119:151 You are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are reliable. 1
85:9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance; 2
then his splendor will again appear in our land. 3
145:18 The Lord is near all who cry out to him,
all who cry out to him sincerely. 4
22:11 Do not remain far away from me,
for trouble is near and I have no one to help me. 5
34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers 6 those who are discouraged. 7
38:11 Because of my condition, 8 even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; 9
my neighbors stand far away. 10
148:14 He has made his people victorious, 11
and given all his loyal followers reason to praise –
the Israelites, the people who are close to him. 12
Praise the Lord!
15:3 He 13 does not slander, 14
or do harm to others, 15
or insult his neighbor. 16
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 18 a psalm of Asaph; a song.
75:1 We give thanks to you, O God! We give thanks!
You reveal your presence; 19
people tell about your amazing deeds.
1 tn Or “truth.”
2 tn Heb “certainly his deliverance [is] near to those who fear him.”
3 tn Heb “to dwell, glory, in our land.” “Glory” is the subject of the infinitive. The infinitive with -לְ (lÿ), “to dwell,” probably indicates result here (“then”). When God delivers his people and renews his relationship with them, he will once more reveal his royal splendor in the land.
3 tn Heb “in truth.”
4 tn Heb “and there is no helper.”
5 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
6 tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”
6 tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”
7 tn Heb “stand [aloof].”
8 tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”
7 tn Heb “and he lifted up a horn for his people.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Another option is to take the “horn” as a symbol for the Davidic king, through whom the
8 tn “[there is] praise for all his loyal followers, to the sons of Israel, the people near him.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the victory that prompts it.
8 sn Hebrew 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.
9 tn Heb “he does not slander upon his tongue.” For another example of רָגַל (ragal, “slander”) see 2 Sam 19:28.
10 tn Or “his fellow.”
11 tn Heb “and he does not lift up an insult against one who is near to him.”
9 sn Psalm 75. The psalmist celebrates God’s just rule, which guarantees that the godly will be vindicated and the wicked destroyed.
10 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-59.
11 tn Heb “and near [is] your name.”