Mazmur 6:5

6:5 For no one remembers you in the realm of death, ¹ 

In Sheol who gives you thanks? ² 

Mazmur 9:1

Psalm 9 ³ 

For the music director; according to the alumoth-labben style; ⁴  a psalm of David.

9:1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart!

I will tell about all your amazing deeds! ⁵ 

Mazmur 28:7

28:7 The Lord strengthens and protects me; ⁶ 

I trust in him with all my heart. ⁷ 

I am rescued ⁸  and my heart is full of joy; ⁹ 

I will sing to him in gratitude. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 30:9

30:9 “What ¹¹  profit is there in taking my life, ¹² 

in my descending into the Pit? ¹³ 

Can the dust of the grave ¹⁴  praise you?

Can it declare your loyalty? ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 30:12

30:12 So now ¹⁶  my heart ¹⁷  will sing to you and not be silent;

O Lord my God, I will always ¹⁸  give thanks to you.

Mazmur 43:4

43:4 Then I will go ¹⁹  to the altar of God,

to the God who gives me ecstatic joy, ²⁰ 

so that I express my thanks to you, ²¹  O God, my God, with a harp.

Mazmur 44:8

44:8 In God I boast all day long,

and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)

Mazmur 45:17

45:17 I will proclaim your greatness through the coming years, ²² 

then the nations will praise you ²³  forever.

Mazmur 49:18

49:18 He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive:

“May men praise you, for you have done well!”

Mazmur 52:9

52:9 I will continually ²⁴  thank you when ²⁵  you execute judgment; ²⁶ 

I will rely ²⁷  on you, ²⁸  for your loyal followers know you are good. ²⁹ 

Mazmur 54:6

54:6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice ³⁰  to you!

I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good!

Mazmur 71:22

71:22 I will express my thanks to you with a stringed instrument,

praising ³¹  your faithfulness, O my God!

I will sing praises to you accompanied by a harp,

O Holy One of Israel! ³² 

Mazmur 79:13

79:13 Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture,

will continually thank you. ³³ 

We will tell coming generations of your praiseworthy acts. ³⁴ 

Mazmur 88:10

88:10 Do you accomplish amazing things for the dead?

Do the departed spirits ³⁵  rise up and give you thanks? (Selah)

Mazmur 89:5

89:5 O Lord, the heavens ³⁶  praise your amazing deeds,

as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly. ³⁷ 

Mazmur 92:1

Psalm 92 ³⁸ 

A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.

92:1 It is fitting ³⁹  to thank the Lord,

and to sing praises to your name, O sovereign One! ⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 100:4

100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give him thanks!

Praise his name!

Mazmur 106:47

106:47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God!

Gather us from among the nations!

Then we will give thanks ⁴¹  to your holy name,

and boast about your praiseworthy deeds. ⁴² 

Mazmur 111:1

Psalm 111 ⁴³ 

111:1 Praise the Lord!

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,

in the assembly of the godly and the congregation.

Mazmur 122:4

122:4 The tribes go up ⁴⁴  there, ⁴⁵ 

the tribes of the Lord,

where it is required that Israel

give thanks to the name of the Lord. ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 138:4

138:4 Let all the kings of the earth give thanks ⁴⁷  to you, O Lord,

when they hear the words you speak. ⁴⁸ 

Mazmur 139:14

139:14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. ⁴⁹ 

You knew me thoroughly; ⁵⁰ 

Mazmur 140:13

140:13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;

the morally upright will live in your presence.

[6:5]  ¹ tn Heb “for there is not in death your remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זֵכֶר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 30:4; 97:12. “Death” here refers to the realm of death where the dead reside. See the reference to Sheol in the next line.

[6:5]  ² tn The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”

[6:5]  sn In Sheol who gives you thanks? According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 30:9; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!

[9:1]  ³ sn Psalm 9. The psalmist, probably speaking on behalf of Israel or Judah, praises God for delivering him from hostile nations. He celebrates God’s sovereignty and justice, and calls on others to join him in boasting of God’s greatness. Many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version (LXX) combine Psalms 9 and 10 into a single psalm.

[9:1]  ⁴ tc The meaning of the Hebrew term עַלְמוּת (’almut) is uncertain. Some mss divide the form into עַל מוּת (’al mut, “according to the death [of the son]”), while the LXX assumes a reading עֲלֻמוֹת עַל (’al ’alumot, “according to alumoth”). The phrase probably refers to a particular tune or musical style.

[9:1]  ⁵ tn The cohortative forms in vv. 1-2 express the psalmist’s resolve to praise God publicly.

[28:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “The Lord [is] my strength and my shield.”

[28:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “in him my heart trusts.”

[28:7]  ⁸ tn Or “I am helped.”

[28:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “and my heart exults.”

[28:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and from my song I will thank him.” As pointed in the Hebrew text, מִשִּׁירִי (mishiri) appears to be “from my song,” but the preposition “from” never occurs elsewhere with the verb “to thank” (Hiphil of יָדָה, yadah). Perhaps משׁיר is a noun form meaning “song.” If so, it can be taken as an adverbial accusative, “and [with] my song I will thank him.” See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 236.

