Psalms 44:10

44:10 You made us retreat ¹  from the enemy.

Those who hate us take whatever they want from us. ² 

Psalms 65:3

65:3 Our record of sins overwhelms me, ³ 

but you forgive ⁴  our acts of rebellion.

Psalms 78:2

78:2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;

I will make insightful observations about the past. ⁵ 

Psalms 139:19

139:19 If only ⁶  you would kill the wicked, O God!

Get away from me, you violent men! ⁷ 

Psalms 18:22

18:22 For I am aware of all his regulations, ⁸ 

and I do not reject his rules. ⁹ 

Psalms 44:18

44:18 We have not been unfaithful, ¹⁰ 

nor have we disobeyed your commands. ¹¹ 

Psalms 45:8

45:8 All your garments are perfumed with ¹²  myrrh, aloes, and cassia.

From the luxurious palaces ¹³  comes the music of stringed instruments that makes you happy. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 68:31

68:31 They come with red cloth ¹⁵  from Egypt,

Ethiopia ¹⁶  voluntarily offers tribute ¹⁷  to God.

Psalms 74:22

74:22 Rise up, O God! Defend your honor! ¹⁸ 

Remember how fools insult you all day long! ¹⁹ 

Psalms 78:42

78:42 They did not remember what he had done, ²⁰ 

how he delivered them from the enemy, ²¹ 

Psalms 88:9

88:9 My eyes grow weak because of oppression.

I call out to you, O Lord, all day long;

I spread out my hands in prayer to you. ²² 

[44:10]  ¹ tn Heb “you caused us to turn backward.”

[44:10]  ² tn Heb “plunder for themselves.” The prepositional phrase לָמוֹ (lamo, “for themselves”) here has the nuance “at their will” or “as they please” (see Ps 80:6).

[65:3]  ³ tn Heb “the records of sins are too strong for me.”

[65:3]  ⁴ tn Or “make atonement for.”

[78:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “I will open with a wise saying my mouth, I will utter insightful sayings from long ago.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה+מָשָׁל (mashal + khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6), and an insightful song that reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent death (Ps 49:4).

[139:19]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as GKC 321 §109.b).

[139:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”

[18:22]  ⁹ tn Heb “for all his regulations [are] before me.” The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “regulations”) refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf. Deut 17:18-20). See also Pss 19:9 (cf. vv. 7-8); 89:30; 147:20 (cf. v. 19), as well as the numerous uses of the term in Ps 119.

[18:22]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” 2 Sam 22:23 reads, “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; the psalmist here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The Lord’s “rules” are the stipulations of the covenant which the king was responsible to obey (see Ps 89:31; cf. v. 30 and Deut 17:18-20).

[44:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “our heart did not turn backward.” Cf. Ps 78:57.

[44:18]  ¹² tn Heb “and our steps did [not] turn aside from your path.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line). God’s “path” refers to his commands, i.e., the moral pathway he has prescribed for the psalmist. See Pss 17:5; 25:4.

[45:8]  ¹³ tn The words “perfumed with” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[45:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the palaces of ivory.” The phrase “palaces of ivory” refers to palaces that had ivory panels and furniture decorated with ivory inlays. Such decoration with ivory was characteristic of a high level of luxury. See 1 Kgs 22:39 and Amos 3:15.

[45:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from the palaces of ivory stringed instrument[s] make you happy.”

[68:31]  ¹⁵ tn This noun, which occurs only here in the OT, apparently means “red cloth” or “bronze articles” (see HALOT 362 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NEB “tribute”). Traditionally the word has been taken to refer to “nobles” (see BDB 365 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NIV “envoys”). Another option would be to emend the text to הַשְׁמַנִּים (hashmannim, “the robust ones,” i.e., leaders).

[68:31]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Cush.”

[68:31]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “causes its hands to run,” which must mean “quickly stretches out its hands” (to present tribute).

[74:22]  ¹⁷ tn Or “defend your cause.”

[74:22]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “remember your reproach from a fool all the day.”

[78:42]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “his hand,” symbolizing his saving activity and strength, as the next line makes clear.

[78:42]  ²⁰ tn Heb “[the] day [in] which he ransomed them from [the] enemy.”

[88:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “I spread out my hands to you.” Spreading out the hands toward God was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). The words “in prayer” have been supplied in the translation to clarify this.