Mazmur 8:8

8:8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea

and everything that moves through the currents ¹  of the seas.

Mazmur 18:9

18:9 He made the sky sink ²  as he descended;

a thick cloud was under his feet.

Mazmur 33:6

33:6 By the Lord’s decree ³  the heavens were made;

by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created. ⁴ 

Mazmur 50:6

50:6 The heavens declare his fairness, ⁵ 

for God is judge. ⁶  (Selah)

Mazmur 69:34

69:34 Let the heavens and the earth praise him,

along with the seas and everything that swims in them!

Mazmur 78:24

78:24 He rained down manna for them to eat;

he gave them the grain of heaven. ⁷ 

Mazmur 89:29

89:29 I will give him an eternal dynasty, ⁸ 

and make his throne as enduring as the skies above. ⁹ 

Mazmur 96:5

96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, ¹⁰ 

but the Lord made the sky.

Mazmur 102:25

102:25 In earlier times you established the earth;

the skies are your handiwork.

Mazmur 107:26

107:26 They ¹¹  reached up to the sky,

then dropped into the depths.

The sailors’ strength ¹²  left them ¹³  because the danger was so great. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 115:16

115:16 The heavens belong to the Lord, ¹⁵ 

but the earth he has given to mankind. ¹⁶ 

Mazmur 139:8

139:8 If I were to ascend ¹⁷  to heaven, you would be there.

If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. ¹⁸ 

[8:8]  ¹ tn Heb “paths.”

[18:9]  ² tn The Hebrew verb נָטָה (natah) can carry the sense “[cause to] bend, bow down.” For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the Lord causes the sky, pictured as a dome or vault, to sink down as he descends in the storm.

[33:6]  ³ tn Heb “word.”

[33:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” The words “were created” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons; they are understood by ellipsis (note “were made” in the preceding line). The description is consistent with Gen 1:16, which indicates that God spoke the heavenly luminaries into existence.

[50:6]  ⁵ tn Or “justice.”

[50:6]  ⁶ tn Or “for God, he is about to judge.” The participle may be taken as substantival (as in the translation above) or as a predicate (indicating imminent future action in this context).

[78:24]  ⁷ sn Manna was apparently shaped like a seed (Exod 16:31), perhaps explaining why it is here compared to grain.

[89:29]  ⁸ tn Heb “and I will set in place forever his offspring.”

[89:29]  ⁹ tn Heb “and his throne like the days of the heavens.”

[96:5]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement.

[107:26]  ¹¹ tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).

[107:26]  ¹² tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[107:26]  ¹³ tn Or “melted.”

[107:26]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from danger.”

[115:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the heavens [are] heavens to the Lord.”

[115:16]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “to the sons of man.”

[139:8]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).

[139:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “look, you.”