Mazmur 3:1

Psalm 3 ¹ 

A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom. ² 

3:1 Lord, how ³  numerous are my enemies!

Many attack me. ⁴ 

Mazmur 4:6

4:6 Many say, “Who can show us anything good?”

Smile upon us, Lord! ⁵ 

Mazmur 5:7

5:7 But as for me, ⁶  because of your great faithfulness I will enter your house; ⁷ 

I will bow down toward your holy temple as I worship you. ⁸ 

Mazmur 5:9

5:9 For ⁹  they do not speak the truth; ¹⁰ 

their stomachs are like the place of destruction, ¹¹ 

their throats like an open grave, ¹² 

their tongues like a steep slope leading into it. ¹³ 

Mazmur 9:14

9:14 Then I will ¹⁴  tell about all your praiseworthy acts; ¹⁵ 

in the gates of Daughter Zion ¹⁶  I will rejoice because of your deliverance.” ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 18:48

18:48 He delivers me ¹⁸  from my enemies;

you snatch me away ¹⁹  from those who attack me; ²⁰ 

you rescue me from violent men.

Mazmur 19:10

19:10 They are of greater value ²¹  than gold,

than even a great amount of pure gold;

they bring greater delight ²²  than honey,

than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.

Mazmur 22:27

22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! ²³ 

Let all the nations ²⁴  worship you! ²⁵ 

Mazmur 22:29

22:29 All of the thriving people ²⁶  of the earth will join the celebration and worship; ²⁷ 

all those who are descending into the grave ²⁸  will bow before him,

including those who cannot preserve their lives. ²⁹ 

Mazmur 23:4

23:4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, ³⁰ 

I fear ³¹  no danger, ³² 

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff reassure me. ³³ 

Mazmur 27:4

27:4 I have asked the Lord for one thing –

this is what I desire!

I want to live ³⁴  in the Lord’s house ³⁵  all the days of my life,

so I can gaze at the splendor ³⁶  of the Lord

and contemplate in his temple.

Mazmur 30:12

30:12 So now ³⁷  my heart ³⁸  will sing to you and not be silent;

O Lord my God, I will always ³⁹  give thanks to you.

Mazmur 31:9

31:9 Have mercy on me, for I am in distress!

My eyes grow dim ⁴⁰  from suffering. ⁴¹ 

I have lost my strength. ⁴² 

Mazmur 31:11

31:11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me; ⁴³ 

my neighbors are appalled by my suffering ⁴⁴  –

those who know me are horrified by my condition; ⁴⁵ 

those who see me in the street run away from me.

Mazmur 31:22-23

31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said, ⁴⁶ 

“I am cut off from your presence!” ⁴⁷ 

But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.

31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers ⁴⁸  of his!

The Lord protects those who have integrity,

but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 35:27

35:27 May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice!

May they continually say, ⁵⁰  “May the Lord be praised, ⁵¹  for he wants his servant to be secure.” ⁵² 

Mazmur 37:28

37:28 For the Lord promotes ⁵³  justice,

and never abandons ⁵⁴  his faithful followers.

They are permanently secure, ⁵⁵ 

but the children ⁵⁶  of evil men are wiped out. ⁵⁷ 

Mazmur 38:12

38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; ⁵⁸ 

those who want to harm me speak destructive words;

all day long they say deceitful things.

Mazmur 39:5

39:5 Look, you make my days short-lived, ⁵⁹ 

and my life span is nothing from your perspective. ⁶⁰ 

Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor. ⁶¹ 

Mazmur 39:11

39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins; ⁶² 

like a moth you slowly devour their strength. ⁶³ 

Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)

Mazmur 40:17

40:17 I am oppressed and needy! ⁶⁴ 

May the Lord pay attention to me! ⁶⁵ 

You are my helper and my deliverer!

O my God, do not delay!

Mazmur 42:5

42:5 Why are you depressed, ⁶⁶  O my soul? ⁶⁷ 

Why are you upset? ⁶⁸ 

Wait for God!

For I will again give thanks

to my God for his saving intervention. ⁶⁹ 

Mazmur 42:8

42:8 By day the Lord decrees his loyal love, ⁷⁰ 

and by night he gives me a song, ⁷¹ 

a prayer ⁷²  to the living God.

Mazmur 44:2

44:2 You, by your power, ⁷³  defeated nations and settled our fathers on their land; ⁷⁴ 

you crushed ⁷⁵  the people living there ⁷⁶  and enabled our ancestors to occupy it. ⁷⁷ 

Mazmur 44:5

44:5 By your power ⁷⁸  we will drive back ⁷⁹  our enemies;

by your strength ⁸⁰  we will trample down ⁸¹  our foes! ⁸² 

Mazmur 48:10

48:10 The praise you receive as far away as the ends of the earth

is worthy of your reputation, O God. ⁸³ 

You execute justice! ⁸⁴ 

Mazmur 57:3

57:3 May he send help from heaven and deliver me ⁸⁵ 

from my enemies who hurl insults! ⁸⁶  (Selah)

May God send his loyal love and faithfulness!

