Psalms 49:5

49:5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, ¹ 

when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me? ² 

Psalms 64:4

64:4 in order to shoot down the innocent ³  in secluded places.

They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation. ⁴ 

Psalms 67:7

67:7 May God bless us! ⁵ 

Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he deserves. ⁶ 

Psalms 72:5

72:5 People will fear ⁷  you ⁸  as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,

for generation after generation. ⁹ 

Psalms 76:8

76:8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be. ¹⁰ 

The earth ¹¹  was afraid and silent

Psalms 76:12

76:12 He humbles princes; ¹² 

the kings of the earth regard him as awesome. ¹³ 

Psalms 91:5

91:5 You need not fear the terrors of the night, ¹⁴ 

the arrow that flies by day,

Psalms 106:22

106:22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,

mighty ¹⁵  acts by the Red Sea.

Psalms 112:7-8

112:7 He does not fear bad news.

He ¹⁶  is confident; he trusts ¹⁷  in the Lord.

112:8 His resolve ¹⁸  is firm; he will not succumb to fear

before he looks in triumph on his enemies.

Psalms 118:6

118:6 The Lord is on my side, ¹⁹  I am not afraid!

What can people do to me? ²⁰ 

Psalms 119:63

119:63 I am a friend to all your loyal followers, ²¹ 

and to those who keep your precepts.

[49:5]  ¹ tn Heb “days of trouble.” The phrase also occurs in Ps 94:13. The question is rhetorical; there is no reason to be afraid when the rich oppressors threaten the weak (see v. 17). The following verses explain why this is so.

[49:5]  ² tc The MT has, “the iniquity of my heels surrounds me.” The clause is best understood as temporal and as elaborating on the preceding phrase “times of trouble.” If the MT is retained, the genitive “of my heels” would probably indicate location (“the iniquity at my heels”); the sinful actions of the rich threaten to overtake the psalmist, as it were. It is better, however, to emend עֲקֵבַי (’aqivay, “my heels”) to either (1) עֲקֻבַּי (’aqubay, “my deceitful ones,” i.e., “those who deceive me” [from the adjective עָקֹב (’aqov), “deceitful,” see Jer 17:9]) or (2) עֹקְבַי (’oqÿvay, “those who deceive me” [a suffixed active participle from עָקַב, ’aqav, “betray, deceive”]). Origen’s transliteration of the Hebrew text favors the first of these options. Either of the emendations provides a much smoother transition to v. 6, because “those who trust in their wealth” would then be appositional to “those who deceive me.”

[64:4]  ³ tn The psalmist uses the singular because he is referring to himself here as representative of a larger group.

[64:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “and are unafraid.” The words “of retaliation” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[67:7]  ⁵ tn The prefixed verb forms in vv. 6b-7a are understood as jussives.

[67:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “will fear him.” After the jussive of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive is understood as indicating purpose/result. (Note how v. 3 anticipates the universal impact of God showing his people blessing.) Another option is to take the verb as a jussive and translate, “Let all the ends of the earth fear him.”

[72:5]  ⁷ tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.” See Ps 33:8. Some interpreters, with the support of the LXX, prefer to read וְיַאֲרִיךְ (vÿ’a’arikh, “and he [the king in this case] will prolong [days]”), that is, “will live a long time” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[72:5]  ⁸ tn God is the addressee (see vv. 1-2).

[72:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “with [the] sun, and before [the] moon [for] a generation, generations.” The rare expression דּוֹר דּוֹרִים (dor dorim, “generation, generations”) occurs only here, in Ps 102:24, and in Isa 51:8.

[76:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “a [legal] decision,” or “sentence.”

[76:8]  ¹⁰ tn “The earth” stands here by metonymy for its inhabitants.

[76:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to HALOT 148 s.v. II בצר, the Hebrew verb בָּצַר (batsar) is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect tense highlighting God’s typical behavior.

[76:12]  ¹² tn Heb “[he is] awesome to the kings of the earth.”

[91:5]  ¹³ tn This probably alludes to a sneak attack by enemies in the darkness of night (see Song 3:8).

[106:22]  ¹⁵ tn Or “awe-inspiring.”

[112:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition and emotions (see Ps 108:1).

[112:7]  ¹⁸ tn The passive participle בָּטֻחַ [בָּטוּחַ] (batuakh [batuakh]) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action. See Isa 26:3.

[112:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition.

[118:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “for me.”

[118:6]  ²² tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. See Ps 56:11.

[119:63]  ²³ tn Heb “to all who fear you.”