Psalms 32:9

32:9 Do not be ¹  like an unintelligent horse or mule, ² 

which will not obey you

unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. ³ 

Psalms 93:1

Psalm 93 ⁴ 

93:1 The Lord reigns!

He is robed in majesty,

the Lord is robed,

he wears strength around his waist. ⁵ 

Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.

Psalms 141:4

141:4 Do not let me have evil desires, ⁶ 

or participate in sinful activities

with men who behave wickedly. ⁷ 

I will not eat their delicacies. ⁸ 

[32:9]  ¹ tn The verb form is plural (i.e., “do not all of you be”); the psalmist addresses the whole group.

[32:9]  ² tn Heb “like a horse, like a mule without understanding.”

[32:9]  ³ tn Heb “with a bridle and bit, its [?] to hold, not to come near to you.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun עֲדִי (’adiy) is uncertain. Normally the word refers to “jewelry,” so some suggest the meaning “trappings” here (cf. NASB). Some emend the form to לְחֵיהֶם (lÿkhehem, “their jawbones”) but it is difficult to see how the present Hebrew text, even if corrupt, could have derived from this proposed original reading. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 265) takes the form from an Arabic root and translates “whose gallop.” Cf. also NRSV “whose temper must be curbed.”

[93:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the Lord is the king of the universe who preserves order and suppresses the destructive forces in the world.

[93:1]  ⁵ sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.

[141:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”

[141:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”

[141:4]  ⁹ sn Their delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.