Psalms 7:11

7:11 God is a just judge;

he is angry throughout the day. ¹ 

Psalms 11:5

11:5 The Lord approves of ²  the godly, ³ 

but he ⁴  hates ⁵  the wicked and those who love to do violence. ⁶ 

Psalms 11:7

11:7 Certainly ⁷  the Lord is just; ⁸ 

he rewards godly deeds; ⁹ 

the upright will experience his favor. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 14:5

14:5 They are absolutely terrified, ¹¹ 

for God defends the godly. ¹² 

Psalms 34:19

34:19 The godly ¹³  face many dangers, ¹⁴ 

but the Lord saves ¹⁵  them ¹⁶  from each one of them.

Psalms 34:21

34:21 Evil people self-destruct; ¹⁷ 

those who hate the godly are punished. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 37:30

37:30 The godly speak wise words

and promote justice. ¹⁹ 

Psalms 72:7

72:7 During his days the godly will flourish; ²⁰ 

peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky. ²¹ 

Psalms 75:10

75:10 God says, ²² 

“I will bring down all the power of the wicked;

the godly will be victorious.” ²³ 

Psalms 92:12

92:12 The godly ²⁴  grow like a palm tree;

they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. ²⁵ 

Psalms 94:21

94:21 They conspire against ²⁶  the blameless, ²⁷ 

and condemn to death the innocent. ²⁸ 

Psalms 112:6

112:6 For he will never be upended;

others will always remember one who is just. ²⁹ 

Psalms 145:17

145:17 The Lord is just in all his actions, ³⁰ 

and exhibits love in all he does. ³¹ 

[7:11]  ¹ tn Heb “God (the divine name אֵל [’el] is used) is angry during all the day.” The verb זֹעֵם (zo’em) means “be indignant, be angry, curse.” Here God’s angry response to wrongdoing and injustice leads him to prepare to execute judgment as described in the following verses.

[11:5]  ² tn Heb “examines,” the same verb used in v. 4b. But here it is used in a metonymic sense of “examine and approve” (see Jer 20:12).

[11:5]  ³ tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure (of heart)” in v. 2.

[11:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “his [very] being.” A נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, soul”) is also attributed to the Lord in Isa 1:14, where a suffixed form of the noun appears as the subject of the verb “hate.” Both there and here the term is used of the seat of one’s emotions and passions.

[11:5]  ⁵ sn He hates the wicked. The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds, and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 5:5.

[11:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “the wicked [one] and the lover of violence.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked [ones]”) in vv. 2 and 6.

[11:7]  ³ tn Or “for.”

[11:7]  ⁴ tn Or “righteous.”

[11:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “he loves righteous deeds.” The “righteous deeds” are probably those done by godly people (see v. 5). The Lord “loves” such deeds in the sense that he rewards them. Another option is to take צְדָקוֹת (tsÿdaqot) as referring to God’s acts of justice (see Ps 103:6). In this case one could translate, “he loves to do just deeds.”

[11:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “the upright will see his face.” The singular subject (“upright”) does not agree with the plural verb. However, collective singular nouns can be construed with a plural predicate (see GKC 462 §145.b). Another possibility is that the plural verb יֶחֱזוּ (yekhezu) is a corruption of an original singular form. To “see” God’s “face” means to have access to his presence and to experience his favor (see Ps 17:15 and Job 33:26 [where רָאָה (ra’ah), not חָזָה (khazah), is used]). On the form פָנֵימוֹ (fanemo, “his face”) see GKC 300-301 §103.b, n. 3.

[14:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “there they are afraid [with] fear.” The perfect verbal form is probably used in a rhetorical manner; the psalmist describes the future demise of the oppressors as if it were already occurring. The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is also used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the wicked standing in fear at a spot that is this vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.). The cognate accusative following the verb emphasizes the degree of their terror.

[14:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “for God is with a godly generation.” The Hebrew noun דּוֹר (dor, “generation”) refers here to the general class of people who are characterized by godliness. See BDB 190 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.

[34:19]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.

[34:19]  ⁶ tn Or “trials.”

[34:19]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the godly.

[34:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.

[34:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.

[34:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.

[37:30]  ⁷ tn Heb “The mouth of the godly [one] utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.” The singular form is used in a representative sense; the typical godly individual is in view. The imperfect verbal forms draw attention to the characteristic behavior of the godly.

[72:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “sprout up,” like crops. This verse continues the metaphor of rain utilized in v. 6.

[72:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “and [there will be an] abundance of peace until there is no more moon.”

[75:10]  ⁹ tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in v. 10.

[75:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and all the horns of the wicked I will cut off, the horns of the godly will be lifted up.” The imagery of the wild ox’s horn is once more utilized (see vv. 4-5).

[92:12]  ¹⁰ tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.

[92:12]  ¹¹ sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.

[94:21]  ¹¹ tn Or “attack.”

[94:21]  ¹² tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”

[94:21]  ¹³ tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”

[112:6]  ¹² tn Heb “for an eternal memorial a just [one] will be.”

[145:17]  ¹³ tn Heb “in all his ways.”

[145:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”