Mazmur 90:1--150:6
KonteksBook 4
(Psalms 90-106)
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90:1 O Lord, you have been our protector 2 through all generations!
90:2 Even before the mountains came into existence, 3
or you brought the world into being, 4
you were the eternal God. 5
90:3 You make mankind return 6 to the dust, 7
and say, “Return, O people!”
90:4 Yes, 8 in your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday that quickly passes,
or like one of the divisions of the nighttime. 9
90:5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.” 10
In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up;
90:6 in the morning it glistens 11 and sprouts up;
at evening time it withers 12 and dries up.
90:7 Yes, 13 we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.
90:8 You are aware of our sins; 14
you even know about our hidden sins. 15
90:9 Yes, 16 throughout all our days we experience your raging fury; 17
the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh. 18
90:10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, 19
or eighty, if one is especially strong. 20
But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. 21
Yes, 22 they pass quickly 23 and we fly away. 24
90:11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger? 25
Your raging fury causes people to fear you. 26
90:12 So teach us to consider our mortality, 27
so that we might live wisely. 28
90:13 Turn back toward us, O Lord!
How long must this suffering last? 29
Have pity on your servants! 30
90:14 Satisfy us in the morning 31 with your loyal love!
Then we will shout for joy and be happy 32 all our days!
90:15 Make us happy in proportion to the days you have afflicted us,
in proportion to the years we have experienced 33 trouble!
90:16 May your servants see your work! 34
May their sons see your majesty! 35
90:17 May our sovereign God extend his favor to us! 36
Make our endeavors successful!
Yes, make them successful! 37
91:1 As for you, the one who lives 39 in the shelter of the sovereign One, 40
and resides in the protective shadow 41 of the mighty king 42 –
91:2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold,
my God in whom I trust –
91:3 he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter 43
and from the destructive plague.
91:4 He will shelter you 44 with his wings; 45
you will find safety under his wings.
His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall. 46
91:5 You need not fear the terrors of the night, 47
the arrow that flies by day,
91:6 the plague that comes in the darkness,
or the disease that comes at noon. 48
91:7 Though a thousand may fall beside you,
and a multitude on your right side,
it 49 will not reach you.
91:8 Certainly you will see it with your very own eyes –
you will see the wicked paid back. 50
91:9 For you have taken refuge in the Lord,
my shelter, the sovereign One. 51
91:10 No harm will overtake 52 you;
no illness 53 will come near your home. 54
91:11 For he will order his angels 55
to protect you in all you do. 56
91:12 They will lift you up in their hands,
so you will not slip and fall on a stone. 57
91:13 You will subdue 58 a lion and a snake; 59
you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent.
“Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him;
I will protect him 61 because he is loyal to me. 62
91:15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him.
I will be with him when he is in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him honor.
91:16 I will satisfy him with long life, 63
and will let him see my salvation.
A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.
92:1 It is fitting 65 to thank the Lord,
and to sing praises to your name, O sovereign One! 66
92:2 It is fitting 67 to proclaim your loyal love in the morning,
and your faithfulness during the night,
92:3 to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre,
to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.
92:4 For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work.
I will sing for joy because of what you have done. 68
92:5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your plans are very intricate! 69
92:6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;
the fool does not understand this. 70
92:7 When the wicked sprout up like grass,
and all the evildoers glisten, 71
it is so that they may be annihilated. 72
92:8 But you, O Lord, reign 73 forever!
92:9 Indeed, 74 look at your enemies, O Lord!
Indeed, 75 look at how your enemies perish!
All the evildoers are scattered!
92:10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox. 76
I am covered 77 with fresh oil.
92:11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me; 78
I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me. 79
92:12 The godly 80 grow like a palm tree;
they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. 81
92:13 Planted in the Lord’s house,
they grow in the courts of our God.
92:14 They bear fruit even when they are old;
they are filled with vitality and have many leaves. 82
92:15 So they proclaim that the Lord, my protector,
is just and never unfair. 83
93:1 The Lord reigns!
He is robed in majesty,
the Lord is robed,
he wears strength around his waist. 85
Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.
93:2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times;
you have always been king. 86
93:3 The waves 87 roar, O Lord,
the waves roar,
the waves roar and crash. 88
93:4 Above the sound of the surging water, 89
and the mighty waves of the sea,
the Lord sits enthroned in majesty. 90
93:5 The rules you set down 91 are completely reliable. 92
Holiness 93 aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever. 94
94:1 O Lord, the God who avenges!
O God who avenges, reveal your splendor! 96
94:2 Rise up, O judge of the earth!
Pay back the proud!
94:3 O Lord, how long will the wicked,
how long will the wicked celebrate? 97
94:4 They spew out threats 98 and speak defiantly;
all the evildoers boast. 99
94:5 O Lord, they crush your people;
they oppress the nation that belongs to you. 100
94:6 They kill the widow and the one residing outside his native land,
and they murder the fatherless. 101
94:7 Then they say, “The Lord does not see this;
the God of Jacob does not take notice of it.” 102
94:8 Take notice of this, 103 you ignorant people! 104
You fools, when will you ever understand?
94:9 Does the one who makes the human ear not hear?
Does the one who forms the human eye not see? 105
94:10 Does the one who disciplines the nations not punish?
He is the one who imparts knowledge to human beings!
94:11 The Lord knows that
peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt. 106
94:12 How blessed is the one 107 whom you instruct, O Lord,
the one whom you teach from your law,
94:13 in order to protect him from times of trouble, 108
until the wicked are destroyed. 109
94:14 Certainly 110 the Lord does not forsake his people;
he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him. 111
94:15 For justice will prevail, 112
and all the morally upright 113 will be vindicated. 114
94:16 Who will rise up to defend me 115 against the wicked?
Who will stand up for me against the evildoers? 116
94:17 If the Lord had not helped me,
I would have laid down in the silence of death. 117
94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your loyal love, O Lord, supports me.
94:19 When worries threaten to overwhelm me, 118
your soothing touch makes me happy. 119
94:20 Cruel rulers 120 are not your allies,
those who make oppressive laws. 121
94:21 They conspire against 122 the blameless, 123
and condemn to death the innocent. 124
94:22 But the Lord will protect me, 125
and my God will shelter me. 126
94:23 He will pay them back for their sin. 127
He will destroy them because of 128 their evil;
the Lord our God will destroy them.
95:1 Come! Let’s sing for joy to the Lord!
Let’s shout out praises to our protector who delivers us! 130
95:2 Let’s enter his presence 131 with thanksgiving!
Let’s shout out to him in celebration! 132
95:3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great king who is superior to 133 all gods.
95:4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, 134
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
95:5 The sea is his, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
95:6 Come! Let’s bow down and worship! 135
Let’s kneel before the Lord, our creator!
95:7 For he is our God;
we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep he owns. 136
Today, if only you would obey him! 137
95:8 He says, 138 “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, 139
like they were that day at Massah 140 in the wilderness, 141
95:9 where your ancestors challenged my authority, 142
and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.
95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted 143 with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; 144
they do not obey my commands.’ 145
95:11 So I made a vow in my anger,
‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’” 146
96:1 Sing to the Lord a new song! 148
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
96:2 Sing to the Lord! Praise his name!
Announce every day how he delivers! 149
96:3 Tell the nations about his splendor!
Tell 150 all the nations about his amazing deeds!
96:4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;
he is more awesome than all gods. 151
96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, 152
but the Lord made the sky.
96:6 Majestic splendor emanates from him; 153
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful. 154
96:7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!
96:8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves! 155
Bring an offering and enter his courts!
96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire! 156
Tremble before him, all the earth!
96:10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
The world is established, it cannot be moved.
He judges the nations fairly.”
96:11 Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy!
Let the sea and everything in it shout!
96:12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!
Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy
96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!
For he comes to judge the earth!
He judges the world fairly, 157
and the nations in accordance with his justice. 158
97:1 The Lord reigns!
Let the earth be happy!
Let the many coastlands rejoice!
97:2 Dark clouds surround him;
equity and justice are the foundation of his throne. 160
97:3 Fire goes before him;
on every side 161 it burns up his enemies.
97:4 His lightning bolts light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
97:5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of the whole earth.
97:6 The sky declares his justice,
and all the nations see his splendor.
97:7 All who worship idols are ashamed,
those who boast about worthless idols.
All the gods bow down before him. 162
97:8 Zion hears and rejoices,
the towns 163 of Judah are happy,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
97:9 For you, O Lord, are the sovereign king 164 over the whole earth;
you are elevated high above all gods.
97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects 165 the lives of his faithful followers;
he delivers them from the power 166 of the wicked.
97:11 The godly bask in the light;
the morally upright experience joy. 167
97:12 You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord!
Give thanks to his holy name. 168
A psalm.
98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, 170
for he performs 171 amazing deeds!
His right hand and his mighty arm
accomplish deliverance. 172
98:2 The Lord demonstrates his power to deliver; 173
in the sight of the nations he reveals his justice.
98:3 He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel. 174
All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us. 175
98:4 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth!
Break out in a joyful shout and sing!
98:5 Sing to the Lord accompanied by a harp,
accompanied by a harp and the sound of music!
98:6 With trumpets and the blaring of the ram’s horn,
shout out praises before the king, the Lord!
98:7 Let the sea and everything in it shout,
along with the world and those who live in it!
98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands!
Let the mountains sing in unison
98:9 before the Lord!
For he comes to judge the earth!
He judges the world fairly, 176
and the nations in a just manner.
99:1 The Lord reigns!
The nations tremble. 178
He sits enthroned above the winged angels; 179
the earth shakes. 180
99:2 The Lord is elevated 181 in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
99:3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
He 182 is holy!
99:4 The king is strong;
he loves justice. 183
You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; 184
you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
99:5 Praise 185 the Lord our God!
Worship 186 before his footstool!
He is holy!
99:6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel was one of those who prayed to him. 187
They 188 prayed to the Lord and he answered them.
99:7 He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud; 189
they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.
99:8 O Lord our God, you answered them.
They found you to be a forgiving God,
but also one who punished their sinful deeds. 190
99:9 Praise 191 the Lord our God!
Worship on his holy hill,
for the Lord our God is holy!
A thanksgiving psalm.
100:1 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth!
100:2 Worship 193 the Lord with joy!
Enter his presence with joyful singing!
100:3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us and we belong to him; 194
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give him thanks!
Praise his name!
100:5 For the Lord is good.
His loyal love endures, 195
and he is faithful through all generations. 196
A psalm of David.
101:1 I will sing about loyalty and justice!
To you, O Lord, I will sing praises!
101:2 I will walk in 198 the way of integrity.
When will you come to me?
I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. 199
101:3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. 200
I hate doing evil; 201
I will have no part of it. 202
101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; 203
I will not permit 204 evil.
101:5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret.
I will not tolerate anyone who has a cocky demeanor and an arrogant attitude. 205
101:6 I will favor the honest people of the land, 206
and allow them to live with me. 207
Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me. 208
101:7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace. 209
Liars will not be welcome in my presence. 210
101:8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land,
and remove all evildoers from the city of the Lord.
The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.
102:1 O Lord, hear my prayer!
Pay attention to my cry for help! 212
102:2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble! 213
Listen to me! 214
When I call out to you, quickly answer me!
102:3 For my days go up in smoke, 215
and my bones are charred like a fireplace. 216
102:4 My heart is parched 217 and withered like grass,
for I am unable 218 to eat food. 219
102:5 Because of the anxiety that makes me groan,
my bones protrude from my skin. 220
102:6 I am like an owl 221 in the wilderness;
I am like a screech owl 222 among the ruins. 223
I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
102:8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who mock me use my name in their curses. 225
102:9 For I eat ashes as if they were bread, 226
and mix my drink with my tears, 227
102:10 because of your anger and raging fury.
Indeed, 228 you pick me up and throw me away.
102:11 My days are coming to an end, 229
and I am withered like grass.
102:12 But you, O Lord, rule forever, 230
and your reputation endures. 231
102:13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion. 232
For it is time to have mercy on her,
for the appointed time has come.
102:14 Indeed, 233 your servants take delight in her stones,
and feel compassion for 234 the dust of her ruins. 235
102:15 The nations will respect the reputation of the Lord, 236
and all the kings of the earth will respect 237 his splendor,
102:16 when the Lord rebuilds Zion,
and reveals his splendor,
102:17 when he responds to the prayer of the destitute, 238
and does not reject 239 their request. 240
102:18 The account of his intervention 241 will be recorded for future generations;
people yet to be born will praise the Lord.
102:19 For he will look down from his sanctuary above; 242
from heaven the Lord will look toward earth, 243
102:20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,
and to set free those condemned to die, 244
102:21 so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,
and praise him 245 in Jerusalem, 246
102:22 when the nations gather together,
and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord. 247
102:23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life; 248
he has cut short my days.
102:24 I say, “O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life! 249
You endure through all generations. 250
102:25 In earlier times you established the earth;
the skies are your handiwork.
102:26 They will perish,
but you will endure. 251
They will wear out like a garment;
like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear. 252
your years do not come to an end.
102:28 The children of your servants will settle down here,
and their descendants 254 will live securely in your presence.” 255
By David.
103:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
With all that is within me, praise 257 his holy name!
103:2 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Do not forget all his kind deeds! 258
103:3 He is the one who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases, 259
103:4 who delivers 260 your life from the Pit, 261
who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,
103:5 who satisfies your life with good things, 262
so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s. 263
103:6 The Lord does what is fair,
and executes justice for all the oppressed. 264
103:7 The Lord revealed his faithful acts 265 to Moses,
his deeds to the Israelites.
103:8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful;
he is patient 266 and demonstrates great loyal love. 267
103:9 He does not always accuse,
and does not stay angry. 268
103:10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve; 269
he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve. 270
103:11 For as the skies are high above the earth,
so his loyal love towers 271 over his faithful followers. 272
103:12 As far as the eastern horizon 273 is from the west, 274
so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions 275 from us.
103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, 276
so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers. 277
103:14 For he knows what we are made of; 278
he realizes 279 we are made of clay. 280
103:15 A person’s life is like grass. 281
Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
103:16 but when the hot wind 282 blows by, it disappears,
and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.
103:17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers, 283
and is faithful to their descendants, 284
103:18 to those who keep his covenant,
who are careful to obey his commands. 285
103:19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven;
his kingdom extends over everything. 286
103:20 Praise the Lord, you angels of his,
you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees
and obey his orders! 287
103:21 Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his, 288
you servants of his who carry out his desires! 289
103:22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made, 290
in all the regions 291 of his kingdom!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
104:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are magnificent. 293
You are robed in splendor and majesty.
104:2 He covers himself with light as if it were a garment.
He stretches out the skies like a tent curtain,
104:3 and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds. 294
He makes the clouds his chariot,
and travels along on the wings of the wind. 295
104:4 He makes the winds his messengers,
and the flaming fire his attendant. 296
104:5 He established the earth on its foundations;
it will never be upended.
104:6 The watery deep covered it 297 like a garment;
the waters reached 298 above the mountains. 299
104:7 Your shout made the waters retreat;
at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off –
104:8 as the mountains rose up,
and the valleys went down –
to the place you appointed for them. 300
104:9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,
so that they would not cover the earth again. 301
104:10 He turns springs into streams; 302
they flow between the mountains.
104:11 They provide water for all the animals in the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
104:12 The birds of the sky live beside them;
they chirp among the bushes. 303
104:13 He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace; 304
the earth is full of the fruit you cause to grow. 305
104:14 He provides grass 306 for the cattle,
and crops for people to cultivate, 307
so they can produce food from the ground, 308
104:15 as well as wine that makes people feel so good, 309
and so they can have oil to make their faces shine, 310
as well as food that sustains people’s lives. 311
104:16 The trees of the Lord 312 receive all the rain they need, 313
the cedars of Lebanon which he planted,
104:17 where the birds make nests,
near the evergreens in which the herons live. 314
104:18 The wild goats live in the high mountains; 315
the rock badgers find safety in the cliffs.
104:19 He made the moon to mark the months, 316
and the sun sets according to a regular schedule. 317
104:20 You make it dark and night comes, 318
during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.
104:21 The lions roar for prey,
seeking their food from God. 319
104:22 When the sun rises, they withdraw
and sleep 320 in their dens.
104:23 Men then go out to do their work,
and labor away until evening. 321
104:24 How many living things you have made, O Lord! 322
You have exhibited great skill in making all of them; 323
the earth is full of the living things you have made.
104:25 Over here is the deep, wide sea, 324
which teems with innumerable swimming creatures, 325
living things both small and large.
104:26 The ships travel there,
and over here swims the whale 326 you made to play in it.
104:27 All of your creatures 327 wait for you
to provide them with food on a regular basis. 328
104:28 You give food to them and they receive it;
you open your hand and they are filled with food. 329
104:29 When you ignore them, they panic. 330
When you take away their life’s breath, they die
and return to dust.
104:30 When you send your life-giving breath, they are created,
and you replenish the surface of the ground.
104:31 May the splendor of the Lord endure! 331
May the Lord find pleasure in the living things he has made! 332
104:32 He looks down on the earth and it shakes;
he touches the mountains and they start to smolder.
104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist! 333
104:34 May my thoughts 334 be pleasing to him!
I will rejoice in the Lord.
104:35 May sinners disappear 335 from the earth,
and the wicked vanish!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
105:1 Give thanks to the Lord!
Call on his name!
Make known his accomplishments among the nations!
105:2 Sing to him!
Make music to him!
Tell about all his miraculous deeds!
105:3 Boast about his holy name!
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
105:4 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!
Seek his presence continually!
105:5 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed,
his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed, 337
105:6 O children 338 of Abraham, 339 God’s 340 servant,
you descendants 341 of Jacob, God’s 342 chosen ones!
105:7 He is the Lord our God;
he carries out judgment throughout the earth. 343
105:8 He always remembers his covenantal decree,
the promise he made 344 to a thousand generations –
105:9 the promise 345 he made to Abraham,
the promise he made by oath to Isaac!
105:10 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as a lasting promise, 346
105:11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.”
105:12 When they were few in number,
just a very few, and resident aliens within it,
105:13 they wandered from nation to nation,
and from one kingdom to another. 347
105:14 He let no one oppress them;
he disciplined kings for their sake,
105:15 saying, 348 “Don’t touch my chosen 349 ones!
Don’t harm my prophets!”
105:16 He called down a famine upon the earth;
he cut off all the food supply. 350
105:17 He sent a man ahead of them 351 –
Joseph was sold as a servant.
105:18 The shackles hurt his feet; 352
his neck was placed in an iron collar, 353
105:19 until the time when his prediction 354 came true.
The Lord’s word 355 proved him right. 356
105:20 The king authorized his release; 357
the ruler of nations set him free.
105:21 He put him in charge of his palace, 358
and made him manager of all his property,
105:22 giving him authority to imprison his officials 359
and to teach his advisers. 360
105:23 Israel moved to 361 Egypt;
Jacob lived for a time 362 in the land of Ham.
105:24 The Lord 363 made his people very fruitful,
and made them 364 more numerous than their 365 enemies.
105:25 He caused them 366 to hate his people,
and to mistreat 367 his servants.
105:26 He sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, 368
and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.
they did not disobey his orders. 370
105:29 He turned their water into blood,
and killed their fish.
105:30 Their land was overrun by frogs,
which even got into the rooms of their kings.
105:31 He ordered flies to come; 371
gnats invaded their whole territory.
105:32 He sent hail along with the rain; 372
there was lightning in their land. 373
105:33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees,
and broke the trees throughout their territory.
105:34 He ordered locusts to come, 374
innumerable grasshoppers.
105:35 They ate all the vegetation in their land,
and devoured the crops of their fields. 375
105:36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of their reproductive power. 376
105:37 He brought his people 377 out enriched 378 with silver and gold;
none of his tribes stumbled.
105:38 Egypt was happy when they left,
for they were afraid of them. 379
105:39 He spread out a cloud for a cover, 380
and provided a fire to light up the night.
105:40 They asked for food, 381 and he sent quails;
he satisfied them with food from the sky. 382
105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;
a river ran through dry regions.
105:42 Yes, 383 he remembered the sacred promise 384
he made to Abraham his servant.
105:43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced;
his chosen ones shouted with joy. 385
105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,
and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, 386
105:45 so that they might keep his commands
and obey 387 his laws.
Praise the Lord!
106:1 Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures! 389
106:2 Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts,
or relate all his praiseworthy deeds? 390
106:3 How blessed are those who promote justice,
and do what is right all the time!
106:4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people!
Pay attention to me, when you deliver,
106:5 so I may see the prosperity 391 of your chosen ones,
rejoice along with your nation, 392
and boast along with the people who belong to you. 393
106:6 We have sinned like 394 our ancestors; 395
we have done wrong, we have done evil.
106:7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds,
they failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,
and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea. 396
106:8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation, 397
that he might reveal his power.
106:9 He shouted at 398 the Red Sea and it dried up;
he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.
106:10 He delivered them from the power 399 of the one who hated them,
and rescued 400 them from the power 401 of the enemy.
106:11 The water covered their enemies;
not even one of them survived. 402
106:12 They believed his promises; 403
they sang praises to him.
106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; 404
they did not wait for his instructions. 405
106:14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving 406 for meat; 407
they challenged God 408 in the desert.
106:15 He granted their request,
then struck them with a disease. 409
106:16 In the camp they resented 410 Moses,
and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. 411
106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it engulfed 412 the group led by Abiram. 413
106:18 Fire burned their group;
the flames scorched the wicked. 414
106:19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,
and worshiped a metal idol.
106:20 They traded their majestic God 415
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
106:21 They rejected 416 the God who delivered them,
the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,
106:22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,
mighty 417 acts by the Red Sea.
106:23 He threatened 418 to destroy them,
but 419 Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him 420
and turned back his destructive anger. 421
106:24 They rejected the fruitful land; 422
they did not believe his promise. 423
106:25 They grumbled in their tents; 424
they did not obey 425 the Lord.
106:26 So he made a solemn vow 426
that he would make them die 427 in the desert,
106:27 make their descendants 428 die 429 among the nations,
and scatter them among foreign lands. 430
106:28 They worshiped 431 Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. 432
106:29 They made the Lord angry 433 by their actions,
and a plague broke out among them.
106:30 Phinehas took a stand and intervened, 434
and the plague subsided.
106:31 This brought him a reward,
an eternal gift. 435
106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered 436 because of them,
106:33 for they aroused 437 his temper, 438
and he spoke rashly. 439
106:34 They did not destroy the nations, 440
as the Lord had commanded them to do.
106:35 They mixed in with the nations
and learned their ways. 441
106:36 They worshiped 442 their idols,
which became a snare to them. 443
106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. 444
106:38 They shed innocent blood –
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.
The land was polluted by bloodshed. 445
106:39 They were defiled by their deeds,
and unfaithful in their actions. 446
106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people 447
and despised the people who belong to him. 448
106:41 He handed them over to 449 the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
106:42 Their enemies oppressed them;
they were subject to their authority. 450
106:43 Many times he delivered 451 them,
but they had a rebellious attitude, 452
and degraded themselves 453 by their sin.
106:44 Yet he took notice of their distress,
when he heard their cry for help.
106:45 He remembered his covenant with them,
and relented 454 because of his great loyal love.
106:46 He caused all their conquerors 455
to have pity on them.
106:47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God!
Gather us from among the nations!
Then we will give thanks 456 to your holy name,
and boast about your praiseworthy deeds. 457
106:48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise, 458
in the future and forevermore. 459
Let all the people say, “We agree! 460 Praise the Lord!” 461
Book 5
(Psalms 107-150)
107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures! 463
107:2 Let those delivered by the Lord speak out, 464
those whom he delivered 465 from the power 466 of the enemy,
107:3 and gathered from foreign lands, 467
from east and west,
from north and south.
107:4 They wandered through the wilderness on a desert road;
they found no city in which to live.
107:5 They were hungry and thirsty;
they fainted from exhaustion. 468
107:6 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
107:7 He led them on a level road, 469
that they might find a city in which to live.
107:8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people! 470
107:9 For he has satisfied those who thirst, 471
and those who hunger he has filled with food. 472
107:10 They sat in utter darkness, 473
bound in painful iron chains, 474
107:11 because they had rebelled against God’s commands, 475
and rejected the instructions of the sovereign king. 476
107:12 So he used suffering to humble them; 477
they stumbled and no one helped them up.
107:13 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
107:14 He brought them out of the utter darkness, 478
and tore off their shackles.
107:15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people! 479
107:16 For he shattered the bronze gates,
and hacked through the iron bars. 480
107:17 They acted like fools in their rebellious ways, 481
and suffered because of their sins.
107:18 They lost their appetite for all food, 482
and they drew near the gates of death.
107:19 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
107:20 He sent them an assuring word 483 and healed them;
he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped. 484
107:21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people! 485
107:22 Let them present thank offerings,
and loudly proclaim what he has done! 486
107:23 487 Some traveled on 488 the sea in ships,
and carried cargo over the vast waters. 489
107:24 They witnessed the acts of the Lord,
his amazing feats on the deep water.
107:25 He gave the order for a windstorm, 490
and it stirred up the waves of the sea. 491
107:26 They 492 reached up to the sky,
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength 493 left them 494 because the danger was so great. 495
107:27 They swayed 496 and staggered like a drunk,
and all their skill proved ineffective. 497
107:28 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
107:29 He calmed the storm, 498
and the waves 499 grew silent.
107:30 The sailors 500 rejoiced because the waves 501 grew quiet,
and he led them to the harbor 502 they desired.
107:31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people! 503
107:32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people!
Let them praise him in the place where the leaders preside! 504
107:33 He turned 505 streams into a desert,
springs of water into arid land,
107:34 and a fruitful land into a barren place, 506
because of the sin of its inhabitants.
107:35 As for his people, 507 he turned 508 a desert into a pool of water,
and a dry land into springs of water.
107:36 He allowed the hungry to settle there,
and they established a city in which to live.
107:37 They cultivated 509 fields,
and planted vineyards,
which yielded a harvest of fruit. 510
107:38 He blessed 511 them so that they became very numerous.
He would not allow their cattle to decrease in number. 512
107:39 As for their enemies, 513 they decreased in number and were beaten down,
because of painful distress 514 and suffering.
107:40 He would pour 515 contempt upon princes,
and he made them wander in a wasteland with no road.
107:41 Yet he protected 516 the needy from oppression,
and cared for his families like a flock of sheep.
107:42 When the godly see this, they rejoice,
and every sinner 517 shuts his mouth.
107:43 Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things!
Let them consider the Lord’s acts of loyal love!
A song, a psalm of David.
108:1 I am determined, 519 O God!
I will sing and praise you with my whole heart. 520
108:2 Awake, O stringed instrument and harp!
I will wake up at dawn! 521
108:3 I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord!
I will sing praises to you before foreigners! 522
108:4 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, 523
and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
108:5 Rise up 524 above the sky, O God!
May your splendor cover the whole earth! 525
108:6 Deliver by your power 526 and answer me,
so that the ones you love may be safe. 527
108:7 God has spoken in his sanctuary: 528
“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem,
the valley of Succoth I will measure off. 529
108:8 Gilead belongs to me,
as does Manasseh! 530
Ephraim is my helmet, 531
Judah my royal scepter. 532
108:9 Moab is my wash basin. 533
I will make Edom serve me. 534
I will shout in triumph over Philistia.”
108:10 Who will lead me into the fortified city?
Who will bring me to Edom? 535
108:11 Have you not rejected us, O God?
O God, you do not go into battle with our armies.
108:12 Give us help against the enemy,
for any help men might offer is futile. 536
108:13 By God’s power we will conquer; 537
he will trample down 538 our enemies.
For the music director, a psalm of David.
109:1 O God whom I praise, do not ignore me! 540
109:2 For they say cruel and deceptive things to me;
they lie to me. 541
109:3 They surround me and say hateful things; 542
they attack me for no reason.
109:4 They repay my love with accusations, 543
but I continue to pray. 544
109:5 They repay me evil for good, 545
and hate for love.
109:6 546 Appoint an evil man to testify against him! 547
May an accuser stand 548 at his right side!
109:7 When he is judged, he will be found 549 guilty! 550
Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.
109:8 May his days be few! 551
May another take his job! 552
109:9 May his children 553 be fatherless,
and his wife a widow!
109:10 May his children 554 roam around begging,
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home! 555
109:11 May the creditor seize 556 all he owns!
May strangers loot his property! 557
109:12 May no one show him kindness! 558
May no one have compassion 559 on his fatherless children!
