Mazmur 10:10

10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;

they are trapped in his sturdy nets. ¹ 

Mazmur 22:3

22:3 You are holy;

you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. ² 

Mazmur 23:3

23:3 He restores my strength. ³ 

He leads me down ⁴  the right paths ⁵ 

for the sake of his reputation. ⁶ 

Mazmur 32:3

32:3 When I refused to confess my sin, ⁷ 

my whole body wasted away, ⁸ 

while I groaned in pain all day long.

Mazmur 37:3

37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!

Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! ⁹ 

Mazmur 37:11

37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land

and enjoy great prosperity. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 37:16

37:16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than

the wealth of many evil men, ¹¹ 

Mazmur 37:18

37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day ¹² 

and they possess a permanent inheritance. ¹³ 

Mazmur 37:26

37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, ¹⁴ 

and his children ¹⁵  are blessed.

Mazmur 37:39

37:39 But the Lord delivers the godly; ¹⁶ 

he protects them in times of trouble. ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 40:7

40:7 Then I say,

“Look! I come!

What is written in the scroll pertains to me. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 49:20

49:20 Wealthy people do not understand; ¹⁹ 

they are like animals ²⁰  that perish. ²¹ 

Mazmur 50:5

50:5 He says: ²² 

“Assemble my covenant people before me, ²³ 

those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice!” ²⁴ 

Mazmur 55:20

55:20 He ²⁵  attacks ²⁶  his friends; ²⁷ 

he breaks his solemn promises to them. ²⁸ 

Mazmur 56:11

56:11 in God I trust, I am not afraid.

What can mere men ²⁹  do to me? ³⁰ 

Mazmur 61:3

61:3 Indeed, ³¹  you are ³²  my shelter,

a strong tower that protects me from the enemy. ³³ 

Mazmur 63:8

63:8 My soul ³⁴  pursues you; ³⁵ 

your right hand upholds me.

Mazmur 63:10

63:10 Each one will be handed over to the sword; ³⁶ 

their corpses will be eaten by jackals. ³⁷ 

Mazmur 66:17

66:17 I cried out to him for help ³⁸ 

and praised him with my tongue. ³⁹ 

Mazmur 68:23

68:23 so that your feet may stomp ⁴⁰  in their blood,

and your dogs may eat their portion of the enemies’ corpses.” ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 71:11

71:11 They say, ⁴²  “God has abandoned him.

Run and seize him, for there is no one who will rescue him!”

Mazmur 73:10

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

and even suck up the water of the sea. ⁴³ 

Mazmur 73:17

73:17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple, ⁴⁴ 

and understood the destiny of the wicked. ⁴⁵ 

Mazmur 78:2

78:2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;

I will make insightful observations about the past. ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 78:32

78:32 Despite all this, they continued to sin,

and did not trust him to do amazing things. ⁴⁷ 

Mazmur 78:46

78:46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,

the fruit of their labor to the locust.

Mazmur 78:53

78:53 He guided them safely along,

while the sea covered their enemies.

Mazmur 78:61

78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; ⁴⁸ 

he gave the symbol of his splendor ⁴⁹  into the hand of the enemy. ⁵⁰ 

Mazmur 80:12

80:12 Why did you break down its walls, ⁵¹ 

so that all who pass by pluck its fruit? ⁵² 

Mazmur 81:2

81:2 Sing ⁵³  a song and play the tambourine,

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

Mazmur 81:4

81:4 For observing the festival is a requirement for Israel; ⁵⁴ 

it is an ordinance given by the God of Jacob.

Mazmur 83:13

83:13 O my God, make them like dead thistles, ⁵⁵ 

like dead weeds blown away by ⁵⁶  the wind!

Mazmur 83:17

83:17 May they be humiliated and continually terrified! ⁵⁷ 

May they die in shame! ⁵⁸ 

Mazmur 91:1

Psalm 91 ⁵⁹ 

91:1 As for you, the one who lives ⁶⁰  in the shelter of the sovereign One, ⁶¹ 

and resides in the protective shadow ⁶²  of the mighty king ⁶³  –

Mazmur 94:15

94:15 For justice will prevail, ⁶⁴ 

and all the morally upright ⁶⁵  will be vindicated. ⁶⁶ 

Mazmur 96:8

96:8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves! ⁶⁷ 

Bring an offering and enter his courts!

