Mazmur 107:16
Konteks107:16 For he shattered the bronze gates,
and hacked through the iron bars. 1
Mazmur 2:9
Konteks2:9 You will break them 2 with an iron scepter; 3
you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” 4
Mazmur 48:7
Konteks48:7 With an east wind
you shatter 5 the large ships. 6
Mazmur 51:17
Konteks51:17 The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit 7 –
O God, a humble and repentant heart 8 you will not reject. 9
Mazmur 72:4
Konteks72:4 He will defend 10 the oppressed among the people;
he will deliver 11 the children 12 of the poor
and crush the oppressor.
Mazmur 58:6
Konteks58:6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths!
Smash the jawbones of the lions, O Lord!
Mazmur 74:8
Konteks74:8 They say to themselves, 13
“We will oppress all of them.” 14
They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land. 15
Mazmur 89:10
Konteks89:10 You crushed the Proud One 16 and killed it; 17
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
Mazmur 29:5
Konteks29:5 The Lord’s shout breaks 18 the cedars,
the Lord shatters 19 the cedars of Lebanon. 20
Mazmur 18:38
Konteks18:38 I beat them 21 to death; 22
they fall at my feet. 23
Mazmur 74:13
Konteks74:13 You destroyed 24 the sea by your strength;
you shattered the heads of the sea monster 25 in the water.
Mazmur 109:10
Konteks109:10 May his children 26 roam around begging,
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home! 27
Mazmur 46:6
Konteks46:6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown. 28
God 29 gives a shout, 30 the earth dissolves. 31
Mazmur 79:7
Konteks79:7 For they have devoured Jacob
and destroyed his home.
Mazmur 119:28
Konteks119:28 I collapse 32 from grief.
Sustain me by your word! 33
Mazmur 75:3
Konteks75:3 When the earth and all its inhabitants dissolve in fear, 34
I make its pillars secure.” 35 (Selah)
Mazmur 107:26
Konteks107:26 They 36 reached up to the sky,
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength 37 left them 38 because the danger was so great. 39
Mazmur 119:20
Konteks119:20 I desperately long to know 40
your regulations at all times.
Mazmur 147:3
Konteks147:3 He heals 41 the brokenhearted,
and bandages their wounds.
Mazmur 22:14
Konteks22:14 My strength drains away like water; 42
all my bones are dislocated;
my heart 43 is like wax;
it melts away inside me.
Mazmur 34:18
Konteks34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers 44 those who are discouraged. 45
Mazmur 137:8
Konteks137:8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! 46
How blessed will be the one who repays you
for what you dished out to us! 47
Mazmur 109:16
Konteks109:16 For he never bothered to show kindness; 48
he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened. 49
Mazmur 51:8
Konteks51:8 Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven! 50
May the bones 51 you crushed rejoice! 52
Mazmur 55:11
Konteks55:11 Disaster is within it;
violence 53 and deceit do not depart from its public square.
Mazmur 94:5
Konteks94:5 O Lord, they crush your people;
they oppress the nation that belongs to you. 54
Mazmur 97:5
Konteks97:5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of the whole earth.
Mazmur 141:7
Konteks141:7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil, 55
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
Mazmur 39:11
Konteks39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins; 56
like a moth you slowly devour their strength. 57
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
Mazmur 9:6
Konteks9:6 The enemy’s cities have been reduced to permanent ruins; 58
you destroyed their cities; 59
all memory of the enemies has perished. 60
Mazmur 42:10
Konteks42:10 My enemies’ taunts cut into me to the bone, 61
as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 62
Mazmur 44:19
Konteks44:19 Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs; 63
you have covered us with darkness. 64
Mazmur 65:10
Konteks65:10 You saturate 65 its furrows,
and soak 66 its plowed ground. 67
With rain showers you soften its soil, 68
and make its crops grow. 69
Mazmur 137:7
Konteks137:7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell. 70
They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, 71
right to its very foundation!”
Mazmur 11:3
Konteks11:3 When the foundations 72 are destroyed,
what can the godly 73 accomplish?” 74
Mazmur 17:9
Konteks17:9 Protect me from 75 the wicked men who attack 76 me,
my enemies who crowd around me for the kill. 77
Mazmur 73:19
Konteks73:19 How desolate they become in a mere moment!
Terrifying judgments make their demise complete! 78
Mazmur 74:6
Konteks74:6 And now 79 they are tearing down 80 all its engravings 81
Mazmur 89:40
Konteks89:40 You have broken down all his 84 walls;
you have made his strongholds a heap of ruins.