109:13 May his descendants 560 be cut off! 561
May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives! 562
109:14 May his ancestors’ 563 sins be remembered by the Lord!
May his mother’s sin not be forgotten! 564
109:15 May the Lord be constantly aware of them, 565
and cut off the memory of his children 566 from the earth!
109:16 For he never bothered to show kindness; 567
he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened. 568
109:17 He loved to curse 569 others, so those curses have come upon him. 570
He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings. 571
109:18 He made cursing a way of life, 572
so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil. 573
109:19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on, 574
or a belt 575 one wears continually!
109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, 576
those who say evil things about 577 me! 578
109:21 O sovereign Lord,
intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation! 579
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!
109:22 For I am oppressed and needy,
and my heart beats violently within me. 580
109:23 I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day; 581
I am shaken off like a locust.
109:24 I am so starved my knees shake; 582
I have turned into skin and bones. 583
109:25 I am disdained by them. 584
When they see me, they shake their heads. 585
109:26 Help me, O Lord my God!
Because you are faithful to me, deliver me! 586
109:27 Then they will realize 587 this is your work, 588
and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.
109:28 They curse, but you will bless. 589
When they attack, they will be humiliated, 590
but your servant will rejoice.
109:29 My accusers will be covered 591 with shame,
and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.
109:30 I will thank the Lord profusely, 592
in the middle of a crowd 593 I will praise him,
109:31 because he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to deliver him from those who threaten 594 his life.
A psalm of David.
110:1 Here is the Lord’s proclamation 596 to my lord: 597
“Sit down at my right hand 598 until I make your enemies your footstool!” 599
110:2 The Lord 600 extends 601 your dominion 602 from Zion.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
110:3 Your people willingly follow you 603 when you go into battle. 604
On the holy hills 605 at sunrise 606 the dew of your youth 607 belongs to you. 608
110:4 The Lord makes this promise on oath 609 and will not revoke it: 610
“You are an eternal priest 611 after the pattern of 612 Melchizedek.” 613
110:5 O sovereign Lord, 614 at your right hand
he strikes down 615 kings in the day he unleashes his anger. 616
110:6 He executes judgment 617 against 618 the nations;
he fills the valleys with corpses; 619
he shatters their heads over the vast battlefield. 620
110:7 From the stream along the road he drinks;
then he lifts up his head. 621
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.
111:2 The Lord’s deeds are great,
eagerly awaited 623 by all who desire them.
111:3 His work is majestic and glorious, 624
and his faithfulness endures 625 forever.
111:4 He does 626 amazing things that will be remembered; 627
the Lord is merciful and compassionate.
111:5 He gives 628 food to his faithful followers; 629
he always remembers his covenant. 630
111:6 He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people,
giving them a land that belonged to other nations. 631
111:7 His acts are characterized by 632 faithfulness and justice;
all his precepts are reliable. 633
111:8 They are forever firm,
and should be faithfully and properly carried out. 634
111:9 He delivered his people; 635
he ordained that his covenant be observed forever. 636
His name is holy and awesome.
111:10 To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living; 637
all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight. 638
He will receive praise forever. 639
112:1 Praise the Lord!
How blessed is the one 641 who obeys 642 the Lord,
who takes great delight in keeping his commands. 643
112:2 His descendants 644 will be powerful on the earth;
the godly 645 will be blessed.
112:3 His house contains wealth and riches;
his integrity endures. 646
112:4 In the darkness a light 647 shines for the godly,
for each one who is merciful, compassionate, and just. 648
112:5 It goes well for the one 649 who generously lends money,
and conducts his business honestly. 650
112:6 For he will never be upended;
others will always remember one who is just. 651
112:7 He does not fear bad news.
He 652 is confident; he trusts 653 in the Lord.
112:8 His resolve 654 is firm; he will not succumb to fear
before he looks in triumph on his enemies.
112:9 He generously gives 655 to the needy;
his integrity endures. 656
He will be vindicated and honored. 657
112:10 When the wicked 658 see this, they will worry;
they will grind their teeth in frustration 659 and melt away;
the desire of the wicked will perish. 660
113:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise, you servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
113:2 May the Lord’s name be praised
now and forevermore!
the Lord’s name is deserving of praise.
113:4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations;
his splendor reaches beyond the sky. 663
113:5 Who can compare to the Lord our God,
who sits on a high throne? 664
113:6 He bends down to look 665
at the sky and the earth.
113:7 He raises the poor from the dirt,
and lifts up the needy from the garbage pile, 666
113:8 that he might seat him with princes,
with the princes of his people.
113:9 He makes the barren woman of the family 667
a happy mother of children. 668
Praise the Lord!
114:1 When Israel left Egypt,
when the family of Jacob left a foreign nation behind, 670
114:2 Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel his kingdom.
114:3 The sea looked and fled; 671
the Jordan River 672 turned back. 673
114:4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs. 674
114:5 Why do you flee, O sea?
Why do you turn back, O Jordan River?
114:6 Why do you skip like rams, O mountains,
like lambs, O hills?
114:7 Tremble, O earth, before the Lord –
before the God of Jacob,
114:8 who turned a rock into a pool of water,
a hard rock into springs of water! 675
115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us!
But to your name bring honor, 677
for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness. 678
115:2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
115:3 Our God is in heaven!
He does whatever he pleases! 679
115:4 Their 680 idols are made of silver and gold –
they are man-made. 681
115:5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
115:6 ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell,
115:7 hands, but cannot touch,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot even clear their throats. 682
115:8 Those who make them will end up 683 like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
115:9 O Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their deliverer 684 and protector. 685
115:10 O family 686 of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their deliverer 687 and protector. 688
115:11 You loyal followers of the Lord, 689 trust in the Lord!
He is their deliverer 690 and protector. 691
115:12 The Lord takes notice of us, 692 he will bless 693 –
he will bless the family 694 of Israel,
he will bless the family of Aaron.
115:13 He will bless his loyal followers, 695
both young and old. 696
115:14 May he increase your numbers,
yours and your children’s! 697
115:15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the creator 698 of heaven and earth!
115:16 The heavens belong to the Lord, 699
but the earth he has given to mankind. 700
115:17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any of those who descend into the silence of death. 701
115:18 But we will praise the Lord
now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!
116:1 I love the Lord
because he heard my plea for mercy, 703
As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help. 705
116:3 The ropes of death tightened around me, 706
the snares 707 of Sheol confronted me.
I was confronted 708 with trouble and sorrow.
116:4 I called on the name of the Lord,
“Please Lord, rescue my life!”
116:5 The Lord is merciful and fair;
our God is compassionate.
116:6 The Lord protects 709 the untrained; 710
I was in serious trouble 711 and he delivered me.
116:7 Rest once more, my soul, 712
for the Lord has vindicated you. 713
116:8 Yes, 714 Lord, 715 you rescued my life from death,
and kept my feet from stumbling.
116:9 I will serve 716 the Lord
in the land 717 of the living.
116:10 I had faith when I said,
“I am severely oppressed.”
“All men are liars.”
116:12 How can I repay the Lord
for all his acts of kindness to me?
116:13 I will celebrate my deliverance, 719
and call on the name of the Lord.
116:14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people.
116:15 The Lord values
the lives of his faithful followers. 720
116:16 Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;
I am your lowest slave. 721
You saved me from death. 722
116:17 I will present a thank offering to you,
and call on the name of the Lord.
116:18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people,
116:19 in the courts of the Lord’s temple,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
117:1 Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Applaud him, all you foreigners! 724
117:2 For his loyal love towers 725 over us,
and the Lord’s faithfulness endures.
Praise the Lord!
118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his loyal love endures! 727
118:2 Let Israel say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
118:3 Let the family 728 of Aaron say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
118:4 Let the loyal followers of the Lord 729 say,
“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
118:5 In my distress 730 I cried out to the Lord.
The Lord answered me and put me in a wide open place. 731
118:6 The Lord is on my side, 732 I am not afraid!
What can people do to me? 733
118:7 The Lord is on my side 734 as my helper. 735
I look in triumph on those who hate me.
118:8 It is better to take shelter 736 in the Lord
than to trust in people.
118:9 It is better to take shelter in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
118:10 All the nations surrounded me. 737
Indeed, in the name of the Lord 738 I pushed them away. 739
118:11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me.
Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.
118:12 They surrounded me like bees.
But they disappeared as quickly 740 as a fire among thorns. 741
Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.
118:13 “You aggressively attacked me 742 and tried to knock me down, 743
but the Lord helped me.
118:14 The Lord gives me strength and protects me; 744
he has become my deliverer.” 745
118:15 They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. 746
The Lord’s right hand conquers, 747
118:16 the Lord’s right hand gives victory, 748
the Lord’s right hand conquers.
118:17 I will not die, but live,
and I will proclaim what the Lord has done. 749
118:18 The Lord severely 750 punished me,
but he did not hand me over to death.
118:19 Open for me the gates of the just king’s temple! 751
I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
118:20 This is the Lord’s gate –
the godly enter through it.
118:21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me,
and have become my deliverer.
118:22 The stone which the builders discarded 752
has become the cornerstone. 753
118:23 This is the Lord’s work.
We consider it amazing! 754
118:24 This is the day the Lord has brought about. 755
We will be happy and rejoice in it.
118:25 Please Lord, deliver!
Please Lord, grant us success! 756
118:26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord 757 be blessed!
We will pronounce blessings on you 758 in the Lord’s temple. 759
118:27 The Lord is God and he has delivered us. 760
Tie the offering 761 with ropes
to the horns of the altar! 762
118:28 You are my 763 God and I will give you thanks!
You are my God and I will praise you!
118:29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his loyal love endures! 764
א (Alef)
119:1 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, 766
who obey 767 the law of the Lord.
119:2 How blessed are those who observe his rules,
and seek him with all their heart,
119:3 who, moreover, do no wrong,
but follow in his footsteps. 768
119:4 You demand that your precepts
be carefully kept. 769
119:5 If only I were predisposed 770
to keep your statutes!
119:6 Then I would not be ashamed,
if 771 I were focused on 772 all your commands.
119:7 I will give you sincere thanks, 773
when I learn your just regulations.
119:8 I will keep your statutes.
Do not completely abandon me! 774
ב (Bet)
119:9 How can a young person 775 maintain a pure life? 776
By guarding it according to your instructions! 777
119:10 With all my heart I seek you.
Do not allow me to stray from your commands!
119:11 In my heart I store up 778 your words, 779
so I might not sin against you.
119:12 You deserve praise, 780 O Lord!
Teach me your statutes!
119:13 With my lips I proclaim
all the regulations you have revealed. 781
119:14 I rejoice in the lifestyle prescribed by your rules 782
as if 783 they were riches of all kinds. 784
119:15 I will meditate on 785 your precepts
and focus 786 on your behavior. 787
119:16 I find delight 788 in your statutes;
I do not forget your instructions. 789
ג (Gimel)
119:17 Be kind to your servant!
Then I will live 790 and keep 791 your instructions. 792
119:18 Open 793 my eyes so I can truly see 794
the marvelous things in your law!
119:19 I am like a foreigner in this land. 795
Do not hide your commands from me!
119:20 I desperately long to know 796
your regulations at all times.
119:21 You reprimand arrogant people.
Those who stray from your commands are doomed. 797
119:22 Spare me 798 shame and humiliation,
for I observe your rules.
119:23 Though rulers plot and slander me, 799
your servant meditates on your statutes.
119:24 Yes, I find delight in your rules;
they give me guidance. 800
ד (Dalet)
119:25 I collapse in the dirt. 801
Revive me with your word! 802
119:26 I told you about my ways 803 and you answered me.
Teach me your statutes!
119:27 Help me to understand what your precepts mean! 804
Then I can meditate 805 on your marvelous teachings. 806
119:28 I collapse 807 from grief.
Sustain me by your word! 808
119:29 Remove me from the path of deceit! 809
Graciously give me 810 your law!
119:30 I choose the path of faithfulness;
I am committed to 811 your regulations.
119:31 I hold fast 812 to your rules.
O Lord, do not let me be ashamed!
119:32 I run along the path of your commands,
for you enable me to do so. 813
ה (He)
119:33 Teach me, O Lord, the lifestyle prescribed by your statutes, 814
so that I might observe it continually. 815
119:34 Give me understanding so that I might observe your law,
and keep it with all my heart. 816
119:35 Guide me 817 in the path of your commands,
for I delight to walk in it. 818
119:36 Give me a desire for your rules, 819
rather than for wealth gained unjustly. 820
119:37 Turn my eyes away from what is worthless! 821
Revive me with your word! 822
119:38 Confirm to your servant your promise, 823
which you made to the one who honors you. 824
119:39 Take away the insults that I dread! 825
Indeed, 826 your regulations are good.
119:40 Look, I long for your precepts.
Revive me with your deliverance! 827
ו (Vav)
119:41 May I experience your loyal love, 828 O Lord,
and your deliverance, 829 as you promised. 830
119:42 Then I will have a reply for the one who insults me, 831
for I trust in your word.
119:43 Do not completely deprive me of a truthful testimony, 832
for I await your justice.
119:44 Then I will keep 833 your law continually
now and for all time. 834
for I seek your precepts.
119:46 I will speak 836 about your regulations before kings
and not be ashamed.
119:47 I will find delight in your commands,
which I love.
119:48 I will lift my hands to 837 your commands,
which I love,
and I will meditate on your statutes.
ז (Zayin)
119:49 Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
119:50 This 838 is what comforts me in my trouble,
for your promise revives me. 839
119:51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me. 840
Yet I do not turn aside from your law.
119:52 I remember your ancient regulations, 841
O Lord, and console myself. 842
119:53 Rage takes hold of me because of the wicked,
those who reject your law.
119:54 Your statutes have been my songs 843
in the house where I live. 844
119:55 I remember your name during the night, O Lord,
and I will keep 845 your law.
119:56 This 846 has been my practice,
for I observe your precepts.
ח (Khet)
119:57 The Lord is my source of security. 847
I have determined 848 to follow your instructions. 849
119:58 I seek your favor 850 with all my heart.
Have mercy on me as you promised! 851
119:59 I consider my actions 852
and follow 853 your rules.
119:60 I keep your commands
eagerly and without delay. 854
119:61 The ropes of the wicked tighten around 855 me,
but I do not forget your law.
119:62 In the middle of the night I arise 856 to thank you
for your just regulations.
119:63 I am a friend to all your loyal followers, 857
and to those who keep your precepts.
119:64 O Lord, your loyal love fills the earth.
Teach me your statutes!
ט (Tet)
119:65 You are good 858 to your servant,
O Lord, just as you promised. 859
119:66 Teach me proper discernment 860 and understanding!
For I consider your commands to be reliable. 861
119:67 Before I was afflicted I used to stray off, 862
but now I keep your instructions. 863
119:68 You are good and you do good.
Teach me your statutes!
119:69 Arrogant people smear my reputation with lies, 864
but I observe your precepts with all my heart.
119:70 Their hearts are calloused, 865
but I find delight in your law.
119:71 It was good for me to suffer,
so that I might learn your statutes.
119:72 The law you have revealed is more important to me
than thousands of pieces of gold and silver. 866
י (Yod)
119:73 Your hands made me and formed me. 867
Give me understanding so that I might learn 868 your commands.
119:74 Your loyal followers will be glad when they see me, 869
for I find hope in your word.
119:75 I know, Lord, that your regulations 870 are just.
You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me. 871
119:76 May your loyal love console me,
as you promised your servant. 872
119:77 May I experience your compassion, 873 so I might live!
For I find delight in your law.
119:78 May the arrogant be humiliated, for they have slandered me! 874
But I meditate on your precepts.
119:79 May your loyal followers 875 turn to me,
those who know your rules.
119:80 May I be fully committed to your statutes, 876
so that I might not be ashamed.
כ (Kaf)
119:81 I desperately long for 877 your deliverance.
I find hope in your word.
119:82 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your promise to be fulfilled. 878
I say, 879 “When will you comfort me?”
119:83 For 880 I am like a wineskin 881 dried up in smoke. 882
I do not forget your statutes.
119:84 How long must your servant endure this? 883
When will you judge those who pursue me?
119:85 The arrogant dig pits to trap me, 884
which violates your law. 885
119:86 All your commands are reliable.
I am pursued without reason. 886 Help me!
119:87 They have almost destroyed me here on the earth,
but I do not reject your precepts.
119:88 Revive me with 887 your loyal love,
that I might keep 888 the rules you have revealed. 889
ל (Lamed)
119:89 O Lord, your instructions endure;
they stand secure in heaven. 890
119:90 You demonstrate your faithfulness to all generations. 891
You established the earth and it stood firm.
119:91 Today they stand firm by your decrees,
for all things are your servants.
119:92 If I had not found encouragement in your law, 892
I would have died in my sorrow. 893
119:93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have revived me.
119:94 I belong to you. Deliver me!
For I seek your precepts.
119:95 The wicked prepare to kill me, 894
yet I concentrate on your rules.
119:96 I realize that everything has its limits,
but your commands are beyond full comprehension. 895
מ (Mem)
119:97 O how I love your law!
All day long I meditate on it.
119:98 Your commandments 896 make me wiser than my enemies,
for I am always aware of them.
119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your rules.
119:100 I am more discerning than those older than I,
for I observe your precepts.
119:101 I stay away 897 from the evil path,
so that I might keep your instructions. 898
119:102 I do not turn aside from your regulations,
for you teach me.
119:103 Your words are sweeter
in my mouth than honey! 899
119:104 Your precepts give me discernment.
Therefore I hate all deceitful actions. 900
נ (Nun)
119:105 Your word 901 is a lamp to walk by,
and a light to illumine my path. 902
119:106 I have vowed and solemnly sworn
to keep your just regulations.
119:107 I am suffering terribly.
O Lord, revive me with your word! 903
119:108 O Lord, please accept the freewill offerings of my praise! 904
Teach me your regulations!
119:109 My life is in continual danger, 905
but I do not forget your law.
119:110 The wicked lay a trap for me,
but I do not wander from your precepts.
119:111 I claim your rules as my permanent possession,
for they give me joy. 906
119:112 I am determined to obey 907 your statutes
at all times, to the very end.
ס (Samek)
119:113 I hate people with divided loyalties, 908
but I love your law.
119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield.
I find hope in your word.
119:115 Turn away from me, you evil men,
so that I can observe 909 the commands of my God. 910
119:116 Sustain me as you promised, 911 so that I will live. 912
Do not disappoint me! 913
119:117 Support me, so that I will be delivered.
Then I will focus 914 on your statutes continually.
119:118 You despise 915 all who stray from your statutes,
for they are deceptive and unreliable. 916
119:119 You remove all the wicked of the earth like slag. 917
Therefore I love your rules. 918
119:120 My body 919 trembles 920 because I fear you; 921
I am afraid of your judgments.
ע (Ayin)
119:121 I do what is fair and right. 922
Do not abandon me to my oppressors!
119:122 Guarantee the welfare of your servant! 923
Do not let the arrogant oppress me!
119:123 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your deliverance, 924
for your reliable promise to be fulfilled. 925
119:124 Show your servant your loyal love! 926
Teach me your statutes!
119:125 I am your servant. Give me insight,
so that I can understand 927 your rules.
119:126 It is time for the Lord to act –
they break your law!
119:127 For this reason 928 I love your commands
more than gold, even purest gold.
119:128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts. 929
I hate all deceitful actions. 930
פ (Pe)
119:129 Your rules are marvelous.
Therefore I observe them.
119:130 Your instructions are a doorway through which light shines. 931
They give 932 insight to the untrained. 933
119:131 I open my mouth and pant,
because I long 934 for your commands.
119:132 Turn toward me and extend mercy to me,
as you typically do to your loyal followers. 935
119:133 Direct my steps by your word! 936
Do not let any sin dominate me!
119:134 Deliver me 937 from oppressive men,
so that I can keep 938 your precepts.
119:135 Smile 939 on your servant!
Teach me your statutes!
119:136 Tears stream down from my eyes, 940
because people 941 do not keep your law.
צ (Tsade)
119:137 You are just, O Lord,
and your judgments are fair.
119:138 The rules you impose are just, 942
and absolutely reliable.
119:139 My zeal 943 consumes 944 me,
for my enemies forget your instructions. 945
119:140 Your word is absolutely pure,
and your servant loves it!
119:141 I am insignificant and despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.
119:142 Your justice endures, 946
and your law is reliable. 947
119:143 Distress and hardship confront 948 me,
yet I find delight in your commands.
119:144 Your rules remain just. 949
Give me insight so that I can live. 950
ק (Qof)
119:145 I cried out with all my heart, “Answer me, O Lord!
I will observe your statutes.”
119:146 I cried out to you, “Deliver me,
so that I can keep 951 your rules.”
119:147 I am up before dawn crying for help.
I find hope in your word.
119:148 My eyes anticipate the nighttime hours,
so that I can meditate on your word.
119:149 Listen to me 952 because of 953 your loyal love!
O Lord, revive me, as you typically do! 954
119:150 Those who are eager to do 955 wrong draw near;
they are far from your law.
119:151 You are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are reliable. 956
119:152 I learned long ago that
you ordained your rules to last. 957
ר (Resh)
119:153 See my pain and rescue me!
For I do not forget your law.
119:154 Fight for me 958 and defend me! 959
Revive me with your word!
119:155 The wicked have no chance for deliverance, 960
for they do not seek your statutes.
119:156 Your compassion is great, O Lord.
Revive me, as you typically do! 961
119:157 The enemies who chase me are numerous. 962
Yet I do not turn aside from your rules.
119:158 I take note of the treacherous and despise them,
because they do not keep your instructions. 963
119:159 See how I love your precepts!
O Lord, revive me with your loyal love!
119:160 Your instructions are totally reliable;
all your just regulations endure. 964
שׂ/שׁ (Sin/Shin)
119:161 Rulers pursue me for no reason,
yet I am more afraid of disobeying your instructions. 965
119:162 I rejoice in your instructions,
like one who finds much plunder. 966
119:163 I hate and despise deceit;
I love your law.
119:164 Seven 967 times a day I praise you
because of your just regulations.
119:165 Those who love your law are completely secure; 968
nothing causes them to stumble. 969
119:166 I hope for your deliverance, O Lord,
and I obey 970 your commands.
119:167 I keep your rules;
I love them greatly.
119:168 I keep your precepts and rules,
for you are aware of everything I do. 971
ת (Tav)
119:169 Listen to my cry for help, 972 O Lord!
Give me insight by your word!
119:170 Listen to my appeal for mercy! 973
Deliver me, as you promised. 974
119:171 May praise flow freely from my lips,
for you teach me your statutes.
119:172 May my tongue sing about your instructions, 975
for all your commands are just.
119:173 May your hand help me,
for I choose to obey 976 your precepts.
119:174 I long for your deliverance, O Lord;
I find delight in your law.
119:175 May I 977 live and praise you!
May your regulations help me! 978
119:176 I have wandered off like a lost sheep. 979
Come looking for your servant,
for I do not forget your commands.
A song of ascents. 981
120:1 In my distress I cried out
to the Lord and he answered me.
120:2 I said, 982 “O Lord, rescue me 983
from those who lie with their lips 984
and those who deceive with their tongue. 985
120:3 How will he severely punish you,
you deceptive talker? 986
120:4 Here’s how! 987 With the sharp arrows of warriors,
with arrowheads forged over the hot coals. 988
For I have lived temporarily 990 in Meshech;
I have resided among the tents of Kedar. 991
120:6 For too long I have had to reside
with those who hate 992 peace.
120:7 I am committed to peace, 993
but when I speak, they want to make war. 994
A song of ascents. 996
121:1 I look up 997 toward the hills.
From where 998 does my help come?
121:2 My help comes from the Lord, 999
the Creator 1000 of heaven and earth!
121:3 May he not allow your foot to slip!
May your protector 1001 not sleep! 1002
121:4 Look! Israel’s protector 1003
does not sleep or slumber!
121:5 The Lord is your protector;
the Lord is the shade at your right hand.
121:6 The sun will not harm you by day,
or the moon by night. 1004
121:7 The Lord will protect you from all harm;
he will protect your life.
121:8 The Lord will protect you in all you do, 1005
now and forevermore.
A song of ascents, 1007 by David.
122:1 I was glad because 1008 they said to me,
“We will go to the Lord’s temple.”
122:2 Our feet are 1009 standing
inside your gates, O Jerusalem.
122:3 Jerusalem 1010 is a city designed
to accommodate an assembly. 1011
122:4 The tribes go up 1012 there, 1013
the tribes of the Lord,
where it is required that Israel
give thanks to the name of the Lord. 1014
122:5 Indeed, 1015 the leaders sit 1016 there on thrones and make legal decisions,
on the thrones of the house of David. 1017
122:6 Pray 1018 for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love her prosper! 1019
122:7 May there be peace inside your defenses,
and prosperity 1020 inside your fortresses! 1021
122:8 For the sake of my brothers and my neighbors
I will say, “May there be peace in you!”
122:9 For the sake of the temple of the Lord our God
I will pray for you to prosper. 1022
A song of ascents. 1024
123:1 I look up 1025 toward you,
the one enthroned 1026 in heaven.
123:2 Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress, 1027
so my eyes will look to the Lord, our God, until he shows us favor.
123:3 Show us favor, O Lord, show us favor!
For we have had our fill of humiliation, and then some. 1028
123:4 We have had our fill 1029
of the taunts of the self-assured,
of the contempt of the proud.
A song of ascents, 1031 by David.
124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our side” –
let Israel say this! –
124:2 if the Lord had not been on our side,
when men attacked us, 1032
124:3 they would have swallowed us alive,
when their anger raged against us.
124:4 The water would have overpowered us;
the current 1033 would have overwhelmed 1034 us. 1035
124:5 The raging water
would have overwhelmed us. 1036
124:6 The Lord deserves praise, 1037
for 1038 he did not hand us over as prey to their teeth.
124:7 We escaped with our lives, 1039 like a bird from a hunter’s snare.
The snare broke, and we escaped.
124:8 Our deliverer is the Lord, 1040
the Creator 1041 of heaven and earth.
A song of ascents. 1043
125:1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion;
it cannot be upended and will endure forever.
125:2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, 1044
so the Lord surrounds his people,
now and forevermore.
125:3 Indeed, 1045 the scepter of a wicked king 1046 will not settle 1047
upon the allotted land of the godly.
Otherwise the godly might
do what is wrong. 1048
125:4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
to the morally upright! 1049
125:5 As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path, 1050
may the Lord remove them, 1051 along with those who behave wickedly! 1052
May Israel experience peace! 1053
A song of ascents. 1055
126:1 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion, 1056
we thought we were dreaming. 1057
126:2 At that time we laughed loudly
and shouted for joy. 1058
At that time the nations said, 1059
“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”
126:3 The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us.
We were happy.
126:4 O Lord, restore our well-being,
just as the streams in the arid south are replenished. 1060
126:5 Those who shed tears as they plant
will shout for joy when they reap the harvest. 1061
126:6 The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag 1062 of seed,
will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain. 1063
A song of ascents, 1065 by Solomon.
127:1 If the Lord does not build a house, 1066
then those who build it work in vain.
If the Lord does not guard a city, 1067
then the watchman stands guard in vain.
127:2 It is vain for you to rise early, come home late,
and work so hard for your food. 1068
Yes, 1069 he can provide for those whom he loves even when they sleep. 1070
127:3 Yes, 1071 sons 1072 are a gift from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb is a reward.
127:4 Sons born during one’s youth
are like arrows in a warrior’s hand. 1073
127:5 How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
They will not be put to shame 1074 when they confront 1075 enemies at the city gate.
A song of ascents. 1077
128:1 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, 1078
each one who keeps his commands! 1079
128:2 You 1080 will eat what you worked so hard to grow. 1081
You will be blessed and secure. 1082
128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine 1083
in the inner rooms of your house;
your children 1084 will be like olive branches,
as they sit all around your table.
128:4 Yes indeed, the man who fears the Lord
will be blessed in this way. 1085
128:5 May the Lord bless you 1086 from Zion,
that you might see 1087 Jerusalem 1088 prosper
all the days of your life,
128:6 and that you might see 1089 your grandchildren. 1090
May Israel experience peace! 1091
A song of ascents. 1093
129:1 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”
let Israel say.
129:2 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not defeated me.
129:3 The plowers plowed my back;
they made their furrows long.
129:4 The Lord is just;
he cut the ropes of the wicked.” 1094
129:5 May all who hate Zion
be humiliated and turned back!
