Mazmur 5:5

5:5 Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence; ¹ 

you hate ²  all who behave wickedly. ³ 

Mazmur 8:6

8:6 you appoint them to rule over your creation; ⁴ 

you have placed ⁵  everything under their authority, ⁶ 

Mazmur 10:18

10:18 You defend ⁷  the fatherless and oppressed, ⁸ 

so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. ⁹ 

Mazmur 12:6

12:6 The Lord’s words are absolutely reliable. ¹⁰ 

They are as untainted as silver purified in a furnace on the ground,

where it is thoroughly refined. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 16:11

16:11 You lead me in ¹²  the path of life; ¹³ 

I experience absolute joy in your presence; ¹⁴ 

you always give me sheer delight. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 18:13

18:13 The Lord thundered ¹⁶  in ¹⁷  the sky;

the sovereign One ¹⁸  shouted. ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 18:24

18:24 The Lord rewarded me for my godly deeds; ²⁰ 

he took notice of my blameless behavior. ²¹ 

Mazmur 18:39

18:39 You give me strength ²²  for battle;

you make my foes kneel before me. ²³ 

Mazmur 21:3

21:3 For you bring him ²⁴  rich ²⁵  blessings; ²⁶ 

you place a golden crown on his head.

Mazmur 22:14

22:14 My strength drains away like water; ²⁷ 

all my bones are dislocated;

my heart ²⁸  is like wax;

it melts away inside me.

Mazmur 23:2

23:2 He takes me to lush pastures, ²⁹ 

he leads me to refreshing water. ³⁰ 

Mazmur 36:7

36:7 How precious ³¹  is your loyal love, O God!

The human race finds shelter under your wings. ³² 

Mazmur 36:9

36:9 For you are the one who gives

and sustains life. ³³ 

Mazmur 39:2

39:2 I was stone silent; ³⁴ 

I held back the urge to speak. ³⁵ 

My frustration grew; ³⁶ 

Mazmur 45:16

45:16 Your ³⁷  sons will carry ³⁸  on the dynasty of your ancestors; ³⁹ 

you will make them princes throughout the land.

Mazmur 48:6

48:6 Look at them shake uncontrollably, ⁴⁰ 

like a woman writhing in childbirth. ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 55:9

55:9 Confuse them, ⁴²  O Lord!

Frustrate their plans! ⁴³ 

For I see violence and conflict in the city.

Mazmur 62:1

Psalm 62 ⁴⁴ 

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

62:1 For God alone I patiently wait; ⁴⁵ 

he is the one who delivers me. ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 63:2

63:2 Yes, ⁴⁷  in the sanctuary I have seen you, ⁴⁸ 

and witnessed ⁴⁹  your power and splendor.

Mazmur 63:7

63:7 For you are my deliverer; ⁵⁰ 

under your wings ⁵¹  I rejoice.

Mazmur 68:5

68:5 He is a father to the fatherless

and an advocate for widows. ⁵² 

God rules from his holy palace. ⁵³ 

Mazmur 68:33

68:33 to the one who rides through the sky from ancient times! ⁵⁴ 

Look! He thunders loudly. ⁵⁵ 

Mazmur 69:15

69:15 Don’t let the current overpower me!

Don’t let the deep swallow me up!

Don’t let the pit ⁵⁶  devour me! ⁵⁷ 

Mazmur 69:19

69:19 You know how I am insulted, humiliated and disgraced;

you can see all my enemies. ⁵⁸ 

Mazmur 69:35

69:35 For God will deliver Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

and his people ⁵⁹  will again live in them and possess Zion. ⁶⁰ 

Mazmur 76:5

76:5 The bravehearted ⁶¹  were plundered; ⁶² 

they “fell asleep.” ⁶³ 

All the warriors were helpless. ⁶⁴ 

Mazmur 76:7

76:7 You are awesome! Yes, you!

Who can withstand your intense anger? ⁶⁵ 

Mazmur 78:13

78:13 He divided the sea and led them across it;

he made the water stand in a heap.

Mazmur 78:69

78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; ⁶⁶ 

as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. ⁶⁷ 

Mazmur 83:9

83:9 Do to them as you did to Midian ⁶⁸  –

as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River! ⁶⁹ 

Mazmur 84:4-5

84:4 How blessed ⁷⁰  are those who live in your temple

and praise you continually! (Selah)

84:5 How blessed are those who ⁷¹  find their strength in you,

and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple! ⁷² 

Mazmur 85:9

85:9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance; ⁷³ 

then his splendor will again appear in our land. ⁷⁴ 

Mazmur 88:11

88:11 Is your loyal love proclaimed in the grave,

or your faithfulness in the place of the dead? ⁷⁵ 

Mazmur 90:4

90:4 Yes, ⁷⁶  in your eyes a thousand years

are like yesterday that quickly passes,

or like one of the divisions of the nighttime. ⁷⁷ 

Mazmur 91:13

91:13 You will subdue ⁷⁸  a lion and a snake; ⁷⁹ 

you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent.

