Mazmur 3:3

3:3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; ¹ 

you are my glory ²  and the one who restores me. ³ 

Mazmur 5:3

5:3 Lord, in the morning ⁴  you will hear ⁵  me; ⁶ 

in the morning I will present my case to you ⁷  and then wait expectantly for an answer. ⁸ 

Mazmur 9:9

9:9 Consequently ⁹  the Lord provides safety for the oppressed; ¹⁰ 

he provides safety in times of trouble. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 30:3

30:3 O Lord, you pulled me ¹²  up from Sheol;

you rescued me from among those descending into the grave. ¹³ 

Mazmur 31:8

31:8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;

you enable me to stand ¹⁴  in a wide open place.

Mazmur 36:5

36:5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky; ¹⁵ 

your faithfulness to the clouds. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 39:9-10

39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth

because of what you have done. ¹⁷ 

39:10 Please stop wounding me! ¹⁸ 

You have almost beaten me to death! ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 44:13

44:13 You made us ²⁰  an object of disdain to our neighbors;

those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. ²¹ 

Mazmur 45:10

45:10 Listen, O princess! ²² 

Observe and pay attention! ²³ 

Forget your homeland ²⁴  and your family! ²⁵ 

Mazmur 45:17

45:17 I will proclaim your greatness through the coming years, ²⁶ 

then the nations will praise you ²⁷  forever.

Mazmur 46:11

46:11 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ²⁸ 

The God of Jacob ²⁹  is our protector! ³⁰  (Selah)

Mazmur 49:8

49:8 (the ransom price for a human life ³¹  is too high,

and people go to their final destiny), ³² 

Mazmur 55:17

55:17 During the evening, morning, and noontime

I will lament and moan, ³³ 

and he will hear ³⁴  me. ³⁵ 

Mazmur 57:10

57:10 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, ³⁶ 

and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.

Mazmur 58:7

58:7 Let them disappear ³⁷  like water that flows away! ³⁸ 

Let them wither like grass! ³⁹ 

Mazmur 59:14

59:14 They return in the evening;

they growl ⁴⁰  like a dog

and prowl around outside ⁴¹  the city.

Mazmur 62:7

62:7 God delivers me and exalts me;

God is my strong protector and my shelter. ⁴² 

Mazmur 67:5

67:5 Let the nations thank you, O God!

Let all the nations thank you! ⁴³ 

Mazmur 68:9

68:9 O God, you cause abundant showers to fall ⁴⁴  on your chosen people. ⁴⁵ 

When they ⁴⁶  are tired, you sustain them, ⁴⁷ 

Mazmur 68:15

68:15 The mountain of Bashan ⁴⁸  is a towering mountain; ⁴⁹ 

the mountain of Bashan is a mountain with many peaks. ⁵⁰ 

Mazmur 68:26

68:26 In your large assemblies praise God,

the Lord, in the assemblies of Israel! ⁵¹ 

Mazmur 69:33

69:33 For the Lord listens to the needy;

he does not despise his captive people. ⁵² 

Mazmur 81:15

81:15 (May those who hate the Lord ⁵³  cower in fear ⁵⁴  before him!

May they be permanently humiliated!) ⁵⁵ 

Mazmur 92:15

92:15 So they proclaim that the Lord, my protector,

is just and never unfair. ⁵⁶ 

[3:3]  ¹ tn Heb “a shield round about me.”

[3:3]  ² tn Heb “my glory,” or “my honor.” The psalmist affirms that the Lord is his source of honor, i.e., the one who gives him honor in the sight of others. According to BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 7, the phrase refers to God as the one to whom the psalmist gives honor. But the immediate context focuses on what God does for the psalmist, not vice-versa.

[3:3]  ³ tn Heb “[the one who] lifts my head.” This phrase could be understood to refer to a general strengthening of the psalmist by God during difficult circumstances. However, if one takes the suggestion of the superscription that this is a Davidic psalm written during the revolt of Absalom, the phrase “lift the head” could refer to the psalmist’s desire for restoration to his former position (cf. Gen 40:13 where the same phrase is used). Like the Hebrew text, the present translation (“who restores me”) can be understood in either sense.

[5:3]  ⁴ sn In the morning is here viewed as the time of prayer (Pss 59:16; 88:13) and/or of deliverance (Ps 30:5).

[5:3]  ⁵ tn The imperfect is here understood in a specific future sense; the psalmist is expressing his confidence that God will be willing to hear his request. Another option is to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s wish or request. In this case one could translate, “Lord, in the morning hear me.”

