Mazmur 36:4-6

36:4 He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed;

he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; ¹ 

he does not reject what is evil. ² 

36:5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky; ³ 

your faithfulness to the clouds. ⁴ 

36:6 Your justice is like the highest mountains, ⁵ 

your fairness like the deepest sea;

you preserve ⁶  mankind and the animal kingdom. ⁷ 

[36:4]  ¹ tn Heb “he takes a stand in a way [that is] not good.” The word “way” here refers metaphorically to behavior or life style.

[36:4]  ² tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 highlight the characteristic behavior of the typical evildoer.

[36:5]  ³ tn Heb “[is] in the heavens.”

[36:5]  ⁴ 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).

[36:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.

[36:6]  ⁶ tn Or “deliver.”

[36:6]  ⁷ sn God’s justice/fairness is firm and reliable like the highest mountains and as abundant as the water in the deepest sea. The psalmist uses a legal metaphor to describe God’s preservation of his creation. Like a just judge who vindicates the innocent, God protects his creation from destructive forces.