Mazmur 1:2

1:2 Instead ¹  he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; ² 

he meditates on ³  his commands ⁴  day and night.

Mazmur 1:5

1:5 For this reason ⁵  the wicked cannot withstand ⁶  judgment, ⁷ 

nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly. ⁸ 

Mazmur 2:9

2:9 You will break them ⁹  with an iron scepter; ¹⁰ 

you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” ¹¹ 

Mazmur 3:6

3:6 I am not afraid ¹²  of the multitude of people ¹³ 

who attack me from all directions. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 6:7

6:7 My eyes ¹⁵  grow dim ¹⁶  from suffering;

they grow weak ¹⁷  because of all my enemies. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 7:13

7:13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; ¹⁹ 

he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 10:1

Psalm 10 ²¹ 

10:1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble? ²² 

Mazmur 18:34

18:34 He trains my hands for battle; ²³ 

my arms can bend even the strongest bow. ²⁴ 

Mazmur 18:40

18:40 You make my enemies retreat; ²⁵ 

I destroy those who hate me. ²⁶ 

Mazmur 22:19

22:19 But you, O Lord, do not remain far away!

You are my source of strength! ²⁷  Hurry and help me! ²⁸ 

Mazmur 26:6

26:6 I maintain a pure lifestyle, ²⁹ 

so I can appear before your altar, ³⁰  O Lord,

Mazmur 26:12--27:1

26:12 I am safe, ³¹ 

and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.

Psalm 27 ³² 

By David.

27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! ³³ 

I fear no one! ³⁴ 

The Lord protects my life!

I am afraid of no one! ³⁵ 

Mazmur 27:13

27:13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience

the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? ³⁶ 

Mazmur 33:6

33:6 By the Lord’s decree ³⁷  the heavens were made;

by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created. ³⁸ 

Mazmur 34:7

34:7 The Lord’s angel camps around

the Lord’s ³⁹  loyal followers ⁴⁰  and delivers them. ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 34:11

34:11 Come children! Listen to me!

I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord. ⁴² 

Mazmur 35:11

35:11 Violent men perjure themselves, ⁴³ 

and falsely accuse me. ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 37:18

37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day ⁴⁵ 

and they possess a permanent inheritance. ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 44:12

44:12 You sold ⁴⁷  your people for a pittance; ⁴⁸ 

you did not ask a high price for them. ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 45:13

45:13 The princess ⁵⁰  looks absolutely magnificent, ⁵¹ 

decked out in pearls and clothed in a brocade trimmed with gold. ⁵² 

Mazmur 50:8

50:8 I am not condemning ⁵³  you because of your sacrifices,

or because of your burnt sacrifices that you continually offer me. ⁵⁴ 

Mazmur 50:14

50:14 Present to God a thank-offering!

Repay your vows to the sovereign One! ⁵⁵ 

Mazmur 51:5

51:5 Look, I was guilty of sin from birth,

a sinner the moment my mother conceived me. ⁵⁶ 

Mazmur 62:11

62:11 God has declared one principle;

two principles I have heard: ⁵⁷ 

God is strong, ⁵⁸ 

Mazmur 63:6

63:6 whenever ⁵⁹  I remember you on my bed,

and think about you during the nighttime hours.

Mazmur 69:7

69:7 For I suffer ⁶⁰  humiliation for your sake ⁶¹ 

and am thoroughly disgraced. ⁶² 

Mazmur 71:2

71:2 Vindicate me by rescuing me! ⁶³ 

Listen to me! ⁶⁴  Deliver me! ⁶⁵ 

Mazmur 73:8

73:8 They mock ⁶⁶  and say evil things; ⁶⁷ 

they proudly threaten violence. ⁶⁸ 

Mazmur 73:10

73:10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat,

and even suck up the water of the sea. ⁶⁹ 

Mazmur 73:13

73:13 I concluded, ⁷⁰  “Surely in vain I have kept my motives ⁷¹  pure

and maintained a pure lifestyle. ⁷² 

Mazmur 74:15

74:15 You broke open the spring and the stream; ⁷³ 

you dried up perpetually flowing rivers. ⁷⁴ 

Mazmur 78:10

78:10 They did not keep their covenant with God, ⁷⁵ 

and they refused to obey ⁷⁶  his law.