Mazmur 99:5

99:5 Praise ⁶⁸  the Lord our God!

Worship ⁶⁹  before his footstool!

He is holy!

Mazmur 104:9

104:9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,

so that they would not cover the earth again. ⁷⁰ 

Mazmur 105:44--106:1

105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,

and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, ⁷¹ 

105:45 so that they might keep his commands

and obey ⁷²  his laws.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 106 ⁷³ 

106:1 Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

and his loyal love endures! ⁷⁴ 

Mazmur 106:19

106:19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,

and worshiped a metal idol.

Mazmur 106:29

106:29 They made the Lord angry ⁷⁵  by their actions,

and a plague broke out among them.

Mazmur 106:46

106:46 He caused all their conquerors ⁷⁶ 

to have pity on them.

Mazmur 107:26

107:26 They ⁷⁷  reached up to the sky,

then dropped into the depths.

The sailors’ strength ⁷⁸  left them ⁷⁹  because the danger was so great. ⁸⁰ 

Mazmur 109:6

109:6 ⁸¹ Appoint an evil man to testify against him! ⁸² 

May an accuser stand ⁸³  at his right side!

Mazmur 109:27

109:27 Then they will realize ⁸⁴  this is your work, ⁸⁵ 

and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.

Mazmur 112:2

112:2 His descendants ⁸⁶  will be powerful on the earth;

the godly ⁸⁷  will be blessed.

Mazmur 112:6

112:6 For he will never be upended;

others will always remember one who is just. ⁸⁸ 

Mazmur 113:9

113:9 He makes the barren woman of the family ⁸⁹ 

a happy mother of children. ⁹⁰ 

Praise the Lord!

Mazmur 114:3

114:3 The sea looked and fled; ⁹¹ 

the Jordan River ⁹²  turned back. ⁹³ 

Mazmur 115:11

115:11 You loyal followers of the Lord, ⁹⁴  trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer ⁹⁵  and protector. ⁹⁶ 

Mazmur 115:18

115:18 But we will praise the Lord

now and forevermore.

Praise the Lord!

Mazmur 117:2

117:2 For his loyal love towers ⁹⁷  over us,

and the Lord’s faithfulness endures.

Praise the Lord!

Mazmur 118:6

118:6 The Lord is on my side, ⁹⁸  I am not afraid!

What can people do to me? ⁹⁹ 

Mazmur 118:26

118:26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord ¹⁰⁰  be blessed!

We will pronounce blessings on you ¹⁰¹  in the Lord’s temple. ¹⁰² 

Mazmur 119:51

119:51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me. ¹⁰³ 

Yet I do not turn aside from your law.

Mazmur 119:53

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

those who reject your law.

Mazmur 119:62

119:62 In the middle of the night I arise ¹⁰⁴  to thank you

for your just regulations.

Mazmur 119:80-81

119:80 May I be fully committed to your statutes, ¹⁰⁵ 

so that I might not be ashamed.

כ (Kaf)

119:81 I desperately long for ¹⁰⁶  your deliverance.

I find hope in your word.

Mazmur 119:98

119:98 Your commandments ¹⁰⁷  make me wiser than my enemies,

for I am always aware of them.

Mazmur 119:130

119:130 Your instructions are a doorway through which light shines. ¹⁰⁸ 

They give ¹⁰⁹  insight to the untrained. ¹¹⁰ 

Mazmur 123:3

123:3 Show us favor, O Lord, show us favor!

For we have had our fill of humiliation, and then some. ¹¹¹ 

Mazmur 125:2

125:2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, ¹¹² 

so the Lord surrounds his people,

now and forevermore.

Mazmur 126:4

126:4 O Lord, restore our well-being,

just as the streams in the arid south are replenished. ¹¹³ 

Mazmur 127:4

127:4 Sons born during one’s youth

are like arrows in a warrior’s hand. ¹¹⁴ 

Mazmur 132:15

132:15 I will abundantly supply what she needs; ¹¹⁵ 

I will give her poor all the food they need. ¹¹⁶ 

Mazmur 134:3

134:3 May the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth,

bless you ¹¹⁷  from Zion! ¹¹⁸ 

Mazmur 135:3

135:3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good!

Sing praises to his name, for it is pleasant! ¹¹⁹ 

Mazmur 135:20

135:20 O family of Levi, praise the Lord!

You loyal followers ¹²⁰  of the Lord, praise the Lord!

