Mazmur 51:8

51:8 Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven! ¹ 

May the bones ²  you crushed rejoice! ³ 

Mazmur 107:22

107:22 Let them present thank offerings,

and loudly proclaim what he has done! ⁴ 

Mazmur 119:173

119:173 May your hand help me,

for I choose to obey ⁵  your precepts.

Mazmur 132:9

132:9 May your priests be clothed with integrity! ⁶ 

May your loyal followers shout for joy!

Mazmur 98:8

98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands!

Let the mountains sing in unison

Mazmur 99:3

99:3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!

He ⁷  is holy!

Mazmur 118:2-3

118:2 Let Israel say,

“Yes, his loyal love endures!”

118:3 Let the family ⁸  of Aaron say,

“Yes, his loyal love endures!”

Mazmur 122:7

122:7 May there be peace inside your defenses,

and prosperity ⁹  inside your fortresses! ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 130:2

130:2 O Lord, listen to me! ¹¹ 

Pay attention to ¹²  my plea for mercy!

[51:8]  ¹ tn Heb “cause me to hear happiness and joy.” The language is metonymic: the effect of forgiveness (joy) has been substituted for its cause. The psalmist probably alludes here to an assuring word from God announcing that his sins are forgiven (a so-called oracle of forgiveness). The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request. The synonyms “happiness” and “joy” are joined together as a hendiadys to emphasize the degree of joy he anticipates.

[51:8]  ² sn May the bones you crushed rejoice. The psalmist compares his sinful condition to that of a person who has been physically battered and crushed. Within this metaphorical framework, his “bones” are the seat of his emotional strength.

[51:8]  ³ tn In this context of petitionary prayer, the prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, expressing the psalmist’s wish or request.

[107:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “and let them proclaim his works with a ringing cry.”

[119:173]  ⁵ tn The words “to obey” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.

[132:9]  ⁶ tn Or “righteousness.”

[99:3]  ⁷ tn The pronoun refers to the Lord himself (see vv. 5, 9).

[118:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “house.”

[122:7]  ⁹ tn or “security.”

[122:7]  ¹⁰ tn The psalmist uses second feminine singular pronominal forms to address personified Jerusalem.

[130:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “my voice.”

[130:2]  ¹² tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”