Mazmur 137:9
Konteks137:9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies
and smashes them on a rock! 85
Mazmur 143:4
Konteks143:4 My strength leaves me; 86
I am absolutely shocked. 87
Mazmur 38:12
Konteks38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; 88
those who want to harm me speak destructive words;
all day long they say deceitful things.
Mazmur 68:2
Konteks68:2 As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away. 89
As wax melts before fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.
Mazmur 142:3
Konteks142:3 Even when my strength leaves me, 90
you watch my footsteps. 91
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
Mazmur 44:25
Konteks44:25 For we lie in the dirt,
with our bellies pressed to the ground. 92
Mazmur 46:8
Konteks46:8 Come! Witness the exploits 93 of the Lord,
who brings devastation to the earth! 94
Mazmur 52:2
Konteks52:2 Your tongue carries out your destructive plans; 95
it is as effective as a sharp razor, O deceiver. 96
Mazmur 55:2
Konteks55:2 Pay attention to me and answer me!
I am so upset 97 and distressed, 98 I am beside myself, 99
Mazmur 73:18
Konteks73:18 Surely 100 you put them in slippery places;
you bring them down 101 to ruin.
Mazmur 74:14
Konteks74:14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; 102
you fed 103 him to the people who live along the coast. 104
Mazmur 89:23
Konteks89:23 I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.
Mazmur 91:6
Konteks91:6 the plague that comes in the darkness,
or the disease that comes at noon. 105
Mazmur 105:16
Konteks105:16 He called down a famine upon the earth;
he cut off all the food supply. 106
Mazmur 7:5
Konteks7:5 may an enemy relentlessly chase 107 me 108 and catch me; 109
may he trample me to death 110
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. 111 (Selah)
Mazmur 18:42
Konteks18:42 I grind them as fine windblown dust; 112
I beat them underfoot 113 like clay 114 in the streets.
Mazmur 35:8
Konteks35:8 Let destruction take them by surprise! 115
Let the net they hid catch them!
Let them fall into destruction! 116
Mazmur 38:2
Konteks38:2 For your arrows pierce 117 me,
and your hand presses me down. 118
Mazmur 46:2
Konteks46:2 For this reason we do not fear 119 when the earth shakes, 120
and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, 121
Mazmur 46:9
Konteks46:9 He brings an end to wars throughout the earth; 122
he shatters 123 the bow and breaks 124 the spear;
he burns 125 the shields with fire. 126
Mazmur 58:8
Konteks58:8 Let them be 127 like a snail that melts away as it moves along! 128
Let them be like 129 stillborn babies 130 that never see the sun!
Mazmur 74:3
Konteks74:3 Hurry and look 131 at the permanent ruins,
and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple! 132
Mazmur 75:10
Konteks“I will bring down all the power of the wicked;
the godly will be victorious.” 134
Mazmur 76:3
Konteks76:3 There he shattered the arrows, 135
the shield, the sword, and the rest of the weapons of war. 136 (Selah)
Mazmur 83:4
Konteks83:4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation! 137
Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”
Mazmur 84:2
Konteks84:2 I desperately want to be 138
in the courts of the Lord’s temple. 139
My heart and my entire being 140 shout for joy
to the living God.
Mazmur 88:7
Konteks88:7 Your anger bears down on me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. (Selah)
Mazmur 88:16
Konteks88:16 Your anger overwhelms me; 141
your terrors destroy me.
Mazmur 112:10
Konteks112:10 When the wicked 142 see this, they will worry;
they will grind their teeth in frustration 143 and melt away;
the desire of the wicked will perish. 144
Mazmur 147:18
Konteks147:18 He then orders it all to melt; 145
he breathes on it, 146 and the water flows.
Mazmur 41:2
Konteks41:2 May the Lord protect him and save his life! 147
May he be blessed 148 in the land!
Do not turn him over 149 to his enemies! 150
Mazmur 42:5
Konteks42:5 Why are you depressed, 151 O my soul? 152
Why are you upset? 153
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention. 154
Mazmur 42:11
Konteks42:11 Why are you depressed, 155 O my soul? 156
Why are you upset? 157
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention. 158
Mazmur 43:5
Konteks43:5 Why are you depressed, 159 O my soul? 160
Why are you upset? 161
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention. 162
Mazmur 52:7
Konteks52:7 “Look, here is the man who would not make 163 God his protector!
He trusted in his great wealth
and was confident about his plans to destroy others.” 164
Mazmur 49:14
Konteks49:14 They will travel to Sheol like sheep, 165
with death as their shepherd. 166
The godly will rule 167 over them when the day of vindication dawns; 168
Sheol will consume their bodies and they will no longer live in impressive houses. 169
Mazmur 57:1
KonteksFor the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 171 a prayer 172 of David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave. 173
57:1 Have mercy on me, O God! Have mercy on me!
