Psalms 17:10

17:10 They are calloused; ¹ 

they speak arrogantly. ² 

Psalms 73:7

73:7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong; ³ 

their thoughts are sinful. ⁴ 

Psalms 119:70

119:70 Their hearts are calloused, ⁵ 

but I find delight in your law.

Psalms 147:14

147:14 He ⁶  brings peace to your territory. ⁷ 

He abundantly provides for you ⁸  the best grain.

Psalms 81:16

81:16 “I would feed Israel the best wheat, ⁹ 

and would satisfy your appetite ¹⁰  with honey from the rocky cliffs.” ¹¹ 

Psalms 63:5

63:5 As if with choice meat ¹²  you satisfy my soul. ¹³ 

My mouth joyfully praises you, ¹⁴ 

[17:10]  ¹ tn Heb “their fat they close.” The Hebrew term חֵלֶב (khelev, “fat”) appears to stand by metonymy for their calloused hearts. They attack the psalmist without feeling any pity or remorse. Some propose emending the text to חֵלֶב לִבָּמוֹ (khelev libbamo, “fat of their heart[s]; cf. Ps 119:70, “their heart is insensitive like fat”). This assumes haplography of the לב (lamed-bet) consonantal sequence.

[17:10]  ² tn Heb “[with] their mouth they speak with arrogance.”

[73:7]  ³ tc The MT reads “it goes out from fatness their eye,” which might be paraphrased, “their eye protrudes [or “bulges”] because of fatness.” This in turn might refer to their greed; their eyes “bug out” when they see rich food or produce (the noun חֵלֶב [khelev, “fatness”] sometimes refers to such food or produce). However, when used with the verb יָצָא (yatsa’, “go out”) the preposition מִן (“from”) more naturally indicates source. For this reason it is preferable to emend עֵינֵמוֹ (’enemo, “their eye”) to עֲוֹנָמוֹ, (’avonamo, “their sin”) and read, “and their sin proceeds forth from fatness,” that is, their prosperity gives rise to their sinful attitudes. If one follows this textual reading, another interpretive option is to take חֵלֶב (“fatness”) in the sense of “unreceptive, insensitive” (see its use in Ps 17:10). In this case, the sin of the wicked proceeds forth from their spiritual insensitivity.

[73:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “the thoughts of [their] heart [i.e., mind] cross over” (i.e., violate God’s moral boundary, see Ps 17:3).

[119:70]  ⁵ tn Heb “their heart is insensitive like fat.”

[147:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “the one who.”

[147:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “he makes your boundary peace.”

[147:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “satisfies you with.”

[81:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he fed him from the best of the wheat.” The Hebrew text has a third person form of the preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive attached. However, it is preferable, in light of the use of the first person in v. 14 and in the next line, to emend the verb to a first person form and understand the vav as conjunctive, continuing the apodosis of the conditional sentence of vv. 13-14. The third masculine singular pronominal suffix refers to Israel, as in v. 6.

[81:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you.” The second person singular pronominal suffix refers to Israel, as in vv. 7-10.

[81:16]  ¹¹ sn The language in this verse, particularly the references to wheat and honey, is reminiscent of Deut 32:13-14.

[63:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “like fat and fatness.”

[63:5]  ¹² tn Or “me.”

[63:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “and [with] lips of joy my mouth praises.”