Written by David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away. 2
34:1 I will praise 3 the Lord at all times;
my mouth will continually praise him. 4
34:2 I will boast 5 in the Lord;
let the oppressed hear and rejoice! 6
34:3 Magnify the Lord with me!
Let’s praise 7 his name together!
34:4 I sought the Lord’s help 8 and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
34:5 Those who look to him for help are happy;
their faces are not ashamed. 9
34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him 10 from all his troubles.
34:7 The Lord’s angel camps around
the Lord’s 11 loyal followers 12 and delivers them. 13
34:8 Taste 14 and see that the Lord is good!
How blessed 15 is the one 16 who takes shelter in him! 17
34:9 Remain loyal to 18 the Lord, you chosen people of his, 19
for his loyal followers 20 lack nothing!
34:10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
34:11 Come children! Listen to me!
I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord. 21
34:12 Do you want to really live? 22
Would you love to live a long, happy life? 23
34:13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words 24
or use deceptive speech! 25
34:14 Turn away from evil and do what is right! 26
Strive for peace and promote it! 27
34:15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help. 28
34:16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth. 29
34:17 The godly 30 cry out and the Lord hears;
he saves them from all their troubles. 31
34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers 32 those who are discouraged. 33
34:19 The godly 34 face many dangers, 35
but the Lord saves 36 them 37 from each one of them.
34:20 He protects 38 all his bones; 39
not one of them is broken. 40
34:21 Evil people self-destruct; 41
those who hate the godly are punished. 42
34:22 The Lord rescues his servants; 43
all who take shelter in him escape punishment. 44
By David.
35:1 O Lord, fight 46 those who fight with me!
Attack those who attack me!
35:2 Grab your small shield and large shield, 47
and rise up to help me!
35:3 Use your spear and lance 48 against 49 those who chase me!
Assure me with these words: 50 “I am your deliverer!”
35:4 May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated!
May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed! 51
35:5 May they be 52 like wind-driven chaff,
as the Lord’s angel 53 attacks them! 54
35:6 May their path be 55 dark and slippery,
as the Lord’s angel chases them!
35:7 I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me
and dug a pit to trap me. 56
35:8 Let destruction take them by surprise! 57
Let the net they hid catch them!
Let them fall into destruction! 58
35:9 Then I will rejoice in the Lord
and be happy because of his deliverance. 59
35:10 With all my strength I will say, 60
“O Lord, who can compare to you?
You rescue 61 the oppressed from those who try to overpower them; 62
the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.” 63
35:11 Violent men perjure themselves, 64
and falsely accuse me. 65
35:12 They repay me evil for the good I have done; 66
I am overwhelmed with sorrow. 67
35:13 When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, 68
and refrained from eating food. 69
(If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!) 70
35:14 I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother. 71
I bowed down 72 in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother. 73
35:15 But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together;
they gathered together to ambush me. 74
They tore at me without stopping to rest. 75
35:16 When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly, 76
and tried to bite me. 77
35:17 O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? 78
Rescue 79 me 80 from their destructive attacks;
guard my life 81 from the young lions!
35:18 Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly; 82
I will praise you before a large crowd of people! 83
35:19 Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason 84 gloat 85 over me!
Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes! 86
35:20 For they do not try to make peace with others, 87
but plan ways to deceive those who are unsuspecting. 88
35:21 They are ready to devour me; 89
they say, “Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!” 90
35:22 But you take notice, 91 Lord!
O Lord, do not remain far away from me!
35:23 Rouse yourself, wake up 92 and vindicate me! 93
My God and Lord, defend my just cause! 94
35:24 Vindicate me by your justice, O Lord my God!
Do not let them gloat 95 over me!
35:25 Do not let them say to themselves, 96 “Aha! We have what we wanted!” 97
Do not let them say, “We have devoured him!”
35:26 May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 98
May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! 99
35:27 May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice!
May they continually say, 100 “May the Lord be praised, 101 for he wants his servant to be secure.” 102
35:28 Then I will tell others about your justice, 103
and praise you all day long. 104
For the music director; written by the Lord’s servant, David; an oracle. 106
36:1 An evil man is rebellious to the core. 107
He does not fear God, 108
36:2 for he is too proud
to recognize and give up his sin. 109
36:3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;
he does not care about doing what is wise and right. 110
36:4 He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed;
he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; 111
he does not reject what is evil. 112
36:5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky; 113
your faithfulness to the clouds. 114
36:6 Your justice is like the highest mountains, 115
your fairness like the deepest sea;
you preserve 116 mankind and the animal kingdom. 117
36:7 How precious 118 is your loyal love, O God!
