Psalms 50:11

50:11 I keep track of ¹  every bird in the hills,

and the insects ²  of the field are mine.

Psalms 55:18

55:18 He will rescue ³  me and protect me from those who attack me, ⁴ 

even though ⁵  they greatly outnumber me. ⁶ 

Psalms 101:6

101:6 I will favor the honest people of the land, ⁷ 

and allow them to live with me. ⁸ 

Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me. ⁹ 

Psalms 23:4

23:4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, ¹⁰ 

I fear ¹¹  no danger, ¹² 

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff reassure me. ¹³ 

[50:11]  ¹ tn Heb “I know.”

[50:11]  ² tn The precise referent of the Hebrew word, which occurs only here and in Ps 80:13, is uncertain. Aramaic, Arabic and Akkadian cognates refer to insects, such as locusts or crickets.

[55:18]  ³ tn The perfect verbal form is here used rhetorically to indicate that the action is certain to take place (the so-called perfect of certitude).

[55:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “he will redeem in peace my life from [those who] draw near to me.”

[55:18]  ⁵ tn Or “for.”

[55:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “among many they are against me.” For other examples of the preposition עִמָּד (’immad) used in the sense of “at, against,” see HALOT 842 s.v.; BDB 767 s.v.; IBHS 219 §11.2.14b.

[101:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “my eyes [are] on the faithful of the land.”

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

[101:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”

[23:4]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל [tsel] + מָוֶת [mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צָלַם, tsalam) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. If the word does indeed mean “darkness,” it modifies גַיְא (gay’, “valley, ravine”) quite naturally. At the metaphorical level, v. 4 pictures the shepherd taking his sheep through a dark ravine where predators might lurk. The life-threatening situations faced by the psalmist are the underlying reality behind the imagery.

[23:4]  ⁸ tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 4, as in vv. 1-3, highlight what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.

[23:4]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew term רַע (ra’) is traditionally translated “evil” here, perhaps suggesting a moral or ethical nuance. But at the level of the metaphor, the word means “danger, injury, harm,” as a sheep might experience from a predator. The life-threatening dangers faced by the psalmist, especially the enemies mentioned in v. 5, are the underlying reality.

[23:4]  ¹⁰ tn The Piel of נָחַם (nakham), when used with a human object, means “comfort, console.” But here, within the metaphorical framework, it refers to the way in which a shepherd uses his implements to assure the sheep of his presence and calm their nerves. The underlying reality is the emotional stability God provides the psalmist during life threatening situations.