Psalms 27:11-14

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 

27:12 Do not turn me over to my enemies, ⁴ 

for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me. ⁵ 

27:13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience

the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? ⁶ 

27:14 Rely ⁷  on the Lord!

Be strong and confident! ⁸ 

Rely on the Lord!

[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.

[27:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “do not give me over to the desire of my enemies.”

[27:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “for they have risen up against me, lying witnesses and a testifier of violence.” The form יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) is traditionally understood as a verb meaning “snort, breathe out”: “for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty” (KJV; cf. BDB 422 s.v.). A better option is to take the form as a noun meaning “a witness” (or “testifier”). See Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3.

[27:13]  ⁷ tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is incomplete: “If I had not believed [I would] see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” The words “Where would I be” are supplied in the translation to clarify the intent of the statement.

[27:14]  ¹⁰ tn Or “wait.”

[27:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “be strong and let your heart be confident.”