Mazmur 139:23

139:23 Examine me, and probe my thoughts! ¹²¹ 

Test me, and know my concerns! ¹²² 

Mazmur 146:10

146:10 The Lord rules forever,

your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come! ¹²³ 

Praise the Lord!

Mazmur 149:1

Psalm 149 ¹²⁴ 

149:1 Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song!

Praise him in the assembly of the godly! ¹²⁵ 

[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).

[22:3]  ² tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the Lord as sitting enthroned as king in his temple, receiving the praises that his people Israel offer up to him.

[23:3]  ³ tn The appearance of the Hebrew term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi), traditionally translated “my soul,” might suggest a spiritualized interpretation for the first line of v. 3. However, at the surface level of the shepherd/sheep metaphor, this is unlikely. When it occurs with a pronominal suffix נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. 4 נֶפֶשׁ.a). In this context, where the statement most naturally refers to the physical provision just described, the form is best translated simply “me.” The accompanying verb (a Polel form [factitive use] of שׁוּב [shuv]), if referring to the physical provision just described, carries the nuance “refresh, restore strength.”

[23:3]  ⁴ tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 (יְשׁוֹבֵב [yÿshovev] and יַנְחֵנִי [yakheniy]), like those in vv. 1-2, highlight what is typical of the shepherd/sheep relationship.

[23:3]  ⁵ tn The attributive genitive צֶדֶק (tsedeq) is traditionally translated “righteousness” here, as if designating a moral or ethical quality. But this seems unlikely, for it modifies מַעְגְּלֵי (ma’ggÿley, “paths”). Within the shepherd/sheep metaphor, the phrase likely refers to “right” or “correct” paths, i.e. ones that lead to pastures, wells, or the fold. While צֶדֶק usually does carry a moral or ethical nuance, it can occasionally refer to less abstract things, such as weights and offerings. In this context, which emphasizes divine provision and protection, the underlying reality is probably God’s providential guidance. The psalmist is confident that God takes him down paths that will ultimately lead to something beneficial, not destructive.

[23:3]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew term שֶׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the shepherd’s reputation. (The English term “name” is often used the same way.) The statement לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ (lÿma’an shÿmo, “for the sake of his name”) makes excellent sense within the framework of the shepherd/sheep metaphor. Shepherds, who sometimes hired out their services, were undoubtedly concerned about their vocational reputation. To maintain their reputation as competent shepherds, they had to know the “lay of the land” and make sure they led the sheep down the right paths to the proper destinations. The underlying reality is a profound theological truth: God must look out for the best interests of the one he has promised to protect, because if he fails to do so, his faithfulness could legitimately be called into question and his reputation damaged.

[32:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “when I was silent.”

[32:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “my bones became brittle.” The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.

[37:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (ra’ah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.

[37:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”

[37:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Better [is] a little to the godly one than the wealth of many evil ones.” The following verses explain why this is true. Though a godly individual may seem to have only meager possessions, he always has what he needs and will eventually possess the land. The wicked may prosper for a brief time, but will eventually be destroyed by divine judgment and lose everything.

[37:18]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”

[37:26]  ¹⁴ tn The active participles describe characteristic behavior.

[37:26]  ¹⁵ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[37:39]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and the deliverance of the godly [ones] [is] from the Lord.”

[37:39]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “[he is] their place of refuge in a time of trouble.”

[40:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in the roll of the scroll it is written concerning me.” Apparently the psalmist refers to the law of God (see v. 8), which contains the commandments God desires him to obey. If this is a distinctly royal psalm, then the psalmist/king may be referring specifically to the regulations of kingship prescribed in Deut 17:14-20. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 315.

[49:20]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “mankind in honor does not understand.” The Hebrew term יְקָר (yÿqar, “honor”) probably refers here to the wealth mentioned in the preceding context. The imperfect verbal form draws attention to what is characteristically true. Some emend יָבִין (yavin, “understands”) to יָלִין (yalin, “remains”), but this is an unnecessary accommodation to the wording of v. 12.

[49:20]  ²⁰ tn Or “cattle.”

[49:20]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew verb is derived from דָּמָה (damah, “cease, destroy”; BDB 198 s.v.). Another option is to derive the verb from דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”; see HALOT 225 s.v. II דמה, which sees two homonymic roots [I דָּמַה, “be silent,” and II דָּמַה, “destroy”] rather than a single root) and translate, “they are like dumb beasts.” This makes particularly good sense here, where the preceding line focuses on mankind’s lack of understanding.

