:10

145:10 All he has made will give thanks to the Lord.

Your loyal followers will praise you.

Mazmur 147:11

147:11 The Lord takes delight in his faithful followers, ⁶⁵ 

and in those who wait for his loyal love.

Mazmur 147:18

147:18 He then orders it all to melt; ⁶⁶ 

he breathes on it, ⁶⁷  and the water flows.

[7:7]  ¹ tn Heb “and the assembly of the peoples surrounds you.” Some understand the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may the assembly of the peoples surround you.”

[7:7]  ² tn Heb “over it (the feminine suffix refers back to the feminine noun “assembly” in the preceding line) on high return.” Some emend שׁוּבָה (shuvah, “return”) to שֵׁבָה (shevah, “sit [in judgment]”) because they find the implication of “return” problematic. But the psalmist does not mean to imply that God has abandoned his royal throne and needs to regain it. Rather he simply urges God, as sovereign king of the world, to once more occupy his royal seat of judgment and execute judgment, as the OT pictures God doing periodically.

[8:5]  ³ tn Heb “and you make him lack a little from [the] gods [or “God”].” The Piel form of חָסַר (khasar, “to decrease, to be devoid”) is used only here and in Eccl 4:8, where it means “to deprive, to cause to be lacking.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive either carries on the characteristic nuance of the imperfect in v. 5b or indicates a consequence (“so that you make him…”) of the preceding statement (see GKC 328 §111.m). Some prefer to make this an independent clause and translate it as a new sentence, “You made him….” In this case the statement might refer specifically to the creation of the first human couple, Adam and Eve (cf. Gen 1:26-27). The psalmist does appear to allude to Gen 1:26-27, where mankind is created in the image of God and his angelic assembly (note “let us make man in our image” in Gen 1:26). However, the psalmist’s statement need not be limited in its focus to that historical event, for all mankind shares the image imparted to the first human couple. Consequently the psalmist can speak in general terms of the exalted nature of mankind. The referent of אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God” or “the heavenly beings”) is unclear. Some understand this as a reference to God alone, but the allusion to Gen 1:26-27 suggests a broader referent, including God and the other heavenly beings (known in other texts as “angels”). The term אֱלֹהִים is also used in this way in Gen 3:5, where the serpent says to the woman, “you will be like the heavenly beings who know good and evil.” (Note Gen 3:22, where God says, “the man has become like one of us.”) Also אֱלֹהִים may refer to the members of the heavenly assembly in Ps 82:1, 6. The LXX (the ancient Greek translation of the OT) reads “angels” in Ps 8:5 (this is the source of the quotation of Ps 8:5 in Heb 2:7).

[8:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “you crown him [with].” The imperfect verbal forms in this and the next line describe God’s characteristic activity.

[8:5]  ⁵ sn Honor and majesty. These terms allude to mankind’s royal status as God’s vice-regents (cf. v. 6 and Gen 1:26-30).

[12:3]  ⁶ tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the Lord cut off”), not indicative (“The Lord will cut off”; see also Ps 109:15 and Mal 2:12). The psalmist appeals to God to destroy the wicked, rather than simply stating his confidence that he will. In this way he seeks to activate divine judgment by appealing to God’s just character. For an example of the power of such a curse, see Judg 9:7-57.

[12:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “a tongue speaking great [things].”

[12:7]  ⁸ tn The third person plural pronominal suffix on the verb is masculine, referring back to the “oppressed” and “needy” in v. 5 (both of those nouns are plural in form), suggesting that the verb means “protect” here. The suffix does not refer to אִמֲרוֹת (’imarot, “words”) in v. 6, because that term is feminine gender.

[12:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “you will protect him from this generation permanently.” The third masculine singular suffix on the verb “protect” is probably used in a distributive sense, referring to each one within the group mentioned previously (the oppressed/needy, referred to as “them” in the preceding line). On this grammatical point see GKC 396 §123.f (where the present text is not cited). (Some Hebrew mss and ancient textual witnesses read “us,” both here and in the preceding line.) The noun דוֹר (dor, “generation”) refers here to the psalmist’s contemporaries, who were characterized by deceit and arrogance (see vv. 1-2). See BDB 189-90 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.

[19:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Errors who can discern?” This rhetorical question makes the point that perfect moral discernment is impossible to achieve. Consequently it is inevitable that even those with good intentions will sin on occasion.

[19:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “declare me innocent from hidden [things],” i.e., sins. In this context (see the preceding line) “hidden” sins are not sins committed in secret, but sins which are not recognized as such by the psalmist.

[25:7]  ¹² tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing.

[25:7]  ¹³ sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom.

[25:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.”

