Psalms 17:6

17:6 I call to you for you will answer me, O God.

Listen to me! ¹ 

Hear what I say! ² 

Psalms 21:11

21:11 Yes, ³  they intend to do you harm; ⁴ 

they dream up a scheme, ⁵  but they do not succeed. ⁶ 

Psalms 40:1

Psalm 40 ⁷ 

For the music director; By David, a psalm.

40:1 I relied completely ⁸  on the Lord,

and he turned toward me

and heard my cry for help.

Psalms 44:18

44:18 We have not been unfaithful, ⁹ 

nor have we disobeyed your commands. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 45:10

45:10 Listen, O princess! ¹¹ 

Observe and pay attention! ¹² 

Forget your homeland ¹³  and your family! ¹⁴ 

Psalms 62:3

62:3 How long will you threaten ¹⁵  a man?

All of you are murderers, ¹⁶ 

as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence. ¹⁷ 

Psalms 78:1

Psalm 78 ¹⁸ 

A well-written song ¹⁹  by Asaph.

78:1 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction!

Listen to the words I speak! ²⁰ 

Psalms 86:1

Psalm 86 ²¹ 

A prayer of David.

86:1 Listen ²²  O Lord! Answer me!

For I am oppressed and needy.

Psalms 125:5

125:5 As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path, ²³ 

may the Lord remove them, ²⁴  along with those who behave wickedly! ²⁵ 

May Israel experience peace! ²⁶ 

[17:6]  ¹ tn Heb “Turn your ear toward me.”

[17:6]  ² tn Heb “my word.”

[21:11]  ³ tn Or “for.”

[21:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “they extend against you harm.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 11 are taken as generalizing, stating factually what the king’s enemies typically do. Another option is to translate with the past tense (“they intended…planned”).

[21:11]  ⁵ sn See Ps 10:2.

[21:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “they lack ability.”

[40:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 40. The psalmist combines a song of thanksgiving for a recent act of divine deliverance (vv. 1-11) with a confident petition for renewed divine intervention (vv. 12-17).

[40:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “relying, I relied.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the verbal idea. The emphasis is reflected in the translation through the adverb “completely.” Another option is to translate, “I waited patiently” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[44:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “our heart did not turn backward.” Cf. Ps 78:57.

[44:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “and our steps did [not] turn aside from your path.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line). God’s “path” refers to his commands, i.e., the moral pathway he has prescribed for the psalmist. See Pss 17:5; 25:4.

[45:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “daughter.” The Hebrew noun בת (“daughter”) can sometimes refer to a young woman in a general sense (see H. Haag, TDOT 2:334).

[45:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “see and turn your ear.” The verb רָאָה (ra’ah, “see”) is used here of mental observation.

[45:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “your people.” This reference to the “people” of the princess suggests she was a foreigner. Perhaps the marriage was arranged as part of a political alliance between Israel (or Judah) and a neighboring state. The translation “your homeland” reflects such a situation.

[45:10]  ¹² tn Heb “and the house of your father.”

[62:3]  ¹¹ tn The verb form is plural; the psalmist addresses his enemies. The verb הוּת occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “shout at.”

[62:3]  ¹² tn The Hebrew text has a Pual (passive) form, but the verb form should be vocalized as a Piel (active) form. See BDB 953-54 s.v. רָצַח.

[62:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “like a bent wall and a broken fence.” The point of the comparison is not entirely clear. Perhaps the enemies are depicted as dangerous, like a leaning wall or broken fence that is in danger of falling on someone (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:69).

[78:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 78. The author of this lengthy didactic psalm rehearses Israel’s history. He praises God for his power, goodness and patience, but also reminds his audience that sin angers God and prompts his judgment. In the conclusion to the psalm the author elevates Jerusalem as God’s chosen city and David as his chosen king.

[78:1]  ¹⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 74.

[78:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Turn your ear to the words of my mouth.”

[86:1]  ¹⁵ sn Psalm 86. The psalmist appeals to God’s mercy as he asks for deliverance from his enemies.

[86:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “turn your ear.”

[125:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and the ones making their paths twisted.” A sinful lifestyle is compared to a twisting, winding road.

[125:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “lead them away.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer here (note the prayers directly before and after this). Another option is to translate, “the Lord will remove them” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[125:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.”

[125:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 122:8 for a similar prayer for peace).