Book 1
(Psalms 1-41)
1:1 How blessed 2 is the one 3 who does not follow 4 the advice 5 of the wicked, 6
or stand in the pathway 7 with sinners,
or sit in the assembly 8 of scoffers! 9
For the music director; according to the alumoth-labben style; 11 a psalm of David.
9:1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart!
I will tell about all your amazing deeds! 12
9:2 I will be happy and rejoice in you!
I will sing praises to you, O sovereign One! 13
9:3 When my enemies turn back,
they trip and are defeated 14 before you.
9:4 For you defended my just cause; 15
from your throne you pronounced a just decision. 16
9:5 You terrified the nations with your battle cry; 17
you destroyed the wicked; 18
you permanently wiped out all memory of them. 19
9:6 The enemy’s cities have been reduced to permanent ruins; 20
you destroyed their cities; 21
all memory of the enemies has perished. 22
9:7 But the Lord 23 rules 24 forever;
he reigns in a just manner. 25
9:8 He judges the world fairly;
he makes just legal decisions for the nations. 26
9:9 Consequently 27 the Lord provides safety for the oppressed; 28
he provides safety in times of trouble. 29
9:10 Your loyal followers trust in you, 30
for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help. 31
9:11 Sing praises to the Lord, who rules 32 in Zion!
Tell the nations what he has done! 33
9:12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; 34
he did not overlook 35 their cry for help 36
9:13 when they prayed: 37
“Have mercy on me, 38 Lord!
See how I am oppressed by those who hate me, 39
O one who can snatch me away 40 from the gates of death!
9:14 Then I will 41 tell about all your praiseworthy acts; 42
in the gates of Daughter Zion 43 I will rejoice because of your deliverance.” 44
9:15 The nations fell 45 into the pit they had made;
their feet were caught in the net they had hidden. 46
9:16 The Lord revealed himself;
he accomplished justice;
the wicked were ensnared by their own actions. 47 (Higgaion. 48 Selah)
9:17 The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol; 49
this is the destiny of 50 all the nations that ignore 51 God,
9:18 for the needy are not permanently ignored, 52
the hopes of the oppressed are not forever dashed. 53
9:19 Rise up, Lord! 54
Don’t let men be defiant! 55
May the nations be judged in your presence!
9:20 Terrify them, Lord! 56
Let the nations know they are mere mortals! 57 (Selah)
1 sn Psalm 1. In this wisdom psalm the author advises his audience to reject the lifestyle of the wicked and to be loyal to God. The psalmist contrasts the destiny of the wicked with that of the righteous, emphasizing that the wicked are eventually destroyed while the godly prosper under the Lord’s protective care.
2 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 3; Pss 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
3 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.” (Generic “he” is employed in vv. 2-3). Since the godly man described in the psalm is representative of followers of God (note the plural form צַדִּיקִים [tsadiqim, “righteous, godly”] in vv. 5-6), one could translate the collective singular with the plural “those” both here and in vv. 2-3, where singular pronouns and verbal forms are utilized in the Hebrew text (cf. NRSV). However, here the singular form may emphasize that godly individuals are usually outnumbered by the wicked. Retaining the singular allows the translation to retain this emphasis.
4 tn Heb “walk in.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 1 refer in this context to characteristic behavior. The sequence “walk–stand–sit” envisions a progression from relatively casual association with the wicked to complete identification with them.
5 tn The Hebrew noun translated “advice” most often refers to the “counsel” or “advice” one receives from others. To “walk in the advice of the wicked” means to allow their evil advice to impact and determine one’s behavior.
6 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21).
7 tn “Pathway” here refers to the lifestyle of sinners. To “stand in the pathway of/with sinners” means to closely associate with them in their sinful behavior.
8 tn Here the Hebrew term מוֹשַׁב (moshav), although often translated “seat” (cf. NEB, NIV), appears to refer to the whole assembly of evildoers. The word also carries the semantic nuance “assembly” in Ps 107:32, where it is in synonymous parallelism with קָהָל (qahal, “assembly”).
9 tn The Hebrew word refers to arrogant individuals (Prov 21:24) who love conflict (Prov 22:10) and vociferously reject wisdom and correction (Prov 1:22; 9:7-8; 13:1; 15:12). To “sit in the assembly” of such people means to completely identify with them in their proud, sinful plans and behavior.
10 sn Psalm 9. The psalmist, probably speaking on behalf of Israel or Judah, praises God for delivering him from hostile nations. He celebrates God’s sovereignty and justice, and calls on others to join him in boasting of God’s greatness. Many Hebrew
11 tc The meaning of the Hebrew term עַלְמוּת (’almut) is uncertain. Some
12 tn The cohortative forms in vv. 1-2 express the psalmist’s resolve to praise God publicly.
