Discovery BoxPsalms 12:2
Context12:2 People lie to one another; 1
they flatter and deceive. 2
Psalms 50:22
Context50:22 Carefully consider this, you who reject God! 3
Otherwise I will rip you to shreds 4
and no one will be able to rescue you.
Psalms 80:17
Context80:17 May you give support to the one you have chosen, 5
to the one whom you raised up for yourself! 6
Psalms 94:9
Context94:9 Does the one who makes the human ear not hear?
Does the one who forms the human eye not see? 7
Psalms 107:12
Context107:12 So he used suffering to humble them; 8
they stumbled and no one helped them up.
Psalms 118:26
Context118:26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord 9 be blessed!
We will pronounce blessings on you 10 in the Lord’s temple. 11
Psalms 128:1
ContextA song of ascents. 13
128:1 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, 14
each one who keeps his commands! 15
[12:2] 1 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] 2 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.”
[50:22] 3 tn Heb “[you who] forget God.” “Forgetting God” here means forgetting about his commandments and not respecting his moral authority.
[50:22] 4 sn Elsewhere in the psalms this verb is used (within a metaphorical framework) of a lion tearing its prey (see Pss 7:2; 17:12; 22:13).
[80:17] 5 tn Heb “may your hand be upon the man of your right hand.” The referent of the otherwise unattested phrase “man of your right hand,” is unclear. It may refer to the nation collectively as a man. (See the note on the word “yourself” in v. 17b.)
[80:17] 6 tn Heb “upon the son of man you strengthened for yourself.” In its only other use in the Book of Psalms, the phrase “son of man” refers to the human race in general (see Ps 8:4). Here the phrase may refer to the nation collectively as a man. Note the use of the statement “you strengthened for yourself” both here and in v. 15, where the “son” (i.e., the branch of the vine) refers to Israel.
[94:9] 7 tn Heb “The one who plants an ear, does he not hear? The one who forms an eye, does he not see?”
[107:12] 9 tn Heb “and he subdued with suffering their heart.”
[118:26] 11 sn The people refer here to the psalmist, who enters the
[118:26] 12 tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural, but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the following form) or enclitic, in which case the suffix may be taken as second masculine singular, referring to the psalmist.
[118:26] 13 tn Heb “from the house of the
[128:1] 13 sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.
[128:1] 14 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.
