Psalms 50:14-16

50:14 Present to God a thank-offering!

Repay your vows to the sovereign One! ¹ 

50:15 Pray to me when you are in trouble! ² 

I will deliver you, and you will honor me!” ³ 

50:16 God says this to the evildoer: ⁴ 

“How can you declare my commands,

and talk about my covenant? ⁵ 

Psalms 78:36-37

78:36 But they deceived him with their words, ⁶ 

and lied to him. ⁷ 

78:37 They were not really committed to him, ⁸ 

and they were unfaithful to his covenant.

Psalms 135:3

135:3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good!

Sing praises to his name, for it is pleasant! ⁹ 

Psalms 147:1

Psalm 147 ¹⁰ 

147:1 Praise the Lord,

for it is good to sing praises to our God!

Yes, ¹¹  praise is pleasant and appropriate!

Proverbs 15:8

15:8 The Lord abhors ¹²  the sacrifices ¹³  of the wicked, ¹⁴ 

but the prayer ¹⁵  of the upright pleases him. ¹⁶ 

[50:14]  ¹ tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.

[50:15]  ² tn Heb “call [to] me in a day of trouble.”

[50:15]  ³ sn In vv. 7-15 the Lord makes it clear that he was not rebuking Israel because they had failed to offer sacrifices (v. 8a). On the contrary, they had been faithful in doing so (v. 8b). However, their understanding of the essence of their relationship with God was confused. Apparently they believed that he needed/desired such sacrifices and that offering them would ensure their prosperity. But the Lord owns all the animals of the world and did not need Israel’s meager sacrifices (vv. 9-13). Other aspects of the relationship were more important to the Lord. He desired Israel to be thankful for his blessings (v. 14a), to demonstrate gratitude for his intervention by repaying the vows they made to him (v. 14b), and to acknowledge their absolute dependence on him (v. 15a). Rather than viewing their sacrifices as somehow essential to God’s well-being, they needed to understand their dependence on him.

[50:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “evil [one].” The singular adjective is used here in a representative sense; it refers to those within the larger covenant community who have blatantly violated the Lord’s commandments. In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander, and cheat others (Ps 37:21).

[50:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “What to you to declare my commands and lift up my covenant upon your mouth?” The rhetorical question expresses sarcastic amazement. The Lord is shocked that such evildoers would give lip-service to his covenantal demands, for their lifestyle is completely opposed to his standards (see vv. 18-20).

[78:36]  ⁶ tn Heb “with their mouth.”

[78:36]  ⁷ tn Heb “and with their tongue they lied to him.”

[78:37]  ⁸ tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”

[135:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “for [it is] pleasant.” The translation assumes that it is the Lord’s “name” that is pleasant. Another option is to understand the referent of “it” as the act of praising (see Ps 147:1).

[147:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 147. The psalmist praises the Lord for he is the sovereign ruler of the world who cares for the needs of his covenant people.

[147:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “for.”

[15:8]  ¹² tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the Lord”) functions as a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.” Cf. NIV “the Lord detests”; NCV, NLT “the Lord hates”; CEV “the Lord is disgusted.”

[15:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “sacrifice” (so many English versions).

[15:8]  ¹⁴ sn The sacrifices of the wicked are hated by the Lord because the worshipers are insincere and blasphemous (e.g., Prov 15:29; 21:3; 28:9; Ps 40:6-8; Isa 1:10-17). In other words, the spiritual condition of the worshiper determines whether or not the worship is acceptable to God.

[15:8]  ¹⁵ sn J. H. Greenstone notes that if God will accept the prayers of the upright, he will accept their sacrifices; for sacrifice is an outer ritual and easily performed even by the wicked, but prayer is a private and inward act and not usually fabricated by unbelievers (Proverbs, 162).

[15:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[is] his pleasure.” The 3rd person masculine singular suffix functions as a subjective genitive: “he is pleased.” God is pleased with the prayers of the upright.