[30:9]  ¹¹ sn The following two verses (vv. 9-10) contain the prayer (or an excerpt of the prayer) that the psalmist offered to the Lord during his crisis.

[30:9]  ¹² tn Heb “What profit [is there] in my blood?” “Blood” here represents his life.

[30:9]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew term שָׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 49:9; 55:24; 103:4).

[30:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “dust.” The words “of the grave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[30:9]  ¹⁵ tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “Of course not!”

[30:9]  sn According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 6:5; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!

[30:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “so that”; or “in order that.”

[30:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “glory.” Some view כָבוֹד (khavod, “glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvediy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 57:9; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.” “Heart” is used in the translation above for the sake of English idiom; the expression “my liver sings” would seem odd indeed to the modern reader.

[30:12]  ¹⁸ tn Or “forever.”

[43:4]  ¹⁹ tn The cohortative expresses the psalmist’s resolve. Prefixed with the vav (ו) conjunctive it also expresses the result or outcome of the preceding verbs “lead” and “escort.”

[43:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “to God, the joy of my happiness.” The phrase “joy of my happiness” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the degree of the psalmist’s joy. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.

[43:4]  ²¹ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive probably indicates purpose (“so that”) or intention.

[45:17]  ²² tn Heb “I will cause your name to be remembered in every generation and generation.” The cohortative verbal form expresses the poet’s resolve. The king’s “name” stands here for his reputation and character, which the poet praised in vv. 2-7.

[45:17]  ²³ sn The nations will praise you. As God’s vice-regent on earth, the king is deserving of such honor and praise.

[52:9]  ²⁴ tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”

[52:9]  ²⁵ tn Or “for.”

[52:9]  ²⁶ tn Heb “you have acted.” The perfect verbal form (1) probably indicates a future perfect here. The psalmist promises to give thanks when the expected vindication has been accomplished. Other options include (2) a generalizing (“for you act”) or (3) rhetorical (“for you will act”) use.

[52:9]  ²⁷ tn Or “wait.”

[52:9]  ²⁸ tn Heb “your name.” God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character.

[52:9]  ²⁹ tn Heb “for it is good in front of your loyal followers.”

[54:6]  ³⁰ tn The cohortative verbal form expresses the psalmist’s resolve/vow to praise.

[71:22]  ³¹ tn The word “praising” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[71:22]  ³² sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior.

[79:13]  ³³ tn Or (hyperbolically) “will thank you forever.”

[79:13]  ³⁴ tn Heb “to a generation and a generation we will report your praise.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14.

[88:10]  ³⁵ tn Heb “Rephaim,” a term that refers to those who occupy the land of the dead (see Isa 14:9; 26:14, 19).

[89:5]  ³⁶ tn As the following context makes clear, the personified “heavens” here stand by metonymy for the angelic beings that surround God’s heavenly throne.

[89:5]  ³⁷ tn Heb “in the assembly of the holy ones.” The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3), but here it refers to God’s heavenly assembly and the angels that surround his throne (see vv. 6-7).

[92:1]  ³⁸ sn Psalm 92. The psalmist praises God because he defeats the wicked and vindicates his loyal followers.

[92:1]  ³⁹ tn Or “good.”

[92:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Traditionally “O Most High.”

[106:47]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.

[106:47]  ⁴² tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”

[111:1]  ⁴³ sn Psalm 111. The psalmist praises God for his marvelous deeds, especially the way in which he provides for and delivers his people. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (twenty-two in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[122:4]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “went up.”

[122:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “which is where the tribes go up.”

[122:4]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “[it is] a statute for Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord.”

[138:4]  ⁴⁷ tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in the following verse are understood as jussives, for the psalmist appears to be calling upon the kings to praise God. Another option is to take them as imperfects and translate, “the kings of the earth will give thanks…and will sing.” In this case the psalmist anticipates a universal response to his thanksgiving song.

[138:4]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “the words of your mouth.”

[139:14]  ⁴⁹ tc Heb “because awesome things, I am distinct, amazing [are] your works.” The text as it stands is syntactically problematic and makes little, if any, sense. The Niphal of פָּלָה (pala’) occurs elsewhere only in Exod 33:16. Many take the form from פָלָא (pala’; see GKC 216 §75.qq), which in the Niphal perfect means “to be amazing” (see 2 Sam 1:26; Ps 118:23; Prov 30:18). Some, following the LXX and some other ancient witnesses, also prefer to emend the verb from first to second person, “you are amazing” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 249, 251). The present translation assumes the text conflates two variants: נפלאים, the otherwise unattested masculine plural participle of פָלָא, and נִפְלָאוֹת (nifla’ot), the usual (feminine) plural form of the Niphal participle. The latter has been changed to a verb by later scribes in an attempt to accommodate it syntactically. The original text likely read, נוראות נפלאותים מעשׂיך (“your works [are] awesome [and] amazing”).

[139:14]  ⁵⁰ tc Heb “and my being knows very much.” Better parallelism is achieved (see v. 15a) if one emends יֹדַעַת (yoda’at), a Qal active participle, feminine singular form, to יָדַעְתָּ (yada’ta), a Qal perfect second masculine singular perfect. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252.