Mazmur 59:3

59:3 For look, they wait to ambush me; ⁸⁷ 

powerful men stalk ⁸⁸  me,

but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord. ⁸⁹ 

Mazmur 59:12-13

59:12 They speak sinful words. ⁹⁰ 

So let them be trapped by their own pride

and by the curses and lies they speak!

59:13 Angrily wipe them out! Wipe them out so they vanish!

Let them know that God rules

in Jacob and to the ends of the earth! (Selah)

Mazmur 62:9

62:9 Men are nothing but a mere breath;

human beings are unreliable. ⁹¹ 

When they are weighed in the scales,

all of them together are lighter than air. ⁹² 

Mazmur 63:11

63:11 But the king ⁹³  will rejoice in God;

everyone who takes oaths in his name ⁹⁴  will boast,

for the mouths of those who speak lies will be shut up. ⁹⁵ 

Mazmur 66:12

66:12 You allowed men to ride over our heads;

we passed through fire and water,

but you brought us out into a wide open place. ⁹⁶ 

Mazmur 66:15

66:15 I will offer up to you fattened animals as burnt sacrifices,

along with the smell of sacrificial rams.

I will offer cattle and goats. (Selah)

Mazmur 68:1

Psalm 68 ⁹⁷ 

For the music director; by David, a psalm, a song.

68:1 God springs into action! ⁹⁸ 

His enemies scatter;

his adversaries ⁹⁹  run from him. ¹⁰⁰ 

Mazmur 68:16

68:16 Why do you look with envy, ¹⁰¹  O mountains ¹⁰²  with many peaks,

at the mountain where God has decided to live? ¹⁰³ 

Indeed ¹⁰⁴  the Lord will live there ¹⁰⁵  permanently!

Mazmur 68:27

68:27 There is little Benjamin, their ruler, ¹⁰⁶ 

and the princes of Judah in their robes, ¹⁰⁷ 

along with the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.

Mazmur 68:30

68:30 Sound your battle cry ¹⁰⁸  against the wild beast of the reeds, ¹⁰⁹ 

and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls! ¹¹⁰ 

They humble themselves ¹¹¹  and offer gold and silver as tribute. ¹¹² 

God ¹¹³  scatters ¹¹⁴  the nations that like to do battle.

Mazmur 69:20

69:20 Their insults are painful ¹¹⁵  and make me lose heart; ¹¹⁶ 

I look ¹¹⁷  for sympathy, but receive none, ¹¹⁸ 

for comforters, but find none.

Mazmur 71:18

71:18 Even when I am old and gray, ¹¹⁹ 

O God, do not abandon me,

until I tell the next generation about your strength,

and those coming after me about your power. ¹²⁰ 

Mazmur 72:17

72:17 May his fame endure! ¹²¹ 

May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky! ¹²² 

May they use his name when they formulate their blessings! ¹²³ 

May all nations consider him to be favored by God! ¹²⁴ 

Mazmur 73:28

73:28 But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. ¹²⁵ 

I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter,

as ¹²⁶  I declare all the things you have done.

Mazmur 76:11

76:11 Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them!

Let all those who surround him ¹²⁷  bring tribute to the awesome one!

Mazmur 77:1

Psalm 77 ¹²⁸ 

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

77:1 I will cry out to God ¹²⁹  and call for help!

I will cry out to God and he will pay attention ¹³⁰  to me.

Mazmur 78:5

78:5 He established a rule ¹³¹  in Jacob;

he set up a law in Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to make his deeds known to their descendants, ¹³² 

Mazmur 78:38

78:38 Yet he is compassionate.

He forgives sin and does not destroy.

He often holds back his anger,

and does not stir up his fury. ¹³³ 

Mazmur 81:5

81:5 He decreed it as a regulation in Joseph,

when he attacked the land of Egypt. ¹³⁴ 

I heard a voice I did not recognize. ¹³⁵ 

Mazmur 84:11

84:11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. ¹³⁶ 

The Lord bestows favor ¹³⁷  and honor;

he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. ¹³⁸ 

Mazmur 88:5

88:5 adrift ¹³⁹  among the dead,

like corpses lying in the grave,

whom you remember no more,

and who are cut off from your power. ¹⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 101:2

101:2 I will walk in ¹⁴¹  the way of integrity.

When will you come to me?

