Psalms 37:29-30

37:29 The godly will possess the land

and will dwell in it permanently.

37:30 The godly speak wise words

and promote justice. ¹ 

Psalms 37:32

37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly

and try to kill them. ² 

Psalms 46:6

46:6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown. ³ 

God ⁴  gives a shout, ⁵  the earth dissolves. ⁶ 

Psalms 75:2

75:2 God says, ⁷ 

“At the appointed times, ⁸ 

I judge ⁹  fairly.

Psalms 78:25

78:25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. ¹⁰ 

He sent them more than enough to eat. ¹¹ 

Psalms 97:11

97:11 The godly bask in the light;

the morally upright experience joy. ¹² 

Psalms 107:42

107:42 When the godly see this, they rejoice,

and every sinner ¹³  shuts his mouth.

Psalms 112:2

112:2 His descendants ¹⁴  will be powerful on the earth;

the godly ¹⁵  will be blessed.

Psalms 118:20

118:20 This is the Lord’s gate –

the godly enter through it.

Psalms 132:9

132:9 May your priests be clothed with integrity! ¹⁶ 

May your loyal followers shout for joy!

[37:30]  ¹ tn Heb “The mouth of the godly [one] utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.” The singular form is used in a representative sense; the typical godly individual is in view. The imperfect verbal forms draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the godly.

[37:32]  ¹ tn Heb “an evil [one] watches the godly [one] and seeks to kill him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The active participles describe characteristic behavior.

[46:6]  ¹ tn Heb “nations roar, kingdoms shake.” The Hebrew verb הָמָה (hamah, “roar, be in uproar”) is used in v. 3 of the waves crashing, while the verb מוֹט (mot, “overthrown”) is used in v. 2 of mountains tumbling into the sea (see also v. 5, where the psalm affirms that Jerusalem “cannot be moved”). The repetition of the verbs suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).

[46:6]  ² tn Heb “He.” God is the obvious referent here (see v. 5), and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[46:6]  ³ tn Heb “offers his voice.” In theophanic texts the phrase refers to God’s thunderous shout which functions as a battle cry (see Pss 18:13; 68:33).

[46:6]  ⁴ tn Or “melts.” See Amos 9:5. The image depicts the nation’s helplessness before Jerusalem’s defender, who annihilates their armies (see vv. 8-9). The imperfect verbal form emphasizes the characteristic nature of the action described.

[75:2]  ¹ tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in vv. 2-3.

[75:2]  ² tn Heb “when I take an appointed time.”

[75:2]  ³ tn Heb “I, [in] fairness, I judge.” The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically executes fair judgment as he governs the world. One could take this as referring to an anticipated (future) judgment, “I will judge.”

[78:25]  ¹ sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[78:25]  ² tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”

[97:11]  ¹ tn Heb “Light is planted for the godly, and for the upright of heart joy.” The translation assumes an emendation of זָרַע (zara’, “planted”) to זָרַח (zara’, “shines”) which collocates more naturally with “light.” “Light” here symbolizes the joy (note the following line) that accompanies deliverance and the outpouring of divine favor.

[107:42]  ¹ tn Heb “all evil,” which stands metonymically for those who do evil.

[112:2]  ¹ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[112:2]  ² tn Heb “His seed will be mighty on the earth, the generation of the godly.” The Hebrew term דוֹר (dor, “generation”) could be taken as parallel to “offspring” and translated “posterity,” but the singular more likely refers to the godly as a class. See BDB 189-90 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.

[132:9]  ¹ tn Or “righteousness.”