Psalms 14:5

14:5 They are absolutely terrified, ¹ 

for God defends the godly. ² 

Psalms 72:5

72:5 People will fear ³  you ⁴  as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,

for generation after generation. ⁵ 

Psalms 76:12

76:12 He humbles princes; ⁶ 

the kings of the earth regard him as awesome. ⁷ 

Psalms 91:5

91:5 You need not fear the terrors of the night, ⁸ 

the arrow that flies by day,

[14:5]  ¹ tn Heb “there they are afraid [with] fear.” The perfect verbal form is probably used in a rhetorical manner; the psalmist describes the future demise of the oppressors as if it were already occurring. The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is also used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the wicked standing in fear at a spot that is this vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.). The cognate accusative following the verb emphasizes the degree of their terror.

[14:5]  ² tn Heb “for God is with a godly generation.” The Hebrew noun דּוֹר (dor, “generation”) refers here to the general class of people who are characterized by godliness. See BDB 190 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.

[72:5]  ³ tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.” See Ps 33:8. Some interpreters, with the support of the LXX, prefer to read וְיַאֲרִיךְ (vÿ’a’arikh, “and he [the king in this case] will prolong [days]”), that is, “will live a long time” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[72:5]  ⁴ tn God is the addressee (see vv. 1-2).

[72:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “with [the] sun, and before [the] moon [for] a generation, generations.” The rare expression דּוֹר דּוֹרִים (dor dorim, “generation, generations”) occurs only here, in Ps 102:24, and in Isa 51:8.

[76:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to HALOT 148 s.v. II בצר, the Hebrew verb בָּצַר (batsar) is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect tense highlighting God’s typical behavior.

[76:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “[he is] awesome to the kings of the earth.”

[91:5]  ⁷ tn This probably alludes to a sneak attack by enemies in the darkness of night (see Song 3:8).