[5:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “my voice.”

[5:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “I will arrange for you.” Some understand a sacrifice or offering as the implied object (cf. NEB “I set out my morning sacrifice”). The present translation assumes that the implied object is the psalmist’s case/request. See Isa 44:7.

[5:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “and I will watch.”

[9:9]  ⁹ tn Following the imperfect in v. 9, the construction vav (ו) conjunctive + shortened form of the prefixed verb הָיָה (hayah) indicates a consequence or result of the preceding statement. The construction functions this same way in Pss 81:15 and 104:20.

[9:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and the Lord is an elevated place for the oppressed.” The singular form דָּךְ (dakh, “oppressed”) is collective here.

[9:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[he is] an elevated place for times in trouble.” Here an “elevated place” refers to a stronghold, a defensible, secure position that represents a safe haven in times of unrest or distress (cf. NEB “tower of strength”; NIV, NRSV “stronghold”).

[30:3]  ¹² tn Or “my life.”

[30:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “you kept me alive from those descending into the pit.” The Hebrew noun בוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (Kethib); the marginal reading (Qere) has, “you kept me alive so that I did not go down into the pit.”

[31:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “you cause my feet to stand.”

[36:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “[is] in the heavens.”

[36:5]  ¹⁶ sn The Lord’s loyal love/faithfulness is almost limitless. He is loyal and faithful to his creation and blesses mankind and the animal kingdom with physical life and sustenance (vv. 6-9).

[39:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “because you acted.” The psalmist has in mind God’s disciplinary measures (see vv. 10-13).

[39:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “remove from upon me your wound.”

[39:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “from the hostility of your hand I have come to an end.”

[44:13]  ²⁰ tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[44:13]  ²¹ tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.”

[45:10]  ²² tn Heb “daughter.” The Hebrew noun בת (“daughter”) can sometimes refer to a young woman in a general sense (see H. Haag, TDOT 2:334).

[45:10]  sn Listen, O princess. The poet now addresses the bride.

[45:10]  ²³ tn Heb “see and turn your ear.” The verb רָאָה (ra’ah, “see”) is used here of mental observation.

[45:10]  ²⁴ tn Heb “your people.” This reference to the “people” of the princess suggests she was a foreigner. Perhaps the marriage was arranged as part of a political alliance between Israel (or Judah) and a neighboring state. The translation “your homeland” reflects such a situation.

[45:10]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and the house of your father.”

[45:17]  ²⁶ tn Heb “I will cause your name to be remembered in every generation and generation.” The cohortative verbal form expresses the poet’s resolve. The king’s “name” stands here for his reputation and character, which the poet praised in vv. 2-7.

[45:17]  ²⁷ sn The nations will praise you. As God’s vice-regent on earth, the king is deserving of such honor and praise.

[46:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:11]  ²⁹ tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[49:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “their life.” Some emend the text to “his life,” understanding the antecedent of the pronoun as “brother” in v. 7. However, the man and brother of v. 7 are representative of the human race in general, perhaps explaining why a plural pronoun appears in v. 8. Of course, the plural pronoun could refer back to “the rich” mentioned in v. 6. Another option (the one assumed in the translation) is that the suffixed mem is enclitic. In this case the “ransom price for human life” is referred to an abstract, general way.

[49:8]  ³² tn Heb “and one ceases forever.” The translation assumes an indefinite subject which in turn is representative of the entire human race (“one,” that refers to human beings without exception). The verb חָדַל (khadal, “cease”) is understood in the sense of “come to an end; fail” (i.e., die). Another option is to translate, “and one ceases/refrains forever.” In this case the idea is that the living, convinced of the reality of human mortality, give up all hope of “buying off” God and refrain from trying to do so.

[55:17]  ³³ tn The first verb is clearly a cohortative form, expressing the psalmist’s resolve. The second verb, while formally ambiguous, should also be understood as cohortative here.

[55:17]  ³⁴ tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive normally appears in narrational contexts to indicate past action, but here it continues the anticipatory (future) perspective of the preceding line. In Ps 77:6 one finds the same sequence of cohortative + prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive. In this case as well, both forms refer to future actions.

[55:17]  ³⁵ tn Heb “my voice.”

[57:10]  ³⁶ tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”

[58:7]  ³⁷ tn Following the imperatival forms in v. 6, the prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive expressing the psalmist’s wish. Another option is to take the form as an imperfect (indicative) and translate, “they will scatter” (see v. 9). The verb מָאַס (ma’as; which is a homonym of the more common מָאַס, “to refuse, reject”) appears only here and in Job 7:5, where it is used of a festering wound from which fluid runs or flows.

