Psalms 28:3

28:3 Do not drag me away with evil men,

with those who behave wickedly, ¹ 

who talk so friendly to their neighbors, ² 

while they plan to harm them! ³ 

Psalms 31:19

31:19 How great is your favor, ⁴ 

which you store up for your loyal followers! ⁵ 

In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter ⁶  in you. ⁷ 

Psalms 44:1

Psalm 44 ⁸ 

For the music director; by the Korahites, a well-written song. ⁹ 

44:1 O God, we have clearly heard; ¹⁰ 

our ancestors ¹¹  have told us

what you did ¹²  in their days,

in ancient times. ¹³ 

Psalms 92:9

92:9 Indeed, ¹⁴  look at your enemies, O Lord!

Indeed, ¹⁵  look at how your enemies perish!

All the evildoers are scattered!

Psalms 141:4

141:4 Do not let me have evil desires, ¹⁶ 

or participate in sinful activities

with men who behave wickedly. ¹⁷ 

I will not eat their delicacies. ¹⁸ 

[28:3]  ¹ tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”

[28:3]  ² tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”

[28:3]  ³ tn Heb “and evil [is] in their heart[s].”

[31:19]  ⁴ tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”

[31:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “for those who fear you.”

[31:19]  ⁶ tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 34:21-22).

[31:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”

[44:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 44. The speakers in this psalm (the worshiping community within the nation Israel) were disappointed with God. The psalm begins on a positive note, praising God for leading Israel to past military victories. Verses 1-8 appear to be a song of confidence and petition which the people recited prior to battle. But suddenly the mood changes as the nation laments a recent defeat. The stark contrast between the present and the past only heightens the nation’s confusion. Israel trusted in God for victory, but the Lord rejected them and allowed them to be humiliated in battle. If Israel had been unfaithful to God, their defeat would make sense, but the nation was loyal to the Lord. Comparing the Lord to a careless shepherd, the nation urges God to wake up and to extend his compassion to his suffering people.

[44:1]  ⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 42.

[44:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “with our ears we have heard.”

[44:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 2; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “fathers” or “ancestors” depending on the context.

[44:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the work you worked.”

[44:1]  ¹² tn Heb “in the days of old.” This refers specifically to the days of Joshua, during Israel’s conquest of the land, as vv. 2-3 indicate.

[92:9]  ¹⁰ tn Or “for.”

[92:9]  ¹¹ tn Or “for.”

[141:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”

[141:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”

[141:4]  ¹⁵ sn Their delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.