Mazmur 24:1

Psalm 24 ¹ 

A psalm of David.

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

the world and all who live in it.

Mazmur 33:4

33:4 For ²  the Lord’s decrees ³  are just, ⁴ 

and everything he does is fair. ⁵ 

Mazmur 73:4

73:4 For they suffer no pain; ⁶ 

their bodies ⁷  are strong and well-fed. ⁸ 

Mazmur 115:3

115:3 Our God is in heaven!

He does whatever he pleases! ⁹ 

Mazmur 139:1

Psalm 139 ¹⁰ 

For the music director, a psalm of David.

139:1 O Lord, you examine me ¹¹  and know.

Mazmur 139:4

139:4 Certainly ¹²  my tongue does not frame a word

without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it. ¹³ 

Mazmur 145:16

145:16 You open your hand,

and fill every living thing with the food they desire. ¹⁴ 

[24:1]  ¹ 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.

[33:4]  ² sn For the Lord’s decrees are just… After the call to praise (vv. 1-3), the psalmist now gives a series of reasons why the Lord is worthy of praise.

[33:4]  ³ tn Heb “word.” In this context, which depicts the Lord as the sovereign creator and ruler of the world, the Lord’s “word” refers to the decrees whereby he governs his dominion.

[33:4]  ⁴ tn Or “upright.”

[33:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “and all his work [is] in faithfulness.”

[73:4]  ⁶ tn In Isa 58:6, the only other occurrence of this word in the OT, the term refers to “bonds” or “ropes.” In Ps 73:4 it is used metaphorically of pain and suffering that restricts one’s enjoyment of life.

[73:4]  ⁷ tn Or “bellies.”

[73:4]  ⁸ tc Or “fat.” The MT of v. 4 reads as follows: “for there are no pains at their death, and fat [is] their body.” Since a reference to the death of the wicked seems incongruous in the immediate context (note v. 5) and premature in the argument of the psalm (see vv. 18-20, 27), some prefer to emend the text by redividing it. The term לְמוֹתָם (lÿmotam,“at their death”) is changed to לָמוֹ תָּם (lamo tam, “[there are no pains] to them, strong [and fat are their bodies]”). The term תָּם (tam, “complete; sound”) is used of physical beauty in Song 5:2; 6:9. This emendation is the basis for the present translation. However, in defense of the MT (the traditional Hebrew text), one may point to an Aramaic inscription from Nerab which views a painful death as a curse and a nonpainful death in one’s old age as a sign of divine favor. See ANET 661.

[115:3]  ⁹ sn He does whatever he pleases. Such sovereignty is characteristic of kings (see Eccl 8:3).

[139:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 139. The psalmist acknowledges that God, who created him, is aware of his every action and thought. He invites God to examine his motives, for he is confident they are pure.

[139:1]  ¹¹ tn The statement is understood as generalizing – the psalmist describes what God typically does.

[139:4]  ¹² tn Or “for.”

[139:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “look, O Lord, you know all of it.”

[145:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[with what they] desire.”