Psalms 15:2

15:2 Whoever lives a blameless life, ¹ 

does what is right,

and speaks honestly. ² 

Psalms 18:25

18:25 You prove to be loyal ³  to one who is faithful; ⁴ 

you prove to be trustworthy ⁵  to one who is innocent. ⁶ 

Psalms 18:32

18:32 The one true God ⁷  gives ⁸  me strength; ⁹ 

he removes ¹⁰  the obstacles in my way. ¹¹ 

Psalms 119:80

119:80 May I be fully committed to your statutes, ¹² 

so that I might not be ashamed.

[15:2]  ¹ tn Heb “one who walks blamelessly.”

[15:2]  ² tn Heb “one who speaks truth in his heart”; or “one who speaks truth [that is] in his heart.” This apparently refers to formulating a truthful statement in one’s mind and then honestly revealing that statement in one’s speech.

[18:25]  ³ tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 25-29 draw attention to God’s characteristic actions. Based on his experience, the psalmist generalizes about God’s just dealings with people (vv. 25-27) and about the way in which God typically empowers him on the battlefield (vv. 28-29). The Hitpael stem is used in vv. 26-27 in a reflexive resultative (or causative) sense. God makes himself loyal, etc. in the sense that he conducts or reveals himself as such. On this use of the Hitpael stem, see GKC 149-50 §54.e.

[18:25]  ⁴ tn Or “to a faithful follower.” 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).

[18:25]  ⁵ tn Or “innocent.”

[18:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “a man of innocence.”

[18:32]  ⁵ tn Heb “the God.” The prefixed article emphasizes the Lord’s distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). See v. 30.

[18:32]  ⁶ tn Heb “is the one who clothes.” For similar language see 1 Sam 2:4; Pss 65:6; 93:1. The psalmist employs a generalizing hymnic style in vv. 32-34; he uses participles in vv. 32a, 33a, and 34a to describe what God characteristically does on his behalf.

[18:32]  ⁷ tn 2 Sam 22:33 reads, “the God is my strong refuge.”

[18:32]  ⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries along the generalizing force of the preceding participle.

[18:32]  ⁹ tn Heb “he made my path smooth.” The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “smooth”) usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36).

[119:80]  ⁷ tn Heb “may my heart be complete in your statutes.”