Psalms 37:23-24

37:23 The Lord grants success to the one

whose behavior he finds commendable. ¹ 

37:24 Even if ²  he trips, he will not fall headlong, ³ 

for the Lord holds ⁴  his hand.

Psalms 62:2

62:2 He alone is my protector ⁵  and deliverer.

He is my refuge; ⁶  I will not be upended. ⁷ 

Psalms 62:6

62:6 He alone is my protector ⁸  and deliverer.

He is my refuge; ⁹  I will not be upended. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 94:18

94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”

your loyal love, O Lord, supports me.

Psalms 112:6

112:6 For he will never be upended;

others will always remember one who is just. ¹¹ 

Psalms 121:3

121:3 May he not allow your foot to slip!

May your protector ¹²  not sleep! ¹³ 

Psalms 125:3

125:3 Indeed, ¹⁴  the scepter of a wicked king ¹⁵  will not settle ¹⁶ 

upon the allotted land of the godly.

Otherwise the godly might

do what is wrong. ¹⁷ 

Psalms 125:1

Psalm 125 ¹⁸ 

A song of ascents. ¹⁹ 

125:1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion;

it cannot be upended and will endure forever.

Psalms 2:9

2:9 You will break them ²⁰  with an iron scepter; ²¹ 

you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” ²² 

[37:23]  ¹ tn Heb “from the Lord the steps of a man are established, and in his way he delights.” The second line qualifies the first. The man whose behavior is commendable in God’s sight is the one whose ways are established by God. Another option is that the second line refers to the godly man delighting in God’s “way,” namely the lifestyle which he prescribes for men. In this case one might translate, “The Lord grants success to the one who desires to obey his commands.”

[37:24]  ² tn Other translation options for כִּי in this context are “when” (so NASB) or “though” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[37:24]  ³ tn Heb “be hurled down.”

[37:24]  ⁴ tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.

[62:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”

[62:2]  ⁶ tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).

[62:2]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) at the end of the line. It is unusual for this adverb to follow a negated verb. Some see this as qualifying the assertion to some degree, but this would water down the affirmation too much (see v. 6b, where the adverb is omitted). If the adverb has a qualifying function, it would suggest that the psalmist might be upended, though not severely. This is inconsistent with the confident mood of the psalm. The adverb probably has an emphatic force here, “I will not be greatly upended” meaning “I will not be annihilated.”

[62:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”

[62:6]  ⁹ tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).

[62:6]  ¹⁰ sn The wording is identical to that of v. 2, except that רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) does not appear in v. 6.

[112:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for an eternal memorial a just [one] will be.”

[121:3]  ¹² tn Heb “the one who guards you.”

[121:3]  ¹³ tn The prefixed verbal forms following the negative particle אל appear to be jussives. As noted above, if they are taken as true jussives of prayer, then the speaker in v. 3 would appear to be distinct from both the speaker in vv. 1-2 and the speaker in vv. 4-8. However, according to GKC 322 §109.e), the jussives are used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one should probably translate, “he will not allow your foot to slip, your protector will not sleep,” and understand just one speaker in vv. 4-8.

[125:3]  ¹⁴ tn Or “for.”

[125:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.

[125:3]  ¹⁶ tn Or “rest.”

[125:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful example can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the people he rules.

[125:1]  ¹⁸ sn Psalm 125. The psalmist affirms his confidence in the Lord’s protection and justice.

[125:1]  ¹⁹ 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.

[2:9]  ²⁰ tc The LXX reads “you will shepherd them.” This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, “to shepherd”) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, “to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, “to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.

[2:9]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.

[2:9]  ²² sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.