19 tn Heb “[to] your name, O Most High.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyo/) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
28 tn Or “perish”; or “die.” The imperfect verbal forms in this line either emphasize what typically happens or describe vividly the aftermath of a recent battle in which the
37 tn Heb “for you accomplished my justice and my legal claim.”
38 tn Heb “you sat on a throne [as] one who judges [with] righteousness.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 4 probably allude to a recent victory (see vv. 5-7). Another option is to understand the verbs as describing what is typical (“you defend…you sit on a throne”).
46 tn The verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) is often understood to mean “rebuke” and in this context taken to refer to the
47 tn The singular form is collective (note “nations” and “their name”). In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). In this context the hostile nations who threaten Israel/Judah are in view.
48 tn Heb “their name you wiped out forever and ever.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 5 probably refer to a recent victory (definite past or present perfect use), although they might express what is typical (characteristic use).
55 tn Heb “the enemy – they have come to an end [in] ruins permanently.” The singular form אוֹיֵב (’oyev, “enemy”) is collective. It is placed at the beginning of the verse to heighten the contrast with יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the
56 tn Heb “you uprooted cities.”
57 tn Heb “it has perished, their remembrance, they.” The independent pronoun at the end of the line is in apposition to the preceding pronominal suffix and lends emphasis (see IBHS 299 §16.3.4). The referent of the masculine pronoun is the nations/enemies (cf. v. 5), not the cities (the Hebrew noun עָרִים [’arim, “cities”] is grammatically feminine). This has been specified in the present translation for clarity; many modern translations retain the pronoun “them,” resulting in ambiguity (cf. NRSV “their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished”).
64 tn The construction vav (ו) + subject highlights the contrast between the exalted
65 tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, see v. 4). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.
66 tn Heb “he establishes for justice his throne.”
73 tn Heb “the peoples.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 8 either describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).
82 tn Following the imperfect in v. 9, the construction vav (ו) conjunctive + shortened form of the prefixed verb הָיָה (hayah) indicates a consequence or result of the preceding statement. The construction functions this same way in Pss 81:15 and 104:20.
83 tn Heb “and the
84 tn Heb “[he is] an elevated place for times in trouble.” Here an “elevated place” refers to a stronghold, a defensible, secure position that represents a safe haven in times of unrest or distress (cf. NEB “tower of strength”; NIV, NRSV “stronghold”).
91 tn Heb “and the ones who know your name trust in you.” The construction vav (ו) conjunctive + imperfect at the beginning of the verse expresses another consequence of the statement made in v. 8. “To know” the
92 tn Heb “the ones who seek you.”
100 tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, and therefore ruling – see v. 4). Another option is to translate as “lives” or “dwells.”
101 tn Heb “declare among the nations his deeds.”
109 tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “to seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea “to seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form דָּמִים (damim, “shed blood”) occurs only here as the object of דָּרַשׁ (darash); the singular form דָּם (dam, “blood”) appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
110 tn Heb “did not forget.”
111 tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.
118 tn The words “when they prayed,” though not represented in the Hebrew text, are supplied in the translation for clarification. The petition in vv. 13-14 is best understood as the cry for help which the oppressed offered to God when the nations threatened. The
119 tn Or “show me favor.”
120 tn Heb “see my misery from the ones who hate me.”
121 tn Heb “one who lifts me up.”
127 tn Or “so that I might.”
128 tn Heb “all your praise.” “Praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt it.
129 sn Daughter Zion is an idiomatic title for Jerusalem. It appears frequently in the prophets, but only here in the psalms.
130 tn Heb “in your deliverance.”
136 tn Heb “sank down.”
137 sn The hostility of the nations against God’s people is their downfall, for it prompts God to intervene and destroy them. See also Ps 7:15-16.
145 tn Heb “by the work of his hands [the] wicked [one] was ensnared. The singular form רָשָׁע (rasha’, “wicked”) is collective or representative here (see vv. 15, 17). The form נוֹקֵשׁ (noqesh) appears to be an otherwise unattested Qal form (active participle) from נָקַשׁ (naqash), but the form should be emended to נוֹקַשׁ (noqash), a Niphal perfect from יָקַשׁ (yaqash).
146 tn This is probably a technical musical term.
154 tn Heb “the wicked turn back to Sheol.” The imperfect verbal form either emphasizes what typically happens or describes vividly the aftermath of the
155 tn The words “this is the destiny of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The verb “are turned back” is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
156 tn Heb “forget.” “Forgetting God” refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see also Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 44:20). The nations’ refusal to acknowledge God’s sovereignty accounts for their brazen attempt to attack and destroy his people.
163 tn Or “forgotten.”
164 tn Heb “the hope of the afflicted does [not] perish forever.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The imperfect verbal forms express what typically happens.
172 sn Rise up,
173 tn Or “prevail.”
181 tn Heb “place,
182 tn Heb “let the nations know they [are] man[kind]”; i.e., mere human beings (as opposed to God).