Mazmur 95:4

95:4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, ⁸⁰ 

and the mountain peaks belong to him.

Mazmur 102:15

102:15 The nations will respect the reputation of the Lord, ⁸¹ 

and all the kings of the earth will respect ⁸²  his splendor,

Mazmur 105:37

105:37 He brought his people ⁸³  out enriched ⁸⁴  with silver and gold;

none of his tribes stumbled.

Mazmur 108:4

108:4 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, ⁸⁵ 

and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.

Mazmur 119:168

119:168 I keep your precepts and rules,

for you are aware of everything I do. ⁸⁶ 

Mazmur 125:3

125:3 Indeed, ⁸⁷  the scepter of a wicked king ⁸⁸  will not settle ⁸⁹ 

upon the allotted land of the godly.

Otherwise the godly might

do what is wrong. ⁹⁰ 

Mazmur 127:5

127:5 How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!

They will not be put to shame ⁹¹  when they confront ⁹²  enemies at the city gate.

Mazmur 131:2

131:2 Indeed ⁹³  I am composed and quiet, ⁹⁴ 

like a young child carried by its mother; ⁹⁵ 

I am content like the young child I carry. ⁹⁶ 

[5:5]  ¹ tn Heb “before your eyes.”

[5:5]  ² sn You hate. The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 11:5.

[5:5]  ³ tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.”

[8:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “you cause [i.e., “permit, allow”] him to rule over the works of your hands.”

[8:6]  ⁵ tn The perfect verbal form probably has a present perfect nuance here. It refers to the continuing effects of God’s original mandate (see Gen 1:26-30).

[8:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “under his feet.”

[8:6]  sn Placed everything under their authority. This verse affirms that mankind rules over God’s creation as his vice-regent. See Gen 1:26-30.

[10:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”

[10:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.

[10:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.

[12:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the words of the Lord are pure words,” i.e., untainted by falsehood or deception (in contrast to the flattery of the evildoers, v. 2).

[12:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[like] silver purified in a furnace of [i.e., “on”] the ground, refined seven times.” The singular participle מְזֻקָּק (mÿzuqqaq, “refined”) modifies “silver.” The number seven is used rhetorically to express the thorough nature of the action. For other rhetorical/figurative uses of שִׁבְעָתָיִם (shiv’atayim, “seven times”), see Gen 4:15, 24; Ps 79:12; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.

[16:11]  ¹² tn Heb “cause me to know”; or “cause me to experience.”

[16:11]  ¹³ tn This is a metaphorical way of saying, “you preserve my life.” The phrase “path of life” stands in contrast to death/Sheol in Prov 2:18-19; 5:5-6; 15:24.

[16:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “abundance of joy [is] with your face.” The plural form of the noun שִׂמְחָה (simkhah, “joy”) occurs only here and in Ps 45:15. It may emphasize the degree of joy experienced.

[16:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “delight [is] in your right hand forever.” The plural form of the adjective נָעִים (na’im, “pleasant, delightful”) may here emphasize the degree of delight experienced (see Job 36:11).

[18:13]  ¹⁶ sn Thunder is a common motif in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 179-83.

[18:13]  ¹⁷ tn 2 Sam 22:14 has “from.”

[18:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.

[18:13]  ¹⁹ tc The text of Ps 18:13 adds at this point, “hail and coals of fire.” These words are probably accidentally added from v. 12b; they do not appear in 2 Sam 22:14.

[18:13]  tn Heb “offered his voice.” In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive in the preceding line.

[18:24]  ²⁰ tn Heb “according to my righteousness.”

[18:24]  ²¹ tn Heb “according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.” 2 Sam 22:25 reads “according to my purity before his eyes.” The verbal repetition (compare vv. 20 and 24) sets off vv. 20-24 as a distinct sub-unit within the psalm.

[18:39]  ²² tn Heb “clothed me.” See v. 32.

[18:39]  ²³ tn Heb “you make those who rise against me kneel beneath me.”

[18:39]  sn My foes kneel before me. For ancient Near Eastern parallels, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 268.

[21:3]  ²⁴ tn Or “meet him [with].”

[21:3]  ²⁵ tn Heb “good.”

[21:3]  ²⁶ sn You bring him rich blessings. The following context indicates that God’s “blessings” include deliverance/protection, vindication, sustained life, and a long, stable reign (see also Pss 3:8; 24:5).

[22:14]  ²⁷ tn Heb “like water I am poured out.”

