Mazmur 53:1

Psalm 53 ¹ 

For the music director; according to the machalath style; ²  a well-written song ³  by David.

53:1 Fools say to themselves, ⁴  “There is no God.” ⁵ 

They sin and commit evil deeds; ⁶ 

none of them does what is right. ⁷ 

Mazmur 4:3

4:3 Realize that ⁸  the Lord shows the godly special favor; ⁹ 

the Lord responds ¹⁰  when I cry out to him.

Mazmur 5:9

5:9 For ¹¹  they do not speak the truth; ¹² 

their stomachs are like the place of destruction, ¹³ 

their throats like an open grave, ¹⁴ 

their tongues like a steep slope leading into it. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 9:12

9:12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; ¹⁶ 

he did not overlook ¹⁷  their cry for help ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 13:1

Psalm 13 ¹⁹ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

13:1 How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me? ²⁰ 

How long will you pay no attention to me? ²¹ 

Mazmur 31:9

31:9 Have mercy on me, for I am in distress!

My eyes grow dim ²²  from suffering. ²³ 

I have lost my strength. ²⁴ 

Mazmur 40:6

40:6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. ²⁵ 

You make that quite clear to me! ²⁶ 

You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.

Mazmur 40:9

40:9 I have told the great assembly ²⁷  about your justice. ²⁸ 

Look! I spare no words! ²⁹ 

O Lord, you know this is true.

Mazmur 51:14

51:14 Rescue me from the guilt of murder, ³⁰  O God, the God who delivers me!

Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your deliverance. ³¹ 

Mazmur 53:4

53:4 All those who behave wickedly ³²  do not understand ³³  –

those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,

and do not call out to God.

Mazmur 53:6

53:6 I wish the deliverance ³⁴  of Israel would come from Zion!

When God restores the well-being of his people, ³⁵ 

may Jacob rejoice, ³⁶ 

may Israel be happy! ³⁷ 

Mazmur 60:8

60:8 Moab is my washbasin. ³⁸ 

I will make Edom serve me. ³⁹ 

I will shout in triumph over Philistia.” ⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 70:5

70:5 I am oppressed and needy! ⁴¹ 

O God, hurry to me! ⁴² 

You are my helper and my deliverer!

O Lord, ⁴³  do not delay!

Mazmur 88:9

88:9 My eyes grow weak because of oppression.

I call out to you, O Lord, all day long;

I spread out my hands in prayer to you. ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 102:26

102:26 They will perish,

but you will endure. ⁴⁵ 

They will wear out like a garment;

like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear. ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 108:9

108:9 Moab is my wash basin. ⁴⁷ 

I will make Edom serve me. ⁴⁸ 

I will shout in triumph over Philistia.”

Mazmur 142:6

142:6 Listen to my cry for help,

for I am in serious trouble! ⁴⁹ 

Rescue me from those who chase me,

for they are stronger than I am.

[53:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 53. This psalm is very similar to Ps 14. The major difference comes in v. 5, which corresponds to, but differs quite a bit from, Ps 14:5-6, and in the use of the divine name. Ps 14 uses “the Lord” (יְהוָה, yÿhvah, “Yahweh”) in vv. 2a, 4, 6, and 7, while Ps 53 employs “God” (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) throughout, as one might expect in Pss 42-83, where the name “Yahweh” is relatively infrequent. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.

[53:1]  ² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מָחֲלַת (makhalat, “machalath”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term also appears in the heading of Ps 88.

[53:1]  ³ 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.

[53:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.

[53:1]  ⁵ sn There is no God. This statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).

[53:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “they act corruptly, they do evil [with] injustice.” Ps 14:1 has עֲלִילָה (’alilah, “a deed”) instead of עָוֶל (’aval, “injustice”). The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.

[53:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

[4:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “and know that.”

[4:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “that the Lord sets apart a faithful one for himself.” The psalmist states a general principle, though the singular form and the parallel line indicate he has himself in mind as the representative godly person. A חָסִיד (khasid; here translated as “the godly”) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[4:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “hears.”

[5:9]  ¹¹ tn Or “certainly.”

[5:9]  ¹² tn Heb “for there is not in his mouth truthfulness.” The singular pronoun (“his”) probably refers back to the “man of bloodshed and deceit” mentioned in v. 6. The singular is collective or representative, as the plural in the next line indicates, and so has been translated “they.”

[5:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “their inward part[s] [is] destruction.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse.

[5:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “their throat is an open grave.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse. The metaphor is suggested by the physical resemblance of the human throat to a deeply dug grave; both are dark chasms.

