Psalms 33:15

33:15 He is the one who forms every human heart, ¹ 

and takes note of all their actions.

Psalms 34:3

34:3 Magnify the Lord with me!

Let’s praise ²  his name together!

Psalms 48:4

48:4 For ³  look, the kings assemble; ⁴ 

they advance together.

Psalms 71:10

71:10 For my enemies talk about me;

those waiting for a chance to kill me plot my demise. ⁵ 

Psalms 83:5

83:5 Yes, ⁶  they devise a unified strategy; ⁷ 

they form an alliance ⁸  against you.

Psalms 88:17

88:17 They surround me like water all day long;

they join forces and encircle me. ⁹ 

Psalms 102:22

102:22 when the nations gather together,

and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 141:10

141:10 Let the wicked fall ¹¹  into their ¹²  own nets,

while I escape. ¹³ 

[33:15]  ¹ tn Heb “the one who forms together their heart[s].” “Heart” here refers to human nature, composed of intellect, emotions and will. The precise force of יָחַד (yakhad, “together”) is unclear here. The point seems to be that the Lord is the creator of every human being.

[34:3]  ² tn Or “exalt.”

[48:4]  ³ tn The logical connection between vv. 3-4 seems to be this: God is the protector of Zion and reveals himself as the city’s defender – this is necessary because hostile armies threaten the city.

[48:4]  ⁴ tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 4-6 are understood as descriptive. In dramatic style (note הִנֵּה, hinneh, “look”) the psalm describes an enemy attack against the city as if it were occurring at this very moment. Another option is to take the perfects as narrational (“the kings assembled, they advanced”), referring to a particular historical event, such as Sennacherib’s siege of the city in 701 b.c. (cf. NIV, NRSV). Even if one translates the verses in a dramatic-descriptive manner (as the present translation does), the Lord’s victory over the Assyrians was probably what served as the inspiration of the description (see v. 8).

[71:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “those who watch for my life consult together.”

[83:5]  ⁵ tn Or “for.”

[83:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “they consult [with] a heart together.”

[83:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[88:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “they encircle me together.”

[102:22]  ⁷ tn “and the kingdoms to serve the Lord.”

[141:10]  ⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate, “the wicked will fall.”

[141:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “his.”

[141:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “at the same [that] I, until I pass by.” Another option is to take יַחַד (yakhad) with the preceding line, “let the wicked fall together into their own nets.”