129:6 May they be like the grass on the rooftops
which withers before one can even pull it up, 1095
129:7 which cannot fill the reaper’s hand,
or the lap of the one who gathers the grain!
129:8 Those who pass by will not say, 1096
“May you experience the Lord’s blessing!
We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”
A song of ascents. 1098
130:1 From the deep water 1099 I cry out to you, O Lord.
130:2 O Lord, listen to me! 1100
Pay attention to 1101 my plea for mercy!
130:3 If you, O Lord, were to keep track of 1102 sins,
O Lord, who could stand before you? 1103
130:4 But 1104 you are willing to forgive, 1105
so that you might 1106 be honored. 1107
130:5 I rely on 1108 the Lord,
I rely on him with my whole being; 1109
I wait for his assuring word. 1110
130:6 I yearn for the Lord, 1111
more than watchmen do for the morning,
yes, more than watchmen do for the morning. 1112
130:7 O Israel, hope in the Lord,
for the Lord exhibits loyal love, 1113
and is more than willing to deliver. 1114
130:8 He will deliver 1115 Israel
from all the consequences of their sins. 1116
A song of ascents, 1118 by David.
131:1 O Lord, my heart is not proud,
nor do I have a haughty look. 1119
I do not have great aspirations,
or concern myself with things that are beyond me. 1120
131:2 Indeed 1121 I am composed and quiet, 1122
like a young child carried by its mother; 1123
I am content like the young child I carry. 1124
131:3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
now and forevermore!
A song of ascents. 1126
132:1 O Lord, for David’s sake remember
all his strenuous effort, 1127
132:2 and how he made a vow to the Lord,
and swore an oath to the powerful ruler of Jacob. 1128
132:3 He said, 1129 “I will not enter my own home, 1130
or get into my bed. 1131
132:4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep,
or my eyelids to slumber,
132:5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a fine dwelling place 1132 for the powerful ruler of Jacob.” 1133
132:6 Look, we heard about it 1134 in Ephrathah, 1135
we found it in the territory of Jaar. 1136
132:7 Let us go to his dwelling place!
Let us worship 1137 before his footstool!
132:8 Ascend, O Lord, to your resting place,
you and the ark of your strength!
132:9 May your priests be clothed with integrity! 1138
May your loyal followers shout for joy!
132:10 For the sake of David, your servant,
do not reject your chosen king! 1139
132:11 The Lord made a reliable promise to David; 1140
he will not go back on his word. 1141
He said, 1142 “I will place one of your descendants 1143 on your throne.
132:12 If your sons keep my covenant
and the rules I teach them,
their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”
132:13 Certainly 1144 the Lord has chosen Zion;
he decided to make it his home. 1145
132:14 He said, 1146 “This will be my resting place forever;
I will live here, for I have chosen it. 1147
132:15 I will abundantly supply what she needs; 1148
I will give her poor all the food they need. 1149
132:16 I will protect her priests, 1150
and her godly people will shout exuberantly. 1151
132:17 There I will make David strong; 1152
I have determined that my chosen king’s dynasty will continue. 1153
132:18 I will humiliate his enemies, 1154
and his crown will shine.
A song of ascents, 1156 by David.
133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is
when brothers live together! 1157
133:2 It is like fine oil poured on the head
which flows down the beard 1158 –
Aaron’s beard,
and then flows down his garments. 1159
133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, 1160
which flows down upon the hills of Zion. 1161
Indeed 1162 that is where the Lord has decreed
a blessing will be available – eternal life. 1163
A song of ascents. 1165
134:1 Attention! 1166 Praise the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord,
who serve 1167 in the Lord’s temple during the night.
134:2 Lift your hands toward the sanctuary
and praise the Lord!
134:3 May the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth,
bless you 1168 from Zion! 1169
135:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord!
Offer praise, you servants of the Lord,
135:2 who serve 1171 in the Lord’s temple,
in the courts of the temple of our God.
135:3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good!
Sing praises to his name, for it is pleasant! 1172
135:4 Indeed, 1173 the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel to be his special possession. 1174
135:5 Yes, 1175 I know the Lord is great,
and our Lord is superior to all gods.
135:6 He does whatever he pleases
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all the ocean depths.
135:7 He causes the clouds to arise from the end of the earth,
makes lightning bolts accompany the rain,
and brings the wind out of his storehouses.
135:8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
including both men and animals.
135:9 He performed awesome deeds 1176 and acts of judgment 1177
in your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
135:10 He defeated many nations,
and killed mighty kings –
135:11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan.
135:12 He gave their land as an inheritance,
as an inheritance to Israel his people.
135:13 O Lord, your name endures, 1178
your reputation, O Lord, lasts. 1179
135:14 For the Lord vindicates 1180 his people,
and has compassion on his servants. 1181
135:15 The nations’ idols are made of silver and gold,
they are man-made. 1182
135:16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
135:17 and ears, but cannot hear.
Indeed, they cannot breathe. 1183
135:18 Those who make them will end up 1184 like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
135:19 O family 1185 of Israel, praise the Lord!
O family of Aaron, praise the Lord!
135:20 O family of Levi, praise the Lord!
You loyal followers 1186 of the Lord, praise the Lord!
135:21 The Lord deserves praise in Zion 1187 –
he who dwells in Jerusalem. 1188
Praise the Lord!
136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his loyal love endures. 1190
136:2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his loyal love endures.
136:3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his loyal love endures,
136:4 to the one who performs magnificent, amazing deeds all by himself,
for his loyal love endures,
136:5 to the one who used wisdom to make the heavens,
for his loyal love endures,
136:6 to the one who spread out the earth over the water,
for his loyal love endures,
136:7 to the one who made the great lights,
for his loyal love endures,
136:8 the sun to rule by day,
for his loyal love endures,
136:9 the moon and stars to rule by night,
for his loyal love endures,
136:10 to the one who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his loyal love endures,
136:11 and led Israel out from their midst,
for his loyal love endures,
136:12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his loyal love endures,
136:13 to the one who divided 1191 the Red Sea 1192 in two, 1193
for his loyal love endures,
136:14 and led Israel through its midst,
for his loyal love endures,
136:15 and tossed 1194 Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,
for his loyal love endures,
136:16 to the one who led his people through the wilderness,
for his loyal love endures,
136:17 to the one who struck down great kings,
for his loyal love endures,
136:18 and killed powerful kings,
for his loyal love endures,
136:19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his loyal love endures,
136:20 Og, king of Bashan,
for his loyal love endures,
136:21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
for his loyal love endures,
136:22 as an inheritance to Israel his servant,
for his loyal love endures,
136:23 to the one who remembered us when we were down, 1195
for his loyal love endures,
136:24 and snatched us away from our enemies,
for his loyal love endures,
136:25 to the one who gives food to all living things, 1196
for his loyal love endures.
136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his loyal love endures!
137:1 By the rivers of Babylon
we sit down and weep 1198
when we remember Zion.
137:2 On the poplars in her midst
we hang our harps,
137:3 for there our captors ask us to compose songs; 1199
those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying: 1200
“Sing for us a song about Zion!” 1201
137:4 How can we sing a song to the Lord
in a foreign land?
137:5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand be crippled! 1202
137:6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
and do not give Jerusalem priority
over whatever gives me the most joy. 1203
137:7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell. 1204
They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, 1205
right to its very foundation!”
137:8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! 1206
How blessed will be the one who repays you
for what you dished out to us! 1207
137:9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies
and smashes them on a rock! 1208
By David.
138:1 I will give you thanks with all my heart;
before the heavenly assembly 1210 I will sing praises to you.
138:2 I will bow down toward your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name,
because of your loyal love and faithfulness,
for you have exalted your promise above the entire sky. 1211
138:3 When 1212 I cried out for help, you answered me.
You made me bold and energized me. 1213
138:4 Let all the kings of the earth give thanks 1214 to you, O Lord,
when they hear the words you speak. 1215
138:5 Let them sing about the Lord’s deeds, 1216
for the Lord’s splendor is magnificent. 1217
138:6 Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the lowly,
and recognizes the proud from far away.
138:7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, 1218 you revive me.
You oppose my angry enemies, 1219
and your right hand delivers me.
138:8 The Lord avenges me. 1220
O Lord, your loyal love endures.
Do not abandon those whom you have made! 1221
For the music director, a psalm of David.
139:1 O Lord, you examine me 1223 and know.
139:2 You know when I sit down and when I get up;
even from far away you understand my motives.
139:3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; 1224
you are aware of everything I do. 1225
139:4 Certainly 1226 my tongue does not frame a word
without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it. 1227
139:5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
139:6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. 1228
139:7 Where can I go to escape your spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence? 1229
139:8 If I were to ascend 1230 to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. 1231
139:9 If I were to fly away 1232 on the wings of the dawn, 1233
and settle down on the other side 1234 of the sea,
139:10 even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
139:11 If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, 1235
and the light will turn to night all around me,” 1236
139:12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, 1237
and the night is as bright as 1238 day;
darkness and light are the same to you. 1239
139:13 Certainly 1240 you made my mind and heart; 1241
you wove me together 1242 in my mother’s womb.
139:14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. 1243
You knew me thoroughly; 1244
139:15 my bones were not hidden from you,
when 1245 I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth. 1246
139:16 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. 1247
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence. 1248
139:17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! 1249
How vast is their sum total! 1250
139:18 If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you. 1251
139:19 If only 1252 you would kill the wicked, O God!
Get away from me, you violent men! 1253
139:20 They 1254 rebel against you 1255 and act deceitfully; 1256
your enemies lie. 1257
139:21 O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you,
and despise those who oppose you? 1258
139:22 I absolutely hate them, 1259
they have become my enemies!
139:23 Examine me, and probe my thoughts! 1260
Test me, and know my concerns! 1261
139:24 See if there is any idolatrous tendency 1262 in me,
and lead me in the reliable ancient path! 1263
For the music director; a psalm of David.
140:1 O Lord, rescue me from wicked men! 1265
Protect me from violent men, 1266
140:2 who plan ways to harm me. 1267
All day long they stir up conflict. 1268
140:3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; 1269
a viper’s 1270 venom is behind 1271 their lips. (Selah)
140:4 O Lord, shelter me from the power 1272 of the wicked!
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over. 1273
140:5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men 1274 spread a net by the path;
they set traps for me. (Selah)
140:6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy!
140:7 O sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, 1275
you shield 1276 my head in the day of battle.
140:8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way! 1277
Do not allow their 1278 plan to succeed when they attack! 1279 (Selah)
140:9 As for the heads of those who surround me –
may the harm done by 1280 their lips overwhelm them!
140:10 May he rain down 1281 fiery coals upon them!
May he throw them into the fire!
From bottomless pits they will not escape. 1282
140:11 A slanderer 1283 will not endure on 1284 the earth;
calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down. 1285
140:12 I know 1286 that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed
and vindicates the poor. 1287
140:13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;
the morally upright will live in your presence.
A psalm of David.
141:1 O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me!
Pay attention to me when I cry out to you!
141:2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering! 1289
141:3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth!
Protect the opening 1290 of my lips! 1291
141:4 Do not let me have evil desires, 1292
or participate in sinful activities
with men who behave wickedly. 1293
I will not eat their delicacies. 1294
141:5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me!
May my head not refuse 1295 choice oil! 1296
Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds. 1297
141:6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. 1298
They 1299 will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
141:7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil, 1300
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
141:8 Surely I am looking to you, 1301 O sovereign Lord.
In you I take shelter.
Do not expose me to danger! 1302
141:9 Protect me from the snare they have laid for me,
and the traps the evildoers have set. 1303
141:10 Let the wicked fall 1304 into their 1305 own nets,
while I escape. 1306
A well-written song 1308 by David, when he was in the cave; 1309 a prayer.
142:1 To the Lord I cry out; 1310
to the Lord I plead for mercy. 1311
142:2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about 1312 my troubles.
142:3 Even when my strength leaves me, 1313
you watch my footsteps. 1314
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
142:4 Look to the right and see!
No one cares about me. 1315
I have nowhere to run; 1316
no one is concerned about my life. 1317
142:5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security 1318 in the land of the living.”
142:6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble! 1319
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
142:7 Free me 1320 from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble, 1321
for you will vindicate me. 1322
A psalm of David.
143:1 O Lord, hear my prayer!
Pay attention to my plea for help!
Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me!
143:2 Do not sit in judgment on 1324 your servant,
for no one alive is innocent before you. 1325
143:3 Certainly 1326 my enemies 1327 chase me.
They smash me into the ground. 1328
They force me to live 1329 in dark regions, 1330
like those who have been dead for ages.
143:4 My strength leaves me; 1331
I am absolutely shocked. 1332
143:5 I recall the old days; 1333
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on your accomplishments. 1334
143:6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer; 1335
my soul thirsts for you in a parched 1336 land. 1337
143:7 Answer me quickly, Lord!
My strength is fading. 1338
Do not reject me, 1339
or I will join 1340 those descending into the grave. 1341
143:8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning, 1342
for I trust in you.
Show me the way I should go, 1343
because I long for you. 1344
143:9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord!
I run to you for protection. 1345
143:10 Teach me to do what pleases you, 1346
for you are my God.
May your kind presence 1347
lead me 1348 into a level land. 1349
143:11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation, 1350 revive me! 1351
Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble! 1352
143:12 As a demonstration of your loyal love, 1353 destroy my enemies!
Annihilate 1354 all who threaten my life, 1355
for I am your servant.
By David.
144:1 The Lord, my protector, 1357 deserves praise 1358 –
the one who trains my hands for battle, 1359
and my fingers for war,
144:2 who loves me 1360 and is my stronghold,
my refuge 1361 and my deliverer,
my shield and the one in whom I take shelter,
who makes nations submit to me. 1362
144:3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race, 1363 that you should notice them?
Of what importance is mankind, 1364 that you should be concerned about them? 1365
144:4 People 1366 are like a vapor,
their days like a shadow that disappears. 1367
144:5 O Lord, make the sky sink 1368 and come down! 1369
Touch the mountains and make them smolder! 1370
144:6 Hurl lightning bolts and scatter them!
Shoot your arrows and rout them! 1371
144:7 Reach down 1372 from above!
Grab me and rescue me from the surging water, 1373
from the power of foreigners, 1374
144:8 who speak lies,
and make false promises. 1375
144:9 O God, I will sing a new song to you!
Accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, I will sing praises to you,
144:10 the one who delivers 1376 kings,
and rescued David his servant from a deadly 1377 sword.
144:11 Grab me and rescue me from the power of foreigners, 1378
who speak lies,
and make false promises. 1379
144:12 Then 1380 our sons will be like plants,
that quickly grow to full size. 1381
Our daughters will be like corner pillars, 1382
carved like those in a palace. 1383
144:13 Our storehouses 1384 will be full,
providing all kinds of food. 1385
Our sheep will multiply by the thousands
and fill 1386 our pastures. 1387
144:14 Our cattle will be weighted down with produce. 1388
No one will break through our walls,
no one will be taken captive,
and there will be no terrified cries in our city squares. 1389
144:15 How blessed are the people who experience these things! 1390
How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
A psalm of praise, by David.
145:1 I will extol you, my God, O king!
I will praise your name continually! 1392
145:2 Every day I will praise you!
I will praise your name continually! 1393
145:3 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise!
No one can fathom his greatness! 1394
145:4 One generation will praise your deeds to another,
and tell about your mighty acts! 1395
145:5 I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor,
and your amazing deeds! 1396
145:6 They will proclaim 1397 the power of your awesome acts!
I will declare your great deeds!
145:7 They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, 1398
and sing about your justice. 1399
145:8 The Lord is merciful and compassionate;
he is patient 1400 and demonstrates great loyal love. 1401
145:9 The Lord is good to all,
and has compassion on all he has made. 1402
145:10 All he has made will give thanks to the Lord.
Your loyal followers will praise you.
145:11 They will proclaim the splendor of your kingdom;
they will tell about your power,
145:12 so that mankind 1403 might acknowledge your mighty acts,
and the majestic splendor of your kingdom.
145:13 Your kingdom is an eternal kingdom, 1404
and your dominion endures through all generations.
145:14 1405 The Lord supports all who fall,
and lifts up all who are bent over. 1406
145:15 Everything looks to you in anticipation, 1407
and you provide them with food on a regular basis. 1408
145:16 You open your hand,
and fill every living thing with the food they desire. 1409
145:17 The Lord is just in all his actions, 1410
and exhibits love in all he does. 1411
145:18 The Lord is near all who cry out to him,
all who cry out to him sincerely. 1412
145:19 He satisfies the desire 1413 of his loyal followers; 1414
he hears their cry for help and delivers them.
145:20 The Lord protects those who love him,
but he destroys all the wicked.
145:21 My mouth will praise the Lord. 1415
Let all who live 1416 praise his holy name forever!
146:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
146:2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live!
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist!
146:3 Do not trust in princes,
or in human beings, who cannot deliver! 1418
146:4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground;
on that day their plans die. 1419
146:5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
146:6 the one who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who remains forever faithful, 1420
146:7 vindicates the oppressed, 1421
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord releases the imprisoned.
146:8 The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord lifts up all who are bent over. 1422
The Lord loves the godly.
146:9 The Lord protects those residing outside their native land;
he lifts up the fatherless and the widow, 1423
but he opposes the wicked. 1424
146:10 The Lord rules forever,
your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come! 1425
Praise the Lord!
147:1 Praise the Lord,
for it is good to sing praises to our God!
Yes, 1427 praise is pleasant and appropriate!
147:2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem, 1428
and gathers the exiles of Israel.
147:3 He heals 1429 the brokenhearted,
and bandages their wounds.
147:4 He counts the number of the stars;
he names all of them.
147:5 Our Lord is great and has awesome power; 1430
there is no limit to his wisdom. 1431
147:6 The Lord lifts up the oppressed,
but knocks 1432 the wicked to the ground.
147:7 Offer to the Lord a song of thanks! 1433
Sing praises to our God to the accompaniment of a harp!
147:8 He covers 1434 the sky with clouds,
provides the earth with rain,
and causes grass to grow on the hillsides. 1435
147:9 He gives food to the animals,
and to the young ravens when they chirp. 1436
147:10 He is not enamored with the strength of a horse,
nor is he impressed by the warrior’s strong legs. 1437
147:11 The Lord takes delight in his faithful followers, 1438
and in those who wait for his loyal love.
147:12 Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
147:13 For he makes the bars of your gates strong.
He blesses your children 1439 within you.
147:14 He 1440 brings peace to your territory. 1441
He abundantly provides for you 1442 the best grain.
147:15 He 1443 sends his command through the earth; 1444
swiftly his order reaches its destination. 1445
147:16 He sends the snow that is white like wool;
he spreads the frost that is white like ashes. 1446
147:17 He throws his hailstones 1447 like crumbs.
Who can withstand the cold wind he sends? 1448
147:18 He then orders it all to melt; 1449
he breathes on it, 1450 and the water flows.
147:19 He proclaims his word to Jacob,
his statutes and regulations to Israel.
147:20 He has not done so with any other nation;
they are not aware of his regulations.
Praise the Lord!
148:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the sky!
Praise him in the heavens!
148:2 Praise him, all his angels! 1452
Praise him, all his heavenly assembly! 1453
148:3 Praise him, O sun and moon!
Praise him, all you shiny stars! 1454
148:4 Praise him, O highest heaven,
and you waters above the sky! 1455
148:5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he gave the command and they came into existence.
148:6 He established them so they would endure; 1456
he issued a decree that will not be revoked. 1457
148:7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea creatures and all you ocean depths,
148:8 O fire and hail, snow and clouds, 1458
O stormy wind that carries out his orders, 1459
148:9 you mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars,
148:10 you animals and all you cattle,
you creeping things and birds,
148:11 you kings of the earth and all you nations,
you princes and all you leaders 1460 on the earth,
148:12 you young men and young women,
you elderly, along with you children!
148:13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty extends over the earth and sky.
148:14 He has made his people victorious, 1461
and given all his loyal followers reason to praise –
the Israelites, the people who are close to him. 1462
Praise the Lord!
149:1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song!
Praise him in the assembly of the godly! 1464
149:2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator!
Let the people 1465 of Zion delight in their king! 1466
149:3 Let them praise his name with dancing!
Let them sing praises to him to the accompaniment of the tambourine and harp!
149:4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he exalts the oppressed by delivering them. 1467
149:5 Let the godly rejoice because of their vindication! 1468
Let them shout for joy upon their beds! 1469
149:6 May they praise God
while they hold a two-edged sword in their hand, 1470
149:7 in order to take 1471 revenge on the nations,
and punish foreigners.
149:8 They bind 1472 their kings in chains,
and their nobles in iron shackles,
149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies 1473 have been sentenced. 1474
All his loyal followers will be vindicated. 1475
Praise the Lord!
150:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary!
Praise him in the sky, which testifies to his strength! 1477
150:2 Praise him for his mighty acts!
Praise him for his surpassing greatness!
150:3 Praise him with the blast of the horn!
Praise him with the lyre and the harp!
150:4 Praise him with the tambourine and with dancing!
Praise him with stringed instruments and the flute!
150:5 Praise him with loud cymbals!
Praise him with clanging cymbals!
150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
[90:1] 1 sn Psalm 90. In this communal lament the worship leader affirms that the eternal God and creator of the world has always been Israel’s protector. But God also causes men, who are as transient as grass, to die, and in his fierce anger he decimates his covenant community, whose brief lives are filled with suffering and end in weakness. The community asks for wisdom, the restoration of God’s favor, a fresh revelation of his power, and his blessing upon their labors.
[90:1] 2 tn Or “place of safety.” See Ps 71:3.
[90:2] 4 tn Heb “and you gave birth to the earth and world.” The Polel verbal form in the Hebrew text pictures God giving birth to the world. The LXX and some other ancient textual witnesses assume a polal (passive) verbal form here. In this case the earth becomes the subject of the verb and the verb is understood as third feminine singular rather than second masculine singular.
[90:2] 5 tn Heb “and from everlasting to everlasting you [are] God.” Instead of אֵל (’el, “God”) the LXX reads אַל (’al, “not”) and joins the negative particle to the following verse, making the verb תָּשֵׁב (tashev) a jussive. In this case v. 3a reads as a prayer, “do not turn man back to a low place.” However, taking תָּשֵׁב as a jussive is problematic in light of the following following wayyiqtol form וַתֹּאמֶר (vato’mer, “and you said/say”).
[90:3] 6 tn In this context the shortened prefix form does not function as a preterite, but indicates what is typical of the world.
[90:3] 7 tn The Hebrew term דַּכָּא (daka’) carries the basic sense of “crushed.” Elsewhere it refers to those who are “crushed” in spirit or contrite of heart (see Ps 34:18; Isa 57:15). If one understands this nuance here, then v. 3 is observing that God leads mankind to repentance (the term שׁוּב, shuv, “return,” which appears twice in this verse, is sometimes used of repentance.) However, the following context laments mankind’s mortality and the brevity of life, so it is doubtful if v. 3 should be understood so positively. It is more likely that דַּכָּא here refers to “crushed matter,” that is, the dust that fills the grave (see HALOT 221 s.v. s.v. I דַּכָּא; BDB 194 s.v. דַּכָּא). In this case one may hear an echo of Gen 3:19.
[90:4] 9 sn The divisions of the nighttime. The ancient Israelites divided the night into distinct periods, or “watches.”
[90:5] 10 tn Heb “you bring them to an end [with] sleep.” The Hebrew verb זָרַם (zaram) has traditionally been taken to mean “flood” or “overwhelm” (note the Polel form of a root זרם in Ps 77:17, where the verb is used of the clouds pouring down rain). However, the verb form here is Qal, not Polel, and is better understood as a homonym meaning “to make an end [of life].” The term שֵׁנָה (shenah, “sleep”) can be taken as an adverbial accusative; it is a euphemism here for death (see Ps 76:5-6).
[90:6] 11 tn Or “flourishes.” The verb is used of a crown shining in Ps 132:18. Perhaps here in Ps 90:6 it refers to the glistening of the grass in the morning dew.
[90:6] 12 tn The Polel form of this verb occurs only here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a Qal (which necessitates eliminating the final lamed [ל] as dittographic). See Ps 37:2.
[90:8] 14 tn Heb “you set our sins in front of you.”
[90:8] 15 tn Heb “what we have hidden to the light of your face.” God’s face is compared to a light or lamp that exposes the darkness around it.
[90:9] 17 tn Heb “all our days pass by in your anger.”
[90:9] 18 tn Heb “we finish our years like a sigh.” In Ezek 2:10 the word הֶגֶה (hegeh) elsewhere refers to a grumbling or moaning sound. Here a brief sigh or moan is probably in view. If so, the simile pictures one’s lifetime as transient. Another option is that the simile alludes to the weakness that characteristically overtakes a person at the end of one’s lifetime. In this case the phrase could be translated, “we end our lives with a painful moan.”
[90:10] 19 tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”
[90:10] 20 tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”
[90:10] 21 tn Heb “and their pride [is] destruction and wickedness.” The Hebrew noun רֹהַב (rohav) occurs only here. BDB 923 s.v. assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root רהב (“to act stormily [boisterously, arrogantly]”). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).
[90:10] 23 tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb גּוּז (guz) means “to pass” here; it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.
[90:10] 24 sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).
[90:11] 25 tn Heb “Who knows the strength of your anger?”
[90:11] 26 tn Heb “and like your fear [is] your raging fury.” Perhaps one should emend וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ (ukhyir’otekh, “and like your fear”) to יִרְאָתְךְ (yir’otkh, “your fear”), understanding a virtual dittography (אַפֶּךָ וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ, ’apekha ukhyir’otekh) to have occurred. In this case the psalmist asserts “your fear [is] your raging fury,” that is, your raging fury is what causes others to fear you. The suffix on “fear” is understood as objective.
[90:12] 27 tn Heb “to number our days,” that is, to be aware of how few they really are.
[90:12] 28 tn Heb “and we will bring a heart of wisdom.” After the imperative of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates purpose/result. The Hebrew term “heart” here refers to the center of one’s thoughts, volition, and moral character.
[90:13] 29 tn Heb “Return, O
[90:13] 30 tn Elsewhere the Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) + the preposition עַל (’al) + a personal object has the nuance “be comforted concerning [the personal object’s death]” (see 2 Sam 13:39; Jer 31:15). However, here the context seems to demand “feel sorrow for,” “have pity on.” In Deut 32:36 and Ps 135:14, where “servants” is also the object of the preposition, this idea is expressed with the Hitpael form of the verb.
[90:14] 31 sn Morning is used metaphorically for a time of renewed joy after affliction (see Pss 30:5; 46:5; 49:14; 59:16; 143:8).
[90:14] 32 tn After the imperative (see the preceding line) the cohortatives with the prefixed conjunction indicate purpose/result.
[90:15] 33 tn Heb “have seen.”
[90:16] 34 tn Heb “may your work be revealed to your servants.” In this context (note v. 17) the verb form יֵרָאֶה (yera’eh) is best understood as an unshortened jussive (see Gen 1:9; Isa 47:3).
[90:16] 35 tn Heb “and your majesty to their sons.” The verb “be revealed” is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
[90:17] 36 tn Heb “and may the delight of the Master, our God, be on us.” The Hebrew term נֹעַם (no’am, “delight”) is used in Ps 27:4 of the
[90:17] 37 tn Heb “and the work of our hands establish over us, and the work of our hands, establish it.”
[91:1] 38 sn Psalm 91. In this psalm an individual (perhaps a priest) addresses one who has sought shelter in the Lord and assures him that God will protect him from danger (vv. 1-13). In vv. 14-16 God himself promises to keep his loyal follower safe.
[91:1] 39 tn Heb “[O] one who lives.”
[91:1] 40 tn Traditionally “the Most High.”
[91:1] 41 sn The Lord is compared here to a bird who protects its young under the shadow of its wings (see v. 4).
[91:1] 42 sn The divine name used here is “Shaddai” (שַׁדַּי, shadday; see also Ps 68:14). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the mighty king (sovereign judge) of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness.
[91:3] 43 tn The word refers specifically to a fowler (or hunter of birds).
[91:4] 44 tn Heb “put a cover over you” (see Ps 5:11).
[91:4] 45 tc The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural should be read. The final yod (י) of the suffix, which indicates the plural, has dropped off by haplography (note the yod [י] at the beginning of the next word).