Mazmur 78:22

78:22 because they did not have faith in God,

and did not trust his ability to deliver them. ⁷⁷ 

Mazmur 78:26

78:26 He brought the east wind through the sky,

and by his strength led forth the south wind.

Mazmur 78:34

78:34 When he struck them down, ⁷⁸  they sought his favor; ⁷⁹ 

they turned back and longed for God.

Mazmur 78:37

78:37 They were not really committed to him, ⁸⁰ 

and they were unfaithful to his covenant.

Mazmur 78:47-48

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, ⁸¹ 

and hurled lightning bolts down on their livestock. ⁸² 

Mazmur 80:11

80:11 Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea, ⁸³ 

and its shoots the Euphrates River. ⁸⁴ 

Mazmur 82:7

82:7 Yet you will die like mortals; ⁸⁵ 

you will fall like all the other rulers.” ⁸⁶ 

Mazmur 83:7

83:7 Gebal, ⁸⁷  Ammon, and Amalek,

Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre. ⁸⁸ 

Mazmur 88:17

88:17 They surround me like water all day long;

they join forces and encircle me. ⁸⁹ 

Mazmur 89:15

89:15 How blessed are the people who worship you! ⁹⁰ 

O Lord, they experience your favor. ⁹¹ 

Mazmur 89:23

89:23 I will crush his enemies before him;

I will strike down those who hate him.

Mazmur 92:3

92:3 to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre,

to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.

Mazmur 94:21

94:21 They conspire against ⁹²  the blameless, ⁹³ 

and condemn to death the innocent. ⁹⁴ 

Mazmur 97:3

97:3 Fire goes before him;

on every side ⁹⁵  it burns up his enemies.

Mazmur 98:2

98:2 The Lord demonstrates his power to deliver; ⁹⁶ 

in the sight of the nations he reveals his justice.

Mazmur 98:4

98:4 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth!

Break out in a joyful shout and sing!

Mazmur 103:19

103:19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven;

his kingdom extends over everything. ⁹⁷ 

Mazmur 105:23

105:23 Israel moved to ⁹⁸  Egypt;

Jacob lived for a time ⁹⁹  in the land of Ham.

Mazmur 105:27

105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, ¹⁰⁰ 

and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.

Mazmur 105:41

105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;

a river ran through dry regions.

Mazmur 106:46

106:46 He caused all their conquerors ¹⁰¹ 

to have pity on them.

Mazmur 112:7

112:7 He does not fear bad news.

He ¹⁰²  is confident; he trusts ¹⁰³  in the Lord.

Mazmur 114:8

114:8 who turned a rock into a pool of water,

a hard rock into springs of water! ¹⁰⁴ 

Mazmur 118:11

118:11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me.

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

Mazmur 118:19

118:19 Open for me the gates of the just king’s temple! ¹⁰⁵ 

I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

Mazmur 119:9

ב (Bet)

119:9 How can a young person ¹⁰⁶  maintain a pure life? ¹⁰⁷ 

By guarding it according to your instructions! ¹⁰⁸ 

Mazmur 119:11

119:11 In my heart I store up ¹⁰⁹  your words, ¹¹⁰ 

so I might not sin against you.

Mazmur 119:41

ו (Vav)

119:41 May I experience your loyal love, ¹¹¹  O Lord,

and your deliverance, ¹¹²  as you promised. ¹¹³ 

Mazmur 119:80-81

119:80 May I be fully committed to your statutes, ¹¹⁴ 

so that I might not be ashamed.

