Mazmur 5:4

5:4 Certainly ¹  you are not a God who approves of evil; ² 

evil people ³  cannot dwell with you. ⁴ 

Mazmur 69:35

69:35 For God will deliver Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

and his people ⁵  will again live in them and possess Zion. ⁶ 

Mazmur 89:7

89:7 a God who is honored ⁷  in the great angelic assembly, ⁸ 

and more awesome than ⁹  all who surround him?

Mazmur 55:1

Psalm 55 ¹⁰ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song ¹¹  by David.

55:1 Listen, O God, to my prayer!

Do not ignore ¹²  my appeal for mercy!

Mazmur 65:1

Psalm 65 ¹³ 

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

65:1 Praise awaits you, ¹⁴  O God, in Zion.

Vows made to you are fulfilled.

Mazmur 42:1

Book 2
(Psalms 42-72)

Psalm 42 ¹⁵ 

For the music director; a well-written song ¹⁶  by the Korahites.

42:1 As a deer ¹⁷  longs ¹⁸  for streams of water,

so I long ¹⁹  for you, O God!

Mazmur 18:2

18:2 The Lord is my high ridge, ²⁰  my stronghold, ²¹  my deliverer.

My God is my rocky summit where ²²  I take shelter, ²³ 

my shield, the horn that saves me, ²⁴  and my refuge. ²⁵ 

Mazmur 102:22

102:22 when the nations gather together,

and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord. ²⁶ 

Mazmur 53:2

53:2 God looks down from heaven ²⁷  at the human race, ²⁸ 

to see if there is anyone who is wise ²⁹  and seeks God. ³⁰ 

Mazmur 68:24

68:24 They ³¹  see your processions, O God –

the processions of my God, my king, who marches along in holy splendor. ³² 

Mazmur 42:5

42:5 Why are you depressed, ³³  O my soul? ³⁴ 

Why are you upset? ³⁵ 

Wait for God!

For I will again give thanks

to my God for his saving intervention. ³⁶ 

Mazmur 4:5

4:5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices ³⁷ 

and trust in the Lord! ³⁸ 

Mazmur 38:22

38:22 Hurry and help me, ³⁹  O Lord, my deliverer!

Mazmur 89:52

89:52 ⁴⁰ The Lord deserves praise ⁴¹  forevermore!

We agree! We agree! ⁴² 

Mazmur 92:8

92:8 But you, O Lord, reign ⁴³  forever!

Mazmur 52:8

52:8 But I ⁴⁴  am like a flourishing ⁴⁵  olive tree in the house of God;

I continually ⁴⁶  trust in God’s loyal love.

Mazmur 51:14

51:14 Rescue me from the guilt of murder, ⁴⁷  O God, the God who delivers me!

Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your deliverance. ⁴⁸ 

Mazmur 67:1

Psalm 67 ⁴⁹ 

For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm, a song.

67:1 May God show us his favor ⁵⁰  and bless us! ⁵¹ 

May he smile on us! ⁵²  (Selah)

Mazmur 88:1

Psalm 88 ⁵³ 

A song, a psalm written by the Korahites; for the music director; according to the machalath-leannoth style; ⁵⁴  a well-written song ⁵⁵  by Heman the Ezrachite.

88:1 O Lord God who delivers me! ⁵⁶ 

By day I cry out

and at night I pray before you. ⁵⁷ 

Mazmur 13:3

13:3 Look at me! ⁵⁸  Answer me, O Lord my God!

Revive me, ⁵⁹  or else I will die! ⁶⁰ 

Mazmur 3:7

3:7 Rise up, ⁶¹  Lord!

Deliver me, my God!

Yes, ⁶²  you will strike ⁶³  all my enemies on the jaw;

you will break the teeth ⁶⁴  of the wicked. ⁶⁵ 

Mazmur 20:7

20:7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, ⁶⁶ 

but we ⁶⁷  depend on ⁶⁸  the Lord our God.

[5:4]  ¹ tn Or “for.”

[5:4]  ² tn Heb “not a God [who] delights [in] wickedness [are] you.”

[5:4]  ³ tn The Hebrew text has simply the singular form רע, which may be taken as an abstract noun “evil” (the reference to “wickedness” in the preceding line favors this; cf. NEB, NASB, NRSV) or as a substantival adjective “evil one” (the references to evil people in the next two verses favor this; cf. NIV “with you the wicked cannot dwell”).