[91:4] 46 tn Traditionally the Hebrew term סֹחֵרָה (sokherah), which occurs only here in the OT, has been understood to refer to a buckler or small shield (see BDB 695 s.v.). But HALOT 750 s.v., on the basis of evidence from the cognate languages, proposes the meaning “wall.”
[91:5] 47 tn This probably alludes to a sneak attack by enemies in the darkness of night (see Song 3:8).
[91:6] 48 sn As in Deut 32:23-24, vv. 5-6 closely associate military attack and deadly disease. Perhaps the latter alludes to one of the effects of siege warfare on the population of an entrapped city, which was especially vulnerable to the outbreak of epidemics.
[91:7] 49 tn Apparently the deadly disease mentioned in v. 6b is the understood subject here.
[91:8] 50 tn Heb “retribution on the wicked.”
[91:9] 51 tn Heb “for you, the
[91:10] 53 tn For this sense of the Hebrew term נגע see Ps 38:11.
[91:10] 54 tn Heb “your tent.”
[91:11] 55 tn Heb “for his angels he will command concerning you.”
[91:11] 56 tn Heb “in all your ways.”
[91:12] 57 tn Heb “so your foot will not strike a stone.”
[91:13] 58 tn Heb “walk upon.”
[91:13] 59 tn Or perhaps “cobra” (see Ps 58:4).
[91:14] 60 tn The words “the
[91:14] 61 tn Or “make him secure” (Heb “set him on high”).
[91:14] 62 tn Heb “because he knows my name” (see Ps 9:10).
[91:16] 63 tn Heb “length of days.”
[92:1] 64 sn Psalm 92. The psalmist praises God because he defeats the wicked and vindicates his loyal followers.
[92:1] 66 tn Traditionally “O Most High.”
[92:2] 67 tn The words “it is fitting” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Verses 1-3 are actually one long sentence in the Hebrew text, but this has been divided up into two shorter sentences in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.
[92:4] 68 tn Heb “the works of your hands.”
[92:5] 69 tn Heb “very deep [are] your thoughts.” God’s “thoughts” refer here to his moral design of the world, as outlined in vv. 6-15.
[92:6] 70 tn Heb “the brutish man does not know, and the fool does not understand this.” The adjective בַּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish”) refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 49:10; 73:22; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).
[92:7] 72 tn Heb “in order that they might be destroyed permanently.”
[92:7] sn God allows the wicked to prosper temporarily so that he might reveal his justice. When the wicked are annihilated, God demonstrates that wickedness does not pay off.
[92:8] 73 tn Heb “[are elevated] on high.”
[92:10] 76 sn The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “to exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; Lam 2:17).
[92:10] 77 tn The Hebrew verb בָּלַל (balal) usually has the nuance “to mix.” Here it seems to mean “to smear” or “to anoint.” Some emend the form to בַּלֹּתַנִי (ballotaniy; a second person form of the verb with a first person suffix) and read, “you anoint me.”
[92:11] 78 tn Heb “my eye gazes upon those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2. The form שׁוּרָי (shuray) should be emended to שׁוֹרְרָי (shorÿray).
[92:11] 79 tn Heb “those who rise up against me, evil [foes], my ears hear.”
[92:12] 80 tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.
[92:12] 81 sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.
[92:14] 82 tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”
[92:15] 83 tn Heb “so that [they] proclaim that upright [is] the
[93:1] 84 sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the
[93:1] 85 sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.
[93:2] 86 tn Heb “from antiquity [are] you.” As the context suggests, this refers specifically to God’s royal position, not his personal existence.
[93:3] 87 tn The Hebrew noun translated “waves” often refers to rivers or streams, but here it appears to refer to the surging waves of the sea (see v. 4, Ps 24:2).
[93:3] 88 tn Heb “the waves lift up, O
[93:4] 89 tn Heb “mighty waters.”
[93:4] sn The surging waters here symbolizes the hostile enemies of God who seek to destroy the order he has established in the world (see Pss 18:17; 29:3; 32:6; 77:20; 144:7; Isa 17:13; Jer 51:55; Ezek 26:19; Hab 3:15). But the Lord is depicted as elevated above and sovereign over these raging waters.
[93:4] 90 tn Heb “mighty on high [is] the
[93:5] 91 tn Traditionally “your testimonies.” The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law. See Ps 19:7.
[93:5] 92 sn The rules you set down. God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
[93:5] 93 sn Holiness refers here to God’s royal transcendence (see vv. 1-4), as well as his moral authority and perfection (see v. 5a).
[93:5] 94 tn Heb “for your house holiness is fitting, O
[94:1] 95 sn Psalm 94. The psalmist asks God to judge the wicked and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
[94:1] 96 tn Heb “shine forth” (see Pss 50:2; 80:1).
[94:4] 98 tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”
[94:4] 99 tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (’amar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).
[94:5] 100 tn Or “your inheritance.”
[94:6] 101 tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 82:3; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
[94:7] 102 tn Heb “does not understand.”
[94:8] 103 tn Heb “understand.” The verb used in v. 7 is repeated here for rhetorical effect. The people referred to here claim God is ignorant of their actions, but the psalmist corrects their faulty viewpoint.
[94:8] 104 tn Heb “[you] brutish among the people.”
[94:9] 105 tn Heb “The one who plants an ear, does he not hear? The one who forms an eye, does he not see?”
[94:11] 106 tn Heb “the
[94:12] 107 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is 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 more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in v. 2.
[94:13] 108 tn Heb “to give him rest from the days of trouble.”
[94:13] 109 tn Heb “until a pit is dug for the wicked.”
[94:14] 111 tn Or “his inheritance.”
[94:15] 112 tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.”
[94:15] 113 tn Heb “all the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the
[94:15] 114 tn Heb “and after it [are] the pure of heart.”
[94:16] 116 sn Who will stand up for me…? The questions anticipate the answer, “No one except God” (see v. 17).
[94:17] 117 tn Heb “If the
[94:19] 118 tn Heb “when my worries are many within me.”
[94:19] 119 tn Heb “your comforts cause my soul to delight.”
[94:20] 120 tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.
[94:20] 121 tn Heb “Is a throne of destruction united to you, one that forms trouble upon a statute?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course not!” The translation, while not preserving the interrogative form of the statement, reflects its rhetorical force.
[94:21] 123 tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”
[94:21] 124 tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”
[94:22] 125 tn Heb “and the
[94:22] 126 tn Heb “and my God [has become] a rocky summit of my safety.”
[94:23] 127 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
[95:1] 129 sn Psalm 95. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God as the creator of the world and the nation’s protector, but he also reminds the people not to rebel against God.
[95:1] 130 tn Heb “to the rocky summit of our deliverance.”
[95:2] 131 tn Heb “meet his face.”
[95:2] 132 tn Heb “with songs of joy.”
[95:4] 134 tn The phrase “in his hand” means within the sphere of his authority.
[95:6] 135 tn Heb “kneel down.”
[95:7] 136 tn Heb “of his hand.”
[95:7] 137 tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.
[95:8] 138 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).
[95:8] 139 sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.
[95:8] 140 sn The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).
[95:8] 141 tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”
[95:9] 142 tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”
[95:10] 143 tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite or an imperfect. If the latter, it emphasizes the ongoing nature of the condition in the past. The translation reflects this interpretation of the verbal form.
[95:10] 144 tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”
[95:10] 145 tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the
[95:11] 146 tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are compared to sheep (see v. 7).
[96:1] 147 sn Psalm 96. The psalmist summons everyone to praise the Lord, the sovereign creator of the world who preserves and promotes justice in the earth.
[96:1] 148 sn A new song is appropriate because the
[96:2] 149 tn Heb “announce from day to day his deliverance.”
[96:3] 150 tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[96:4] 151 tn Or perhaps “and feared by all gods.” See Ps 89:7.
[96:5] 152 tn The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement.
[96:6] 153 tn Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”
[96:6] 154 tn Heb “strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary.”
[96:8] 155 tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., “due”] his name.”
[96:9] 156 tn Or “in holy splendor.”
[96:13] 157 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] 158 tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”
[97:1] 159 sn Psalm 97. The psalmist depicts the Lord as the sovereign, just king of the world who comes in power to vindicate his people.
[97:2] 160 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
[97:3] 161 tn Heb “all around.”
[97:7] 162 tn The translation assumes that the prefixed verbal form in the first line is an imperfect (“are ashamed”) and that the ambiguous form in the third line is a perfect (“bow down”) because the psalmist appears to be describing the effect of the
[97:8] 163 tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).
[97:9] 164 tn Traditionally “Most High.”
[97:10] 165 tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the
[97:11] 167 tn Heb “Light is planted for the godly, and for the upright of heart joy.” The translation assumes an emendation of זָרַע (zara’, “planted”) to זָרַח (zara’, “shines”) which collocates more naturally with “light.” “Light” here symbolizes the joy (note the following line) that accompanies deliverance and the outpouring of divine favor.
[97:12] 168 tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זָכַר (zakhar, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the
[98:1] 169 sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.
[98:1] 170 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.
[98:1] 171 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.
[98:1] 172 tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.
[98:2] 173 tn Heb “makes known his deliverance.”
[98:3] 174 tn Heb “he remembers his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.”
[98:3] 175 tn Heb “the deliverance of our God,” with “God” being a subjective genitive (= God delivers).
[98:9] 176 tn The verbal forms in v. 9 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 (“will judge…”).
[99:1] 177 sn Psalm 99. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s just rule and recalls how he revealed himself to Israel’s leaders.
[99:1] 178 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 1 are understood here as indicating the nations’ characteristic response to the reality of the
[99:1] 179 sn Winged angels (Heb “cherubs”). Cherubs, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubs suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubs in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.
[99:1] 180 tn The Hebrew verb נוּט (nut) occurs only here in the OT, but the meaning can be determined on the basis of the parallelism with רָגַז (ragaz, “tremble”) and evidence from the cognate languages (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 121).
[99:3] 182 tn The pronoun refers to the
[99:4] 183 tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the
[99:4] 184 tn Heb “you establish fairness.”
[99:6] 187 tn Heb “among those who called on his name.”
[99:6] 188 tn Heb “those who.” The participle is in apposition to the phrase “those who called on his name” in the preceding line.
[99:7] 189 sn A pillar of cloud. The psalmist refers to the reality described in Exod 33:9-10; Num 12:5; and Deut 31:15.
[99:8] 190 tn Heb “a God of lifting up [i.e., forgiveness] you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The present translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned (cf. NIV, NRSV). Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form נֹקֵם (noqem, “an avenger”) to נֹקָם (noqam), a rare Qal participial form of נָקַה (naqah, “purify”) with a suffixed pronoun. In this case one could translate, “and one who purified them from their [sinful] deeds” (cf. NEB “and held them innocent”).
[100:1] 192 sn Psalm 100. The psalmist celebrates the fact that Israel has a special relationship to God and summons worshipers to praise the Lord for his faithfulness.
[100:3] 194 tn The present translation (like most modern translations) follows the Qere (marginal reading), which reads literally, “and to him [are] we.” The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and not we.” The suffixed preposition לו (“to him”) was confused aurally with the negative particle לא because the two sound identical.
[100:5] 195 tn Or “is forever.”
[100:5] 196 tn Heb “and to a generation and a generation [is] his faithfulness.”
[101:1] 197 sn Psalm 101. The psalmist, who appears to be a king, promises to promote justice in his land and vows to rid his royal court of evildoers.
[101:2] 198 tn Heb “take notice of.”
[101:2] 199 tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”
[101:3] 200 tn Heb “I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness.”
[101:3] 201 tn Heb “the doing of swerving [deeds] I hate.” The Hebrew term סֵטִים (setim) is probably an alternate spelling of שֵׂטִים (setim), which appears in many medieval Hebrew
[101:3] 202 tn Heb “it [i.e., the doing of evil deeds] does not cling to me.”
[101:4] 203 tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse (see Ps 18:26). It appears frequently in the Book of 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).
[101:4] 204 tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.
[101:5] 205 tn Heb “[one who has] pride of eyes and wideness [i.e., arrogance] of heart, him I will not endure.”
[101:6] 206 tn Heb “my eyes [are] on the faithful of the land.”
[101:6] 207 tn The Hebrew text simply reads, “in order to live with me.”
[101:6] 208 tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”
[101:7] 209 tn Heb “he will not live in the midst of my house, one who does deceit.”
[101:7] 210 tn Heb “one who speaks lies will not be established before my eyes.”
[102:1] 211 sn Psalm 102. The psalmist laments his oppressed state, but longs for a day when the Lord will restore Jerusalem and vindicate his suffering people.
[102:1] 212 tn Heb “and may my cry for help come to you.”
[102:2] 213 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble.” The idiom “to hide the face” can mean “to ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “to reject” (see Pss 29:7; 30:7; 88:14).
[102:2] 214 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
[102:3] 215 tn Heb “for my days come to an end in smoke.”
[102:3] 216 tn The Hebrew noun מוֹ־קֵד (mo-qed, “fireplace”) occurs only here, in Isa 33:14 (where it refers to the fire itself), and perhaps in Lev 6:2.
[102:4] 217 tn Heb “struck, attacked.”
[102:4] 218 tn Heb “I forget.”
[102:4] 219 sn I am unable to eat food. During his time of mourning, the psalmist refrained from eating. In the following verse he describes metaphorically the physical effects of fasting.
[102:5] 220 tn Heb “from the sound of my groaning my bone[s] stick to my flesh.” The preposition at the beginning of the verse is causal; the phrase “sound of my groaning” is metonymic for the anxiety that causes the groaning. The point seems to be this: Anxiety (which causes the psalmist to groan) keeps him from eating (v. 4). This physical deprivation in turn makes him emaciated – he is turned to “skin and bones,” so to speak.
[102:6] 221 tn The Hebrew term קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). Modern translations have frequently rendered this as some type of owl (NIV, REB “desert owl”; NRSV “owl”).
[102:6] 222 tn The Hebrew term כוֹס (khos) refers to a bird (see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16), probably a type of owl (cf. NIV, REB “owl”; NRSV “little owl”).
[102:6] 223 sn By comparing himself to a screech owl among the ruins, the psalmist may be highlighting his loneliness (see v. 7), though he may also be comparing his cries for help to the owl’s screech.
[102:7] 224 tn This probably refers to the psalmist’s inability to sleep. Another option is to translate, “I keep watch,” in which case it might refer to watching for a response from the
[102:8] 225 tn Heb “by me they swear.” When the psalmist’s enemies call judgment down on others, they hold the psalmist up as a prime example of what they desire their enemies to become.
[102:9] 226 sn Mourners would sometimes put ashes on their head or roll in ashes as a sign of mourning (see 2 Sam 13:19; Job 2:8; Isa 58:5).
[102:11] 229 tn Heb “my days [are] like an extended [or “lengthening”] shadow,” that is, like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness.
[102:12] 230 tn Heb “sit” (i.e., sit enthroned, see Ps 9:7). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.
[102:12] 231 tn Heb “and your remembrance [is] for a generation and a generation.”
[102:13] 232 tn The imperfect verbal forms are understood as expressing the psalmist’s confidence in God’s intervention. Another option is to take them as expressing the psalmist’s request or wish, “You, rise up and have compassion!”
[102:14] 234 tn The Poel of חָנַן (khanan) occurs only here and in Prov 14:21, where it refers to having compassion on the poor.
[102:14] 235 tn Heb “her dust,” probably referring to the dust of the city’s rubble.
[102:15] 236 tn Heb “will fear the name of the
[102:15] 237 tn The verb “will fear” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).
[102:17] 238 tn The Hebrew adjective עַרְעָר (’arar, “destitute”) occurs only here in the OT. It is derived from the verbal root ערר (“to strip oneself”).
[102:17] 239 tn Heb “despise.”
[102:17] 240 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 16-17 are functioning as future perfects, indicating future actions that will precede the future developments described in v. 15.
[102:18] 241 tn The Hebrew text has simply “this,” referring to the anticipated divine intervention on behalf of Zion (vv. 13, 16-17). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[102:19] 242 tn Heb “from the height of his sanctuary.”
[102:19] 243 tn The perfect verbal forms in v. 19 are functioning as future perfects, indicating future actions that will precede the future developments described in v. 18.
[102:20] 244 tn Heb “the sons of death.” The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 79:11) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.
[102:21] 245 tn Heb “his praise.”
[102:21] 246 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[102:22] 247 tn “and the kingdoms to serve the
[102:23] 248 tn Heb “he has afflicted my strength in the way.” The term “way” refers here to the course of the psalmist’s life, which appears to be ending prematurely (vv. 23b-24).
[102:24] 249 tn Heb “do not lift me up in the middle of my days.”
[102:24] 250 tn Heb “in a generation of generations [are] your years.”
[102:26] 252 tn The Hebrew verb חָלַף (khalaf) occurs twice in this line, once in the Hiphil (“you will remove them”) and once in the Qal (“they will disappear”). The repetition draws attention to the statement.
[102:27] 253 tn Heb “you [are] he,” or “you [are] the one.” The statement may echo the
[102:28] 254 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[102:28] 255 tn Heb “before you will be established.”
[103:1] 256 sn Psalm 103. The psalmist praises God for his mercy and willingness to forgive his people.
[103:1] 257 tn The verb “praise” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).
[103:2] 258 tn Or “his benefits” (see 2 Chr 32:25, where the noun is also used of kind deeds performed by the
[103:3] 259 tn This relatively rare noun refers to deadly diseases (see Deut 29:22; Jer 14:18; 16:4; 2 Chr 21:19).
[103:4] 261 tn The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 55:24.
[103:5] 262 tc Heb “who satisfies with the good of your ornaments.” The text as it stands makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes an emendation of עֶדְיֵךְ (’ed’ekh, “your ornaments”) to עֹדֵכִי (’odekhiy, “your duration; your continuance”) that is, “your life” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 18).
[103:5] 263 sn The expression your youth is renewed like an eagle’s may allude to the phenomenon of molting, whereby the eagle grows new feathers.
[103:6] 264 tn Heb “the
[103:7] 265 tn Heb “made known his ways.” God’s “ways” in this context are his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 18:30; 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 138:5; 145:17).
[103:8] 266 tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Ps 86:15).
[103:8] 267 tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Ps 86:15).
[103:9] 268 tn The Hebrew verb נָטַר (natar) is usually taken to mean “to keep; to guard,” with “anger” being understood by ellipsis. The idiom “to guard anger” is then understood to mean “to remain angry” (see Lev 19:18; Jer 3:5, 12; Nah 1:2). However, it is possible that this is a homonymic root meaning “to be angry” (see HALOT 695 s.v. נטר).
[103:10] 269 tn Heb “not according to our sins does he do to us.”
[103:10] 270 tn Heb “and not according to our misdeeds does he repay us.”
[103:11] 271 tn For this sense of the verb גָבַר (gavar), see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19.
[103:11] 272 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[103:12] 273 tn Heb “sunrise.”
[103:12] 275 tn The Hebrew term פֶּשַׁע (pesha’, rebellious act”) is here used metonymically for the guilt such actions produce.
[103:13] 276 tn Or “sons,” but the Hebrew term sometimes refers to children in general.
[103:13] 277 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[103:14] 278 tn Heb “our form.”
[103:14] 279 tn Heb “remembers.”
[103:14] 280 tn Heb “we [are] clay.”
[103:15] 281 tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.
[103:16] 282 tn Heb “[the] wind.” The word “hot” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[103:17] 283 tn Heb “but the loyal love of the
[103:17] 284 tn Heb “and his righteousness to sons of sons.”
[103:18] 285 tn Heb “to those who remember his precepts to do them.”
[103:19] 286 tn Heb “his kingdom rules over all.”
[103:20] 287 tn Heb “[you] mighty ones of strength, doers of his word, by listening to the voice of his word.”
[103:21] 288 tn Heb “all his hosts.”
[103:21] 289 tn Heb “his attendants, doers of his desire.”
[103:22] 290 tn Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.
[104:1] 292 sn Psalm 104. The psalmist praises God as the ruler of the world who sustains all life.
[104:1] 293 tn Heb “very great.”
[104:3] 294 tn Heb “one who lays the beams on water [in] his upper rooms.” The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 44-45.
[104:3] 295 sn Verse 3 may depict the Lord riding a cherub, which is in turn propelled by the wind current. Another option is that the wind is personified as a cherub. See Ps 18:10 and the discussion of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the imagery in M. Weinfeld, “‘Rider of the Clouds’ and ‘Gatherer of the Clouds’,” JANESCU 5 (1973): 422-24.
[104:4] 296 tc Heb “and his attendants a flaming fire.” The lack of agreement between the singular “fire” and plural “attendants” has prompted various emendations. Some read “fire and flame.” The present translation assumes an emendation to “his attendant” (יו in the Hebrew text being virtually dittographic).
[104:4] sn In Ugaritic mythology Yam’s messengers appear as flaming fire before the assembly of the gods. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 42.
[104:6] 297 tc Heb “you covered it.” The masculine suffix is problematic if the grammatically feminine noun “earth” is the antecedent. For this reason some emend the form to a feminine verb with feminine suffix, כִּסַּתָּה (kisattah, “[the watery deep] covered it [i.e., the earth]”), a reading assumed by the present translation.
[104:6] 299 sn Verse 6 refers to the condition described in Gen 1:2 (note the use of the Hebrew term תְּהוֹם [tÿhom, “watery deep”] in both texts).
[104:8] 300 tn Heb “from your shout they fled, from the sound of your thunder they hurried off.”
[104:8] sn Verses 7-8 poetically depict Gen 1:9-10.
[104:9] 301 tn Heb “a boundary you set up, they will not cross, they will not return to cover the earth.”
[104:10] 302 tn Heb “[the] one who sends springs into streams.” Another option is to translate, “he sends streams [i.e., streams that originate from springs] into the valleys” (cf. NIV).
[104:12] 303 tn Heb “among the thick foliage they give a sound.”
[104:13] 304 tn Heb “from his upper rooms.”
[104:13] 305 tn Heb “from the fruit of your works the earth is full.” The translation assumes that “fruit” is literal here. If “fruit” is understood more abstractly as “product; result,” then one could translate, “the earth flourishes as a result of your deeds” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB).
[104:14] 306 tn Heb “causes the grass to sprout up.”
[104:14] 307 tn Heb “for the service of man” (see Gen 2:5).
[104:14] 308 tn Heb “to cause food to come out from the earth.”
[104:15] 309 tn Heb “and wine [that] makes the heart of man happy.”
[104:15] 310 tn Heb “to make [the] face shine from oil.” The Hebrew verb צָהַל (tsahal, “to shine”) occurs only here in the OT. It appears to be an alternate form of צָהַר (tsahar), a derivative from צָהָרִים (tsaharim, “noon”).
[104:15] 311 tn Heb “and food [that] sustains the heart of man.”
[104:16] 312 sn The trees of the
[104:16] 313 tn Heb “are satisfied,” which means here that they receive abundant rain (see v. 13).
[104:17] 314 tn Heb “[the] heron [in the] evergreens [is] its home.”
[104:17] sn The cedars and evergreens of the Lebanon forest are frequently associated (see, for example, 2 Chr 2:8; Isa 14:8; 37:24; Ezek 31:8).
[104:18] 315 tn Heb “the high mountains [are] for the goats.”
[104:19] 316 tn Heb “he made [the] moon for appointed times.” The phrase “appointed times” probably refers to the months of the Hebrew lunar calendar.
[104:19] 317 tn Heb more metaphorically, “knows its setting.”
[104:20] 318 tn Heb “you make darkness, so that it might be night.”
[104:21] 319 sn The lions’ roaring is viewed as a request for food from God.
[104:22] 320 tn Heb “lie down.”
[104:23] 321 tn Heb “man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening.”
[104:24] 322 tn Heb “How many [are] your works, O
[104:24] 323 tn Heb “all of them with wisdom you have made.”
[104:25] 324 tn Heb “this [is] the sea, great and broad of hands [i.e., “sides” or “shores”].”
[104:25] 325 tn Heb “where [there are] swimming things, and without number.”
[104:26] 326 tn Heb “[and] this Leviathan, [which] you formed to play in it.” Elsewhere Leviathan is a multiheaded sea monster that symbolizes forces hostile to God (see Ps 74:14; Isa 27:1), but here it appears to be an actual marine creature created by God, probably some type of whale.
[104:27] 327 tn Heb “All of them.” The pronoun “them” refers not just to the sea creatures mentioned in vv. 25-26, but to all living things (see v. 24). This has been specified in the translation as “all of your creatures” for clarity.
[104:27] 328 tn Heb “to give their food in its time.”
[104:28] 329 tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] good.”
[104:29] 330 tn Heb “you hide your face, they are terrified.”
[104:31] 331 tn Heb “be forever.”
[104:31] 332 tn Or “rejoice in his works.”
[104:33] 333 tn Heb “in my duration.”
[104:34] 334 tn That is, the psalmist’s thoughts as expressed in his songs of praise.
[104:35] 335 tn Or “be destroyed.”
[105:1] 336 sn Psalm 105. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God because he delivered his people from Egypt in fulfillment of his covenantal promises to Abraham. A parallel version of vv. 1-15 appears in 1 Chr 16:8-22.
[105:5] 337 tn Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”
[105:6] 338 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[105:6] 339 tc Some
[105:6] 340 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[105:6] 342 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[105:7] 343 tn Heb “in all the earth [are] his judgments.”
[105:8] 344 tn Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 10-12 make clear.
[105:10] 346 tn Or “eternal covenant.”
[105:13] 347 tn Heb “and from a kingdom to another nation.”
[105:15] 348 tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[105:15] 349 tn Heb “anointed.”
[105:16] 350 tn Heb “and every staff of food he broke.” The psalmist refers to the famine that occurred in Joseph’s time (see v. 17 and Gen 41:53-57).
[105:17] 351 tn After the reference to the famine in v. 16, v. 17 flashes back to events that preceded the famine (see Gen 37).
[105:18] 352 tn Heb “they afflicted his feet with shackles.”
[105:18] 353 tn Heb “his neck came [into] iron.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with the suffix could mean simply “he” or “his life.” But the nuance “neck” makes good sense here (note the reference to his “feet” in the preceding line). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 38.
[105:19] 354 tn Heb “word,” probably referring to Joseph’s prediction about the fate of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker (see Gen 41:9-14).
[105:19] 355 tn This line may refer to Joseph’s prediction of the famine in response to Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph emphasized to Pharaoh that the interpretation of the dream came from God (see Gen 41:16, 25, 28, 32, 39).
[105:19] 356 tn Heb “refined him.”
[105:20] 357 tn Heb “[the] king sent and set him free.”
[105:21] 358 tn Heb “he made him master of his house.”
[105:22] 359 tn Heb “to bind his officials by his will.”
[105:22] 360 tn Heb “and his elders he taught wisdom.”
[105:23] 361 tn Heb “entered.”
[105:23] 362 tn Heb “lived as a resident alien.”
[105:24] 363 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[105:24] 364 tn Heb “him,” referring to “his people.”
[105:24] 365 tn Heb “his,” referring to “his people.”
[105:25] 366 tn Heb “their heart.”
[105:25] 367 tn Or “to deal deceptively.” The Hitpael of נָכַל (nakhal) occurs only here and in Gen 37:18, where it is used of Joseph’s brothers “plotting” to kill him.
[105:27] 368 tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).
[105:28] 369 tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”
[105:28] sn He made it dark. The psalmist begins with the ninth plague (see Exod 10:21-29).
[105:28] 370 tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.
[105:31] 371 tn Heb “he spoke and flies came.”
[105:32] 372 tn Heb “he gave their rains hail.”
[105:32] 373 tn Heb “fire of flames [was] in their land.”
[105:34] 374 tn Heb “he spoke and locusts came.”
[105:35] 375 tn Heb “the fruit of their ground.”
[105:36] 376 tn Heb “the beginning of all their strength,” that is, reproductive power (see Ps 78:51).
[105:36] sn Verses 28-36 recall the plagues in a different order than the one presented in Exodus: v. 28 (plague 9), v. 29 (plague 1), v. 30 (plague 2), v. 31a (plague 4), v. 31b (plague 3), vv. 32-33 (plague 7), vv. 34-35 (plague 8), v. 36 (plague 10). No reference is made in Ps 105 to plagues 5 and 6.
[105:37] 377 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the
[105:37] 378 tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[105:38] 379 tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”
[105:40] 381 tn Heb “he [i.e., his people] asked.” The singular form should probably be emended to a plural שָׁאֲלוּ (sha’alu, “they asked”), the vav (ו) having fallen off by haplography (note the vav at the beginning of the following form).
