Discovery BoxPsalms 55:13-14
Context55:13 But it is you, 1 a man like me, 2
my close friend in whom I confided. 3
55:14 We would share personal thoughts with each other; 4
in God’s temple we would walk together among the crowd.
Psalms 118:9
Context118:9 It is better to take shelter in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
Psalms 118:1
Context118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his loyal love endures! 6
Psalms 18:21-26
Context18:21 For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands; 7
I have not rebelled against my God. 8
18:22 For I am aware of all his regulations, 9
and I do not reject his rules. 10
18:23 I was innocent before him,
and kept myself from sinning. 11
18:24 The Lord rewarded me for my godly deeds; 12
he took notice of my blameless behavior. 13
18:25 You prove to be loyal 14 to one who is faithful; 15
you prove to be trustworthy 16 to one who is innocent. 17
18:26 You prove to be reliable 18 to one who is blameless,
but you prove to be deceptive 19 to one who is perverse. 20
Psalms 26:1-2
ContextBy David.
26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have integrity, 22
and I trust in the Lord without wavering.
26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me!
Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives! 23
Psalms 15:1
ContextA psalm of David.
15:1 Lord, who may be a guest in your home? 25
Who may live on your holy hill? 26
Romans 3:4
Context3:4 Absolutely not! Let God be proven true, and every human being 27 shown up as a liar, 28 just as it is written: “so that you will be justified 29 in your words and will prevail when you are judged.” 30
[55:13] 1 sn It is you. The psalmist addresses the apparent ringleader of the opposition, an individual who was once his friend.
[55:13] 2 tn Heb “a man according to my value,” i.e., “a person such as I.”
[55:13] 3 tn Heb “my close friend, one known by me.”
[55:14] 4 tn Heb “who together we would make counsel sweet.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to the ongoing nature of the actions (the so-called customary use of the imperfect). Their relationship was characterized by such intimacy and friendship. See IBHS 502-3 §31.2b.
[118:1] 5 sn Psalm 118. The psalmist thanks God for his deliverance and urges others to join him in praise.
[18:21] 7 tn Heb “for I have kept the ways of the
[18:21] 8 tn Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical; the idea is, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”
[18:22] 9 tn Heb “for all his regulations [are] before me.” The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “regulations”) refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf. Deut 17:18-20). See also Pss 19:9 (cf. vv. 7-8); 89:30; 147:20 (cf. v. 19), as well as the numerous uses of the term in Ps 119.
[18:22] 10 tn Heb “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” 2 Sam 22:23 reads, “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; the psalmist here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The Lord’s “rules” are the stipulations of the covenant which the king was responsible to obey (see Ps 89:31; cf. v. 30 and Deut 17:18-20).
[18:23] 11 tn Heb “from my sin,” that is, from making it my own in any way.
[18:24] 12 tn Heb “according to my righteousness.”
[18:24] 13 tn Heb “according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.” 2 Sam 22:25 reads “according to my purity before his eyes.” The verbal repetition (compare vv. 20 and 24) sets off vv. 20-24 as a distinct sub-unit within the psalm.
[18:25] 14 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 25-29 draw attention to God’s characteristic actions. Based on his experience, the psalmist generalizes about God’s just dealings with people (vv. 25-27) and about the way in which God typically empowers him on the battlefield (vv. 28-29). The Hitpael stem is used in vv. 26-27 in a reflexive resultative (or causative) sense. God makes himself loyal, etc. in the sense that he conducts or reveals himself as such. On this use of the Hitpael stem, see GKC 149-50 §54.e.
[18:25] 15 tn Or “to a faithful follower.” A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[18:25] 17 tn Heb “a man of innocence.”
[18:26] 19 tn The Hebrew verb פָתַל (patal) is used in only three other texts. In Gen 30:8 it means literally “to wrestle,” or “to twist.” In Job 5:13 it refers to devious individuals, and in Prov 8:8 to deceptive words.
[18:26] 20 tn The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted, crooked,” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse. It appears frequently in Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6). A righteous king opposes such people (Ps 101:4).
[26:1] 21 sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.
[26:1] 22 tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”
[26:2] 23 tn Heb “evaluate my kidneys and my heart.” The kidneys and heart were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
[15:1] 24 sn Psalm 15. This psalm describes the character qualities that one must possess to be allowed access to the divine presence.
[15:1] 25 tn Heb “Who may live as a resident alien in your tent?”
[15:1] 26 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.
[3:4] 27 tn Grk “every man”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to stress humanity rather than masculinity.
[3:4] 28 tn Grk “Let God be true, and every man a liar.” The words “proven” and “shown up” are supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning.
[3:4] 29 tn Grk “might be justified,” a subjunctive verb, but in this type of clause it carries the same sense as the future indicative verb in the latter part. “Will” is more idiomatic in contemporary English.
[3:4] 30 tn Or “prevail when you judge.” A quotation from Ps 51:4.