For in you I have taken shelter. 174
In the shadow of your wings 175 I take shelter
until trouble passes.
[107:16] 1 sn The language of v. 16 recalls Isa 45:2.
[2:9] 2 tc The LXX reads “you will shepherd them.” This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, “to shepherd”) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, “to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, “to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.
[2:9] 3 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.
[2:9] 4 sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.
[48:7] 5 tn The switch to the imperfect, as well as the introduction of the ship metaphor, perhaps signals a change to a generalizing tone; the
[48:7] 6 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to and from the distant western port of Tarshish. These ships, which were the best of their class, here symbolize the mere human strength of hostile armies, which are incapable of withstanding the
[51:17] 7 tn Heb “a broken spirit.”
[51:17] 8 tn Heb “a broken and crushed heart.”
[72:4] 10 tn Heb “judge [for].”
[72:4] 11 tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.
[74:8] 13 tn Heb “in their heart.”
[74:8] 14 tc Heb “[?] altogether.” The Hebrew form נִינָם (ninam) is problematic. It could be understood as the noun נִין (nin, “offspring”) but the statement “their offspring altogether” would make no sense here. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:159) emends יָחַד (yakhad, “altogether”) to יָחִיד (yakhid, “alone”) and translate “let their offspring be solitary” (i.e., exiled). Another option is to understand the form as a Qal imperfect first common plural from יָנָה (yanah, “to oppress”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix, “we will oppress them.” However, this verb, when used in the finite form, always appears in the Hiphil. Therefore, it is preferable to emend the form to the Hiphil נוֹנֵם (nonem, “we will oppress them”).
[74:8] 15 tn Heb “they burn down all the meeting places of God in the land.”
[89:10] 16 tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.
[89:10] 17 tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”
[29:5] 18 tn The Hebrew participial form draws attention to the durative nature of the action being described.
[29:5] 19 tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive here and in v. 6a carry on the descriptive function of the preceding participle (see GKC 329 §111.u). The verb שָׁבַר (shavar) appears in the Qal in the first line of the verse, and in the Piel in the second line. The verb, which means “break” in the Qal, appears thirty-six times in the Piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The Piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative: “make broken” (see IBHS 404-7 §24.3).
[29:5] 20 sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size. Here they may symbolize the arrogant enemies of God (see Isa 2:12-13).
[18:38] 21 tn Or “smash them.” 2 Sam 22:39 reads, “and I wiped them out and smashed them.”
[18:38] 22 tn Heb “until they are unable to rise.” 2 Sam 22:39 reads, “until they do not rise.”
[18:38] 23 sn They fall at my feet. For ancient Near Eastern parallels, see O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 294-97.
[74:13] 24 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] 25 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.
[109:10] 27 tn Heb “and roaming, may his children roam and beg, and seek from their ruins.” Some, following the LXX, emend the term וְדָרְשׁוּ (vÿdoreshu, “and seek”) to יְגֹרְשׁוּ (yÿgoreshu; a Pual jussive, “may they be driven away” [see Job 30:5; cf. NIV, NRSV]), but דָּרַשׁ (darash) nicely parallels שִׁאֵלוּ (shi’elu, “and beg”) in the preceding line.
[46:6] 28 tn Heb “nations roar, kingdoms shake.” The Hebrew verb הָמָה (hamah, “roar, be in uproar”) is used in v. 3 of the waves crashing, while the verb מוֹט (mot, “overthrown”) is used in v. 2 of mountains tumbling into the sea (see also v. 5, where the psalm affirms that Jerusalem “cannot be moved”). The repetition of the verbs suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).
[46:6] 29 tn Heb “He.” God is the obvious referent here (see v. 5), and has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[46:6] 30 tn Heb “offers his voice.” In theophanic texts the phrase refers to God’s thunderous shout which functions as a battle cry (see Pss 18:13; 68:33).
[46:6] 31 tn Or “melts.” See Amos 9:5. The image depicts the nation’s helplessness before Jerusalem’s defender, who annihilates their armies (see vv. 8-9). The imperfect verbal form emphasizes the characteristic nature of the action described.
[119:28] 32 tn Some translate “my soul weeps,” taking the verb דָלַף (dalaf) from a root meaning “to drip; to drop” (BDB 196 s.v. דֶּלַף). On the basis of cognate evidence from Arabic and Akkadian, HALOT 223 s.v. II דלף proposes a homonymic root here, meaning “be sleepless.” Following L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 127, 135) the translation assumes that the verb is cognate with Ugaritic dlp, “to collapse; to crumple” in CTA 2 iv. 17, 26. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 44, 144.
