16:8 I constantly trust in the Lord; 1
because he is at my right hand, I will not be upended.
18:12 From the brightness in front of him came
hail and fiery coals. 2
38:17 For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain. 3
44:15 All day long I feel humiliated 4
and am overwhelmed with shame, 5
50:8 I am not condemning 6 you because of your sacrifices,
or because of your burnt sacrifices that you continually offer me. 7
51:3 For I am aware of 8 my rebellious acts;
I am forever conscious of my sin. 9
78:12 He did amazing things in the sight of their ancestors,
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. 10
89:36 His dynasty will last forever. 11
His throne will endure before me, like the sun, 12
109:15 May the Lord be constantly aware of them, 13
and cut off the memory of his children 14 from the earth!
116:14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people.
116:18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
before all his people,
119:168 I keep your precepts and rules,
for you are aware of everything I do. 15
By David.
138:1 I will give you thanks with all my heart;
before the heavenly assembly 17 I will sing praises to you.
1 tn Heb “I set the
2 tc Heb “from the brightness in front of him his clouds came, hail and coals of fire.” 2 Sam 22:13 reads, “from the brightness in front of him burned coals of fire.” The Lucianic family of texts within the Greek tradition of 2 Sam 22:13 seems to assume the underlying Hebrew text: מנגה נגדו עברו ברד וגחלי אשׁ, “from the brightness in front of him came hail and coals of fire” (the basis for the present translation). The textual situation is perplexing and the identity of the original text uncertain. The verbs עָבָרוּ (’avaru; Ps 18:12) and בָּעֲרוּ (ba’aru; 2 Sam 22:13) appear to be variants involving a transposition of the first two letters. The noun עָבָיו (’avayv, “his clouds,” Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the following עָבְרוּ, ’avru), or it could have accidentally dropped out from the text of 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ, which might have originally read עָבְרוּ). The noun בָּרָד (barad, “hail,” Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the preceding עָבְרוּ), or it could have dropped out from 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ, which might have originally read עָבְרוּ). For a fuller discussion of the text and its problems, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 74-76.
3 tn Heb “and my pain [is] before me continually.”
4 tn Heb “all the day my humiliation [is] in front of me.”
5 tn Heb “and the shame of my face covers me.”
5 tn Or “rebuking.”
6 tn Heb “and your burnt sacrifices before me continually.”
6 tn Heb “know.”
7 tn Heb “and my sin [is] in front of me continually.”
7 sn The region of Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta, where the enslaved Israelites lived (see Num 13:22; Isa 19:11, 13; 30:4; Ezek 30:14).
8 tn Heb “his offspring forever will be.”
9 tn Heb “and his throne like the sun before me.”
9 tn Heb “may they [that is, the sins mentioned in v. 14] be before the
10 tn Heb “their memory.” The plural pronominal suffix probably refers back to the children mentioned in v. 13, and for clarity this has been specified in the translation.
10 tn Heb “for all my ways [are] before you.”
11 sn Psalm 138. The psalmist vows to thank the Lord for his deliverance and protection.
12 tn The referent of the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is unclear. It refers either to the angelic assembly (see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5) or to the pagan gods (see Pss 82:1, 6; 86:8; 97:7), in which case the psalmist’s praise takes on a polemical tone.