I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. ¹⁴² 

Mazmur 102:26

102:26 They will perish,

but you will endure. ¹⁴³ 

They will wear out like a garment;

like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear. ¹⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 106:7

106:7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds,

they failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,

and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea. ¹⁴⁵ 

Mazmur 127:2

127:2 It is vain for you to rise early, come home late,

and work so hard for your food. ¹⁴⁶ 

Yes, ¹⁴⁷  he can provide for those whom he loves even when they sleep. ¹⁴⁸ 

Mazmur 131:1

Psalm 131 ¹⁴⁹ 

A song of ascents, ¹⁵⁰  by David.

131:1 O Lord, my heart is not proud,

nor do I have a haughty look. ¹⁵¹ 

I do not have great aspirations,

or concern myself with things that are beyond me. ¹⁵² 

Mazmur 144:2

144:2 who loves me ¹⁵³  and is my stronghold,

my refuge ¹⁵⁴  and my deliverer,

my shield and the one in whom I take shelter,

who makes nations submit to me. ¹⁵⁵ 

[3:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 3. The psalmist acknowledges that he is confronted by many enemies (vv. 1-2). But, alluding to a divine oracle he has received (vv. 4-5), he affirms his confidence in God’s ability to protect him (vv. 3, 6) and requests that God make his promise a reality (vv. 7-8).

[3:1]  ² sn According to Jewish tradition, David offered this prayer when he was forced to flee from Jerusalem during his son Absalom’s attempted coup (see 2 Sam 15:13-17).

[3:1]  ³ tn The Hebrew term מָה (mah, “how”) is used here as an adverbial exclamation (see BDB 553 s.v.).

[3:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “many rise up against me.”

[4:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “lift up upon us the light of your face, Lord.” The verb נסה is apparently an alternate form of נשׂא, “lift up.” See GKC 217 §76.b. The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).

[4:6]  sn Smile upon us. Though many are discouraged, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and transform the situation.

[5:7]  ⁶ sn But as for me. By placing the first person pronoun at the beginning of the verse, the psalmist highlights the contrast between the evildoers’ actions and destiny, outlined in the preceding verses, with his own.

[5:7]  ⁷ sn I will enter your house. The psalmist is confident that God will accept him into his presence, in contrast to the evildoers (see v. 5).

[5:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “in fear [of] you.” The Hebrew noun יִרְאָה (yir’ah, “fear”), when used of fearing God, is sometimes used metonymically for what it ideally produces: “worship, reverence, piety.”

[5:9]  ⁹ tn Or “certainly.”

[5:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for there is not in his mouth truthfulness.” The singular pronoun (“his”) probably refers back to the “man of bloodshed and deceit” mentioned in v. 6. The singular is collective or representative, as the plural in the next line indicates, and so has been translated “they.”

[5:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “their inward part[s] [is] destruction.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse.

[5:9]  ¹² tn Heb “their throat is an open grave.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse. The metaphor is suggested by the physical resemblance of the human throat to a deeply dug grave; both are dark chasms.

[5:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “they make smooth their tongue.” Flattering, deceitful words are in view. See Ps 12:2. The psalmist’s deceitful enemies are compared to the realm of death/Sheol in v. 9b. Sheol was envisioned as a dark region within the earth, the entrance to which was the grave with its steep slopes (cf. Ps 88:4-6). The enemies’ victims are pictured here as slipping down a steep slope (the enemies’ tongues) and falling into an open grave (their throat) that terminates in destruction in the inner recesses of Sheol (their stomach). The enemies’ קרב (“inward part”) refers here to their thoughts and motives, which are destructive in their intent. The throat is where these destructive thoughts are transformed into words, and their tongue is what they use to speak the deceitful words that lead their innocent victims to their demise.

[5:9]  sn As the psalmist walks down the path in which God leads him, he asks the Lord to guide his steps and remove danger from the path (v. 8), because he knows his enemies have “dug a grave” for him and are ready to use their deceitful words to “swallow him up” like the realm of death (i.e., Sheol) and bring him to ruin.

[9:14]  ¹⁴ tn Or “so that I might.”

[9:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “all your praise.” “Praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt it.

[9:14]  ¹⁶ sn Daughter Zion is an idiomatic title for Jerusalem. It appears frequently in the prophets, but only here in the psalms.

[9:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “in your deliverance.”

[18:48]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “[the one who] delivers me.” 2 Sam 22:49 reads “and [the one who] brings me out.”

[18:48]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “lifts me up.” In light of the preceding and following references to deliverance, the verb רום probably here refers to being rescued from danger (see Ps 9:13). However, it could mean “exalt, elevate” here, indicating that the Lord has given the psalmist victory over his enemies and forced them to acknowledge the psalmist’s superiority (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[18:48]  ²⁰ tn Heb “from those who rise against me.”

[19:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “more desirable.”

[19:10]  ²² tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).

[22:27]  ²³ tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the Lord.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27 are understood as jussives (cf. NEB). Another option (cf. NIV, NRSV) is to take the forms as imperfects and translate, “all the people of the earth will acknowledge and turn…and worship.” See vv. 29-32.

