Mazmur 9:4

9:4 For you defended my just cause; ¹ 

from your throne you pronounced a just decision. ² 

Mazmur 9:7

9:7 But the Lord ³  rules ⁴  forever;

he reigns in a just manner. ⁵ 

Mazmur 9:11

9:11 Sing praises to the Lord, who rules ⁶  in Zion!

Tell the nations what he has done! ⁷ 

Mazmur 19:7

19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life. ⁸ 

The rules set down by the Lord ⁹  are reliable ¹⁰ 

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 44:18

44:18 We have not been unfaithful, ¹² 

nor have we disobeyed your commands. ¹³ 

Mazmur 51:13

51:13 Then I will teach ¹⁴  rebels your merciful ways, ¹⁵ 

and sinners will turn ¹⁶  to you.

Mazmur 61:7

61:7 May he reign ¹⁷  forever before God!

Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness should protect him. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 72:6

72:6 He ¹⁹  will descend like rain on the mown grass, ²⁰ 

like showers that drench ²¹  the earth. ²² 

Mazmur 77:20

77:20 You led your people like a flock of sheep,

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Mazmur 89:30

89:30 If his sons reject my law

and disobey my regulations,

Mazmur 96:13

96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly, ²³ 

and the nations in accordance with his justice. ²⁴ 

Mazmur 97:8

97:8 Zion hears and rejoices,

the towns ²⁵  of Judah are happy,

because of your judgments, O Lord.

Mazmur 103:22

103:22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made, ²⁶ 

in all the regions ²⁷  of his kingdom!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Mazmur 104:14

104:14 He provides grass ²⁸  for the cattle,

and crops for people to cultivate, ²⁹ 

so they can produce food from the ground, ³⁰ 

Mazmur 105:10

105:10 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as a lasting promise, ³¹ 

Mazmur 107:20

107:20 He sent them an assuring word ³²  and healed them;

he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped. ³³ 

Mazmur 110:1

Psalm 110 ³⁴ 

A psalm of David.

110:1 Here is the Lord’s proclamation ³⁵  to my lord: ³⁶ 

“Sit down at my right hand ³⁷  until I make your enemies your footstool!” ³⁸ 

Mazmur 119:145

ק (Qof)

119:145 I cried out with all my heart, “Answer me, O Lord!

I will observe your statutes.”

Mazmur 122:4

122:4 The tribes go up ³⁹  there, ⁴⁰ 

the tribes of the Lord,

where it is required that Israel

give thanks to the name of the Lord. ⁴¹ 

Mazmur 133:3

133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, ⁴² 

which flows down upon the hills of Zion. ⁴³ 

Indeed ⁴⁴  that is where the Lord has decreed

a blessing will be available – eternal life. ⁴⁵ 

Mazmur 145:12

145:12 so that mankind ⁴⁶  might acknowledge your mighty acts,

and the majestic splendor of your kingdom.

Mazmur 147:18

147:18 He then orders it all to melt; ⁴⁷ 

he breathes on it, ⁴⁸  and the water flows.

Mazmur 149:9

149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies ⁴⁹  have been sentenced. ⁵⁰ 

All his loyal followers will be vindicated. ⁵¹ 

Praise the Lord!

[9:4]  ¹ tn Heb “for you accomplished my justice and my legal claim.”

[9:4]  ² tn Heb “you sat on a throne [as] one who judges [with] righteousness.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 4 probably allude to a recent victory (see vv. 5-7). Another option is to understand the verbs as describing what is typical (“you defend…you sit on a throne”).

[9:7]  ³ tn The construction vav (ו) + subject highlights the contrast between the exalted Lord and his defeated foes (see v. 6).

[9:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, see v. 4). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.

[9:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “he establishes for justice his throne.”

[9:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, and therefore ruling – see v. 4). Another option is to translate as “lives” or “dwells.”

[9:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “declare among the nations his deeds.”

[19:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.

[19:7]  ⁹ tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

[19:7]  ¹⁰ tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

[19:7]  ¹¹ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.

[44:18]  ¹² tn Heb “our heart did not turn backward.” Cf. Ps 78:57.

[44:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “and our steps did [not] turn aside from your path.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line). God’s “path” refers to his commands, i.e., the moral pathway he has prescribed for the psalmist. See Pss 17:5; 25:4.

[51:13]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn Or “return,” i.e., in repentance.

[61:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “sit [enthroned].” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive here, expressing the psalmist’s prayer.

