Mazmur 1:4

1:4 Not so with the wicked!

Instead ¹  they are like wind-driven chaff. ² 

Mazmur 37:1

Psalm 37 ³ 

By David.

37:1 Do not fret ⁴  when wicked men seem to succeed! ⁵ 

Do not envy evildoers!

Mazmur 94:11

94:11 The Lord knows that

peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt. ⁶ 

Mazmur 116:5

116:5 The Lord is merciful and fair;

our God is compassionate.

Mazmur 119:3

119:3 who, moreover, do no wrong,

but follow in his footsteps. ⁷ 

Mazmur 119:35

119:35 Guide me ⁸  in the path of your commands,

for I delight to walk in it. ⁹ 

Mazmur 119:39

119:39 Take away the insults that I dread! ¹⁰ 

Indeed, ¹¹  your regulations are good.

Mazmur 119:123

119:123 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your deliverance, ¹² 

for your reliable promise to be fulfilled. ¹³ 

Mazmur 119:138

119:138 The rules you impose are just, ¹⁴ 

and absolutely reliable.

Mazmur 129:4

129:4 The Lord is just;

he cut the ropes of the wicked.” ¹⁵ 

[1:4]  ¹ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead,” cf. v. 2) introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described in v. 4.

[1:4]  ² tn Heb “[they are] like the chaff which [the] wind blows about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action described.

[1:4]  sn Wind-driven chaff. In contrast to the well-rooted and productive tree described in v. 3, the wicked are like a dried up plant that has no root system and is blown away by the wind. The simile describes the destiny of the wicked (see vv. 5-6).

[37:1]  ³ sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[37:1]  ⁴ tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.

[37:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.

[94:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “the Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are emptiness.” The psalmist thinks specifically of the “thoughts” expressed in v. 7.

[119:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[119:35]  ⁸ tn Or “make me walk.”

[119:35]  ⁹ tn Heb “for in it I delight.”

[119:39]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “my reproach that I fear.”

[119:39]  ¹¹ tn Or “for.”

[119:123]  ¹² tn Heb “my eyes fail for your deliverance.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision. See the similar phrase in v. 82.

[119:123]  ¹³ tn Heb “and for the word of your faithfulness.”

[119:138]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “you commanded [in] justice your rules.”

[129:4]  ¹⁵ tn The background of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Perhaps the “ropes” are those used to harness the ox for plowing (see Job 39:10). Verse 3 pictures the wicked plowing God’s people as if they were a field. But when God “cut the ropes” of their ox, as it were, they could no longer plow. The point of the metaphor seems to be that God took away the enemies’ ability to oppress his people. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 187.