Psalms 1:2

1:2 Instead ¹  he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; ² 

he meditates on ³  his commands ⁴  day and night.

Psalms 1:4

1:4 Not so with the wicked!

Instead ⁵  they are like wind-driven chaff. ⁶ 

Psalms 7:12

7:12 If a person ⁷  does not repent, God sharpens his sword ⁸ 

and prepares to shoot his bow. ⁹ 

Psalms 44:20

44:20 If we had rejected our God, ¹⁰ 

and spread out our hands in prayer to another god, ¹¹ 

Psalms 50:12

50:12 Even if I were hungry, I would not tell you,

for the world and all it contains belong to me.

Psalms 59:15

59:15 They wander around looking for something to eat;

they refuse to sleep until they are full. ¹² 

Psalms 68:13

68:13 When ¹³  you lie down among the sheepfolds, ¹⁴ 

the wings of the dove are covered with silver

and with glittering gold. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 77:9

77:9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has his anger stifled his compassion?”

Psalms 81:8

81:8 I said, ¹⁶  ‘Listen, my people!

I will warn ¹⁷  you!

O Israel, if only you would obey me! ¹⁸ 

Psalms 88:10

88:10 Do you accomplish amazing things for the dead?

Do the departed spirits ¹⁹  rise up and give you thanks? (Selah)

Psalms 94:9

94:9 Does the one who makes the human ear not hear?

Does the one who forms the human eye not see? ²⁰ 

Psalms 95:7

95:7 For he is our God;

we are the people of his pasture,

the sheep he owns. ²¹ 

Today, if only you would obey him! ²² 

Psalms 131:2

131:2 Indeed ²³  I am composed and quiet, ²⁴ 

like a young child carried by its mother; ²⁵ 

I am content like the young child I carry. ²⁶ 

Psalms 138:7

138:7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, ²⁷  you revive me.

You oppose my angry enemies, ²⁸ 

and your right hand delivers me.

[1:2]  ¹ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.

[1:2]  ² tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the Lord’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the Lord’s commands.” However, even if one translates the line this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will; thus “obeying” has been used in the translation rather than “studying.”

[1:2]  ³ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.

[1:2]  ⁴ tn Or “his law.”

[1:4]  ⁵ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead,” cf. v. 2) introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described in v. 4.

[1:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “[they are] like the chaff which [the] wind blows about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action described.

[7:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “If he”; the referent (a person who is a sinner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The subject of the first verb is understood as the sinner who fails to repent of his ways and becomes the target of God’s judgment (vv. 9, 14-16).

[7:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “if he does not return, his sword he sharpens.” The referent (God) of the pronominal subject of the second verb (“sharpens”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his bow he treads and prepares it.” “Treading the bow” involved stepping on one end of it in order to string it and thus prepare it for battle.

[44:20]  ¹³ tn Heb “If we had forgotten the name of our God.” To “forget the name” here refers to rejecting the Lord’s authority (see Jer 23:27) and abandoning him as an object of prayer and worship (see the next line).

[44:20]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and spread out your hands to another god.” Spreading out the hands was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). In its most fundamental sense זר (“another; foreign; strange”) refers to something that is outside one’s circle, often making association with it inappropriate. A “strange” god is an alien deity, an “outside god” (see L. A. Snijders, TDOT 4:54-55).

[59:15]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “if they are not full, they stay through the night.”

[68:13]  ²¹ tn Or “if.”

[68:13]  ²² tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “sheepfolds” is uncertain. There may be an echo of Judg 5:16 here.

[68:13]  ²³ tn Heb “and her pinions with the yellow of gold.”

[81:8]  ²⁵ tn The words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Verses 8-10 appear to recall what the Lord commanded the generation of Israelites that experienced the events described in v. 7. Note the statement in v. 11, “my people did not listen to me.”

[81:8]  ²⁶ tn Or perhaps “command.”

[81:8]  ²⁷ tn The Hebrew particle אִם (“if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (GKC 321 §109.b). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.

[88:10]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Rephaim,” a term that refers to those who occupy the land of the dead (see Isa 14:9; 26:14, 19).

[94:9]  ³³ tn Heb “The one who plants an ear, does he not hear? The one who forms an eye, does he not see?”

[95:7]  ³⁷ tn Heb “of his hand.”

[95:7]  ³⁸ tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.

[131:2]  ⁴¹ tn Or “but.”

[131:2]  ⁴² tn Heb “I make level and make quiet my soul.”

[131:2]  ⁴³ tn Heb “like a weaned [one] upon his mother.”

[131:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “like the weaned [one] upon me, my soul.”

[138:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “distress.”

[138:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”