Psalms 116:11

116:11 I rashly declared, 1 

“All men are liars.”

Psalms 116:1

Psalm 116 2 

116:1 I love the Lord

because he heard my plea for mercy, 3 

Psalms 23:1

Psalm 23 4 

A psalm of David.

23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, 5 

I lack nothing. 6 

Psalms 27:1

Psalm 27 7 

By David.

27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! 8 

I fear no one! 9 

The Lord protects my life!

I am afraid of no one! 10 

1 tn Heb “I said in my haste.”

2 sn Psalm 116. The psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him from a life threatening crisis and promises to tell the entire covenant community what God has done for him.

3 tn Heb “I love because the Lord heard my voice, my pleas.” It is possible that “the Lord” originally appeared directly after “I love” and was later accidentally misplaced. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls that God heard his cry for help (note the perfect in v. 2a and the narrative in vv. 3-4).

4 sn Psalm 23. In vv. 1-4 the psalmist pictures the Lord as a shepherd who provides for his needs and protects him from danger. The psalmist declares, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and then extends and develops that metaphor, speaking as if he were a sheep. In vv. 5-6 the metaphor changes as the psalmist depicts a great royal banquet hosted by the Lord. The psalmist is a guest of honor and recipient of divine favor, who enjoys unlimited access to the divine palace and the divine presence.

5 sn The LORD is my shepherd. The opening metaphor suggests the psalmist is assuming the role of a sheep. In vv. 1b-4 the psalmist extends the metaphor and explains exactly how the LORD is like a shepherd to him. At the surface level the language can be understood in terms of a shepherd’s relationship to his sheep. The translation of vv. 1-4 reflects this level. But, of course, each statement also points to an underlying reality.

6 tn The imperfect verbal form is best understood as generalizing; the psalmist highlights his typical or ongoing experience as a result of having the LORD as his shepherd (habitual present use). The next verse explains more specifically what he means by this statement.

7 sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.

8 tn Heb “the Lord [is] my light and my deliverance.” “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Another option is that “light” refers here to divine guidance (see Ps 43:3).

9 tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

10 tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”