[50:5]  ²² tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s summons to the defendant follows.

[50:5]  ²³ tn Or “Gather to me my covenant people.” The Hebrew term חָסִיד (khasid, “covenant people”) elsewhere in the psalms is used in a positive sense of God’s loyal followers (see the note at Ps 4:3), but here, as the following line makes clear, the term has a neutral sense and simply refers to those who have outwardly sworn allegiance to God, not necessarily to those whose loyalty is genuine.

[50:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the cutters of my covenant according to sacrifice.” A sacrifice accompanied the covenant-making ceremony and formally ratified the agreement (see Exod 24:3-8).

[55:20]  ²⁵ sn He. This must refer to the psalmist’s former friend, who was addressed previously in vv. 12-14.

[55:20]  ²⁶ tn Heb “stretches out his hand against.”

[55:20]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn Heb “he violates his covenant.”

[56:11]  ²⁹ tn The statement is similar to that of v. 4, except “flesh” is used there instead of “man.”

[56:11]  ³⁰ tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.

[61:3]  ³¹ tn Or “for.”

[61:3]  ³² tn Or “have been.”

[61:3]  ³³ tn Heb “a strong tower from the face of an enemy.”

[63:8]  ³⁴ tn Or “I.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[63:8]  ³⁵ tn Heb “clings after.” The expression means “to pursue with determination” (see Judg 20:45; 1 Sam 14:22; 1 Chr 10:2; Jer 42:16).

[63:10]  ³⁶ tn Heb “they will deliver him over to the sword.” The third masculine plural subject must be indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f) and the singular pronominal suffix either representative or distributive (emphasizing that each one will be so treated). Active verbs with indefinite subjects may be translated as passives with the object (in the Hebrew text) as subject (in the translation).

[63:10]  ³⁷ tn Heb “they will be [the] portion of jackals”; traditionally, “of foxes.”

[66:17]  ³⁸ tn Heb “to him [with] my mouth I called.”

[66:17]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and he was extolled under my tongue.” The form רוֹמַם (romam) appears to be a polal (passive) participle from רוּם (rum, “be exalted”), but many prefer to read רוֹמָם, “high praise [was under my tongue]” (cf. NEB). See BDB 928 s.v. רוֹמָם.

[68:23]  ⁴⁰ tc Some (e.g. NRSV) prefer to emend מָחַץ (makhats, “smash; stomp”; see v. 21) to רָחַץ (rakhats, “bathe”; see Ps 58:10).

[68:23]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “[and] the tongue of your dogs from [the] enemies [may eat] its portion.”

[71:11]  ⁴² tn Heb “saying.”

[73:10]  ⁴³ 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.

[73:17]  ⁴⁴ tn The plural of the term מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash) probably refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 68:35; Jer 51:51).

[73:17]  ⁴⁵ 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.

[78:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “I will open with a wise saying my mouth, I will utter insightful sayings from long ago.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה+מָשָׁל (mashal + khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6), and an insightful song that reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent death (Ps 49:4).

[78:32]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “and did not believe in his amazing deeds.”

[78:61]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” The expression “his strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.

[78:61]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” The expression “his splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.

[78:61]  ⁵⁰ sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).

[80:12]  ⁵¹ sn The protective walls of the metaphorical vineyard are in view here (see Isa 5:5).

[80:12]  ⁵² tn Heb “pluck it.”

[81:2]  ⁵³ tn Heb “lift up.”

[81:4]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “because a statute for Israel [is] it.”

[83:13]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “tumbleweed.” The Hebrew noun גַּלְגַּל (galgal) refers to a “wheel” or, metaphorically, to a whirling wind (see Ps 77:18). If taken in the latter sense here, one could understand the term as a metonymical reference to dust blown by a whirlwind (cf. NRSV “like whirling dust”). However, HALOT 190 s.v. II גַּלְגַּל understands the noun as a homonym referring to a “dead thistle” here and in Isa 17:13. The parallel line, which refers to קַשׁ (qash, “chaff”), favors this interpretation.

[83:13]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “before.”

