Psalms 119:65

ט (Tet)

119:65 You are good ¹  to your servant,

O Lord, just as you promised. ² 

Psalms 39:9

39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth

because of what you have done. ³ 

Psalms 9:4

9:4 For you defended my just cause; ⁴ 

from your throne you pronounced a just decision. ⁵ 

Psalms 50:21

50:21 When you did these things, I was silent, ⁶ 

so you thought I was exactly like you. ⁷ 

But now I will condemn ⁸  you

and state my case against you! ⁹ 

Psalms 52:9

52:9 I will continually ¹⁰  thank you when ¹¹  you execute judgment; ¹² 

I will rely ¹³  on you, ¹⁴  for your loyal followers know you are good. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 71:19

71:19 Your justice, O God, extends to the skies above; ¹⁶ 

you have done great things. ¹⁷ 

O God, who can compare to you? ¹⁸ 

Psalms 86:9

86:9 All the nations, whom you created,

will come and worship you, ¹⁹  O Lord.

They will honor your name.

Psalms 99:4

99:4 The king is strong;

he loves justice. ²⁰ 

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; ²¹ 

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

Psalms 104:24

104:24 How many living things you have made, O Lord! ²² 

You have exhibited great skill in making all of them; ²³ 

the earth is full of the living things you have made.

Psalms 40:5

40:5 O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things;

you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us. ²⁴ 

No one can thwart you! ²⁵ 

I want to declare them and talk about them,

but they are too numerous to recount! ²⁶ 

[119:65]  ¹ tn Heb “do good.”

[119:65]  ² tn Heb “according to your word.”

[39:9]  ³ tn Heb “because you acted.” The psalmist has in mind God’s disciplinary measures (see vv. 10-13).

[9:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “for you accomplished my justice and my legal claim.”

[9:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “you sat on a throne [as] one who judges [with] righteousness.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 4 probably allude to a recent victory (see vv. 5-7). Another option is to understand the verbs as describing what is typical (“you defend…you sit on a throne”).

[50:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “these things you did and I was silent.” Some interpret the second clause (“and I was silent”) as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, “[When you do these things], should I keep silent?” (cf. NEB). See GKC 335 §112.cc.

[50:21]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew infinitive construct (הֱיוֹת, heyot) appears to function like the infinitive absolute here, adding emphasis to the following finite verbal form (אֶהְיֶה, ’ehyeh). See GKC 339-40 §113.a. Some prefer to emend הֱיוֹת (heyot) to the infinitive absolute form הָיוֹ (hayo).

[50:21]  ⁹ tn Or “rebuke” (see v. 8).

[50:21]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and I will set in order [my case against you] to your eyes.” The cohortative form expresses the Lord’s resolve to accuse and judge the wicked.

[52:9]  ⁹ tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”

[52:9]  ¹⁰ tn Or “for.”

[52:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “you have acted.” The perfect verbal form (1) probably indicates a future perfect here. The psalmist promises to give thanks when the expected vindication has been accomplished. Other options include (2) a generalizing (“for you act”) or (3) rhetorical (“for you will act”) use.

[52:9]  ¹² tn Or “wait.”

[52:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “your name.” God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character.

[52:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “for it is good in front of your loyal followers.”

[71:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “your justice, O God, [is] unto the height.” The Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “height”) is here a title for the sky/heavens.

[71:19]  ¹² tn Heb “you who have done great things.”

[71:19]  ¹³ tn Or “Who is like you?”

[86:9]  ¹³ tn Or “bow down before you.”

[99:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (’oz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (’az, “strong”).

[99:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “you establish fairness.”

[104:24]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “How many [are] your works, O Lord.” In this case the Lord’s “works” are the creatures he has made, as the preceding and following contexts make clear.

[104:24]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “all of them with wisdom you have made.”

[40:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “many things you have done, you, O Lord my God, your amazing deeds and your thoughts toward us.” The precise meaning of the text is not clear, but the psalmist seems to be recalling the Lord’s miraculous deeds on Israel’s behalf (see Pss 9:1; 26:7), as well as his covenantal decrees and promises (see Ps 33:11).

[40:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “there is none arrayed against you.” The precise meaning of the text is unclear, but the collocation עָרַךְ אֶל (’arakh ’el, “array against”) is used elsewhere of military (Judg 20:30; 1 Chr 19:17) or verbal opposition (Job 32:14).

[40:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “I will declare and I will speak, they are too numerous to recount.” The present translation assumes that the cohortatives are used in a hypothetical manner in a formally unmarked conditional sentence, “Should I try to declare [them] and speak [of them]…” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). For other examples of cohortatives in the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, see GKC 320 §108.e. (It should be noted, however, that GKC understands this particular verse in a different manner. See GKC 320 §108.f, where it is suggested that the cohortatives are part of an apodosis with the protasis being suppressed.) Another option is to take the cohortatives as a declaration of the psalmist’s resolve to announce the truth expressed in the next line. In this case one might translate: “I will declare and speak [the truth]: They are too numerous to recount.”