Psalms 22:29

22:29 All of the thriving people ¹  of the earth will join the celebration and worship; ² 

all those who are descending into the grave ³  will bow before him,

including those who cannot preserve their lives. ⁴ 

Psalms 28:1

Psalm 28 ⁵ 

By David.

28:1 To you, O Lord, I cry out!

My protector, ⁶  do not ignore me! ⁷ 

If you do not respond to me, ⁸ 

I will join ⁹  those who are descending into the grave. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 55:23

55:23 But you, O God, will bring them ¹¹  down to the deep Pit. ¹² 

Violent and deceitful people ¹³  will not live even half a normal lifespan. ¹⁴ 

But as for me, I trust in you.

Psalms 133:3

133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, ¹⁵ 

which flows down upon the hills of Zion. ¹⁶ 

Indeed ¹⁷  that is where the Lord has decreed

a blessing will be available – eternal life. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 143:7

143:7 Answer me quickly, Lord!

My strength is fading. ¹⁹ 

Do not reject me, ²⁰ 

or I will join ²¹  those descending into the grave. ²² 

[22:29]  ¹ tn Heb “fat [ones].” This apparently refers to those who are healthy and robust, i.e., thriving. In light of the parallelism, some prefer to emend the form to יְשֵׁנֵי (yÿsheney, “those who sleep [in the earth]”; cf. NAB, NRSV), but דִּשְׁנֵי (dishney, “fat [ones]”) seems to form a merism with “all who descend into the grave” in the following line. The psalmist envisions all people, whether healthy or dying, joining in worship of the Lord.

[22:29]  ² tn Heb “eat and worship.” The verb forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) are normally used in narrative to relate completed actions. Here the psalmist uses the forms rhetorically as he envisions a time when the Lord will receive universal worship. The mood is one of wishful thinking and anticipation; this is not prophecy in the strict sense.

[22:29]  ³ tn Heb “all of the ones going down [into] the dust.” This group stands in contrast to those mentioned in the previous line. Together the two form a merism encompassing all human beings – the healthy, the dying, and everyone in between.

[22:29]  ⁴ tn Heb “and his life he does not revive.”

[28:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 28. The author looks to the Lord for vindication, asks that the wicked be repaid in full for their evil deeds, and affirms his confidence that the Lord will protect his own.

[28:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.

[28:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “do not be deaf from me.”

[28:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “lest [if] you are silent from me.”

[28:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “I will be equal with.”

[28:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.

[55:23]  ⁹ tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).

[55:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “well of the pit.” The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 103:4).

[55:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”

[55:23]  ¹² tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”

[133:3]  ¹³ sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.

[133:3]  ¹⁴ sn The hills of Zion are those surrounding Zion (see Pss 87:1; 125:2). The psalmist does not intend to suggest that the dew from Mt. Hermon in the distant north actually flows down upon Zion. His point is that the same kind of heavy dew that replenishes Hermon may also be seen on Zion’s hills. See A. Cohen, Psalms (SoBB), 439. “Dew” here symbolizes divine blessing, as the next line suggests.

[133:3]  ¹⁵ tn Or “for.”

[133:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forever.”

[143:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”

[143:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” (1) can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) can carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).

[143:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “I will be equal with.”

[143:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit; cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See Ps 28:1.