Psalm 90-106

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Psalm 90:1 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.
2. Psalm 90:1 tn Or “place of safety.” See Ps 71:3.
3. Psalm 90:2 tn Heb “were born.”
4. Psalm 90:2 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.
5. Psalm 90:2 tn Heb “and from everlasting to everlasting you [are] God.” Instead of אֵל (ʾel, “God”) the LXX reads אַל (ʾal, “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 wayyiqtol form וַתֹּאמֶר (vatoʾmer, “and you said/say”), unless one reads the form as a simple vav plus imperfect as indicated by Aquila and Jerome.
6. Psalm 90:3 tn In this context the shortened prefix form does not function as a preterite, but indicates what is typical of the world.
7. Psalm 90:3 tn The Hebrew term דַּכָּא (dakaʾ) 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.
8. Psalm 90:4 tn Or “for.”
9. Psalm 90:4 sn The divisions of the nighttime. The ancient Israelites divided the night into distinct periods, or “watches.”
10. Psalm 90:5 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).
11. Psalm 90:6 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.
12. Psalm 90:6 tn The Polel form of this verb occurs only here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a Qal (which necessitates eliminating the final ל [lamed] as dittographic). See Ps 37:2.
13. Psalm 90:7 tn Or “for.”
14. Psalm 90:8 tn Heb “you set our sins in front of you.”
15. Psalm 90:8 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.
16. Psalm 90:9 tn Or “for.”
17. Psalm 90:9 tn Heb “all our days pass by in your anger.”
18. Psalm 90:9 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.”
19. Psalm 90:10 tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”
20. Psalm 90:10 tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”
21. Psalm 90:10 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 רָהַב (rahav, “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).
22. Psalm 90:10 tn or “for.”
23. Psalm 90:10 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.
24. Psalm 90:10 sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).
25. Psalm 90:11 tn Heb “Who knows the strength of your anger?”
26. Psalm 90:11 tc Heb “and like your fear [is] your raging fury.” Perhaps one should emend וּכְיִרְאָתְךָ (ukh^eyirʾat^ekha, “and like your fear”) to יִרְאָתְךְ (yirʾat^ekha, “your fear”), removing the כ (kaf) as dittography of the kaf ending the previous word. 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.
27. Psalm 90:12 tn Heb “to number our days,” that is, to be aware of how few they really are.
28. Psalm 90:12 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.
29. Psalm 90:13 tn Heb “Return, O Lord. How long?”
30. Psalm 90:13 tn Elsewhere the Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) + the preposition עַל (ʿal) + 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.
31. Psalm 90:14 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).
32. Psalm 90:14 tn After the imperative (see the preceding line) the cohortatives with the prefixed conjunction indicate purpose/result.
33. Psalm 90:15 tn Heb “have seen.”
34. Psalm 90:16 tn Heb “may your work be revealed to your servants.” In this context (note v. 17) the verb form יֵרָאֶה (yeraʾeh) is best understood as an unshortened jussive (see Gen 1:9; Isa 47:3).
35. Psalm 90:16 tn Heb “and your majesty to their sons.” The verb “be revealed” is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
36. Psalm 90:17 tn Heb “and may the delight of the Master, our God, be on us.” The Hebrew term נֹעַם (noʿam, “delight”) is used in Ps 27:4 of the Lord’s “beauty,” but here it seems to refer to his favor (see BDB 653 s.v.) or kindness (HALOT 706 s.v.).
37. Psalm 90:17 tn Heb “and the work of our hands establish over us, and the work of our hands, establish it.”
38. Psalm 91:1 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.
39. Psalm 91:1 tn Heb “[O] one who lives.”
40. Psalm 91:1 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
41. Psalm 91:1 sn The Lord is compared here to a bird who protects its young under the shadow of its wings (see v. 4).
42. Psalm 91:1 sn The divine name used here is “Shaddai” (שַׁדַּי, shadday; see also Ps 68:14). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the Sovereign God 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.
43. Psalm 91:3 tn The word refers specifically to a fowler (or hunter of birds).
44. Psalm 91:4 tn Heb “put a cover over you” (see Ps 5:11).
45. Psalm 91:4 tc The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural should be read. The final י (yod) of the suffix, which indicates the plural, has dropped off by haplography (note the yod at the beginning of the next word).
