Psalms 40:4

40:4 How blessed ¹  is the one ²  who trusts in the Lord ³ 

and does not seek help from ⁴  the proud or from liars! ⁵ 

Psalms 62:8-9

62:8 Trust in him at all times, you people!

Pour out your hearts before him! ⁶ 

God is our shelter! (Selah)

62:9 Men are nothing but a mere breath;

human beings are unreliable. ⁷ 

When they are weighed in the scales,

all of them together are lighter than air. ⁸ 

Jeremiah 17:5-7

Individuals Are Challenged to Put Their Trust in the Lord ⁹ 

17:5 The Lord says,

“I will put a curse on people

who trust in mere human beings,

who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength, ¹⁰ 

and whose hearts ¹¹  have turned away from the Lord.

17:6 They will be like a shrub ¹²  in the desert.

They will not experience good things even when they happen.

It will be as though they were growing in the desert,

in a salt land where no one can live.

17:7 My blessing is on those people who trust in me,

who put their confidence in me. ¹³ 

Micah 7:5-7

7:5 Do not rely on a friend;

do not trust a companion!

Don’t even share secrets with the one who lies in your arms! ¹⁴ 

7:6 For a son thinks his father is a fool,

a daughter challenges ¹⁵  her mother,

and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law;

a man’s enemies are his own servants. ¹⁶ 

7:7 But I will keep watching for the Lord;

I will wait for the God who delivers me.

My God will hear my lament. ¹⁷ 

[40:4]  ¹ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[40:4]  ² tn Heb “man.” See the note on the word “one” in Ps 1:1.

[40:4]  ³ tn Heb “who has made the Lord his [object of] trust.”

[40:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “and does not turn toward.”

[40:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “those falling away toward a lie.”

[62:8]  ⁶ tn To “pour out one’s heart” means to offer up to God intense, emotional lamentation and petitionary prayers (see Lam 2:19).

[62:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “only a breath [are] the sons of mankind, a lie [are] the sons of man.” The phrases “sons of mankind” and “sons of man” also appear together in Ps 49:2. Because of the parallel line there, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, a number of interpreters and translators treat these expressions as polar opposites, בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes. But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand the phrases as synonymous expressions.

[62:9]  ⁸ tn The noun הֶבֶל (hevel), translated “a breath” earlier in the verse, appears again here.

[17:5]  ⁹ sn Verses 5-11 are a collection of wisdom-like sayings (cf. Ps 1) which set forth the theme of the two ways and their consequences. It has as its background the blessings and the curses of Deut 28 and the challenge to faith in Deut 29-30 which climaxes in Deut 30:15-20. The nation is sinful and God is weary of showing them patience. However, there is hope for individuals within the nation if they will trust in him.

[17:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “who make flesh their arm.” The “arm” is the symbol of strength and the flesh is the symbol of mortal man in relation to the omnipotent God. The translation “mere flesh and blood” reflects this.

[17:5]  ¹¹ sn In the psychology of ancient Hebrew thought the heart was the center not only of the emotions but of the thoughts and motivations. It was also the seat of moral conduct (cf. its placement in the middle of the discussion of moral conduct in Prov 4:20-27, i.e., in v. 23).

[17:6]  ¹² tn This word occurs only here and in Jer 48:6. It has been identified as a kind of juniper, which is a short shrub with minute leaves that look like scales. For a picture and more discussion see Fauna and Flora of the Bible, 131.

[17:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “Blessed is the person who trusts in the Lord, and whose confidence is in the Lord.” However, because this is a statement of the Lord and the translation chooses to show that the blessing comes from him, the first person is substituted for the divine name.

[7:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from the one who lies in your arms, guard the doors of your mouth.”

[7:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “rises up against.”

[7:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the enemies of a man are the men of his house.”

[7:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “me.” In the interest of clarity the nature of the prophet’s cry has been specified as “my lament” in the translation.