Mazmur 1:5-6

1:5 For this reason ¹  the wicked cannot withstand ²  judgment, ³ 

nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly. ⁴ 

1:6 Certainly ⁵  the Lord guards the way of the godly, ⁶ 

but the way of the wicked ends in destruction. ⁷ 

Mazmur 7:3

7:3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say, ⁸ 

or am guilty of unjust actions, ⁹ 

Mazmur 35:11

35:11 Violent men perjure themselves, ¹⁰ 

and falsely accuse me. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 37:8

37:8 Do not be angry and frustrated! ¹² 

Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!

Mazmur 49:5

49:5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, ¹³ 

when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me? ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 52:2

52:2 Your tongue carries out your destructive plans; ¹⁵ 

it is as effective as a sharp razor, O deceiver. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 56:5

56:5 All day long they cause me trouble; ¹⁷ 

they make a habit of plotting my demise. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 71:4

71:4 My God, rescue me from the power ¹⁹  of the wicked,

from the hand of the cruel oppressor!

Mazmur 73:17

73:17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple, ²⁰ 

and understood the destiny of the wicked. ²¹ 

Mazmur 106:6

106:6 We have sinned like ²²  our ancestors; ²³ 

we have done wrong, we have done evil.

Mazmur 106:37

106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. ²⁴ 

Mazmur 112:7

112:7 He does not fear bad news.

He ²⁵  is confident; he trusts ²⁶  in the Lord.

Mazmur 119:53

119:53 Rage takes hold of me because of the wicked,

those who reject your law.

[1:5]  ¹ tn Or “Therefore.”

[1:5]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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).

[1:6]  ⁵ tn The translation understands כי as asseverative. Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 6 as a theological explanation for vv. 3-5, which contrasts the respective destinies of the godly and the wicked.

[1:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “the Lord knows the way of the righteous.” To “know a way” means, in its most basic sense, “to recognize/acknowledge a pathway, route, or prescribed way of life” (see Josh 3:4; Job 21:14; Ps 67:2; Isa 42:16; Jer 5:4-5). Here it could refer to the Lord recognizing the behavior of the godly and, by metonymy, rewarding their godliness with security and prosperity (resulting in the translation, “the Lord rewards the behavior of the godly”). The present translation takes the verb in the sense of “mark out” (cf. Job 23:10), which metonymically could mean “watch over, protect, guard.” In this case the “way of the godly” is not their behavior, but their course of life or destiny; a translation reflecting this would be “the Lord protects the lives of the godly” or “the Lord watches over the destiny of the godly” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The Hebrew active participle יוֹדֵעַ (yodea’, “knows”) has here a characteristic durative force.

[1:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “but the way of the wicked perishes.” The “way of the wicked” may refer to their course of life (Ps 146:9; Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1) or their sinful behavior (Prov 12:26; 15:9). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form probably describes here what typically happens, though one could take the form as indicating what will happen (“will perish”).

[7:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “if I have done this.”

[7:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “if there is injustice in my hands.” The “hands” figuratively suggest deeds or actions.

[35:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”

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

[37:8]  ¹² tn Heb “Refrain from anger! Abandon rage!”

[49:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “days of trouble.” The phrase also occurs in Ps 94:13. The question is rhetorical; there is no reason to be afraid when the rich oppressors threaten the weak (see v. 17). The following verses explain why this is so.

[49:5]  ¹⁴ tc The MT has, “the iniquity of my heels surrounds me.” The clause is best understood as temporal and as elaborating on the preceding phrase “times of trouble.” If the MT is retained, the genitive “of my heels” would probably indicate location (“the iniquity at my heels”); the sinful actions of the rich threaten to overtake the psalmist, as it were. It is better, however, to emend עֲקֵבַי (’aqivay, “my heels”) to either (1) עֲקֻבַּי (’aqubay, “my deceitful ones,” i.e., “those who deceive me” [from the adjective עָקֹב (’aqov), “deceitful,” see Jer 17:9]) or (2) עֹקְבַי (’oqÿvay, “those who deceive me” [a suffixed active participle from עָקַב, ’aqav, “betray, deceive”]). Origen’s transliteration of the Hebrew text favors the first of these options. Either of the emendations provides a much smoother transition to v. 6, because “those who trust in their wealth” would then be appositional to “those who deceive me.”

[52:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “destruction your tongue devises.”

[52:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “like a sharpened razor, doer of deceit.” The masculine participle עָשָׂה (’asah) is understood as a substantival vocative, addressed to the powerful man.

[56:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “my affairs they disturb.” For other instances of דָּבָר (davar) meaning “affairs, business,” see BDB 183 s.v.. The Piel of עָצַב (’atsav, “to hurt”) occurs only here and in Isa 63:10, where it is used of “grieving” (or “offending”) the Lord’s holy Spirit. Here in Ps 56:5, the verb seems to carry the nuance “disturb, upset,” in the sense of “cause trouble.”

[56:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “against me [are] all their thoughts for harm.”

[71:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “hand.”

[73:17]  ²⁰ tn The plural of the term מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash) probably refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 68:35; Jer 51:51).

[73:17]  ²¹ tn Heb “I discerned their end.” At the temple the psalmist perhaps received an oracle of deliverance announcing his vindication and the demise of the wicked (see Ps 12) or heard songs of confidence (for example, Ps 11), wisdom psalms (for example, Pss 1, 37), and hymns (for example, Ps 112) that describe the eventual downfall of the proud and wealthy.

[106:6]  ²² tn Heb “with.”

[106:6]  ²³ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 7).

[106:37]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.

[112:7]  ²⁵ tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition and emotions (see Ps 108:1).

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