כ (Kaf)

119:81 I desperately long for ¹¹⁵  your deliverance.

I find hope in your word.

Mazmur 119:108

119:108 O Lord, please accept the freewill offerings of my praise! ¹¹⁶ 

Teach me your regulations!

Mazmur 119:120

119:120 My body ¹¹⁷  trembles ¹¹⁸  because I fear you; ¹¹⁹ 

I am afraid of your judgments.

Mazmur 119:136

119:136 Tears stream down from my eyes, ¹²⁰ 

because people ¹²¹  do not keep your law.

Mazmur 119:166

119:166 I hope for your deliverance, O Lord,

and I obey ¹²²  your commands.

Mazmur 119:174

119:174 I long for your deliverance, O Lord;

I find delight in your law.

Mazmur 122:1

Psalm 122 ¹²³ 

A song of ascents, ¹²⁴  by David.

122:1 I was glad because ¹²⁵  they said to me,

“We will go to the Lord’s temple.”

Mazmur 124:1

Psalm 124 ¹²⁶ 

A song of ascents, ¹²⁷  by David.

124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our side” –

let Israel say this! –

Mazmur 126:1

Psalm 126 ¹²⁸ 

A song of ascents. ¹²⁹ 

126:1 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion, ¹³⁰ 

we thought we were dreaming. ¹³¹ 

Mazmur 133:1

Psalm 133 ¹³² 

A song of ascents, ¹³³  by David.

133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

when brothers live together! ¹³⁴ 

Mazmur 135:14

135:14 For the Lord vindicates ¹³⁵  his people,

and has compassion on his servants. ¹³⁶ 

Mazmur 135:19

135:19 O family ¹³⁷  of Israel, praise the Lord!

O family of Aaron, praise the Lord!

Mazmur 136:17

136:17 to the one who struck down great kings,

for his loyal love endures,

Mazmur 138:5

138:5 Let them sing about the Lord’s deeds, ¹³⁸ 

for the Lord’s splendor is magnificent. ¹³⁹ 

Mazmur 146:10

146:10 The Lord rules forever,

your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come! ¹⁴⁰ 

Praise the Lord!

[1:2]  ¹ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.

[1:2]  ² tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the Lord’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the Lord’s commands.” However, even if one translates the line this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will; thus “obeying” has been used in the translation rather than “studying.”

[1:2]  ³ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.

[1:2]  ⁴ tn Or “his law.”

[1:5]  ⁵ tn Or “Therefore.”

[1:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “arise in,” but the verb is used metonymically here in the sense of “stand”; “endure,” as in 1 Sam 13:14 and Job 8:15. The negated Hebrew imperfect verbal form is here taken as indicating incapability or lack of potential, though one could understand the verb form as indicating what is typical (“do not withstand”) or what will happen (“will not withstand”).

[1:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “the judgment.” The article indicates a judgment that is definite in the mind of the speaker. In the immediate context this probably does not refer to the “final judgment” described in later biblical revelation, but to a temporal/historical judgment which the author anticipates. Periodically during the OT period, God would come in judgment, removing the wicked from the scene, while preserving a godly remnant (see Gen 6-9; Ps 37; Hab 3).

[1:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “and sinners in the assembly (or “circle”) of [the] godly.” The negative particle and verb from the preceding line are assumed by ellipsis here (“will not arise/stand”).

[1:5]  sn The assembly of the godly is insulated from divine judgment (Ps 37:12-17, 28-29).

[2:9]  ⁹ tc The LXX reads “you will shepherd them.” This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, “to shepherd”) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, “to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, “to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.

[2:9]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.

[2:9]  ¹¹ sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.

[3:6]  ¹² tn The imperfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s continuing attitude as he faces the crisis at hand.

[3:6]  ¹³ tn Or perhaps “troops.” The Hebrew noun עָם (’am) sometimes refers to a military contingent or army.

[3:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “who all around take a stand against me.”

