Psalms 18:49

18:49 So I will give you thanks before the nations, ¹  O Lord!

I will sing praises to you! ² 

Psalms 25:8

25:8 The Lord is both kind and fair; ³ 

that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live. ⁴ 

Psalms 48:5

48:5 As soon as they see, ⁵  they are shocked; ⁶ 

they are terrified, they quickly retreat. ⁷ 

Psalms 63:2

63:2 Yes, ⁸  in the sanctuary I have seen you, ⁹ 

and witnessed ¹⁰  your power and splendor.

Psalms 63:4

63:4 For this reason ¹¹  I will praise you while I live;

in your name I will lift up my hands. ¹² 

Psalms 90:12

90:12 So teach us to consider our mortality, ¹³ 

so that we might live wisely. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 103:15

103:15 A person’s life is like grass. ¹⁵ 

Like a flower in the field it flourishes,

Psalms 110:7

110:7 From the stream along the road he drinks;

then he lifts up his head. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 119:104

119:104 Your precepts give me discernment.

Therefore I hate all deceitful actions. ¹⁷ 

Psalms 128:4

128:4 Yes indeed, the man who fears the Lord

will be blessed in this way. ¹⁸ 

[18:49]  ¹ sn I will give you thanks before the nations. This probably alludes to the fact that the psalmist will praise the Lord in the presence of the defeated nations when they, as his subjects, bring their tribute payments. Ideally the Davidic king was to testify to the nations of God’s greatness. See J. H. Eaton, Kingship and the Psalms (SBT), 182-85.

[18:49]  ² tn Heb “to your name.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “Lord,” the primary name of Israel’s covenant God which suggests his active presence with his people (see Exod 3:12-15).

[25:8]  ³ tn Heb “good and just.”

[25:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”

[48:5]  ⁵ tn The object of “see” is omitted, but v. 3b suggests that the Lord’s self-revelation as the city’s defender is what they see.

[48:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “they look, so they are shocked.” Here כֵּן (ken, “so”) has the force of “in the same measure.”

[48:5]  ⁷ tn The translation attempts to reflect the staccato style of the Hebrew text, where the main clauses of vv. 4-6 are simply juxtaposed without connectives.

[63:2]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used here to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4).

[63:2]  ⁸ tn The perfect verbal form is understood here as referring to a past experience which the psalmist desires to be repeated. Another option is to take the perfect as indicating the psalmist’s certitude that he will again stand in God’s presence in the sanctuary. In this case one can translate, “I will see you.”

[63:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “seeing.” The preposition with the infinitive construct here indicates an accompanying circumstance.

[63:4]  ⁹ tn Or perhaps “then.”

[63:4]  ¹⁰ sn I will lift up my hands. Lifting up one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer (see Ps 28:2; Lam 2:19) or respect (Ps 119:48).

[90:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to number our days,” that is, to be aware of how few they really are.

[90:12]  ¹² tn Heb “and we will bring a heart of wisdom.” After the imperative of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates purpose/result. The Hebrew term “heart” here refers to the center of one’s thoughts, volition, and moral character.

[103:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.

[110:7]  ¹⁵ tn Here the expression “lifts up the head” refers to the renewed physical strength and emotional vigor (see Ps 3:3) provided by the refreshing water. For another example of a victorious warrior being energized by water in the aftermath of battle, see Judg 15:18-19 (see also 1 Sam 30:11-12, where the setting is different, however).

[119:104]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “every false path.”

[128:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “look, indeed thus will the man, the fearer of the Lord, be blessed.”