[22:27]  ²⁴ tn Heb “families of the nations.”

[22:27]  ²⁵ tn Heb “before you.”

[22:29]  ²⁶ tn Heb “fat [ones].” This apparently refers to those who are healthy and robust, i.e., thriving. In light of the parallelism, some prefer to emend the form to יְשֵׁנֵי (yÿsheney, “those who sleep [in the earth]”; cf. NAB, NRSV), but דִּשְׁנֵי (dishney, “fat [ones]”) seems to form a merism with “all who descend into the grave” in the following line. The psalmist envisions all people, whether healthy or dying, joining in worship of the Lord.

[22:29]  ²⁷ tn Heb “eat and worship.” The verb forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) are normally used in narrative to relate completed actions. Here the psalmist uses the forms rhetorically as he envisions a time when the Lord will receive universal worship. The mood is one of wishful thinking and anticipation; this is not prophecy in the strict sense.

[22:29]  ²⁸ tn Heb “all of the ones going down [into] the dust.” This group stands in contrast to those mentioned in the previous line. Together the two form a merism encompassing all human beings – the healthy, the dying, and everyone in between.

[22:29]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and his life he does not revive.”

[23:4]  ³⁰ tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל [tsel] + מָוֶת [mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צָלַם, tsalam) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. If the word does indeed mean “darkness,” it modifies גַיְא (gay’, “valley, ravine”) quite naturally. At the metaphorical level, v. 4 pictures the shepherd taking his sheep through a dark ravine where predators might lurk. The life-threatening situations faced by the psalmist are the underlying reality behind the imagery.

[23:4]  ³¹ tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 4, as in vv. 1-3, highlight what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.

[23:4]  ³² tn The Hebrew term רַע (ra’) is traditionally translated “evil” here, perhaps suggesting a moral or ethical nuance. But at the level of the metaphor, the word means “danger, injury, harm,” as a sheep might experience from a predator. The life-threatening dangers faced by the psalmist, especially the enemies mentioned in v. 5, are the underlying reality.

[23:4]  ³³ tn The Piel of נָחַם (nakham), when used with a human object, means “comfort, console.” But here, within the metaphorical framework, it refers to the way in which a shepherd uses his implements to assure the sheep of his presence and calm their nerves. The underlying reality is the emotional stability God provides the psalmist during life threatening situations.

[27:4]  ³⁴ tn Heb “my living.”

[27:4]  ³⁵ sn The Lord’s house. This probably refers to the tabernacle (if one accepts Davidic authorship) or the temple (see Judg 19:18; 1 Sam 1:7, 24; 2 Sam 12:20; 1 Kgs 7:12, 40, 45, 51).

[27:4]  ³⁶ tn Or “beauty.”

[30:12]  ³⁷ tn Heb “so that”; or “in order that.”

[30:12]  ³⁸ tn Heb “glory.” Some view כָבוֹד (khavod, “glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvediy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 57:9; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.” “Heart” is used in the translation above for the sake of English idiom; the expression “my liver sings” would seem odd indeed to the modern reader.

[30:12]  ³⁹ tn Or “forever.”

[31:9]  ⁴⁰ tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”

[31:9]  ⁴¹ tn Cf. Ps 6:7, which has a similar line.

[31:9]  ⁴² tn Heb “my breath and my stomach [grow weak].” Apparently the verb in the previous line (“grow dim, be weakened”) is to be understood here. The Hebrew term נפשׁ can mean “life,” or, more specifically, “throat, breath.” The psalmist seems to be lamenting that his breathing is impaired because of the physical and emotional suffering he is forced to endure.

[31:11]  ⁴³ tn Heb “because of all my enemies I am a reproach.”

[31:11]  ⁴⁴ tc Heb “and to my neighbors, exceedingly.” If the MT is retained, then these words probably go with what precedes. However the syntactical awkwardness of the text suggests it is textually corrupt. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 258) suggests that the initial mem (מ) on מְאֹד (me’od, “exceedingly”) be understood as an enclitic mem (ם) which was originally suffixed to the preceding form and then later misinterpreted. The resulting form אֵד (’ed) can then be taken as a defectively written form of אֵיד (’ed, “calamity”). If one follows this emendation, then the text reads literally, “and to my neighbors [I am one who experiences] calamity.” The noun פַחַד (fakhad, “[object of] horror”) occurs in the next line; אֵיד and פַחַד appear in parallelism elsewhere (see Prov 1:26-27).

[31:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and [an object of ] horror to those known by me.”

[31:22]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”

[31:22]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “from before your eyes.”

[31:23]  ⁴⁸ tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[31:23]  ⁴⁹ tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.

[35:27]  ⁵⁰ tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27a are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-26).

[35:27]  ⁵¹ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the Lord be magnified [in praise].” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the Lord is great.”

[35:27]  ⁵² tn Heb “the one who desires the peace of his servant.”