[83:17]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “and may they be terrified to perpetuity.” The Hebrew expression עֲדֵי־עַד (’adey-’ad, “to perpetuity”) can mean “forevermore” (see Pss 92:7; 132:12, 14), but here it may be used hyperbolically, for the psalmist asks that the experience of judgment might lead the nations to recognize (v. 18) and even to seek (v. 16) God.

[83:17]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “may they be ashamed and perish.” The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling severe judgment down on his enemies. The strong language of the imprecation seems to run contrary to the positive outcome of divine judgment envisioned in v. 16b. Perhaps the language of v. 17 is overstated for effect. Another option is that v. 16b expresses an ideal, while the strong imprecation of vv. 17-18 anticipates reality. It would be nice if the defeated nations actually pursued a relationship with God, but if judgment does not bring them to that point, the psalmist asks that they be annihilated so that they might at least be forced to acknowledge God’s power.

[91:1]  ⁵⁹ sn Psalm 91. In this psalm an individual (perhaps a priest) addresses one who has sought shelter in the Lord and assures him that God will protect him from danger (vv. 1-13). In vv. 14-16 God himself promises to keep his loyal follower safe.

[91:1]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “[O] one who lives.”

[91:1]  ⁶¹ tn Traditionally “the Most High.”

[91:1]  ⁶² sn The Lord is compared here to a bird who protects its young under the shadow of its wings (see v. 4).

[91:1]  ⁶³ sn The divine name used here is “Shaddai” (שַׁדַּי, shadday; see also Ps 68:14). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the mighty king (sovereign judge) of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness.

[94:15]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.”

[94:15]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “all the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 97:11).

[94:15]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and after it [are] the pure of heart.”

[96:8]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., “due”] his name.”

[99:5]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “exalt.”

[99:5]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “bow down.”

[104:9]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “a boundary you set up, they will not cross, they will not return to cover the earth.”

[105:44]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”

[105:45]  ⁷² tn Heb “guard.”

[106:1]  ⁷³ sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.

[106:1]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”

[106:29]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew mss. Perhaps it was accidentally left off, an original וַיַּכְעִיסוּהוּ (vayyakh’isuhu) being misread as וַיַּכְעִיסוּ (vayyakh’isu). In the translation the referent of the pronominal suffix (the Lord) has been specified for clarity to avoid confusion with Baal of Peor (mentioned in the previous verse).

[106:46]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “captors.”

[107:26]  ⁷⁷ tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).

[107:26]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[107:26]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “melted.”

[107:26]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “from danger.”

[109:6]  ⁸¹ sn In vv. 6-19 the psalmist calls on God to judge his enemies severely. Some attribute this curse-list to the psalmist’s enemies rather than the psalmist. In this case one should paraphrase v. 6: “They say about me, ‘Appoint an evil man, etc.’” Those supporting this line of interpretation point out that vv. 2-5 and 20 refer to the enemies’ attack on the psalmist being a verbal one. Furthermore in vv. 1-5, 20 the psalmist speaks of his enemies in the plural, while vv. 6-19 refer to an individual. This use of the singular in vv. 6-19 could be readily explained if this is the psalmist’s enemies’ curse on him. However, it is much more natural to understand vv. 6-19 as the psalmist’s prayer against his enemies. There is no introductory quotation formula in v. 6 to indicate that the psalmist is quoting anyone, and the statement “may the Lord repay my accusers in this way” in v. 20 most naturally appears to be a fitting conclusion to the prayer in vv. 6-19. But what about the use of the singular in vv. 6-19? Often in the psalms the psalmist will describe his enemies as a group, but then speak of them as an individual as well, as if viewing his adversaries collectively as one powerful foe. See, for example, Ps 7, where the psalmist uses both the plural (vv. 1, 6) and the singular (vv. 2, 4-5) in referring to enemies. Perhaps by using the singular in such cases, the psalmist wants to single out each enemy for individual attention, or perhaps he has one especially hostile enemy in mind who epitomizes the opposition of the whole group. This may well be the case in Ps 109. Perhaps we should understand the singular throughout vv. 6-19 in the sense of “each and every one.” For a lengthy and well-reasoned defense of the opposite view – that vv. 6-19 are a quotation of what the enemies said about the psalmist – see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 72-73.

[109:6]  ⁸² tn Heb “appoint against him an evil [man].”

[109:6]  ⁸³ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive here (note the imperative in the preceding line).

[109:27]  ⁸⁴ tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.

[109:27]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “that your hand [is] this.”

