Psalms 18:22

18:22 For I am aware of all his regulations, ¹ 

and I do not reject his rules. ² 

Psalms 35:22

35:22 But you take notice, ³  Lord!

O Lord, do not remain far away from me!

Psalms 37:25

37:25 I was once young, now I am old.

I have never seen a godly man abandoned,

or his children ⁴  forced to search for food. ⁵ 

Psalms 66:20

66:20 God deserves praise, ⁶ 

for ⁷  he did not reject my prayer

or abandon his love for me! ⁸ 

Psalms 73:27

73:27 Yes, ⁹  look! Those far from you ¹⁰  die;

you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you. ¹¹ 

Psalms 77:9

77:9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has his anger stifled his compassion?”

Psalms 119:121

ע (Ayin)

119:121 I do what is fair and right. ¹² 

Do not abandon me to my oppressors!

[18:22]  ¹ tn Heb “for all his regulations [are] before me.” The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “regulations”) refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf. Deut 17:18-20). See also Pss 19:9 (cf. vv. 7-8); 89:30; 147:20 (cf. v. 19), as well as the numerous uses of the term in Ps 119.

[18:22]  ² tn Heb “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” 2 Sam 22:23 reads, “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; the psalmist here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The Lord’s “rules” are the stipulations of the covenant which the king was responsible to obey (see Ps 89:31; cf. v. 30 and Deut 17:18-20).

[35:22]  ³ tn Heb “you see, O Lord.” There is a deliberate play on words. In v. 21 the enemies say, “our eye sees,” but the psalmist is confident that the Lord “sees” as well, so he appeals to him for help (see also v. 17).

[37:25]  ⁵ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[37:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “or his offspring searching for food.” The expression “search for food” also appears in Lam 1:11, where Jerusalem’s refugees are forced to search for food and to trade their valuable possessions for something to eat.

[66:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “blessed [be] God.”

[66:20]  ⁸ tn Or “who.” In a blessing formula after בָּרוּךְ (barukh, “blessed be”) the form אֲשֶׁר (’asher), whether taken as a relative pronoun or causal particle, introduces the basis for the blessing/praise.

[66:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “did not turn aside my prayer and his loyal love with me.”

[73:27]  ⁹ tn Or “for.”

[73:27]  ¹⁰ sn The following line defines the phrase far from you in a spiritual sense. Those “far” from God are those who are unfaithful and disloyal to him.

[73:27]  ¹¹ tn Heb “everyone who commits adultery from you.”

[119:121]  ¹¹ tn Heb “do justice and righteousness.”