Mazmur 77:13

77:13 ¹ O God, your deeds are extraordinary! ² 

What god can compare to our great God? ³ 

Mazmur 67:2

67:2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like;

all nations will know how you deliver your people. ⁴ 

Mazmur 5:8

5:8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness ⁵ 

because of those who wait to ambush me, ⁶ 

remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me! ⁷ 

Mazmur 27:11

27:11 Teach me how you want me to live; ⁸ 

lead me along a level path ⁹  because of those who wait to ambush me! ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 84:5

84:5 How blessed are those who ¹¹  find their strength in you,

and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple! ¹² 

Mazmur 86:11

86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! ¹³ 

Then I will obey your commands. ¹⁴ 

Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 77:19

77:19 You walked through the sea; ¹⁶ 

you passed through the surging waters, ¹⁷ 

but left no footprints. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 17:5

17:5 I carefully obey your commands; ¹⁹ 

I do not deviate from them. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 119:15

119:15 I will meditate on ²¹  your precepts

and focus ²²  on your behavior. ²³ 

Mazmur 119:35

119:35 Guide me ²⁴  in the path of your commands,

for I delight to walk in it. ²⁵ 

Mazmur 25:4

25:4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!

Teach me your paths! ²⁶ 

Mazmur 119:64

119:64 O Lord, your loyal love fills the earth.

Teach me your statutes!

Mazmur 18:26

18:26 You prove to be reliable ²⁷  to one who is blameless,

but you prove to be deceptive ²⁸  to one who is perverse. ²⁹ 

Mazmur 51:13

51:13 Then I will teach ³⁰  rebels your merciful ways, ³¹ 

and sinners will turn ³²  to you.

[77:13]  ¹ sn Verses 13-20 are the content of the psalmist’s reflection (see vv. 11-12). As he thought about God’s work in Israel’s past, he reached the place where he could confidently cry out for God’s help (see v. 1).

[77:13]  ² tn Heb “O God, in holiness [is] your way.” God’s “way” here refers to his actions. “Holiness” is used here in the sense of “set apart, unique,” rather than in a moral/ethical sense. As the next line and the next verse emphasize, God’s deeds are incomparable and set him apart as the one true God.

[77:13]  ³ tn Heb “Who [is] a great god like God?” The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “No one!”

[67:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “to know in the earth your way, among all nations your deliverance.” The infinitive with -לְ (lamed) expresses purpose/result. When God demonstrates his favor to his people, all nations will recognize his character as a God who delivers. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) refers here to God’s characteristic behavior, more specifically, to the way he typically saves his people.

[5:8]  ⁵ tn God’s providential leading is in view. His צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) includes here the deliverance that originates in his righteousness; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 842 s.v.

[5:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 27:11; 56:2.

[5:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “make level before me your way.” The imperative “make level” is Hiphil in the Kethib (consonantal text); Piel in the Qere (marginal reading). God’s “way” is here the way in which he leads the psalmist providentially (see the preceding line, where the psalmist asks the Lord to lead him).

[27:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles which he expects the psalmist to follow. See Ps 25:4.

[27:11]  ⁹ sn The level path refers to God’s moral principles (see the parallel line), which, if followed, will keep the psalmist blameless before his accusers (see v. 12).

[27:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 54:5; 56:2.

[84:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here was certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the plural “those.” The individual referred to in v. 5a is representative of followers of God, as the use of plural forms in vv. 5b-7 indicates.

[84:5]  ¹² tn Heb “roads [are] in their heart[s].” The roads are here those that lead to Zion (see v. 7).

[86:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles he expects the psalmist to follow. See Pss 25:4; 27:11.

[86:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The Lord’s commandments are referred to as “truth” here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will. See Ps 25:5.

[86:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Bind my heart to the fearing of your name.” The verb translated “bind” occurs only here in the Piel stem. It appears twice in the Qal, meaning “be joined” in both cases (Gen 49:6; Isa 14:20). To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for him which in turn motivates one to obey his commands (see Pss 61:5; 102:15).

[77:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”

[77:19]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”

[77:19]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”

[17:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “my steps stay firm in your tracks.” The infinitive absolute functions here as a finite verb (see GKC 347 §113.gg). God’s “tracks” are his commands, i.e., the moral pathways he has prescribed for the psalmist.

[17:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “my footsteps do not stagger.”

[119:15]  ²¹ tn The cohortative verbal forms in this verse express the psalmist’s resolve.

[119:15]  ²² tn Heb “gaze [at].”

[119:15]  ²³ tn Heb “ways” (referring figuratively to God’s behavior here).

[119:35]  ²⁴ tn Or “make me walk.”

[119:35]  ²⁵ tn Heb “for in it I delight.”

[25:4]  ²⁶ sn Teach me your paths. In this context the Lord’s “ways” and “paths” refer to the moral principles which the Lord prescribes for his followers. See vv. 8-10.

[18:26]  ²⁷ tn Or “blameless.”

[18:26]  ²⁸ tn The Hebrew verb פָתַל (patal) is used in only three other texts. In Gen 30:8 it means literally “to wrestle,” or “to twist.” In Job 5:13 it refers to devious individuals, and in Prov 8:8 to deceptive words.

[18:26]  ²⁹ tn The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted, crooked,” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse. It appears frequently in Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6). A righteous king opposes such people (Ps 101:4).

[18:26]  sn Verses 25-26 affirm God’s justice. He responds to people in accordance with their moral character. His response mirrors their actions. The faithful and blameless find God to be loyal and reliable in his dealings with them. But deceivers discover he is able and willing to use deceit to destroy them. For a more extensive discussion of the theme of divine deception in the OT, see R. B. Chisholm, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28.

[51:13]  ³⁰ tn The cohortative expresses the psalmist’s resolve. This may be a vow or promise. If forgiven, the psalmist will “repay” the Lord by declaring God’s mercy and motivating other sinners to repent.

[51:13]  ³¹ tn Heb “your ways.” The word “merciful” is added for clarification. God’s “ways” are sometimes his commands, but in this context, where the teaching of God’s ways motivates repentance (see the next line), it is more likely that God’s merciful and compassionate way of dealing with sinners is in view. Thanksgiving songs praising God for his deliverance typically focus on these divine attributes (see Pss 34, 41, 116, 138).

[51:13]  ³² tn Or “return,” i.e., in repentance.