[105:40] 382 tn Or “bread of heaven.” The reference is to manna (see Exod 16:4, 13-15).
[105:42] 384 tn Heb “his holy word.”
[105:43] 385 tn Heb “and he led his people out with joy, with a ringing cry, his chosen ones.”
[105:44] 386 tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”
[106:1] 388 sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.
[106:1] 389 tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”
[106:2] 390 tn Heb “[or] cause to be heard all his praise.”
[106:5] 392 tn Heb “in order that [I may] rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”
[106:5] 393 tn Heb “with your inheritance.”
[106:6] 395 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 7).
[106:7] 396 tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in vv. 9, 22). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.
[106:7] sn They rebelled. The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12.
[106:8] 397 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[106:10] 400 tn Or “redeemed.”
[106:11] 402 tn Heb “remained.”
[106:12] 403 tn Heb “his words.”
[106:13] 404 tn Heb “his works.”
[106:13] 405 tn Heb “his counsel.”
[106:14] 406 sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35.
[106:14] 407 tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”
[106:14] 408 tn Heb “they tested God.”
[106:15] 409 tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”
[106:15] sn Disease. See Num 11:33-34, where this plague is described.
[106:16] 411 tn Heb “the holy one of the
[106:17] 413 tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”
[106:18] 414 sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.
[106:20] 415 tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the
[106:22] 417 tn Or “awe-inspiring.”
[106:23] 418 tn Heb “and he said.”
[106:23] 419 tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”
[106:23] 420 tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”
[106:23] 421 tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”
[106:23] sn Verses 19-23 describe the events of Exod 32:1-35.
[106:24] 422 tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).
[106:24] 423 tn Heb “his word.”
[106:25] 424 sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.
[106:25] 425 tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”
[106:26] 426 tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).
[106:26] 427 tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”
[106:27] 428 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[106:27] 429 tn Heb “and to cause their offspring to fall.” Some emend the verb to “scatter” to form tighter parallelism with the following line (cf. NRSV “disperse”).
[106:27] 430 tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[106:28] 431 tn Heb “joined themselves to.”
[106:28] sn They worshiped Baal of Peor. See Num 25:3, 5. Baal of Peor was a local manifestation of the Canaanite deity Baal located at Peor.
[106:28] 432 tn Here “the dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 49).
[106:29] 433 tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew
[106:30] 434 sn The intervention of Phinehas is recounted in Num 25:7-8.
[106:31] 435 tn Heb “and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to a generation and a generation forever.” The verb חָשַׁב (khashav, “to reckon”) is collocated with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) only in Ps 106:31 and Gen 15:6, where God rewards Abram’s faith with a land grant.
[106:31] sn Brought him a reward. See Num 25:12-13.
[106:32] 436 tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”
[106:33] 437 tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.
[106:33] 438 tn Heb “his spirit.”
[106:33] 439 tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[106:33] sn Verses 32-33 allude to the events of Num 20:1-13.
[106:34] 440 tn That is, the nations of Canaan.
[106:35] 441 tn Heb “their deeds.”
[106:36] 443 sn Became a snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.
[106:37] 444 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.
[106:38] 445 sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.
[106:39] 446 tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the
[106:40] 447 tn Heb “the anger of the
[106:40] 448 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
[106:41] 449 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
[106:42] 450 tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”
[106:43] 451 tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).
[106:43] 452 tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
[106:43] 453 tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.
[106:45] 454 tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.
[106:47] 456 tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.
[106:47] 457 tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”
[106:48] 458 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
[106:48] 459 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
[106:48] 460 tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן, ’amen), traditionally transliterated “amen.”
[106:48] 461 sn The final verse (v. 48) is a conclusion to this fourth “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and third “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52, respectively).
[107:1] 462 sn Psalm 107. The psalmist praises God for his kindness to his exiled people.
[107:1] 463 tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”
[107:2] 464 tn Or “let the redeemed of the
[107:3] 467 tn Heb “from lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[107:5] 468 tn Heb “and their soul in them fainted.”
[107:7] 469 sn A level road. See Jer 31:9.
[107:8] 470 tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.”
[107:9] 471 tn Heb “[the] longing throat.” The noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh), which frequently refers to one’s very being or soul, here probably refers to one’s parched “throat” (note the parallelism with נֶפֱשׁ רְעֵבָה, nefesh rÿ’evah, “hungry throat”).
[107:9] 472 tn Heb “and [the] hungry throat he has filled [with] good.”
[107:10] 473 tn Heb “those who sat in darkness and deep darkness.” Synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of “darkness” experienced by the exiles. The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet, “deep darkness”) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל + מָוֶת [tsel + mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other authorities prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 107:10 the word refers metonymically to a dungeon, which in turn metaphorically depicts the place of Israel’s exile (see vv. 2-3).
[107:10] 474 tn Heb “those bound in suffering and iron.” “Suffering and iron” is a hendiadys (like English “good and angry”), where both words contribute to one idea. In this case the first word characterizes the second; the iron (chains) contribute to the prisoners’ pain and suffering.
[107:11] 475 tn Heb “the words of God.”
[107:11] 476 tn Heb “the counsel of the Most High.”
[107:12] 477 tn Heb “and he subdued with suffering their heart.”
[107:14] 478 tn Heb “darkness and deep darkness.” See the note on the word “darkness” in v. 10.
[107:15] 479 tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.
[107:16] 480 sn The language of v. 16 recalls Isa 45:2.
[107:17] 481 tn Heb “fools [they were] because of the way of their rebellion.”
[107:18] 482 tn Heb “all food their appetite loathed.”
[107:20] 483 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] 484 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.
[107:21] 485 tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.
[107:22] 486 tn Heb “and let them proclaim his works with a ringing cry.”
[107:23] 487 sn Verses 23-30, which depict the Lord rescuing sailors from a storm at sea, do not seem to describe the exiles’ situation, unless the word picture is metaphorical. Perhaps the psalmist here broadens his scope and offers an example of God’s kindness to the needy beyond the covenant community.
[107:23] 488 tn Heb “those going down [into].”
[107:23] 489 tn Heb “doers of work on the mighty waters.”
[107:25] 490 tn Heb “he spoke and caused to stand a stormy wind.”
[107:25] 491 tn Heb “and it stirred up its [i.e., the sea’s, see v. 23] waves.”
[107:26] 492 tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).
[107:26] 493 tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
[107:26] 495 tn Heb “from danger.”
[107:27] 496 tn Only here does the Hebrew verb חָגַג (khagag; normally meaning “to celebrate”) carry the nuance “to sway.”
[107:27] 497 tn The Hitpael of בָלַע (vala’) occurs only here in the OT. Traditionally the form is derived from the verbal root בלע (“to swallow”), but HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע understands a homonym here with the meaning “to be confused.”
[107:29] 498 tn Heb “he raised [the] storm to calm.”
[107:29] 499 tn Heb “their waves.” The antecedent of the third masculine plural pronominal suffix is not readily apparent, unless it refers back to “waters” in v. 23.
[107:30] 500 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the sailors) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[107:30] 501 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the waves) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[107:30] 502 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT.
[107:31] 503 tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.
[107:32] 504 tn Heb “in the seat of the elders.”
[107:33] 505 tn The verbal form appears to be a preterite, which is most naturally taken as narrational. (The use of prefixed forms with vav [ו] consecutive in vv. 36-37 favor this.) The psalmist may return to the theme of God’s intervention for the exiles (see vv. 4-22, especially vv. 4-9). However, many regard vv. 33-41 as a hymnic description which generalizes about God’s activities among men. In this case it would be preferable to use the English present tense throughout (cf. NEB, NRSV).
[107:34] 506 tn Heb “a salty land.”
[107:35] 507 tn The words “As for his people” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. The psalmist contrasts God’s judgment on his enemies with his blessing of his people. See the note on the word “enemies” in v. 39 for further discussion.
[107:35] 508 tn The verbal form appears to be a preterite, which is most naturally taken as narrational. See the note on the word “turned” in v. 33.
[107:37] 509 tn Heb “sowed seed in.”
[107:37] 510 tn Heb “fruit [as] produce.”
[107:38] 511 tn “Bless” here carries the nuance “endue with sexual potency, make fertile.” See Gen 1:28, where the statement “he blessed them” directly precedes the command “be fruitful and populate the earth” (see also 1:22). The verb “bless” carries this same nuance in Gen 17:16 (where God’s blessing of Sarai imparts to her the capacity to bear a child); 48:16 (where God’s blessing of Joseph’s sons is closely associated with their having numerous descendants); and Deut 7:13 (where God’s blessing is associated with fertility in general, including numerous descendants). See also Gen 49:25 (where Jacob uses the noun derivative in referring to “blessings of the breast and womb,” an obvious reference to fertility) and Gen 27:27 (where the verb is used of a field to which God has given the capacity to produce vegetation).
[107:38] 512 tn The verbal form in this line appears to be an imperfect, which may be taken as customary (drawing attention to typical action in a past time frame) or as generalizing (in which case one should use the English present tense, understanding a move from narrative to present reality).
[107:39] 513 tn The words “As for their enemies” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. Without such clarification, one might think that v. 39 refers to those just mentioned in v. 38 as objects of divine blessing, which would contradict the point just emphasized by the psalmist. The structure of vv. 33-42 is paneled (A-B-A-B). In vv. 33-34 the psalmist describes God’s judgment upon his enemies (perhaps those who had enslaved his people). In vv. 35-38 he contrasts this judgment with the divine blessing poured out on God’s people. (See the note on the word “people” in v. 35.) In vv. 39-40 he contrasts this blessing with the judgment experienced by enemies, before returning in vv. 41-42 to the blessing experienced by God’s people.
[107:39] 514 tn Heb “from the oppression of calamity.”
[107:40] 515 tn The active participle is understood as past durative here, drawing attention to typical action in a past time frame. However, it could be taken as generalizing (in which case one should translate using the English present tense), in which case the psalmist moves from narrative to present reality. Perhaps the participial form appears because the statement is lifted from Job 12:21.
[107:41] 516 tn Heb “set on high.”
[107:42] 517 tn Heb “all evil,” which stands metonymically for those who do evil.
[108:1] 518 sn Psalm 108. With some minor variations, this psalm is a composite of Ps 57:7-11 (see vv. 1-5) and Ps 60:5-12 (see vv. 6-13).
[108:1] 519 tn Or perhaps “confident”; Heb “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.
[108:1] 520 tn Heb “also my glory,” but this makes little sense in the context. Some view the term כָּבוֹד (“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 (kÿvodiy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 57:9; as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 3:93. 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.”
[108:2] 521 tn BDB 1007 s.v. שַׁחַר takes “dawn” as an adverbial accusative, though others understand it as a personified direct object. “Dawn” is used metaphorically for the time of deliverance and vindication the psalmist anticipates. When salvation “dawns,” the psalmist will “wake up” in praise.
[108:3] 522 tn Or “the peoples.”
[108:4] 523 tn Heb “for great upon the sky [or “heavens”] [is] your loyal love.”
[108:5] 524 tn Or “be exalted.”
[108:5] 525 tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
[108:6] 526 tn Heb “right hand.”
[108:6] 527 tn Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text: “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”
[108:7] 528 tn Heb “in his holy place.”
[108:7] 529 sn Shechem stands for the territory west of the Jordan River; the valley of Succoth represents the region east of the Jordan.
[108:8] 530 tn Gilead was located east of the Jordan River. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.
[108:8] 531 tn Heb “the protection of my head.”
[108:8] sn Ephraim, one of Joseph’s sons, was one of two major tribes located west of the Jordan River. By comparing Ephraim to a helmet, the Lord suggests that the Ephraimites played a primary role in the defense of his land.
[108:8] 532 sn Judah, like Ephraim, was the other major tribe west of the Jordan River. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.
[108:9] 533 sn The metaphor of the wash basin, used to rinse one’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 7-8), would be reduced to the status of a servant.
[108:9] 534 tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of.” Others translate עַל (’al) as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.
[108:10] 535 sn The psalmist speaks again and acknowledges his need for help in battle. He hopes God will volunteer, based on the affirmation of sovereignty over Edom in v. 9, but he is also aware that God has seemingly rejected the nation of Israel (v. 11).
[108:12] 536 tn Heb “and futile [is] the deliverance of man.”
[108:13] 537 tn Heb “in God we will accomplish strength.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 60:12; 118:16-16).
[108:13] 538 sn On the expression trample down our enemies see Ps 44:5.
[109:1] 539 sn Psalm 109. Appealing to God’s justice, the psalmist asks God to vindicate him and to bring severe judgment down upon his enemies.
[109:1] 540 tn Heb “do not be deaf.”
[109:2] 541 tn Heb “for a mouth of evil and a mouth of deceit against me they open, they speak with me [with] a tongue of falsehood.”
[109:3] 542 tn Heb “and [with] words of hatred they surround me.”
[109:4] 543 tn Heb “in place of my love they oppose me.”
[109:4] 544 tn Heb “and I, prayer.”
[109:5] 545 tn Heb “and they set upon me evil in place of good.”
[109:6] 546 sn In vv. 6-19 the psalmist calls on God to judge his enemies severely. Some attribute this curse-list to the psalmist’s enemies rather than the psalmist. In this case one should paraphrase v. 6: “They say about me, ‘Appoint an evil man, etc.’” Those supporting this line of interpretation point out that vv. 2-5 and 20 refer to the enemies’ attack on the psalmist being a verbal one. Furthermore in vv. 1-5, 20 the psalmist speaks of his enemies in the plural, while vv. 6-19 refer to an individual. This use of the singular in vv. 6-19 could be readily explained if this is the psalmist’s enemies’ curse on him. However, it is much more natural to understand vv. 6-19 as the psalmist’s prayer against his enemies. There is no introductory quotation formula in v. 6 to indicate that the psalmist is quoting anyone, and the statement “may the
[109:6] 547 tn Heb “appoint against him an evil [man].”
[109:6] 548 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive here (note the imperative in the preceding line).
[109:7] 549 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as a jussive, but the use of the imperfect form in the following line suggests that v. 7 anticipates the outcome of the accusation envisioned in v. 6.
[109:7] 550 tn Heb “he will go out [as] a criminal” (that is, guilty).
[109:8] 551 tn The prefixed verbal forms (except those with vav [ו] consecutive) in vv. 8-20 are taken as jussives of prayer. Note the distinct jussive forms used in vv. 12-13, 15, 19.
[109:8] 552 tn The Hebrew noun פְּקֻדָּה (pÿquddah) can mean “charge” or “office,” though BDB 824 s.v. suggests that here it refers to his possessions.
[109:10] 555 tn Heb “and roaming, may his children roam and beg, and seek from their ruins.” Some, following the LXX, emend the term וְדָרְשׁוּ (vÿdoreshu, “and seek”) to יְגֹרְשׁוּ (yÿgoreshu; a Pual jussive, “may they be driven away” [see Job 30:5; cf. NIV, NRSV]), but דָּרַשׁ (darash) nicely parallels שִׁאֵלוּ (shi’elu, “and beg”) in the preceding line.
[109:11] 556 tn Heb “lay snares for” (see Ps 38:12).
[109:11] 557 tn Heb “the product of his labor.”
[109:12] 558 tn Heb “may there not be for him one who extends loyal love.”
[109:12] 559 tn Perhaps this refers to being generous (see Ps 37:21).
[109:13] 560 tn Or “offspring.”
[109:13] 561 sn On the expression cut off see Ps 37:28.
[109:13] 562 tn Heb “in another generation may their name be wiped out.”
[109:14] 563 tn Or “fathers’ sins.”
[109:14] 564 tn Heb “not be wiped out.”
[109:14] sn According to ancient Israelite theology and its doctrine of corporate solidarity and responsibility, children could be and often were punished for the sins of their parents. For a discussion of this issue see J. Kaminsky, Corporate Responsibility in the Hebrew Bible (JSOTSup). (Kaminsky, however, does not deal with Ps 109.)
[109:15] 565 tn Heb “may they [that is, the sins mentioned in v. 14] be before the
[109:15] 566 tn Heb “their memory.” The plural pronominal suffix probably refers back to the children mentioned in v. 13, and for clarity this has been specified in the translation.
[109:16] 567 tn Heb “he did not remember to do loyal love.”
[109:16] 568 tn Heb “and he chased an oppressed and needy man, and one timid of heart to put [him] to death.”
[109:17] 569 sn A curse in OT times consists of a formal appeal to God to bring judgment down upon another. Curses were sometimes justified (such as the one spoken by the psalmist here in vv. 6-19), but when they were not, the one pronouncing the curse was in danger of bringing the anticipated judgment down upon himself.
[109:17] 570 tn Heb “and he loved a curse and it came [upon] him.” A reference to the evil man experiencing a curse seems premature here, for the psalmist is asking God to bring judgment on his enemies. For this reason some (cf. NIV, NRSV) prefer to repoint the vav (ו) on “it came” as conjunctive and translate the verb as a jussive of prayer (“may it come upon him!”). The prefixed form with vav consecutive in the next line is emended in the same way and translated, “may it be far from him.” However, the psalmist may be indicating that the evil man’s lifestyle has already begun to yield its destructive fruit.
[109:17] 571 tn Heb “and he did not delight in a blessing and it is far from him.”
[109:18] 572 tn Heb “he put on a curse as [if it were] his garment.”
[109:18] 573 tn Heb “and it came like water into his inner being, and like oil into his bones.” This may refer to this individual’s appetite for cursing. For him cursing was as refreshing as drinking water or massaging oneself with oil. Another option is that the destructive effects of a curse are in view. In this case a destructive curse invades his very being, like water or oil. Some who interpret the verse this way prefer to repoint the vav (ו) on “it came” to a conjunctive vav and interpret the prefixed verb as a jussive, “may it come!”
[109:19] 574 tn Heb “may it be for him like a garment one puts on.”
[109:19] 575 tn The Hebrew noun מֵזַח (mezakh, “belt; waistband”) occurs only here in the OT. The form apparently occurs in Isa 23:10 as well, but an emendation is necessary there.
[109:20] 576 tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the
[109:20] 578 tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[109:21] 579 tn Heb “but you,
[109:22] 580 tc The verb in the Hebrew text (חָלַל, khalal) appears to be a Qal form from the root חלל meaning “pierced; wounded.” However, the Qal of this root is otherwise unattested. The translation assumes an emendation to יָחִיל (yakhil), a Qal imperfect from חוּל (khul, “tremble”) or to חֹלַל (kholal), a polal perfect from חוּל (khul). See Ps 55:4, which reads לִבִּי יָחִיל בְּקִרְבִּי (libbiy yakhil bÿqirbbiy, “my heart trembles [i.e., “beats violently”] within me”).
[109:23] 581 tn Heb “like a shadow when it is extended I go.” He is like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness. See Ps 102:11.
[109:24] 582 tn Heb “my knees stagger from fasting.”
[109:24] 583 tn Heb “and my flesh is lean away from fatness [i.e., “lean so as not to be fat”].”
[109:25] 584 tn Heb “as for me, I am a reproach to them.”
[109:25] 585 sn They shake their heads. Apparently shaking the head was a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 22:7; Lam 2:15.
[109:26] 586 tn Heb “deliver me according to your faithfulness.”
[109:27] 587 tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.
[109:27] 588 tn Heb “that your hand [is] this.”
[109:28] 589 tn Another option is to translate the imperfect as a prayer/request (“may you bless”).
[109:28] 590 tn The verbal sequence is perfect + prefixed form with vav (ו) consecutive. Since the psalmist seems to be anticipating the demise of his enemies, he may be using these forms rhetorically to describe the enemies’ defeat as if it were already accomplished. Some emend the text to קָמוּ יֵבֹשׁוּ (qamu yevoshu, “may those who attack me be humiliated”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 75.
[109:29] 591 tn Heb “clothed.” Another option is to translate the prefixed verbal forms in this line and the next as jussives (“may my accusers be covered with shame”).
[109:30] 592 tn Heb “I will thank the
[110:1] 595 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] 596 tn The word נְאֻם (nÿ’um) is used frequently in the OT of a formal divine announcement through a prophet.
[110:1] 597 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] 598 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] 599 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).
[110:2] 600 tn Since the
[110:2] 601 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though it could be taken as future.
[110:2] 602 tn Heb “your strong scepter,” symbolic of the king’s royal authority and dominion.
[110:3] 603 tn Heb “your people, free will offerings.” Perhaps the people, in their willingness to volunteer, are compared metaphorically to freewill offerings. Following the LXX, some revocalize the text and read “with you is nobility.”
[110:3] 604 tn Heb “in the day of your power.”
[110:3] 605 tc Heb “in splendor of holiness.” The plural construct form הַדְרֵי (hadrey, from הָדַר, hadar, “splendor”) occurs only here; it may indicate degree or perhaps refer by metonymy to garments (see Pss 29:2 and 96:9, where the phrase הַדְרַת קֹדֶשׁ [hadrat qodesh] refers to “holy attire”). If one retains the reading of the MT, this phrase should probably be taken with the preceding line. However, because of the subsequent references to “dawn” and to “dew,” it is better to emend the text to הַרְרֵי קֹדֶשׁ (harrey qodesh, “mountains of holiness”), a reading found in many medieval Hebrew
[110:3] 606 tn Heb “from the womb of dawn.” The Hebrew noun רֶחֶם (rekhem, “womb”) is probably used here metonymically for “birth.” The form מִשְׁחָר (mishkhar) occurs only here and should be emended to שַׁחַר (shakhar, “dawn”) with the mem (מ) being understood as dittographic (note the final mem [ם] on the preceding word). The phrase “womb [i.e., “birth”] of dawn” refers to sunrise.
[110:3] 607 sn The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. The dew may symbolize the king’s youthful vitality or, more likely (note the parallelism), may refer to his army of strong, youthful warriors.
[110:3] 608 tn Heb “to you [is].”
[110:4] 609 tn Or “swears, vows.”
[110:4] 610 tn Or “will not change his mind.” The negated Niphal imperfect of נָחַם (nakham) is a way of marking an announcement as an irrevocable decree. See 1 Sam 15:29; Ezek 24:14, as well as R. B. Chisholm, “Does God ‘Change His Mind’?” BSac 152 (1995): 387-99.
[110:4] 611 sn You are an eternal priest. The Davidic king exercised a non-Levitical priestly role. The king superintended Judah’s cultic ritual, had authority over the Levites, and sometimes led in formal worship. David himself instructed the Levites to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem (1 Chr 15:11-15), joined the procession, offered sacrifices, wore a priestly ephod, and blessed the people (2 Sam 6:12-19). At the dedication of the temple Solomon led the ceremony, offering sacrifices and praying on behalf of the people (1 Kgs 8).
[110:4] 612 tn The phrase עַל־דִּבְרָתִי (’al-divratiy) is a variant of עַל־דִּבְרָת (’al-divrat; the final yod [י] being an archaic genitival ending), which in turn is a variant of עַל דָּבַר (’al davar). Both phrases can mean “concerning” or “because of,” but neither of these nuances fits the use of עַל־דִּבְרָתִי in Ps 110:4. Here the phrase probably carries the sense “according to the manner of.” See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 81.
[110:4] 613 sn The Davidic king’s priestly role is analogous to that of Melchizedek, who was both “king of Salem” (i.e., Jerusalem) and a “priest of God Most High” in the time of Abraham (Gen 14:18-20). Like Melchizedek, the Davidic king was a royal priest, distinct from the Aaronic line (see Heb 7). The analogy focuses on the king’s priestly role; the language need not imply that Melchizedek himself was “an eternal priest.”
[110:5] 614 tn As pointed in the Hebrew text, this title refers to God (many medieval Hebrew
[110:5] 615 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 5-6 are understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing. Another option is to take them as rhetorical. In this case the psalmist describes anticipated events as if they had already taken place.
[110:5] 616 tn Heb “in the day of his anger.”
[110:6] 617 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 6-7 are understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though they could be taken as future.
[110:6] 619 tn Heb “he fills [with] corpses,” but one expects a double accusative here. The translation assumes an emendation to גְוִיּוֹת גֵאָיוֹת(בִּ) מִלֵּא or מִלֵּא גֵאָיוֹת גְּוִיוֹת (for a similar construction see Ezek 32:5). In the former case גֵאָיוֹת(ge’ayot) has accidentally dropped from the text due to homoioteleuton; in the latter case it has dropped out due to homoioarcton.
[110:6] 620 tn Heb “he strikes [the verb is מָחַץ (makhats), translated “strikes down” in v. 5] head[s] over a great land.” The Hebrew term רַבָּה (rabbah, “great”) is here used of distance or spatial measurement (see 1 Sam 26:13).
[110:7] 621 tn Here the expression “lifts up the head” refers to the renewed physical strength and emotional vigor (see Ps 3:3) provided by the refreshing water. For another example of a victorious warrior being energized by water in the aftermath of battle, see Judg 15:18-19 (see also 1 Sam 30:11-12, where the setting is different, however).
[111:1] 622 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.
[111:2] 623 tn Heb “sought out.”
[111:3] 624 tn For other uses of the Hebrew phrase וְהָדָר-הוֹד (hod-vÿhadar, “majesty and splendor”) see 1 Chr 16:27; Job 40:10; Pss 21:5; 96:6; 104:1.
[111:4] 626 tn Or “did,” if this refers primarily to the events of the exodus and conquest period (see vv. 6, 9).
[111:4] 627 tn Heb “a memorial he had made for his amazing deeds.”
[111:5] 628 tn Or “gave,” if the events of the exodus and conquest period (see v. 6, 9) are primarily in view.
[111:5] 629 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[111:5] 630 tn Or “he remembers his covenant forever” (see Ps 105:8).
[111:6] 631 tn Heb “the strength of his deeds he proclaimed to his people, to give to them an inheritance of nations.”
[111:7] 632 tn Heb “the deeds of his hands [are].”
[111:7] 633 tn That is, fair and for man’s good.
[111:8] 634 tn Heb “done in faithfulness and uprightness.” The passive participle probably has the force of a gerund. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 89.
[111:9] 635 tn Heb “redemption he sent for his people.”
[111:9] 636 tn Heb “he commanded forever his covenant.”
[111:10] 637 tn Heb “the beginning of wisdom [is] the fear of the
[111:10] 638 tn Heb “good sense [is] to all who do them.” The third masculine plural pronominal suffix must refer back to the “precepts” mentioned in v. 7. In the translation the referent has been specified for clarity. The phrase שֵׂכֶל טוֹב (shekhel tov) also occurs in Prov 3:4; 13:15 and 2 Chr 30:22.
[111:10] 639 tn Heb “his praise stands forever.”
[112:1] 640 sn Psalm 112. This wisdom psalm lists some of the benefits of living a godly life. 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.
[112:1] 641 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The individual is representative of a larger group, called the “godly” in vv. 3-4. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in the following verses.
[112:1] 643 tn Heb “in his commands he delights very much.” The words “in keeping” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Taking delight in the law is metonymic here for obeying God’s moral will. See Ps 1:2.
[112:2] 644 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[112:2] 645 tn Heb “His seed will be mighty on the earth, the generation of the godly.” The Hebrew term דוֹר (dor, “generation”) could be taken as parallel to “offspring” and translated “posterity,” but the singular more likely refers to the godly as a class. See BDB 189-90 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.
[112:3] 646 tn Heb “stands forever.”
[112:4] 647 tn In this context “light” symbolizes divine blessing in its various forms (see v. 2), including material prosperity and stability.
[112:4] 648 tn Heb “merciful and compassionate and just.” The Hebrew text has three singular adjectives, which are probably substantival and in apposition to the “godly” (which is plural, however). By switching to the singular, the psalmist focuses on each individual member of the group known as the “godly.” Note how vv. 5-9, like vv. 1-2a, use the singular to describe the representative godly individual who typifies the whole group.
[112:5] 650 tn Heb “he sustains his matters with justice.”
[112:6] 651 tn Heb “for an eternal memorial a just [one] will be.”
[112:7] 652 tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition and emotions (see Ps 108:1).
[112:7] 653 tn The passive participle בָּטֻחַ [בָּטוּחַ] (batuakh [batuakh]) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action. See Isa 26:3.
[112:8] 654 tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition.
[112:9] 655 tn Heb “he scatters, he gives.”
[112:9] 656 tn Heb “stands forever.”
[112:9] 657 tn Heb “his horn will be lifted up in honor.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
[112:10] 658 tn The Hebrew text uses the singular; the representative wicked individual is in view as typifying the group (note the use of the plural form in v. 10).
