Mazmur 48:4

48:4 For ¹  look, the kings assemble; ² 

they advance together.

Mazmur 70:3

70:3 May those who say, “Aha! Aha!”

be driven back ³  and disgraced! ⁴ 

Mazmur 82:4

82:4 Rescue the poor and needy!

Deliver them from the power ⁵  of the wicked!

Mazmur 106:18

106:18 Fire burned their group;

the flames scorched the wicked. ⁶ 

Mazmur 106:33

106:33 for they aroused ⁷  his temper, ⁸ 

and he spoke rashly. ⁹ 

Mazmur 124:6

124:6 The Lord deserves praise, ¹⁰ 

for ¹¹  he did not hand us over as prey to their teeth.

[48:4]  ¹ tn The logical connection between vv. 3-4 seems to be this: God is the protector of Zion and reveals himself as the city’s defender – this is necessary because hostile armies threaten the city.

[48:4]  ² tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 4-6 are understood as descriptive. In dramatic style (note הִנֵּה, hinneh, “look”) the psalm describes an enemy attack against the city as if it were occurring at this very moment. Another option is to take the perfects as narrational (“the kings assembled, they advanced”), referring to a particular historical event, such as Sennacherib’s siege of the city in 701 b.c. (cf. NIV, NRSV). Even if one translates the verses in a dramatic-descriptive manner (as the present translation does), the Lord’s victory over the Assyrians was probably what served as the inspiration of the description (see v. 8).

[70:3]  ³ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.

[70:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “May they be turned back according to their shame, those who say, ‘Aha! Aha!’” Ps 40:15 has the verb “humiliated” instead of “turned back” and adds “to me” after “say.”

[82:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “hand.”

[106:18]  ⁶ sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.

[106:33]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.

[106:33]  ⁸ tn Heb “his spirit.”

[106:33]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[106:33]  sn Verses 32-33 allude to the events of Num 20:1-13.

[124:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord.”

[124:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[the one] who.”