[6:7]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew text has the singular “eye” here.

[6:7]  ¹⁶ tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”

[6:7]  ¹⁷ tn Or perhaps, “grow old.”

[6:7]  ¹⁸ sn In his weakened condition the psalmist is vulnerable to the taunts and threats of his enemies.

[7:13]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and for him he prepares the weapons of death.”

[7:13]  ²⁰ tn Heb “his arrows into flaming [things] he makes.”

[10:1]  ²¹ sn Psalm 10. Many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version (LXX) combine Psalms 9 and 10 into a single psalm. Taken in isolation, Psalm 10 is a petition for help in which the psalmist urges the Lord to deliver him from his dangerous enemies, whom he describes in vivid and terrifying detail. The psalmist concludes with confidence; he is certain that God’s justice will prevail.

[10:1]  ²² tn Heb “you hide for times in trouble.” The interrogative “why” is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The Hiphil verbal form “hide” has no expressed object. Some supply “your eyes” by ellipsis (see BDB 761 s.v. I עָלַם Hiph and HALOT 835 s.v. I עלם hif) or emend the form to a Niphal (“you hide yourself,” see BHS, note c; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[18:34]  ²³ sn He trains my hands. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.

[18:34]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms”; or “my arms bend a bow of bronze.” The verb נָחַת (nakhat) apparently means “pull back, bend” here (see HALOT 692 s.v. נחת). The third feminine singular verbal form appears to agree with the feminine singular noun קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “bow”). In this case the verb must be taken as Niphal (passive). However, it is possible that “my arms” is the subject of the verb and “bow” the object. In this case the verb is Piel (active). For other examples of a feminine singular verb being construed with a plural noun, see GKC 464 §145.k.

[18:34]  sn The strongest bow (Heb “bow of bronze”) probably refers to a bow laminated with bronze strips, or to a purely ceremonial or decorative bow made entirely from bronze. In the latter case the language is hyperbolic, for such a weapon would not be functional in battle.

[18:40]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and [as for] my enemies, you give to me [the] back [or “neck”].” The idiom “give [the] back” means “to cause [one] to turn the back and run away.” Cf. Exod 23:27.

[18:40]  ²⁶ sn Those who hate me. See v. 17, where it is the Lord who delivered the psalmist from those who hated him.

[22:19]  ²⁷ tn Heb “O my strength.”

[22:19]  ²⁸ tn Heb “hurry to my help.”

[26:6]  ²⁹ tn Heb “I wash my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The imperfect verbal emphasizes that this is his habit.

[26:6]  ³⁰ tn Heb “so I can go around your altar” (probably in ritual procession). Following the imperfect of the preceding line, the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.

[26:12]  ³¹ tn Heb “my foot stands in a level place.”

[27:1]  ³² sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.

[27:1]  ³³ tn Heb “the Lord [is] my light and my deliverance.” “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Another option is that “light” refers here to divine guidance (see Ps 43:3).

[27:1]  ³⁴ tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

[27:1]  ³⁵ tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

[27:13]  ³⁶ tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is incomplete: “If I had not believed [I would] see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” The words “Where would I be” are supplied in the translation to clarify the intent of the statement.

[33:6]  ³⁷ tn Heb “word.”

[33:6]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” The words “were created” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons; they are understood by ellipsis (note “were made” in the preceding line). The description is consistent with Gen 1:16, which indicates that God spoke the heavenly luminaries into existence.

[34:7]  ³⁹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[34:7]  ⁴¹ tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC 329 §111.u.

[34:11]  ⁴² tn Heb “the fear of the Lord I will teach you.” In vv. 13-14 the psalmist explains to his audience what it means to “fear” the Lord.

[35:11]  ⁴³ tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”

[35:11]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “[that] which I do not know they ask me.”

[37:18]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “the Lord knows the days of the innocent ones.” He “knows” their days in the sense that he is intimately aware of and involved in their daily struggles. He meets their needs and sustains them.

