Psalms 5:11

Context

5:11 But may all who take shelter¹ in you be happy!²

May they continually³ shout for joy!⁴

Shelter them⁵ so that those who are loyal to you⁶ may rejoice!⁷

Psalms 8:1

Context

Psalm 8⁸

For the music director, according to the gittith style;⁹ a psalm of David.

8:1 O Lord, our Lord,¹⁰

how magnificent¹¹ is your reputation¹² throughout the earth!

You reveal your majesty in the heavens above!¹³

Psalms 75:1

Context

Psalm 75¹⁴

For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style;¹⁵ a psalm of Asaph; a song.

75:1 We give thanks to you, O God! We give thanks!

You reveal your presence;¹⁶

people tell about your amazing deeds.

Psalms 142:7

Context

142:7 Free me¹⁷ from prison,

that I may give thanks to your name.

Because of me the godly will assemble,¹⁸

for you will vindicate me.¹⁹

[5:11] ¹sn Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).

[5:11] ²tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer. The psalmist calls on God to reward his faithful followers.

[5:11] ³tn Or perhaps more hyperbolically, “forever.”

[5:11] ⁴tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form is a jussive of wish or prayer.

[5:11] ⁵tn Heb “put a cover over them.” The verb form is a Hiphil imperfect from סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “cover, shut off”). The imperfect expresses the psalmist’s wish or request.

[5:11] ⁶tn Heb “the lovers of your name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to the Lord. See Pss 69:36; 119:132; Isa 56:6.

[5:11] ⁷tn The vav (ו) with prefixed verbal form following the volitional “shelter them” indicates purpose or result (“so that those…may rejoice).

[8:1] ⁸sn Psalm 8. In this hymn to the sovereign creator, the psalmist praises God’s majesty and marvels that God has given mankind dominion over the created order.

[8:1] ⁹tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הגתית is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or type of instrument.

[8:1] ¹⁰tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the Lord’s absolute sovereignty.

[8:1] ¹¹tn Or “awesome”; or “majestic.”

[8:1] ¹²tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[8:1] ¹³tc Heb “which, give, your majesty on the heavens.” The verb form תְּנָה (tÿnah; an imperative?) is corrupt. The form should be emended to a second masculine singular perfect (נָתַתָּה, natatah) or imperfect (תִתֵן, titen) form. The introductory אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) can be taken as a relative pronoun (“you who”) or as a causal conjunction (“because”). One may literally translate, “you who [or “because you”] place your majesty upon the heavens.” For other uses of the phrase “place majesty upon” see Num 27:20 and 1 Chr 29:25.

[75:1] ¹⁵sn Psalm 75. The psalmist celebrates God’s just rule, which guarantees that the godly will be vindicated and the wicked destroyed.

[75:1] ¹⁶tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-59.

[75:1] ¹⁷tn Heb “and near [is] your name.”

[142:7] ²²tn Heb “bring out my life.”

[142:7] ²³tn Or “gather around.”

[142:7] ²⁴tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense.