Psalms 66:17-20

66:17 I cried out to him for help ¹ 

and praised him with my tongue. ² 

66:18 If I had harbored sin in my heart, ³ 

the Lord would not have listened.

66:19 However, God heard;

he listened to my prayer.

66:20 God deserves praise, ⁴ 

for ⁵  he did not reject my prayer

or abandon his love for me! ⁶ 

[66:17]  ¹ tn Heb “to him [with] my mouth I called.”

[66:17]  ² tn Heb “and he was extolled under my tongue.” The form רוֹמַם (romam) appears to be a polal (passive) participle from רוּם (rum, “be exalted”), but many prefer to read רוֹמָם, “high praise [was under my tongue]” (cf. NEB). See BDB 928 s.v. רוֹמָם.

[66:18]  ³ tn Heb “sin if I had seen in my heart.”

[66:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “blessed [be] God.”

[66:20]  ⁶ tn Or “who.” In a blessing formula after בָּרוּךְ (barukh, “blessed be”) the form אֲשֶׁר (’asher), whether taken as a relative pronoun or causal particle, introduces the basis for the blessing/praise.

[66:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “did not turn aside my prayer and his loyal love with me.”