1 Chronicles 6:39

6:39 Serving beside him was his fellow Levite Asaph, ¹  son of Berechiah, son of Shimea,

1 Chronicles 25:2

25:2 From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were supervised by Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision. ² 

Psalms 73:1

Book 3
(Psalms 73-89)

Psalm 73 ³ 

A psalm by Asaph.

73:1 Certainly God is good to Israel, ⁴ 

and to those whose motives are pure! ⁵ 

Psalms 83:1

Psalm 83 ⁶ 

A song, a psalm of Asaph.

83:1 O God, do not be silent!

Do not ignore us! ⁷  Do not be inactive, O God!

[6:39]  ¹ tn Heb “and his brother Asaph, the one who stood at his right hand.”

[25:2]  ² tn Heb “the sons of Asaph [were] upon the hand of Asaph, the one prophesying upon the hands of the king.”

[73:1]  ³ sn Psalm 73. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist offers a personal testimony of his struggle with the age-old problem of the prosperity of the wicked. As he observed evil men prosper, he wondered if a godly lifestyle really pays off. In the midst of his discouragement, he reflected upon spiritual truths and realities. He was reminded that the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary. God will eventually vindicate his people.

[73:1]  ⁴ tn Since the psalm appears to focus on an individual’s concerns, not the situation of Israel, this introduction may be a later addition designed to apply the psalm’s message to the entire community. To provide a better parallel with the next line, some emend the Hebrew phrase לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֱלֹהִים (lÿyisra’el ’elohim, “to Israel, God”) to אֱלֹהִים [or אֵל] לָיָּשָׁר (’elohim [or ’el] lÿyyashar, “God [is good] to the upright one”).

[73:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “to the pure of heart.”

[83:1]  ⁶ 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.

[83:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “do not be deaf.”