Psalms 4:8

4:8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, ¹ 

for you, Lord, make me safe and secure. ² 

Psalms 21:7

21:7 For the king trusts ³  in the Lord,

and because of the sovereign Lord’s ⁴  faithfulness he is not upended. ⁵ 

Psalms 25:2

25:2 My God, I trust in you.

Please do not let me be humiliated;

do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!

Psalms 27:14

27:14 Rely ⁶  on the Lord!

Be strong and confident! ⁷ 

Rely on the Lord!

Psalms 37:3

37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!

Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! ⁸ 

Psalms 37:5

37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! ⁹ 

Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 41:9

41:9 Even my close friend ¹¹  whom I trusted,

he who shared meals with me, has turned against me. ¹² 

Psalms 49:10

49:10 Surely ¹³  one sees ¹⁴  that even wise people die; ¹⁵ 

fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away ¹⁶ 

and leave their wealth to others. ¹⁷ 

Psalms 49:13

49:13 This is the destiny of fools, ¹⁸ 

and of those who approve of their philosophy. ¹⁹  (Selah)

Psalms 56:11

56:11 in God I trust, I am not afraid.

What can mere men ²⁰  do to me? ²¹ 

Psalms 75:4

75:4 ²² I say to the proud, “Do not be proud,”

and to the wicked, “Do not be so confident of victory! ²³ 

Psalms 78:53

78:53 He guided them safely along,

while the sea covered their enemies.

Psalms 108:1

Psalm 108 ²⁴ 

A song, a psalm of David.

108:1 I am determined, ²⁵  O God!

I will sing and praise you with my whole heart. ²⁶ 

Psalms 112:8

112:8 His resolve ²⁷  is firm; he will not succumb to fear

before he looks in triumph on his enemies.

[4:8]  ¹ tn Heb “in peace at the same time I will lie down and sleep.”

[4:8]  ² tn Heb “for you, Lord, solitarily, securely make me dwell.” The translation understands לְבָדָד (lÿvadad) as modifying the verb; the Lord keeps enemies away from the psalmist so that he is safe and secure. Another option is to take לְבָדָד with what precedes and translate, “you alone, Lord, make me secure.”

[21:7]  ³ tn The active participle draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action.

[21:7]  ⁴ tn Traditionally “the Most High’s.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. Note the focus of vv. 8-12 and see Ps 47:2.

[21:7]  ⁵ tn Another option is to translate the imperfect verbal form as future, “he will not be upended” (cf. NRSV “he shall not be moved”). Even if one chooses this option, the future tense must be understood in a generalizing sense.

[27:14]  ⁵ tn Or “wait.”

[27:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “be strong and let your heart be confident.”

[37:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (ra’ah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.

[37:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “roll your way upon the Lord.” The noun “way” may refer here to one’s activities or course of life.

[37:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the Lord will vindicate those who trust in him.

[41:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “man of my peace.” The phrase here refers to one’s trusted friend (see Jer 38:22; Obad 7).

[41:9]  ¹² tn Heb “has made a heel great against me.” The precise meaning of this phrase, which appears only here, is uncertain.

[49:10]  ¹³ tn The particle כִּי (ki) is understood here as asseverative (emphatic).

[49:10]  ¹⁴ tn The subject of the verb is probably the typical “man” mentioned in v. 7. The imperfect can be taken here as generalizing or as indicating potential (“surely he/one can see”).

[49:10]  ¹⁵ tn The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to what is characteristically true. The vav (ו) consecutive with perfect in the third line carries the same force.

[49:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “together a fool and a brutish [man] perish.” The adjective בַּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish”) refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 73:22; 92:6; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).

[49:10]  ¹⁷ sn Death shows no respect for anyone. No matter how wise or foolish an individual happens to be, all pass away.

[49:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “this [is] their way, [there is] folly [belonging] to them.” The Hebrew term translated “this” could refer (1) back to the preceding verse[s] or (2) ahead to the subsequent statements. The translation assumes the latter, since v. 12 appears to be a refrain that concludes the psalm’s first major section and marks a structural boundary. (A similar refrain [see v. 20] concludes the second half of the psalm.) The noun דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) often refers to one’s lifestyle, but, if it relates to what follows, then here it likely refers metonymically to one’s destiny (the natural outcome of one’s lifestyle [cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “fate”]). (See the discussion in K. Koch, TDOT 3:285.) If one prefers the more common nuance (“lifestyle”), then the term would look back to the self-confident attitude described in the earlier verses.

[49:13]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and after them, in their mouth they take delight.” The meaning of the MT is not entirely clear. “After them” is understood here as substantival, “those who come after them” or “those who follow them.” “Their mouth” is taken as a metonymy for the arrogant attitude verbalized by the rich. In the expression “take delight in,” the preposition -ב (bet) introduces the object/cause of one’s delight (see Pss 147:10; 149:4). So the idea here is that those who come after/follow the rich find the philosophy of life they verbalize and promote to be attractive and desirable.

[56:11]  ¹⁷ tn The statement is similar to that of v. 4, except “flesh” is used there instead of “man.”

[56:11]  ¹⁸ tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.

[75:4]  ¹⁹ tn The identity of the speaker in vv. 4-6 is unclear. The present translation assumes that the psalmist, who also speaks in vv. 7-9 (where God/the Lord is spoken of in the third person) here addresses the proud and warns them of God’s judgment. The presence of כִּי (ki, “for”) at the beginning of both vv. 6-7 seems to indicate that vv. 4-9 are a unit. However, there is no formal indication of a new speaker in v. 4 (or in v. 10, where God appears to speak). Another option is to see God speaking in vv. 2-6 and v. 10 and to take only vv. 7-9 as the words of the psalmist. In this case one must interpret כִּי at the beginning of v. 7 in an asseverative or emphatic sense (“surely; indeed”).

[75:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “do not lift up a horn.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Here the idiom seems to refer to an arrogant attitude that assumes victory has been achieved.

[108:1]  ²¹ sn Psalm 108. With some minor variations, this psalm is a composite of Ps 57:7-11 (see vv. 1-5) and Ps 60:5-12 (see vv. 6-13).

[108:1]  ²² tn Or perhaps “confident”; Heb “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.

[108:1]  ²³ tn Heb “also my glory,” but this makes little sense in the context. Some view the term כָּבוֹד (“glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvodiy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 30:12; 57:9; as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 3:93. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”

[112:8]  ²³ tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition.