Psalms 62:1

Psalm 62 ¹ 

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.

62:1 For God alone I patiently wait; ² 

he is the one who delivers me. ³ 

Psalms 77:1

Psalm 77 ⁴ 

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph.

77:1 I will cry out to God ⁵  and call for help!

I will cry out to God and he will pay attention ⁶  to me.

Psalms 77:1

Psalm 77 ⁷ 

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph.

77:1 I will cry out to God ⁸  and call for help!

I will cry out to God and he will pay attention ⁹  to me.

Psalms 16:1

Psalm 16 ¹⁰ 

A prayer ¹¹  of David.

16:1 Protect me, O God, for I have taken shelter in you. ¹² 

Psalms 25:1-6

Psalm 25 ¹³ 

By David.

25:1 O Lord, I come before you in prayer. ¹⁴ 

25:2 My God, I trust in you.

Please do not let me be humiliated;

do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!

25:3 Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated.

Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted ¹⁵  and humiliated.

25:4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!

Teach me your paths! ¹⁶ 

25:5 Guide me into your truth ¹⁷  and teach me.

For you are the God who delivers me;

on you I rely all day long.

25:6 Remember ¹⁸  your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,

for you have always acted in this manner. ¹⁹ 

[62:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 62. The psalmist expresses his unwavering confidence in God’s justice and in his ability to protect his people.

[62:1]  ² tn Heb “only for God [is] there silence [to] my soul.”

[62:1]  ³ tn Heb “from him [is] my deliverance.”

[77:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 77. The psalmist recalls how he suffered through a time of doubt, but tells how he found encouragement and hope as he recalled the way in which God delivered Israel at the Red Sea.

[77:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “my voice to God.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to call out; to cry out”) should probably be understood by ellipsis (see Ps 3:4) both here and in the following (parallel) line.

[77:1]  ⁶ tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive is best taken as future here (although some translations render this as a past tense; cf. NEB, NIV). The psalmist expresses his confidence that God will respond to his prayer. This mood of confidence seems premature (see vv. 3-4), but v. 1 probably reflects the psalmist’s attitude at the end of the prayer (see vv. 13-20). Having opened with an affirmation of confidence, he then retraces how he gained confidence during his trial (see vv. 2-12).

[77:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 77. The psalmist recalls how he suffered through a time of doubt, but tells how he found encouragement and hope as he recalled the way in which God delivered Israel at the Red Sea.

[77:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “my voice to God.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to call out; to cry out”) should probably be understood by ellipsis (see Ps 3:4) both here and in the following (parallel) line.

[77:1]  ⁹ tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive is best taken as future here (although some translations render this as a past tense; cf. NEB, NIV). The psalmist expresses his confidence that God will respond to his prayer. This mood of confidence seems premature (see vv. 3-4), but v. 1 probably reflects the psalmist’s attitude at the end of the prayer (see vv. 13-20). Having opened with an affirmation of confidence, he then retraces how he gained confidence during his trial (see vv. 2-12).

[16:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 16. The psalmist seeks divine protection because he has remained loyal to God. He praises God for his rich blessings, and is confident God will vindicate him and deliver him from death.

[16:1]  ¹¹ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מִכְתָּם (mikhtam) is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”

[16:1]  ¹² tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results (see 7:1; 11:1).

[25:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 25. The psalmist asks for divine protection, guidance and forgiveness as he affirms his loyalty to and trust in the Lord. This psalm is an acrostic; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except for v. 18, which, like v. 19, begins with ר (resh) instead of the expected ק (qof). The final verse, which begins with פ (pe), stands outside the acrostic scheme.

[25:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to you, O Lord, my life I lift up.” To “lift up” one’s “life” to the Lord means to express one’s trust in him through prayer. See Pss 86:4; 143:8.

[25:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “those who deal in treachery in vain.” The adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “in vain”) probably refers to the failure (or futility) of their efforts. Another option is to understand it as meaning “without cause” (cf. NIV “without excuse”; NRSV “wantonly treacherous”).

[25:4]  ¹⁶ sn Teach me your paths. In this context the Lord’s “ways” and “paths” refer to the moral principles which the Lord prescribes for his followers. See vv. 8-10.

[25:5]  ¹⁷ sn The Lord’s commandments are referred to as truth here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will.

[25:6]  ¹⁸ tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating.

[25:6]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for from antiquity [are] they.”