46. Psalm 91:4 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.”
47. Psalm 91:5 tn This probably alludes to a sneak attack by enemies in the darkness of night (see Song 3:8).
48. Psalm 91:6 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.
49. Psalm 91:7 tn Apparently the deadly disease mentioned in v. 6b is the understood subject here.
50. Psalm 91:8 tn Heb “retribution on the wicked.”
51. Psalm 91:10 tn Or “confront.”
52. Psalm 91:10 tn For this sense of the Hebrew term נגע see Ps 38:11.
53. Psalm 91:10 tn Heb “your tent.”
54. Psalm 91:11 tn Heb “for his angels he will command concerning you.”
55. Psalm 91:11 tn Heb “in all your ways.”
56. Psalm 91:12 tn Heb “so your foot will not strike a stone.”
57. Psalm 91:13 tn Heb “walk upon.”
58. Psalm 91:13 tn Or perhaps “cobra” (see Ps 58:4).
59. Psalm 91:14 tn The words “the Lord says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the words which follow are the Lord’s oracle of assurance.
60. Psalm 91:14 tn Or “make him secure” (Heb “set him on high”).
61. Psalm 91:14 tn Heb “because he knows my name” (see Ps 9:10).
62. Psalm 91:16 tn Heb “length of days.”
63. Psalm 92:1 sn Psalm 92. The psalmist praises God because he defeats the wicked and vindicates his loyal followers.
64. Psalm 92:1 tn Or “good.”
65. Psalm 92:1 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
66. Psalm 92:2 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.
67. Psalm 92:4 tn Heb “the works of your hands.”
68. Psalm 92:5 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.
69. Psalm 92:6 tn Heb “the brutish man does not know, and the fool does not understand this.” The adjective בַּעַר (baʿar, “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).
70. Psalm 92:7 tn Or “flourish.”
71. Psalm 92:7 tn Heb “in order that they might be destroyed permanently.”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.
72. Psalm 92:8 tn Heb “[are elevated] on high.”
73. Psalm 92:9 tn Or “for.”
74. Psalm 92:9 tn Or “for.”
75. Psalm 92:10 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).
76. Psalm 92:10 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 (ballotani; a second person form of the verb with a first person suffix) and read, “you anoint me.”
77. Psalm 92:11 tn Heb “my eye gazes upon my walls.” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2. The form שׁוּרָי shuray, “my walls”) should be emended to שׁוֹרְרָי (shor^eray, “my foes” or perhaps “those who rebel against me” or “those who malign me”). See HALOT 1454 s.v. שׁוֹרֵר and also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2.
78. Psalm 92:11 tn Heb “those who rise up against me, evil [foes], my ears hear.”
79. Psalm 92:12 tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.
80. Psalm 92:12 sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.
81. Psalm 92:14 tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”
82. Psalm 92:15 tn Heb “so that [they] proclaim that upright [is] the Lord, my rocky summit, and there is no injustice in him.”
83. Psalm 93:1 sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the Lord is the king of the universe who preserves order and suppresses the destructive forces in the world.
84. Psalm 93:1 sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.
85. Psalm 93:2 tn Heb “from antiquity [are] you.” As the context suggests, this refers specifically to God’s royal position, not his personal existence.
86. Psalm 93:3 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).
87. Psalm 93:3 tn Heb “the waves lift up, O Lord, the waves lift up their voice, the waves lift up their crashing.”
88. Psalm 93:4 tn Heb “mighty waters.”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.
89. Psalm 93:4 tn Heb “mighty on high [is] the Lord.”
90. Psalm 93:5 tn Traditionally “your testimonies.” The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (ʿedut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law. See Ps 19:7.
91. Psalm 93:5 sn The rules you set down. God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
92. Psalm 93:5 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. Psalm 93:5 tn Heb “for your house holiness is fitting, O Lord, for length of days.”
94. Psalm 94:1 sn Psalm 94. The psalmist asks God to judge the wicked and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
95. Psalm 94:1 tn Heb “shine forth” (see Pss 50:2; 80:1).
96. Psalm 94:3 tn Or “exult.”
97. Psalm 94:4 tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”
98. Psalm 94:4 tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (ʾamar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).
