Psalms 29:8

29:8 The Lord’s shout shakes ¹  the wilderness,

the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. ² 

Psalms 87:3

87:3 People say wonderful things about you, ³ 

O city of God. (Selah)

Psalms 91:6

91:6 the plague that comes in the darkness,

or the disease that comes at noon. ⁴ 

Psalms 34:13

34:13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words ⁵ 

or use deceptive speech! ⁶ 

Psalms 52:3

52:3 You love evil more than good,

lies more than speaking the truth. ⁷  (Selah)

Psalms 65:12

65:12 The pastures in the wilderness glisten with moisture, ⁸ 

and the hills are clothed with joy. ⁹ 

Psalms 91:3

91:3 he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter ¹⁰ 

and from the destructive plague.

Psalms 102:6

102:6 I am like an owl ¹¹  in the wilderness;

I am like a screech owl ¹²  among the ruins. ¹³ 

Psalms 107:35

107:35 As for his people, ¹⁴  he turned ¹⁵  a desert into a pool of water,

and a dry land into springs of water.

[29:8]  ¹ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms are descriptive in function; the psalmist depicts the action as underway.

[29:8]  ² sn Kadesh. The references to Lebanon and Sirion in v. 6 suggest this is a reference to the northern Kadesh, located north of Damascus, not the southern Kadesh mentioned so often in the OT. See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:178.

[87:3]  ³ tn Heb “glorious things are spoken about you.” The translation assumes this is a general reference to compliments paid to Zion by those who live within her walls and by those who live in the surrounding areas and lands. Another option is that this refers to a prophetic oracle about the city’s glorious future. In this case one could translate, “wonderful things are announced concerning you.”

[91:6]  ⁵ sn As in Deut 32:23-24, vv. 5-6 closely associate military attack and deadly disease. Perhaps the latter alludes to one of the effects of siege warfare on the population of an entrapped city, which was especially vulnerable to the outbreak of epidemics.

[34:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”

[34:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”

[52:3]  ⁹ tn Or “deceit more than speaking what is right.”

[65:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “drip.”

[65:12]  ¹² tn That is, with rich vegetation that brings joy to those who see it.

[91:3]  ¹³ tn The word refers specifically to a fowler (or hunter of birds).

[102:6]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew term קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). Modern translations have frequently rendered this as some type of owl (NIV, REB “desert owl”; NRSV “owl”).

[102:6]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew term כוֹס (khos) refers to a bird (see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16), probably a type of owl (cf. NIV, REB “owl”; NRSV “little owl”).

[102:6]  ¹⁷ sn By comparing himself to a screech owl among the ruins, the psalmist may be highlighting his loneliness (see v. 7), though he may also be comparing his cries for help to the owl’s screech.

[107:35]  ¹⁷ tn The words “As for his people” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. The psalmist contrasts God’s judgment on his enemies with his blessing of his people. See the note on the word “enemies” in v. 39 for further discussion.

[107:35]  ¹⁸ tn The verbal form appears to be a preterite, which is most naturally taken as narrational. See the note on the word “turned” in v. 33.