Psalms 11:5

11:5 The Lord approves of ¹  the godly, ² 

but he ³  hates ⁴  the wicked and those who love to do violence. ⁵ 

Psalms 95:9

95:9 where your ancestors challenged my authority, ⁶ 

and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.

Psalms 139:23

139:23 Examine me, and probe my thoughts! ⁷ 

Test me, and know my concerns! ⁸ 

[11:5]  ¹ tn Heb “examines,” the same verb used in v. 4b. But here it is used in a metonymic sense of “examine and approve” (see Jer 20:12).

[11:5]  ² tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure (of heart)” in v. 2.

[11:5]  ³ tn Heb “his [very] being.” A נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, soul”) is also attributed to the Lord in Isa 1:14, where a suffixed form of the noun appears as the subject of the verb “hate.” Both there and here the term is used of the seat of one’s emotions and passions.

[11:5]  ⁴ sn He hates the wicked. The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds, and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 5:5.

[11:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “the wicked [one] and the lover of violence.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked [ones]”) in vv. 2 and 6.

[95:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”

[139:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and know my heart.”

[139:23]  ¹² tn The Hebrew noun שַׂרְעַפַּי (sar’apay, “concerns”) is used of “worries” in Ps 94:19.