[37:28]  ⁵³ tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world. The active participle describes characteristic behavior.

[37:28]  ⁵⁴ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.

[37:28]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “protected forever.”

[37:28]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[37:28]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.

[38:12]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “lay snares.”

[39:5]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “Look, handbreadths you make my days.” The “handbreadth” (equivalent to the width of four fingers) was one of the smallest measures used by ancient Israelites. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 309.

[39:5]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “is like nothing before you.”

[39:5]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “surely, all vapor [is] all mankind, standing firm.” Another option is to translate, “Surely, all mankind, though seemingly secure, is nothing but a vapor.”

[39:11]  ⁶² tn “with punishments on account of sin you discipline a man.”

[39:11]  ⁶³ tc Heb “you cause to dissolve, like a moth, his desired [thing].” The translation assumes an emendation of חֲמוּדוֹ (khamudo, “his desirable [thing]”) to חֶמְדוֹ (khemdo, “his loveliness” [or “beauty”]), a reading that is supported by a few medieval Hebrew mss.

[40:17]  ⁶⁴ sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.

[40:17]  ⁶⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a jussive of prayer (as in the present translation; cf. NIV) or as an imperfect, “The Lord will pay attention to me” (cf. NRSV). The parallel in Ps 70:5 has, “O God, hurry to me!” For this reason some prefer to emend יַחֲשָׁב (yakhashav, “may he pay attention”) to חוּשָׁה (khushah, “hurry!”). The syntax of the Hebrew text is awkward; elsewhere when the Qal of חָשַׁב (khashav, “reckon; consider”) is collocated with the preposition -ל (lamed) and a pronominal suffix there is an accompanying direct object or additional prepositional phrase/adverbial accusative (see Gen 15:6; 2 Sam 19:19; Job 13:24; 19:11; 33:10; Pss 32:2; 41:7; Amos 6:5).

[42:5]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”

[42:5]  ⁶⁷ sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.

[42:5]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “and [why] are you in turmoil upon me?” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the descriptive present nuance of the preceding imperfect. See GKC 329 §111.t.

[42:5]  ⁶⁹ tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of his face.” The verse division in the Hebrew text is incorrect. אֱלֹהַי (’elohay, “my God”) at the beginning of v. 7 belongs with the end of v. 6 (see the corresponding refrains in 42:11 and 43:5, both of which end with “my God” after “saving acts of my face”). The Hebrew term פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”) should be emended to פְּנֵי (pÿney, “face of”). The emended text reads, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention.

[42:8]  ⁷⁰ sn The psalmist believes that the Lord has not abandoned him, but continues to extend his loyal love. To this point in the psalm, the author has used the name “God,” but now, as he mentions the divine characteristic of loyal love, he switches to the more personal divine name Yahweh (rendered in the translation as “the Lord”).

[42:8]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “his song [is] with me.”

[42:8]  ⁷² tc A few medieval Hebrew mss read תְּהִלָּה (tÿhillah, “praise”) instead of תְּפִלָּה (tÿfillah, “prayer”).

[44:2]  ⁷³ tn Heb “you, your hand.”

[44:2]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “dispossessed nations and planted them.” The third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1). See Ps 80:8, 15.

[44:2]  ⁷⁵ tn The verb form in the Hebrew text is a Hiphil preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive) from רָעַע (ra’a’, “be evil; be bad”). If retained it apparently means, “you injured; harmed.” Some prefer to derive the verb from רָעַע (“break”; cf. NEB “breaking up the peoples”), in which case the form must be revocalized as Qal (since this verb is unattested in the Hiphil).

[44:2]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “peoples.”

[44:2]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “and you sent them out.” The translation assumes that the third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1), as in the preceding parallel line. See Ps 80:11, where Israel, likened to a vine, “spreads out” its tendrils to the west and east. Another option is to take the “peoples” as the referent of the pronoun and translate, “and you sent them away,” though this does not provide as tight a parallel with the corresponding line.

[44:5]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “by you.”

[44:5]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “gore” (like an ox). If this portion of the psalm contains the song of confidence/petition the Israelites recited prior to battle, then the imperfects here and in the next line may express their expectation of victory. Another option is that the imperfects function in an emphatic generalizing manner. In this case one might translate, “you [always] drive back…you [always] trample down.”

[44:5]  sn The Hebrew verb translated “drive back” is literally “gore”; the imagery is that of a powerful wild ox that “gores” its enemies and tramples them underfoot.

[44:5]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “in your name.” The Lord’s “name” refers here to his revealed character or personal presence. Specifically in this context his ability to deliver, protect, and energize for battle is in view (see Ps 54:1).

[44:5]  ⁸¹ sn The image of the powerful wild ox continues; see the note on the phrase “drive back” in the preceding line.

[44:5]  ⁸² tn Heb “those who rise up [against] us.”

