Psalms 15:2

15:2 Whoever lives a blameless life, ¹ 

does what is right,

and speaks honestly. ² 

Psalms 20:4

20:4 May he grant your heart’s desire; ³ 

may he bring all your plans to pass! ⁴ 

Psalms 31:24

31:24 Be strong and confident, ⁵ 

all you who wait on the Lord!

Psalms 69:32

69:32 The oppressed look on – let them rejoice!

You who seek God, ⁶  may you be encouraged! ⁷ 

Psalms 73:1

Book 3
(Psalms 73-89)

Psalm 73 ⁸ 

A psalm by Asaph.

73:1 Certainly God is good to Israel, ⁹ 

and to those whose motives are pure! ¹⁰ 

Psalms 73:13

73:13 I concluded, ¹¹  “Surely in vain I have kept my motives ¹²  pure

and maintained a pure lifestyle. ¹³ 

Psalms 84:5

84:5 How blessed are those who ¹⁴  find their strength in you,

and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple! ¹⁵ 

Psalms 86:12

86:12 O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks with my whole heart!

I will honor your name continually! ¹⁶ 

Psalms 90:12

90:12 So teach us to consider our mortality, ¹⁷ 

so that we might live wisely. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 95:8

95:8 He says, ¹⁹  “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, ²⁰ 

like they were that day at Massah ²¹  in the wilderness, ²² 

Psalms 101:4

101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; ²³ 

I will not permit ²⁴  evil.

Psalms 139:23

139:23 Examine me, and probe my thoughts! ²⁵ 

Test me, and know my concerns! ²⁶ 

[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.

[20:4]  ³ tn Heb “may he give to you according to your heart.” This probably refers to the king’s prayer for protection and victory in battle. See vv. 5-6.

[20:4]  ⁴ sn May he bring all your plans to pass. This probably refers to the king’s strategy for battle.

[31:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “be strong and let your heart[s] be confident.”

[69:32]  ⁷ sn You who seek God refers to those who seek to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him (see Ps 53:2).

[69:32]  ⁸ tn Heb “may your heart[s] live.” See Ps 22:26.

[73:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 73. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist offers a personal testimony of his struggle with the age-old problem of the prosperity of the wicked. As he observed evil men prosper, he wondered if a godly lifestyle really pays off. In the midst of his discouragement, he reflected upon spiritual truths and realities. He was reminded that the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary. God will eventually vindicate his people.

[73:1]  ¹⁰ tn Since the psalm appears to focus on an individual’s concerns, not the situation of Israel, this introduction may be a later addition designed to apply the psalm’s message to the entire community. To provide a better parallel with the next line, some emend the Hebrew phrase לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֱלֹהִים (lÿyisra’el ’elohim, “to Israel, God”) to אֱלֹהִים [or אֵל] לָיָּשָׁר (’elohim [or ’el] lÿyyashar, “God [is good] to the upright one”).

[73:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to the pure of heart.”

[73:13]  ¹¹ tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.

[73:13]  ¹² tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.

[73:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.

[84:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here was certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the plural “those.” The individual referred to in v. 5a is representative of followers of God, as the use of plural forms in vv. 5b-7 indicates.

[84:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “roads [are] in their heart[s].” The roads are here those that lead to Zion (see v. 7).

[86:12]  ¹⁵ tn Or “forever.”

[90:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “to number our days,” that is, to be aware of how few they really are.

[90:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and we will bring a heart of wisdom.” After the imperative of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates purpose/result. The Hebrew term “heart” here refers to the center of one’s thoughts, volition, and moral character.

[95:8]  ¹⁹ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).

[95:8]  ²⁰ sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.

[95:8]  ²¹ sn The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).

[95:8]  ²² tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”

[101:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse (see Ps 18:26). It appears frequently in the Book of Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6).

[101:4]  ²² tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.

[139:23]  ²³ tn Heb “and know my heart.”

[139:23]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew noun שַׂרְעַפַּי (sar’apay, “concerns”) is used of “worries” in Ps 94:19.