Discovery BoxPsalms 119:37
Context119:37 Turn my eyes away from what is worthless! 1
Revive me with your word! 2
Psalms 139:20
Context139:20 They 3 rebel against you 4 and act deceitfully; 5
your enemies lie. 6
Psalms 60:11
Context60:11 Give us help against the enemy,
for any help men might offer is futile. 7
Psalms 108:12
Context108:12 Give us help against the enemy,
for any help men might offer is futile. 8
Psalms 144:8
Context144:8 who speak lies,
and make false promises. 9
Psalms 12:2
Context12:2 People lie to one another; 10
they flatter and deceive. 11
Psalms 24:4
Context24:4 The one whose deeds are blameless
and whose motives are pure, 12
who does not lie, 13
or make promises with no intention of keeping them. 14
Psalms 26:4
Context26:4 I do not associate 15 with deceitful men,
or consort 16 with those who are dishonest. 17
Psalms 31:6
Context31:6 I hate those who serve worthless idols, 18
but I trust in the Lord.
Psalms 89:47
Context89:47 Take note of my brief lifespan! 19
Why do you make all people so mortal? 20
Psalms 144:11
Context144:11 Grab me and rescue me from the power of foreigners, 21
who speak lies,
and make false promises. 22
Psalms 127:1
ContextA song of ascents, 24 by Solomon.
127:1 If the Lord does not build a house, 25
then those who build it work in vain.
If the Lord does not guard a city, 26
then the watchman stands guard in vain.
Psalms 41:6
Context41:6 When someone comes to visit, 27 he pretends to be friendly; 28
he thinks of ways to defame me, 29
and when he leaves he slanders me. 30
Psalms 127:2
Context127:2 It is vain for you to rise early, come home late,
and work so hard for your food. 31
Yes, 32 he can provide for those whom he loves even when they sleep. 33
[119:37] 1 tn Heb “Make my eyes pass by from looking at what is worthless.”
[119:37] 2 tn Heb “by your word.”
[139:20] 4 tc Heb “they speak [of] you.” The suffixed form of the verb אָמַר (’amar, “to speak”) is peculiar. The translation assumes an emendation to יַמְרֻךָ (yamrukha), a Hiphil form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”; see Ps 78:40).
[139:20] 5 tn Heb “by deceit.”
[139:20] 6 tc Heb “lifted up for emptiness, your cities.” The Hebrew text as it stands makes no sense. The form נָשֻׂא (nasu’; a Qal passive participle) should be emended to נָשְׂאוּ (nosÿu; a Qal perfect, third common plural, “[they] lift up”). Many emend עָרֶיךָ (’arekha, “your cities”) to עָלֶיךָ (’alekha, “against you”), but it is preferable to understand the noun as an Aramaism and translate “your enemies” (see Dan 4:16 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 253).
[60:11] 5 tn Heb “and futile [is] the deliverance of man.”
[108:12] 7 tn Heb “and futile [is] the deliverance of man.”
[144:8] 9 tn Heb “who [with] their mouth speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” The reference to the “right hand” is probably a metonymy for an oath. When making an oath, one would raise the hand as a solemn gesture. See Exod 6:8; Num 14:30; Deut 32:40. The figure thus represents the making of false oaths (false promises).
[12:2] 11 tn Heb “falsehood they speak, a man with his neighbor.” The imperfect verb forms in v. 2 describe what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.
[12:2] 12 tn Heb “[with] a lip of smoothness, with a heart and a heart they speak.” Speaking a “smooth” word refers to deceptive flattery (cf. Ps 5:9; 55:21; Prov 2:16; 5:3; 7:5, 21; 26:28; 28:23; Isa 30:10). “Heart” here refers to their mind, from which their motives and intentions originate. The repetition of the noun indicates diversity (see GKC 396 §123.f, IBHS 116 §7.2.3c, and Deut 25:13, where the phrase “weight and a weight” refers to two different measuring weights). These people have two different types of “hearts.” Their flattering words seem to express kind motives and intentions, but this outward display does not really reflect their true motives. Their real “heart” is filled with evil thoughts and destructive intentions. The “heart” that is seemingly displayed through their words is far different from the real “heart” they keep disguised. (For the idea see Ps 28:3.) In 1 Chr 12:33 the phrase “without a heart and a heart” means “undivided loyalty.”