[37:18]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”

[44:12]  ⁴⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[44:12]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “for what is not wealth.”

[44:12]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “you did not multiply their purchase prices.”

[45:13]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “[the] daughter of a king.”

[45:13]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “[is] completely glorious.”

[45:13]  ⁵² tc Heb “within, from settings of gold, her clothing.” The Hebrew term פְּנִימָה (pÿnimah, “within”), if retained, would go with the preceding line and perhaps refer to the bride being “within” the palace or her bridal chamber (cf. NIV, NRSV). Since the next two lines refer to her attire (see also v. 9b), it is preferable to emend the form to פְּנִינִיהָּ (“her pearls”) or to פְּנִינִים (“pearls”). The mem (מ) prefixed to “settings” is probably dittographic.

[50:8]  ⁵³ tn Or “rebuking.”

[50:8]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and your burnt sacrifices before me continually.”

[50:14]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.

[51:5]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “Look, in wrongdoing I was brought forth, and in sin my mother conceived me.” The prefixed verbal form in the second line is probably a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive), stating a simple historical fact. The psalmist is not suggesting that he was conceived through an inappropriate sexual relationship (although the verse has sometimes been understood to mean that, or even that all sexual relationships are sinful). The psalmist’s point is that he has been a sinner from the very moment his personal existence began. By going back beyond the time of birth to the moment of conception, the psalmist makes his point more emphatically in the second line than in the first.

[62:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “one God spoke, two which I heard.” This is a numerical saying utilizing the “x” followed by “x + 1” pattern to facilitate poetic parallelism. (See W. M. W. Roth, Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament [VTSup], 55-56.) As is typical in such sayings, a list corresponding to the second number (in this case “two”) follows. Another option is to translate, “God has spoken once, twice [he has spoken] that which I have heard.” The terms אַחַת (’akhat, “one; once”) and שְׁתַּיִם (shÿtayim, “two; twice”) are also juxtaposed in 2 Kgs 6:10 (where they refer to an action that was done more than “once or twice”) and in Job 33:14 (where they refer to God speaking “one way” and then in “another manner”).

[62:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “that strength [belongs] to God.”

[63:6]  ⁵⁹ tn The Hebrew term אִם (’im) is used here in the sense of “when; whenever,” as in Ps 78:34.

[69:7]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “carry, bear.”

[69:7]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “on account of you.”

[69:7]  ⁶² tn Heb “and shame covers my face.”

[71:2]  ⁶³ tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me and deliver me.” Ps 31:1 omits “and deliver me.”

[71:2]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”

[71:2]  ⁶⁵ tn Ps 31:2 adds “quickly” before “deliver.”

[73:8]  ⁶⁶ tn The verb מוּק (muq, “mock”) occurs only here in the OT.

[73:8]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and speak with evil.”

[73:8]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “oppression from an elevated place they speak.” The traditional accentuation of the MT places “oppression” with the preceding line. In this case, one might translate, “they mock and speak with evil [of] oppression, from an elevated place [i.e., “proudly”] they speak.” By placing “oppression” with what follows, one achieves better poetic balance in the parallelism.

