Psalms 73:1

Book 3
(Psalms 73-89)

Psalm 73 ¹ 

A psalm by Asaph.

73:1 Certainly God is good to Israel, ² 

and to those whose motives are pure! ³ 

Psalms 19:8

19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair ⁴ 

and make one joyful. ⁵ 

The Lord’s commands ⁶  are pure ⁷ 

and give insight for life. ⁸ 

Psalms 24:4

24:4 The one whose deeds are blameless

and whose motives are pure, ⁹ 

who does not lie, ¹⁰ 

or make promises with no intention of keeping them. ¹¹ 

[73:1]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “to the pure of heart.”

[19:8]  ⁴ tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.

[19:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.

[19:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.

[19:8]  ⁷ tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.

[19:8]  ⁸ tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.

[24:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “the innocent of hands and the pure of heart.” The “hands” allude to one’s actions, the “heart” to one’s thought life and motives.

[24:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “who does not lift up for emptiness my life.” The first person pronoun on נַפְשִׁי (nafshiy, “my life”) makes little sense here; many medieval Hebrew mss support the ancient versions in reading a third person pronoun “his.” The idiom “lift the life” here means to “long for” or “desire strongly.” In this context (note the reference to an oath in the following line) “emptiness” probably refers to speech (see Ps 12:2).

[24:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “and does not swear an oath deceitfully.”