[61:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “loyal love and faithfulness appoint, let them protect him.”

[72:6]  ¹⁹ tn That is, the king (see vv. 2, 4).

[72:6]  ²⁰ tn The rare term zg refers to a sheep’s fleece in Deut 18:4 and Job 31:20, but to “mown” grass or crops here and in Amos 7:1.

[72:6]  ²¹ tc The form in the Hebrew text appears to be an otherwise unattested noun. Many prefer to emend the form to a verb from the root זָרַף (zaraf). BHS in textual note b on this verse suggests a Hiphil imperfect, third masculine plural יַזְרִיפוּ (yazrifu), while HALOT 283 s.v. *זרף prefers a Pilpel perfect, third masculine plural זִרְזְפוּ (zirzÿfu). The translation assumes the latter.

[72:6]  ²² sn The imagery of this verse compares the blessings produced by the king’s reign to fructifying rains that cause the crops to grow.

[96:13]  ²³ tn The verbal forms in v. 13 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions, in which case they could be translated “will judge the world.”

[96:13]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”

[97:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).

[103:22]  ²⁶ tn Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.

[103:22]  ²⁷ tn Heb “places.”

[104:14]  ²⁸ tn Heb “causes the grass to sprout up.”

[104:14]  ²⁹ tn Heb “for the service of man” (see Gen 2:5).

[104:14]  ³⁰ tn Heb “to cause food to come out from the earth.”

[105:10]  ³¹ tn Or “eternal covenant.”

[107:20]  ³² tn Heb “he sent his word.” This probably refers to an oracle of assurance which announced his intention to intervene (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 59).

[107:20]  ³³ tn Heb “he rescued from their traps.” The Hebrew word שְׁחִית (shekhit, “trap”) occurs only here and in Lam 4:20, where it refers to a trap or pit in which one is captured. Because of the rarity of the term and the absence of an object with the verb “rescued,” some prefer to emend the text of Ps 107:20, reading מִשַׁחַת חַיָּתָם (mishakhat khayyatam, “[he rescued] their lives from the pit”). Note also NIV “from the grave,” which interprets the “pit” as Sheol or the grave.

[110:1]  ³⁴ sn Psalm 110. In this royal psalm the psalmist announces God’s oracle to the Davidic king. The first part of the oracle appears in v. 1, the second in v. 4. In vv. 2-3 the psalmist addresses the king, while in vv. 5-7 he appears to address God.

[110:1]  ³⁵ tn The word נְאֻם (nÿ’um) is used frequently in the OT of a formal divine announcement through a prophet.

[110:1]  ³⁶ sn My lord. In the psalm’s original context the speaker is an unidentified prophetic voice in the royal court. In the course of time the psalm is applied to each successive king in the dynasty and ultimately to the ideal Davidic king. NT references to the psalm understand David to be speaking about his “lord,” the Messiah. (See Matt 22:43-45; Mark 12:36-37; Luke 20:42-44; Acts 2:34-35).

[110:1]  ³⁷ tn To sit at the “right hand” of the king was an honor (see 1 Kgs 2:19). In Ugaritic myth (CTA 4 v. 108-10) the artisan god Kothar-and Khasis is described as sitting at the right hand of the storm god Baal. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 61-62.

[110:1]  sn The Lord’s invitation to the Davidic king to sit down at his right hand reflects the king’s position as the Lord’s vice-regent.

[110:1]  ³⁸ sn When the Lord made his covenant with David, he promised to subdue the king’s enemies (see 2 Sam 7:9-11; Ps 89:22-23).

[122:4]  ³⁹ tn Or “went up.”

[122:4]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “which is where the tribes go up.”

[122:4]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “[it is] a statute for Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord.”

[133:3]  ⁴² sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.

[133:3]  ⁴³ sn The hills of Zion are those surrounding Zion (see Pss 87:1; 125:2). The psalmist does not intend to suggest that the dew from Mt. Hermon in the distant north actually flows down upon Zion. His point is that the same kind of heavy dew that replenishes Hermon may also be seen on Zion’s hills. See A. Cohen, Psalms (SoBB), 439. “Dew” here symbolizes divine blessing, as the next line suggests.

[133:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “for.”

[133:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forever.”

[145:12]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “the sons of man.”

[147:18]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “he sends his word and melts them.”

[147:18]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “he blows his breath.”

[149:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[149:9]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”

[149:9]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “it is honor for all his godly ones.” The judgment of the oppressive kings will bring vindication and honor to God’s people (see vv. 4-5).