Book 2
(Psalms 42-72)
For the music director; a well-written song 9 by the Korahites.
42:1 As a deer 10 longs 11 for streams of water,
so I long 12 for you, O God!
42:2 I thirst 13 for God,
for the living God.
I say, 14 “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?” 15
120:5 How miserable I am! 16
For I have lived temporarily 17 in Meshech;
I have resided among the tents of Kedar. 18
60:5 Then you will look and smile, 19
you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. 20
For the riches of distant lands 21 will belong to you
and the wealth of nations will come to you.
1 tn Heb “you will be left men (i.e., few) of number.”
2 tn Heb “You have no portion in the
3 tn Heb “fearing.”
4 tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”
5 tn Heb “to do the service of the
6 tn Or “peace offerings.”
7 tn Heb “You have no portion in the
8 sn Psalm 42. The psalmist recalls how he once worshiped in the Lord’s temple, but laments that he is now oppressed by enemies in a foreign land. Some medieval Hebrew
9 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.
10 tn Since the accompanying verb is feminine in form, the noun אָיִּל (’ayyil, “male deer”) should be emended to אַיֶּלֶת (’ayyelet, “female deer”). Haplography of the letter tav has occurred; note that the following verb begins with tav.
11 tn Or “pants [with thirst].”
12 tn Or “my soul pants [with thirst].” 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).
13 tn Or “my soul thirsts.”
14 tn The words “I say” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.
15 tn Heb “When will I go and appear [to] the face of God?” Some emend the Niphal verbal form אֵרָאֶה (’era’eh, “I will appear”) to a Qal אֶרְאֶה (’er’eh, “I will see”; see Gen 33:10), but the Niphal can be retained if one understands ellipsis of אֶת (’et) before “face” (see Exod 34:24; Deut 31:11).
16 tn Or “woe to me.” The Hebrew term אוֹיָה (’oyah, “woe”) which occurs only here, is an alternate form of אוֹי (’oy).
17 tn Heb “I live as a resident alien.”
18 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.
19 tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
20 tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”
21 tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.
22 tn Grk “brother.”
23 tn Grk “on account of food.”
24 tn Grk “according to love.”