34:9 Remain loyal to 1 the Lord, you chosen people of his, 2
for his loyal followers 3 lack nothing!
66:16 Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God! 4
I will declare what he has done for me.
89:7 a God who is honored 5 in the great angelic assembly, 6
and more awesome than 7 all who surround him?
111:9 He delivered his people; 8
he ordained that his covenant be observed forever. 9
His name is holy and awesome.
141:5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me!
May my head not refuse 10 choice oil! 11
Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds. 12
1 tn Heb “fear.”
2 tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”
3 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
4 tn Heb “all of the fearers of God.”
7 tn Heb “feared.”
8 tn Heb “in the great assembly of the holy ones.”
9 tn Or perhaps “feared by.”
10 tn Heb “redemption he sent for his people.”
11 tn Heb “he commanded forever his covenant.”
13 tn The form יָנִי (yaniy) appears to be derived from the verbal root נוּא (nu’). Another option is to emend the form to יְנָא (yÿna’), a Piel from נָאָה (na’ah), and translate “may choice oil not adorn my head” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 271). In this case, choice oil, like delicacies in v. 4, symbolize the pleasures of sin.
14 sn May my head not refuse choice oil. The psalmist compares the constructive criticism of the godly (see the previous line) to having refreshing olive oil poured over one’s head.
15 tc Heb “for still, and my prayer [is] against their evil deeds.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult; the sequence -כִּי־עוֹד וּ (kiy-’od u-, “for still and”) occurs only here. The translation assumes an emendation to כִּי עֵד תְפלָּתִי (“indeed a witness [is] my prayer”). The psalmist’s lament about the evil actions of sinful men (see v. 4) testifies against the wicked in the divine court.