Mazmur 46:2

46:2 For this reason we do not fear ¹  when the earth shakes, ² 

and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, ³ 

Mazmur 62:2

62:2 He alone is my protector ⁴  and deliverer.

He is my refuge; ⁵  I will not be upended. ⁶ 

Mazmur 62:6

62:6 He alone is my protector ⁷  and deliverer.

He is my refuge; ⁸  I will not be upended. ⁹ 

Mazmur 89:28

89:28 I will always extend my loyal love to him,

and my covenant with him is secure. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 89:38

89:38 But you have spurned ¹¹  and rejected him;

you are angry with your chosen king. ¹² 

Mazmur 102:6

102:6 I am like an owl ¹³  in the wilderness;

I am like a screech owl ¹⁴  among the ruins. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 102:18

102:18 The account of his intervention ¹⁶  will be recorded for future generations;

people yet to be born will praise the Lord.

Mazmur 129:6

129:6 May they be like the grass on the rooftops

which withers before one can even pull it up, ¹⁷ 

[46:2]  ¹ tn The imperfect is taken in a generalizing sense (cf. NEB) because the situation described in vv. 2-3 is understood as symbolizing typical world conditions. In this case the imperfect draws attention to the typical nature of the response. The covenant community characteristically responds with confidence, not fear. Another option is to take the situation described as purely hypothetical. In this case one might translate, “We will not fear, even though the earth should shake” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[46:2]  ² tn The Hiphil infinitival form is normally taken to mean “when [the earth] is altered,” being derived from מוּר (mur, “to change”). In this case the Hiphil would be intransitive, as in Ps 15:4. HALOT 560 s.v. II מור emends the form to a Niphal and derives it from a homonymic root מוּר attested in Arabic with the meaning “shake.”

[46:2]  ³ tn Heb “heart of the seas.” The plural may be used for emphasis, pointing to the deepest sea. Note that the next verse uses a singular pronoun (“its waters,” “its swelling”) in referring back to the plural noun.

[62:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”

[62:2]  ⁵ tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).

[62:2]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text adds רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) at the end of the line. It is unusual for this adverb to follow a negated verb. Some see this as qualifying the assertion to some degree, but this would water down the affirmation too much (see v. 6b, where the adverb is omitted). If the adverb has a qualifying function, it would suggest that the psalmist might be upended, though not severely. This is inconsistent with the confident mood of the psalm. The adverb probably has an emphatic force here, “I will not be greatly upended” meaning “I will not be annihilated.”

[62:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”

[62:6]  ⁸ tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).

[62:6]  ⁹ sn The wording is identical to that of v. 2, except that רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) does not appear in v. 6.

[89:28]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “forever I will keep for him my loyal love and will make my covenant secure for him.”

[89:38]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew construction (conjunction + pronoun, followed by the verb) draws attention to the contrast between what follows and what precedes.

[89:38]  ¹² tn Heb “your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 132:10, 17).

[102:6]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew term קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). Modern translations have frequently rendered this as some type of owl (NIV, REB “desert owl”; NRSV “owl”).

[102:6]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew term כוֹס (khos) refers to a bird (see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16), probably a type of owl (cf. NIV, REB “owl”; NRSV “little owl”).

[102:6]  ¹⁵ sn By comparing himself to a screech owl among the ruins, the psalmist may be highlighting his loneliness (see v. 7), though he may also be comparing his cries for help to the owl’s screech.

[102:18]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text has simply “this,” referring to the anticipated divine intervention on behalf of Zion (vv. 13, 16-17). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[129:6]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁלַף (shalaf) normally means “to draw [a sword]” or “to pull.” BDB 1025 s.v. suggests the meaning “to shoot up” here, but it is more likely that the verb here means “to pluck; to pull up,” a nuance attested for this word in later Hebrew and Aramaic (see Jastrow 1587 s.v. שָׁלַף).