99. Psalm 94:5 tn Or “your inheritance.”
100. Psalm 94:6 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).
101. Psalm 94:7 tn Heb “does not understand.”
102. Psalm 94:8 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.
103. Psalm 94:8 tn Heb “[you] brutish among the people.”
104. Psalm 94:9 tn Heb “The one who plants an ear, does he not hear? The one who forms an eye, does he not see?”
105. Psalm 94:11 tn Heb “the Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are emptiness.” The psalmist thinks specifically of the “thoughts” expressed in v. 7.
106. Psalm 94:12 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.
107. Psalm 94:13 tn Heb “to give him rest from the days of trouble.”
108. Psalm 94:13 tn Heb “until a pit is dug for the wicked.”
109. Psalm 94:14 tn Or “for.”
110. Psalm 94:14 tn Or “his inheritance.”
111. Psalm 94:15 tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.”
112. Psalm 94:15 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 Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 97:11).
113. Psalm 94:15 tn Heb “and after it [are] the pure of heart.”
114. Psalm 94:16 tn Heb “for me.”
115. Psalm 94:16 sn Who will stand up for me…? The questions anticipate the answer, “No one except God” (see v. 17).
116. Psalm 94:17 tn Heb “If the Lord [were] not my help, quickly my life would have dwelt in silence.” The psalmist, perhaps speaking as the nation’s representative, recalls God’s past intervention. For other examples of conditional sentences with the term לוּלֵי (lule, “if not”) in the protasis and a perfect verbal form in the apodosis, see Pss 119:92 and 124:2-5.
117. Psalm 94:19 tn Heb “when my worries are many within me.”
118. Psalm 94:19 tn Heb “your comforts cause my soul to delight.”
119. Psalm 94:20 tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.
120. Psalm 94:20 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.
121. Psalm 94:21 tn Or “attack.”
122. Psalm 94:21 tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”
123. Psalm 94:21 tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”
124. Psalm 94:22 tn Heb “and the Lord has become my elevated place.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
125. Psalm 94:22 tn Heb “and my God [has become] a rocky summit of my safety.”
126. Psalm 94:23 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.
127. Psalm 94:23 tn Or “in.”
128. Psalm 95:1 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.
129. Psalm 95:1 tn Heb “to the rocky summit of our deliverance.”
130. Psalm 95:2 tn Heb “meet his face.”
131. Psalm 95:2 tn Heb “with songs of joy.”
132. Psalm 95:3 tn Heb “above.”
133. Psalm 95:4 tn The phrase “in his hand” means within the sphere of his authority.
134. Psalm 95:6 tn Heb “kneel down.”
135. Psalm 95:7 tn Heb “of his hand.”
136. Psalm 95:7 tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (ʾim, “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.
137. Psalm 95:8 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).
138. Psalm 95:8 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.
139. Psalm 95:8 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).
140. Psalm 95:8 tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”
141. Psalm 95:9 tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”
142. Psalm 95:10 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.
143. Psalm 95:10 tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”
144. Psalm 95:10 tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the Lord’s “ways” are his commands, viewed as a pathway from which his people, likened to wayward sheep (see v. 7), wander.
145. Psalm 95:11 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).
146. Psalm 96:1 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.
147. Psalm 96:1 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See also Pss 33:3; 40:3; 98:1.
148. Psalm 96:2 tn Heb “announce from day to day his deliverance.”
149. Psalm 96:3 tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
150. Psalm 96:4 tn Or perhaps “and feared by all gods.” See Ps 89:7.
151. Psalm 96:5 tn The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (ʾelilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement.
152. Psalm 96:6 tn Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”
153. Psalm 96:6 tn Heb “strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary.”
154. Psalm 96:8 tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., “due”] his name.”
155. Psalm 96:9 tn Or “in holy splendor.”
156. Psalm 96:13 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.”
157. Psalm 96:13 tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”
158. Psalm 97:1 sn Psalm 97. The psalmist depicts the Lord as the sovereign, just king of the world who comes in power to vindicate his people.
159. Psalm 97:2 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
160. Psalm 97:3 tn Heb “all around.”
161. Psalm 97:7 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 Lord’s mighty theophany on those who witness it (see vv. 5, 8). Another option is to take the prefixed form in the first line as a jussive (“let all who worship idols be ashamed”) and the ambiguous form in the third line as an imperative (“All you gods, bow down before him!”; cf. NIV).
162. Psalm 97:8 tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).
163. Psalm 97:9 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
164. Psalm 97:10 tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the Lord.” In this case one could translate, “Hate evil, you who love the Lord, the one who protects the lives…and delivers them.”
