Psalms 24:2

24:2 For he set its foundation upon the seas,

and established it upon the ocean currents.

Psalms 25:11

25:11 For the sake of your reputation, O Lord,

forgive my sin, because it is great.

Psalms 28:8

28:8 The Lord strengthens his people;

he protects and delivers his chosen king.

Psalms 44:4

44:4 You are my king, O God!

Decree Jacob’s deliverance!

Psalms 50:6

50:6 The heavens declare his fairness, 10 

for God is judge. 11  (Selah)

Psalms 62:6

62:6 He alone is my protector 12  and deliverer.

He is my refuge; 13  I will not be upended. 14 

Psalms 81:4

81:4 For observing the festival is a requirement for Israel; 15 

it is an ordinance given by the God of Jacob.

Psalms 89:26

89:26 He will call out to me,

‘You are my father, 16  my God, and the protector who delivers me.’ 17 

Psalms 91:3

91:3 he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter 18 

and from the destructive plague.

Psalms 99:2

99:2 The Lord is elevated 19  in Zion;

he is exalted over all the nations.

Psalms 99:5

99:5 Praise 20  the Lord our God!

Worship 21  before his footstool!

He is holy!

Psalms 103:14

103:14 For he knows what we are made of; 22 

he realizes 23  we are made of clay. 24 

Psalms 115:10-11

115:10 O family 25  of Aaron, trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer 26  and protector. 27 

115:11 You loyal followers of the Lord, 28  trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer 29  and protector. 30 

Psalms 148:5

148:5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for he gave the command and they came into existence.


tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite, referring to the creation of the world.

sn He…established it upon the ocean currents. The description reflects ancient Israelite prescientific cosmology, which is based on outward appearances. The language also suggests that God’s creative work involved the subjugation of chaos, symbolized by the sea.

tn Heb “name.” By forgiving the sinful psalmist, the Lord’s reputation as a merciful God will be enhanced.

sn Forgive my sin, because it is great. The psalmist readily admits his desperate need for forgiveness.

tn Heb “the Lord [is] strength to them” (or perhaps, “to him”). The form לָמוֹ (lamo, “to them/him”) is probably a corruption of an original לְעַמוֹ (lÿamo, “to his people”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 236), perhaps due to quiescence of the letter ayin (ע; see P. McCarter, Textual Criticism [GBS], 55). Note the reference to the Lord’s “people” in the next verse.

tn Heb “he [is] a refuge of help for his anointed one.” The noun מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh, “anointed one”) refers to the Davidic king, who perhaps speaks as representative of the nation in this psalm. See Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17.

sn The speaker changes here to an individual, perhaps the worship leader or the king. The oscillation between singular (vv. 4, 6) and plural (vv. 1-3, 5, 7-8) in vv. 1-8 may reflect an antiphonal ceremony.

tc The LXX assumes a participle here (מְצַוֶּה [mÿtsavveh], “the one who commands/decrees”) which would stand in apposition to “my God.” It is possible that the MT, which has the imperative (צַוֵּה, tsavveh) form, has suffered haplography of the letter mem (ם). Note that the preceding word (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) ends in mem. Another option is that the MT is divided in the wrong place; perhaps one could move the final mem from אֱלֹהִים to the beginning of the next word and read מְצַוֶּה אֱלֹהָי (’elohay mÿtsavveh, “[You are my king,] my God, the one who decrees”).

tn That is, Israel. See Pss 14:7; 22:23.

tn Or “justice.”

10 tn Or “for God, he is about to judge.” The participle may be taken as substantival (as in the translation above) or as a predicate (indicating imminent future action in this context).

11 tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”

12 tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).

13 sn The wording is identical to that of v. 2, except that רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) does not appear in v. 6.

13 tn Heb “because a statute for Israel [is] it.”

15 sn You are my father. The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.

16 tn Heb “the rocky summit of my deliverance.”

17 tn The word refers specifically to a fowler (or hunter of birds).

19 tn Heb “great.”

21 tn Or “exalt.”

22 tn Or “bow down.”

23 tn Heb “our form.”

24 tn Heb “remembers.”

25 tn Heb “we [are] clay.”

25 tn Heb “house.”

26 tn Or “[source of] help.”

27 tn Heb “and their shield.”

27 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

28 tn Or “[source of] help.”

29 tn Heb “and their shield.”