Psalms 7:17

7:17 I will thank the Lord for ¹  his justice;

I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord! ² 

Psalms 9:1

Psalm 9 ³ 

For the music director; according to the alumoth-labben style; ⁴  a psalm of David.

9:1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart!

I will tell about all your amazing deeds! ⁵ 

Psalms 22:22

22:22 I will declare your name to my countrymen! ⁶ 

In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!

Psalms 22:25

22:25 You are the reason I offer praise ⁷  in the great assembly;

I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. ⁸ 

Psalms 71:22-23

71:22 I will express my thanks to you with a stringed instrument,

praising ⁹  your faithfulness, O my God!

I will sing praises to you accompanied by a harp,

O Holy One of Israel! ¹⁰ 

71:23 My lips will shout for joy! Yes, ¹¹  I will sing your praises!

I will praise you when you rescue me! ¹² 

Psalms 108:1-3

Psalm 108 ¹³ 

A song, a psalm of David.

108:1 I am determined, ¹⁴  O God!

I will sing and praise you with my whole heart. ¹⁵ 

108:2 Awake, O stringed instrument and harp!

I will wake up at dawn! ¹⁶ 

108:3 I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord!

I will sing praises to you before foreigners! ¹⁷ 

¹ tn Heb “according to.”

² tn Heb “[to] the name of the Lord Most High.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case the compound “Lord Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.

³ sn Psalm 9. The psalmist, probably speaking on behalf of Israel or Judah, praises God for delivering him from hostile nations. He celebrates God’s sovereignty and justice, and calls on others to join him in boasting of God’s greatness. Many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version (LXX) combine Psalms 9 and 10 into a single psalm.

⁴ tc The meaning of the Hebrew term עַלְמוּת (’almut) is uncertain. Some mss divide the form into עַל מוּת (’al mut, “according to the death [of the son]”), while the LXX assumes a reading עֲלֻמוֹת עַל (’al ’alumot, “according to alumoth”). The phrase probably refers to a particular tune or musical style.

⁵ tn The cohortative forms in vv. 1-2 express the psalmist’s resolve to praise God publicly.

⁶ tn Or “brothers,” but here the term does not carry a literal familial sense. It refers to the psalmist’s fellow members of the Israelite covenant community (see v. 23).

⁷ tn Heb “from with you [is] my praise.”

⁸ tn Heb “my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.” When asking the Lord for help, the psalmists would typically promise to praise the Lord publicly if he intervened and delivered them.

⁹ tn The word “praising” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁰ sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior.

¹¹ tn Or “when.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) has an emphasizing (asseverative) function here.

¹² tn Heb “and my life [or “soul”] which you will have redeemed.” The perfect verbal form functions here as a future perfect. The psalmist anticipates praising God, for God will have rescued him by that time.

¹³ sn Psalm 108. With some minor variations, this psalm is a composite of Ps 57:7-11 (see vv. 1-5) and Ps 60:5-12 (see vv. 6-13).

¹⁴ tn Or perhaps “confident”; Heb “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.

¹⁵ tn Heb “also my glory,” but this makes little sense in the context. Some view the term כָּבוֹד (“glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvodiy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 57:9; as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 3:93. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”

¹⁶ tn BDB 1007 s.v. שַׁחַר takes “dawn” as an adverbial accusative, though others understand it as a personified direct object. “Dawn” is used metaphorically for the time of deliverance and vindication the psalmist anticipates. When salvation “dawns,” the psalmist will “wake up” in praise.

¹⁷ tn Or “the peoples.”