Psalms 28:5

28:5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,

or the way he carries out justice. ¹ 

The Lord ²  will permanently demolish them. ³ 

Psalms 68:28

68:28 God has decreed that you will be powerful. ⁴ 

O God, you who have acted on our behalf, demonstrate your power,

Psalms 109:20

109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, ⁵ 

those who say evil things about ⁶  me! ⁷ 

Psalms 31:19

31:19 How great is your favor, ⁸ 

which you store up for your loyal followers! ⁹ 

In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter ¹⁰  in you. ¹¹ 

Psalms 44:1

Psalm 44 ¹² 

For the music director; by the Korahites, a well-written song. ¹³ 

44:1 O God, we have clearly heard; ¹⁴ 

our ancestors ¹⁵  have told us

what you did ¹⁶  in their days,

in ancient times. ¹⁷ 

[28:5]  ¹ tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context “the Lord’s actions” and “the work of his hands” probably refer to the way he carries out justice by vindicating the godly and punishing the wicked. (Note the final line of the verse, which refers to divine judgment. See also Ps 92:4-7.) Evil men do not “understand” God’s just ways; they fail to realize he will protect the innocent. Consequently they seek to harm the godly, as if they believe they will never be held accountable for their actions.

[28:5]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord, who is referred to in the two immediately preceding lines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:5]  ³ tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.

[68:28]  ⁴ tn Heb “God has commanded your strength.” The statement is apparently addressed to Israel (see v. 26).

[109:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the Lord.”

[109:20]  ⁸ tn Or “against.”

[109:20]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[31:19]  ¹⁰ tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”

[31:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for those who fear you.”

[31:19]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”

[44:1]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “with our ears we have heard.”

[44:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 2; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “fathers” or “ancestors” depending on the context.

[44:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the work you worked.”

[44:1]  ¹⁸ 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.