[22:14]  ²⁸ sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s strength and courage.

[23:2]  ²⁹ tn Heb “he makes me lie down in lush pastures.” The Hiphil verb יַרְבִּיצֵנִי (yarbitseniy) has a causative-modal nuance here (see IBHS 445-46 §27.5 on this use of the Hiphil), meaning “allows me to lie down” (see also Jer 33:12). The point is that the shepherd takes the sheep to lush pastures and lets them eat and rest there. Both imperfect verbal forms in v. 2 are generalizing and highlight the psalmist’s typical experience.

[23:2]  ³⁰ tn Both genitives in v. 2 indicate an attribute of the noun they modify: דֶּשֶׁא (deshe’) characterizes the pastures as “lush” (i.e., rich with vegetation), while מְנֻחוֹת (mÿnukhot) probably characterizes the water as refreshing. In this case the plural indicates an abstract quality. Some take מְנֻחוֹת in the sense of “still, calm” (i.e., as describing calm pools in contrast to dangerous torrents) but it is unlikely that such a pastoral scene is in view. Shepherds usually watered their sheep at wells (see Gen 29:2-3; Exod 2:16-19). Another option is to take מְנֻחוֹת as “resting places” and to translate, “water of/at the resting places” (i.e., a genitive of location; see IBHS 147-48 §9.5.2e).

[23:2]  sn Within the framework of the metaphor, the psalmist/sheep is declaring in v. 2 that his shepherd provides the essentials for physical life. At a deeper level the psalmist may be referring to more than just physical provision, though that would certainly be included.

[36:7]  ³¹ tn Or “valuable.”

[36:7]  ³² tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear.

[36:9]  ³³ tn Heb “for with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.” Water (note “fountain”) and light are here metaphors for life.

[39:2]  ³⁴ tn Heb “I was mute [with] silence.”

[39:2]  ³⁵ tn Heb “I was quiet from good.” He kept quiet, resisting the urge to find emotional release and satisfaction by voicing his lament.

[39:2]  sn I held back the urge to speak. For a helpful discussion of the relationship (and tension) between silence and complaint in ancient Israelite lamentation, see E. S. Gerstenberger, Psalms, Part I (FOTL), 166-67.

[39:2]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and my pain was stirred up.” Emotional pain is in view here.

[45:16]  ³⁷ tn The pronoun is second masculine singular, indicating the king is being addressed from this point to the end of the psalm.

[45:16]  ³⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive and the statement interpreted as a prayer, “May your sons carry on the dynasty of your ancestors!” The next line could then be taken as a relative clause, “[your sons] whom you will make princes throughout the land.”

[45:16]  ³⁹ tn Heb “in place of your fathers will be your sons.”

[48:6]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “trembling seizes them there.” The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here, as often in poetic texts, to point “to a spot in which a scene is localized vividly in the imagination” (BDB 1027 s.v.).

[48:6]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “[with] writhing like one giving birth.”

[48:6]  sn The language of vv. 5-6 is reminiscent of Exod 15:15.

[55:9]  ⁴² tn Traditionally בַּלַּע (bala’) has been taken to mean “swallow” in the sense of “devour” or “destroy” (cf. KJV), but this may be a homonym meaning “confuse” (see BDB 118 s.v. בַּלַּע; HALOT 135 s.v. III *בֶּלַע). “Their tongue” is the understood object of the verb (see the next line).

[55:9]  ⁴³ tn Heb “split their tongue,” which apparently means “confuse their speech,” or, more paraphrastically, “frustrate the plans they devise with their tongues.”

[62:1]  ⁴⁴ sn Psalm 62. The psalmist expresses his unwavering confidence in God’s justice and in his ability to protect his people.

[62:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “only for God [is] there silence [to] my soul.”

[62:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “from him [is] my deliverance.”

[63:2]  ⁴⁷ tn The Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used here to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4).

[63:2]  ⁴⁸ tn The perfect verbal form is understood here as referring to a past experience which the psalmist desires to be repeated. Another option is to take the perfect as indicating the psalmist’s certitude that he will again stand in God’s presence in the sanctuary. In this case one can translate, “I will see you.”

[63:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “seeing.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.

[63:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “[source of] help.”

[63:7]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “in the shadow of your wings.”

[68:5]  ⁵² sn God is depicted here as a just ruler. In the ancient Near Eastern world a king was responsible for promoting justice, including caring for the weak and vulnerable, epitomized by the fatherless and widows.

[68:5]  ⁵³ tn Heb “God [is] in his holy dwelling place.” He occupies his throne and carries out his royal responsibilities.