165. Psalm 97:10 tn Heb “hand.”
166. Psalm 97:11 tn Heb “Light is planted for the godly, and for the upright of heart joy.” The translation assumes an emendation of זָרַע (zaraʿ, “planted”) to זָרַח (zarakh, “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.
167. Psalm 97:12 tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זָכַר (zakhar, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 6:5; 30:4. The Lord’s “name” is “holy” in the sense that it is a reminder of his uniqueness and greatness.
168. Psalm 98:1 sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.
169. Psalm 98:1 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.
170. Psalm 98:1 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.
171. Psalm 98:1 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.
172. Psalm 98:2 tn Heb “makes known his deliverance.”
173. Psalm 98:3 tn Heb “he remembers his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.”
174. Psalm 98:3 tn Heb “the deliverance of our God,” with “God” being a subjective genitive (= God delivers).
175. Psalm 98:9 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…”).
176. Psalm 99:1 sn Psalm 99. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s just rule and recalls how he revealed himself to Israel’s leaders.
177. Psalm 99:1 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 1 are understood here as indicating the nations’ characteristic response to the reality of the Lord’s kingship. Another option is to take them as jussives: “let the nations tremble…let the earth shake!”
178. Psalm 99:1 sn Cherubim are winged angels. As depicted in the OT, they 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 cherubim 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 cherubim in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.
179. Psalm 99:1 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).
180. Psalm 99:2 tn Heb “great.”
181. Psalm 99:3 tn The pronoun refers to the Lord himself (see vv. 5, 9).
182. Psalm 99:4 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 Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (ʿoz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (ʿaz, “strong”).
183. Psalm 99:4 tn Heb “you establish fairness.”
184. Psalm 99:5 tn Or “exalt.”
185. Psalm 99:5 tn Or “bow down.”
186. Psalm 99:6 tn Heb “among those who called on his name.”
187. Psalm 99:6 tn Heb “those who.” The participle is in apposition to the phrase “those who called on his name” in the preceding line.
188. Psalm 99:7 sn A pillar of cloud. The psalmist refers to the reality described in Exod 33:9-10; Num 12:5; and Deut 31:15.
189. Psalm 99:8 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”).
190. Psalm 99:9 tn Or “exalt.”
191. Psalm 100:1 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.
192. Psalm 100:2 tn Or “serve.”
193. Psalm 100:3 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 לוֹ (lo, “to him”) was confused aurally with the negative particle לֹא (loʾ, “not”) because the two sound identical.
194. Psalm 100:5 tn Or “is forever.”
195. Psalm 100:5 tn Heb “and to a generation and a generation [is] his faithfulness.”
196. Psalm 101:1 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.
197. Psalm 101:2 tn Heb “take notice of.”
198. Psalm 101:2 tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”
199. Psalm 101:3 tn Heb “I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness.”
200. Psalm 101:3 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 mss. The form appears to be derived from a verbal root שׂוּט (sut, “to fall away; to swerve”; see Ps 40:4).
201. Psalm 101:3 tn Heb “it [i.e., the doing of evil deeds] does not cling to me.”
202. Psalm 101:4 tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (ʿiqqesh) 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).
203. Psalm 101:4 tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.
204. Psalm 101:5 tn Heb “[one who has] pride of eyes and wideness [i.e., arrogance] of heart, him I will not endure.”
205. Psalm 101:6 tn Heb “my eyes [are] on the faithful of the land.”
206. Psalm 101:6 tn The Hebrew text simply reads, “in order to live with me.”
207. Psalm 101:6 tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”
208. Psalm 101:7 tn Heb “he will not live in the midst of my house, one who does deceit.”
209. Psalm 101:7 tn Heb “one who speaks lies will not be established before my eyes.”
210. Psalm 102:1 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.
211. Psalm 102:1 tn Heb “and may my cry for help come to you.”
212. Psalm 102:2 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).
213. Psalm 102:2 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
214. Psalm 102:3 tn Heb “for my days come to an end in smoke.”
215. Psalm 102:3 tn The Hebrew noun קֵד (qed, “fireplace”) occurs only here, in Isa 33:14 (where it refers to the fire itself), and perhaps in Lev 6:2.
