Psalms 21:10

21:10 You destroy their offspring ¹  from the earth,

their descendants ²  from among the human race. ³ 

Psalms 45:2

45:2 You are the most handsome of all men! ⁴ 

You speak in an impressive and fitting manner! ⁵ 

For this reason ⁶  God grants you continual blessings. ⁷ 

Psalms 12:1

Psalm 12 ⁸ 

For the music director; according to the sheminith style; ⁹  a psalm of David.

12:1 Deliver, Lord!

For the godly ¹⁰  have disappeared; ¹¹ 

people of integrity ¹²  have vanished. ¹³ 

[21:10]  ¹ tn Heb “fruit.” The next line makes it clear that offspring is in view.

[21:10]  ² tn Heb “seed.”

[21:10]  ³ tn Heb “sons of man.”

[45:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “you are handsome from the sons of man.” The preposition “from” is used in a comparative (“more than”) sense. The peculiar verb form יָפְיָפִיתָ (yafyafita) is probably the result of dittography of yod-pe (יפ) and should be emended to יָפִיתָ (yafita). See GKC 152 §55.e.

[45:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “favor is poured out on your lips.” “Lips” probably stands by metonymy for the king’s speech. Some interpret the Hebrew term חֵן (khen) as referring here to “gracious (i.e., kind and polite) speech”, but the word probably refers more generally to “attractive” speech that is impressively articulated and fitting for the occasion. For other instances of the term being used of speech, see Prov 22:11 and Eccl 10:12.

[45:2]  ⁶ tn Or “this demonstrates.” The construction עַל־כֵּן (’al-ken, “therefore”) usually indicates what logically follows from a preceding statement. However, here it may infer the cause from the effect, indicating the underlying basis or reason for what precedes (see BDB 487 s.v. I כֵּן 3.f; C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 1:386).

[45:2]  ⁷ tn Or “blesses you forever.” Here “bless” means to “endue with the power and skill to rule effectively,” as the following verses indicate.

[12:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.

[12:1]  ⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[12:1]  ⁹ tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[12:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “have come to an end.”

[12:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”

[12:1]  ¹² tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”