Psalms 25:12

25:12 The Lord shows his faithful followers

the way they should live. ¹ 

Psalms 37:37

37:37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! ² 

For the one who promotes peace has a future. ³ 

Psalms 78:25

78:25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. ⁴ 

He sent them more than enough to eat. ⁵ 

Psalms 103:15

103:15 A person’s life is like grass. ⁶ 

Like a flower in the field it flourishes,

Psalms 112:5

112:5 It goes well for the one ⁷  who generously lends money,

and conducts his business honestly. ⁸ 

Psalms 144:3

144:3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race, ⁹  that you should notice them?

Of what importance is mankind, ¹⁰  that you should be concerned about them? ¹¹ 

Psalms 147:10

147:10 He is not enamored with the strength of a horse,

nor is he impressed by the warrior’s strong legs. ¹² 

¹ tn Heb “Who is this man, the one who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.” The singular (note “man”) is representative here (see v. 14, where the plural is used), and has thus been translated as a plural (“followers…they”).

² tn Or “upright.”

³ tn Heb “for [there is] an end for a man of peace.” Some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see the next verse and Ps 109:13; cf. NEB, NRSV).

³ sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).

⁴ tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”

⁴ tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.

⁵ tn Heb “man.”

⁶ tn Heb “he sustains his matters with justice.”

⁶ tn Heb “What is mankind?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race. See Ps 8:5.

⁷ tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.

⁸ tn Heb “take account of him.” The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.

⁷ tn Heb “he does not desire the strength of the horse, he does not take delight in the legs of the man.” Here “the horse” refers to the war horse used by ancient Near Eastern chariot forces, and “the man” refers to the warrior whose muscular legs epitomize his strength.