Mazmur 53:4

53:4 All those who behave wickedly ¹  do not understand ²  –

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

and do not call out to God.

Mazmur 66:3

66:3 Say to God:

“How awesome are your deeds!

Because of your great power your enemies cower in fear ³  before you.

Mazmur 68:6

68:6 God settles those who have been deserted in their own homes; ⁴ 

he frees prisoners and grants them prosperity. ⁵ 

But sinful rebels live in the desert. ⁶ 

Mazmur 98:3

98:3 He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel. ⁷ 

All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us. ⁸ 

[53:4]  ¹ 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]  ² 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).

[66:3]  ³ tn See Deut 33:29; Ps 81:15 for other uses of the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the sense “cower in fear.” In Ps 18:44 the verb seems to carry the nuance “be weak, powerless” (see also Ps 109:24).

[68:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “God causes the solitary ones to dwell in a house.” The participle suggests this is what God typically does.

[68:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “he brings out prisoners into prosperity.” Another option is to translate, “he brings out prisoners with singing” (cf. NIV). The participle suggests this is what God typically does.

[68:6]  ⁶ tn Or “in a parched [land].”

[68:6]  sn God delivers the downtrodden and oppressed, but sinful rebels who oppose his reign are treated appropriately.

[98:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “he remembers his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.”

[98:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “the deliverance of our God,” with “God” being a subjective genitive (= God delivers).