Psalms 132:6

132:6 Look, we heard about it ¹  in Ephrathah, ² 

we found it in the territory of Jaar. ³ 

Psalms 8:7

8:7 including all the sheep and cattle,

as well as the wild animals, ⁴ 

Psalms 50:11

50:11 I keep track of ⁵  every bird in the hills,

and the insects ⁶  of the field are mine.

Psalms 78:12

78:12 He did amazing things in the sight of their ancestors,

in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. ⁷ 

Psalms 78:43

78:43 when he performed his awesome deeds ⁸  in Egypt,

and his acts of judgment ⁹  in the region of Zoan.

Psalms 80:13

80:13 The wild boars of the forest ruin it; ¹⁰ 

the insects ¹¹  of the field feed on it.

Psalms 103:15

103:15 A person’s life is like grass. ¹² 

Like a flower in the field it flourishes,

Psalms 104:11

104:11 They provide water for all the animals in the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

Psalms 107:37

107:37 They cultivated ¹³  fields,

and planted vineyards,

which yielded a harvest of fruit. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 96:12

96:12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!

Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy

[132:6]  ¹ tn Rather than having an antecedent, the third feminine singular pronominal suffix here (and in the next line) appears to refer to the ark of the covenant, mentioned in v. 8. (The Hebrew term אָרוֹן [’aron, “ark”] is sometimes construed as grammatically feminine. See 1 Sam 4:17; 2 Chr 8:11.)

[132:6]  ² sn Some understand Ephrathah as a reference to Kiriath-jearim because of the apparent allusion to this site in the next line (see the note on “Jaar”). The ark was kept in Kiriath-jearim after the Philistines released it (see 1 Sam 6:21-7:2). However, the switch in verbs from “heard about” to “found” suggests that Ephrathah not be equated with Jair. The group who is speaking heard about the ark while they were in Ephrath. They then went to retrieve it from Kiriath-jearim (“Jaar”). It is more likely that Ephrathah refers to a site near Bethel (Gen 35:16, 19; 48:7) or to Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2).

[132:6]  ³ tn Heb “fields of the forest.” The Hebrew term יָעַר (ya’ad, “forest”) is apparently a shortened alternative name for קִרְיַת יְעָרִים (qiryat yÿ’arim, “Kiriath-jearim”), the place where the ark was kept after it was released by the Philistines and from which David and his men retrieved it (see 1 Chr 13:6).

[8:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “and also the beasts of the field.”

[50:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “I know.”

[50:11]  ⁸ tn The precise referent of the Hebrew word, which occurs only here and in Ps 80:13, is uncertain. Aramaic, Arabic and Akkadian cognates refer to insects, such as locusts or crickets.

[78:12]  ¹⁰ sn The region of Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta, where the enslaved Israelites lived (see Num 13:22; Isa 19:11, 13; 30:4; Ezek 30:14).

[78:43]  ¹³ tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).

[78:43]  ¹⁴ tn Or “portents, omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are referred to here (see vv. 44-51).

[80:13]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew verb כִּרְסֵם (kirsem, “to eat away; to ruin”) occurs only here in the OT.

[80:13]  ¹⁷ tn The precise referent of the Hebrew word translated “insects,” which occurs only here and in Ps 50:11, is uncertain. Aramaic, Arabic, and Akkadian cognates refer to insects, such as locusts or crickets.

[103:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.

[107:37]  ²² tn Heb “sowed seed in.”

[107:37]  ²³ tn Heb “fruit [as] produce.”