Psalms 17:4

17:4 As for the actions of people ¹  –

just as you have commanded,

I have not followed in the footsteps of violent men. ² 

Psalms 18:21

18:21 For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands; ³ 

I have not rebelled against my God. ⁴ 

Psalms 19:9

19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right ⁵ 

and endure forever. ⁶ 

The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy

and absolutely just. ⁷ 

Psalms 24:10

24:10 Who is this majestic king?

The Lord who commands armies! ⁸ 

He is the majestic king! (Selah)

Psalms 46:7

46:7 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ⁹ 

The God of Jacob ¹⁰  is our protector! ¹¹  (Selah)

Psalms 46:11

46:11 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ¹² 

The God of Jacob ¹³  is our protector! ¹⁴  (Selah)

Psalms 50:16

50:16 God says this to the evildoer: ¹⁵ 

“How can you declare my commands,

and talk about my covenant? ¹⁶ 

Psalms 78:56

78:56 Yet they challenged and defied ¹⁷  the sovereign God, ¹⁸ 

and did not obey ¹⁹  his commands. ²⁰ 

Psalms 86:11

86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! ²¹ 

Then I will obey your commands. ²² 

Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! ²³ 

Psalms 103:20

103:20 Praise the Lord, you angels of his,

you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees

and obey his orders! ²⁴ 

Psalms 105:28

105:28 He made it dark; ²⁵ 

they did not disobey his orders. ²⁶ 

Psalms 107:11

107:11 because they had rebelled against God’s commands, ²⁷ 

and rejected the instructions of the sovereign king. ²⁸ 

Psalms 128:1

Psalm 128 ²⁹ 

A song of ascents. ³⁰ 

128:1 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, ³¹ 

each one who keeps his commands! ³² 

[17:4]  ¹ tn Heb “with regard to the deeds of man[kind].”

[17:4]  ² tn Heb “by the word of your lips, I, I have watched the paths of the violent” (i.e., “watched” in the sense of “watched for the purpose of avoiding”).

[18:21]  ³ tn Heb “for I have kept the ways of the Lord.” The phrase “ways of the Lord” refers here to the “conduct required” by the Lord. In Ps 25 the Lord’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.

[18:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical; the idea is, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”

[19:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “the fear of the Lord is clean.” The phrase “fear of the Lord” probably refers here to the law, which teaches one how to demonstrate proper reverence for the Lord. See Ps 111:10 for another possible use of the phrase in this sense.

[19:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”

[19:9]  ⁷ sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.

[24:10]  ⁷ tn Traditionally, “the Lord of hosts,” a title which here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle.

[46:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:7]  ¹⁰ tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[46:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:11]  ¹² tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[50:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “evil [one].” The singular adjective is used here in a representative sense; it refers to those within the larger covenant community who have blatantly violated the Lord’s commandments. In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander, and cheat others (Ps 37:21).

[50:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “What to you to declare my commands and lift up my covenant upon your mouth?” The rhetorical question expresses sarcastic amazement. The Lord is shocked that such evildoers would give lip-service to his covenantal demands, for their lifestyle is completely opposed to his standards (see vv. 18-20).

[78:56]  ¹⁵ tn Or “tested and rebelled against.”

[78:56]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “God, the Most High.”

[78:56]  ¹⁷ tn Or “keep.”

[78:56]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “his testimonies” (see Ps 25:10).

[86:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles he expects the psalmist to follow. See Pss 25:4; 27:11.

[86:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The Lord’s commandments are referred to as “truth” here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will. See Ps 25:5.

[86:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Bind my heart to the fearing of your name.” The verb translated “bind” occurs only here in the Piel stem. It appears twice in the Qal, meaning “be joined” in both cases (Gen 49:6; Isa 14:20). To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for him which in turn motivates one to obey his commands (see Pss 61:5; 102:15).

[103:20]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “[you] mighty ones of strength, doers of his word, by listening to the voice of his word.”

[105:28]  ²¹ tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”

[105:28]  ²² tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.

[107:11]  ²³ tn Heb “the words of God.”

[107:11]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the counsel of the Most High.”

[128:1]  ²⁵ sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.

[128:1]  ²⁶ 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.

[128:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “every fearer of the Lord.”

[128:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”