Psalms 50:1

Psalm 50 ¹ 

A psalm by Asaph.

50:1 El, God, the Lord ²  speaks,

and summons the earth to come from the east and west. ³ 

Psalms 74:1

Psalm 74 ⁴ 

A well-written song ⁵  by Asaph.

74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? ⁶ 

Why does your anger burn ⁷  against the sheep of your pasture?

Psalms 83:1

Psalm 83 ⁸ 

A song, a psalm of Asaph.

83:1 O God, do not be silent!

Do not ignore us! ⁹  Do not be inactive, O God!

Psalms 83:1

Psalm 83 ¹⁰ 

A song, a psalm of Asaph.

83:1 O God, do not be silent!

Do not ignore us! ¹¹  Do not be inactive, O God!

Psalms 6:1

Psalm 6 ¹² 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style; ¹³  a psalm of David.

6:1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger!

Do not discipline me in your raging fury! ¹⁴ 

Psalms 15:1

Psalm 15 ¹⁵ 

A psalm of David.

15:1 Lord, who may be a guest in your home? ¹⁶ 

Who may live on your holy hill? ¹⁷ 

Psalms 16:7

16:7 I will praise ¹⁸  the Lord who ¹⁹  guides ²⁰  me;

yes, during the night I reflect and learn. ²¹ 

Psalms 16:1

Psalm 16 ²² 

A prayer ²³  of David.

16:1 Protect me, O God, for I have taken shelter in you. ²⁴ 

Psalms 25:1-6

Psalm 25 ²⁵ 

By David.

25:1 O Lord, I come before you in prayer. ²⁶ 

25:2 My God, I trust in you.

Please do not let me be humiliated;

do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!

25:3 Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated.

Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted ²⁷  and humiliated.

25:4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!

Teach me your paths! ²⁸ 

25:5 Guide me into your truth ²⁹  and teach me.

For you are the God who delivers me;

on you I rely all day long.

25:6 Remember ³⁰  your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,

for you have always acted in this manner. ³¹ 

Psalms 25:2

25:2 My God, I trust in you.

Please do not let me be humiliated;

do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!

Psalms 29:1

Psalm 29 ³² 

A psalm of David.

29:1 Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings, ³³ 

acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power! ³⁴ 

[50:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 50. This psalm takes the form of a covenant lawsuit in which the Lord comes to confront his people in a formal manner (as in Isa 1:2-20). The Lord emphasizes that he places priority on obedience and genuine worship, not empty ritual.

[50:1]  ² sn Israel’s God is here identified with three names: El (אֵל [’el], or “God”), Elohim (אֱלֹהִים [’elohim], or “God”), and Yahweh (יְהוָה [yÿhvah] or “the Lord”). There is an obvious allusion here to Josh 22:22, the only other passage where these three names appear in succession. In that passage the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh declare, “El, God, the Lord! El, God, the Lord! He knows the truth! Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the Lord, don’t spare us today!” In that context the other tribes had accused the trans-Jordanian tribes of breaking God’s covenant by worshiping idols. The trans-Jordanian tribes appealed to “El, God, the Lord” as their witness that they were innocent of the charges brought against them. Ironically here in Ps 50 “El, God, the Lord” accuses his sinful covenant people of violating the covenant and warns that he will not spare them if they persist in their rebellion.

[50:1]  ³ tn Heb “and calls [the] earth from the sunrise to its going.”

[74:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 b.c., asks God to consider Israel’s sufferings and intervene on behalf of his people. He describes the ruined temple, recalls God’s mighty deeds in the past, begs for mercy, and calls for judgment upon God’s enemies.

[74:1]  ⁵ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[74:1]  ⁶ sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.

[74:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.

[83:1]  ⁸ sn Psalm 83. The psalmist asks God to deliver Israel from the attacks of foreign nations. Recalling how God defeated Israel’s enemies in the days of Deborah and Gideon, he prays that the hostile nations would be humiliated.

[83:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “do not be deaf.”

[83:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 83. The psalmist asks God to deliver Israel from the attacks of foreign nations. Recalling how God defeated Israel’s enemies in the days of Deborah and Gideon, he prays that the hostile nations would be humiliated.

[83:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “do not be deaf.”

[6:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, the psalmist then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.

[6:1]  ¹³ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit, “sheminith”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[6:1]  ¹⁴ sn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).

[15:1]  ¹⁵ sn Psalm 15. This psalm describes the character qualities that one must possess to be allowed access to the divine presence.

[15:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Who may live as a resident alien in your tent?”

[15:1]  ¹⁷ sn In this context the Lord’s holy hill probably refers to Zion/Jerusalem. See Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 43:3; 48:1; 87:1; Dan 9:16.

[16:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “bless,” that is, “proclaim as worthy of praise.”

[16:7]  ¹⁹ tn Or “because.”

[16:7]  ²⁰ tn Or “counsels, advises.”

[16:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “yes, [during] nights my kidneys instruct [or “correct”] me.” The “kidneys” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s moral character (see Ps 26:2). In the quiet darkness the Lord speaks to his inner being, as it were, and enables him to grow in moral understanding.

[16:1]  ²² sn Psalm 16. The psalmist seeks divine protection because he has remained loyal to God. He praises God for his rich blessings, and is confident God will vindicate him and deliver him from death.

[16:1]  ²³ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מִכְתָּם (mikhtam) is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”

[16:1]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results (see 7:1; 11:1).

[25:1]  ²⁵ sn Psalm 25. The psalmist asks for divine protection, guidance and forgiveness as he affirms his loyalty to and trust in the Lord. This psalm is an acrostic; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except for v. 18, which, like v. 19, begins with ר (resh) instead of the expected ק (qof). The final verse, which begins with פ (pe), stands outside the acrostic scheme.

[25:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to you, O Lord, my life I lift up.” To “lift up” one’s “life” to the Lord means to express one’s trust in him through prayer. See Pss 86:4; 143:8.

[25:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “those who deal in treachery in vain.” The adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “in vain”) probably refers to the failure (or futility) of their efforts. Another option is to understand it as meaning “without cause” (cf. NIV “without excuse”; NRSV “wantonly treacherous”).

[25:4]  ²⁸ sn Teach me your paths. In this context the Lord’s “ways” and “paths” refer to the moral principles which the Lord prescribes for his followers. See vv. 8-10.

[25:5]  ²⁹ sn The Lord’s commandments are referred to as truth here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will.

[25:6]  ³⁰ tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating.

[25:6]  ³¹ tn Heb “for from antiquity [are] they.”

[29:1]  ³² sn Psalm 29. In this hymn of praise the psalmist calls upon the heavenly assembly to acknowledge the royal splendor of the Lord. He describes the Lord’s devastating power as revealed in the thunderstorm and affirms that the Lord exerts this awesome might on behalf of his people. In its original context the psalm was a bold polemic against the Canaanite storm god Baal, for it affirms that the Lord is the real king who controls the elements of the storm, contrary to pagan belief. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 150 (1994): 280-82.

[29:1]  ³³ tc Heb “sons of gods,” or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the MT, it is likely that the final mem is actually enclitic, rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8.

[29:1]  ³⁴ tn Or “ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.”