[24:4] 13 tn Heb “the innocent of hands and the pure of heart.” The “hands” allude to one’s actions, the “heart” to one’s thought life and motives.
[24:4] 14 tn Heb “who does not lift up for emptiness my life.” The first person pronoun on נַפְשִׁי (nafshiy, “my life”) makes little sense here; many medieval Hebrew
[24:4] 15 tn Heb “and does not swear an oath deceitfully.”
[26:4] 16 tn Heb “go.” The psalmist uses the imperfect form of the verb to emphasize that he does not make a practice of associating with such people.
[26:4] 17 tn Heb “[those who] conceal themselves.”
[31:6] 17 tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jonah 2:9.
[89:47] 19 tn Heb “remember me, what is [my] lifespan.” The Hebrew term חֶלֶד (kheled) is also used of one’s lifespan in Ps 39:5. Because the Hebrew text is so awkward here, some prefer to emend it to read מֶה חָדֵל אָנִי (meh khadel ’aniy, “[remember] how transient [that is, “short-lived”] I am”; see Ps 39:4).
[89:47] 20 tn Heb “For what emptiness do you create all the sons of mankind?” In this context the term שָׁוְא (shavah) refers to mankind’s mortal nature and the brevity of life (see vv. 45, 48).
[144:11] 21 tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
[144:11] 22 tn Heb “who [with] their mouth speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” See v. 8 where the same expression occurs.
[127:1] 23 sn Psalm 127. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist teaches that one does not find security by one’s own efforts, for God alone gives stability and security.
[127:1] 24 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[127:1] 25 sn The expression build a house may have a double meaning here. It may refer on the surface level to a literal physical structure in which a family lives, but at a deeper, metaphorical level it refers to building, perpetuating, and maintaining a family line. See Deut 25:9; Ruth 4:11; 1 Sam 2:35; 2 Sam 7:27; 1 Kgs 11:38; 1 Chr 17:10, 25. Having a family line provided security in ancient Israel.
[127:1] 26 sn The city symbolizes community security, which is the necessary framework for family security.
[41:6] 26 tn Heb “he speaks deceitfully.”
[41:6] 27 tn Heb “his heart gathers sin to itself.”
[41:6] 28 tn Heb “he goes outside and speaks.”
[127:2] 27 tn Heb “[it is] vain for you, you who are early to rise, who delay sitting, who eat the food of hard work.” The three substantival participles are parallel and stand in apposition to the pronominal suffix on the preposition. See לָכֶם (lakhem, “for you”).
[127:2] 28 tn Here the Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4; Ps 63:2).
[127:2] 29 tn Heb “he gives to his beloved, sleep.” The translation assumes that the Hebrew term שֵׁנָא (shena’, “sleep,” an alternate form of שֵׁנָה, shenah) is an adverbial accusative. The point seems to be this: Hard work by itself is not what counts, but one’s relationship to God, for God is able to bless an individual even while he sleeps. (There may even be a subtle allusion to the miracle of conception following sexual intercourse; see the reference to the gift of sons in the following verse.) The statement is not advocating laziness, but utilizing hyperbole to give perspective and to remind the addressees that God must be one’s first priority. Another option is to take “sleep” as the direct object: “yes, he gives sleep to his beloved” (cf. NIV, NRSV). In this case the point is this: Hard work by itself is futile, for only God is able to bless one with sleep, which metonymically refers to having one’s needs met. He blesses on the basis of one’s relationship to him, not on the basis of physical energy expended.