[73:10]  ⁶⁹ tc Heb “therefore his people return [so Qere (marginal reading); Kethib (consonantal text) has “he brings back”] to here, and waters of abundance are sucked up by them.” The traditional Hebrew text (MT) defies explanation. The present translation reflects M. Dahood’s proposed emendations (Psalms [AB], 2:190) and reads the Hebrew text as follows: לָכֵן יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם וּמֵי מָלֵא יָמֹצּוּ לָמוֹ (“therefore they are filled with food, and waters of abundance they suck up for themselves”). The reading יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם (yisvÿ’um lekhem, “they are filled with food”) assumes (1) an emendation of יָשׁיּב עַמּוֹ (yashyyv, “he will bring back his people”) to יִשְׂבְעוּם (yisvÿ’um, “they will be filled”; a Qal imperfect third masculine plural form from שָׂבַע [sava’] with enclitic mem [ם]), and (2) an emendation of הֲלֹם (halom, “to here”) to לֶחֶם (“food”). The expression “be filled/fill with food” appears elsewhere at least ten times (see Ps 132:15, for example). In the second line the Niphal form יִמָּצוּ (yimmatsu, derived from מָצָה, matsah, “drain”) is emended to a Qal form יָמֹצּוּ (yamotsu), derived from מָצַץ (matsats, “to suck”). In Isa 66:11 the verbs שָׂבַע (sava’; proposed in Ps 73:10a) and מָצַץ (proposed in Ps 73:10b) are parallel. The point of the emended text is this: Because they are seemingly sovereign (v. 9), they become greedy and grab up everything they need and more.

[73:13]  ⁷⁰ tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.

[73:13]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.

[73:13]  ⁷² tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.

[74:15]  ⁷³ sn You broke open the spring and the stream. Perhaps this alludes to the way in which God provided water for the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness following the exodus (see Ps 78:15-16, 20; 105:41).

[74:15]  ⁷⁴ sn Perpetually flowing rivers are rivers that contain water year round, unlike the seasonal streams that flow only during the rainy season. Perhaps the psalmist here alludes to the drying up of the Jordan River when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan under Joshua (see Josh 3-4).

[78:10]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “the covenant of God.”

[78:10]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “walk in.”

[78:22]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “and they did not trust his deliverance.”

[78:34]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “killed them,” that is, killed large numbers of them.

[78:34]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “they sought him.”

[78:37]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”

[78:48]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “and he turned over to the hail their cattle.”

[78:48]  ⁸² tn Heb “and their livestock to the flames.” “Flames” here refer to the lightning bolts that accompanied the storm.

[80:11]  ⁸³ tn Heb “to [the] sea.” The “sea” refers here to the Mediterranean Sea.

[80:11]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “to [the] river.” The “river” is the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. Israel expanded both to the west and to the east.

[82:7]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “men.” The point in the context is mortality, however, not maleness.

[82:7]  sn You will die like mortals. For the concept of a god losing immortality and dying, see Isa 14:12-15, which alludes to a pagan myth in which the petty god “Shining One, son of the Dawn,” is hurled into Sheol for his hubris.

[82:7]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “like one of the rulers.” The comparison does not necessarily imply that they are not rulers. The expression “like one of” can sometimes mean “as one of” (Gen 49:16; Obad 11) or “as any other of” (Judg 16:7, 11).

[83:7]  ⁸⁷ sn Some identify Gebal with the Phoenician coastal city of Byblos (see Ezek 27:9, where the name is spelled differently), though others locate this site south of the Dead Sea (see BDB 148 s.v. גְּבַל; HALOT 174 s.v. גְּבַל).

[83:7]  ⁸⁸ map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[88:17]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “they encircle me together.”

[89:15]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “who know the shout.” “Shout” here refers to the shouts of the Lord’s worshipers (see Pss 27:6; 33:3; 47:5).

[89:15]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “in the light of your face they walk.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; Dan 9:17).

[94:21]  ⁹² tn Or “attack.”

[94:21]  ⁹³ tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”

[94:21]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”

[97:3]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “all around.”

[98:2]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “makes known his deliverance.”

[103:19]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “his kingdom rules over all.”

[105:23]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “entered.”

[105:23]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “lived as a resident alien.”

[105:27]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).

[106:46]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “captors.”

[112:7]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition and emotions (see Ps 108:1).

[112:7]  ¹⁰³ tn The passive participle בָּטֻחַ [בָּטוּחַ] (batuakh [batuakh]) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action. See Isa 26:3.

[114:8]  ¹⁰⁴ 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).