[5:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they make smooth their tongue.” Flattering, deceitful words are in view. See Ps 12:2. The psalmist’s deceitful enemies are compared to the realm of death/Sheol in v. 9b. Sheol was envisioned as a dark region within the earth, the entrance to which was the grave with its steep slopes (cf. Ps 88:4-6). The enemies’ victims are pictured here as slipping down a steep slope (the enemies’ tongues) and falling into an open grave (their throat) that terminates in destruction in the inner recesses of Sheol (their stomach). The enemies’ קרב (“inward part”) refers here to their thoughts and motives, which are destructive in their intent. The throat is where these destructive thoughts are transformed into words, and their tongue is what they use to speak the deceitful words that lead their innocent victims to their demise.

[5:9]  sn As the psalmist walks down the path in which God leads him, he asks the Lord to guide his steps and remove danger from the path (v. 8), because he knows his enemies have “dug a grave” for him and are ready to use their deceitful words to “swallow him up” like the realm of death (i.e., Sheol) and bring him to ruin.

[9:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “to seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea “to seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form דָּמִים (damim, “shed blood”) occurs only here as the object of דָּרַשׁ (darash); the singular form דָּם (dam, “blood”) appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “did not forget.”

[9:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.

[13:1]  ¹⁹ sn Psalm 13. The psalmist, who is close to death, desperately pleads for God’s deliverance and affirms his trust in God’s faithfulness.

[13:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “will you forget me continually.”

[13:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “will you hide your face from me.”

[31:9]  ²² tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”

[31:9]  ²³ tn Cf. Ps 6:7, which has a similar line.

[31:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “my breath and my stomach [grow weak].” Apparently the verb in the previous line (“grow dim, be weakened”) is to be understood here. The Hebrew term נפשׁ can mean “life,” or, more specifically, “throat, breath.” The psalmist seems to be lamenting that his breathing is impaired because of the physical and emotional suffering he is forced to endure.

[40:6]  ²⁵ tn Heb “sacrifice and offering you do not desire.” The statement is exaggerated for the sake of emphasis (see Ps 51:16 as well). God is pleased with sacrifices, but his first priority is obedience and loyalty (see 1 Sam 15:22). Sacrifices and offerings apart from genuine allegiance are meaningless (see Isa 1:11-20).

[40:6]  ²⁶ tn Heb “ears you hollowed out for me.” The meaning of this odd expression is debated (this is the only collocation of “hollowed out” and “ears” in the OT). It may have been an idiomatic expression referring to making a point clear to a listener. The LXX has “but a body you have prepared for me,” a reading which is followed in Heb 10:5.

[40:9]  ²⁷ sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Pss 22:25 and 35:18.

[40:9]  ²⁸ tn Heb “I proclaim justice in the great assembly.” Though “justice” appears without a pronoun here, the Lord’s just acts are in view (see v. 10). His “justice” (צֶדֶק, tsedeq) is here the deliverance that originates in his justice; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just.

[40:9]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Look! My lips I do not restrain.”

[51:14]  ³⁰ tn Heb “from bloodshed.” “Bloodshed” here stands by metonymy for the guilt which it produces.

[51:14]  ³¹ 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).

[53:4]  ³² tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8. Ps 14:4 adds כֹּל (kol, “all of”) before “workers of wickedness.”

[53:4]  ³³ tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-6).

[53:6]  ³⁴ tn This refers metonymically to God, the one who lives in Zion and provides deliverance for Israel.

[53:6]  ³⁵ tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (shÿvut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv).

[53:6]  ³⁶ tn The verb form is jussive.

[53:6]  ³⁷ tn Because the parallel verb is jussive, this verb, which is ambiguous in form, should be taken as a jussive as well.

[60:8]  ³⁸ sn The metaphor of the washbasin, used to rinse one’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 6-7), would be reduced to the status of a servant.

[60:8]  ³⁹ tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of,” i.e., “I will take possession of Edom.” Others translate עַל (’al) as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.

[60:8]  ⁴⁰ tc Heb “over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph.” The translation follows the text of Ps 108:9. When the initial עֲלֵיוֹ (’aleyo, “over”) was misread as עָלַי (’alay, “over me”), the first person verb form was probably altered to an imperative to provide better sense to the line.

[70:5]  ⁴¹ sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.

[70:5]  ⁴² tn Ps 40:17 has “may the Lord pay attention to me.”

[70:5]  ⁴³ tn Ps 40:17 has “my God” instead of “Lord.”

[88:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “I spread out my hands to you.” Spreading out the hands toward God was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). The words “in prayer” have been supplied in the translation to clarify this.

[102:26]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “stand.”

[102:26]  ⁴⁶ tn The Hebrew verb חָלַף (khalaf) occurs twice in this line, once in the Hiphil (“you will remove them”) and once in the Qal (“they will disappear”). The repetition draws attention to the statement.

[108:9]  ⁴⁷ sn The metaphor of the wash basin, used to rinse one’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 7-8), would be reduced to the status of a servant.

[108:9]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of.” Others translate עַל (’al) as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.

[142:6]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “for I am very low.”