[119:28] 33 tn Heb “according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew
[75:3] 35 tn The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically prevents the world from being overrun by chaos. One could take this as referring to an anticipated event, “I will make its pillars secure.”
[107:26] 36 tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).
[107:26] 37 tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
[107:26] 39 tn Heb “from danger.”
[119:20] 40 tn Heb “my soul languishes for longing for.”
[147:3] 41 tn Heb “the one who heals.”
[22:14] 42 tn Heb “like water I am poured out.”
[22:14] 43 sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s strength and courage.
[34:18] 44 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
[34:18] 45 tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”
[137:8] 46 tn Heb “O devastated daughter of Babylon.” The psalmist dramatically anticipates Babylon’s demise.
[137:8] 47 tn Heb “O the happiness of the one who repays you your wage which you paid to us.”
[109:16] 48 tn Heb “he did not remember to do loyal love.”
[109:16] 49 tn Heb “and he chased an oppressed and needy man, and one timid of heart to put [him] to death.”
[51:8] 50 tn Heb “cause me to hear happiness and joy.” The language is metonymic: the effect of forgiveness (joy) has been substituted for its cause. The psalmist probably alludes here to an assuring word from God announcing that his sins are forgiven (a so-called oracle of forgiveness). The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request. The synonyms “happiness” and “joy” are joined together as a hendiadys to emphasize the degree of joy he anticipates.
[51:8] 51 sn May the bones you crushed rejoice. The psalmist compares his sinful condition to that of a person who has been physically battered and crushed. Within this metaphorical framework, his “bones” are the seat of his emotional strength.
[51:8] 52 tn In this context of petitionary prayer, the prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, expressing the psalmist’s wish or request.
[55:11] 53 tn Or “injury, harm.”
[94:5] 54 tn Or “your inheritance.”
[141:7] 55 tn Heb “like splitting and breaking open in the earth.” The meaning of the statement and the point of the comparison are not entirely clear. Perhaps the psalmist is suggesting that he and other godly individuals are as good as dead; their bones are scattered about like dirt that is dug up and tossed aside.
[39:11] 56 tn “with punishments on account of sin you discipline a man.”
[39:11] 57 tc Heb “you cause to dissolve, like a moth, his desired [thing].” The translation assumes an emendation of חֲמוּדוֹ (khamudo, “his desirable [thing]”) to חֶמְדוֹ (khemdo, “his loveliness” [or “beauty”]), a reading that is supported by a few medieval Hebrew
[9:6] 58 tn Heb “the enemy – they have come to an end [in] ruins permanently.” The singular form אוֹיֵב (’oyev, “enemy”) is collective. It is placed at the beginning of the verse to heighten the contrast with יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the
[9:6] 59 tn Heb “you uprooted cities.”
[9:6] 60 tn Heb “it has perished, their remembrance, they.” The independent pronoun at the end of the line is in apposition to the preceding pronominal suffix and lends emphasis (see IBHS 299 §16.3.4). The referent of the masculine pronoun is the nations/enemies (cf. v. 5), not the cities (the Hebrew noun עָרִים [’arim, “cities”] is grammatically feminine). This has been specified in the present translation for clarity; many modern translations retain the pronoun “them,” resulting in ambiguity (cf. NRSV “their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished”).
[42:10] 61 tc Heb “with a shattering in my bones my enemies taunt me.” A few medieval Hebrew
[42:10] 62 sn “Where is your God?” The enemies ask this same question in v. 3.
[44:19] 63 tn Heb “yet you have battered us in a place of jackals.”
[44:19] 64 tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל+מָוֶת [mavet + tsel]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness” (cf. NIV, NRSV). An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 44:19 darkness symbolizes defeat and humiliation.
[65:10] 65 tn Heb “saturating” [the form is an infinitive absolute].
[65:10] 66 tn Heb “flatten, cause to sink.”
[65:10] 67 tn Heb “trenches,” or “furrows.”
[65:10] 68 tn Heb “soften it,” that is, the earth.
[65:10] 69 tn Heb “its vegetation you bless.” Divine “blessing” often involves endowing an object with special power or capacity.
[137:7] 70 tn Heb “remember, O
[137:7] 71 tn Heb “lay [it] bare, lay [it] bare.”
[11:3] 72 tn The precise meaning of this rare word is uncertain. An Ugaritic cognate is used of the “bottom” or “base” of a cliff or mountain (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47, 159). The noun appears in postbiblical Hebrew with the meaning “foundation” (see Jastrow 1636 s.v. שָׁת).