The human race finds shelter under your wings. 119
36:8 They are filled with food from your house,
and you allow them to drink from the river of your delicacies.
36:9 For you are the one who gives
and sustains life. 120
36:10 Extend 121 your loyal love to your faithful followers, 122
and vindicate 123 the morally upright! 124
36:11 Do not let arrogant men overtake me,
or let evil men make me homeless! 125
36:12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen! 126
They have been knocked down and are unable to get up! 127
1 sn Psalm 34. In this song of thanksgiving the psalmist praises God for delivering him from distress. He encourages others to be loyal to the Lord, tells them how to please God, and assures them that the Lord protects his servants. The psalm is an acrostic; vv. 1-21 begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. (Verse 6 begins with the letter he (ה) and v. 7 with the letter zayin (ז). The letter vav (ו), which comes between ה and ז, seems to be omitted, although it does appear at the beginning of v. 6b. The final verse of the psalm, which begins with the letter pe (פ), is outside the acrostic scheme.
2 tn Heb “By David, when he changed his sense before Abimelech and he drove him away and he went.”
3 tn Heb “bless.”
4 tn Heb “continually [will] his praise [be] in my mouth.”
5 tn Heb “my soul will boast”; or better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.
6 tn The two prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best taken as jussives, for the psalmist is calling his audience to worship (see v. 3).
7 tn Or “exalt.”
8 tn Heb “I sought the
9 tc Heb “they look to him and are radiant and their faces are not ashamed.” The third person plural subject (“they”) is unidentified; there is no antecedent in the Hebrew text. For this reason some prefer to take the perfect verbal forms in the first line as imperatives, “look to him and be radiant” (cf. NEB, NRSV). Some medieval Hebrew
10 tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.
11 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the
12 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
13 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC 329 §111.u.
14 tn This verb is normally used of tasting or savoring food. The metaphor here appears to compare the
15 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
16 tn Heb “man.” The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.”
17 tn “Taking shelter” in the
18 tn Heb “fear.”
19 tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”
20 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
21 tn Heb “the fear of the
22 tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.
23 tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”
24 tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”
25 tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”
26 tn Or “do good.”
27 tn Heb “seek peace and pursue it.”
28 tn Heb “the eyes of the
29 tn Heb “the face of the
30 tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).
31 tn The three perfect verbal forms are taken in a generalizing sense in v. 17 and translated with the present tense (note the generalizing mood of vv. 18-22).
32 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
33 tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”
34 tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.
35 tn Or “trials.”
36 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
37 tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.
38 tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.
39 tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.
40 sn Not one of them is broken. The author of the Gospel of John saw a fulfillment of these words in Jesus’ experience on the cross (see John 19:31-37), for the Roman soldiers, when they saw that Jesus was already dead, did not break his legs as was customarily done to speed the death of crucified individuals. John’s use of the psalm seems strange, for the statement in its original context suggests that the Lord protects the godly from physical harm. Jesus’ legs may have remained unbroken, but he was brutally and unjustly executed by his enemies. John seems to give the statement a literal sense that is foreign to its original literary context by applying a promise of divine protection to a man who was seemingly not saved by God. However, John saw in this incident a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate deliverance and vindication. His unbroken bones were a reminder of God’s commitment to the godly and a sign of things to come. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story; God vindicated him, as John goes on to explain in the following context (John 19:38-20:18).
41 tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.
42 tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.
43 tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.
44 tn “Taking shelter” in the
45 sn Psalm 35. The author, who faces ruthless enemies who seek his life for no reason, begs the Lord to fight his battles for him and to vindicate him by annihilating his adversaries.
46 tn Or “contend.”
47 tn Two different types of shields are mentioned here. See also Ezek 38:4. Many modern translations render the first term (translated here “small shield”) as “buckler” (cf. NASB “buckler and shield”; the order is often reversed in the translation, apparently for stylistic reasons: cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “shield and buckler”). The English term “buckler,” referring to a small round shield held on the arm to protect the upper body, is unfamiliar to many modern readers, so the term “small shield” was used in the present translation for clarity.
48 tn Or “javelin.” On the meaning of this word, which occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, see M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:210-11.
