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 10:6

10:6 He says to himself, ⁵ 

“I will never ⁶  be upended,

because I experience no calamity.” ⁷ 

Mazmur 16:2

16:2 I say to the Lord, “You are the Lord,

my only source of well-being.” ⁸ 

Mazmur 19:3

19:3 There is no actual speech or word,

nor is its ⁹  voice literally heard.

Mazmur 33:13

33:13 The Lord watches ¹⁰  from heaven;

he sees all people. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 57:2

57:2 I cry out for help to the sovereign God, ¹² 

to the God who vindicates ¹³  me.

Mazmur 71:8

71:8 I praise you constantly

and speak of your splendor all day long. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 74:5

74:5 They invade like lumberjacks

swinging their axes in a thick forest. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 77:4

77:4 You held my eyelids open; ¹⁶ 

I was troubled and could not speak. ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 101:4

101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; ¹⁸ 

I will not permit ¹⁹  evil.

Mazmur 103:1

Psalm 103 ²⁰ 

By David.

103:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!

With all that is within me, praise ²¹  his holy name!

Mazmur 107:4

107:4 They wandered through the wilderness on a desert road;

they found no city in which to live.

Mazmur 116:12

116:12 How can I repay the Lord

for all his acts of kindness to me?

Mazmur 119:96

119:96 I realize that everything has its limits,

but your commands are beyond full comprehension. ²² 

Mazmur 119:133

119:133 Direct my steps by your word! ²³ 

Do not let any sin dominate me!

Mazmur 119:165

119:165 Those who love your law are completely secure; ²⁴ 

nothing causes them to stumble. ²⁵ 

Mazmur 146:6

146:6 the one who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

who remains forever faithful, ²⁶ 

[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.”

[10:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “he says in his heart/mind.”

[10:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.” The traditional accentuation of the MT understands these words with the following line.

[10:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “who, not in calamity.” If אֲשֶׁר (’asher) is taken as a relative pronoun here, then one could translate, “[I] who [am] not in calamity.” Some emend אֲשֶׁר to אֹשֶׁר (’osher, “happiness”; see HALOT 99 s.v. אֹשֶׁר); one might then translate, “[I live in] happiness, not in calamity.” The present translation assumes that אֲשֶׁר functions here as a causal conjunction, “because, for.” For this use of אֲשֶׁר, see BDB 83 s.v. אֲשֶׁר 8.c (where the present text is not cited).

[16:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “my good [is] not beyond you.” For the use of the preposition עַל (’al) in the sense of “beyond,” see BDB 755 s.v. 2.

[19:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “their.” The antecedent of the plural pronoun is “heavens” (v. 1).

[33:13]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew perfect verbal forms in v. 13 state general facts.

[33:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “all the sons of men.”

[57:2]  ¹² tn Heb “to God Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.

[57:2]  ¹³ tn Or “avenges in favor of.”

[71:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “my mouth is filled [with] your praise, all the day [with] your splendor.”

[74:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “it is known like one bringing upwards, in a thicket of wood, axes.” The Babylonian invaders destroyed the woodwork in the temple.

[77:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “you held fast the guards of my eyes.” The “guards of the eyes” apparently refers to his eyelids. The psalmist seems to be saying that God would not bring him relief, which would have allowed him to shut his eyes and get some sleep (see v. 2).

[77:4]  ¹⁷ tn The imperfect is used in the second clause to emphasize that this was an ongoing condition in the past.

[101:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse (see Ps 18:26). It appears frequently in the Book of Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6).

[101:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.

[103:1]  ²⁰ sn Psalm 103. The psalmist praises God for his mercy and willingness to forgive his people.

[103:1]  ²¹ tn The verb “praise” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).

[119:96]  ²² tn Heb “to every perfection I have seen an end, your command is very wide.” God’s law is beyond full comprehension, which is why the psalmist continually studies it (vv. 95, 97).

[119:133]  ²³ tn God’s “word” refers here to his law (see v. 11).

[119:165]  ²⁴ tn Heb “great peace [is] to the lovers of your law.”

[119:165]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and there is no stumbling to them.”

[146:6]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the one who guards faithfulness forever.”