Psalms 50:20

50:20 You plot against your brother; ¹ 

you slander your own brother. ² 

Psalms 90:3

90:3 You make mankind return ³  to the dust, ⁴ 

and say, “Return, O people!”

Psalms 102:12

102:12 But you, O Lord, rule forever, ⁵ 

and your reputation endures. ⁶ 

Psalms 132:10

132:10 For the sake of David, your servant,

do not reject your chosen king! ⁷ 

[50:20]  ¹ tn Heb “you sit, against your brother you speak.” To “sit” and “speak” against someone implies plotting against that person (see Ps 119:23).

[50:20]  ² tn Heb “against the son of your mother you give a fault.”

[90:3]  ³ tn In this context the shortened prefix form does not function as a preterite, but indicates what is typical of the world.

[90:3]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew term דַּכָּא (daka’) carries the basic sense of “crushed.” Elsewhere it refers to those who are “crushed” in spirit or contrite of heart (see Ps 34:18; Isa 57:15). If one understands this nuance here, then v. 3 is observing that God leads mankind to repentance (the term שׁוּב, shuv, “return,” which appears twice in this verse, is sometimes used of repentance.) However, the following context laments mankind’s mortality and the brevity of life, so it is doubtful if v. 3 should be understood so positively. It is more likely that דַּכָּא here refers to “crushed matter,” that is, the dust that fills the grave (see HALOT 221 s.v. s.v. I דַּכָּא; BDB 194 s.v. דַּכָּא). In this case one may hear an echo of Gen 3:19.

[102:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “sit” (i.e., sit enthroned, see Ps 9:7). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.

[102:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “and your remembrance [is] for a generation and a generation.”

[132:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”