Mazmur 10:10

10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;

they are trapped in his sturdy nets. ¹ 

Mazmur 10:12

10:12 Rise up, Lord! ² 

O God, strike him down! ³ 

Do not forget the oppressed!

Mazmur 16:2

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

my only source of well-being.” ⁴ 

Mazmur 18:40

18:40 You make my enemies retreat; ⁵ 

I destroy those who hate me. ⁶ 

Mazmur 19:11

19:11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; ⁷ 

those who obey them receive a rich reward. ⁸ 

Mazmur 26:5

26:5 I hate the mob ⁹  of evil men,

and do not associate ¹⁰  with the wicked.

Mazmur 29:2

29:2 Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord’s reputation! ¹¹ 

Worship the Lord in holy attire! ¹² 

Mazmur 34:19

34:19 The godly ¹³  face many dangers, ¹⁴ 

but the Lord saves ¹⁵  them ¹⁶  from each one of them.

Mazmur 37:12

37:12 Evil men plot against the godly ¹⁷ 

and viciously attack them. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 39:7

39:7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?

You are my only hope! ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 50:18

50:18 When you see a thief, you join him; ²⁰ 

you associate with men who are unfaithful to their wives. ²¹ 

Mazmur 55:20

55:20 He ²²  attacks ²³  his friends; ²⁴ 

he breaks his solemn promises to them. ²⁵ 

Mazmur 65:2

65:2 You hear prayers; ²⁶ 

all people approach you. ²⁷ 

Mazmur 74:13

74:13 You destroyed ²⁸  the sea by your strength;

you shattered the heads of the sea monster ²⁹  in the water.

Mazmur 78:51

78:51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt,

the firstfruits of their reproductive power ³⁰  in the tents of Ham.

Mazmur 78:60

78:60 He abandoned ³¹  the sanctuary at Shiloh,

the tent where he lived among men.

Mazmur 79:4

79:4 We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors;

those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. ³² 

Mazmur 81:2

81:2 Sing ³³  a song and play the tambourine,

the pleasant sounding harp, and the ten-stringed instrument!

Mazmur 83:10

83:10 They were destroyed at Endor; ³⁴ 

their corpses were like manure ³⁵  on the ground.

Mazmur 87:7

87:7 As for the singers, as well as the pipers –

all of them sing within your walls. ³⁶ 

Mazmur 89:37

89:37 it will remain stable, like the moon, ³⁷ 

his throne will endure like the skies.” ³⁸  (Selah)

Mazmur 90:12

90:12 So teach us to consider our mortality, ³⁹ 

so that we might live wisely. ⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 92:6

92:6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;

the fool does not understand this. ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 102:7

102:7 I stay awake; ⁴² 

I am like a solitary bird on a roof.

Mazmur 106:16

106:16 In the camp they resented ⁴³  Moses,

and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 106:24

106:24 They rejected the fruitful land; ⁴⁵ 

they did not believe his promise. ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 107:17

107:17 They acted like fools in their rebellious ways, ⁴⁷ 

and suffered because of their sins.

Mazmur 109:11

109:11 May the creditor seize ⁴⁸  all he owns!

May strangers loot his property! ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 116:12

116:12 How can I repay the Lord

for all his acts of kindness to me?

Mazmur 119:27

119:27 Help me to understand what your precepts mean! ⁵⁰ 

Then I can meditate ⁵¹  on your marvelous teachings. ⁵² 

Mazmur 119:102

119:102 I do not turn aside from your regulations,

for you teach me.

Mazmur 119:111

119:111 I claim your rules as my permanent possession,

for they give me joy. ⁵³ 

Mazmur 119:113

ס (Samek)

119:113 I hate people with divided loyalties, ⁵⁴ 

but I love your law.

Mazmur 119:121

ע (Ayin)

119:121 I do what is fair and right. ⁵⁵ 

Do not abandon me to my oppressors!

Mazmur 119:160

119:160 Your instructions are totally reliable;

all your just regulations endure. ⁵⁶ 

Mazmur 119:164

119:164 Seven ⁵⁷  times a day I praise you

because of your just regulations.

