Psalms 33:3

33:3 Sing to him a new song! ¹ 

Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him! ² 

Psalms 66:1

Psalm 66 ³ 

For the music director; a song, a psalm.

66:1 Shout out praise to God, all the earth!

Psalms 87:1

Psalm 87 ⁴ 

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.

87:1 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills. ⁵ 

Psalms 96:1

Psalm 96 ⁶ 

96:1 Sing to the Lord a new song! ⁷ 

Sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Psalms 120:1

Psalm 120 ⁸ 

A song of ascents. ⁹ 

120:1 In my distress I cried out

to the Lord and he answered me.

Psalms 123:1

Psalm 123 ¹⁰ 

A song of ascents. ¹¹ 

123:1 I look up ¹²  toward you,

the one enthroned ¹³  in heaven.

Psalms 128:1

Psalm 128 ¹⁴ 

A song of ascents. ¹⁵ 

128:1 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, ¹⁶ 

each one who keeps his commands! ¹⁷ 

Psalms 129:1

Psalm 129 ¹⁸ 

A song of ascents. ¹⁹ 

129:1 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”

let Israel say.

Psalms 132:1

Psalm 132 ²⁰ 

A song of ascents. ²¹ 

132:1 O Lord, for David’s sake remember

all his strenuous effort, ²² 

Psalms 137:4

137:4 How can we sing a song to the Lord

in a foreign land?

[33:3]  ¹ sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.

[33:3]  ² tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”

[66:1]  ³ sn Psalm 66. The psalmist praises God because he has delivered his people from a crisis.

[87:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.

[87:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “his foundation [is] in the hills of holiness.” The expression “his foundation” refers here by metonymy to the Lord’s dwelling place in Zion. The “hills” are the ones surrounding Zion (see Pss 125:2; 133:3).

[96:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 96. The psalmist summons everyone to praise the Lord, the sovereign creator of the world who preserves and promotes justice in the earth.

[96:1]  ⁸ sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See also Pss 33:3; 40:3; 98:1.

[120:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 120. The genre and structure of this psalm are uncertain. It begins like a thanksgiving psalm, with a brief notice that God has heard the psalmist’s prayer for help and has intervened. But v. 2 is a petition for help, followed by a taunt directed toward enemies (vv. 3-4) and a lament (vv. 5-7). Perhaps vv. 2-7 recall the psalmist’s prayer when he cried out to the Lord.

[120:1]  ¹⁰ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[123:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 123. The psalmist, speaking for God’s people, acknowledges his dependence on God in the midst of a crisis.

[123:1]  ¹² sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[123:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”

[123:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb יָשַׁב (yashav) is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12).

[128:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.

[128:1]  ¹⁴ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[128:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “every fearer of the Lord.”

[128:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”

[129:1]  ¹⁵ sn Psalm 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.

[129:1]  ¹⁶ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[132:1]  ¹⁷ sn Psalm 132. The psalmist reminds God of David’s devotion and of his promises concerning David’s dynasty and Zion.

[132:1]  ¹⁸ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[132:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “all his affliction.” This may refer to David’s strenuous and tireless efforts to make provision for the building of the temple (see 1 Chr 22:14). Some prefer to revocalize the text as עַנַוָתוֹ (’anavato, “his humility”).