Psalms 118:18

118:18 The Lord severely ¹  punished me,

but he did not hand me over to death.

Psalms 2:10

2:10 So now, you kings, do what is wise; ² 

you rulers of the earth, submit to correction! ³ 

Psalms 94:10

94:10 Does the one who disciplines the nations not punish?

He is the one who imparts knowledge to human beings!

Psalms 94:12

94:12 How blessed is the one ⁴  whom you instruct, O Lord,

the one whom you teach from your law,

Psalms 16:7

16:7 I will praise ⁵  the Lord who ⁶  guides ⁷  me;

yes, during the night I reflect and learn. ⁸ 

Psalms 38:1

Psalm 38 ⁹ 

A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention. ¹⁰ 

38:1 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger!

Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury! ¹¹ 

Psalms 6:1

Psalm 6 ¹² 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style; ¹³  a psalm of David.

6:1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger!

Do not discipline me in your raging fury! ¹⁴ 

Psalms 39:11

39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins; ¹⁵ 

like a moth you slowly devour their strength. ¹⁶ 

Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)

[118:18]  ¹ tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following verbal idea.

[2:10]  ² sn The speaker here is either the psalmist or the Davidic king, who now addresses the rebellious kings.

[2:10]  ³ tn The Niphal has here a tolerative nuance; the kings are urged to submit themselves to the advice being offered.

[94:12]  ³ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in v. 2.

[16:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “bless,” that is, “proclaim as worthy of praise.”

[16:7]  ⁵ tn Or “because.”

[16:7]  ⁶ tn Or “counsels, advises.”

[16:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “yes, [during] nights my kidneys instruct [or “correct”] me.” The “kidneys” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s moral character (see Ps 26:2). In the quiet darkness the Lord speaks to his inner being, as it were, and enables him to grow in moral understanding.

[38:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 38. The author asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies. He confesses his sin and recognizes that the crisis he faces is the result of divine discipline. Yet he begs the Lord not to reject him.

[38:1]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “to cause to remember.” The same form, the Hiphil infinitive of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”), also appears in the heading of Ps 70. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 303).

[38:1]  ⁷ tn The words “continue to” are supplied in the translation of both lines. The following verses make it clear that the psalmist is already experiencing divine rebuke/punishment. He asks that it might cease.

[6:1]  ⁶ sn Psalm 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, the psalmist then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.

[6:1]  ⁷ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit, “sheminith”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[6:1]  ⁸ sn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).

[39:11]  ⁷ tn “with punishments on account of sin you discipline a man.”

[39:11]  ⁸ tc Heb “you cause to dissolve, like a moth, his desired [thing].” The translation assumes an emendation of חֲמוּדוֹ (khamudo, “his desirable [thing]”) to חֶמְדוֹ (khemdo, “his loveliness” [or “beauty”]), a reading that is supported by a few medieval Hebrew mss.