Mazmur 132:9

132:9 May your priests be clothed with integrity! ⁵⁸ 

May your loyal followers shout for joy!

Mazmur 132:15

132:15 I will abundantly supply what she needs; ⁵⁹ 

I will give her poor all the food they need. ⁶⁰ 

Mazmur 136:5-6

136:5 to the one who used wisdom to make the heavens,

for his loyal love endures,

136:6 to the one who spread out the earth over the water,

for his loyal love endures,

Mazmur 136:13

136:13 to the one who divided ⁶¹  the Red Sea ⁶²  in two, ⁶³ 

for his loyal love endures,

Mazmur 136:25

136:25 to the one who gives food to all living things, ⁶⁴ 

for his loyal love endures.

Mazmur 143:6

143:6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer; ⁶⁵ 

my soul thirsts for you in a parched ⁶⁶  land. ⁶⁷ 

Mazmur 147:14

147:14 He ⁶⁸  brings peace to your territory. ⁶⁹ 

He abundantly provides for you ⁷⁰  the best grain.

[10:10]  ¹ tn Heb “he crushes, he is bowed down, and he falls into his strong [ones], [the] unfortunate [ones].” This verse presents several lexical and syntactical difficulties. The first word (יִדְכֶּה, yidekeh) is an otherwise unattested Qal form of the verb דָּכָה (dakhah, “crush”). (The Qere [marginal] form is imperfect; the consonantal text [Kethib] has the perfect with a prefixed conjunction vav [ו].) If the wicked man’s victim is the subject, which seems to be the case (note the two verbs which follow), then the form should be emended to a Niphal (יִדָּכֶה, yiddakheh). The phrase בַּעֲצוּמָיו (ba’atsumayv, “into his strong [ones]”), poses interpretive problems. The preposition -בְּ (bet) follows the verb נָפַל (nafal, “fall”), so it may very well carry the nuance “into” here, with “his strong [ones]” then referring to something into which the oppressed individual falls. Since a net is mentioned in the preceding verse as the instrument used to entrap the victim, it is possible that “strong [ones]” here refers metonymically to the wicked man’s nets or traps. Ps 35:8 refers to a man falling into a net (רֶשֶׁת, reshet), as does Ps 141:10 (where the plural of מִכְמָר [mikhmar, “net”] is used). A hunter’s net (רֶשֶׁת), is associated with snares (פַּח [pakh], מֹקְשִׁים, [moqÿshim]) and ropes (חֲבָלִים, khavalim) in Ps 140:5. The final word in the verse (חֶלְכָּאִים (khelka’im, “unfortunate [ones]”) may be an alternate form of חֵלְכָח (khelkhakh, “unfortunate [one]”; see vv. 8, 14). The Qere (marginal reading) divides the form into two words, חֵיל כָּאִים (khel ka’im, “army/host of disheartened [ones]”). The three verb forms in v. 10 are singular because the representative “oppressed” individual is the grammatical subject (see the singular עָנִי [’aniy] in v. 9).

[10:12]  ² sn Rise up, O Lord! The psalmist’s mood changes from lament to petition and confidence.

[10:12]  ³ tn Heb “lift up your hand.” Usually the expression “lifting the hand” refers to praying (Pss 28:2; 134:2) or making an oath (Ps 106:26), but here it probably refers to “striking a blow” (see 2 Sam 18:28; 20:21). Note v. 15, where the psalmist asks the Lord to “break the arm of the wicked.” A less likely option is that the psalmist is requesting that the Lord declare by oath his intention to intervene.

[16:2]  ⁴ 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.

[18:40]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ sn Those who hate me. See v. 17, where it is the Lord who delivered the psalmist from those who hated him.

[19:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “moreover your servant is warned by them.”

[19:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “in the keeping of them [there is] a great reward.”

[26:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “assembly, company.”

[26:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “sit.” The psalmist uses the imperfect form of the verb to emphasize that he does not make a practice of associating with such people.

