Psalms 139:11

139:11 If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, ¹ 

and the light will turn to night all around me,” ² 

Psalms 1:2

1:2 Instead ³  he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; ⁴ 

he meditates on ⁵  his commands ⁶  day and night.

Psalms 19:2

19:2 Day after day it speaks out; ⁷ 

night after night it reveals his greatness. ⁸ 

Psalms 22:2

22:2 My God, I cry out during the day,

but you do not answer,

and during the night my prayers do not let up. ⁹ 

Psalms 32:4

32:4 For day and night you tormented me; ¹⁰ 

you tried to destroy me ¹¹  in the intense heat ¹²  of summer. ¹³  (Selah)

Psalms 55:10

55:10 Day and night they walk around on its walls, ¹⁴ 

while wickedness and destruction ¹⁵  are within it.

Psalms 139:12

139:12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, ¹⁶ 

and the night is as bright as ¹⁷  day;

darkness and light are the same to you. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 42:3

42:3 I cannot eat, I weep day and night; ¹⁹ 

all day long they say to me, ²⁰  “Where is your God?”

[139:11]  ¹ tn The Hebrew verb שׁוּף (shuf), which means “to crush; to wound,” in Gen 3:15 and Job 9:17, is problematic here. For a discussion of attempts to relate the verb to Arabic roots, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 251. Many emend the form to יְשׂוּכֵּנִי (yesukkeniy), from the root שׂכך (“to cover,” an alternate form of סכך), a reading assumed in the present translation.

[139:11]  ² tn Heb “and night, light, around me.”

[1:2]  ³ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.

[1:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the Lord’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the Lord’s commands.” However, even if one translates the line this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will; thus “obeying” has been used in the translation rather than “studying.”

[1:2]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.

[1:2]  ⁶ tn Or “his law.”

[19:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “it gushes forth a word.” The “sky” (see v. 1b) is the subject of the verb. Though not literally speaking (see v. 3), it clearly reveals God’s royal majesty. The sun’s splendor and its movement across the sky is in view (see vv. 4-6).

[19:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “it [i.e., the sky] declares knowledge,” i.e., knowledge about God’s royal majesty and power (see v. 1). This apparently refers to the splendor and movements of the stars. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 2, like the participles in the preceding verse, combine with the temporal phrases (“day after day” and “night after night”) to emphasize the ongoing testimony of the sky.

[22:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “there is no silence to me.”

[32:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “your hand was heavy upon me.”

[32:4]  ¹⁰ tc Heb “my [?] was turned.” The meaning of the Hebrew term לְשַׁד (lÿshad) is uncertain. A noun לָשָׁד (lashad, “cake”) is attested in Num 11:8, but it would make no sense to understand that word in this context. It is better to emend the form to לְשֻׁדִּי (lÿshuddiy, “to my destruction”) and understand “your hand” as the subject of the verb “was turned.” In this case the text reads, “[your hand] was turned to my destruction.” In Lam 3:3 the author laments that God’s “hand” was “turned” (הָפַךְ, hafakh) against him in a hostile sense.

[32:4]  ¹¹ tn The translation assumes that the plural form indicates degree. If one understands the form as a true plural, then one might translate, “in the times of drought.”

[32:4]  ¹² sn Summer. Perhaps the psalmist suffered during the hot season and perceived the very weather as being an instrument of divine judgment. Another option is that he compares his time of suffering to the uncomfortable and oppressive heat of summer.

[55:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “day and night they surround it, upon its walls.” Personified “violence and conflict” are the likely subjects. They are compared to watchmen on the city’s walls.

[55:10]  ¹² sn Wickedness and destruction. These terms are also closely associated in Ps 7:14.

[139:12]  ¹³ tn The words “to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[139:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “shines like.”

[139:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “like darkness, like light.”

[42:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “My tears have become my food day and night.”

[42:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “when [they] say to me all the day.” The suffixed third masculine plural pronoun may have been accidentally omitted from the infinitive בֶּאֱמֹר (be’ÿmor, “when [they] say”). Note the term בְּאָמְרָם (bÿ’omram, “when they say”) in v. 10.