[112:2]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[112:2]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “His seed will be mighty on the earth, the generation of the godly.” The Hebrew term דוֹר (dor, “generation”) could be taken as parallel to “offspring” and translated “posterity,” but the singular more likely refers to the godly as a class. See BDB 189-90 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.

[112:6]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “for an eternal memorial a just [one] will be.”

[113:9]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “of the house.”

[113:9]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “sons.”

[114:3]  ⁹¹ sn The psalmist recalls the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).

[114:3]  ⁹² tn Heb “the Jordan” (also in v. 5). The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[114:3]  ⁹³ sn The psalmist recalls the crossing of the Jordan River (Josh 3:13, 16).

[115:11]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “[you] fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

[115:11]  ⁹⁵ tn Or “[source of] help.”

[115:11]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “and their shield.”

[117:2]  ⁹⁷ tn For this sense of the Hebrew verb גָּבַר (gavar), see Ps 103:11 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19.

[118:6]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “for me.”

[118:6]  ⁹⁹ tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. See Ps 56:11.

[118:26]  ¹⁰⁰ sn The people refer here to the psalmist, who enters the Lord’s temple to thank him publicly (see vv. 19-21), as the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

[118:26]  ¹⁰¹ tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural, but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the following form) or enclitic, in which case the suffix may be taken as second masculine singular, referring to the psalmist.

[118:26]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “from the house of the Lord.”

[119:51]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “scoff at me to excess.”

[119:62]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The psalmist uses an imperfect verbal form to emphasize that this is his continuing practice.

[119:80]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “may my heart be complete in your statutes.”

[119:81]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “my soul pines for.” See Ps 84:2.

[119:98]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The plural form needs to be revocalized as a singular in order to agree with the preceding singular verb and the singular pronoun in the next line. The Lord’s “command” refers here to the law (see Ps 19:8).

[119:130]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “the doorway of your words gives light.” God’s “words” refer here to the instructions in his law (see vv. 9, 57).

[119:130]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “it [i.e., the doorway] gives.”

[119:130]  ¹¹⁰ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Pss 19:7; 116:6.

[123:3]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “for greatly we are filled [with] humiliation.”

[125:2]  ¹¹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[126:4]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “like the streams in the Negev.”

[126:4]  sn The streams in the arid south. Y. Aharoni writes of the streams in the Negev: “These usually dry wadis collect water on rainy days from vast areas. The situation is also aggravated by floods from the desert mountains and southern Judah. For a day or two or, more frequently, for only a few hours they turn into dangerous torrents” (Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 26). God’s people were experiencing a “dry season” after a time of past blessing; they pray here for a “flash flood” of his renewed blessing. This does not imply that they are requesting only a brief display of God’s blessing. Rather the point of comparison is the suddenness with which the wadis swell during a rain, as well as the depth and power of these raging waters. The community desires a sudden display of divine favor in which God overwhelms them with blessings.

[127:4]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so [are] sons of youth.” Arrows are used in combat to defend oneself against enemies; sons are viewed here as providing social security and protection (see v. 5). The phrase “sons of youth” is elliptical, meaning “sons [born during the father’s] youth.” Such sons will have grown up to be mature adults and will have children of their own by the time the father reaches old age and becomes vulnerable to enemies. Contrast the phrase “son of old age” in Gen 37:3 (see also 44:20), which refers to Jacob’s age when Joseph was born.

[132:15]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “I will greatly bless her provision.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.

[132:15]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “her poor I will satisfy [with] food.”

[134:3]  ¹¹⁷ tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine singular, suggesting that the servants addressed in vv. 1-2 are responding to the psalmist.

[134:3]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “may the Lord bless you from Zion, the maker of heaven and earth.”

[135:3]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “for [it is] pleasant.” The translation assumes that it is the Lord’s “name” that is pleasant. Another option is to understand the referent of “it” as the act of praising (see Ps 147:1).

[135:20]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “fearers.”

[139:23]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “and know my heart.”

[139:23]  ¹²² tn The Hebrew noun שַׂרְעַפַּי (sar’apay, “concerns”) is used of “worries” in Ps 94:19.

[146:10]  ¹²³ tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.”

[149:1]  ¹²⁴ sn Psalm 149. The psalmist calls upon God’s people to praise him because he is just and avenges them.

[149:1]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “his praise in the assembly of the godly ones.”