Mazmur 92:6-15

92:6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;

the fool does not understand this. ¹ 

92:7 When the wicked sprout up like grass,

and all the evildoers glisten, ² 

it is so that they may be annihilated. ³ 

92:8 But you, O Lord, reign ⁴  forever!

92:9 Indeed, ⁵  look at your enemies, O Lord!

Indeed, ⁶  look at how your enemies perish!

All the evildoers are scattered!

92:10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox. ⁷ 

I am covered ⁸  with fresh oil.

92:11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me; ⁹ 

I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me. ¹⁰ 

92:12 The godly ¹¹  grow like a palm tree;

they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. ¹² 

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. ¹³ 

92:15 So they proclaim that the Lord, my protector,

is just and never unfair. ¹⁴ 

[92:6]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Or “flourish.”

[92:7]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “[are elevated] on high.”

[92:9]  ⁵ tn Or “for.”

[92:9]  ⁶ tn Or “for.”

[92:10]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “those who rise up against me, evil [foes], my ears hear.”

[92:12]  ¹¹ tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.

[92:12]  ¹² sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.

[92:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”

[92:15]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “so that [they] proclaim that upright [is] the Lord, my rocky summit, and there is no injustice in him.”