[11:3] 73 tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure [of heart]” in the previous verse.
[11:3] 74 sn The quotation of the advisers’ words (which begins in 11:1c) ends at this point. They advise the psalmist to flee because the enemy is poised to launch a deadly attack. In such a lawless and chaotic situation godly people like the psalmist can accomplish nothing, so they might as well retreat to a safe place.
[17:9] 75 tn Heb “from before”; or “because.” In the Hebrew text v. 9 is subordinated to v. 8. The words “protect me” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:9] 76 tn Heb “destroy.” The psalmist uses the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of danger. He describes the wicked as being already in the process of destroying him.
[17:9] 77 tn Heb “my enemies, at the risk of life they surround me.” The Hebrew phrase בְּנֶפֶשׁ (bÿnefesh) sometimes has the nuance “at the risk of [one’s] life” (see 1 Kgs 2:23; Prov 7:23; Lam 5:9).
[73:19] 78 tn Heb “they come to an end, they are finished, from terrors.”
[74:6] 79 tn This is the reading of the Qere (marginal reading). The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and a time.”
[74:6] 80 tn The imperfect verbal form vividly describes the act as underway.
[74:6] 81 tn Heb “its engravings together.”
[74:6] 82 tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 49-50).
[74:6] 83 tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT. An Akkadian cognate refers to a “pickaxe” (cf. NEB “hatchet and pick”; NIV “axes and hatchets”; NRSV “hatchets and hammers”).
[89:40] 84 tn The king here represents the land and cities over which he rules.
[137:9] 85 sn For other references to the wholesale slaughter of babies in the context of ancient Near Eastern warfare, see 2 Kgs 8:12; Isa 13:16; Hos 13:16; Nah 3:10.
[143:4] 86 tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
[143:4] 87 tn Heb “in my midst my heart is shocked.” For a similar use of the Hitpolel of שָׁמֵם (shamem), see Isa 59:16; 63:5.
[38:12] 88 tn Heb “lay snares.”
[68:2] 89 tn Heb “as smoke is scattered, you scatter [them].”
[142:3] 90 tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
[142:3] 91 tn Heb “you know my path.”
[44:25] 92 tn Heb “for our being/life sinks down to the dirt, our belly clings to the earth.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
[46:8] 93 sn In this context the Lord’s exploits are military in nature (see vv. 8b-9).
[46:8] 94 tn Heb “who sets desolations in the earth” (see Isa 13:9). The active participle describes God’s characteristic activity as a warrior.
[52:2] 95 tn Heb “destruction your tongue devises.”
[52:2] 96 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.
[55:2] 97 tn Or “restless” (see Gen 27:40). The Hiphil is intransitive-exhibitive, indicating the outward display of an inner attitude.
[55:2] 98 tn Heb “in my complaint.”
[55:2] 99 tn The verb is a Hiphil cohortative from הוּם (hum), which means “to confuse someone” in the Qal and “to go wild” in the Niphal. An Arabic cognate means “to be out of one’s senses, to wander about.” With the vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, the cohortative probably indicates the result or effect of the preceding main verb. Some prefer to emend the form to וְאֵהוֹמָה (vÿ’ehomah), a Niphal of הוּם (hum), or to וְאֶהַמֶה (vÿ’ehameh), a Qal imperfect from הָמָה (hamah, “to moan”). Many also prefer to take this verb with what follows (see v. 3).
[73:18] 100 tn The use of the Hebrew term אַךְ (’akh, “surely”) here literarily counteracts its use in v. 13. The repetition draws attention to the contrast between the two statements, the first of which expresses the psalmist’s earlier despair and the second his newly discovered confidence.
[73:18] 101 tn Heb “cause them to fall.”
[74:14] 102 sn You crushed the heads of Leviathan. The imagery of vv. 13-14 originates in West Semitic mythology. The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon [Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַּנִין (tanin), translated “sea monster” in v. 13] vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling [Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן (’aqallaton), translated “squirming” in Isa 27:1] serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (note the use of the plural “heads” here and in v. 13). (See CTA 3.iii.38-39 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 50.) (2) “For all that you smote Leviathan the slippery [Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ (bariakh), translated “fast moving” in Isa 27:1] serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5.i.1-3 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 68.) In the myths Leviathan is a sea creature that symbolizes the destructive water of the sea and, in turn, the forces of chaos that threaten the established order. In the OT, the battle with the sea motif is applied to Yahweh’s victories over the forces of chaos at creation and in history (see Pss 74:13-14; 77:16-20; 89:9-10; Isa 51:9-10). Yahweh’s subjugation of the waters of chaos is related to his kingship (see Pss 29:3, 10; 93:3-4). Isa 27:1 applies imagery from Canaanite mythology to Yahweh’s eschatological victory over his enemies. Apocalyptic literature employs the imagery as well. The beasts of Dan 7 emerge from the sea, while Rev 13 speaks of a seven-headed beast coming from the sea. Here in Ps 74:13-14 the primary referent is unclear. The psalmist may be describing God’s creation of the world (note vv. 16-17 and see Ps 89:9-12), when he brought order out of a watery mass, or the exodus (see Isa 51:9-10), when he created Israel by destroying the Egyptians in the waters of the sea.
