Mazmur 16:2

16:2 I say to the Lord, “You are the Lord,

my only source of well-being.” ¹ 

Mazmur 33:21

33:21 For our hearts rejoice in him,

for we trust in his holy name.

Mazmur 37:3

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

Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! ² 

Mazmur 44:6

44:6 For I do not trust in my bow,

and I do not prevail by my sword.

Mazmur 59:9

59:9 You are my source of strength! I will wait for you! ³ 

For God is my refuge. ⁴ 

Mazmur 69:3

69:3 I am exhausted from shouting for help;

my throat is sore; ⁵ 

my eyes grow tired of looking for my God. ⁶ 

Mazmur 84:12

84:12 O Lord who rules over all, ⁷ 

how blessed are those who trust in you! ⁸ 

Mazmur 86:3

86:3 Have mercy on me, ⁹  O Lord,

for I cry out to you all day long!

Mazmur 94:19

94:19 When worries threaten to overwhelm me, ¹⁰ 

your soothing touch makes me happy. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 105:16

105:16 He called down a famine upon the earth;

he cut off all the food supply. ¹² 

Mazmur 115:8

115:8 Those who make them will end up ¹³  like them,

as will everyone who trusts in them.

Mazmur 116:6

116:6 The Lord protects ¹⁴  the untrained; ¹⁵ 

I was in serious trouble ¹⁶  and he delivered me.

Mazmur 135:18

135:18 Those who make them will end up ¹⁷  like them,

as will everyone who trusts in them.

[16:2]  ¹ tn Heb “my good [is] not beyond you.” For the use of the preposition עַל (’al) in the sense of “beyond,” see BDB 755 s.v. 2.

[37:3]  ² 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.

[59:9]  ³ tc Heb “his strength, for you I will watch.” “His strength” should be emended to “my strength” (see v. 17). Some also emend אֶשְׁמֹרָה (’eshmorah, “I will watch”) to אֱזַמֵּרָה (’ezammerah, “I will sing praises [to you]”) See v. 17.

[59:9]  ⁴ tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).

[69:3]  ⁵ tn Or perhaps “raw”; Heb “burned; enflamed.”

[69:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “my eyes fail from waiting for my God.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision.

[84:12]  ⁷ tn Traditionally “Lord of hosts.”

[84:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man [who] trusts in you.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the plural “those.” The individual referred to here is representative of all followers of God, as the use of the plural form in v. 12b indicates.

[86:3]  ⁹ tn Or “show me favor.”

[94:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “when my worries are many within me.”

[94:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “your comforts cause my soul to delight.”

[105:16]  ¹² 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).

[115:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”

[115:8]  sn Because the idols are lifeless, they cannot help their worshipers in times of crisis. Consequently the worshipers end up as dead as the gods in which they trust.

[116:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “guards.” The active participle indicates this is a characteristic of the Lord.

[116:6]  ¹⁵ 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 Ps 19:7.

[116:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “I was low.”

[135:18]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”

[135:18]  sn Because the idols are lifeless, they cannot help their worshipers in times of crisis. Consequently the worshipers end up as dead as the gods in which they trust.