Psalms 5:8

5:8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness ¹ 

because of those who wait to ambush me, ² 

remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me! ³ 

Psalms 10:5

10:5 He is secure at all times. ⁴ 

He has no regard for your commands; ⁵ 

he disdains all his enemies. ⁶ 

Psalms 18:30

18:30 The one true God acts in a faithful manner; ⁷ 

the Lord’s promise ⁸  is reliable; ⁹ 

he is a shield to all who take shelter ¹⁰  in him.

Psalms 37:7

37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! ¹¹ 

Wait confidently ¹²  for him!

Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, ¹³ 

a man who carries out wicked schemes!

Psalms 37:14

37:14 Evil men draw their swords

and prepare their bows,

to bring down ¹⁴  the oppressed and needy,

and to slaughter those who are godly. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 37:34

37:34 Rely ¹⁶  on the Lord! Obey his commands! ¹⁷ 

Then he will permit you ¹⁸  to possess the land;

you will see the demise of evil men. ¹⁹ 

Psalms 49:13

49:13 This is the destiny of fools, ²⁰ 

and of those who approve of their philosophy. ²¹  (Selah)

Psalms 77:19

77:19 You walked through the sea; ²² 

you passed through the surging waters, ²³ 

but left no footprints. ²⁴ 

Psalms 86:11

86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! ²⁵ 

Then I will obey your commands. ²⁶ 

Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! ²⁷ 

Psalms 101:2

101:2 I will walk in ²⁸  the way of integrity.

When will you come to me?

I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. ²⁹ 

Psalms 101:6

101:6 I will favor the honest people of the land, ³⁰ 

and allow them to live with me. ³¹ 

Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me. ³² 

Psalms 146:9

146:9 The Lord protects those residing outside their native land;

he lifts up the fatherless and the widow, ³³ 

but he opposes the wicked. ³⁴ 

[5:8]  ¹ tn God’s providential leading is in view. His צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) includes here the deliverance that originates in his righteousness; he protects and vindicates the one whose cause is just. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 842 s.v.

[5:8]  ² tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 27:11; 56:2.

[5:8]  ³ tn Heb “make level before me your way.” The imperative “make level” is Hiphil in the Kethib (consonantal text); Piel in the Qere (marginal reading). God’s “way” is here the way in which he leads the psalmist providentially (see the preceding line, where the psalmist asks the Lord to lead him).

[10:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “they are firm, his ways, at every time.” The verb חַיִל (khayil, “be firm, be strong”) occurs only here and in Job 20:21, where it has the sense “endure.”

[10:5]  ⁵ tc Heb “[on a] height, your judgments from before him.” If the MT is retained, then the idea may be that God’s “judgments” are high above (i.e., not recognized) by the wicked man. However, the syntax is awkward. The translation assumes an emendation of מָרוֹם (marom, “height”) to סָרוּ (saru, “[your judgments] are turned aside”), the final mem (ם) being dittographic (note the initial mem on the immediately following word [מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ, mishÿfatekha, “your judgments”). “Judgments” probably refers here to God’s laws or commands, rather than his judicial decisions or acts of judgment.

[10:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “all his enemies, he snorts against them.” This may picture the wicked man defiantly challenging his enemies because he is confident of success. Another option is to take יָפִיחַ (yafiakh) from the root יָפַח (yafakh, “to testify”) and translate “he testifies against all his enemies,” implying that he gets the upper hand over them in legal battles. The noun יָפֵחַ (yafeakh, “witness”) is attested in biblical Hebrew (see Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3). The verb, however, is not clearly attested.

[18:30]  ⁷ tn Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל (ha’el, “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).

[18:30]  ⁸ sn The Lord’s promise. In the ancient Near East kings would typically seek and receive oracles from their god(s) prior to battle. For examples, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 241-42.

[18:30]  ⁹ tn Heb “the word of the Lord is purified.” The Lord’s “word” probably refers here to his oracle(s) of victory delivered to the psalmist before the battle(s) described in the following context. See also Pss 12:5-7 and 138:2-3. David frequently received such oracles before going into battle (see 1 Sam 23:2, 4-5, 10-12; 30:8; 2 Sam 5:19). The Lord’s word of promise is absolutely reliable; it is compared to metal that has been refined in fire and cleansed of impurities. See Ps 12:6.

[18:30]  ¹⁰ sn Take shelter. See the note on the word “shelter” in v. 2.

[37:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Be quiet before the Lord!”

[37:7]  ¹¹ tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (vÿhitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (vÿtokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, yÿhvah) and (2) the final lamed (ל) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).

[37:7]  ¹² tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”

[37:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “to cause to fall.”

[37:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the upright in way,” i.e., those who lead godly lives.

[37:34]  ¹⁶ tn Or “wait.”

[37:34]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “keep his way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the “conduct required” by the Lord. In Ps 25 the Lord’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.

[37:34]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and he will lift you up.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) is best taken here as a result clause following the imperatives in the preceding lines.

[37:34]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “when evil men are cut off you will see.”

[49:13]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ 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.

[77:19]  ²² tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”

[77:19]  ²³ tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”

[77:19]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”

[86:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles he expects the psalmist to follow. See Pss 25:4; 27:11.

[86:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The Lord’s commandments are referred to as “truth” here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will. See Ps 25:5.

[86:11]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Bind my heart to the fearing of your name.” The verb translated “bind” occurs only here in the Piel stem. It appears twice in the Qal, meaning “be joined” in both cases (Gen 49:6; Isa 14:20). To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for him which in turn motivates one to obey his commands (see Pss 61:5; 102:15).

[101:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “take notice of.”

[101:2]  ²⁹ tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”

[101:6]  ³¹ tn Heb “my eyes [are] on the faithful of the land.”

[101:6]  ³² tn The Hebrew text simply reads, “in order to live with me.”

[101:6]  ³³ tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”

[146:9]  ³⁴ sn God is depicted here as a just ruler. In the ancient Near Eastern world a king was responsible for promoting justice, including caring for the weak and vulnerable, epitomized by resident aliens, the fatherless, and widows.

[146:9]  ³⁵ tn Heb “he makes the way of the wicked twisted.” The “way of the wicked” probably refers to their course of life (see Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1). God makes their path tortuous in the sense that he makes them pay the harmful consequences of their actions.