Psalms 4:2

4:2 You men, ¹  how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? ² 

How long ³  will you love what is worthless ⁴ 

and search for what is deceptive? ⁵  (Selah)

Psalms 34:12

34:12 Do you want to really live? ⁶ 

Would you love to live a long, happy life? ⁷ 

Psalms 38:11

38:11 Because of my condition, ⁸  even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; ⁹ 

my neighbors stand far away. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 40:16

40:16 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!

May those who love to experience ¹¹  your deliverance say continually, ¹² 

“May the Lord be praised!” ¹³ 

Psalms 47:4

47:4 He picked out for us a special land ¹⁴ 

to be a source of pride for ¹⁵  Jacob, ¹⁶  whom he loves. ¹⁷  (Selah)

Psalms 70:4

70:4 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!

May those who love to experience ¹⁸  your deliverance say continually, ¹⁹ 

“May God ²⁰  be praised!” ²¹ 

Psalms 78:68

78:68 He chose the tribe of Judah,

and Mount Zion, which he loves.

Psalms 97:10

97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!

He protects ²²  the lives of his faithful followers;

he delivers them from the power ²³  of the wicked.

Psalms 99:4

99:4 The king is strong;

he loves justice. ²⁴ 

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; ²⁵ 

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

Psalms 145:20

145:20 The Lord protects those who love him,

but he destroys all the wicked.

Psalms 146:8

146:8 The Lord gives sight to the blind.

The Lord lifts up all who are bent over. ²⁶ 

The Lord loves the godly.

[4:2]  ¹ tn Heb “sons of man.”

[4:2]  ² tn Heb “how long my honor to shame?”

[4:2]  ³ tn The interrogative construction עַד־מֶה (’ad-meh, “how long?”), is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

[4:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “emptiness.”

[4:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “a lie.” Some see the metonymic language of v. 2b (“emptiness, lie”) as referring to idols or false gods. However, there is no solid immediate contextual evidence for such an interpretation. It is more likely that the psalmist addresses those who threaten him (see v. 1) and refers in a general way to their sinful lifestyle. (See R. Mosis, TDOT 7:121.) The two terms allude to the fact that sinful behavior is ultimately fruitless and self-destructive.

[34:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.

[34:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”

[38:11]  ¹¹ tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”

[38:11]  ¹² tn Heb “stand [aloof].”

[38:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”

[40:16]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by the Lord.

[40:16]  ¹⁷ tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing upon the godly.

[40:16]  ¹⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the Lord be magnified [in praise].” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the Lord is great” (cf. NRSV). See Ps 35:27.

[47:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “he chose for us our inheritance.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite (see “subdued” in v. 3).

[47:4]  ²² tn Heb “the pride of.” The phrase is appositional to “our inheritance,” indicating that the land is here described as a source of pride to God’s people.

[47:4]  ²³ tn That is, Israel.

[47:4]  ²⁴ sn Jacob whom he loves. The Lord’s covenantal devotion to his people is in view.

[70:4]  ²⁶ tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by God.

[70:4]  ²⁷ tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing on the godly.

[70:4]  ²⁸ tn Ps 40:16 uses the divine name “Lord” here instead of “God.”

[70:4]  ²⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the Lord be magnified [in praise].” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the Lord is great.” See Ps 35:27.

[97:10]  ³¹ tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the Lord.” In this case one could translate, “Hate evil, you who love the Lord, the one who protects the lives…and delivers them.”

[97:10]  ³² tn Heb “hand.”

[99:4]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (’oz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (’az, “strong”).

[99:4]  ³⁷ tn Heb “you establish fairness.”

[146:8]  ⁴¹ tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).