[29:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the Lord’s reputation. (The English term “name” is often used the same way.)

[29:2]  ¹² tn That is, properly dressed for the occasion.

[34:19]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.

[34:19]  ¹⁴ tn Or “trials.”

[34:19]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the godly.

[34:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.

[37:12]  ¹⁷ tn Or “innocent.” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and the typical godly individual are in view.

[37:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and gnashes at him with his teeth” (see Ps 35:16). The language may picture the evil men as wild animals. The active participles in v. 12 are used for purposes of dramatic description.

[39:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “my hope, for you it [is].”

[50:18]  ²⁰ tn Heb “you run with him.”

[50:18]  ²¹ tn Heb “and with adulterers [is] your portion.”

[55:20]  ²² sn He. This must refer to the psalmist’s former friend, who was addressed previously in vv. 12-14.

[55:20]  ²³ tn Heb “stretches out his hand against.”

[55:20]  ²⁴ tc The form should probably be emended to an active participle (שֹׁלְמָיו, sholÿmayv) from the verbal root שָׁלַם (shalam, “be in a covenant of peace with”). Perhaps the translation “his friends” suggests too intimate a relationship. Another option is to translate, “he attacks those who made agreements with him.”

[55:20]  ²⁵ tn Heb “he violates his covenant.”

[65:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “O one who hears prayer.”

[65:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “to you all flesh comes.”

[74:13]  ²⁸ tn The derivation and meaning of the Polel verb form פּוֹרַרְתָּ (porarta) are uncertain. The form may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “break, shatter,” though the biblical Hebrew cognate of this verb always appears in the Hiphil or Hophal stem. BDB 830 s.v. II פָּרַר suggests a homonym here, meaning “to split; to divide.” A Hitpolel form of a root פָּרַר (parar) appears in Isa 24:19 with the meaning “to shake violently.”

[74:13]  ²⁹ tn The Hebrew text has the plural form, “sea monsters” (cf. NRSV “dragons”), but it is likely that an original enclitic mem has been misunderstood as a plural ending. The imagery of the mythological sea monster is utilized here. See the note on “Leviathan” in v. 14.

[78:51]  ³⁰ tn Heb “the beginning of strength.” If retained, the plural form אוֹנִים (’onim, “strength”) probably indicates degree (“great strength”), but many ancient witnesses read “their strength,” which presupposes an emendation to אֹנָם (’onam; singular form of the noun with third masculine plural pronominal suffix).

[78:60]  ³¹ tn Or “rejected.”

[79:4]  ³² tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.” See Ps 44:13.

[81:2]  ³³ tn Heb “lift up.”

[83:10]  ³⁴ sn Endor is not mentioned in the accounts of Gideon’s or Barak’s victories, but both battles took place in the general vicinity of the town. (See Y. Aharoni and M. Avi-Yonah, The Macmillan Bible Atlas, 46, 54.) Because Sisera and Jabin are mentioned in v. 9b, many understand them to be the subject of the verbs in v. 10, though they relate v. 10 to Gideon’s victory, which is referred to in v. 9a, 11. (See, for example, Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 263.)

[83:10]  ³⁵ tn Heb “they were manure.” In addition to this passage, corpses are compared to manure in 2 Kgs 9:37; Jer 8:2; 9:21; 16:4; 25:33.

[87:7]  ³⁶ tc Heb “and singers, like pipers, all my springs [are] in you.” The participial form חֹלְלִים (kholÿlim) appears to be from a denominative verb meaning “play the pipe,” though some derive the form from חוּל (khul, “dance”). In this case the duplicated lamed (ל) requires an emendation to מְחֹלְלִים (mÿkholÿlim, “a Polel form). The words are addressed to Zion. As it stands, the Hebrew text makes little, if any, sense. “Springs” are often taken here as a symbol of divine blessing and life”), but this reading does not relate to the preceding line in any apparent way. The present translation assumes an emendation of כָּל־מַעְיָנַי (kol-ma’yanay, “all my springs”) to כֻּלָּם עָנוּ (kullam ’anu, “all of them sing,” with the form עָנוּ being derived from עָנָה, ’anah, “sing”).

