Mazmur 18:5
Konteks18:5 The ropes of Sheol tightened around me, 1
the snares of death trapped me. 2
Mazmur 18:10
Konteks18:10 He mounted 3 a winged angel 4 and flew;
he glided 5 on the wings of the wind. 6
Mazmur 38:17
Konteks38:17 For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain. 7
Mazmur 46:8
Konteks46:8 Come! Witness the exploits 8 of the Lord,
who brings devastation to the earth! 9
Mazmur 47:8
Konteks47:8 God reigns 10 over the nations!
God sits on his holy throne!
Mazmur 48:9
Konteks48:9 We reflect on your loyal love, O God,
within your temple.
Mazmur 69:22
Konteks69:22 May their dining table become a trap before them!
May it be a snare for that group of friends! 11
Mazmur 89:37
Konteks89:37 it will remain stable, like the moon, 12
his throne will endure like the skies.” 13 (Selah)
Mazmur 12:8
Konteks12:8 for the wicked seem to be everywhere, 14
when people promote evil. 15
Mazmur 8:9
Kontekshow magnificent 17 is your reputation 18 throughout the earth! 19
Mazmur 22:3
Konteks22:3 You are holy;
you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. 20
Mazmur 48:3
Konteks48:3 God is in its fortresses;
he reveals himself as its defender. 21
Mazmur 80:13
Konteks80:13 The wild boars of the forest ruin it; 22
the insects 23 of the field feed on it.
Mazmur 89:23
Konteks89:23 I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.
Mazmur 140:3
Konteks140:3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; 24
a viper’s 25 venom is behind 26 their lips. (Selah)
Mazmur 48:1
KonteksA song, a psalm by the Korahites.
48:1 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise
in the city of our God, 28 his holy hill.
[18:5] 1 tn Heb “surrounded me.”
[18:5] 2 tn Heb “confronted me.”
[18:10] 4 tn Heb “a cherub.” Because of the typical associations of the word “cherub” in English with chubby winged babies, the term has been rendered “winged angel” in the translation.
[18:10] sn Winged angel (Heb “cherub”). Cherubs, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Pss 80:1; 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the
[18:10] 5 tc 2 Sam 22:11 reads “appeared” (from רָאָה, ra’ah); the relatively rare verb דָאָה (da’ah, “glide”) is more difficult and probably the original reading here in Ps 18.
[18:10] 6 sn The wings of the wind. Verse 10 may depict (1) the Lord riding a cherub, which is in turn propelled by the wind current. Another option (2) is that two different vehicles (a cherub and the wind) are envisioned. Yet another option (3) is that the wind is personified as a cherub. For a discussion of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the imagery in v. 10, see M. Weinfeld, “‘Rider of the Clouds’ and ‘Gatherer of the Clouds’,” JANESCU 5 (1973): 422-24.
[38:17] 7 tn Heb “and my pain [is] before me continually.”
[46:8] 8 sn In this context the Lord’s exploits are military in nature (see vv. 8b-9).
[46:8] 9 tn Heb “who sets desolations in the earth” (see Isa 13:9). The active participle describes God’s characteristic activity as a warrior.
[47:8] 10 tn When a new king was enthroned, his followers would acclaim him king using this enthronement formula (Qal perfect 3ms מָלַךְ, malakh, “to reign,” followed by the name of the king). See 2 Sam 15:10; 1 Kgs 1:11, 13, 18; 2 Kgs 9:13, as well as Isa 52:7. In this context the perfect verbal form is generalizing, but the declaration logically follows the historical reference in v. 5 to the
[69:22] 11 tc Heb “and to the friends for a snare.” The plural of שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is used in Ps 55:20 of one’s “friends.” If the reading of the MT is retained here, the term depicts the psalmist’s enemies as a close-knit group of friends who are bound together by their hatred for the psalmist. Some prefer to revocalize the text as וּלְשִׁלּוּמִים (ulÿshillumim, “and for retribution”). In this case the noun stands parallel to פַּח (pakh, “trap”) and מוֹקֵשׁ (moqesh, “snare”), and one might translate, “may their dining table become a trap before them, [a means of] retribution and a snare” (cf. NIV).
[89:37] 12 tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”
[89:37] 13 tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join וְעֵד (vÿ’ed) to עוֹלָם (’olam) in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase עוֹלָם וְעֵד (“forever”). In this case one may translate the second line, “[it] will be secure like the skies.” Another option (the one reflected in the present translation) is to take עד as a rare noun meaning “throne” or “dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= כִּסֵּא, kisse’, “throne”) and ’d (= עד, “dais”) appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). Emending בַּשַּׁחַק (bashakhaq, “in the heavens”) to כַּשַׁחַק (kashakhaq, “like the heavens”) – bet/kaf (כ/ב) confusion is widely attested – one can then read “[his] throne like the heavens [is] firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (שְׁחָקִים, shÿkhaqim) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. Ps 89:29 uses the term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “skies”) which frequently appears in parallelism to שְׁחָקִים.
[12:8] 14 tn Heb “the wicked walk all around.” One could translate v. 8a as an independent clause, in which case it would be a concluding observation in proverbial style. The present translation assumes that v. 8a is a subordinate explanatory clause, or perhaps a subordinate temporal clause (“while the wicked walk all around”). The adverb סָבִיב (saviv, “around”), in combination with the Hitpael form of the verb “walk” (which indicates repeated action), pictures the wicked as ubiquitous. They have seemingly overrun society.
[12:8] 15 tn Heb “when evil is lifted up by the sons of man.” The abstract noun זֻלּוּת (zulut, “evil”) occurs only here. On the basis of evidence from the cognate languages (see HALOT 272 s.v.), one might propose the meaning “base character,” or “morally foolish behavior.”
[8:9] 16 tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the
[8:9] 17 tn Or “awesome, majestic.”
[8:9] 18 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[8:9] 19 sn Using the poetic device of inclusio, the psalmist ends the psalm the way he began it. The concluding refrain is identical to v. 1.
[22:3] 20 tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the
[48:3] 21 tn Heb “he is known for an elevated place.”
[80:13] 22 tn The Hebrew verb כִּרְסֵם (kirsem, “to eat away; to ruin”) occurs only here in the OT.
[80:13] 23 tn The precise referent of the Hebrew word translated “insects,” which occurs only here and in Ps 50:11, is uncertain. Aramaic, Arabic, and Akkadian cognates refer to insects, such as locusts or crickets.
[140:3] 24 tn Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” Ps 64:3 reads, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues [like a sword],” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”
[140:3] 25 tn The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT.
[48:1] 27 sn Psalm 48. This so-called “Song of Zion” celebrates the greatness and glory of the Lord’s dwelling place, Jerusalem. His presence in the city elevates it above all others and assures its security.
[48:1] 28 sn The city of our God is Jerusalem, which is also referred to here as “his holy hill,” that is, Zion (see v. 2, as well as Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; 87:1; Dan 9:16).
