Psalms 119:30

119:30 I choose the path of faithfulness;

I am committed to ¹  your regulations.

Psalms 119:52

119:52 I remember your ancient regulations, ² 

O Lord, and console myself. ³ 

Psalms 119:137

צ (Tsade)

119:137 You are just, O Lord,

and your judgments are fair.

Psalms 72:1

Psalm 72 ⁴ 

For ⁵  Solomon.

72:1 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions! ⁶ 

Grant the king’s son ⁷  the ability to make fair decisions! ⁸ 

Psalms 119:20

119:20 I desperately long to know ⁹ 

your regulations at all times.

Psalms 119:39

119:39 Take away the insults that I dread! ¹⁰ 

Indeed, ¹¹  your regulations are good.

Psalms 119:75

119:75 I know, Lord, that your regulations ¹²  are just.

You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me. ¹³ 

[119:30]  ¹ tn BDB 1000-1001 s.v. I שָׁוָה derives the verb from the first homonym listed, meaning “to agree with; to be like; to resemble.” It here means (in the Piel stem) “to be accounted suitable,” which in turn would mean by metonymy “to accept; to be committed to.” Some prefer to derive the verb from a homonym meaning “to place; to set,” but in this case an elliptical prepositional phrase must be understood, “I place your regulations [before me]” (see Ps 16:8).

[119:52]  ² tn Heb “I remember your regulations from of old.” The prepositional phrase “from of old” apparently modifies “your regulations,” alluding to the fact that God revealed them to Israel in the distant past. Another option is to understand the prepositional phrase as modifying the verb, in which case one might translate, “I have long remembered your regulations.”

[119:52]  ³ tn Or “find comfort.”

[72:1]  ³ sn Psalm 72. This royal psalm contains a prayer for the Davidic king (note the imperatival form in v. 1 and the jussive forms in vv. 16-17). It is not entirely clear if vv. 2-15 express a prayer or anticipate a future reign. The translation assumes a blend of petition and vision: (I) opening prayer (v. 1), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 2-7); (II) prayer (v. 8), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 9-14); (III) closing prayer (vv. 15-17). Whether a prayer, vision, or combination of the two, the psalm depicts the king’s universal rule of peace and prosperity. As such it is indirectly messianic, for the ideal it expresses will only be fully realized during the Messiah’s earthly reign. Verses 18-19 are a conclusion for Book 2 of the Psalter (Pss 42-72; cf. Ps 41:13, which contains a similar conclusion for Book 1), while v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or an earlier edition of the Psalter.

[72:1]  ⁴ tn The preposition could be understood as indicating authorship (“Of Solomon”), but since the psalm is a prayer for a king, it may be that the superscription reflects a tradition that understood this as a prayer for Solomon.

[72:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “O God, your judgments to [the] king give.”

[72:1]  ⁶ sn Grant the king…Grant the king’s son. It is not entirely clear whether v. 1 envisions one individual or two. The phrase “the king’s son” in the second line may simply refer to “the king” of the first line, drawing attention to the fact that he has inherited his dynastic rule. Another option is that v. 1 envisions a co-regency between father and son (a common phenomenon in ancient Israel) or simply expresses a hope for a dynasty that champions justice.

[72:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “and your justice to [the] son of [the] king.”

[119:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “my soul languishes for longing for.”

[119:39]  ⁵ tn Heb “my reproach that I fear.”

[119:39]  ⁶ tn Or “for.”

[119:75]  ⁶ tn In this context (note the second line) the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim), which so often refers to the regulations of God’s law elsewhere in this psalm, may refer instead to his decisions or disciplinary judgment.

[119:75]  ⁷ tn Heb “and [in] faithfulness you afflicted me.”