[112:10] 659 tn Heb “his teeth he will gnash.” In Pss 35:16 and 37:12 this action is associated with a vicious attack.
[112:10] 660 tn This could mean that the desires of the wicked will go unfulfilled. Another possibility is that “desire” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired. In this case the point is that the wicked will lose what they desired so badly and acquired by evil means (see Ps 10:3).
[113:1] 661 sn Psalm 113. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign king of the world who reaches down to help the needy.
[113:3] 662 tn Heb “from the rising of the sun to its setting.” The extent is not temporal (“from sunrise to sunset”) but spatial (“from the place where the sun rises [the east] to the place where it sets [the west].” In the phenomenological language of OT cosmology, the sun was described as rising in the east and setting in the west.
[113:4] 663 tn Heb “above the sky [is] his splendor.”
[113:5] 664 tn Heb “the one who makes high to sit.”
[113:6] 665 tn Heb “the one who makes low to see.”
[113:7] 666 sn The language of v. 7 is almost identical to that of 1 Sam 2:8.
[113:9] 667 tn Heb “of the house.”
[114:1] 669 sn Psalm 114. The psalmist recalls the events of the exodus and conquest and celebrates God’s kingship over his covenant people.
[114:1] 670 tn Heb “the house of Jacob from a nation speaking a foreign language.” The Hebrew verb לָעַז (la’at, “to speak a foreign language”) occurs only here in the OT.
[114:3] 671 sn The psalmist recalls the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).
[114:3] 672 tn Heb “the Jordan” (also in v. 5). The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[114:3] 673 sn The psalmist recalls the crossing of the Jordan River (Josh 3:13, 16).
[114:4] 674 sn The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. This may recall the theophany at Sinai when the mountain shook before God’s presence (Exod 19:18).
[114:8] 675 sn In v. 8 the psalmist recalls the event(s) recorded in Exod 17:6 and/or Num 20:11 (see also Deut 8:15 and Ps 78:15-16, 20).
[115:1] 676 sn Psalm 115. The psalmist affirms that Israel’s God is superior to pagan idols and urges Israel to place their confidence in him.
[115:1] 677 tn Or “give glory.”
[115:1] 678 sn The psalmist asks the
[115:3] 679 sn He does whatever he pleases. Such sovereignty is characteristic of kings (see Eccl 8:3).
[115:4] 680 tn The referent of the pronominal suffix is “the nations” (v. 2).
[115:4] 681 tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”
[115:7] 682 tn Heb “they cannot mutter in their throats.” Verse 5a refers to speaking, v. 7c to inarticulate sounds made in the throat (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 3:140-41).
[115:8] 683 tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”
[115:8] sn Because the idols are lifeless, they cannot help their worshipers in times of crisis. Consequently the worshipers end up as dead as the gods in which they trust.
[115:9] 684 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[115:9] 685 tn Heb “and their shield.”
[115:10] 687 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[115:10] 688 tn Heb “and their shield.”
[115:11] 689 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the
[115:11] 690 tn Or “[source of] help.”
[115:11] 691 tn Heb “and their shield.”
[115:12] 692 tn Or “remembers us.”
[115:12] 693 tn Another option is to translate the prefixed form of the verb “bless” in vv. 12-13 as a jussive, “may he bless” (see v. 14).
[115:13] 695 tn Heb “the fearers of the
[115:13] 696 tn Heb “the small along with the great.” The translation assumes that “small” and “great” here refer to age (see 2 Chr 15:13). Another option is to translate “both the insignificant and the prominent” (see Job 3:19; cf. NEB “high and low alike”).
[115:14] 697 tn Heb “may he add to you, to you and your sons.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
[115:16] 699 tn Heb “the heavens [are] heavens to the
[115:16] 700 tn Heb “to the sons of man.”
[115:17] 701 tn Heb “silence,” a metonymy here for death (see Ps 94:17).
[116:1] 702 sn Psalm 116. The psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him from a life threatening crisis and promises to tell the entire covenant community what God has done for him.
[116:1] 703 tn Heb “I love because the
[116:2] 704 tn Heb “because he turned his ear to me.”
[116:2] 705 tn Heb “and in my days I will cry out.”
[116:3] 706 tn Heb “surrounded me.”
[116:3] 707 tn The Hebrew noun מצר (“straits; distress”) occurs only here, Ps 118:5 and Lam 1:3. If retained, it refers to Sheol as a place where one is confined or severely restricted (cf. BDB 865 s.v. מֵצַר, “the straits of Sheol”; NIV “the anguish of the grave”; NRSV “the pangs of Sheol”). However, HALOT 624 s.v. מֵצַר suggests an emendation to מְצָדֵי (mÿtsadey, “snares of”), a rare noun attested in Job 19:6 and Eccl 7:26. This proposal, which is reflected in the translation, produces better parallelism with “ropes” in the preceding line.
[116:3] 708 tn The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls the crisis from which the Lord delivered him.
[116:6] 709 tn Heb “guards.” The active participle indicates this is a characteristic of the
[116:6] 710 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. See Ps 19:7.
[116:6] 711 tn Heb “I was low.”
[116:7] 712 tn Heb “return, my soul, to your place of rest.”
[116:7] 713 tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense (cf. Ps 13:5).
[116:8] 715 tn “
[116:9] 716 tn Heb “walk before” (see Ps 56:13). On the meaning of the Hebrew idiom, see the notes at 2 Kgs 20:3/Isa 38:3.
[116:9] 717 tn Heb “lands, regions.”
[116:11] 718 tn Heb “I said in my haste.”
[116:13] 719 tn Heb “a cup of deliverance I will lift up.” Perhaps this alludes to a drink offering the psalmist will present as he thanks the
[116:15] 720 tn Heb “precious in the eyes of the
[116:16] 721 tn Heb “I am your servant, the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 86:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the
[116:16] 722 tn Heb “you have loosed my bonds.” In this context the imagery refers to deliverance from death (see v. 3).
[117:1] 723 sn Psalm 117. The psalmist tells the nations to praise the Lord for his loyal love and faithfulness.
[117:1] 724 tn Or “peoples” (see Ps 108:3).
[117:2] 725 tn For this sense of the Hebrew verb גָּבַר (gavar), see Ps 103:11 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19.
[118:1] 726 sn Psalm 118. The psalmist thanks God for his deliverance and urges others to join him in praise.
[118:1] 727 tn Or “is forever.”
[118:4] 729 tn Heb “fearers of the
[118:5] 730 tn Heb “from the distress.” The noun מֵצַר (metsar, “straits; distress”) occurs only here and in Lam 1:3. In Ps 116:3 מצר should probably be emended to מְצָדֵי (mÿtsadey, “snares of”).
[118:5] 731 tn Heb “the
[118:6] 733 tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. See Ps 56:11.
[118:7] 735 tn Heb “among my helpers.” The preposition may indicate identity here, while the plural may be one of majesty or respect.
[118:8] 736 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[118:10] 737 sn The reference to an attack by the nations suggests the psalmist may have been a military leader.
[118:10] 738 tn In this context the phrase “in the name of the
[118:10] 739 tn Traditionally the verb has been derived from מוּל (mul, “to circumcise”) and translated “[I] cut [them] off” (see BDB 557-58 s.v. II מוּל). However, it is likely that this is a homonym meaning “to fend off” (see HALOT 556 s.v. II מול) or “to push away.” In this context, where the psalmist is reporting his past experience, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite. The phrase also occurs in vv. 11, 12.
[118:12] 740 tn Heb “were extinguished.”
[118:12] 741 tn The point seems to be that the hostility of the nations (v. 10) is short-lived, like a fire that quickly devours thorns and then burns out. Some, attempting to create a better parallel with the preceding line, emend דֹּעֲכוּ (do’akhu, “they were extinguished”) to בָּעֲרוּ (ba’aru, “they burned”). In this case the statement emphasizes their hostility.
[118:13] 742 tn Heb “pushing, you pushed me.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following verbal idea. The psalmist appears to address the nations as if they were an individual enemy. Some find this problematic and emend the verb form (which is a Qal perfect second masculine singular with a first person singular suffix) to נִדְחֵיתִי (nidkheti), a Niphal perfect first common singular, “I was pushed.”
[118:13] 743 tn Heb “to fall,” i.e., “that [I] might fall.”
[118:14] 744 tn Heb “my strength and protection [is] the
[118:14] 745 tn Or “salvation.”
[118:15] 746 tn Heb “the sound of a ringing shout and deliverance [is] in the tents of the godly.”
[118:15] 747 tn Heb “does valiantly.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 60:12; 108:13).
[118:17] 749 tn Heb “the works of the
[118:18] 750 tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following verbal idea.
[118:19] 751 tn Heb “the gates of justice.” The gates of the
[118:22] 752 tn Or “rejected.”
[118:22] 753 tn Heb “the head of the corner.”
[118:22] sn The metaphor of the stone…the builders discarded describes the way in which God’s deliverance reversed the psalmist’s circumstances. When he was in distress, he was like a stone which was discarded by builders as useless, but now that he has been vindicated by God, all can see that he is of special importance to God, like the cornerstone of the building.
[118:23] 754 tn Heb “it is amazing in our eyes.” The use of the plural pronoun here and in vv. 24-27 suggests that the psalmist may be speaking for the entire nation. However, it is more likely that vv. 22-27 are the people’s response to the psalmist’s thanksgiving song (see especially v. 26). They rejoice with him because his deliverance on the battlefield (see vv. 10-12) had national repercussions.
[118:24] 755 tn Heb “this is the day the
[118:25] 756 sn A petition for deliverance and success seems odd in a psalm thanking God for deliverance, but it is not unique (see Ps 9:19-20). The people ask God to continue to intervene for them as he has for the psalmist.
[118:26] 757 sn The people refer here to the psalmist, who enters the
[118:26] 758 tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural, but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the following form) or enclitic, in which case the suffix may be taken as second masculine singular, referring to the psalmist.
[118:26] 759 tn Heb “from the house of the
[118:27] 760 tn Heb “and he has given us light.” This may be an elliptical expression, with “his face” being implied as the object (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19). In this case, “his face has given us light” = “he has smiled on us,” or “he has shown us his favor.” Another option (the one reflected in the translation) is that “light” here symbolizes divine blessing in the form of deliverance. “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Some prefer to repoint the form וְיָאֵר (vÿya’er; vav [ו] conjunctive + jussive) and translate the statement as a prayer, “may he give us light.”
[118:27] 761 tn The Hebrew noun חַג (khag) normally means “festival,” but here it apparently refers metonymically to an offering made at the festival. BDB 291 s.v. חַג 2 interprets the word in this way here, citing as comparable the use of later Hebrew חֲגִיגָה, which can refer to both a festival and a festival offering (see Jastrow 424 s.v. חֲגִיגָה).
[118:27] 762 tn The second half of v. 27 has been translated and interpreted in a variety of ways. For a survey of major views, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 122.
[118:28] 763 sn You are my God. The psalmist speaks again (see v. 21), responding to the words of the worshipers (vv. 22-27).
[118:29] 764 tn Or “is forever.”
[119:1] 765 sn Psalm 119. The psalmist celebrates God’s law and the guidance it provides his people. He expresses his desire to know God’s law thoroughly so that he might experience the blessings that come to those who obey it. This lengthy psalm exhibits an elaborate acrostic pattern. The psalm is divided into twenty-two sections (corresponding to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet), each of which is comprised of eight verses. Each of the verses in the first section (vv. 1-8) begins with the letter alef (א), the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This pattern continues throughout the psalm as each new section highlights a successive letter of the alphabet. Each verse in section two (vv. 9-16) begins with the second letter of the alphabet, each verse in section three (vv. 17-24) with the third letter, etc. This rigid pattern creates a sense of order and completeness and may have facilitated memorization.
[119:1] 766 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness of those who are blameless of way.”
[119:3] 768 tn Heb “walk in his ways.”
[119:4] 769 tn Heb “you, you commanded your precepts, to keep, very much.”
[119:5] 770 tn Heb “if only my ways were established.”
[119:6] 772 tn Heb “I gaze at.”
[119:7] 773 tn Heb “I will give you thanks with an upright heart.”
[119:8] 774 tn Heb “do not abandon me to excess.” For other uses of the phrase עַד מְאֹד (’ad mÿ’od, “to excess”), see Ps 38:6, 8.
[119:9] 775 tn Heb “young man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender specific “young man” has been translated with the more neutral “young person.”
[119:9] 776 tn Heb “purify his path.”
[119:9] 777 tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew
[119:11] 779 tn Heb “your word.” Some medieval Hebrew
[119:12] 780 tn Heb “[are] blessed.”
[119:13] 781 tn Heb “of your mouth.”
[119:14] 782 tn Heb “in the way of your rules.”
[119:14] 783 tn Heb “as upon,” meaning “as if” (see 2 Chr 32:19).
[119:14] 784 tn Heb “all wealth.” The phrase refers to all kinds of wealth and riches. See Prov 1:13; 6:31; 24:4; Ezek 27:12, 18.
[119:15] 785 tn The cohortative verbal forms in this verse express the psalmist’s resolve.
[119:15] 786 tn Heb “gaze [at].”
[119:15] 787 tn Heb “ways” (referring figuratively to God’s behavior here).
[119:16] 788 tn The imperfects in this verse emphasize the attitude the psalmist maintains toward God’s law. Another option is to translate with the future tense, “I will find delight…I will not forget.”
[119:16] 789 tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew
[119:17] 790 tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a cohortative indicating purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[119:17] 791 tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the imperative that begins the verse.
[119:17] 792 tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew
[119:18] 793 tn Heb “uncover.” The verb form גַּל (gal) is an apocopated Piel imperative from גָּלָה (galah, see GKC 214 §75.cc).
[119:18] 794 tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[119:19] 795 tn Heb “I am a resident alien in the land.” Resident aliens were especially vulnerable and in need of help. They needed to know the social and legal customs of the land to avoid getting into trouble. The translation (note the addition of “like”) assumes the psalmist is speaking metaphorically, not literally.
[119:20] 796 tn Heb “my soul languishes for longing for.”
[119:21] 797 tn Heb “accursed.” The traditional punctuation of the Hebrew text takes “accursed” with the previous line (“arrogant, accursed ones”), but it is preferable to take it with the second line as the predicate of the statement.
[119:22] 798 tn Heb “roll away from upon me.” Some derive the imperatival form גַּל (gal) from גָּלָה (galah, “uncover,” as in v. 18), but here the form is from גָּלַל (galal, “roll”; see Josh 5:9, where חֶרְפָּה [kherpah, “shame; reproach”] also appears as object of the verb). Some, following the lead of a Dead Sea scroll (11QPsa), emend the form to גֹּל (gol).
[119:23] 799 tn Heb “though rulers sit, about me they talk together.” (For another example of the Niphal of דָּבַר (davar) used with a suffixed form of the preposition ב, see Ezek 33:30.)
[119:24] 800 tn Heb “men of my counsel.” That is, God’s rules are like advisers to the psalmist, for they teach him how to live in a godly manner that refutes the accusations of his enemies.
[119:25] 801 tn Heb “my soul clings to the dirt.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[119:25] 802 tn Heb “according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew
[119:26] 803 tn Heb “my ways I proclaimed.”
[119:27] 804 tn Heb “the way of your precepts make me understand.”
[119:27] 805 tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[119:27] 806 tn Heb “your amazing things,” which refers here to the teachings of the law (see v. 18).
[119:28] 807 tn Some translate “my soul weeps,” taking the verb דָלַף (dalaf) from a root meaning “to drip; to drop” (BDB 196 s.v. דֶּלַף). On the basis of cognate evidence from Arabic and Akkadian, HALOT 223 s.v. II דלף proposes a homonymic root here, meaning “be sleepless.” Following L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 127, 135) the translation assumes that the verb is cognate with Ugaritic dlp, “to collapse; to crumple” in CTA 2 iv. 17, 26. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 44, 144.
[119:28] 808 tn Heb “according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew
[119:29] 809 tn The “path of deceit” refers to a lifestyle characterized by deceit and disloyalty to God. It stands in contrast to the “way of faithfulness” in v. 30.
[119:29] 810 tn Heb “be gracious to me.” The verb is used metonymically here for “graciously giving” the law. (See Gen 33:5, where Jacob uses this verb in describing how God had graciously given him children.)
[119:30] 811 tn BDB 1000-1001 s.v. I שָׁוָה derives the verb from the first homonym listed, meaning “to agree with; to be like; to resemble.” It here means (in the Piel stem) “to be accounted suitable,” which in turn would mean by metonymy “to accept; to be committed to.” Some prefer to derive the verb from a homonym meaning “to place; to set,” but in this case an elliptical prepositional phrase must be understood, “I place your regulations [before me]” (see Ps 16:8).
[119:31] 812 tn Or “cling to.”
[119:32] 813 tn Heb “for you make wide my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and understanding. The
[119:33] 814 tn Heb “the way of your statutes.”
[119:33] 815 tn Heb “and I will keep it to the end.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative. The Hebrew term עֵקֶב (’eqev) is understood to mean “end” here. Another option is to take עֵקֶב (’eqev) as meaning “reward” here (see Ps 19:11) and to translate, “so that I might observe it and be rewarded.”
[119:34] 816 tn The two prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) conjunctive indicate purpose/result after the introductory imperative.
[119:35] 817 tn Or “make me walk.”
[119:35] 818 tn Heb “for in it I delight.”
[119:36] 819 tn Heb “turn my heart to your rules.”
[119:36] 820 tn Heb “and not unjust gain.”
[119:37] 821 tn Heb “Make my eyes pass by from looking at what is worthless.”
[119:37] 822 tn Heb “by your word.”
[119:38] 824 tn Heb “which [is] for your fear,” that is, the promise made to those who exhibit fear of God.
[119:39] 825 tn Heb “my reproach that I fear.”
[119:40] 827 tn Or “righteousness.”
[119:41] 828 tn Heb “and may your loyal love come to me.”
[119:41] 829 tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions).
[119:41] 830 tn Heb “according to your word.”
[119:42] 831 tn Heb “and I will answer [the] one who insults me a word.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the jussive (see v. 41).
[119:43] 832 tn Heb “do not snatch from my mouth a word of truth to excess.” The psalmist wants to be able to give a reliable testimony about the
[119:44] 833 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the negated jussive (see v. 43).
[119:44] 834 tn Or “forever and ever.”
[119:45] 835 tn Heb “and I will walk about in a wide place.” The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive gives a further consequence of the anticipated positive divine response (see vv. 43-44). Another option is to take the cohortative as expressing the psalmist’s request. In this case one could translate, “and please give me security.”
[119:46] 836 tn The series of four cohortatives with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive in vv. 46-48 list further consequences of the anticipated positive divine response to the request made in v. 43.
[119:48] 837 tn Lifting the hands is often associated with prayer (Pss 28:2; 63:4; Lam 2:19). (1) Because praying to God’s law borders on the extreme, some prefer to emend the text to “I lift up my hands to you,” eliminating “your commands, which I love” as dittographic. In this view these words were accidentally repeated from the previous verse. (2) However, it is possible that the psalmist closely associates the law with God himself because he views the law as the expression of the divine will. (3) Another option is that “lifting the hands” does not refer to prayer here, but to the psalmist’s desire to receive and appropriate the law. (4) Still others understand this to be an action praising God’s commands (so NCV; cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).
[119:50] 838 tn The demonstrative “this” refers back to the hope just mentioned or forward to the statement in the second line concerning the promise’s power to revive. See the note on the word “me” at the end of the verse for further discussion.
[119:50] 839 tn The hope generated by the promise (see v. 49b) brings comfort because (note “for” at the beginning of the line) the promise revives the psalmist’s spirits. Another option is to take כִּי (ki) at the beginning of the second line in the sense of “that,” in which case “this” refers to the promise’s power to revive.
[119:51] 840 tn Heb “scoff at me to excess.”
[119:52] 841 tn Heb “I remember your regulations from of old.” The prepositional phrase “from of old” apparently modifies “your regulations,” alluding to the fact that God revealed them to Israel in the distant past. Another option is to understand the prepositional phrase as modifying the verb, in which case one might translate, “I have long remembered your regulations.”
[119:52] 842 tn Or “find comfort.”
[119:54] 843 tn Heb “songs were your statutes to me.”
[119:54] 844 tn Heb “in the house of my dwelling place.” Some take the Hebrew noun מָגוֹר (magor) in the sense of “temporary abode,” and see this as a reference to the psalmist’s status as a resident alien (see v. 19). But the noun can refer to a dwelling place in general (see Ps 55:15).
[119:55] 845 tn The cohortative verbal form expresses the psalmist’s resolve to obey the law.
[119:56] 846 tn Heb “this has been to me.” The demonstrative “this” (1) refers back to the practices mentioned in vv. 54-55, or (2) looks forward to the statement in the second line, in which case the כִּי (ki) at the beginning of the second line should be translated “that.”
[119:57] 847 tn Heb “my portion [is] the
[119:57] 849 tn Heb “to keep your words” (see v. 9).
[119:58] 850 tn Heb “I appease your face.”
[119:58] 851 tn Heb “according to your word.”
[119:59] 852 tn Heb “my ways.”
[119:59] 853 tn Heb “and I turn my feet toward.”
[119:60] 854 tn Heb “I hurry and I do not delay to keep your commands.”
[119:61] 855 tn Heb “surround.”
[119:62] 856 tn The psalmist uses an imperfect verbal form to emphasize that this is his continuing practice.
[119:63] 857 tn Heb “to all who fear you.”
[119:65] 858 tn Heb “do good.”
[119:65] 859 tn Heb “according to your word.”
[119:66] 860 tn Heb “goodness of taste.” Here “taste” refers to moral and ethical discernment.
[119:66] 861 tn Heb “for I believe in your commands.”
[119:67] 862 tn Heb “before I suffered, I was straying off.”
[119:67] 863 tn Heb “your word.”
[119:69] 864 tn Heb “smear over me a lie.”
[119:70] 865 tn Heb “their heart is insensitive like fat.”
[119:72] 866 tn Heb “better to me [is] the law of your mouth than thousands of gold and silver.”
[119:73] 867 tn Heb “made me and established me.” The two verbs also appear together in Deut 32:6, where God, compared to a father, is said to have “made and established” Israel.
[119:73] 868 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[119:74] 869 tn Heb “those who fear you will see me and rejoice.”
[119:75] 870 tn In this context (note the second line) the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim), which so often refers to the regulations of God’s law elsewhere in this psalm, may refer instead to his decisions or disciplinary judgment.
[119:75] 871 tn Heb “and [in] faithfulness you afflicted me.”
[119:76] 872 tn Heb “according to your word to your servant.”
[119:77] 873 tn Heb “and may your compassion come to me.”
[119:78] 874 tn Heb “for [with] falsehood they have denied me justice.”
[119:79] 875 tn Heb “those who fear you.”
[119:80] 876 tn Heb “may my heart be complete in your statutes.”
[119:81] 877 tn Heb “my soul pines for.” See Ps 84:2.
[119:82] 878 tn Heb “my eyes fail for your word.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision. See Ps 69:3.
[119:83] 880 tn Or “even though.”
[119:83] 881 tn The Hebrew word נֹאד (no’d, “leather container”) refers to a container made from animal skin which is used to hold wine or milk (see Josh 9:4, 13; Judg 4:19; 1 Sam 16:20).
[119:83] 882 tn Heb “in the smoke.”
[119:84] 883 tn Heb “How long are the days of your servant?”
[119:85] 885 tn Heb “which [is] not according to your law.”
[119:86] 886 sn God’s commands are a reliable guide to right and wrong. By keeping them the psalmist is doing what is right, yet he is still persecuted.
[119:88] 887 tn Heb “according to.”
[119:88] 888 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[119:88] 889 tn Heb “of your mouth.”
[119:89] 890 tn Heb “Forever, O
[119:90] 891 tn Heb “to a generation and a generation [is] your faithfulness.”
[119:92] 892 tn Heb “if your law had not been my delight.”
[119:92] 893 tn Or “my suffering.”
[119:95] 894 tn Heb “the wicked wait for me to kill me.”
[119:96] 895 tn Heb “to every perfection I have seen an end, your command is very wide.” God’s law is beyond full comprehension, which is why the psalmist continually studies it (vv. 95, 97).
[119:98] 896 tn The plural form needs to be revocalized as a singular in order to agree with the preceding singular verb and the singular pronoun in the next line. The
[119:101] 897 tn Heb “I hold back my feet.”
[119:101] 898 tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew
[119:103] 899 tn Heb “How smooth they are to my palate, your word, more than honey to my mouth.” A few medieval Hebrew
[119:104] 900 tn Heb “every false path.”
[119:105] 901 tn Many medieval Hebrew
[119:105] 902 tn Heb “[is] a lamp for my foot and a light for my path.”
[119:107] 903 tn Heb “according to your word.”
[119:108] 904 tn Heb “of my mouth.”
[119:109] 905 tn Heb “my life [is] in my hands continually.”
[119:111] 906 tn Heb “for the joy of my heart [are] they.”
[119:112] 907 tn Heb “I turn my heart to do.”
[119:113] 908 tn Heb “divided ones.” The word occurs only here; it appears to be derived from a verbal root, attested in Arabic, meaning “to split” (see HALOT 762 s.v. *סֵעֵף). Since the psalmist is emphasizing his unswerving allegiance to God and his law, the term probably refers to those who lack such loyalty. The translation is similar to that suggested by L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 131.
[119:115] 909 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[119:115] 910 tn The psalmist has already declared that he observes God’s commands despite persecution, so here the idea must be “so that I might observe the commands of my God unhindered by threats.”
[119:116] 911 tn Heb “according to your word.”
[119:116] 912 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[119:116] 913 tn Heb “do not make me ashamed of my hope.” After the Hebrew verb בּוֹשׁ (bosh, “to be ashamed”) the preposition מִן (min, “from”) often introduces the reason for shame.
[119:117] 914 tn Or “and that I might focus.” The two cohortatives with vav (ו) conjunctive indicate purpose/result after the imperative at the beginning of the verse.
[119:118] 915 tn The Hebrew verb סָלָה (salah, “to disdain”) occurs only here and in Lam 1:15. Cognate usage in Aramaic and Akkadian, as well as Lam 1:15, suggest it may have a concrete nuance of “to throw away.”
[119:118] 916 tn Heb “for their deceit [is] falsehood.”
[119:119] 917 sn Traditionally “dross” (so KJV, ASV, NIV). The metaphor comes from metallurgy; “slag” is the substance left over after the metallic ore has been refined.
[119:119] 918 sn As he explains in the next verse, the psalmist’s fear of judgment motivates him to obey God’s rules.
[119:120] 919 tn Heb “my flesh.”
[119:120] 920 tn The Hebrew verb סָמַר (samar, “to tremble”) occurs only here and in Job 4:15.
[119:120] 921 tn Heb “from fear of you.” The pronominal suffix on the noun is an objective genitive.
[119:121] 922 tn Heb “do justice and righteousness.”
[119:122] 923 tn Heb “be surety for your servant for good.”
[119:123] 924 tn Heb “my eyes fail for your deliverance.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision. See the similar phrase in v. 82.
[119:123] 925 tn Heb “and for the word of your faithfulness.”
[119:124] 926 tn Heb “do with your servant according to your loyal love.”
[119:125] 927 tn or “know.” The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[119:127] 928 tn “For this reason” connects logically with the statement made in v. 126. Because the judgment the psalmist fears (see vv. 119-120) is imminent, he remains loyal to God’s law.
[119:128] 929 tn Heb “for this reason all the precepts of everything I regard as right.” The phrase “precepts of everything” is odd. It is preferable to take the kaf (כ) on כֹּל (kol, “everything) with the preceding form as a pronominal suffix, “your precepts,” and the lamed (ל) with the following verb as an emphatic particle. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 138.
[119:128] 930 tn Heb “every false path.”
[119:130] 931 tn Heb “the doorway of your words gives light.” God’s “words” refer here to the instructions in his law (see vv. 9, 57).
[119:130] 932 tn Heb “it [i.e., the doorway] gives.”
[119:130] 933 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. See Pss 19:7; 116:6.
[119:131] 934 tn The verb occurs only here in the OT.
[119:132] 935 tn Heb “according to custom toward the lovers of your name.” The “lovers of” God’s “name” are the
[119:133] 936 tn God’s “word” refers here to his law (see v. 11).
[119:134] 937 tn Or “redeem me.”
[119:134] 938 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[119:135] 939 tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
[119:136] 940 tn Heb “[with] flowing streams my eyes go down.”