49 tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”
50 tn Heb “say to me,” or “say to my soul.”
51 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies. See also the distinct jussive form in v. 6.
52 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.
53 sn See the mention of the
54 tn Heb “as the
55 tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.
56 tc Heb “for without cause they hid for me a pit of their net, without cause they dug for my life.” It appears that the words “pit” and “net” have been transposed. “Net” goes with the verb “hid” in the first line (see v. 8, as well as Pss 9:15; 31:4), while “pit” goes with the verb “dug” in the second line (see Ps 7:15).
57 tn Heb “let destruction [which] he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.
58 tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.
59 tn Heb “then my soul will rejoice in the
60 tn Heb “all my bones will say.”
61 tn Heb “[the one who] rescues.” The substantival participle in the Hebrew text characterizes God as one who typically rescues the oppressed.
62 tn Heb “from [the one who is] too strong for him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense. The typical oppressed individual and typical oppressor are in view.
63 tn Heb “the oppressed [one] and needy [one] from [the one who] robs him.” As in the previous line, the singular forms are used in a representative sense.
64 tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”
65 tn Heb “[that] which I do not know they ask me.”
66 tn Heb “they repay me evil instead of good.”
67 tn Heb “[there is] bereavement to my soul.”
68 tn Heb “as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.” Sackcloth was worn by mourners. When the psalmist’s enemies were sick, he was sorry for their misfortune and mourned for them.
69 sn Fasting was also a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities, such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
70 tn Heb “and my prayer upon my chest will return.” One could translate, “but my prayer was returning upon my chest,” but the use of the imperfect verbal form sets this line apart from the preceding and following lines (vv. 13a, 14), which use the perfect to describe the psalmist’s past actions.
71 tn Heb “like a friend, like a brother to me I walked about.”
72 sn I bowed down. Bowing down was a posture for mourning. See Ps 38:6.
73 tn Heb “like mourning for a mother [in] sorrow I bowed down.”
74 tn Heb “they gathered together against me, stricken [ones], and I did not know.” The Hebrew form נֵכִים (nekhim, “stricken ones” ?) is problematic. Some suggest an emendation to נָכְרִים[כְ] (kÿnokhÿrim, “foreigners”) or “like foreigners,” which would fit with what follows, “[like] foreigners that I do not recognize.” Perhaps the form should be read as a Qal active participle, נֹכִים (nokhim, “ones who strike”) from the verbal root נָכָה (nakhah, “to strike”). The Qal of this verb is unattested in biblical Hebrew, but the peal (basic) stem appears in Old Aramaic (J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire [BibOr], 114; DNWSI 1:730.) In this case one might translate, “attackers gathered together against me though I was not aware of it” (cf. NASB “smiters”; NEB, NRSV “ruffians”; NIV “attackers”).
75 tn Heb “they tore and did not keep quiet.” By using the verb “tear,” the psalmist likens his enemies to a wild animal (see Hos 13:8). In v. 17 he compares them to hungry young lions.
76 tc The MT reads “as profane [ones] of mockers of food,” which is nonsensical. The present translation assumes (1) an emendation of בְּחַנְפֵי (bÿkhanfey, “as profane men”) to בְּחַנְפִי (bekhanfiy, “when I tripped”; preposition + Qal infinitive construct from II חָנַף [“limp”] + first common singular pronominal suffix) and (2) an emendation of לַעֲגֵי מָעוֹג (la’agey ma’og, “mockers of food”) to עָגוּ[ם]לַעְגָּ (la’gam ’agu, “[with] taunting they taunted”; masculine plural noun with enclitic mem + Qal perfect third common plural from לַּעַג [la’ag, “taunt”]).
77 tn Heb “gnashing at me with their teeth.” The infinitive absolute adds a complementary action – they gnashed with their teeth as they taunted.
78 tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”
79 tn Heb “bring back, restore.”
80 tn Or “my life.”
81 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).
82 sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Ps 22:25.
83 tn Heb “among numerous people.”
84 tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Ps 38:19).
85 tn Heb “rejoice.”
86 tn Heb “[do not let] those who hate me without cause pinch [i.e., wink] an eye.” The negative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (see the preceding line). In the Book of Proverbs “winking an eye” is associated with deceit and trickery (see 6:13; 10:10; 16:30).
87 tn Heb “for they do not speak peace.”