[68:33]  ⁵⁴ tc Heb “to the one who rides through the skies of skies of ancient times.” If the MT is retained, one might translate, “to the one who rides through the ancient skies.” (שְׁמֵי [shÿmey, “skies of”] may be accidentally repeated.) The present translation assumes an emendation to בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִקֶּדֶם (bashamayim miqqedem, “[to the one who rides] through the sky from ancient times”), that is, God has been revealing his power through the storm since ancient times.

[68:33]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “he gives his voice a strong voice.” In this context God’s “voice” is the thunder that accompanies the rain (see vv. 8-9, as well as Deut 33:26).

[69:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “well,” which here symbolizes the place of the dead (cf. Ps 55:23).

[69:15]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “do not let the well close its mouth upon me.”

[69:19]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “before you [are] all my enemies.”

[69:35]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[69:35]  ⁶⁰ 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.

[76:5]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “strong of heart.” In Isa 46:12, the only other text where this phrase appears, it refers to those who are stubborn, but here it seems to describe brave warriors (see the next line).

[76:5]  ⁶² tn The verb is a rare Aramaized form of the Hitpolel (see GKC 149 §54.a, n. 2); the root is שָׁלַל (shalal, “to plunder”).

[76:5]  ⁶³ tn Heb “they slept [in] their sleep.” “Sleep” here refers to the “sleep” of death. A number of modern translations take the phrase to refer to something less than death, however: NASB “cast into a deep sleep”; NEB “fall senseless”; NIV “lie still”; NRSV “lay stunned.”

[76:5]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and all the men of strength did not find their hands.”

[76:7]  ⁶⁵ tc Heb “and who can stand before you from the time of your anger?” The Hebrew expression מֵאָז (me’az, “from the time of”) is better emended to מֵאֹז (me’oz, “from [i.e., “because of”] the strength of your anger”; see Ps 90:11).

[78:69]  ⁶⁶ tc Heb “and he built like the exalting [ones] his sanctuary.” The phrase כְּמוֹ־רָמִים (kÿmo-ramim, “like the exalting [ones]”) is a poetic form of the comparative preposition followed by a participial form of the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”). The text should be emended to כִּמְרֹמִים (kimromim, “like the [heavenly] heights”). See Ps 148:1, where “heights” refers to the heavens above.

[78:69]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “like the earth, [which] he established permanently.” The feminine singular suffix on the Hebrew verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish”) refers to the grammatically feminine noun “earth.”

[83:9]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “do to them like Midian.”

[83:9]  ⁶⁹ sn The psalmist alludes here to Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (see Judg 7-8) and to Barak’s victory over Jabin’s army, which was led by his general Sisera (Judg 4-5).

[84:4]  ⁷⁰ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 12 and Pss 1:1; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[84:5]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here was certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the plural “those.” The individual referred to in v. 5a is representative of followers of God, as the use of plural forms in vv. 5b-7 indicates.

[84:5]  ⁷² tn Heb “roads [are] in their heart[s].” The roads are here those that lead to Zion (see v. 7).

[85:9]  ⁷³ tn Heb “certainly his deliverance [is] near to those who fear him.”

[85:9]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “to dwell, glory, in our land.” “Glory” is the subject of the infinitive. The infinitive with -לְ (lÿ), “to dwell,” probably indicates result here (“then”). When God delivers his people and renews his relationship with them, he will once more reveal his royal splendor in the land.

[88:11]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “in Abaddon,” a name for Sheol. The noun is derived from a verbal root meaning “to perish,” “to die.”

[90:4]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “for.”

[90:4]  ⁷⁷ sn The divisions of the nighttime. The ancient Israelites divided the night into distinct periods, or “watches.”

[91:13]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “walk upon.”

[91:13]  ⁷⁹ tn Or perhaps “cobra” (see Ps 58:4).

[95:4]  ⁸⁰ tn The phrase “in his hand” means within the sphere of his authority.

[102:15]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “will fear the name of the Lord.” To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).

[102:15]  ⁸² tn The verb “will fear” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).

[105:37]  ⁸³ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Lord’s people) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[105:37]  ⁸⁴ tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[108:4]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”

[119:168]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “for all my ways [are] before you.”

[125:3]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “for.”

[125:3]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.

[125:3]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “rest.”

[125:3]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful example can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the people he rules.

[127:5]  ⁹¹ tn Being “put to shame” is here metonymic for being defeated, probably in a legal context, as the reference to the city gate suggests. One could be humiliated (Ps 69:12) or deprived of justice (Amos 5:12) at the gate, but with strong sons to defend the family interests this was less likely to happen.

[127:5]  ⁹² tn Heb “speak with.”

[131:2]  ⁹³ tn Or “but.”

[131:2]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “I make level and make quiet my soul.”

[131:2]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “like a weaned [one] upon his mother.”

[131:2]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “like the weaned [one] upon me, my soul.”