Psalms 19:4

19:4 Yet its voice ¹  echoes ²  throughout the earth;

its ³  words carry ⁴  to the distant horizon. ⁵ 

In the sky ⁶  he has pitched a tent for the sun. ⁷ 

Psalms 19:6

19:6 It emerges from the distant horizon, ⁸ 

and goes from one end of the sky to the other; ⁹ 

nothing can escape ¹⁰  its heat.

Psalms 79:2

79:2 They have given the corpses of your servants

to the birds of the sky; ¹¹ 

the flesh of your loyal followers

to the beasts of the earth.

Psalms 138:2

138:2 I will bow down toward your holy temple,

and give thanks to your name,

because of your loyal love and faithfulness,

for you have exalted your promise above the entire sky. ¹² 

[19:4]  ¹ tc The MT reads, “their measuring line” (קוּם, qum). The noun קַו (qav, “measuring line”) makes no sense in this context. The reading קוֹלָם (qolam, “their voice”) which is supported by the LXX, is preferable.

[19:4]  ² tn Heb “goes out,” or “proceeds forth.”

[19:4]  ³ tn Heb “their” (see the note on the word “its” in v. 3).

[19:4]  ⁴ tn The verb is supplied in the translation. The Hebrew text has no verb; יָצָא (yatsa’, “goes out”) is understood by ellipsis.

[19:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “to the end of the world.”

[19:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “in them” (i.e., the heavens).

[19:4]  ⁷ sn He has pitched a tent for the sun. The personified sun emerges from this “tent” in order to make its daytime journey across the sky. So the “tent” must refer metaphorically to the place where the sun goes to rest during the night.

[19:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “from the end of the heavens [is] its going forth.”

[19:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “and its circuit [is] to their ends.”

[19:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “is hidden from.”

[79:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “[as] food for the birds of the sky.”

[138:2]  ²² tc The MT reads, “for you have made great over all your name your word.” If retained, this must mean that God's mighty intervention, in fulfillment of his word of promise, surpassed anything he had done prior to this. However, the statement is odd and several emendations have been proposed. Some read, “for you have exalted over everything your name and your word,” while others suggest, “for you have exalted over all the heavens your name and your word.” The translation assumes an emendation of “your name” to “your heavens” (a construction that appears in Pss 8:3 and 144:5). The point is that God has been faithful to his promise and the reliability of that promise is apparent to all. For a fuller discussion of these options, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 244.