Psalms 55:1

Psalm 55 ¹ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song ²  by David.

55:1 Listen, O God, to my prayer!

Do not ignore ³  my appeal for mercy!

Psalms 76:1

Psalm 76 ⁴ 

For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.

76:1 God has revealed himself in Judah; ⁵ 

in Israel his reputation ⁶  is great.

Psalms 33:3

33:3 Sing to him a new song! ⁷ 

Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him! ⁸ 

Psalms 67:1

Psalm 67 ⁹ 

For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm, a song.

67:1 May God show us his favor ¹⁰  and bless us! ¹¹ 

May he smile on us! ¹²  (Selah)

Psalms 54:1

Psalm 54 ¹³ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song ¹⁴  by David. It was written when the Ziphites came and informed Saul: “David is hiding with us.” ¹⁵ 

54:1 O God, deliver me by your name! ¹⁶ 

Vindicate me ¹⁷  by your power!

Psalms 4:1

Psalm 4 ¹⁸ 

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

4:1 When I call out, answer me,

O God who vindicates me! ¹⁹ 

Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. ²⁰ 

Have mercy on me ²¹  and respond to ²²  my prayer!

Psalms 12:1

Psalm 12 ²³ 

For the music director; according to the sheminith style; ²⁴  a psalm of David.

12:1 Deliver, Lord!

For the godly ²⁵  have disappeared; ²⁶ 

people of integrity ²⁷  have vanished. ²⁸ 

Psalms 119:105

נ (Nun)

119:105 Your word ²⁹  is a lamp to walk by,

and a light to illumine my path. ³⁰ 

[55:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 55. The suffering and oppressed author laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.

[55:1]  ² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.

[55:1]  ³ tn Heb “hide yourself from.”

[76:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.

[76:1]  ⁵ tn Or “God is known in Judah.”

[76:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[33:3]  ⁷ sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.

[33:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”

[67:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 67. The psalmist prays for God’s blessing upon his people and urges the nations to praise him for he is the just ruler of the world.

[67:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “have mercy on us.”

[67:1]  ¹² tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. Note the jussive form יָאֵר (ya’er) in the next line.

[67:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “may he cause his face to shine with us.”

[54:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 54. The psalmist asks God for protection against his enemies, confidently affirms that God will vindicate him, and promises to give thanks to God for his saving intervention.

[54:1]  ¹⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.

[54:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Is not David hiding with us?”

[54:1]  ¹⁶ tn God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character, which would instill fear in the psalmist’s enemies (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:17).

[54:1]  ¹⁷ tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.

[4:1]  ¹⁶ sn Psalm 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.

[4:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “God of my righteousness.”

[4:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in distress (or “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.

[4:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “show me favor.”

[4:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “hear.”

[12:1]  ¹⁹ sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.

[12:1]  ²⁰ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[12:1]  ²¹ tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[12:1]  ²² tn Or “have come to an end.”

[12:1]  ²³ tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”

[12:1]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”

[119:105]  ²² tn Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural (“words”).

[119:105]  ²³ tn Heb “[is] a lamp for my foot and a light for my path.”