[58:7]  ³⁸ tn Heb “like water, they go about for themselves.” The translation assumes that the phrase “they go about for themselves” is an implied relative clause modifying “water.” Another option is to take the clause as independent and parallel to what precedes. In this case the enemies would be the subject and the verb could be taken as jussive, “let them wander about.”

[58:7]  ³⁹ tc The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The text reads literally, “he treads his arrows (following the Qere; Kethib has “his arrow”), like they are cut off/dry up.” It is not clear if the verbal root is מָלַל (malal, “circumcise”; BDB 576 s.v. IV מָלַל) or the homonymic מָלַל (“wither”; HALOT 593-94 s.v. I מלל). Since the verb מָלַל (“to wither”) is used of vegetation, it is possible that the noun חָצִיר (khatsir, “grass,” which is visually similar to חִצָּיו, khitsayv, “his arrows”) originally appeared in the text. The translation above assumes that the text originally was כְּמוֹ חָצִיר יִתְמֹלָלוּ(kÿmo khatsir yitmolalu, “like grass let them wither”). If original, it could have been accidentally corrupted to חִצָּיר כְּמוֹ יִתְמֹלָלוּ (“his arrow(s) like they dry up”) with דָּרַךְ (darakh, “to tread”) being added later in an effort to make sense of “his arrow(s).”

[59:14]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “howl”; or “bark.”

[59:14]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “go around.”

[62:7]  ⁴² tn Heb “upon God [is] my deliverance and my glory, the high rocky summit of my strength, my shelter [is] in God.”

[67:5]  ⁴³ tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 5 are understood as jussives in this call to praise.

[68:9]  ⁴⁴ tn The verb נוּף (nuf, “cause rain to fall”) is a homonym of the more common נוּף (“brandish”).

[68:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “[on] your inheritance.” This refers to Israel as God’s specially chosen people (see Pss 28:9; 33:12; 74:2; 78:62, 71; 79:1; 94:5, 14; 106:40). Some take “your inheritance” with what follows, but the vav (ו) prefixed to the following word (note וְנִלְאָה, vÿnil’ah) makes this syntactically unlikely.

[68:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “it [is],” referring to God’s “inheritance.”

[68:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “it,” referring to God’s “inheritance.”

[68:15]  ⁴⁸ sn The mountain of Bashan probably refers to Mount Hermon.

[68:15]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “a mountain of God.” The divine name is probably used here in a superlative sense to depict a very high mountain (“a mountain fit for God,” as it were). Cf. NIV “are majestic mountains”; NRSV “O mighty mountain.”

[68:15]  ⁵⁰ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term, which appears only here in the OT, is uncertain. HALOT 174 s.v. גַּבְנוֹן suggests “many-peaked,” while BDB 148 s.v. גַּבְנִן suggests “rounded summit.”

[68:26]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “from the fountain of Israel,” which makes little, if any, sense here. The translation assumes an emendation to בְּמִקְרָאֵי (bÿmiqra’ey, “in the assemblies of [Israel]”).

[69:33]  ⁵² tn Heb “his prisoners he does not despise.”

[81:15]  ⁵³ tn “Those who hate the Lord” are also mentioned in 2 Chr 19:2 and Ps 139:21.

[81:15]  ⁵⁴ tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 66:3 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “to be weak; to be powerless” (see also Ps 109:24). The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, parallel to the jussive form in the next line.

[81:15]  ⁵⁵ tc Heb “and may their time be forever.” The Hebrew term עִתָּם (’ittam, “their time”) must refer here to the “time” of the demise and humiliation of those who hate the Lord. Some propose an emendation to בַּעֲתָתָם (ba’atatam) or בִּעֻתָם (bi’utam; “their terror”; i.e., “may their terror last forever”), but the omission of bet (ב) in the present Hebrew text is difficult to explain, making the proposed emendation unlikely.

[81:15]  tn The verb form at the beginning of the line is jussive, indicating that this is a prayer. The translation assumes that v. 15 is a parenthetical “curse” offered by the psalmist. Having heard the reference to Israel’s enemies (v. 14), the psalmist inserts this prayer, reminding the Lord that they are God’s enemies as well.

[92:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “so that [they] proclaim that upright [is] the Lord, my rocky summit, and there is no injustice in him.”