Psalms 4:2-3

4:2 You men, ¹  how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? ² 

How long ³  will you love what is worthless ⁴ 

and search for what is deceptive? ⁵  (Selah)

4:3 Realize that ⁶  the Lord shows the godly special favor; ⁷ 

the Lord responds ⁸  when I cry out to him.

Psalms 38:15

38:15 Yet ⁹  I wait for you, O Lord!

You will respond, O Lord, my God!

Psalms 50:15

50:15 Pray to me when you are in trouble! ¹⁰ 

I will deliver you, and you will honor me!” ¹¹ 

Psalms 65:2

65:2 You hear prayers; ¹² 

all people approach you. ¹³ 

Psalms 65:1

Psalm 65 ¹⁴ 

For the music director; a psalm of David, a song.

65:1 Praise awaits you, ¹⁵  O God, in Zion.

Vows made to you are fulfilled.

Psalms 5:1

Psalm 5 ¹⁶ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; ¹⁷  a psalm of David.

5:1 Listen to what I say, ¹⁸  Lord!

Carefully consider my complaint! ¹⁹ 

Psalms 5:1

Psalm 5 ²⁰ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; ²¹  a psalm of David.

5:1 Listen to what I say, ²²  Lord!

Carefully consider my complaint! ²³ 

[4:2]  ¹ tn Heb “sons of man.”

[4:2]  ² tn Heb “how long my honor to shame?”

[4:2]  ³ tn The interrogative construction עַד־מֶה (’ad-meh, “how long?”), is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

[4:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “emptiness.”

[4:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “a lie.” Some see the metonymic language of v. 2b (“emptiness, lie”) as referring to idols or false gods. However, there is no solid immediate contextual evidence for such an interpretation. It is more likely that the psalmist addresses those who threaten him (see v. 1) and refers in a general way to their sinful lifestyle. (See R. Mosis, TDOT 7:121.) The two terms allude to the fact that sinful behavior is ultimately fruitless and self-destructive.

[4:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “and know that.”

[4:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “that the Lord sets apart a faithful one for himself.” The psalmist states a general principle, though the singular form and the parallel line indicate he has himself in mind as the representative godly person. A חָסִיד (khasid; here translated as “the godly”) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[4:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “hears.”

[38:15]  ⁹ tn Or perhaps “surely.”

[50:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “call [to] me in a day of trouble.”

[50:15]  ¹¹ sn In vv. 7-15 the Lord makes it clear that he was not rebuking Israel because they had failed to offer sacrifices (v. 8a). On the contrary, they had been faithful in doing so (v. 8b). However, their understanding of the essence of their relationship with God was confused. Apparently they believed that he needed/desired such sacrifices and that offering them would ensure their prosperity. But the Lord owns all the animals of the world and did not need Israel’s meager sacrifices (vv. 9-13). Other aspects of the relationship were more important to the Lord. He desired Israel to be thankful for his blessings (v. 14a), to demonstrate gratitude for his intervention by repaying the vows they made to him (v. 14b), and to acknowledge their absolute dependence on him (v. 15a). Rather than viewing their sacrifices as somehow essential to God’s well-being, they needed to understand their dependence on him.

[65:2]  ¹² tn Heb “O one who hears prayer.”

[65:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “to you all flesh comes.”

[65:1]  ¹⁴ sn Psalm 65. The psalmist praises God because he forgives sin and blesses his people with an abundant harvest.

[65:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “for you, silence, praise.” Many prefer to emend the noun דֻּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”) to a participle דּוֹמִיָּה (domiyyah), from the root דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”), understood here in the sense of “wait.”

[5:1]  ¹⁶ sn Psalm 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.

[5:1]  ¹⁷ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word נְחִילוֹת (nÿkhilot), which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to חָלִיל (khalil, “flute”).

[5:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “my words.”

[5:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “sighing.” The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.

[5:1]  ²⁰ sn Psalm 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.

[5:1]  ²¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word נְחִילוֹת (nÿkhilot), which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to חָלִיל (khalil, “flute”).

[5:1]  ²² tn Heb “my words.”

[5:1]  ²³ tn Or “sighing.” The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.