Psalms 27:11

27:11 Teach me how you want me to live; ¹ 

lead me along a level path ²  because of those who wait to ambush me! ³ 

Psalms 37:5

37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! ⁴ 

Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. ⁵ 

Psalms 67:2

67:2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like;

all nations will know how you deliver your people. ⁶ 

Psalms 77:13

77:13 ⁷ O God, your deeds are extraordinary! ⁸ 

What god can compare to our great God? ⁹ 

Psalms 5:8

5:8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness ¹⁰ 

because of those who wait to ambush me, ¹¹ 

remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me! ¹² 

Psalms 77:19

77:19 You walked through the sea; ¹³ 

you passed through the surging waters, ¹⁴ 

but left no footprints. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 86:11

86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! ¹⁶ 

Then I will obey your commands. ¹⁷ 

Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! ¹⁸ 

[27:11]  ¹ tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles which he expects the psalmist to follow. See Ps 25:4.

[27:11]  ² sn The level path refers to God’s moral principles (see the parallel line), which, if followed, will keep the psalmist blameless before his accusers (see v. 12).

[27:11]  ³ tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 54:5; 56:2.

[37:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “roll your way upon the Lord.” The noun “way” may refer here to one’s activities or course of life.

[37:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the Lord will vindicate those who trust in him.

[67:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “to know in the earth your way, among all nations your deliverance.” The infinitive with -לְ (lamed) expresses purpose/result. When God demonstrates his favor to his people, all nations will recognize his character as a God who delivers. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) refers here to God’s characteristic behavior, more specifically, to the way he typically saves his people.

[77:13]  ¹⁰ sn Verses 13-20 are the content of the psalmist’s reflection (see vv. 11-12). As he thought about God’s work in Israel’s past, he reached the place where he could confidently cry out for God’s help (see v. 1).

[77:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “O God, in holiness [is] your way.” God’s “way” here refers to his actions. “Holiness” is used here in the sense of “set apart, unique,” rather than in a moral/ethical sense. As the next line and the next verse emphasize, God’s deeds are incomparable and set him apart as the one true God.

[77:13]  ¹² tn Heb “Who [is] a great god like God?” The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “No one!”

[5:8]  ¹³ tn God’s providential leading is in view. His צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) includes here the deliverance that originates in his righteousness; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 842 s.v.

[5:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 27:11; 56:2.

[5:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “make level before me your way.” The imperative “make level” is Hiphil in the Kethib (consonantal text); Piel in the Qere (marginal reading). God’s “way” is here the way in which he leads the psalmist providentially (see the preceding line, where the psalmist asks the Lord to lead him).

[77:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”

[77:19]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”

[77:19]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”

[86:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles he expects the psalmist to follow. See Pss 25:4; 27:11.

[86:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The Lord’s commandments are referred to as “truth” here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will. See Ps 25:5.

[86:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “Bind my heart to the fearing of your name.” The verb translated “bind” occurs only here in the Piel stem. It appears twice in the Qal, meaning “be joined” in both cases (Gen 49:6; Isa 14:20). To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for him which in turn motivates one to obey his commands (see Pss 61:5; 102:15).