[48:10]  ⁸³ tn Heb “like your name, O God, so [is] your praise to the ends of the earth.” Here “name” refers to God’s reputation and revealed character.

[48:10]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “your right hand is full of justice.” The “right hand” suggests activity and power.

[57:3]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “may he send from heaven and deliver me.” The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. The second verb, which has a vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, probably indicates purpose. Another option is to take the forms as imperfects expressing confidence, “he will send from heaven and deliver me” (cf. NRSV).

[57:3]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “he hurls insults, one who crushes me.” The translation assumes that this line identifies those from whom the psalmist seeks deliverance. (The singular is representative; the psalmist is surrounded by enemies, see v. 4.) Another option is to understand God as the subject of the verb חָרַף (kharaf), which could then be taken as a homonym of the more common root חָרַף (“insult”) meaning “confuse.” In this case “one who crushes me” is the object of the verb. One might translate, “he [God] confuses my enemies.”

[59:3]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “my life.”

[59:3]  ⁸⁸ tn The Hebrew verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 56:8.

[59:3]  ⁸⁹ sn The point is that the psalmist’s enemies have no justifiable reason for attacking him. He has neither rebelled or sinned against the Lord.

[59:12]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “the sin of their mouth [is] the word of their lips.”

[62:9]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “only a breath [are] the sons of mankind, a lie [are] the sons of man.” The phrases “sons of mankind” and “sons of man” also appear together in Ps 49:2. Because of the parallel line there, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, a number of interpreters and translators treat these expressions as polar opposites, בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes. But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand the phrases as synonymous expressions.

[62:9]  ⁹² tn The noun הֶבֶל (hevel), translated “a breath” earlier in the verse, appears again here.

[63:11]  ⁹³ sn The psalmist probably refers to himself in the third person here.

[63:11]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “who swears [an oath] by him.”

[63:11]  ⁹⁵ tn The Niphal of this verb occurs only here and in Gen 8:2, where it is used of God “stopping” or “damming up” the great deep as he brought the flood to an end.

[66:12]  ⁹⁶ tc The MT reads רְוָיָה (“saturation”) but this should be emended to רְוָחָה (rÿvakhah, “wide open place”; i.e., “relief”), a reading supported by several ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Jerome, Targum).

[68:1]  ⁹⁷ sn Psalm 68. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior and celebrates the fact that God exerts his power on behalf of his people.

[68:1]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “rises up.” The verb form is an imperfect, not a jussive. The psalmist is describing God’s appearance in battle in a dramatic fashion.

[68:1]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “those who hate him.”

[68:1]  ¹⁰⁰ sn The wording of v. 1 echoes the prayer in Num 10:35: “Spring into action, Lord! Then your enemies will be scattered and your adversaries will run from you.”

[68:16]  ¹⁰¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb רָצַד (ratsad), translated here “look with envy,” is uncertain; it occurs only here in the OT. See BDB 952-53. A cognate verb occurs in later Aramaic with the meaning “to lie in wait; to watch” (Jastrow 1492 s.v. רְצַד).

[68:16]  ¹⁰² tn Perhaps the apparent plural form should be read as a singular with enclitic mem (ם; later misinterpreted as a plural ending). The preceding verse has the singular form.

[68:16]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “[at] the mountain God desires for his dwelling place.” The reference is to Mount Zion/Jerusalem.

[68:16]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The Hebrew particle אַף (’af) has an emphasizing function here.

[68:16]  ¹⁰⁵ tn The word “there” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[68:27]  ¹⁰⁶ sn Little Benjamin, their ruler. This may allude to the fact that Israel’s first king, Saul, was from the tribe of Benjamin.

[68:27]  ¹⁰⁷ tc The MT reads רִגְמָתָם (rigmatam), which many derive from רָגַם (ragam, “to kill by stoning”) and translates, “[in] their heaps,” that is, in large numbers.

[68:30]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The Hebrew verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts such as Ps 68 this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Ps 106:9 and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.

[68:30]  ¹⁰⁹ sn The wild beast of the reeds probably refers to a hippopotamus, which in turn symbolizes the nation of Egypt.

[68:30]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “an assembly of bulls, with calves of the nations.”

[68:30]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “humbling himself.” The verb form is a Hitpael participle from the root רָפַס (rafas, “to trample”). The Hitpael of this verb appears only here and in Prov 6:3, where it seems to mean, “humble oneself,” a nuance that fits nicely in this context. The apparent subject is “wild beast” or “assembly,” though both of these nouns are grammatically feminine, while the participle is a masculine form. Perhaps one should emend the participial form to a masculine plural (מִתְרַפִּם, mitrapim) and understand “bulls” or “calves” as the subject.

[68:30]  ¹¹² tc Heb “with pieces [?] of silver.” The meaning of the Hebrew term רַצֵּי (ratsey) is unclear. It is probably best to emend the text to בֶּצֶר וְכָסֶף (betser vÿkhasef, “[with] gold and silver”).