88 tn Heb “but against the quiet ones of the land words of deceit they plan.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 20 highlight their characteristic behavior.
89 tn Heb “and they cause their mouth to be wide against me.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the generalizing mood of the previous verse. For other examples of this use of the prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive, see GKC 329 §111.t.
90 tn Heb “our eye sees.” Apparently this is an idiom meaning to “look in triumph” or “gloat over” (see Ps 54:7).
91 tn Heb “you see, O
92 sn Though he is confident that the Lord is aware of his situation (see v. 22a), the psalmist compares the Lord’s inactivity to sleep and urges him to wake up.
93 tn Heb “for my justice.”
94 tn Heb “for my cause.”
95 tn Heb “rejoice.”
96 tn Heb “in their heart[s].”
97 tn Heb “Aha! Our desire!” The “desire” of the psalmist’s enemies is to triumph over him.
98 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”
99 tn Heb “may they be clothed with shame and humiliation, the ones who magnify [themselves] against me.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 26 are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-25, where the negative particle אַל (’al) appears before the prefixed verbal forms, indicating they are jussives). The psalmist is calling down judgment on his enemies.
100 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27a are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-26).
101 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
102 tn Heb “the one who desires the peace of his servant.”
103 tn Heb “and my tongue will proclaim your justice.”
104 tn Heb “all the day your praise.” The verb “proclaim” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
105 sn Psalm 36. Though evil men plan to harm others, the psalmist is confident that the Lord is the just ruler of the earth who gives and sustains all life. He prays for divine blessing and protection and anticipates God’s judgment of the wicked.
106 tn In the Hebrew text the word נאם (“oracle”) appears at the beginning of the next verse (v. 2 in the Hebrew text because the superscription is considered v. 1). The resulting reading, “an oracle of rebellion for the wicked [is] in the midst of my heart” (cf. NIV) apparently means that the psalm, which foresees the downfall of the wicked, is a prophetic oracle about the rebellion of the wicked which emerges from the soul of the psalmist. One could translate, “Here is a poem written as I reflected on the rebellious character of evil men.” Another option, followed in the translation above, is to attach נאם (nÿ’um, “oracle”) with the superscription. For another example of a Davidic poem being labeled an “oracle,” see 2 Sam 23:1.
107 tn Heb “[the] rebellion of an evil man [is] in the midst of my heart.” The translation assumes a reading “in the midst of his heart” (i.e., “to the core”) instead of “in the midst of my heart,” a change which finds support in a a few medieval Hebrew
108 tn Heb “there is no dread of God before his eyes.” The phrase “dread of God” refers here to a healthy respect for God which recognizes that he will punish evil behavior.
109 tn Heb “for it causes to be smooth to him in his eyes to find his sin to hate.” The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. Perhaps the point is this: His rebellious attitude makes him reject any notion that God will hold him accountable. His attitude also prevents him from recognizing and repudiating his sinful ways.
110 tn Heb “he ceases to exhibit wisdom to do good.” The Hiphil forms are exhibitive, indicating the outward expression of an inner attitude.
111 tn Heb “he takes a stand in a way [that is] not good.” The word “way” here refers metaphorically to behavior or life style.
112 tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 highlight the characteristic behavior of the typical evildoer.
113 tn Heb “[is] in the heavens.”
114 sn The Lord’s loyal love/faithfulness is almost limitless. He is loyal and faithful to his creation and blesses mankind and the animal kingdom with physical life and sustenance (vv. 6-9).
115 tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.
116 tn Or “deliver.”
117 sn God’s justice/fairness is firm and reliable like the highest mountains and as abundant as the water in the deepest sea. The psalmist uses a legal metaphor to describe God’s preservation of his creation. Like a just judge who vindicates the innocent, God protects his creation from destructive forces.
118 tn Or “valuable.”
119 tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear.
120 tn Heb “for with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.” Water (note “fountain”) and light are here metaphors for life.
121 tn Heb “draw out to full length.”
122 tn Heb “to those who know you.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “know”) is used here of those who “know” the
123 tn Heb “and your justice to.” The verb “extend” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the previous line).
124 tn Heb “the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
125 tn Heb “let not a foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the evil ones cause me to wander as a fugitive.”
126 tn Heb “there the workers of wickedness have fallen.” The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the evildoers lying fallen at a spot that is vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.).
127 tn The psalmist uses perfect verbal forms in v. 12 to describe the demise of the wicked as if it has already taken place.