Mazmur 16:1

Psalm 16 ¹ 

A prayer ²  of David.

16:1 Protect me, O God, for I have taken shelter in you. ³ 

Mazmur 24:1

Psalm 24 ⁴ 

A psalm of David.

24:1 The Lord owns the earth and all it contains,

the world and all who live in it.

Mazmur 32:1

Psalm 32 ⁵ 

By David; a well-written song. ⁶ 

32:1 How blessed ⁷  is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, ⁸ 

whose sin is pardoned! ⁹ 

Mazmur 35:1

Psalm 35 ¹⁰ 

By David.

35:1 O Lord, fight ¹¹  those who fight with me!

Attack those who attack me!

Mazmur 37:1

Psalm 37 ¹² 

By David.

37:1 Do not fret ¹³  when wicked men seem to succeed! ¹⁴ 

Do not envy evildoers!

Mazmur 70:1

Psalm 70 ¹⁵ 

For the music director; by David; written to get God’s attention. ¹⁶ 

70:1 O God, please be willing to rescue me! ¹⁷ 

O Lord, hurry and help me! ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 89:3

89:3 The Lord said, ¹⁹ 

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:

Mazmur 89:35

89:35 Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness,

I will never deceive ²⁰  David.

Mazmur 89:49

89:49 Where are your earlier faithful deeds, ²¹  O Lord, ²² 

the ones performed in accordance with your reliable oath to David? ²³ 

Mazmur 101:1

Psalm 101 ²⁴ 

A psalm of David.

101:1 I will sing about loyalty and justice!

To you, O Lord, I will sing praises!

Mazmur 109:1

Psalm 109 ²⁵ 

For the music director, a psalm of David.

109:1 O God whom I praise, do not ignore me! ²⁶ 

Mazmur 132:1

Psalm 132 ²⁷ 

A song of ascents. ²⁸ 

132:1 O Lord, for David’s sake remember

all his strenuous effort, ²⁹ 

Mazmur 132:17

132:17 There I will make David strong; ³⁰ 

I have determined that my chosen king’s dynasty will continue. ³¹ 

Mazmur 138:1

Psalm 138 ³² 

By David.

138:1 I will give you thanks with all my heart;

before the heavenly assembly ³³  I will sing praises to you.

[16:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 16. The psalmist seeks divine protection because he has remained loyal to God. He praises God for his rich blessings, and is confident God will vindicate him and deliver him from death.

[16:1]  ² tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מִכְתָּם (mikhtam) is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”

[16:1]  ³ tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results (see 7:1; 11:1).

[16:1]  sn Taken shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).

[24:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 24. The psalmist affirms the universal kingship of the sovereign creator, reminds his people that only the morally pure are qualified to worship him, and celebrates his splendor as a mighty warrior king.

[32:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.

[32:1]  ⁶ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[32:1]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.

[32:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “lifted up.”

[32:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “covered over.”

[35:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 35. The author, who faces ruthless enemies who seek his life for no reason, begs the Lord to fight his battles for him and to vindicate him by annihilating his adversaries.

[35:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “contend.”

[37:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[37:1]  ¹³ tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.

[37:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.

[70:1]  ¹⁵ sn Psalm 70. This psalm is almost identical to Ps 40:13-17. The psalmist asks for God’s help and for divine retribution against his enemies.

[70:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “to cause to remember.” The same form, a Hiphil infinitive of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”), also appears in the superscription of Ps 38. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 303).

[70:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “O God, to rescue me.” A main verb is obviously missing. The verb רָצָה (ratsah, “be willing”) should be supplied (see Ps 40:13). Ps 40:13 uses the divine name “Lord” rather than “God.”

[70:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Pss 22:19; 38:22.

[89:3]  ¹⁹ tn The words “the Lord said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. It is clear that the words of vv. 3-4 are spoken by the Lord, in contrast to vv. 1-2, which are spoken by the psalmist.

[89:35]  ²⁰ tn Or “lie to.”

[89:49]  ²¹ sn The Lord’s faithful deeds are also mentioned in Pss 17:7 and 25:6.

[89:49]  ²² tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read here יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”).

[89:49]  ²³ tn Heb “[which] you swore on oath to David by your faithfulness.”

[101:1]  ²⁴ sn Psalm 101. The psalmist, who appears to be a king, promises to promote justice in his land and vows to rid his royal court of evildoers.

[109:1]  ²⁵ sn Psalm 109. Appealing to God’s justice, the psalmist asks God to vindicate him and to bring severe judgment down upon his enemies.

[109:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “do not be deaf.”

[132:1]  ²⁷ sn Psalm 132. The psalmist reminds God of David’s devotion and of his promises concerning David’s dynasty and Zion.

[132:1]  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.

[132:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “all his affliction.” This may refer to David’s strenuous and tireless efforts to make provision for the building of the temple (see 1 Chr 22:14). Some prefer to revocalize the text as עַנַוָתוֹ (’anavato, “his humility”).

[132:17]  ³⁰ tn Heb “there I will cause a horn to sprout for David.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Pss 18:2; 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that used its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36.

[132:17]  ³¹ tn Heb “I have arranged a lamp for my anointed one.” Here the “lamp” is a metaphor for the Davidic dynasty (see 1 Kgs 11:36).

[138:1]  ³² sn Psalm 138. The psalmist vows to thank the Lord for his deliverance and protection.

[138:1]  ³³ tn The referent of the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is unclear. It refers either to the angelic assembly (see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5) or to the pagan gods (see Pss 82:1, 6; 86:8; 97:7), in which case the psalmist’s praise takes on a polemical tone.