[30:6]  ¹⁵ sn In my self-confidence I said… Here the psalmist begins to fill in the background of the crisis referred to in the earlier verses. He had been arrogant and self-confident, so the Lord withdrew his protection and allowed trouble to invade his life (vv. 8-11).

[33:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “look, the eye of the Lord [is] toward the ones who fear him.” The expression “the eye…[is] toward” here indicates recognition and the bestowing of favor. See Ps 34:15. The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.

[33:18]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “for the ones who wait for his faithfulness.”

[34:22]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.

[34:22]  ¹⁹ tn “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 2:12; 5:11-12; 31:19).

[41:12]  ²⁰ tn Or “have upheld.” The perfect verbal form can be taken as generalizing/descriptive (present) or as a present perfect.

[41:12]  ²¹ sn Because of my integrity. See Pss 7:8; 25:21; 26:1, 11.

[41:12]  ²² tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect. It is either generalizing/descriptive (present) or has a present perfect nuance (“you have allowed”).

[41:12]  ²³ tn Heb “and you cause me to stand before you permanently.”

[44:19]  ²⁴ tn Heb “yet you have battered us in a place of jackals.”

[44:19]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל+מָוֶת [mavet + tsel]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness” (cf. NIV, NRSV). An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 44:19 darkness symbolizes defeat and humiliation.

[45:9]  ²⁶ tn Heb “daughters of kings.”

[45:9]  ²⁷ tn Heb “valuable ones.” The form is feminine plural.

[45:9]  ²⁸ tn This rare Hebrew noun apparently refers to the king’s bride, who will soon be queen (see Neh 2:6). The Aramaic cognate is used of royal wives in Dan 5:2-3, 23.

[45:9]  ²⁹ tn Heb “a consort stands at your right hand, gold of Ophir.”

[45:9]  sn Gold from Ophir is also mentioned in Isa 13:12 and Job 28:16. The precise location of Ophir is uncertain; Arabia, India, East Africa, and South Africa have all been suggested as options.

[49:13]  ³⁰ tn Heb “this [is] their way, [there is] folly [belonging] to them.” The Hebrew term translated “this” could refer (1) back to the preceding verse[s] or (2) ahead to the subsequent statements. The translation assumes the latter, since v. 12 appears to be a refrain that concludes the psalm’s first major section and marks a structural boundary. (A similar refrain [see v. 20] concludes the second half of the psalm.) The noun דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) often refers to one’s lifestyle, but, if it relates to what follows, then here it likely refers metonymically to one’s destiny (the natural outcome of one’s lifestyle [cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “fate”]). (See the discussion in K. Koch, TDOT 3:285.) If one prefers the more common nuance (“lifestyle”), then the term would look back to the self-confident attitude described in the earlier verses.

[49:13]  ³¹ tn Heb “and after them, in their mouth they take delight.” The meaning of the MT is not entirely clear. “After them” is understood here as substantival, “those who come after them” or “those who follow them.” “Their mouth” is taken as a metonymy for the arrogant attitude verbalized by the rich. In the expression “take delight in,” the preposition -ב (bet) introduces the object/cause of one’s delight (see Pss 147:10; 149:4). So the idea here is that those who come after/follow the rich find the philosophy of life they verbalize and promote to be attractive and desirable.

[50:23]  ³² sn The reference to a thank-offering recalls the earlier statement made in v. 14. Gratitude characterizes genuine worship.

[50:23]  ³³ tn Heb “and [to one who] sets a way I will show the deliverance of God.” Elsewhere the phrase “set a way” simply means “to travel” (see Gen 30:36; cf. NRSV). The present translation assumes an emendation of וְשָׂם דֶּרֶךְ (vÿsam derekh) to וְשֹׁמֵר דְּרָכַּי (vÿshomer dÿrakhay, “and [the one who] keeps my ways” [i.e., commands, see Pss 18:21; 37:34). Another option is to read וְשֹׁמֵר דַּרְכּוֹ (vÿshomer darko, “and [the one who] guards his way,” i.e., “the one who is careful to follow a godly lifestyle”; see Ps 39:1).

[52:6]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and the godly will see and will fear and at him will laugh.”

[68:10]  ³⁵ tn The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear; it appears to read, “your animals, they live in it,” but this makes little, if any, sense in this context. Some suggest that חָיָּה (khayah) is a rare homonym here, meaning “community” (BDB 312 s.v.) or “dwelling place” (HALOT 310 s.v. III *הַיָּה). In this case one may take “your community/dwelling place” as appositional to the third feminine singular pronominal suffix at the end of v. 9, the antecedent of which is “your inheritance.” The phrase יָשְׁבוּ־בָהּ (yashvu-vah, “they live in it”) may then be understood as an asyndetic relative clause modifying “your community/dwelling place.” A literal translation of vv. 9b-10a would be, “when it [your inheritance] is tired, you sustain it, your community/dwelling place in [which] they live.”