[5:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “cannot dwell as a resident alien [with] you.” The negated imperfect verbal form here indicates incapability or lack of permission. These people are morally incapable of dwelling in God’s presence and are not permitted to do so.

[5:4]  sn Only the godly are allowed to dwell with the Lord. Evil people are excluded. See Ps 15.

[69:35]  ⁵ tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[69:35]  ⁶ tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to “Zion” (see Pss 48:12; 102:14); thus the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[89:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “feared.”

[89:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “in the great assembly of the holy ones.”

[89:7]  ⁹ tn Or perhaps “feared by.”

[55:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 55. The suffering and oppressed author laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.

[55:1]  ¹¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.

[55:1]  ¹² tn Heb “hide yourself from.”

[65:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 65. The psalmist praises God because he forgives sin and blesses his people with an abundant harvest.

[65:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “for you, silence, praise.” Many prefer to emend the noun דֻּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”) to a participle דּוֹמִיָּה (domiyyah), from the root דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”), understood here in the sense of “wait.”

[42:1]  ¹⁵ sn Psalm 42. The psalmist recalls how he once worshiped in the Lord’s temple, but laments that he is now oppressed by enemies in a foreign land. Some medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalms 42 and 43 into a single psalm.

[42:1]  ¹⁶ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[42:1]  ¹⁷ tn Since the accompanying verb is feminine in form, the noun אָיִּל (’ayyil, “male deer”) should be emended to אַיֶּלֶת (’ayyelet, “female deer”). Haplography of the letter tav has occurred; note that the following verb begins with tav.

[42:1]  ¹⁸ tn Or “pants [with thirst].”

[42:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “my soul pants [with thirst].” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[18:2]  ²⁰ sn My high ridge. This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.

[18:2]  ²¹ sn My stronghold. David often found safety in such strongholds. See 1 Sam 22:4-5; 24:22; 2 Sam 5:9, 17; 23:14.

[18:2]  ²² tn Or “in whom.”

[18:2]  ²³ sn Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).

[18:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the horn of my salvation”; or “my saving horn.”

[18:2]  sn Though some see “horn” as referring to a horn-shaped peak of a hill, or to the “horns” of an altar where one could find refuge, it is more likely that the horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that uses its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36. Ps 18:2 uses the metaphor of the horn in a slightly different manner. Here the Lord himself is compared to a horn. He is to the psalmist what the horn is to the ox, a source of defense and victory.

[18:2]  ²⁵ tn Or “my elevated place.” The parallel version of this psalm in 2 Sam 22:3 adds at this point, “my refuge, my savior, [you who] save me from violence.”

[102:22]  ²⁶ tn “and the kingdoms to serve the Lord.”

[53:2]  ²⁷ sn The picture of the Lord looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.

[53:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”

[53:2]  ²⁹ tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.

[53:2]  ³⁰ tn That is, who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.

[68:24]  ³¹ tn The subject is probably indefinite, referring to bystanders in general who witness the procession.

[68:24]  ³² tn The Hebrew text has simply “in holiness.” The words “who marches along” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:5]  ³³ tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”

[42:5]  ³⁴ sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.

[42:5]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ 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.

[4:5]  ³⁷ tn Or “proper, right.” The phrase also occurs in Deut 33:19 and Ps 51:19.

[4:5]  ³⁸ sn Trust in the Lord. The psalmist urges his enemies to make peace with God and become his followers.

[38:22]  ³⁹ tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Ps 22:19.

[89:52]  ⁴⁰ sn The final verse of Ps 89, v. 52, is a conclusion to this third “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 106:48, respectively).

[89:52]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.

[89:52]  ⁴² tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [’amen vÿ’amen], i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God; thus it has been translated “We agree! We agree!”

[92:8]  ⁴³ tn Heb “[are elevated] on high.”

[52:8]  ⁴⁴ tn The disjunctive construction (vav [ו] + subject) highlights the contrast between the evildoer’s destiny (vv. 5-7) and that of the godly psalmist’s security.

[52:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “luxuriant, green, leafy.”

[52:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever and ever.”

[51:14]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “from bloodshed.” “Bloodshed” here stands by metonymy for the guilt which it produces.

[51:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “my tongue will shout for joy your deliverance.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may my tongue shout for joy.” However, the pattern in vv. 12-15 appears to be prayer/request (see vv. 12, 14a, 15a) followed by promise/vow (see vv. 13, 14b, 15b).

[67:1]  ⁴⁹ sn Psalm 67. The psalmist prays for God’s blessing upon his people and urges the nations to praise him for he is the just ruler of the world.