[89:37]  ³⁷ tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”

[89:37]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join וְעֵד (vÿ’ed) to עוֹלָם (’olam) in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase עוֹלָם וְעֵד (“forever”). In this case one may translate the second line, “[it] will be secure like the skies.” Another option (the one reflected in the present translation) is to take עד as a rare noun meaning “throne” or “dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= כִּסֵּא, kisse’, “throne”) and ’d (= עד, “dais”) appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). Emending בַּשַּׁחַק (bashakhaq, “in the heavens”) to כַּשַׁחַק (kashakhaq, “like the heavens”) – bet/kaf (כ/ב) confusion is widely attested – one can then read “[his] throne like the heavens [is] firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (שְׁחָקִים, shÿkhaqim) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. Ps 89:29 uses the term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “skies”) which frequently appears in parallelism to שְׁחָקִים.

[90:12]  ³⁹ tn Heb “to number our days,” that is, to be aware of how few they really are.

[90:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and we will bring a heart of wisdom.” After the imperative of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates purpose/result. The Hebrew term “heart” here refers to the center of one’s thoughts, volition, and moral character.

[92:6]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the brutish man does not know, and the fool does not understand this.” The adjective בַּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish”) refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 49:10; 73:22; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).

[102:7]  ⁴² tn This probably refers to the psalmist’s inability to sleep. Another option is to translate, “I keep watch,” in which case it might refer to watching for a response from the Lord (see vv. 1-2).

[106:16]  ⁴³ tn Or “envied.”

[106:16]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the holy one of the Lord.”

[106:24]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).

[106:24]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “his word.”

[107:17]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “fools [they were] because of the way of their rebellion.”

[109:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “lay snares for” (see Ps 38:12).

[109:11]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “the product of his labor.”

[119:27]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “the way of your precepts make me understand.”

[119:27]  ⁵¹ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[119:27]  ⁵² tn Heb “your amazing things,” which refers here to the teachings of the law (see v. 18).

[119:111]  ⁵³ tn Heb “for the joy of my heart [are] they.”

[119:113]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “divided ones.” The word occurs only here; it appears to be derived from a verbal root, attested in Arabic, meaning “to split” (see HALOT 762 s.v. *סֵעֵף). Since the psalmist is emphasizing his unswerving allegiance to God and his law, the term probably refers to those who lack such loyalty. The translation is similar to that suggested by L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 131.

[119:121]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “do justice and righteousness.”

[119:160]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “the head of your word is truth, and forever [is] all your just regulation.” The term “head” is used here of the “sum total” of God’s instructions.

[119:164]  ⁵⁷ tn The number “seven” is use rhetorically to suggest thoroughness.

[132:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “righteousness.”

[132:15]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “I will greatly bless her provision.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.

[132:15]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “her poor I will satisfy [with] food.”

[136:13]  ⁶¹ tn Or “cut.”

[136:13]  ⁶² tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in v. 15). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.

[136:13]  ⁶³ tn Heb “into pieces.”

[136:25]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “to all flesh,” which can refer to all people (see Pss 65:2; 145:21) or more broadly to mankind and animals. Elsewhere the psalms view God as the provider for all living things (see Pss 104:27-28; 145:15).

[143:6]  ⁶⁵ tn The words “in prayer” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the psalmist is referring to a posture of prayer.

[143:6]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” See Ps 63:1.

[143:6]  ⁶⁷ tc Heb “my soul like a faint land for you.” A verb (perhaps “thirsts”) is implied (see Ps 63:1). The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition -כְּ (kÿ, “like”) to -בְּ (bÿ, “in,” see Ps 63:1; cf. NEB “athirst for thee in a thirsty land”). If the MT is retained, one might translate, “my soul thirsts for you, as a parched land does for water/rain” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[147:14]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “the one who.”

[147:14]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “he makes your boundary peace.”

[147:14]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “satisfies you with.”