137:3 for there our captors ask us to compose songs; 1
those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying: 2
“Sing for us a song about Zion!” 3
A song of ascents. 5
130:1 From the deep water 6 I cry out to you, O Lord.
33:3 Sing to him a new song! 7
Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him! 8
For the music director; a song, a psalm.
66:1 Shout out praise to God, all the earth!
69:30 I will sing praises to God’s name! 10
I will magnify him as I give him thanks! 11
Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.
87:1 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills. 13
96:1 Sing to the Lord a new song! 15
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
A song of ascents. 17
120:1 In my distress I cried out
to the Lord and he answered me.
A song of ascents. 19
123:1 I look up 20 toward you,
the one enthroned 21 in heaven.
A song of ascents. 23
128:1 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, 24
each one who keeps his commands! 25
A song of ascents. 27
129:1 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”
let Israel say.
A song of ascents. 29
132:1 O Lord, for David’s sake remember
all his strenuous effort, 30
137:4 How can we sing a song to the Lord
in a foreign land?
1 tn Heb “ask us [for] the words of a song.”
2 tn Heb “our [?] joy.” The derivation and meaning of the Hebrew phrase תוֹלָלֵינוּ (tolalenu, “our [?]”) are uncertain. A derivation from תָּלַל (talal, “to mock”) fits contextually, but this root occurs only in the Hiphil stem. For a discussion of various proposals, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 236.
3 tn Heb “from a song of Zion.” Most modern translations read, “one of the songs of Zion,” taking the preposition מִן (min, “from”) as partitive and “song” as collective. The present translation assumes the mem (ם) is enclitic, being misunderstood later as the prefixed preposition.
4 sn Psalm 130. The psalmist, confident of the Lord’s forgiveness, cries out to the Lord for help in the midst of his suffering and urges Israel to do the same.
5 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
6 tn Heb “depths,” that is, deep waters (see Ps 69:2, 14; Isa 51:10), a metaphor for the life-threatening danger faced by the psalmist.
7 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.
8 tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”
10 sn Psalm 66. The psalmist praises God because he has delivered his people from a crisis.
13 tn Heb “I will praise the name of God with a song.”
14 tn Heb “I will magnify him with thanks.”
16 sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.
17 tn Heb “his foundation [is] in the hills of holiness.” The expression “his foundation” refers here by metonymy to the
19 sn Psalm 96. The psalmist summons everyone to praise the Lord, the sovereign creator of the world who preserves and promotes justice in the earth.
20 sn A new song is appropriate because the
22 sn Psalm 120. The genre and structure of this psalm are uncertain. It begins like a thanksgiving psalm, with a brief notice that God has heard the psalmist’s prayer for help and has intervened. But v. 2 is a petition for help, followed by a taunt directed toward enemies (vv. 3-4) and a lament (vv. 5-7). Perhaps vv. 2-7 recall the psalmist’s prayer when he cried out to the Lord.
23 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
25 sn Psalm 123. The psalmist, speaking for God’s people, acknowledges his dependence on God in the midst of a crisis.
26 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
27 tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”
28 tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb יָשַׁב (yashav) is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12).
28 sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.
29 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
30 tn Heb “every fearer of the
31 tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”
31 sn Psalm 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.
32 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
34 sn Psalm 132. The psalmist reminds God of David’s devotion and of his promises concerning David’s dynasty and Zion.
35 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
36 tn Heb “all his affliction.” This may refer to David’s strenuous and tireless efforts to make provision for the building of the temple (see 1 Chr 22:14). Some prefer to revocalize the text as עַנַוָתוֹ (’anavato, “his humility”).