[72:4]  ³⁶ tn Heb “judge [for].”

[72:4]  ³⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.

[72:4]  ³⁸ tn Heb “sons.”

[73:27]  ³⁹ tn Or “for.”

[73:27]  ⁴⁰ sn The following line defines the phrase far from you in a spiritual sense. Those “far” from God are those who are unfaithful and disloyal to him.

[73:27]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “everyone who commits adultery from you.”

[81:15]  ⁴² tn “Those who hate the Lord” are also mentioned in 2 Chr 19:2 and Ps 139:21.

[81:15]  ⁴³ tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 66:3 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “to be weak; to be powerless” (see also Ps 109:24). The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, parallel to the jussive form in the next line.

[81:15]  ⁴⁴ tc Heb “and may their time be forever.” The Hebrew term עִתָּם (’ittam, “their time”) must refer here to the “time” of the demise and humiliation of those who hate the Lord. Some propose an emendation to בַּעֲתָתָם (ba’atatam) or בִּעֻתָם (bi’utam; “their terror”; i.e., “may their terror last forever”), but the omission of bet (ב) in the present Hebrew text is difficult to explain, making the proposed emendation unlikely.

[81:15]  tn The verb form at the beginning of the line is jussive, indicating that this is a prayer. The translation assumes that v. 15 is a parenthetical “curse” offered by the psalmist. Having heard the reference to Israel’s enemies (v. 14), the psalmist inserts this prayer, reminding the Lord that they are God’s enemies as well.

[82:5]  ⁴⁵ sn Having addressed the defendants, God now speaks to those who are observing the trial, referring to the gods in the third person.

[82:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “walk.” The Hitpael stem indicates iterative action, picturing these ignorant “judges” as stumbling around in the darkness.

[82:5]  ⁴⁷ sn These gods, though responsible for justice, neglect their duty. Their self-imposed ignorance (which the psalmist compares to stumbling around in the dark) results in widespread injustice, which threatens the social order of the world (the meaning of the phrase all the foundations of the earth crumble).

[90:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “you bring them to an end [with] sleep.” The Hebrew verb זָרַם (zaram) has traditionally been taken to mean “flood” or “overwhelm” (note the Polel form of a root זרם in Ps 77:17, where the verb is used of the clouds pouring down rain). However, the verb form here is Qal, not Polel, and is better understood as a homonym meaning “to make an end [of life].” The term שֵׁנָה (shenah, “sleep”) can be taken as an adverbial accusative; it is a euphemism here for death (see Ps 76:5-6).

[92:12]  ⁴⁹ tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.

[92:12]  ⁵⁰ sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.

[99:8]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “a God of lifting up [i.e., forgiveness] you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The present translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned (cf. NIV, NRSV). Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form נֹקֵם (noqem, “an avenger”) to נֹקָם (noqam), a rare Qal participial form of נָקַה (naqah, “purify”) with a suffixed pronoun. In this case one could translate, “and one who purified them from their [sinful] deeds” (cf. NEB “and held them innocent”).

[101:7]  ⁵² tn Heb “he will not live in the midst of my house, one who does deceit.”

[101:7]  ⁵³ tn Heb “one who speaks lies will not be established before my eyes.”

[102:24]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “do not lift me up in the middle of my days.”

[102:24]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “in a generation of generations [are] your years.”

[102:28]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[102:28]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “before you will be established.”

[104:29]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “you hide your face, they are terrified.”

[104:35]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “be destroyed.”

[118:12]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “were extinguished.”

[118:12]  ⁶¹ tn The point seems to be that the hostility of the nations (v. 10) is short-lived, like a fire that quickly devours thorns and then burns out. Some, attempting to create a better parallel with the preceding line, emend דֹּעֲכוּ (do’akhu, “they were extinguished”) to בָּעֲרוּ (ba’aru, “they burned”). In this case the statement emphasizes their hostility.

[119:118]  ⁶² tn The Hebrew verb סָלָה (salah, “to disdain”) occurs only here and in Lam 1:15. Cognate usage in Aramaic and Akkadian, as well as Lam 1:15, suggest it may have a concrete nuance of “to throw away.”

[119:118]  ⁶³ tn Heb “for their deceit [is] falsehood.”

[132:7]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “bow down.”

[147:11]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[147:18]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “he sends his word and melts them.”

[147:18]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “he blows his breath.”