[68:30]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[68:30]  ¹¹⁴ tn The verb בָּזַר (bazar) is an alternative form of פָּזַר (pazar, “scatter”).

[69:20]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “break my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the origin of the psalmist’s emotions.

[69:20]  ¹¹⁶ tn The verb form appears to be a Qal preterite from an otherwise unattested root נוּשׁ (nush), which some consider an alternate form of אָנַשׁ (’anash, “be weak; be sick”; see BDB 60 s.v. I אָנַשׁ). Perhaps the form should be emended to a Niphal, וָאֵאָנְשָׁה (va’e’onshah, “and I am sick”). The Niphal of אָנַשׁ occurs in 2 Sam 12:15, where it is used to describe David’s sick child.

[69:20]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “wait.”

[69:20]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “and I wait for sympathy, but there is none.” The form נוּד (nud) is an infinitive functioning as a verbal noun:, “sympathizing.” Some suggest emending the form to a participle נָד (nad, “one who shows sympathy”). The verb נוּד (nud) also has the nuance “show sympathy” in Job 2:11; 42:11 and Isa 51:19.

[71:18]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “and even unto old age and gray hair.”

[71:18]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “until I declare your arm to a generation, to everyone who comes your power.” God’s “arm” here is an anthropomorphism that symbolizes his great strength.

[72:17]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “may his name [be] permanent.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect.

[72:17]  ¹²² tn Heb “before the sun may his name increase.” The Kethib (consonantal text) assumes יָנִין (yanin; a Hiphil of the verbal root נִין, nin) or יְנַיֵן (yÿnayen; a Piel form), while the Qere (marginal reading) assumes יִנּוֹן (yinnon; a Niphal form). The verb נִין occurs only here, though a derived noun, meaning “offspring,” appears elsewhere (see Isa 14:22). The verb appears to mean “propagate, increase” (BDB 630 s.v. נוּן, נִין) or “produce shoots, get descendants” (HALOT 696 s.v. נין). In this context this appears to be a prayer for a lasting dynasty that will keep the king’s name and memory alive.

[72:17]  ¹²³ tn Heb “may they bless one another by him,” that is, use the king’s name in their blessing formulae because he is a prime example of one blessed by God (for examples of such blessing formulae, see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11). There is some debate on whether the Hitpael form of בָּרַךְ (barakh, “bless”) is reflexive-reciprocal (as assumed in the present translation) or passive. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ occurs in five other passages, including the hotly debated Gen 22:18 and 26:4. In these two texts one could understand the verb form as passive and translate, “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring,” or one could take the Hitpael as reflexive or reciprocal and translate, “all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings [i.e., on themselves or one another] by your offspring.” In the first instance Abraham’s (or Isaac’s) offspring are viewed as a channel of divine blessing. In the second instance they are viewed as a prime example of blessing that will appear as part of the nations’ blessing formulae, but not necessarily as a channel of blessing to the nations. In Deut 29:18 one reads: “When one hears the words of this covenant [or “oath”] and invokes a blessing on himself (Hitpael of בָּרַךְ) in his heart, saying: ‘I will have peace, even though I walk with a rebellious heart.’” In this case the Hitpael is clearly reflexive, as the phrases “in his heart” and “I will have peace” indicate. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ appears twice in Isaiah 65:16: “The one who invokes a blessing on himself (see Deut 9:18) in the land will invoke that blessing by the God of truth; and the one who makes an oath in the land will make that oath by the God of truth.” A passive nuance does not fit here. The parallel line, which mentions making an oath, suggests that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. Both pronouncements of blessing and oaths will appeal to God as the one who rewards and judges, respectively. Jer 4:2 states: “If you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ with truth, integrity, and honesty, then the nations will pronounce blessings by him and boast in him.” A passive nuance might work (“the nations will be blessed”), but the context refers to verbal pronouncements (swearing an oath, boasting), suggesting that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. The logic of the verse seems to be as follows: If Israel conducts its affairs with integrity, the nation will be favored by the Lord, which will in turn attract the surrounding nations to Israel’s God. To summarize, while the evidence might leave the door open for a passive interpretation, there is no clear cut passive use. Usage favors a reflexive or reciprocal understanding of the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ. In Ps 72:17 the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ is followed by the prepositional phrase בוֹ (vo, “by him”). The verb could theoretically be taken as passive, “may all the nations be blessed through him” (cf. NIV, NRSV), because the preceding context describes the positive effects of this king’s rule on the inhabitants of the earth. But the parallel line, which employs the Piel of אָשַׁר (’ashar) in a factitive/declarative sense, “regard as happy, fortunate,” suggests a reflexive or reciprocal nuance for the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ here. If the nations regard the ideal king as a prime example of one who is fortunate or blessed, it is understandable that they would use his name in their pronouncements of blessing.