[118:19]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “the gates of justice.” The gates of the Lord’s temple are referred to here, as v. 20 makes clear. They are called “gates of justice” because they are the entrance to the just king’s palace. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[119:9]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “young man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender specific “young man” has been translated with the more neutral “young person.”

[119:9]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “purify his path.”

[119:9]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:11]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “hide.”

[119:11]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “your word.” Some medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:41]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “and may your loyal love come to me.”

[119:41]  ¹¹² tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions).

[119:41]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “according to your word.”

[119:80]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “may my heart be complete in your statutes.”

[119:81]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “my soul pines for.” See Ps 84:2.

[119:108]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “of my mouth.”

[119:120]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “my flesh.”

[119:120]  ¹¹⁸ tn The Hebrew verb סָמַר (samar, “to tremble”) occurs only here and in Job 4:15.

[119:120]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “from fear of you.” The pronominal suffix on the noun is an objective genitive.

[119:136]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “[with] flowing streams my eyes go down.”

[119:136]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “they”; even though somewhat generic, the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[119:166]  ¹²² tn Heb “do.”

[122:1]  ¹²³ sn Psalm 122. The psalmist expresses his love for Jerusalem and promises to pray for the city’s security.

[122:1]  ¹²⁴ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[122:1]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “in the ones saying to me.” After the verb שָׂמַח (samakh), the preposition בְּ (bet) usually introduces the reason for joy.

[124:1]  ¹²⁶ sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.

[124:1]  ¹²⁷ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[126:1]  ¹²⁸ sn Psalm 126. Recalling the joy of past deliverance, God’s covenant community asks for a fresh display of God’s power and confidently anticipate their sorrow being transformed into joy.

[126:1]  ¹²⁹ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[126:1]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew noun שִׁיבַת (shivat) occurs only here in the OT. For this reason many prefer to emend the form to the more common שְׁבִית (shevit) or שְׁבוּת (shÿvut), both of which are used as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv; see Ps 14:7). However an Aramaic cognate of שְׁבִית appears in an eighth century b.c. Old Aramaic inscription with the verb שׁוּב. This cognate noun appears to mean “return” (see J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Treaties of Sefire [BibOr], 119-20) or “restoration” (see DNWSI 2:1125). Therefore it appears that שְׁבִית should be retained and understood as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב. In addition to Fitzmyer (119-20) see L. C. Allen, who offers the literal translation, “turn with a turning toward” (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170). Allen takes שְׁבִית as construct and understands “Zion” as an objective genitive.

[126:1]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “we were like dreamers.” This could mean the speakers were so overcome with ecstatic joy (see v. 3b) that they were like those who fantasize about pleasurable experiences in their sleep (see Isa 29:7-8). Since dreams are more commonly associated in the OT with prophetic visions, the community may be comparing their experience of God’s renewed favor to a prophet’s receiving divine visions. Just as a prophetic dream sweeps the individual into a different dimension and sometimes brings one face-to-face with God himself (see Gen 28:11-15; 1 Kgs 3:5-15), so the community was aware of God’s presence in a special way in the day of Zion’s restoration. Though the MT as it stands makes good sense, some choose to understand a homonymic root here meaning “to be healthy; to be strong” (see BDB 321 s.v. I חָלַם) and translate, “we were like those restored to health.” This reading appears to have the support of several ancient translations as well as 11QPs^a. See L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170-71) for a discussion of the viewpoints.

[133:1]  ¹³² sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.

[133:1]  ¹³³ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[133:1]  ¹³⁴ sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.

[135:14]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “judges,” but here the idea is that the Lord “judges on behalf of” his people. The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to the Lord’s characteristic actions.

[135:14]  ¹³⁶ sn Verse 14 echoes Deut 32:36, where Moses affirms that God mercifully relents from fully judging his wayward people.

[135:19]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “house” (here and in the next two lines).

[138:5]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “ways.”

[138:5]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “great.”

[146:10]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.”