[119:136] 941 tn Heb “they”; even though somewhat generic, the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[119:138] 942 tn Heb “you commanded [in] justice your rules.”
[119:139] 944 tn Heb “destroys,” in a hyperbolic sense.
[119:139] 945 tn Heb “your words.”
[119:142] 946 tn Heb “your justice [is] justice forever.”
[119:144] 949 tn Heb “just are your rules forever.”
[119:144] 950 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[119:146] 951 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[119:149] 952 tn Heb “my voice.”
[119:149] 953 tn Heb “according to.”
[119:149] 954 tn Heb “according to your custom.”
[119:150] 955 tn Heb “those who pursue.”
[119:152] 957 tn Heb “long ago I knew concerning your rules, that forever you established them.” See v. 89 for the same idea. The translation assumes that the preposition מִן (min) prefixed to “your rules” introduces the object of the verb יָדַע (yada’), as in 1 Sam 23:23. Another option is that the preposition indicates source, in which case one might translate, “Long ago I realized from your rules that forever you established them” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
[119:154] 958 tn Or “argue my case.”
[119:154] 959 tn Heb “and redeem me.” The verb “redeem” casts the
[119:155] 960 tn Heb “far from the wicked [is] deliverance.”
[119:156] 961 tn Heb “according to your customs.”
[119:157] 962 tn Heb “many [are] those who chase me and my enemies.”
[119:158] 963 tn Heb “your word.”
[119:160] 964 tn Heb “the head of your word is truth, and forever [is] all your just regulation.” The term “head” is used here of the “sum total” of God’s instructions.
[119:161] 965 tn Heb “and because of your instructions my heart trembles.” The psalmist’s healthy “fear” of the consequences of violating God’s instructions motivates him to obey them. See v. 120.
[119:162] 966 tn Heb “like one who finds great plunder.” See Judg 5:30. The image is that of a victorious warrior who finds a large amount of plunder on the field of battle.
[119:164] 967 tn The number “seven” is use rhetorically to suggest thoroughness.
[119:165] 968 tn Heb “great peace [is] to the lovers of your law.”
[119:165] 969 tn Heb “and there is no stumbling to them.”
[119:168] 971 tn Heb “for all my ways [are] before you.”
[119:169] 972 tn Heb “may my cry approach before you.”
[119:170] 973 tn Heb “may my appeal for mercy come before you.”
[119:170] 974 tn Heb “according to your speech.”
[119:172] 975 tn Heb “your word.”
[119:173] 976 tn The words “to obey” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.
[119:175] 977 tn Heb “my life.”
[119:175] 978 tn God’s regulations will “help” the psalmist by giving him moral and ethical guidance.
[119:176] 979 tn Heb “I stray like a lost sheep.” It is possible that the point of the metaphor is vulnerability: The psalmist, who is threatened by his enemies, feels as vulnerable as a straying, lost sheep. This would not suggest, however, that he has wandered from God’s path (see the second half of the verse, as well as v. 110).
[120:1] 980 sn Psalm 120. The genre and structure of this psalm are uncertain. It begins like a thanksgiving psalm, with a brief notice that God has heard the psalmist’s prayer for help and has intervened. But v. 2 is a petition for help, followed by a taunt directed toward enemies (vv. 3-4) and a lament (vv. 5-7). Perhaps vv. 2-7 recall the psalmist’s prayer when he cried out to the Lord.
[120:1] 981 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[120:2] 982 tn The words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the introductory note for this psalm.
[120:2] 984 tn Heb “from a lip of falsehood.”
[120:2] 985 tn Heb “from a tongue of deception.”
[120:3] 986 tn Heb “What will he give to you, and what will he add to you, O tongue of deception?” The psalmist addresses his deceptive enemies. The
[120:4] 987 tn The words “here’s how” are supplied in the translation as a clarification. In v. 4 the psalmist answers the question he raises in v. 3.
[120:4] 988 tn Heb “with coals of the wood of the broom plant.” The wood of the broom plant was used to make charcoal, which in turn was used to fuel the fire used to forge the arrowheads.
[120:5] 989 tn Or “woe to me.” The Hebrew term אוֹיָה (’oyah, “woe”) which occurs only here, is an alternate form of אוֹי (’oy).
[120:5] 990 tn Heb “I live as a resident alien.”
[120:5] 991 sn Meshech was located in central Anatolia (modern Turkey). Kedar was located in the desert to east-southeast of Israel. Because of the reference to Kedar, it is possible that Ps 120:5 refers to a different Meshech, perhaps one associated with the individual mentioned as a descendant of Aram in 1 Chr 1:17. (However, the LXX in 1 Chr 1:17 follows the parallel text in Gen 10:23, which reads “Mash,” not Meshech.) It is, of course, impossible that the psalmist could have been living in both the far north and the east at the same time. For this reason one must assume that he is recalling his experience as a wanderer among the nations or that he is using the geographical terms metaphorically and sarcastically to suggest that the enemies who surround him are like the barbarians who live in these distant regions. For a discussion of the problem, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 146.
[120:6] 992 tn The singular participial form probably has a representative function here. The psalmist envisions the typical hater of peace who represents the entire category of such individuals.
[120:7] 993 tn Heb “I, peace.”
[120:7] 994 tn Heb “they [are] for war.”
[121:1] 995 sn Psalm 121. The psalm affirms that the Lord protects his people Israel. Unless the psalmist addresses an observer (note the second person singular forms in vv. 3-8), it appears there are two or three speakers represented in the psalm, depending on how one takes v. 3. The translation assumes that speaker one talks in vv. 1-2, that speaker two responds to him with a prayer in v. 3 (this assumes the verbs are true jussives of prayer), and that speaker three responds with words of assurance in vv. 4-8. If the verbs in v. 3 are taken as a rhetorical use of the jussive, then there are two speakers. Verses 3-8 are speaker two’s response to the words of speaker one. See the note on the word “sleep” at the end of v. 3.
[121:1] 996 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[121:1] 997 tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”
[121:1] 998 tn The Hebrew term מֵאַיִן (me’ayin) is interrogative, not relative, in function. Rather than directly stating that his source of help descends from the hills, the psalmist is asking, “From where does my help come?” Nevertheless, the first line does indicate that he is looking toward the hills for help, probably indicating that he is looking up toward the sky in anticipation of supernatural intervention. The psalmist assumes the dramatic role of one needing help. He answers his own question in v. 2.
[121:2] 999 tn Heb “my help [is] from with the
[121:3] 1001 tn Heb “the one who guards you.”
[121:3] 1002 tn The prefixed verbal forms following the negative particle אל appear to be jussives. As noted above, if they are taken as true jussives of prayer, then the speaker in v. 3 would appear to be distinct from both the speaker in vv. 1-2 and the speaker in vv. 4-8. However, according to GKC 322 §109.e), the jussives are used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one should probably translate, “he will not allow your foot to slip, your protector will not sleep,” and understand just one speaker in vv. 4-8.
[121:4] 1003 tn Heb “the one who guards Israel.”
[121:6] 1004 sn One hardly thinks of the moon’s rays as being physically harmful, like those of the sun. The reference to the moon may simply lend poetic balance to the verse, but it is likely that the verse reflects an ancient, primitive belief that the moon could have an adverse effect on the mind (note the English expression “moonstruck,” which reflects such a belief). Another possibility is that the sun and moon stand by metonymy for harmful forces characteristic of the day and night, respectively.
[121:8] 1005 tn Heb “your going out and your coming in.”
[122:1] 1006 sn Psalm 122. The psalmist expresses his love for Jerusalem and promises to pray for the city’s security.
[122:1] 1007 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[122:1] 1008 tn Heb “in the ones saying to me.” After the verb שָׂמַח (samakh), the preposition בְּ (bet) usually introduces the reason for joy.
[122:3] 1010 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[122:3] 1011 tc Heb “Jerusalem, which is built like a city which is joined to her together.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. Many regard this as a description of the compact way in which the city was designed or constructed. The translation assumes an emendation of the verb חֻבְּרָה (khubbÿrah, “is joined”) to a noun חֶבְרָה (khevrah, “association; company”). The text then reads literally, “Jerusalem, which is built like a city which has a company together.” This in turn can be taken as a reference to Jerusalem’s role as a city where people congregated for religious festivals and other civic occasions (see vv. 4-5).
[122:4] 1013 tn Heb “which is where the tribes go up.”
[122:4] 1014 tn Heb “[it is] a statute for Israel to give thanks to the name of the
[122:5] 1017 tn Heb “Indeed, there they sit [on] thrones for judgment, [on] thrones [belonging] to the house of David.”
[122:6] 1018 tn Heb “ask [for].”
[122:6] 1019 tn Or “be secure.”
[122:7] 1020 tn or “security.”
[122:7] 1021 tn The psalmist uses second feminine singular pronominal forms to address personified Jerusalem.
[122:9] 1022 tn Heb “I will seek good for you.” The psalmist will seek Jerusalem’s “good” through prayer.
[123:1] 1023 sn Psalm 123. The psalmist, speaking for God’s people, acknowledges his dependence on God in the midst of a crisis.
[123:1] 1024 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[123:1] 1025 tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”
[123:1] 1026 tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb יָשַׁב (yashav) is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12).
[123:2] 1027 sn Servants look to their master for food, shelter, and other basic needs.
[123:3] 1028 tn Heb “for greatly we are filled [with] humiliation.”
[123:4] 1029 tn Heb “greatly our soul is full to it.”
[124:1] 1030 sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.
[124:1] 1031 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[124:2] 1032 tn Heb “rose up against us.”
[124:4] 1034 tn Heb “would have passed over.”
[124:4] 1035 tn Heb “our being.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[124:5] 1036 tn Heb “then they would have passed over our being, the raging waters.”
[124:6] 1037 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[124:6] 1038 tn Heb “[the one] who.”
[124:7] 1039 tn Heb “our life escaped.”
[124:8] 1040 tn Heb “our help [is] in the name of the
[125:1] 1042 sn Psalm 125. The psalmist affirms his confidence in the Lord’s protection and justice.
[125:1] 1043 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[125:2] 1044 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[125:3] 1046 tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.
[125:3] 1048 tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful example can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the people he rules.
[125:4] 1049 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the
[125:5] 1050 tn Heb “and the ones making their paths twisted.” A sinful lifestyle is compared to a twisting, winding road.
[125:5] 1051 tn Heb “lead them away.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer here (note the prayers directly before and after this). Another option is to translate, “the
[125:5] 1052 tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.”
[125:5] 1053 tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 122:8 for a similar prayer for peace).
[126:1] 1054 sn Psalm 126. Recalling the joy of past deliverance, God’s covenant community asks for a fresh display of God’s power and confidently anticipate their sorrow being transformed into joy.
[126:1] 1055 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[126:1] 1056 tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew noun שִׁיבַת (shivat) occurs only here in the OT. For this reason many prefer to emend the form to the more common שְׁבִית (shevit) or שְׁבוּת (shÿvut), both of which are used as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv; see Ps 14:7). However an Aramaic cognate of שְׁבִית appears in an eighth century
[126:1] 1057 tn Heb “we were like dreamers.” This could mean the speakers were so overcome with ecstatic joy (see v. 3b) that they were like those who fantasize about pleasurable experiences in their sleep (see Isa 29:7-8). Since dreams are more commonly associated in the OT with prophetic visions, the community may be comparing their experience of God’s renewed favor to a prophet’s receiving divine visions. Just as a prophetic dream sweeps the individual into a different dimension and sometimes brings one face-to-face with God himself (see Gen 28:11-15; 1 Kgs 3:5-15), so the community was aware of God’s presence in a special way in the day of Zion’s restoration. Though the MT as it stands makes good sense, some choose to understand a homonymic root here meaning “to be healthy; to be strong” (see BDB 321 s.v. I חָלַם) and translate, “we were like those restored to health.” This reading appears to have the support of several ancient translations as well as 11QPsa. See L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170-71) for a discussion of the viewpoints.
[126:2] 1058 tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”
[126:2] 1059 tn Heb “they said among the nations.”
[126:4] 1060 tn Heb “like the streams in the Negev.”
[126:4] sn The streams in the arid south. Y. Aharoni writes of the streams in the Negev: “These usually dry wadis collect water on rainy days from vast areas. The situation is also aggravated by floods from the desert mountains and southern Judah. For a day or two or, more frequently, for only a few hours they turn into dangerous torrents” (Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 26). God’s people were experiencing a “dry season” after a time of past blessing; they pray here for a “flash flood” of his renewed blessing. This does not imply that they are requesting only a brief display of God’s blessing. Rather the point of comparison is the suddenness with which the wadis swell during a rain, as well as the depth and power of these raging waters. The community desires a sudden display of divine favor in which God overwhelms them with blessings.
[126:5] 1061 sn O. Borowski says regarding this passage: “The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing” (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54). Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.
[126:6] 1062 tn The noun occurs only here and in Job 28:18 in the OT. See HALOT 646 s.v. I מֶשֶׁךְ which gives “leather pouch” as the meaning.
[126:6] 1063 tn The Hebrew noun אֲלֻמָּה (’alummah, “sheaf”) occurs only here and in Gen 37:7 in the OT.
[126:6] sn Verse 6 expands the image of v. 5. See the note on the word “harvest” there.
[127:1] 1064 sn Psalm 127. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist teaches that one does not find security by one’s own efforts, for God alone gives stability and security.
[127:1] 1065 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[127:1] 1066 sn The expression build a house may have a double meaning here. It may refer on the surface level to a literal physical structure in which a family lives, but at a deeper, metaphorical level it refers to building, perpetuating, and maintaining a family line. See Deut 25:9; Ruth 4:11; 1 Sam 2:35; 2 Sam 7:27; 1 Kgs 11:38; 1 Chr 17:10, 25. Having a family line provided security in ancient Israel.
[127:1] 1067 sn The city symbolizes community security, which is the necessary framework for family security.
[127:2] 1068 tn Heb “[it is] vain for you, you who are early to rise, who delay sitting, who eat the food of hard work.” The three substantival participles are parallel and stand in apposition to the pronominal suffix on the preposition. See לָכֶם (lakhem, “for you”).
[127:2] 1069 tn Here the Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4; Ps 63:2).
[127:2] 1070 tn Heb “he gives to his beloved, sleep.” The translation assumes that the Hebrew term שֵׁנָא (shena’, “sleep,” an alternate form of שֵׁנָה, shenah) is an adverbial accusative. The point seems to be this: Hard work by itself is not what counts, but one’s relationship to God, for God is able to bless an individual even while he sleeps. (There may even be a subtle allusion to the miracle of conception following sexual intercourse; see the reference to the gift of sons in the following verse.) The statement is not advocating laziness, but utilizing hyperbole to give perspective and to remind the addressees that God must be one’s first priority. Another option is to take “sleep” as the direct object: “yes, he gives sleep to his beloved” (cf. NIV, NRSV). In this case the point is this: Hard work by itself is futile, for only God is able to bless one with sleep, which metonymically refers to having one’s needs met. He blesses on the basis of one’s relationship to him, not on the basis of physical energy expended.
[127:3] 1072 tn Some prefer to translate this term with the gender neutral “children,” but “sons” are plainly in view here, as the following verses make clear. Daughters are certainly wonderful additions to a family, but in ancient Israelite culture sons were the “arrows” that gave a man security in his old age, for they could defend the family interests at the city gate, where the legal and economic issues of the community were settled.
[127:4] 1073 tn Heb “like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so [are] sons of youth.” Arrows are used in combat to defend oneself against enemies; sons are viewed here as providing social security and protection (see v. 5). The phrase “sons of youth” is elliptical, meaning “sons [born during the father’s] youth.” Such sons will have grown up to be mature adults and will have children of their own by the time the father reaches old age and becomes vulnerable to enemies. Contrast the phrase “son of old age” in Gen 37:3 (see also 44:20), which refers to Jacob’s age when Joseph was born.
[127:5] 1074 tn Being “put to shame” is here metonymic for being defeated, probably in a legal context, as the reference to the city gate suggests. One could be humiliated (Ps 69:12) or deprived of justice (Amos 5:12) at the gate, but with strong sons to defend the family interests this was less likely to happen.
[127:5] 1075 tn Heb “speak with.”
[128:1] 1076 sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.
[128:1] 1077 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[128:1] 1078 tn Heb “every fearer of the
[128:1] 1079 tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”
[128:2] 1080 tn The psalmist addresses the representative God-fearing man, as indicated by the references to “your wife” (v. 3) and “the man” (v. 4), as well as the second masculine singular pronominal and verbal forms in vv. 2-6.
[128:2] 1081 tn Heb “the work of your hands, indeed you will eat.”
[128:2] 1082 tn Heb “how blessed you [will be] and it will be good for you.”
[128:3] 1083 sn The metaphor of the fruitful vine pictures the wife as fertile; she will give her husband numerous children (see the next line).
[128:3] 1084 tn One could translate “sons” (see Ps 127:3 and the note on the word “sons” there), but here the term seems to refer more generally to children of both genders.
[128:4] 1085 tn Heb “look, indeed thus will the man, the fearer of the
[128:5] 1086 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer (note the imperatives that are subordinated to this clause in vv. 5b-6a). Having described the blessings that typically come to the godly, the psalmist concludes by praying that this ideal may become reality for the representative godly man being addressed.
[128:5] 1087 tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding jussive.
[128:5] 1088 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[128:6] 1089 tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the jussive in v. 5a.
[128:6] 1090 tn Heb “sons to your sons.”
[128:6] 1091 tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 125:5).
[129:1] 1092 sn Psalm 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.
[129:1] 1093 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[129:4] 1094 tn The background of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Perhaps the “ropes” are those used to harness the ox for plowing (see Job 39:10). Verse 3 pictures the wicked plowing God’s people as if they were a field. But when God “cut the ropes” of their ox, as it were, they could no longer plow. The point of the metaphor seems to be that God took away the enemies’ ability to oppress his people. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 187.
[129:6] 1095 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁלַף (shalaf) normally means “to draw [a sword]” or “to pull.” BDB 1025 s.v. suggests the meaning “to shoot up” here, but it is more likely that the verb here means “to pluck; to pull up,” a nuance attested for this word in later Hebrew and Aramaic (see Jastrow 1587 s.v. שָׁלַף).
[129:8] 1096 tn The perfect verbal form is used for rhetorical effect; it describes an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
[130:1] 1097 sn Psalm 130. The psalmist, confident of the Lord’s forgiveness, cries out to the Lord for help in the midst of his suffering and urges Israel to do the same.
[130:1] 1098 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[130:1] 1099 tn Heb “depths,” that is, deep waters (see Ps 69:2, 14; Isa 51:10), a metaphor for the life-threatening danger faced by the psalmist.
[130:2] 1100 tn Heb “my voice.”
[130:2] 1101 tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”
[130:3] 1102 tn Heb “observe.”
[130:3] 1103 tn The words “before you” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one.”
[130:4] 1105 tn Heb “for with you [there is] forgiveness.”
[130:4] 1106 tn Or “consequently you are.”
[130:5] 1108 tn Or “wait for.”
[130:5] 1109 tn Heb “my soul waits.”
[130:5] 1110 tn Heb “his word.”
[130:6] 1111 tn Heb “my soul for the master.”
[130:6] 1112 tn Heb “more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning.” The words “yes, more” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[130:7] 1113 tn Heb “for with the
[130:7] 1114 tn Heb “and abundantly with him [is] redemption.”
[130:8] 1116 tn The Hebrew noun עָוֹן (’avon) can refer to sin, the guilt sin produces, or the consequences of sin. Only here is the noun collocated with the verb פָּדָה (padah, “to redeem; to deliver”). The psalmist may refer to forgiveness per se (v. 4), but the emphasis in this context is likely on deliverance from the national consequences of sin. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 192.
[131:1] 1117 sn Psalm 131. The psalmist affirms his humble dependence on the Lord and urges Israel to place its trust in God.
[131:1] 1118 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[131:1] 1119 tn Heb “and my eyes are not lifted up.”
[131:1] 1120 tn Heb “I do not walk in great things, and in things too marvelous for me.”
[131:2] 1122 tn Heb “I make level and make quiet my soul.”
[131:2] 1123 tn Heb “like a weaned [one] upon his mother.”
[131:2] 1124 tn Heb “like the weaned [one] upon me, my soul.”
[132:1] 1125 sn Psalm 132. The psalmist reminds God of David’s devotion and of his promises concerning David’s dynasty and Zion.
[132:1] 1126 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[132:1] 1127 tn Heb “all his affliction.” This may refer to David’s strenuous and tireless efforts to make provision for the building of the temple (see 1 Chr 22:14). Some prefer to revocalize the text as עַנַוָתוֹ (’anavato, “his humility”).
[132:2] 1128 tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.”
[132:3] 1129 tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows is David’s vow.
[132:3] 1130 tn Heb “the tent of my house.”
[132:3] 1131 tn Heb “go up upon the bed of my couch.”
[132:5] 1132 tn The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; David envisions a special dwelling place (see Pss 43:3; 46:4; 84:1).
[132:5] 1133 tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.”
[132:6] 1134 tn Rather than having an antecedent, the third feminine singular pronominal suffix here (and in the next line) appears to refer to the ark of the covenant, mentioned in v. 8. (The Hebrew term אָרוֹן [’aron, “ark”] is sometimes construed as grammatically feminine. See 1 Sam 4:17; 2 Chr 8:11.)
[132:6] 1135 sn Some understand Ephrathah as a reference to Kiriath-jearim because of the apparent allusion to this site in the next line (see the note on “Jaar”). The ark was kept in Kiriath-jearim after the Philistines released it (see 1 Sam 6:21-7:2). However, the switch in verbs from “heard about” to “found” suggests that Ephrathah not be equated with Jair. The group who is speaking heard about the ark while they were in Ephrath. They then went to retrieve it from Kiriath-jearim (“Jaar”). It is more likely that Ephrathah refers to a site near Bethel (Gen 35:16, 19; 48:7) or to Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2).
[132:6] 1136 tn Heb “fields of the forest.” The Hebrew term יָעַר (ya’ad, “forest”) is apparently a shortened alternative name for קִרְיַת יְעָרִים (qiryat yÿ’arim, “Kiriath-jearim”), the place where the ark was kept after it was released by the Philistines and from which David and his men retrieved it (see 1 Chr 13:6).
[132:7] 1137 tn Or “bow down.”
[132:9] 1138 tn Or “righteousness.”
[132:10] 1139 tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”
[132:11] 1140 tn Heb “the
[132:11] 1141 tn Heb “he will not turn back from it.”
[132:11] 1142 tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows are the
[132:11] 1143 tn Heb “the fruit of your body.”
[132:13] 1145 tn Heb “he desired it for his dwelling place.”
[132:14] 1146 tn The words “he said” are added in the translation to clarify that what follows are the
[132:14] 1147 tn Heb “for I desired it.”
[132:15] 1148 tn Heb “I will greatly bless her provision.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.
[132:15] 1149 tn Heb “her poor I will satisfy [with] food.”
[132:16] 1150 tn Heb “and her priests I will clothe [with] deliverance.”
[132:16] 1151 tn Heb “[with] shouting they will shout.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.
[132:17] 1152 tn Heb “there I will cause a horn to sprout for David.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Pss 18:2; 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that used its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36.
[132:17] 1153 tn Heb “I have arranged a lamp for my anointed one.” Here the “lamp” is a metaphor for the Davidic dynasty (see 1 Kgs 11:36).
[132:18] 1154 tn Heb “his enemies I will clothe [with] shame.”
[133:1] 1155 sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.
[133:1] 1156 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[133:1] 1157 sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.
[133:2] 1158 tn Heb “[it is] like the good oil on the head, going down on the beard.”
[133:2] 1159 tn Heb “which goes down in accordance with his measured things.” The Hebrew phrase מִדּוֹתָיו (middotayv, “his measured things”) refers here to the robes worn by Aaron. HALOT 546 s.v. *מַד derives the form from מַד (midah, “robe”) rather than מִדָּה (middah, “measured thing”). Ugaritic md means “robe” and is pluralized mdt.
[133:3] 1160 sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.
[133:3] 1161 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] 1163 tn Heb “there the
[134:1] 1164 sn Psalm 134. The psalmist calls on the temple servants to praise God (vv. 1-2). They in turn pronounce a blessing on the psalmist (v. 3).
[134:1] 1165 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[134:3] 1168 tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine singular, suggesting that the servants addressed in vv. 1-2 are responding to the psalmist.
[134:3] 1169 tn Heb “may the
[135:1] 1170 sn Psalm 135. The psalmist urges God’s people to praise him because he is the incomparable God and ruler of the world who has accomplished great things for Israel.
[135:3] 1172 tn Heb “for [it is] pleasant.” The translation assumes that it is the
[135:4] 1174 sn His special possession. The language echoes Exod 19:5; Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18. See also Mal 3:17.
[135:9] 1176 tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).
[135:9] 1177 tn Or “portents”; “omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are alluded to here.
[135:13] 1178 tn Or “is forever.”
[135:13] 1179 tn Heb “O
[135:14] 1180 tn Heb “judges,” but here the idea is that the
[135:14] 1181 sn Verse 14 echoes Deut 32:36, where Moses affirms that God mercifully relents from fully judging his wayward people.
[135:15] 1182 tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”
[135:17] 1183 tn Heb “indeed, there is not breath in their mouth.” For the collocation אַף אֵין (’af ’en, “indeed, there is not”) see Isa 41:26. Another option is to take אַף as “nose” (see Ps 115:6), in which case one might translate, “a nose, [but] they have no breath in their mouths.”
[135:18] 1184 tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”
[135:18] sn Because the idols are lifeless, they cannot help their worshipers in times of crisis. Consequently the worshipers end up as dead as the gods in which they trust.
[135:19] 1185 tn Heb “house” (here and in the next two lines).
[135:20] 1186 tn Heb “fearers.”
[135:21] 1187 tn Heb “praised be the
[135:21] 1188 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[136:1] 1189 sn Psalm 136. In this hymn the psalmist affirms that God is praiseworthy because of his enduring loyal love, sovereign authority, and compassion. Each verse of the psalm concludes with the refrain “for his loyal love endures.”
[136:1] 1190 tn Or “is forever.”
[136:13] 1192 tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in v. 15). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.
[136:13] 1193 tn Heb “into pieces.”
[136:15] 1194 tn Or “shook off.”
[136:23] 1195 tn Heb “who, in our low condition, remembered us.”
[136:25] 1196 tn Heb “to all flesh,” which can refer to all people (see Pss 65:2; 145:21) or more broadly to mankind and animals. Elsewhere the psalms view God as the provider for all living things (see Pss 104:27-28; 145:15).
[137:1] 1197 sn Psalm 137. The Babylonian exiles lament their condition, vow to remain loyal to Jerusalem, and appeal to God for revenge on their enemies.
[137:1] 1198 tn Heb “there we sit down, also we weep.”
[137:3] 1199 tn Heb “ask us [for] the words of a song.”
[137:3] 1200 tn Heb “our [?] joy.” The derivation and meaning of the Hebrew phrase תוֹלָלֵינוּ (tolalenu, “our [?]”) are uncertain. A derivation from תָּלַל (talal, “to mock”) fits contextually, but this root occurs only in the Hiphil stem. For a discussion of various proposals, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 236.
[137:3] 1201 tn Heb “from a song of Zion.” Most modern translations read, “one of the songs of Zion,” taking the preposition מִן (min, “from”) as partitive and “song” as collective. The present translation assumes the mem (ם) is enclitic, being misunderstood later as the prefixed preposition.
[137:5] 1202 tn Heb “may my right hand forget.” In this case one must supply an object, such as “how to move.” The elliptical nature of the text has prompted emendations (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 236). The translation assumes an emendation to תִּכְשַׁח (tikhshakh), from an otherwise unattested root כשׁח, meaning “to be crippled; to be lame.” See HALOT 502 s.v. כשׁח, which cites Arabic cognate evidence in support of the proposal. The corruption of the MT can be explained as an error of transposition facilitated by the use of שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”) just before this.
[137:6] 1203 tn Heb “if I do not lift up Jerusalem over the top of my joy.”
[137:7] 1204 tn Heb “remember, O
[137:7] 1205 tn Heb “lay [it] bare, lay [it] bare.”
[137:8] 1206 tn Heb “O devastated daughter of Babylon.” The psalmist dramatically anticipates Babylon’s demise.
[137:8] 1207 tn Heb “O the happiness of the one who repays you your wage which you paid to us.”
