Psalms 16:4

16:4 their troubles multiply,

they desire other gods. ¹ 

I will not pour out drink offerings of blood to their gods, ² 

nor will I make vows in the name of their gods. ³ 

Psalms 26:1

Psalm 26 ⁴ 

By David.

26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,

for I have integrity, ⁵ 

and I trust in the Lord without wavering.

Psalms 35:26

35:26 May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! ⁶ 

May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! ⁷ 

Psalms 40:3

40:3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, ⁸ 

praising our God. ⁹ 

May many see what God has done,

so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord! ¹⁰ 

Psalms 88:8

88:8 You cause those who know me to keep their distance;

you make me an appalling sight to them.

I am trapped and cannot get free. ¹¹ 

Psalms 102:2

102:2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble! ¹² 

Listen to me! ¹³ 

When I call out to you, quickly answer me!

Psalms 141:4

141:4 Do not let me have evil desires, ¹⁴ 

or participate in sinful activities

with men who behave wickedly. ¹⁵ 

I will not eat their delicacies. ¹⁶ 

[16:4]  ¹ tn Heb “their troubles multiply, another, they pay a dowry.” The meaning of the text is unclear. The Hebrew term עַצְּבוֹתָם (’atsÿvotam, “troubles”) appears to be a plural form of עַצֶּבֶת (’atsÿvet, “pain, wound”; see Job 9:28; Ps 147:3). Because idolatry appears to be in view (see v. 4b), some prefer to emend the noun to עַצְּבִים (’atsÿvim, “idols”). “Troubles” may be a wordplay on “idols” or a later alteration designed to emphasize that idolatry leads to trouble. The singular form אחר (“another”) is syntactically problematic here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a plural אֲחֵרִים (’akherim, “others”). (The final mem [ם] could have been lost by haplography; note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the next word.) In this case it might be taken as an abbreviated form of the well-attested phrase אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים (’elohim ’akherim, “other gods”). (In Isa 42:8 the singular form אַחַר (’akher, “another”) is used of another god.) The verb מָהַר (mahar) appears in the Qal stem; the only other use of a Qal verbal form of a root מָהַר is in Exod 22:15, where the denominative verb מָהֹר (mahor, “purchase [a wife]”) appears; cf. the related noun מֹהַר (mohar, “bride money, purchase price for a wife”). If that verb is understood here, then the idolaters are pictured as eager bridegrooms paying the price to acquire the object of their desire. Another option is to emend the verb to a Piel and translate, “hurry (after).”

[16:4]  ² tn Heb “I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood.” The third masculine plural suffix would appear to refer back to the people/leaders mentioned in v. 3. However, if we emend אֲחֵר (’akher, “another”) to the plural אֲחֵרִים (’akherim, “other [gods]”) in v. 4, the suffix can be understood as referring to these gods – “the drink offerings [made to] them.” The next line favors this interpretation. Perhaps this refers to some type of pagan cultic ritual. Elsewhere wine is the prescribed content of drink offerings.

[16:4]  ³ tn Heb “and I will not lift up their names upon my lips.” The expression “lift up the name” probably refers here to swearing an oath in the name of deity (see Exod 20:7; Deut 5:11). If so, the third masculine plural suffix on “names” likely refers to the pagan gods, not the people/leaders. See the preceding note.

[26:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.

[26:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”

[35:26]  ⁷ tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”

[35:26]  ⁸ tn Heb “may they be clothed with shame and humiliation, the ones who magnify [themselves] against me.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 26 are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-25, where the negative particle אַל (’al) appears before the prefixed verbal forms, indicating they are jussives). The psalmist is calling down judgment on his enemies.

[40:3]  ¹⁰ sn A new song was appropriate because the Lord had intervened in the psalmist’s experience in a fresh and exciting way.

[40:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he placed in my mouth a new song, praise to our God.”

[40:3]  ¹² tn Heb “may many see and fear and trust in the Lord.” The translation assumes that the initial prefixed verbal form is a jussive (“may many see”), rather than an imperfect (“many will see”). The following prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) conjunctive are taken as indicating purpose or result (“so that they might swear allegiance…and trust”) after the introductory jussive.

[88:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “[I am] confined and I cannot go out.”

[102:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble.” The idiom “to hide the face” can mean “to ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “to reject” (see Pss 29:7; 30:7; 88:14).

[102:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”

[141:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”

[141:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”

[141:4]  ²¹ sn Their delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.