[74:14] 103 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite in this narrational context.
[74:14] 104 sn You fed him to the people. This pictures the fragments of Leviathan’s dead corpse washing up on shore and being devoured by those who find them. If the exodus is in view, then it may allude to the bodies of the dead Egyptians which washed up on the shore of the Red Sea (see Exod 14:30).
[91:6] 105 sn As in Deut 32:23-24, vv. 5-6 closely associate military attack and deadly disease. Perhaps the latter alludes to one of the effects of siege warfare on the population of an entrapped city, which was especially vulnerable to the outbreak of epidemics.
[105:16] 106 tn Heb “and every staff of food he broke.” The psalmist refers to the famine that occurred in Joseph’s time (see v. 17 and Gen 41:53-57).
[7:5] 107 tn The vocalization of the verb form seems to be a mixture of Qal and Piel (see GKC 168 §63.n). The translation assumes the Piel, which would emphasize the repetitive nature of the action. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a jussive. The psalmist is so certain that he is innocent of the sins mentioned in vv. 3-4, he pronounces an imprecation on himself for rhetorical effect.
[7:5] 108 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
[7:5] 109 tn Heb “and may he overtake.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. The object “me,” though unexpressed, is understood from the preceding statement.
[7:5] 110 tn Heb “and may he trample down to the earth my life.”
[7:5] 111 tn Heb “and my honor in the dust may he cause to dwell.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. Some emend כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy, “my honor”) to כְבֵדִי (khÿvediy, “my liver” as the seat of life), but the term כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy) is to be retained since it probably refers to the psalmist’s dignity or honor.
[18:42] 112 tn Heb “I pulverize them like dust upon the face of the wind.” The phrase “upon the face of” here means “before.” 2 Sam 22:43 reads, “like dust of the earth.”
[18:42] 113 tc Ps 18:42 reads, “I empty them out” (Hiphil of ריק), while 2 Sam 22:43 reads, “I crush them, I stomp on them” (juxtaposing the synonyms דקק and רקע). It is likely that the latter is a conflation of variants. One, but not both, of the verbs in 2 Sam 22:43 is probably original; “empty out” does not form as good a parallel with “grind, pulverize” in the parallel line.
[35:8] 115 tn Heb “let destruction [which] he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.
[35:8] 116 tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.
[38:2] 117 tn The verb Hebrew נָחַת (nakhat) apparently here means “penetrate, pierce” (note the use of the Qal in Prov 17:10). The psalmist pictures the
[38:2] 118 tn Heb “and your hand [?] upon me.” The meaning of the verb נָחַת (nakhat) is unclear in this context. It is preferable to emend the form to וַתָּנַח (vattanakh) from the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “rest”). In this case the text would read literally, “and your hand rests upon me” (see Isa 25:10, though the phrase is used in a positive sense there, unlike Ps 38:2).
[46:2] 119 tn The imperfect is taken in a generalizing sense (cf. NEB) because the situation described in vv. 2-3 is understood as symbolizing typical world conditions. In this case the imperfect draws attention to the typical nature of the response. The covenant community characteristically responds with confidence, not fear. Another option is to take the situation described as purely hypothetical. In this case one might translate, “We will not fear, even though the earth should shake” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
[46:2] 120 tn The Hiphil infinitival form is normally taken to mean “when [the earth] is altered,” being derived from מוּר (mur, “to change”). In this case the Hiphil would be intransitive, as in Ps 15:4. HALOT 560 s.v. II מור emends the form to a Niphal and derives it from a homonymic root מוּר attested in Arabic with the meaning “shake.”
[46:2] 121 tn Heb “heart of the seas.” The plural may be used for emphasis, pointing to the deepest sea. Note that the next verse uses a singular pronoun (“its waters,” “its swelling”) in referring back to the plural noun.