216. Psalm 102:4 tn Heb “struck, attacked.”
217. Psalm 102:4 tn Heb “I forget.”
218. Psalm 102:4 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.
219. Psalm 102:5 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.
220. Psalm 102:6 tn The Hebrew term קָאַת (qaʾat) 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”).
221. Psalm 102:6 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”).
222. Psalm 102:6 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.
223. Psalm 102:7 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 Lord (see vv. 1-2).
224. Psalm 102:8 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.
225. Psalm 102:9 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).
226. Psalm 102:9 tn Heb “weeping.”
227. Psalm 102:10 tn Or “for.”
228. Psalm 102:11 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.
229. Psalm 102:12 tn Heb “sit” (i.e., sit enthroned, see Ps 9:7). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.
230. Psalm 102:12 tn Heb “and your remembrance [is] for a generation and a generation.”
231. Psalm 102:13 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!”
232. Psalm 102:14 tn Or “for.”
233. Psalm 102:14 tn The Poel of חָנַן (khanan) occurs only here and in Prov 14:21, where it refers to having compassion on the poor.
234. Psalm 102:14 tn Heb “her dust,” probably referring to the dust of the city’s rubble.
235. Psalm 102:15 tn Heb “will fear the name of the Lord.” To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).
236. Psalm 102:15 tn The verb “will fear” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).
237. Psalm 102:17 tn The Hebrew adjective עַרְעָר (ʿarar, “destitute”) occurs only here in the OT. It is derived from the verbal root ערר (“to strip oneself”).
238. Psalm 102:17 tn Heb “despise.”
239. Psalm 102:17 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.
240. Psalm 102:18 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.
241. Psalm 102:18 tn Or “created.”
242. Psalm 102:19 tn Heb “from the height of his sanctuary.”
243. Psalm 102:19 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.
244. Psalm 102:20 tn Heb “the sons of death.” The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 79:11) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.
245. Psalm 102:21 tn Heb “his praise.”
246. Psalm 102:22 tn “and the kingdoms to serve the Lord.”
247. Psalm 102:23 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).
248. Psalm 102:24 tn Heb “do not lift me up in the middle of my days.”
249. Psalm 102:24 tn Heb “in a generation of generations [are] your years.”
250. Psalm 102:26 tn Heb “stand.”
251. Psalm 102:26 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.
252. Psalm 102:27 tn Heb “you [are] he,” or “you [are] the one.” The statement may echo the Lord’s affirmation “I am he” in Isa 41:4; 43:10, 13; 46:10; 48:12. In each of these passages the affirmation emphasizes the fact that the Lord transcends time limitations, the very point being made in Ps 102:27.
253. Psalm 102:28 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
254. Psalm 102:28 tn Heb “before you will be established.”
255. Psalm 103:1 sn Psalm 103. The psalmist praises God for his mercy and willingness to forgive his people.
256. Psalm 103:1 tn The verb “praise” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).
257. Psalm 103:2 tn Or “his benefits” (see 2 Chr 32:25, where the noun is also used of kind deeds performed by the Lord).
258. Psalm 103:3 tn This relatively rare noun refers to deadly diseases (see Deut 29:22; Jer 14:18; 16:4; 2 Chr 21:19).
259. Psalm 103:4 tn Or “redeems.”
260. Psalm 103:4 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 HT [55:23 ET]).
261. Psalm 103:5 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 (ʿedyekh, “your ornaments”) to עֹדֵכִי (ʿodekhi, “your duration; your continuance”), that is, “your life” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 18).
262. Psalm 103:5 sn The expression your youth is renewed like an eagle’s may allude to the phenomenon of molting, whereby the eagle grows new feathers.
263. Psalm 103:6 tn Heb “the Lord does fairness, and [acts of] justice for all the oppressed.”
264. Psalm 103:7 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).
265. Psalm 103:8 tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Ps 86:15).
266. Psalm 103:8 tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Ps 86:15).
267. Psalm 103:9 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).
268. Psalm 103:10 tn Heb “not according to our sins does he do to us.”
269. Psalm 103:10 tn Heb “and not according to our misdeeds does he repay us.”
270. Psalm 103:11 tn For this sense of the verb גָבַר (gavar), see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19.
271. Psalm 103:11 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
272. Psalm 103:12 tn Heb “sunrise.”
273. Psalm 103:12 tn Or “sunset.”
274. Psalm 103:12 tn The Hebrew term פֶּשַׁע (peshaʿ, rebellious act”) is here used metonymically for the guilt such actions produce.
