Mazmur 14:5

14:5 They are absolutely terrified, ¹ 

for God defends the godly. ² 

Mazmur 89:9

89:9 You rule over the proud sea. ³ 

When its waves surge, ⁴  you calm them.

Mazmur 105:27

105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, ⁵ 

and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.

Mazmur 105:38

105:38 Egypt was happy when they left,

for they were afraid of them. ⁶ 

Mazmur 106:29

106:29 They made the Lord angry ⁷  by their actions,

and a plague broke out among them.

Mazmur 116:3

116:3 The ropes of death tightened around me, ⁸ 

the snares ⁹  of Sheol confronted me.

I was confronted ¹⁰  with trouble and sorrow.

[14:5]  ¹ tn Heb “there they are afraid [with] fear.” The perfect verbal form is probably used in a rhetorical manner; the psalmist describes the future demise of the oppressors as if it were already occurring. The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is also used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the wicked standing in fear at a spot that is this vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.). The cognate accusative following the verb emphasizes the degree of their terror.

[14:5]  ² tn Heb “for God is with a godly generation.” The Hebrew noun דּוֹר (dor, “generation”) refers here to the general class of people who are characterized by godliness. See BDB 190 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.

[89:9]  ³ tn Heb “the majesty of the sea.”

[89:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “rise up.”

[105:27]  ⁵ tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).

[105:38]  ⁶ tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”

[106:29]  ⁷ 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).

[116:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “surrounded me.”

[116:3]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew noun מצר (“straits; distress”) occurs only here, Ps 118:5 and Lam 1:3. If retained, it refers to Sheol as a place where one is confined or severely restricted (cf. BDB 865 s.v. מֵצַר, “the straits of Sheol”; NIV “the anguish of the grave”; NRSV “the pangs of Sheol”). However, HALOT 624 s.v. מֵצַר suggests an emendation to מְצָדֵי (mÿtsadey, “snares of”), a rare noun attested in Job 19:6 and Eccl 7:26. This proposal, which is reflected in the translation, produces better parallelism with “ropes” in the preceding line.

[116:3]  ¹⁰ tn The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls the crisis from which the Lord delivered him.