Mazmur 7:5

7:5 may an enemy relentlessly chase ¹  me ²  and catch me; ³ 

may he trample me to death ⁴ 

and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. ⁵  (Selah)

Mazmur 11:1

Psalm 11 ⁶ 

For the music director; by David.

11:1 In the Lord I have taken shelter. ⁷ 

How can you say to me, ⁸ 

“Flee to a mountain like a bird! ⁹ 

Mazmur 24:3

24:3 Who is allowed to ascend ¹⁰  the mountain of the Lord? ¹¹ 

Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?

Mazmur 36:5

36:5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky; ¹² 

your faithfulness to the clouds. ¹³ 

Mazmur 66:13

66:13 I will enter ¹⁴  your temple with burnt sacrifices;

I will fulfill the vows I made to you,

Mazmur 68:24

68:24 They ¹⁵  see your processions, O God –

the processions of my God, my king, who marches along in holy splendor. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 143:3

143:3 Certainly ¹⁷  my enemies ¹⁸  chase me.

They smash me into the ground. ¹⁹ 

They force me to live ²⁰  in dark regions, ²¹ 

like those who have been dead for ages.

[7:5]  ¹ tn The vocalization of the verb form seems to be a mixture of Qal and Piel (see GKC 168 §63.n). The translation assumes the Piel, which would emphasize the repetitive nature of the action. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a jussive. The psalmist is so certain that he is innocent of the sins mentioned in vv. 3-4, he pronounces an imprecation on himself for rhetorical effect.

[7:5]  ² tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.

[7:5]  ³ tn Heb “and may he overtake.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. The object “me,” though unexpressed, is understood from the preceding statement.

[7:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and may he trample down to the earth my life.”

[7:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “and my honor in the dust may he cause to dwell.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. Some emend כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy, “my honor”) to כְבֵדִי (khÿvediy, “my liver” as the seat of life), but the term כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy) is to be retained since it probably refers to the psalmist’s dignity or honor.

[11:1]  ⁶ sn Psalm 11. The psalmist rejects the advice to flee from his dangerous enemies. Instead he affirms his confidence in God’s just character and calls down judgment on evildoers.

[11:1]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.

[11:1]  ⁸ tn The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.

[11:1]  ⁹ tc The MT is corrupt here. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads: “flee [masculine plural!] to your [masculine plural!] mountain, bird.” The Qere (marginal reading) has “flee” in a feminine singular form, agreeing grammatically with the addressee, the feminine noun “bird.” Rather than being a second masculine plural pronominal suffix, the ending כֶם- (-khem) attached to “mountain” is better interpreted as a second feminine singular pronominal suffix followed by an enclitic mem (ם). “Bird” may be taken as vocative (“O bird”) or as an adverbial accusative of manner (“like a bird”). Either way, the psalmist’s advisers compare him to a helpless bird whose only option in the face of danger is to fly away to an inaccessible place.

[24:3]  ¹⁰ tn The imperfects in v. 3 are modal, expressing potential or permission.

[24:3]  ¹¹ sn In this context the Lord’s mountain probably refers to Zion/Jerusalem (see Isa 2:2-3).

[36:5]  ¹² tn Heb “[is] in the heavens.”

[36:5]  ¹³ sn The Lord’s loyal love/faithfulness is almost limitless. He is loyal and faithful to his creation and blesses mankind and the animal kingdom with physical life and sustenance (vv. 6-9).

[66:13]  ¹⁴ sn Here the psalmist switches to the singular; he speaks as the representative of the nation.

[68:24]  ¹⁵ tn The subject is probably indefinite, referring to bystanders in general who witness the procession.

[68:24]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text has simply “in holiness.” The words “who marches along” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[143:3]  ¹⁷ tn Or “for.”

[143:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “an enemy.” The singular is used in a representative sense to describe a typical member of the larger group of enemies (note the plural “enemies” in vv. 9, 12).

[143:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”

[143:3]  ²⁰ tn Or “sit.”

[143:3]  ²¹ sn Dark regions refers to Sheol, which the psalmist views as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).