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Text -- Psalms 73:4-28 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
73:4 For they suffer no pain ; their bodies are strong and well-fed .
73:5 They are immune to the trouble common to men ; they do not suffer as other men do.
73:6 Arrogance is their necklace , and violence their clothing .
73:7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong; their thoughts are sinful .
73:8 They mock and say evil things ; they proudly threaten violence .
73:9 They speak as if they rule in heaven , and lay claim to the earth .
73:10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat, and even suck up the water of the sea.
73:11 They say , “How does God know what we do? Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on ?”
73:12 Take a good look ! This is what the wicked are like, those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer .
73:13 I concluded, “Surely in vain I have kept my motives pure and maintained a pure lifestyle .
73:14 I suffer all day long, and am punished every morning .”
73:15 If I had publicized these thoughts, I would have betrayed your loyal followers .
73:16 When I tried to make sense of this , it was troubling to me .
73:17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple , and understood the destiny of the wicked.
73:18 Surely you put them in slippery places ; you bring them down to ruin .
73:19 How desolate they become in a mere moment ! Terrifying judgments make their demise complete !
73:20 They are like a dream after one wakes up . O Lord , when you awake you will despise them .
73:21 Yes , my spirit was bitter , and my insides felt sharp pain .
73:22 I was ignorant and lacked insight ; I was as senseless as an animal before you.
73:23 But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand .
73:24 You guide me by your wise advice , and then you will lead me to a position of honor .
73:25 Whom do I have in heaven but you? I desire no one but you on earth .
73:26 My flesh and my heart may grow weak , but God always protects my heart and gives me stability .
73:27 Yes , look ! Those far from you die ; you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you.
73:28 But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter , as I declare all the things you have done .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Asaph |
Blindness |
PROVERBS, THE BOOK OF |
PSALMS, BOOK OF |
ESCHATOLOGY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT |
GOD, 2 |
HEZEKIAH (2) |
JOB, BOOK OF |
AFFLICTION |
RETRIBUTION |
Wicked |
Manaen |
PSYCHOLOGY |
Psalms |
Temptation |
Rich, The |
Worldliness |
Integrity |
Death |
Meditation |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Psa 73:4; Psa 73:4; Psa 73:4; Psa 73:5; Psa 73:6; Psa 73:6; Psa 73:7; Psa 73:7; Psa 73:8; Psa 73:8; Psa 73:8; Psa 73:9; Psa 73:10; Psa 73:11; Psa 73:12; Psa 73:12; Psa 73:13; Psa 73:13; Psa 73:13; Psa 73:15; Psa 73:15; Psa 73:16; Psa 73:17; Psa 73:17; Psa 73:18; Psa 73:18; Psa 73:19; Psa 73:20; Psa 73:20; Psa 73:20; Psa 73:21; Psa 73:21; Psa 73:21; Psa 73:22; Psa 73:22; Psa 73:22; Psa 73:24; Psa 73:24; Psa 73:25; Psa 73:26; Psa 73:26; Psa 73:26; Psa 73:27; Psa 73:27; Psa 73:27; Psa 73:28; Psa 73:28
NET Notes: Psa 73:4 Or “fat.” The MT of v. 4 reads as follows: “for there are no pains at their death, and fat [is] their body.” Since a reference...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:5 Heb “in the trouble of man they are not, and with mankind they are not afflicted.”
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NET Notes: Psa 73:6 Heb “a garment of violence covers them.” The metaphor suggests that violence is habitual for the wicked. They “wear” it like c...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:7 Heb “the thoughts of [their] heart [i.e., mind] cross over” (i.e., violate God’s moral boundary, see Ps 17:3).
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NET Notes: Psa 73:8 Heb “oppression from an elevated place they speak.” The traditional accentuation of the MT places “oppression” with the preced...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:9 Heb “they set in heaven their mouth, and their tongue walks through the earth.” The meaning of the text is uncertain. Perhaps the idea is ...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:10 Heb “therefore his people return [so Qere (marginal reading); Kethib (consonantal text) has “he brings back”] to here, and waters of...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:11 Heb “How does God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High?” They appear to be practical atheists, who acknowledge God’s existenc...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:13 Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to ...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:15 Heb “look, the generation of your sons I would have betrayed.” The phrase “generation of your [i.e., God’s] sons” occurs...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:17 Heb “I discerned their end.” At the temple the psalmist perhaps received an oracle of deliverance announcing his vindication and the demis...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:20 Heb “you will despise their form.” The Hebrew term צֶלֶם (tselem, “form; image”) also suggests t...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:21 Heb “and [in] my kidneys I was pierced.” The imperfect verbal form here describes a continuing condition in a past time frame.
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NET Notes: Psa 73:24 Heb “and afterward [to] glory you will take me.” Some interpreters view this as the psalmist’s confidence in an afterlife in GodR...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:25 Heb “Who [is there] for me in heaven? And besides you I do not desire [anyone] in the earth.” The psalmist uses a merism (heaven/earth) to...
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NET Notes: Psa 73:26 Heb “is the rocky summit of my heart and my portion.” The psalmist compares the Lord to a rocky summit where one could go for protection a...
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