Psalms 104:15

104:15 as well as wine that makes people feel so good, ¹ 

and so they can have oil to make their faces shine, ² 

as well as food that sustains people’s lives. ³ 

Psalms 55:13

55:13 But it is you, ⁴  a man like me, ⁵ 

my close friend in whom I confided. ⁶ 

Psalms 66:12

66:12 You allowed men to ride over our heads;

we passed through fire and water,

but you brought us out into a wide open place. ⁷ 

Psalms 73:5

73:5 They are immune to the trouble common to men;

they do not suffer as other men do. ⁸ 

Psalms 90:3

90:3 You make mankind return ⁹  to the dust, ¹⁰ 

and say, “Return, O people!”

Psalms 103:15

103:15 A person’s life is like grass. ¹¹ 

Like a flower in the field it flourishes,

Psalms 144:3

144:3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race, ¹²  that you should notice them?

Of what importance is mankind, ¹³  that you should be concerned about them? ¹⁴ 

Psalms 8:4

8:4 Of what importance is the human race, ¹⁵  that you should notice ¹⁶  them?

Of what importance is mankind, ¹⁷  that you should pay attention to them, ¹⁸ 

Psalms 9:19-20

9:19 Rise up, Lord! ¹⁹ 

Don’t let men be defiant! ²⁰ 

May the nations be judged in your presence!

9:20 Terrify them, Lord! ²¹ 

Let the nations know they are mere mortals! ²²  (Selah)

Psalms 10:18

10:18 You defend ²³  the fatherless and oppressed, ²⁴ 

so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. ²⁵ 

Psalms 56:1

Psalm 56 ²⁶ 

For the music director; according to the yonath-elem-rechovim style; ²⁷  a prayer ²⁸  of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath. ²⁹ 

56:1 Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me! ³⁰ 

All day long hostile enemies ³¹  are tormenting me. ³² 

[104:15]  ¹ tn Heb “and wine [that] makes the heart of man happy.”

[104:15]  ² tn Heb “to make [the] face shine from oil.” The Hebrew verb צָהַל (tsahal, “to shine”) occurs only here in the OT. It appears to be an alternate form of צָהַר (tsahar), a derivative from צָהָרִים (tsaharim, “noon”).

[104:15]  ³ tn Heb “and food [that] sustains the heart of man.”

[55:13]  ⁴ sn It is you. The psalmist addresses the apparent ringleader of the opposition, an individual who was once his friend.

[55:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “a man according to my value,” i.e., “a person such as I.”

[55:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “my close friend, one known by me.”

[66:12]  ⁷ tc The MT reads רְוָיָה (“saturation”) but this should be emended to רְוָחָה (rÿvakhah, “wide open place”; i.e., “relief”), a reading supported by several ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Jerome, Targum).

[73:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in the trouble of man they are not, and with mankind they are not afflicted.”

[90:3]  ¹³ tn In this context the shortened prefix form does not function as a preterite, but indicates what is typical of the world.

[90:3]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew term דַּכָּא (daka’) carries the basic sense of “crushed.” Elsewhere it refers to those who are “crushed” in spirit or contrite of heart (see Ps 34:18; Isa 57:15). If one understands this nuance here, then v. 3 is observing that God leads mankind to repentance (the term שׁוּב, shuv, “return,” which appears twice in this verse, is sometimes used of repentance.) However, the following context laments mankind’s mortality and the brevity of life, so it is doubtful if v. 3 should be understood so positively. It is more likely that דַּכָּא here refers to “crushed matter,” that is, the dust that fills the grave (see HALOT 221 s.v. s.v. I דַּכָּא; BDB 194 s.v. דַּכָּא). In this case one may hear an echo of Gen 3:19.

[103:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.

[144:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “What is mankind?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race. See Ps 8:5.

[144:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.

[144:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “take account of him.” The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.

[8:4]  ²² tn Heb “What is man[kind]?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race.

[8:4]  ²³ tn Heb “remember him.”

[8:4]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.

[8:4]  ²⁵ tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.

[9:19]  ²⁵ sn Rise up, Lord! …May the nations be judged. The psalm concludes with a petition that the Lord would continue to exercise his justice as he has done in the recent crisis.

[9:19]  ²⁶ tn Or “prevail.”

[9:20]  ²⁸ tn Heb “place, Lord, terror with regard to them.” The Hebrew term מוֹרָה (morah, “terror”) is an alternative form of מוֹרָא (mora’; a reading that appears in some mss and finds support in several ancient textual witnesses).

[9:20]  ²⁹ tn Heb “let the nations know they [are] man[kind]”; i.e., mere human beings (as opposed to God).

[10:18]  ³¹ tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”

[10:18]  ³² tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.

[10:18]  ³³ tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.

[56:1]  ³⁴ sn Psalm 56. Despite the threats of his enemies, the psalmist is confident the Lord will keep his promise to protect and deliver him.

[56:1]  ³⁵ tn The literal meaning of this phrase is “silent dove, distant ones.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a type of musical instrument.

[56:1]  ³⁶ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16 and 57-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”

[56:1]  ³⁷ sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm when the Philistines seized him and took him to King Achish of Gath (see 1 Sam 21:11-15).

[56:1]  ³⁸ tn According to BDB 983 s.v. II שָׁאַף, the verb is derived from שָׁאַף (sha’af, “to trample, crush”) rather than the homonymic verb “pant after.”

[56:1]  ³⁹ tn Heb “a fighter.” The singular is collective for his enemies (see vv. 5-6). The Qal of לָחַם (lakham, “fight”) also occurs in Ps 35:1.

[56:1]  ⁴⁰ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the continuing nature of the enemies’ attacks.