275. Psalm 103:13 tn Or “sons,” but the Hebrew term sometimes refers to children in general.
276. Psalm 103:13 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
277. Psalm 103:14 tn Heb “our form.”
278. Psalm 103:14 tn Heb “remembers.”
279. Psalm 103:14 tn Heb “we [are] clay.”
280. Psalm 103:15 tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (ʾenosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.
281. Psalm 103:16 tn Heb “[the] wind.” The word “hot” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
282. Psalm 103:17 tn Heb “but the loyal love of the Lord [is] from everlasting to everlasting over those who fear him.”
283. Psalm 103:17 tn Heb “and his righteousness to sons of sons.”
284. Psalm 103:18 tn Heb “to those who remember his precepts to do them.”
285. Psalm 103:19 tn Heb “his kingdom rules over all.”
286. Psalm 103:20 tn Heb “[you] mighty ones of strength, doers of his word, by listening to the voice of his word.”
287. Psalm 103:21 tn Heb “all his hosts.”
288. Psalm 103:21 tn Heb “his attendants, doers of his desire.”
289. Psalm 103:22 tn Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.
290. Psalm 103:22 tn Heb “places.”
291. Psalm 104:1 sn Psalm 104. The psalmist praises God as the ruler of the world who sustains all life.
292. Psalm 104:1 tn Heb “very great.”
293. Psalm 104:3 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.
294. Psalm 104:3 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.
295. Psalm 104:4 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 from מְשָׁרְתָיו (m^eshar^etayv, “his attendants”) to מְשָׁרְתוֹ (m^eshar^eto, “his attendant”), a reading supported by one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 4Q⁹³.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.
296. Psalm 104:6 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 from כִּסִּיתוֹ (kissito) to a feminine verb with feminine suffix, כִּסַּתָּה (kissattah, “[the watery deep] covered it [i.e., the earth]”), a reading assumed by the present translation.
297. Psalm 104:6 tn Heb “stood.”
298. Psalm 104:6 sn Verse 6 refers to the condition described in Gen 1:2 (note the use of the Hebrew term תְּהוֹם [t^ehom, “watery deep”] in both texts).
299. Psalm 104:8 tn Heb “from your shout they fled, from the sound of your thunder they hurried off.”sn Verses 7-8 poetically depict Gen 1:9-10.
300. Psalm 104:9 tn Heb “a boundary you set up, they will not cross, they will not return to cover the earth.”
301. Psalm 104:10 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).
302. Psalm 104:12 tn Heb “among the thick foliage they give a sound.”
303. Psalm 104:13 tn Heb “from his upper rooms.”
304. Psalm 104:13 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).
305. Psalm 104:14 tn Heb “causes the grass to sprout up.”
306. Psalm 104:14 tn Heb “for the service of man” (see Gen 2:5).
307. Psalm 104:14 tn Heb “to cause food to come out from the earth.”
308. Psalm 104:15 tn Heb “and wine [that] makes the heart of man happy.”
309. Psalm 104:15 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”).
310. Psalm 104:15 tn Heb “and food [that] sustains the heart of man.”
311. Psalm 104:16 sn The trees of the Lord are the cedars of Lebanon (see the next line), which are viewed as special because of their great size and grandeur. The Lebanon forest was viewed elsewhere in the OT as the “garden of God” (see Ezek 31:8).
312. Psalm 104:16 tn Heb “are satisfied,” which means here that they receive abundant rain (see v. 13).
313. Psalm 104:17 tn Heb “[the] heron [in the] evergreens [is] its home.”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).
314. Psalm 104:18 tn Heb “the high mountains [are] for the goats.”
315. Psalm 104:19 tn Heb “he made [the] moon for appointed times.” The phrase “appointed times” probably refers to the months of the Hebrew lunar calendar.
316. Psalm 104:19 tn Heb more metaphorically, “knows its setting.”
317. Psalm 104:20 tn Heb “you make darkness, so that it might be night.”
318. Psalm 104:21 sn The lions’ roaring is viewed as a request for food from God.
319. Psalm 104:22 tn Heb “lie down.”
320. Psalm 104:23 tn Heb “man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening.”
321. Psalm 104:24 tn Heb “How many [are] your works, O Lord.” In this case the Lord’s “works” are the creatures he has made, as the preceding and following contexts make clear.
