A psalm by Asaph.
50:1 El, God, the Lord 2 speaks,
and summons the earth to come from the east and west. 3
A well-written song 5 by Asaph.
74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? 6
Why does your anger burn 7 against the sheep of your pasture?
A song, a psalm of Asaph.
83:1 O God, do not be silent!
Do not ignore us! 9 Do not be inactive, O God!
A song, a psalm of Asaph.
83:1 O God, do not be silent!
Do not ignore us! 11 Do not be inactive, O God!
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style; 13 a psalm of David.
6:1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger!
Do not discipline me in your raging fury! 14
A psalm of David.
15:1 Lord, who may be a guest in your home? 16
Who may live on your holy hill? 17
16:7 I will praise 18 the Lord who 19 guides 20 me;
yes, during the night I reflect and learn. 21
A prayer 23 of David.
16:1 Protect me, O God, for I have taken shelter in you. 24
By David.
25:1 O Lord, I come before you in prayer. 26
25:2 My God, I trust in you.
Please do not let me be humiliated;
do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!
25:3 Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated.
Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted 27 and humiliated.
25:4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!
Teach me your paths! 28
25:5 Guide me into your truth 29 and teach me.
For you are the God who delivers me;
on you I rely all day long.
25:6 Remember 30 your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,
for you have always acted in this manner. 31
25:2 My God, I trust in you.
Please do not let me be humiliated;
do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!
A psalm of David.
29:1 Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings, 33
acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power! 34
1 sn Psalm 50. This psalm takes the form of a covenant lawsuit in which the Lord comes to confront his people in a formal manner (as in Isa 1:2-20). The Lord emphasizes that he places priority on obedience and genuine worship, not empty ritual.
2 sn Israel’s God is here identified with three names: El (אֵל [’el], or “God”), Elohim (אֱלֹהִים [’elohim], or “God”), and Yahweh (יְהוָה [yÿhvah] or “the
3 tn Heb “and calls [the] earth from the sunrise to its going.”
4 sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586
5 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
6 sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.
7 tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.
8 sn Psalm 83. The psalmist asks God to deliver Israel from the attacks of foreign nations. Recalling how God defeated Israel’s enemies in the days of Deborah and Gideon, he prays that the hostile nations would be humiliated.
9 tn Heb “do not be deaf.”
10 sn Psalm 83. The psalmist asks God to deliver Israel from the attacks of foreign nations. Recalling how God defeated Israel’s enemies in the days of Deborah and Gideon, he prays that the hostile nations would be humiliated.
11 tn Heb “do not be deaf.”
12 sn Psalm 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, the psalmist then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.
13 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit, “sheminith”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
14 sn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).
15 sn Psalm 15. This psalm describes the character qualities that one must possess to be allowed access to the divine presence.
16 tn Heb “Who may live as a resident alien in your tent?”
17 sn In this context the Lord’s holy hill probably refers to Zion/Jerusalem. See Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 43:3; 48:1; 87:1; Dan 9:16.
18 tn Heb “bless,” that is, “proclaim as worthy of praise.”
19 tn Or “because.”
20 tn Or “counsels, advises.”
21 tn Heb “yes, [during] nights my kidneys instruct [or “correct”] me.” The “kidneys” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s moral character (see Ps 26:2). In the quiet darkness the
22 sn Psalm 16. The psalmist seeks divine protection because he has remained loyal to God. He praises God for his rich blessings, and is confident God will vindicate him and deliver him from death.
23 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מִכְתָּם (mikhtam) is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
24 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results (see 7:1; 11:1).
25 sn Psalm 25. The psalmist asks for divine protection, guidance and forgiveness as he affirms his loyalty to and trust in the Lord. This psalm is an acrostic; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except for v. 18, which, like v. 19, begins with ר (resh) instead of the expected ק (qof). The final verse, which begins with פ (pe), stands outside the acrostic scheme.
26 tn Heb “to you, O
27 tn Heb “those who deal in treachery in vain.” The adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “in vain”) probably refers to the failure (or futility) of their efforts. Another option is to understand it as meaning “without cause” (cf. NIV “without excuse”; NRSV “wantonly treacherous”).
28 sn Teach me your paths. In this context the
29 sn The
30 tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating.
31 tn Heb “for from antiquity [are] they.”
32 sn Psalm 29. In this hymn of praise the psalmist calls upon the heavenly assembly to acknowledge the royal splendor of the Lord. He describes the Lord’s devastating power as revealed in the thunderstorm and affirms that the Lord exerts this awesome might on behalf of his people. In its original context the psalm was a bold polemic against the Canaanite storm god Baal, for it affirms that the Lord is the real king who controls the elements of the storm, contrary to pagan belief. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 150 (1994): 280-82.
33 tc Heb “sons of gods,” or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the MT, it is likely that the final mem is actually enclitic, rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8.
34 tn Or “ascribe to the