[46:9] 122 tn Heb “[the] one who causes wars to cease unto the end of the earth.” The participle continues the description begun in v. 8b and indicates that this is the
[46:9] 123 tn The verb שָׁבַר (shavar, “break”) appears in the Piel here (see Ps 29:5). In the OT it occurs thirty-six times in the Piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The Piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative: “make broken” (see IBHS 404-7 §24.3). The imperfect verbal form carries on and emphasizes the generalizing nature of the description.
[46:9] 124 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries along the generalizing emphasis of the preceding imperfect.
[46:9] 125 tn The imperfect verbal form carries on and emphasizes the generalizing nature of the description.
[46:9] 126 tn Heb “wagons he burns with fire.” Some read “chariots” here (cf. NASB), but the Hebrew word refers to wagons or carts, not chariots, elsewhere in the OT. In this context, where military weapons are mentioned, it is better to revocalize the form as עֲגִלוֹת (’agilot, “round shields”), a word which occurs only here in the OT, but is attested in later Hebrew and Aramaic.
[58:8] 127 tn There is no “to be” verb in the Hebrew text at this point, but a jussive tone can be assumed based on vv. 6-7.
[58:8] 128 tn Heb “like a melting snail [that] moves along.” A. Cohen (Psalms [SoBB], 184) explains that the text here alludes “to the popular belief that the slimy trail which the snail leaves in its track is the dissolution of its substance.”
[58:8] 129 tn The words “let them be like” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The jussive mood is implied from the preceding context, and “like” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).
[58:8] 130 tn This rare word also appears in Job 3:16 and Eccles 6:3.
[74:3] 131 tn Heb “lift up your steps to,” which may mean “run, hurry.”
[74:3] 132 tn Heb “everything [the] enemy has damaged in the holy place.”
[75:10] 133 tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in v. 10.
[75:10] 134 tn Heb “and all the horns of the wicked I will cut off, the horns of the godly will be lifted up.” The imagery of the wild ox’s horn is once more utilized (see vv. 4-5).
[76:3] 135 tn Heb “flames of the bow,” i.e., arrows.
[76:3] 136 tn Heb “shield and sword and battle.” “Battle” probably here stands by metonymy for the weapons of war in general.
[76:3] sn This verse may allude to the miraculous defeat of the Assyrians in 701
[83:4] 137 tn Heb “we will cause them to disappear from [being] a nation.”
[84:2] 138 tn Heb “my soul longs, it even pines for.”
[84:2] 139 tn Heb “the courts of the
[84:2] 140 tn Heb “my flesh,” which stands for his whole person and being.
[88:16] 141 tn Heb “passes over me.”
[112:10] 142 tn The Hebrew text uses the singular; the representative wicked individual is in view as typifying the group (note the use of the plural form in v. 10).
[112:10] 143 tn Heb “his teeth he will gnash.” In Pss 35:16 and 37:12 this action is associated with a vicious attack.
[112:10] 144 tn This could mean that the desires of the wicked will go unfulfilled. Another possibility is that “desire” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired. In this case the point is that the wicked will lose what they desired so badly and acquired by evil means (see Ps 10:3).
[147:18] 145 tn Heb “he sends his word and melts them.”
[147:18] 146 tn Heb “he blows his breath.”
[41:2] 147 tn The prefixed verbal forms are taken as jussives in the translation because the jussive is clearly used in the final line of the verse, suggesting that this is a prayer. The psalmist stops to pronounce a prayer of blessing on the godly individual envisioned in v. 1. Of course, he actually has himself primarily in view. He mixes confidence (vv. 1, 3) with petition (v. 2) because he stands in the interval between the word of assurance and the actual intervention by God.
[41:2] 148 tc The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (Kethib), which has a Pual (passive) prefixed form, regarded here as a jussive. The Pual of the verb אָשַׁר (’ashar) also appears in Prov 3:18. The marginal reading (Qere) assumes a vav (ו) consecutive and Pual perfect. Some, with the support of the LXX, change the verb to a Piel (active) form with an objective pronominal suffix, “and may he bless him,” or “and he will bless him” (cf. NIV).
[41:2] 149 tn The negative particle אַל (’al) before the prefixed verbal form indicates the verb is a jussive and the statement a prayer. Those who want to take v. 2 as a statement of confidence suggest emending the negative particle to לֹא (lo’), which is used with the imperfect. See the earlier note on the verbal forms in line one of this verse. According to GKC 322 §109.e, this is a case where the jussive is used rhetorically to “express that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one might translate, “you will not turn him over to his enemies,” and take the preceding verbal forms as indicative in mood.
[41:2] 150 tn Heb “do not give him over to the desire of his enemies” (see Ps 27:12).
[42:5] 151 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
[42:5] 152 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
[42:5] 153 tn Heb “and [why] are you in turmoil upon me?” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the descriptive present nuance of the preceding imperfect. See GKC 329 §111.t.