[137:9] 1208 sn For other references to the wholesale slaughter of babies in the context of ancient Near Eastern warfare, see 2 Kgs 8:12; Isa 13:16; Hos 13:16; Nah 3:10.
[138:1] 1209 sn Psalm 138. The psalmist vows to thank the Lord for his deliverance and protection.
[138:1] 1210 tn The referent of the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is unclear. It refers either to the angelic assembly (see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5) or to the pagan gods (see Pss 82:1, 6; 86:8; 97:7), in which case the psalmist’s praise takes on a polemical tone.
[138:2] 1211 tc The MT reads, “for you have made great over all your name your word.” If retained, this must mean that God's mighty intervention, in fulfillment of his word of promise, surpassed anything he had done prior to this. However, the statement is odd and several emendations have been proposed. Some read, “for you have exalted over everything your name and your word,” while others suggest, “for you have exalted over all the heavens your name and your word.” The translation assumes an emendation of “your name” to “your heavens” (a construction that appears in Pss 8:3 and 144:5). The point is that God has been faithful to his promise and the reliability of that promise is apparent to all. For a fuller discussion of these options, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 244.
[138:3] 1212 tn Heb “in the day.”
[138:3] 1213 tn Heb “you made me bold in my soul [with] strength.”
[138:4] 1214 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] 1215 tn Heb “the words of your mouth.”
[138:7] 1218 tn Or “distress.”
[138:7] 1219 tn Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”
[138:8] 1220 tn Heb “avenges on my behalf.” For the meaning “to avenge” for the verb גָּמַר (gamar), see HALOT 197-98 s.v. גמר.
[138:8] 1221 tn Heb “the works of your hands.” Many medieval Hebrew
[139:1] 1222 sn Psalm 139. The psalmist acknowledges that God, who created him, is aware of his every action and thought. He invites God to examine his motives, for he is confident they are pure.
[139:1] 1223 tn The statement is understood as generalizing – the psalmist describes what God typically does.
[139:3] 1224 tn Heb “my traveling and my lying down you measure.” The verb זָרָה (zarah, “to measure”) is probably here a denominative from זָרָת (zarat, “a span; a measure”), though some derive it from זָרָה (zarat, “to winnow; to sift”; see BDB 279-80 s.v. זָרָה).
[139:3] 1225 tn Heb “all my ways.”
[139:4] 1227 tn Heb “look, O
[139:6] 1228 tn Heb “too amazing [is this] knowledge for me, it is elevated, I cannot attain to it.”
[139:7] 1229 tn Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29-30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
[139:8] 1230 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] 1231 tn Heb “look, you.”
[139:9] 1232 tn Heb “rise up.”
[139:9] 1233 sn On the wings of the dawn. This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel.
[139:9] 1234 tn Heb “at the end.”
[139:11] 1235 tn The Hebrew verb שׁוּף (shuf), which means “to crush; to wound,” in Gen 3:15 and Job 9:17, is problematic here. For a discussion of attempts to relate the verb to Arabic roots, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 251. Many emend the form to יְשׂוּכֵּנִי (yesukkeniy), from the root שׂכך (“to cover,” an alternate form of סכך), a reading assumed in the present translation.
[139:11] 1236 tn Heb “and night, light, around me.”
[139:12] 1237 tn The words “to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[139:12] 1238 tn Heb “shines like.”
[139:12] 1239 tn Heb “like darkness, like light.”
[139:13] 1241 tn Heb “my kidneys.” The kidneys were sometimes viewed as the seat of one’s emotions and moral character (cf. Pss 7:9; 26:2). A number of translations, recognizing that “kidneys” does not communicate this idea to the modern reader, have generalized the concept: “inmost being” (NAB, NIV); “inward parts” (NASB, NRSV); “the delicate, inner parts of my body” (NLT). In the last instance, the focus is almost entirely on the physical body rather than the emotions or moral character. The present translation, by using a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms), links the concepts of emotion (heart) and moral character (mind).
[139:13] 1242 tn The Hebrew verb סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave together”) is an alternate form of שָׂכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave”) used in Job 10:11.
[139:14] 1243 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] 1244 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.
[139:15] 1245 tc The Hebrew term אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) should probably be emended to כֲּאַשֶׁר (ka’asher, “when”). The kaf (כ) may have been lost by haplography (note the kaf at the end of the preceding form).
[139:15] 1246 sn The phrase depths of the earth may be metaphorical (euphemistic) or it may reflect a prescientific belief about the origins of the embryo deep beneath the earth’s surface (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 96-97). Job 1:21 also closely associates the mother’s womb with the earth.
[139:16] 1247 tn Heb “Your eyes saw my shapeless form.” The Hebrew noun גֹּלֶם (golem) occurs only here in the OT. In later Hebrew the word refers to “a lump, a shapeless or lifeless substance,” and to “unfinished matter, a vessel wanting finishing” (Jastrow 222 s.v. גּוֹלֶם). The translation employs the dynamic rendering “when I was inside the womb” to clarify that the speaker was still in his mother’s womb at the time he was “seen” by God.
[139:16] 1248 tn Heb “and on your scroll all of them were written, [the] days [which] were formed, and [there was] not one among them.” This “scroll” may be the “scroll of life” mentioned in Ps 69:28 (see the note on the word “living” there).
[139:17] 1249 tn Heb “and to me how precious are your thoughts, O God.” The Hebrew verb יָקַר (yaqar) probably has the sense of “difficult [to comprehend]” here (see HALOT 432 s.v. יקר qal.1 and note the use of Aramaic יַקִּר in Dan 2:11). Elsewhere in the immediate context the psalmist expresses his amazement at the extent of God’s knowledge about him (see vv. 1-6, 17b-18).
[139:17] 1250 tn Heb “how vast are their heads.” Here the Hebrew word “head” is used of the “sum total” of God’s knowledge of the psalmist.
[139:18] 1251 tc Heb “I awake and I [am] still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to הֲקִצּוֹתִי (haqitsoti), a Hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb קָצַץ (qatsats) understood as a denominative of קֵץ (qets, “end”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252-53.
[139:19] 1252 tn The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as GKC 321 §109.b).
[139:19] 1253 tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”
[139:20] 1255 tc Heb “they speak [of] you.” The suffixed form of the verb אָמַר (’amar, “to speak”) is peculiar. The translation assumes an emendation to יַמְרֻךָ (yamrukha), a Hiphil form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”; see Ps 78:40).
[139:20] 1256 tn Heb “by deceit.”
[139:20] 1257 tc Heb “lifted up for emptiness, your cities.” The Hebrew text as it stands makes no sense. The form נָשֻׂא (nasu’; a Qal passive participle) should be emended to נָשְׂאוּ (nosÿu; a Qal perfect, third common plural, “[they] lift up”). Many emend עָרֶיךָ (’arekha, “your cities”) to עָלֶיךָ (’alekha, “against you”), but it is preferable to understand the noun as an Aramaism and translate “your enemies” (see Dan 4:16 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 253).
[139:21] 1258 tc Heb “who raise themselves up against you.” The form וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvitqomÿmekha) should be emended to וּבְמִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvÿmitqomÿmekha), a Hitpolel participle (the prefixed mem [מ] of the participle is accidentally omitted in the MT, though a few medieval Hebrew
[139:22] 1259 tn Heb “[with] completeness of hatred I hate them.”
[139:23] 1260 tn Heb “and know my heart.”
[139:23] 1261 tn The Hebrew noun שַׂרְעַפַּי (sar’apay, “concerns”) is used of “worries” in Ps 94:19.
[139:24] 1262 tn Many understand the Hebrew term עֹצֶב (’otsev) as a noun meaning “pain,” and translate the phrase דֶּרֶךְ עֹצֶב (derekh ’otsev) as “of pain,” but this makes little sense here. (Some interpret it to refer to actions which bring pain to others.) It is preferable to take עֹצֶב as “idol” (see HALOT 865 s.v. I עֹצֶב) and understand “way of an idol” to refer to idolatrous actions or tendency. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.
[139:24] 1263 tn Heb “in the path of antiquity.” This probably refers to the moral path prescribed by the
[140:1] 1264 sn Psalm 140. The psalmist asks God to deliver him from his deadly enemies, calls judgment down upon them, and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
[140:1] 1265 tn Heb “from a wicked man.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).
[140:1] 1266 tn Heb “a man of violent acts.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).
[140:2] 1267 tn Heb “they devise wicked [plans] in [their] mind.”
[140:2] 1268 tc Heb “they attack [for] war.” Some revocalize the verb (which is a Qal imperfect from גּוּר, gur, “to attack”) as יְגָרוּ (yÿgaru), a Piel imperfect from גָרָה (garah, “stir up strife”). This is followed in the present translation.
[140:3] 1269 tn Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” Ps 64:3 reads, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues [like a sword],” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”
[140:3] 1270 tn The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT.
[140:4] 1273 tn Heb “to push down my steps.”
[140:5] 1274 tn Heb “and ropes,” but many prefer to revocalize the noun as a participle (חֹבְלִים, khovÿlim) from the verb חָבַל (khaval, “act corruptly”).
[140:7] 1275 tn Heb “the strength of my deliverance.”
[140:8] 1277 tn Heb “do not grant the desires of the wicked.”
[140:8] 1278 tn Heb “his.” The singular is used in a representative sense (see v. 1).
[140:8] 1279 tn Heb “his plot do not promote, they rise up.” The translation understands the final verb as being an unmarked temporal clause. Another option is to revocalize the verb as a Hiphil and take the verb with the next verse, “those who surround me lift up [their] head,” which could refer to their proud attitude as they anticipate victory (see Ps 27:6).
[140:9] 1280 tn Heb “harm of their lips.” The genitive here indicates the source or agent of the harm.
[140:10] 1281 tn The verb form in the Kethib (consonantal Hebrew text) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוּט (mut, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in Ps 55:3, where it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). In Ps 140:10 the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read.
[140:10] 1282 tn Heb “into bottomless pits, they will not arise.” The translation assumes that the preposition -בְּ (bet) has the nuance “from” here. Another option is to connect the line with what precedes, take the final clause as an asyndetic relative clause, and translate, “into bottomless pits [from which] they cannot arise.” The Hebrew noun מַהֲמֹרָה (mahamorah, “bottomless pit”) occurs only here in the OT.
[140:11] 1283 tn Heb “a man of a tongue.”
[140:11] 1284 tn Heb “be established in.”
[140:11] 1285 tn Heb “for blows.” The Hebrew noun מַדְחֵפֹה (madkhefoh, “blow”) occurs only here in the OT.
[140:12] 1286 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[140:12] 1287 tn Heb “and the just cause of the poor.”
[141:1] 1288 sn Psalm 141. The psalmist asks God to protect him from sin and from sinful men.
[141:2] 1289 tn Heb “may my prayer be established [like] incense before you, the uplifting of my hands [like] an evening offering.”
[141:3] 1290 tn Heb “door.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.
[141:3] 1291 sn My mouth…my lips. The psalmist asks God to protect him from speaking inappropriately or sinfully.
[141:4] 1292 tn Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”
[141:4] 1293 tn Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”
[141:4] 1294 sn Their delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.
[141:5] 1295 tn The form יָנִי (yaniy) appears to be derived from the verbal root נוּא (nu’). Another option is to emend the form to יְנָא (yÿna’), a Piel from נָאָה (na’ah), and translate “may choice oil not adorn my head” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 271). In this case, choice oil, like delicacies in v. 4, symbolize the pleasures of sin.
[141:5] 1296 sn May my head not refuse choice oil. The psalmist compares the constructive criticism of the godly (see the previous line) to having refreshing olive oil poured over one’s head.
[141:5] 1297 tc Heb “for still, and my prayer [is] against their evil deeds.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult; the sequence -כִּי־עוֹד וּ (kiy-’od u-, “for still and”) occurs only here. The translation assumes an emendation to כִּי עֵד תְפלָּתִי (“indeed a witness [is] my prayer”). The psalmist’s lament about the evil actions of sinful men (see v. 4) testifies against the wicked in the divine court.
[141:6] 1298 tn Heb “they are thrown down by the hands of a cliff, their judges.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The perfect verbal form is understood as rhetorical; the psalmist describes the anticipated downfall of the wicked as if it had already occurred. “Their judges” could be taken as the subject of the verb, but this makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes the judges are the agents and that the wicked, mentioned earlier in the psalm, are the subjects of the verb.
[141:6] 1299 tn It is unclear how this statement relates to the preceding sentence. Perhaps the judges are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the verb “will listen,” and “my words” are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the phrase “are pleasant.” The psalmist may be affirming here his confidence that he will be vindicated when he presents his case before the judges, while the wicked will be punished.
[141:7] 1300 tn Heb “like splitting and breaking open in the earth.” The meaning of the statement and the point of the comparison are not entirely clear. Perhaps the psalmist is suggesting that he and other godly individuals are as good as dead; their bones are scattered about like dirt that is dug up and tossed aside.
[141:8] 1301 tn Heb “my eyes [are] toward you.”
[141:8] 1302 tn Heb “do not lay bare my life.” Only here is the Piel form of the verb collocated with the term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”). In Isa 53:12 the Lord’s servant “lays bare (the Hiphil form of the verb is used) his life to death.”
[141:9] 1303 tn Heb “and the traps of the doers of evil.”
[141:10] 1304 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate, “the wicked will fall.”
[141:10] 1306 tn Heb “at the same [that] I, until I pass by.” Another option is to take יַחַד (yakhad) with the preceding line, “let the wicked fall together into their own nets.”
[142:1] 1307 sn Psalm 142. The psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.
[142:1] 1308 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
[142:1] 1309 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm while in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3. See the superscription of Ps 57.
[142:1] 1310 tn Heb “[with] my voice to the
[142:1] 1311 tn Heb “[with] my voice to the
[142:2] 1312 tn Heb “my trouble before him I declare.”
[142:3] 1313 tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
[142:3] 1314 tn Heb “you know my path.”
[142:4] 1315 tn Heb “there is no one who recognizes me.”
[142:4] 1316 tn Heb “ a place of refuge perishes from me.”
[142:4] 1317 tn Heb “there is no one who seeks for the sake of my life.”
[142:5] 1318 tn Heb “my portion.” The psalmist compares the
[142:6] 1319 tn Heb “for I am very low.”
[142:7] 1320 tn Heb “bring out my life.”
[142:7] 1321 tn Or “gather around.”
[142:7] 1322 tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense.
[143:1] 1323 sn Psalm 143. As in the previous psalm, the psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.
[143:2] 1324 tn Heb “do not enter into judgment with.”
[143:2] 1325 tn Heb “for no one living is innocent before you.”
[143:3] 1327 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] 1328 tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”
[143:3] 1330 sn Dark regions refers to Sheol, which the psalmist views as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).
[143:4] 1331 tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
[143:4] 1332 tn Heb “in my midst my heart is shocked.” For a similar use of the Hitpolel of שָׁמֵם (shamem), see Isa 59:16; 63:5.
[143:5] 1333 tn Or “ancient times”; Heb “days from before.”
[143:5] 1334 tn Heb “the work of your hands.”
[143:6] 1335 tn The words “in prayer” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the psalmist is referring to a posture of prayer.
[143:6] 1336 tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” See Ps 63:1.
[143:6] 1337 tc Heb “my soul like a faint land for you.” A verb (perhaps “thirsts”) is implied (see Ps 63:1). The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition -כְּ (kÿ, “like”) to -בְּ (bÿ, “in,” see Ps 63:1; cf. NEB “athirst for thee in a thirsty land”). If the MT is retained, one might translate, “my soul thirsts for you, as a parched land does for water/rain” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
[143:7] 1338 tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”
[143:7] 1339 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” (1) can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) can carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
[143:7] 1340 tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
[143:7] 1341 tn Heb “the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit; cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See Ps 28:1.
[143:8] 1342 tn Heb “cause me to hear in the morning your loyal love.” Here “loyal love” probably stands metonymically for an oracle of assurance promising God’s intervention as an expression of his loyal love.
[143:8] sn The morning is sometimes viewed as the time of divine intervention (see Pss 30:5; 59:16; 90:14).
[143:8] 1343 sn The way probably refers here to God’s moral and ethical standards and requirements (see v. 10).
[143:8] 1344 tn Heb “for to you I lift up my life.” The Hebrew expression נָאָשׂ נֶפֶשׁ (na’as nefesh, “to lift up [one’s] life”) means “to desire; to long for” (see Deut 24:15; Prov 19:18; Jer 22:27; 44:14; Hos 4:8, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 16).
[143:9] 1345 tn Heb “to you I cover,” which makes no sense. The translation assumes an emendation to נַסְתִּי (nastiy, “I flee,” a Qal perfect, first singular form from נוּס, nos). Confusion of kaf (כ) and nun (נ) is attested elsewhere (see P. K. McCarter, Textual Criticism [GBS], 48). The collocation of נוּס (“flee”) with אֶל (’el, “to”) is well-attested.
[143:10] 1346 tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.
[143:10] 1347 tn Heb “your good spirit.” God’s “spirit” may refer here to his presence (see the note on the word “presence” in Ps 139:7) or to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
[143:10] 1348 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. Taking the statement as a prayer fits well with the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.
[143:10] 1349 sn A level land (where one can walk free of obstacles) here symbolizes divine blessing and protection. See Pss 26:12 and 27:11 for similar imagery.
[143:11] 1350 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[143:11] 1351 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 11-12a are understood as expressing the psalmist’s desire. Note the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.
[143:11] 1352 tn Heb “by your justice bring out my life from trouble.”
[143:12] 1353 tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”
[143:12] 1354 tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the mood of the preceding imperfect.
[143:12] 1355 tn Heb “all the enemies of my life.”
[144:1] 1356 sn Psalm 144. The psalmist expresses his confidence in God, asks for a mighty display of divine intervention in an upcoming battle, and anticipates God’s rich blessings on the nation in the aftermath of military victory.
[144:1] 1357 tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The
[144:1] 1358 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[144:1] 1359 sn The one who trains my hands for battle. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement (see Ps 18:34). Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
[144:2] 1360 tn Heb “my loyal love,” which is probably an abbreviated form of “the God of my loyal love” (see Ps 59:10, 17).
[144:2] 1361 tn Or “my elevated place.”
[144:2] 1362 tn Heb “the one who subdues nations beneath me.”
[144:3] 1363 tn Heb “What is mankind?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race. See Ps 8:5.
[144:3] 1364 tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
[144:3] 1365 tn Heb “take account of him.” The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.
[144:4] 1366 tn Heb “man,” or “mankind.”
[144:4] 1367 tn Heb “his days [are] like a shadow that passes away,” that is, like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness. See Ps 102:11.
[144:5] 1368 tn The Hebrew verb נָטָה (natah) can carry the sense “to [cause to] bend; to [cause to] bow down.” For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the
[144:5] 1369 tn Heb “so you might come down.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The same type of construction is utilized in v. 6.
[144:5] 1370 tn Heb “so they might smolder.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose after the preceding imperative.
[144:6] 1371 sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 18:14; 77:17-18; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” [Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983], 187).
[144:7] 1372 tn Heb “stretch out your hands.”
[144:7] 1373 tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful foreign enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see the next line and Ps 18:16-17).
[144:7] 1374 tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
[144:8] 1375 tn Heb “who [with] their mouth speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” The reference to the “right hand” is probably a metonymy for an oath. When making an oath, one would raise the hand as a solemn gesture. See Exod 6:8; Num 14:30; Deut 32:40. The figure thus represents the making of false oaths (false promises).
[144:10] 1376 tn Heb “grants deliverance to.”
[144:10] 1377 tn Heb “harmful.”
[144:11] 1378 tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
[144:11] 1379 tn Heb “who [with] their mouth speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” See v. 8 where the same expression occurs.
[144:12] 1380 tn Some consider אֲשֶׁר (’asher) problematic, but here it probably indicates the anticipated consequence of the preceding request. (For other examples of אֲשֶׁר indicating purpose/result, see BDB 83 s.v. and HALOT 99 s.v.) If the psalmist – who appears to be a Davidic king preparing to fight a battle (see vv. 10-11) – is victorious, the whole nation will be spared invasion and defeat (see v. 14) and can flourish. Some prefer to emend the form to אַשְׁרֵי (“how blessed [are our sons]”). A suffixed noun sometimes follows אַשְׁרֵי (’ashrey; see 1 Kgs 10:8; Prov 20:7), but the presence of a comparative element (see “like plants”) after the suffixed noun makes the proposed reading too awkward syntactically.
[144:12] 1381 tn Heb “grown up in their youth.” The translation assumes that “grown up” modifies “plants” (just as “carved” modifies “corner pillars” in the second half of the verse). Another option is to take “grown up” as a predicate in relation to “our sons,” in which case one might translate, “they will be strapping youths.”
[144:12] 1382 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here and in Zech 9:15, where it refers to the corners of an altar.
[144:12] 1383 tn Heb “carved [in] the pattern of a palace.”
[144:13] 1384 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here.
[144:13] 1385 tn Heb “from kind to kind.” Some prefer to emend the text to מָזוֹן עַל מָזוֹן (mazon ’al mazon, “food upon food”).
[144:13] 1386 tn Heb “they are innumerable.”
[144:13] 1387 tn Heb “in outside places.” Here the term refers to pastures and fields (see Job 5:10; Prov 8:26).
[144:14] 1388 tn Heb “weighted down.” This probably refers (1) to the cattle having the produce from the harvest placed on their backs to be transported to the storehouses (see BDB 687 s.v. סָבַל). Other options are (2) to take this as reference to the cattle being pregnant (see HALOT 741 s.v. סבל pu) or (3) to their being well-fed or fattened (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 288).
[144:14] 1389 tn Heb “there [will be] no breach, and there [will be] no going out, and there [will be] no crying out in our broad places.”
[144:15] 1390 tn Heb “[O] the happiness of the people who [it is] such to them.”
[145:1] 1391 sn Psalm 145. The psalmist praises God because he is a just and merciful king who cares for his people.
[145:1] 1392 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
[145:2] 1393 tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
[145:3] 1394 tn Heb “and concerning his greatness there is no searching.”
[145:4] 1395 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may one generation praise…and tell about.”
[145:5] 1396 tn Heb “the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and the matters of your amazing deeds I will ponder.”
[145:6] 1397 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as an imperfect, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they proclaim.”
[145:7] 1398 tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”
[145:7] 1399 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk…and sing.”
[145:8] 1400 tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
[145:8] 1401 tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
[145:9] 1402 tn Heb “and his compassion is over all his works.”
[145:12] 1403 tn Heb “the sons of man.”
[145:13] 1404 tn Heb “a kingdom of all ages.”
[145:14] 1405 tc Psalm 145 is an acrostic psalm, with each successive verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. However, in the traditional Hebrew (Masoretic) text of Psalm 145 there is no verse beginning with the letter nun. One would expect such a verse to appear as the fourteenth verse, between the mem (מ) and samek (ס) verses. Several ancient witnesses, including one medieval Hebrew manuscript, the Qumran scroll from cave 11, the LXX, and the Syriac, supply the missing nun (נ) verse, which reads as follows: “The Lord is reliable in all his words, and faithful in all his deeds.” One might paraphrase this as follows: “The Lord’s words are always reliable; his actions are always faithful.” Scholars are divided as to the originality of this verse. L. C. Allen argues for its inclusion on the basis of structural considerations (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 294-95), but there is no apparent explanation for why, if original, it would have been accidentally omitted. The psalm may be a partial acrostic, as in Pss 25 and 34 (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 3:335). The glaring omission of the nun line would have invited a later redactor to add such a line.
[145:14] 1406 tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).
[145:15] 1407 tn Heb “the eyes of all wait for you.”
[145:15] 1408 tn Heb “and you give to them their food in its season” (see Ps 104:27).
[145:16] 1409 tn Heb “[with what they] desire.”
[145:17] 1410 tn Heb “in all his ways.”
[145:17] 1411 tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”
[145:18] 1412 tn Heb “in truth.”
[145:19] 1413 tn In this context “desire” refers to the followers’ desire to be delivered from wicked enemies.
[145:19] 1414 tn Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.”
[145:21] 1415 tn Heb “the praise of the
[145:21] 1416 tn Heb “all flesh.”
[146:1] 1417 sn Psalm 146. The psalmist urges his audience not to trust in men, but in the
[146:3] 1418 tn Heb “in a son of man, to whom there is no deliverance.”
[146:4] 1419 tn Heb “his spirit goes out, it returns to his ground; in that day his plans die.” The singular refers to the representative man mentioned in v. 3b.
[146:6] 1420 tn Heb “the one who guards faithfulness forever.”
[146:7] 1421 tn Heb “executes justice for the oppressed.”
[146:8] 1422 tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).
[146:9] 1423 sn God is depicted here as a just ruler. In the ancient Near Eastern world a king was responsible for promoting justice, including caring for the weak and vulnerable, epitomized by resident aliens, the fatherless, and widows.
[146:9] 1424 tn Heb “he makes the way of the wicked twisted.” The “way of the wicked” probably refers to their course of life (see Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1). God makes their path tortuous in the sense that he makes them pay the harmful consequences of their actions.
[146:10] 1425 tn Heb “for a generation and a generation.”
[147:1] 1426 sn Psalm 147. The psalmist praises the
[147:2] 1428 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[147:3] 1429 tn Heb “the one who heals.”
[147:5] 1430 tn Heb “and great of strength.”
[147:5] 1431 tn Heb “to his wisdom there is no counting.”
[147:6] 1432 tn Heb “brings down.”
[147:7] 1433 tn Heb “sing to the
[147:8] 1434 tn Heb “the one who covers.”
[147:9] 1436 tn Heb “which cry out.”
[147:10] 1437 tn Heb “he does not desire the strength of the horse, he does not take delight in the legs of the man.” Here “the horse” refers to the war horse used by ancient Near Eastern chariot forces, and “the man” refers to the warrior whose muscular legs epitomize his strength.
[147:11] 1438 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[147:13] 1439 tn Heb “your sons.”
[147:14] 1440 tn Heb “the one who.”
[147:14] 1441 tn Heb “he makes your boundary peace.”
[147:14] 1442 tn Heb “satisfies you with.”
[147:15] 1443 tn Heb “the one who.”
[147:15] 1444 tn Heb “the one who sends his word, the earth.” The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) is an adverbial accusative; one must supply a preposition before it (such as “through” or “to”) in the English translation.
[147:15] 1445 tn Heb “swiftly his word runs.”
[147:16] 1446 tn Heb “the one who gives snow like wool, frost like ashes he scatters.”
[147:17] 1447 tn Heb “his ice.”
[147:17] 1448 tn Heb “Before his cold, who can stand?”
[147:18] 1449 tn Heb “he sends his word and melts them.”
[147:18] 1450 tn Heb “he blows his breath.”
[148:1] 1451 sn Psalm 148. The psalmist calls upon all creation to praise the Lord, for he is the creator and sovereign king of the world.
[148:2] 1452 tn Or “heavenly messengers.”
[148:2] 1453 tn Heb “all his host.”
[148:3] 1454 tn Heb “stars of light.”
[148:4] 1455 sn The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. See also Ps 104:3. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 47.
[148:6] 1456 tn Or “forever and ever.”
[148:6] 1457 tn Heb “and it will not pass away.”
[148:8] 1458 tn In Ps 119:83 the noun refers to “smoke,” but here, where the elements of nature are addressed, the clouds, which resemble smoke, are probably in view.
[148:8] 1459 tn Heb “[that] does his word.”
[148:14] 1461 tn Heb “and he lifted up a horn for his people.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Another option is to take the “horn” as a symbol for the Davidic king, through whom the
[148:14] 1462 tn “[there is] praise for all his loyal followers, to the sons of Israel, the people near him.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the victory that prompts it.
[149:1] 1463 sn Psalm 149. The psalmist calls upon God’s people to praise him because he is just and avenges them.
[149:1] 1464 tn Heb “his praise in the assembly of the godly ones.”
[149:2] 1466 sn The
[149:4] 1467 tn Heb “he honors the oppressed [with] deliverance.”
[149:5] 1468 tn Heb “in glory.” Here “glory” probably refers to the “honor” that belongs to the
[149:5] 1469 tn The significance of the reference to “beds” is unclear. Perhaps the point is that they should rejoice at all times, even when falling asleep or awaking.
[149:6] 1470 tn Heb “[May] praises of God [be] in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”
[149:8] 1472 tn Heb “to bind.”
[149:9] 1473 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[149:9] 1474 tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”
[149:9] 1475 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).
[150:1] 1476 sn Psalm 150. The Psalter concludes with a resounding call for praise from everything that has breath.
