Mazmur 27:13

27:13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience

the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? ¹ 

Mazmur 37:10

37:10 Evil men will soon disappear; ² 

you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. ³ 

Mazmur 46:3

46:3 when its waves ⁴  crash ⁵  and foam,

and the mountains shake ⁶  before the surging sea. ⁷  (Selah)

Mazmur 68:13

68:13 When ⁸  you lie down among the sheepfolds, ⁹ 

the wings of the dove are covered with silver

and with glittering gold. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 75:3

75:3 When the earth and all its inhabitants dissolve in fear, ¹¹ 

I make its pillars secure.” ¹²  (Selah)

Mazmur 119:9

ב (Bet)

119:9 How can a young person ¹³  maintain a pure life? ¹⁴ 

By guarding it according to your instructions! ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 119:51

119:51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me. ¹⁶ 

Yet I do not turn aside from your law.

Mazmur 119:107

119:107 I am suffering terribly.

O Lord, revive me with your word! ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 133:1

Psalm 133 ¹⁸ 

A song of ascents, ¹⁹  by David.

133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

when brothers live together! ²⁰ 

[27:13]  ¹ tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is incomplete: “If I had not believed [I would] see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” The words “Where would I be” are supplied in the translation to clarify the intent of the statement.

[37:10]  ² tn Heb “and yet, a little, there will be no wicked [one].”

[37:10]  ³ tn Heb “and you will carefully look upon his place, but he will not be [there].” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer is in view.

[46:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “its waters.”

[46:3]  ⁵ tn Or “roar.”

[46:3]  ⁶ tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the characteristic nature of the activity described.

[46:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “at its swelling.” The Hebrew word often means “pride.” If the sea is symbolic of hostile nations, then this may be a case of double entendre. The surging, swelling sea symbolizes the proud, hostile nations. On the surface the psalmist appears to be depicting a major natural catastrophe, perhaps a tidal wave. If so, then the situation would be hypothetical. However, the repetition of the verbs הָמָה (hamah, “crash; roar,” v. 3) and מוֹט (mot, “shake,” v. 2) in v. 6, where nations/kingdoms “roar” and “shake,” suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).

[68:13]  ⁸ tn Or “if.”

[68:13]  ⁹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “sheepfolds” is uncertain. There may be an echo of Judg 5:16 here.

[68:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and her pinions with the yellow of gold.”

[68:13]  sn The point of the imagery of v. 13 is not certain, though the reference to silver and gold appears to be positive. Both would be part of the loot carried away from battle (see v. 12b).

[75:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “melt.”

[75:3]  ¹² tn The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically prevents the world from being overrun by chaos. One could take this as referring to an anticipated event, “I will make its pillars secure.”

[119:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “young man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender specific “young man” has been translated with the more neutral “young person.”

[119:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “purify his path.”

[119:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:51]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “scoff at me to excess.”

[119:107]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “according to your word.”

[133:1]  ¹⁸ sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.

[133:1]  ¹⁹ 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.

[133:1]  ²⁰ sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.