[42:5] 154 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of his face.” The verse division in the Hebrew text is incorrect. אֱלֹהַי (’elohay, “my God”) at the beginning of v. 7 belongs with the end of v. 6 (see the corresponding refrains in 42:11 and 43:5, both of which end with “my God” after “saving acts of my face”). The Hebrew term פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”) should be emended to פְּנֵי (pÿney, “face of”). The emended text reads, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention.
[42:11] 155 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
[42:11] 156 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
[42:11] 157 tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”
[42:11] 158 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read יְשׁוּעֹת פְנֵי אֱלֹהָי (yÿshu’ot fÿney ’elohay, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God”), that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is almost identical to the one in v. 5. See also Ps 43:5.
[43:5] 159 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
[43:5] 160 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
[43:5] 161 tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”
[43:5] 162 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read יְשׁוּעֹת פְנֵי אֱלֹהָי (yÿshu’ot fÿney ’elohay, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is identical to the one in Ps 42:11. See also 42:5, which differs only slightly.
[52:7] 163 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action. The evildoer customarily rejected God and trusted in his own abilities. Another option is to take the imperfect as generalizing, “[here is the man who] does not make.”
[52:7] 164 tn Heb “he was strong in his destruction.” “Destruction” must refer back to the destructive plans mentioned in v. 2. The verb (derived from the root עָזַז, ’azaz, “be strong”) as it stands is either an imperfect (if so, probably used in a customary sense) or a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive). However the form should probably be emended to וַיָּעָז (vayya’az), a Qal preterite (with vav [ו] consecutive) from עָזַז. Note the preterite form without vav (ו) consecutive in the preceding line (וַיִּבְטַח, vayyivtakh, “and he trusted”). The prefixed vav (ו) was likely omitted by haplography (note the suffixed vav [ו] on the preceding עָשְׁרוֹ, ’oshro, “his wealth”).
[49:14] 165 tn Heb “like sheep to Sheol they are appointed.” The verb form שַׁתּוּ (shatu) is apparently derived from שָׁתַת (shatat), which appears to be a variant of the more common שִׁית (shiyt, “to place; to set”; BDB 1060 s.v. שָׁתַת and GKC 183 §67.ee). Some scholars emend the text to שָׁחוּ (shakhu; from the verbal root שׁוּח [shukh, “sink down”]) and read “they descend.” The present translation assumes an emendation to שָׁטוּ (shatu; from the verbal root שׁוּט [shut, “go; wander”]), “they travel, wander.” (The letter tet [ט] and tav [ת] sound similar; a scribe transcribing from dictation could easily confuse them.) The perfect verbal form is used in a rhetorical manner to speak of their destiny as if it were already realized (the so-called perfect of certitude or prophetic perfect).
[49:14] 166 tn Heb “death will shepherd them,” that is, death itself (personified here as a shepherd) will lead them like a flock of helpless, unsuspecting sheep to Sheol, the underworld, the land of the dead.
[49:14] 167 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the perfect verbal form in v. 14a. The psalmist speaks of this coming event as if it were already accomplished.
[49:14] 168 tn Heb “will rule over them in the morning.” “Morning” here is a metaphor for a time of deliverance and vindication after the dark “night” of trouble (see Pss 30:5; 46:5; 59:16; 90:14; 143:8; Isa 17:14). In this context the psalmist confidently anticipates a day of vindication when the
[49:14] 169 tn Heb “their form [will become an object] for the consuming of Sheol, from a lofty residence, to him.” The meaning of this syntactically difficult text is uncertain. The translation assumes that צוּר (tsur, “form”; this is the Qere [marginal] reading; the Kethib has צִירָם [tsiram, “their image”]) refers to their physical form or bodies. “Sheol” is taken as the subject of “consume” (on the implied “become” before the infinitive “to consume” see GKC 349 §114.k). The preposition מִן (min) prefixed to “lofty residence” is understood as privative, “away from; so as not.” The preposition -ל (lamed) is possessive, while the third person pronominal suffix is understood as a representative singular.
[57:1] 170 sn Psalm 57. The psalmist asks for God’s protection and expresses his confidence that his ferocious enemies will be destroyed by their own schemes.
[57:1] 171 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 58-59, 75.
[57:1] 172 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56, 58-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
[57:1] 173 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when he fled from Saul and hid in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3.
[57:1] 174 tn Heb “my life has taken shelter.” The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
[57:1] 175 sn In the shadow of your wings. The metaphor likens God to a protective mother bird (see also Pss 17:8; 36:7).
