Mazmur 15:2

15:2 Whoever lives a blameless life, ¹ 

does what is right,

and speaks honestly. ² 

Mazmur 26:3

26:3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness, ³ 

and your loyalty continually motivates me. ⁴ 

Mazmur 37:5

37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! ⁵ 

Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. ⁶ 

Mazmur 37:27

37:27 Turn away from evil! Do what is right! ⁷ 

Then you will enjoy lasting security. ⁸ 

Mazmur 55:20

55:20 He ⁹  attacks ¹⁰  his friends; ¹¹ 

he breaks his solemn promises to them. ¹² 

Mazmur 61:6

61:6 Give the king long life!

Make his lifetime span several generations! ¹³ 

Mazmur 73:12-13

73:12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, ¹⁴ 

those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer. ¹⁵ 

73:13 I concluded, ¹⁶  “Surely in vain I have kept my motives ¹⁷  pure

and maintained a pure lifestyle. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 78:33

78:33 So he caused them to die unsatisfied ¹⁹ 

and filled with terror. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 89:15

89:15 How blessed are the people who worship you! ²¹ 

O Lord, they experience your favor. ²² 

Mazmur 90:12

90:12 So teach us to consider our mortality, ²³ 

so that we might live wisely. ²⁴ 

Mazmur 119:54

119:54 Your statutes have been my songs ²⁵ 

in the house where I live. ²⁶ 

Mazmur 128:1

Psalm 128 ²⁷ 

A song of ascents. ²⁸ 

128:1 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, ²⁹ 

each one who keeps his commands! ³⁰ 

Mazmur 133:1

Psalm 133 ³¹ 

A song of ascents, ³²  by David.

133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

when brothers live together! ³³ 

Mazmur 136:25

136:25 to the one who gives food to all living things, ³⁴ 

for his loyal love endures.

[15:2]  ¹ tn Heb “one who walks blamelessly.”

[15:2]  ² tn Heb “one who speaks truth in his heart”; or “one who speaks truth [that is] in his heart.” This apparently refers to formulating a truthful statement in one’s mind and then honestly revealing that statement in one’s speech.

[26:3]  ³ tn Heb “for your faithfulness [is] before my eyes.”

[26:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “and I walk about in your loyalty.”

[26:3]  sn The psalmist’s awareness of the Lord’s faithfulness and…loyalty toward him motivates him to remain loyal to the Lord and to maintain his moral purity.

[37:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “roll your way upon the Lord.” The noun “way” may refer here to one’s activities or course of life.

[37:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the Lord will vindicate those who trust in him.

[37:27]  ⁷ tn Or “Do good!” The imperatives are singular (see v. 1).

[37:27]  ⁸ tn Heb “and dwell permanently.” The imperative with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause after the preceding imperatives.

[55:20]  ⁹ sn He. This must refer to the psalmist’s former friend, who was addressed previously in vv. 12-14.

[55:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “stretches out his hand against.”

[55:20]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Heb “he violates his covenant.”

[61:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “days upon days of the king add, his years like generation and generation.”

[61:6]  sn It is not certain if the (royal) psalmist is referring to himself in the third person in this verse, or if an exile is praying on behalf of the king.

[73:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Look, these [are] the wicked.”

[73:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the ones who are always at ease [who] increase wealth.”

[73:13]  ¹⁶ tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.

[73:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.

[73:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.

[78:33]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and he ended in vanity their days.”

[78:33]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and their years in terror.”

[89:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “who know the shout.” “Shout” here refers to the shouts of the Lord’s worshipers (see Pss 27:6; 33:3; 47:5).

[89:15]  ²² tn Heb “in the light of your face they walk.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; Dan 9:17).

[90:12]  ²³ tn Heb “to number our days,” that is, to be aware of how few they really are.

[90:12]  ²⁴ 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.

[119:54]  ²⁵ tn Heb “songs were your statutes to me.”

[119:54]  ²⁶ tn Heb “in the house of my dwelling place.” Some take the Hebrew noun מָגוֹר (magor) in the sense of “temporary abode,” and see this as a reference to the psalmist’s status as a resident alien (see v. 19). But the noun can refer to a dwelling place in general (see Ps 55:15).

[128:1]  ²⁷ sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.

[128:1]  ²⁸ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[128:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “every fearer of the Lord.”

[128:1]  ³⁰ tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”

[133:1]  ³¹ sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.

[133:1]  ³² sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[133:1]  ³³ sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.

[136:25]  ³⁴ 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).