[67:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “have mercy on us.”

[67:1]  ⁵¹ tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. Note the jussive form יָאֵר (ya’er) in the next line.

[67:1]  ⁵² tn Heb “may he cause his face to shine with us.”

[88:1]  ⁵³ sn Psalm 88. The psalmist cries out in pain to the Lord, begging him for relief from his intense and constant suffering. The psalmist regards God as the ultimate cause of his distress, but nevertheless clings to God in hope.

[88:1]  ⁵⁴ tn The Hebrew phrase מָחֲלַת לְעַנּוֹת (makhalat lÿ’annot) may mean “illness to afflict.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term מָחֲלַת also appears in the superscription of Ps 53.

[88:1]  ⁵⁵ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[88:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “O Lord God of my deliverance.” In light of the content of the psalm, this reference to God as the one who delivers seems overly positive. For this reason some emend the text to אַלֹהַי שִׁוַּעְתִּי (’alohay shivva’tiy, “[O Lord] my God, I cry out”). See v. 13.

[88:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “[by] day I cry out, in the night before you.”

[13:3]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “see.”

[13:3]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “Give light [to] my eyes.” The Hiphil of אוּר (’ur), when used elsewhere with “eyes” as object, refers to the law of God giving moral enlightenment (Ps 19:8), to God the creator giving literal eyesight to all people (Prov 29:13), and to God giving encouragement to his people (Ezra 9:8). Here the psalmist pictures himself as being on the verge of death. His eyes are falling shut and, if God does not intervene soon, he will “fall asleep” for good.

[13:3]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “or else I will sleep [in?] the death.” Perhaps the statement is elliptical, “I will sleep [the sleep] of death,” or “I will sleep [with the sleepers in] death.”

[3:7]  ⁶¹ tn In v. 2 the psalmist describes his enemies as those who “confront” him (קָמִים [qamim], literally, “rise up against him”). Now, using the same verbal root (קוּם, qum) he asks the Lord to rise up (קוּמָה, qumah) in his defense.

[3:7]  ⁶² tn Elsewhere in the psalms the particle כִּי (ki), when collocated with a perfect verbal form and subordinated to a preceding imperative directed to God, almost always has an explanatory or causal force (“for, because”) and introduces a motivating argument for why God should respond positively to the request (see Pss 5:10; 6:2; 12:1; 16:1; 41:4; 55:9; 56:1; 57:1; 60:2; 69:1; 74:20; 119:94; 123:3; 142:6; 143:8). (On three occasions the כִּי is recitative after a verb of perception [“see/know that,” see Pss 4:3; 25:19; 119:159]). If כִּי is taken as explanatory here, then the psalmist is arguing that God should deliver him now because that is what God characteristically does. However, such a motivating argument is not used in the passages cited above. The motivating argument usually focuses on the nature of the psalmist’s dilemma or the fact that he trusts in the Lord. For this reason it is unlikely that כִּי has its normal force here. Most scholars understand the particle כִּי as having an asseverative (emphasizing) function here (“indeed, yes”; NEB leaves the particle untranslated).

[3:7]  ⁶³ tn If the particle כִּי (ki) is taken as explanatory, then the perfect verbal forms in v. 7b would describe God’s characteristic behavior. However, as pointed out in the preceding note on the word “yes,” the particle probably has an asseverative force here. If so, the perfects may be taken as indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s assault on his enemies as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm, as expressed before (vv. 3-6) and after this (v. 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“Strike all my enemies on the jaw, break the teeth of the wicked”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.

[3:7]  ⁶⁴ sn The expression break the teeth may envision violent hand-to hand combat, though it is possible that the enemies are pictured here as a dangerous animal (see Job 29:17).

[3:7]  ⁶⁵ tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.

[20:7]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “these in chariots and these in horses.” No verb appears; perhaps the verb “invoke” is to be supplied from the following line. In this case the idea would be that some “invoke” (i.e., trust in) their military might for victory (cf. NEB “boast”; NIV “trust”; NRSV “take pride”). Verse 8 suggests that the “some/others” mentioned here are the nation’s enemies.

[20:7]  ⁶⁷ tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s faithful people and the others mentioned in the previous line.

[20:7]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “we invoke the name of.” The Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar), when combined with the phrase “in the name,” means “to invoke” (see Josh 23:7; Isa 48:1; Amos 6:10). By invoking the Lord’s name in prayer, the people demonstrate their trust in him.