322. Psalm 104:24 tn Heb “all of them with wisdom you have made.”
323. Psalm 104:25 tn Heb “this [is] the sea, great and broad of hands [i.e., “sides” or “shores”].”
324. Psalm 104:25 tn Heb “where [there are] swimming things, and without number.”
325. Psalm 104:26 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.
326. Psalm 104:27 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.
327. Psalm 104:27 tn Heb “to give their food in its time.”
328. Psalm 104:28 tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] good.”
329. Psalm 104:29 tn Heb “you hide your face, they are terrified.”
330. Psalm 104:31 tn Heb “be forever.”
331. Psalm 104:31 tn Or “rejoice in his works.”
332. Psalm 104:33 tn Heb “in my duration.”
333. Psalm 104:34 tn That is, the psalmist’s thoughts as expressed in his songs of praise.
334. Psalm 104:35 tn Or “be destroyed.”
335. Psalm 105:1 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.
336. Psalm 105:5 tn Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”
337. Psalm 105:6 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
338. Psalm 105:6 tc Some mss have “Israel,” which appears in the parallel version of this psalm in 1 Chr 16:13.
339. Psalm 105:6 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
340. Psalm 105:6 tn Heb “sons.”
341. Psalm 105:6 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
342. Psalm 105:7 tn Heb “in all the earth [are] his judgments.”
343. Psalm 105:8 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.
344. Psalm 105:9 tn Heb “which.”
345. Psalm 105:10 tn Or “eternal covenant.”
346. Psalm 105:13 tn Heb “and from a kingdom to another nation.”
347. Psalm 105:15 tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
348. Psalm 105:15 tn Heb “anointed.”
349. Psalm 105:16 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).
350. Psalm 105:17 tn After the reference to the famine in v. 16, v. 17 flashes back to events that preceded the famine (see Gen 37).
351. Psalm 105:18 tn Heb “they afflicted his feet with shackles.”
352. Psalm 105:18 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.
353. Psalm 105:19 tn Heb “word,” probably referring to Joseph’s prediction about the fate of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker (see Gen 41:9-14).
354. Psalm 105:19 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).
355. Psalm 105:19 tn Heb “refined him.”
356. Psalm 105:20 tn Heb “[the] king sent and set him free.”
357. Psalm 105:21 tn Heb “he made him master of his house.”
358. Psalm 105:22 tn Heb “to bind his officials by his will.”
359. Psalm 105:22 tn Heb “and his elders he taught wisdom.”
360. Psalm 105:23 tn Heb “entered.”
361. Psalm 105:23 tn Heb “lived as a resident foreigner.”
362. Psalm 105:24 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
363. Psalm 105:24 tn Heb “him,” referring to “his people.”
364. Psalm 105:24 tn Heb “his,” referring to “his people.”
365. Psalm 105:25 tn Heb “their heart.”
366. Psalm 105:25 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.
367. Psalm 105:27 tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).
368. Psalm 105:28 tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”sn He made it dark. The psalmist begins with the ninth plague (see Exod 10:21-29).
369. Psalm 105:28 tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.
370. Psalm 105:31 tn Heb “he spoke and flies came.”
371. Psalm 105:32 tn Heb “he gave their rains hail.”
372. Psalm 105:32 tn Heb “fire of flames [was] in their land.”
373. Psalm 105:34 tn Heb “he spoke and locusts came.”
374. Psalm 105:35 tn Heb “the fruit of their ground.”
375. Psalm 105:36 tn Heb “the beginning of all their strength,” that is, reproductive power (see Ps 78:51).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.
376. Psalm 105:37 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Lord’s people) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
377. Psalm 105:37 tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
378. Psalm 105:38 tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”
379. Psalm 105:39 tn Or “curtain.”
380. Psalm 105:40 tn Heb “he [i.e., his people] asked.” The singular form should probably be emended to a plural שָׁאֲלוּ (shaʾalu, “they asked”), the ו (vav) having fallen off by haplography (note the vav at the beginning of the following form).
