Psalms 16:11

16:11 You lead me in ¹  the path of life; ² 

I experience absolute joy in your presence; ³ 

you always give me sheer delight. ⁴ 

Psalms 81:2

81:2 Sing ⁵  a song and play the tambourine,

the pleasant sounding harp, and the ten-stringed instrument!

Psalms 133:1

Psalm 133 ⁶ 

A song of ascents, ⁷  by David.

133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

when brothers live together! ⁸ 

Psalms 135:3

135:3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good!

Sing praises to his name, for it is pleasant! ⁹ 

Psalms 147:1

Psalm 147 ¹⁰ 

147:1 Praise the Lord,

for it is good to sing praises to our God!

Yes, ¹¹  praise is pleasant and appropriate!

[16:11]  ¹ tn Heb “cause me to know”; or “cause me to experience.”

[16:11]  ² tn This is a metaphorical way of saying, “you preserve my life.” The phrase “path of life” stands in contrast to death/Sheol in Prov 2:18-19; 5:5-6; 15:24.

[16:11]  ³ tn Heb “abundance of joy [is] with your face.” The plural form of the noun שִׂמְחָה (simkhah, “joy”) occurs only here and in Ps 45:15. It may emphasize the degree of joy experienced.

[16:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “delight [is] in your right hand forever.” The plural form of the adjective נָעִים (na’im, “pleasant, delightful”) may here emphasize the degree of delight experienced (see Job 36:11).

[81:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “lift up.”

[133:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.

[133:1]  ¹⁰ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[133:1]  ¹¹ sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.

[135:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “for [it is] pleasant.” The translation assumes that it is the Lord’s “name” that is pleasant. Another option is to understand the referent of “it” as the act of praising (see Ps 147:1).

[147:1]  ¹⁷ sn Psalm 147. The psalmist praises the Lord for he is the sovereign ruler of the world who cares for the needs of his covenant people.

[147:1]  ¹⁸ tn Or “for.”