Mazmur 25:5

25:5 Guide me into your truth ¹  and teach me.

For you are the God who delivers me;

on you I rely all day long.

Mazmur 36:1

Psalm 36 ² 

For the music director; written by the Lord’s servant, David; an oracle. ³ 

36:1 An evil man is rebellious to the core. ⁴ 

He does not fear God, ⁵ 

Mazmur 42:10

42:10 My enemies’ taunts cut into me to the bone, ⁶ 

as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” ⁷ 

Mazmur 47:1

Psalm 47 ⁸ 

For the music director; by the Korahites; a psalm.

47:1 All you nations, clap your hands!

Shout out to God in celebration! ⁹ 

Mazmur 58:11

58:11 Then ¹⁰  observers ¹¹  will say,

“Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded! ¹² 

Yes indeed, there is a God who judges ¹³  in the earth!”

Mazmur 62:1

Psalm 62 ¹⁴ 

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.

62:1 For God alone I patiently wait; ¹⁵ 

he is the one who delivers me. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 64:1

Psalm 64 ¹⁷ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

64:1 Listen to me, ¹⁸  O God, as I offer my lament!

Protect ¹⁹  my life from the enemy’s terrifying attacks. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 77:16

77:16 The waters ²¹  saw you, O God,

the waters saw you and trembled. ²² 

Yes, the depths of the sea ²³  shook with fear. ²⁴ 

Mazmur 143:10

143:10 Teach me to do what pleases you, ²⁵ 

for you are my God.

May your kind presence ²⁶ 

lead me ²⁷  into a level land. ²⁸ 

[25:5]  ¹ sn The Lord’s commandments are referred to as truth here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will.

[36:1]  ² sn Psalm 36. Though evil men plan to harm others, the psalmist is confident that the Lord is the just ruler of the earth who gives and sustains all life. He prays for divine blessing and protection and anticipates God’s judgment of the wicked.

[36:1]  ³ tn In the Hebrew text the word נאם (“oracle”) appears at the beginning of the next verse (v. 2 in the Hebrew text because the superscription is considered v. 1). The resulting reading, “an oracle of rebellion for the wicked [is] in the midst of my heart” (cf. NIV) apparently means that the psalm, which foresees the downfall of the wicked, is a prophetic oracle about the rebellion of the wicked which emerges from the soul of the psalmist. One could translate, “Here is a poem written as I reflected on the rebellious character of evil men.” Another option, followed in the translation above, is to attach נאם (nÿ’um, “oracle”) with the superscription. For another example of a Davidic poem being labeled an “oracle,” see 2 Sam 23:1.

[36:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “[the] rebellion of an evil man [is] in the midst of my heart.” The translation assumes a reading “in the midst of his heart” (i.e., “to the core”) instead of “in the midst of my heart,” a change which finds support in a a few medieval Hebrew mss, the Hebrew text of Origen’s Hexapla, and the Syriac.

[36:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “there is no dread of God before his eyes.” The phrase “dread of God” refers here to a healthy respect for God which recognizes that he will punish evil behavior.

[42:10]  ⁶ tc Heb “with a shattering in my bones my enemies taunt me.” A few medieval Hebrew mss and Symmachus’ Greek version read “like” instead of “with.”

[42:10]  ⁷ sn “Where is your God?” The enemies ask this same question in v. 3.

[47:1]  ⁸ sn Psalm 47. In this hymn the covenant community praises the Lord as the exalted king of the earth who has given them victory over the nations and a land in which to live.

[47:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “Shout to God with [the] sound of a ringing cry!”

[58:11]  ¹⁰ tn Following the imperfects of v. 10, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive probably indicates a result or consequence of what precedes.

[58:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “man.” The singular is representative here.

[58:11]  ¹² tn Heb “surely [there] is fruit for the godly.”

[58:11]  ¹³ tn The plural participle is unusual here if the preceding אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a plural of majesty, referring to the one true God. Occasionally the plural of majesty does take a plural attributive (see GKC 428-29 §132.h). It is possible that the final mem (ם) on the participle is enclitic, and that it was later misunderstood as a plural ending. Another option is to translate, “Yes indeed, there are gods who judge in the earth.” In this case, the statement reflects the polytheistic mindset of pagan observers who, despite their theological ignorance, nevertheless recognize divine retribution when they see it.

[62:1]  ¹⁴ sn Psalm 62. The psalmist expresses his unwavering confidence in God’s justice and in his ability to protect his people.

[62:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “only for God [is] there silence [to] my soul.”

[62:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “from him [is] my deliverance.”

[64:1]  ¹⁷ sn Psalm 64. The psalmist asks God to protect him from his dangerous enemies and then confidently affirms that God will destroy his enemies and demonstrate his justice in the sight of all observers.

[64:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “my voice.”

[64:1]  ¹⁹ tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s request.

[64:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “from the terror of [the] enemy.” “Terror” is used here metonymically for the enemy’s attacks that produce fear because they threaten the psalmist’s life.

[77:16]  ²¹ tn The waters of the Red Sea are here personified; they are portrayed as seeing God and fearing him.

[77:16]  ²² tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[77:16]  ²³ tn The words “of the sea” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[77:16]  ²⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[143:10]  ²⁵ tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.

[143:10]  ²⁶ tn Heb “your good spirit.” God’s “spirit” may refer here to his presence (see the note on the word “presence” in Ps 139:7) or to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).

[143:10]  ²⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. Taking the statement as a prayer fits well with the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.

[143:10]  ²⁸ sn A level land (where one can walk free of obstacles) here symbolizes divine blessing and protection. See Pss 26:12 and 27:11 for similar imagery.