[72:17]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “all the nations, may they regard him as happy.” The Piel is used here in a delocutive sense (“regard as”).

[73:28]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “but as for me, the nearness of God for me [is] good.”

[73:28]  ¹²⁶ tn The infinitive construct with -לְ (lÿ) is understood here as indicating an attendant circumstance. Another option is to take it as indicating purpose (“so that I might declare”) or result (“with the result that I declare”).

[76:11]  ¹²⁷ tn The phrase “all those who surround him” may refer to the surrounding nations (v. 12 may favor this), but in Ps 89:7 the phrase refers to God’s heavenly assembly.

[77:1]  ¹²⁸ sn Psalm 77. The psalmist recalls how he suffered through a time of doubt, but tells how he found encouragement and hope as he recalled the way in which God delivered Israel at the Red Sea.

[77:1]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “my voice to God.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to call out; to cry out”) should probably be understood by ellipsis (see Ps 3:4) both here and in the following (parallel) line.

[77:1]  ¹³⁰ tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive is best taken as future here (although some translations render this as a past tense; cf. NEB, NIV). The psalmist expresses his confidence that God will respond to his prayer. This mood of confidence seems premature (see vv. 3-4), but v. 1 probably reflects the psalmist’s attitude at the end of the prayer (see vv. 13-20). Having opened with an affirmation of confidence, he then retraces how he gained confidence during his trial (see vv. 2-12).

[78:5]  ¹³¹ tn The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).

[78:5]  ¹³² tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the Lord’s mighty deeds (see vv. 3-4).

[78:38]  ¹³³ tn One could translate v. 38 in the past tense (“he was compassionate…forgave sin and did not destroy…held back his anger, and did not stir up his fury”), but the imperfect verbal forms are probably best understood as generalizing. Verse 38 steps back briefly from the narrational summary of Israel’s history and lays the theological basis for v. 39, which focuses on God’s mercy toward sinful Israel.

[81:5]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “in his going out against the land of Egypt.” This apparently refers to the general time period of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. The LXX reads, “from Egypt,” in which case “Joseph” (see the preceding line) would be the subject of the verb, “when he [Joseph = Israel] left Egypt.”

[81:5]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “a lip I did not know, I heard.” Here the term “lip” probably stands for speech or a voice. Apparently the psalmist speaks here and refers to God’s voice, whose speech is recorded in the following verses.

[84:11]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “[is] a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritic texts, the Amarna letters, and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 131, n. 2.

[84:11]  ¹³⁷ tn Or “grace.”

[84:11]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those walking in integrity.”

[88:5]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “set free.”

[88:5]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “from your hand.”

[101:2]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “take notice of.”

[101:2]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”

[102:26]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “stand.”

[102:26]  ¹⁴⁴ tn The Hebrew verb חָלַף (khalaf) occurs twice in this line, once in the Hiphil (“you will remove them”) and once in the Qal (“they will disappear”). The repetition draws attention to the statement.

[106:7]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in vv. 9, 22). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.

[106:7]  sn They rebelled. The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12.

[127:2]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “[it is] vain for you, you who are early to rise, who delay sitting, who eat the food of hard work.” The three substantival participles are parallel and stand in apposition to the pronominal suffix on the preposition. See לָכֶם (lakhem, “for you”).

[127:2]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Here the Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4; Ps 63:2).

[127:2]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “he gives to his beloved, sleep.” The translation assumes that the Hebrew term שֵׁנָא (shena’, “sleep,” an alternate form of שֵׁנָה, shenah) is an adverbial accusative. The point seems to be this: Hard work by itself is not what counts, but one’s relationship to God, for God is able to bless an individual even while he sleeps. (There may even be a subtle allusion to the miracle of conception following sexual intercourse; see the reference to the gift of sons in the following verse.) The statement is not advocating laziness, but utilizing hyperbole to give perspective and to remind the addressees that God must be one’s first priority. Another option is to take “sleep” as the direct object: “yes, he gives sleep to his beloved” (cf. NIV, NRSV). In this case the point is this: Hard work by itself is futile, for only God is able to bless one with sleep, which metonymically refers to having one’s needs met. He blesses on the basis of one’s relationship to him, not on the basis of physical energy expended.

[131:1]  ¹⁴⁹ sn Psalm 131. The psalmist affirms his humble dependence on the Lord and urges Israel to place its trust in God.

[131:1]  ¹⁵⁰ 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.

[131:1]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “and my eyes are not lifted up.”

[131:1]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “I do not walk in great things, and in things too marvelous for me.”

[144:2]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “my loyal love,” which is probably an abbreviated form of “the God of my loyal love” (see Ps 59:10, 17).

[144:2]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “my elevated place.”

[144:2]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “the one who subdues nations beneath me.”