Psalms 12:1

Psalm 12 ¹ 

For the music director; according to the sheminith style; ²  a psalm of David.

12:1 Deliver, Lord!

For the godly ³  have disappeared; ⁴ 

people of integrity ⁵  have vanished. ⁶ 

Psalms 31:23

31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers ⁷  of his!

The Lord protects those who have integrity,

but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly. ⁸ 

Psalms 32:6

32:6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers ⁹  should pray to you

while there is a window of opportunity. ¹⁰ 

Certainly ¹¹  when the surging water ¹²  rises,

it will not reach them. ¹³ 

Psalms 37:28

37:28 For the Lord promotes ¹⁴  justice,

and never abandons ¹⁵  his faithful followers.

They are permanently secure, ¹⁶ 

but the children ¹⁷  of evil men are wiped out. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 85:8

85:8 I will listen to what God the Lord says. ¹⁹ 

For he will make ²⁰  peace with his people, his faithful followers. ²¹ 

Yet they must not ²²  return to their foolish ways.

Psalms 89:19

89:19 Then you ²³  spoke through a vision to your faithful followers ²⁴  and said:

“I have energized a warrior; ²⁵ 

I have raised up a young man ²⁶  from the people.

[12:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.

[12:1]  ² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[12:1]  ³ tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[12:1]  ⁴ tn Or “have come to an end.”

[12:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”

[12:1]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”

[31:23]  ⁷ tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[31:23]  ⁸ tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.

[32:6]  ¹³ tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[32:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “at a time of finding.” This may mean, “while there is time to ‘find’ [the Lord]” and seek his forgiveness (cf. NIV). Some emend the text by combining מְצֹא (mÿtso’, “finding”) with the following term רַק (raq, “only, surely”) and read either ר[וֹ]מָצ (matsor, “distress”; see Ps 31:22) or ק[וֹ]מָצ (matsoq, “hardship”; see Ps 119:143). In this case, one may translate “in a time of distress/hardship” (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[32:6]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew term רַק (raq) occasionally has an asseverative force.

[32:6]  ¹⁶ sn The surging water is here a metaphor for trouble that endangers one’s life.

[32:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “him.” The translation uses the plural “them” to agree with the plural “every one of your faithful followers” in the first line of v. 6.

[37:28]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world. The active participle describes characteristic behavior.

[37:28]  ²⁰ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.

[37:28]  ²¹ tn Or “protected forever.”

[37:28]  ²² tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[37:28]  ²³ tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.

[85:8]  ²⁵ sn I will listen. Having asked for the Lord’s favor, the psalmist (who here represents the nation) anticipates a divine word of assurance.

[85:8]  ²⁶ tn Heb “speak.” The idiom “speak peace” refers to establishing or maintaining peaceful relations with someone (see Gen 37:4; Zech 9:10; cf. Ps 122:8).

[85:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “to his people and to his faithful followers.” The translation assumes that “his people” and “his faithful followers” are viewed as identical here.

[85:8]  ²⁸ tn Or “yet let them not.” After the negative particle אֵל (’el), the prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating the speaker’s desire or wish.

[89:19]  ³¹ tn The pronoun “you” refers to the Lord, who is addressed here. The quotation that follows further develops the announcement of vv. 3-4.

[89:19]  ³² tc Many medieval mss read the singular here, “your faithful follower.” In this case the statement refers directly to Nathan’s oracle to David (see 2 Sam 7:17).

[89:19]  ³³ tn Heb “I have placed help upon a warrior.”

[89:19]  ³⁴ tn Or perhaps “a chosen one.”