Psalms 68:26

68:26 In your large assemblies praise God,

the Lord, in the assemblies of Israel! ¹ 

Psalms 72:18

72:18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise! ² 

He alone accomplishes amazing things! ³ 

Psalms 73:1

Book 3
(Psalms 73-89)

Psalm 73 ⁴ 

A psalm by Asaph.

73:1 Certainly God is good to Israel, ⁵ 

and to those whose motives are pure! ⁶ 

Psalms 78:71

78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, ⁷ 

and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,

and of Israel, his chosen nation. ⁸ 

Psalms 81:4

81:4 For observing the festival is a requirement for Israel; ⁹ 

it is an ordinance given by the God of Jacob.

Psalms 81:13

81:13 If only my people would obey me! ¹⁰ 

If only Israel would keep my commands! ¹¹ 

Psalms 89:18

89:18 For our shield ¹²  belongs to the Lord,

our king to the Holy One of Israel. ¹³ 

Psalms 105:23

105:23 Israel moved to ¹⁴  Egypt;

Jacob lived for a time ¹⁵  in the land of Ham.

Psalms 114:1

Psalm 114 ¹⁶ 

114:1 When Israel left Egypt,

when the family of Jacob left a foreign nation behind, ¹⁷ 

Psalms 121:4

121:4 Look! Israel’s protector ¹⁸ 

does not sleep or slumber!

Psalms 129:1

Psalm 129 ¹⁹ 

A song of ascents. ²⁰ 

129:1 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”

let Israel say.

Psalms 131:3

131:3 O Israel, hope in the Lord

now and forevermore!

Psalms 135:4

135:4 Indeed, ²¹  the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,

Israel to be his special possession. ²² 

Psalms 149:2

149:2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator!

Let the people ²³  of Zion delight in their king! ²⁴ 

[68:26]  ¹ tn Heb “from the fountain of Israel,” which makes little, if any, sense here. The translation assumes an emendation to בְּמִקְרָאֵי (bÿmiqra’ey, “in the assemblies of [Israel]”).

[72:18]  ² tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21; 41:13.

[72:18]  ³ tn Heb “[the] one who does amazing things by himself.”

[73:1]  ³ sn Psalm 73. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist offers a personal testimony of his struggle with the age-old problem of the prosperity of the wicked. As he observed evil men prosper, he wondered if a godly lifestyle really pays off. In the midst of his discouragement, he reflected upon spiritual truths and realities. He was reminded that the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary. God will eventually vindicate his people.

[73:1]  ⁴ tn Since the psalm appears to focus on an individual’s concerns, not the situation of Israel, this introduction may be a later addition designed to apply the psalm’s message to the entire community. To provide a better parallel with the next line, some emend the Hebrew phrase לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֱלֹהִים (lÿyisra’el ’elohim, “to Israel, God”) to אֱלֹהִים [or אֵל] לָיָּשָׁר (’elohim [or ’el] lÿyyashar, “God [is good] to the upright one”).

[73:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “to the pure of heart.”

[78:71]  ⁴ tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”

[78:71]  ⁵ tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”

[81:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “because a statute for Israel [is] it.”

[81:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “if only my people were listening to me.” The Hebrew particle לוּ (lu, “if not”) introduces a purely hypothetical or contrary to fact condition (see 2 Sam 18:12).

[81:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “[and if only] Israel would walk in my ways.”

[89:18]  ⁷ tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “our king" here and with “your anointed one” in Ps 84:9.

[89:18]  ⁸ sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.

[105:23]  ⁸ tn Heb “entered.”

[105:23]  ⁹ tn Heb “lived as a resident alien.”

[114:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 114. The psalmist recalls the events of the exodus and conquest and celebrates God’s kingship over his covenant people.

[114:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the house of Jacob from a nation speaking a foreign language.” The Hebrew verb לָעַז (la’at, “to speak a foreign language”) occurs only here in the OT.

[121:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the one who guards Israel.”

[129:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.

[129:1]  ¹² sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[135:4]  ¹² tn Or “for.”

[135:4]  ¹³ sn His special possession. The language echoes Exod 19:5; Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18. See also Mal 3:17.

[149:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “sons.”

[149:2]  ¹⁴ sn The Lord is the king here, as the parallelism in the previous line (“their creator”) indicates.