381. Psalm 105:40 tn Or “bread of heaven.” The reference is to manna (see Exod 16:4, 13-15).
382. Psalm 105:42 tn Or “for.”
383. Psalm 105:42 tn Heb “his holy word.”
384. Psalm 105:43 tn Heb “and he led his people out with joy, with a ringing cry, his chosen ones.”
385. Psalm 105:44 tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”
386. Psalm 105:45 tn Heb “guard.”
387. Psalm 106:1 sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.
388. Psalm 106:1 tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”
389. Psalm 106:2 tn Heb “[or] cause to be heard all his praise.”
390. Psalm 106:5 tn Heb “good.”
391. Psalm 106:5 tn Heb “in order that [I may] rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”
392. Psalm 106:5 tn Heb “with your inheritance.”
393. Psalm 106:6 tn Heb “with.”
394. Psalm 106:6 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 7).
395. Psalm 106:7 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.sn They rebelled. The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12.
396. Psalm 106:8 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
397. Psalm 106:9 tn Or “rebuked.”
398. Psalm 106:10 tn Heb “hand.”
399. Psalm 106:10 tn Or “redeemed.”
400. Psalm 106:10 tn Heb “hand.”
401. Psalm 106:11 tn Heb “remained.”
402. Psalm 106:12 tn Heb “his words.”
403. Psalm 106:13 tn Heb “his works.”
404. Psalm 106:13 tn Heb “his counsel.”
405. Psalm 106:14 sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35.
406. Psalm 106:14 tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”
407. Psalm 106:14 tn Heb “they tested God.”
408. Psalm 106:15 tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”sn Disease. See Num 11:33-34, where this plague is described.
409. Psalm 106:16 tn Or “envied.”
410. Psalm 106:16 tn Heb “the holy one of the Lord.”
411. Psalm 106:17 tn Or “covered.”
412. Psalm 106:17 tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”
413. Psalm 106:18 sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.
414. Psalm 106:20 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 Lord states that his people (Israel) exchanged “their glory” (a reference to the Lord) for worthless idols.
415. Psalm 106:21 tn Heb “forgot.”
416. Psalm 106:22 tn Or “awe-inspiring acts.”
417. Psalm 106:23 tn Heb “and he said.”
418. Psalm 106:23 tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”
419. Psalm 106:23 tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”
420. Psalm 106:23 tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”sn Verses 19-23 describe the events of Exod 32:1-35.
421. Psalm 106:24 tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).
422. Psalm 106:24 tn Heb “his word.”
423. Psalm 106:25 sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.
424. Psalm 106:25 tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”
425. Psalm 106:26 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).
426. Psalm 106:26 tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”
427. Psalm 106:27 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
428. Psalm 106:27 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”).
429. Psalm 106:27 tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
430. Psalm 106:28 tn Heb “joined themselves to.”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.
431. Psalm 106:28 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).
432. Psalm 106:29 tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew mss. Perhaps it was accidentally left off, an original וַיַּכְעִיסוּהוּ (vayyakhʿisuhu) being misread as וַיַּכְעִיסוּ (vayyakhʿisu). In the translation the referent of the pronominal suffix (the Lord) has been specified for clarity to avoid confusion with Baal of Peor (mentioned in the previous verse).
433. Psalm 106:30 sn The intervention of Phinehas is recounted in Num 25:7-8.
434. Psalm 106:31 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 (ts^edaqah, “righteousness”) only in Ps 106:31 and Gen 15:6, where God credits Abram’s faith as righteousness.
435. Psalm 106:32 tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”
436. Psalm 106:33 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.
437. Psalm 106:33 tn Heb “his spirit.”
438. Psalm 106:33 tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.sn Verses 32-33 allude to the events of Num 20:1-13.
439. Psalm 106:34 tn That is, the nations of Canaan.
440. Psalm 106:35 tn Heb “their deeds.”
441. Psalm 106:36 tn Or “served.”
442. Psalm 106:36 sn Became a snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.
443. Psalm 106:37 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.
444. Psalm 106:38 sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.
445. Psalm 106:39 tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the Lord (see Ps 73:27).
446. Psalm 106:40 tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against his people.”
447. Psalm 106:40 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
448. Psalm 106:41 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
449. Psalm 106:42 tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”
450. Psalm 106:43 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”).
451. Psalm 106:43 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”).
452. Psalm 106:43 tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.
453. Psalm 106:45 tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.
454. Psalm 106:46 tn Or “captors.”
455. Psalm 106:47 tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.
456. Psalm 106:47 tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”
457. Psalm 106:48 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
458. Psalm 106:48 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
459. Psalm 106:48 tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן,ʾamen), traditionally transliterated “amen.”
460. Psalm 106:48 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).