Discovery BoxPsalms 77:1
ContextFor the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph.
77:1 I will cry out to God 2 and call for help!
I will cry out to God and he will pay attention 3 to me.
Psalms 19:1--20:9
ContextFor the music director; a psalm of David.
19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; 5
the sky displays his handiwork. 6
19:2 Day after day it speaks out; 7
night after night it reveals his greatness. 8
19:3 There is no actual speech or word,
nor is its 9 voice literally heard.
19:4 Yet its voice 10 echoes 11 throughout the earth;
its 12 words carry 13 to the distant horizon. 14
In the sky 15 he has pitched a tent for the sun. 16
19:5 Like a bridegroom it emerges 17 from its chamber; 18
like a strong man it enjoys 19 running its course. 20
19:6 It emerges from the distant horizon, 21
and goes from one end of the sky to the other; 22
nothing can escape 23 its heat.
19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and preserves one’s life. 24
The rules set down by the Lord 25 are reliable 26
and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. 27
19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair 28
and make one joyful. 29
The Lord’s commands 30 are pure 31
and give insight for life. 32
19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right 33
and endure forever. 34
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just. 35
19:10 They are of greater value 36 than gold,
than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight 37 than honey,
than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.
19:11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; 38
those who obey them receive a rich reward. 39
19:12 Who can know all his errors? 40
Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of. 41
19:13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant 42 sins;
do not allow such sins to control me. 43
Then I will be blameless,
and innocent of blatant 44 rebellion.
19:14 May my words and my thoughts
be acceptable in your sight, 45
O Lord, my sheltering rock 46 and my redeemer. 47
For the music director; a psalm of David.
20:1 May the Lord answer 49 you 50 when you are in trouble; 51
may the God of Jacob 52 make you secure!
20:2 May he send you help from his temple; 53
from Zion may he give you support!
20:3 May he take notice 54 of your offerings;
may he accept 55 your burnt sacrifice! (Selah)
20:4 May he grant your heart’s desire; 56
may he bring all your plans to pass! 57
20:5 Then we will shout for joy over your 58 victory;
we will rejoice 59 in the name of our God!
May the Lord grant all your requests!
20:6 Now I am sure 60 that the Lord will deliver 61 his chosen king; 62
he will intervene for him 63 from his holy heavenly temple, 64
and display his mighty ability to deliver. 65
20:7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, 66
but we 67 depend on 68 the Lord our God.
[77:1] 1 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] 2 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] 3 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).
[19:1] 4 sn Psalm 19. The psalmist praises God for his self-revelation in the heavens and in the Mosaic law. The psalmist concludes with a prayer, asking the Lord to keep him from sinning and to approve of his thoughts and words.
[19:1] 5 sn God’s glory refers here to his royal majesty and power.
[19:1] 6 tn Heb “and the work of his hands the sky declares.” The participles emphasize the ongoing testimony of the heavens/sky.
[19:2] 7 tn Heb “it gushes forth a word.” The “sky” (see v. 1b) is the subject of the verb. Though not literally speaking (see v. 3), it clearly reveals God’s royal majesty. The sun’s splendor and its movement across the sky is in view (see vv. 4-6).
[19:2] 8 tn Heb “it [i.e., the sky] declares knowledge,” i.e., knowledge about God’s royal majesty and power (see v. 1). This apparently refers to the splendor and movements of the stars. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 2, like the participles in the preceding verse, combine with the temporal phrases (“day after day” and “night after night”) to emphasize the ongoing testimony of the sky.
[19:3] 10 tn Heb “their.” The antecedent of the plural pronoun is “heavens” (v. 1).
[19:4] 13 tc The MT reads, “their measuring line” (קוּם, qum). The noun קַו (qav, “measuring line”) makes no sense in this context. The reading קוֹלָם (qolam, “their voice”) which is supported by the LXX, is preferable.
[19:4] 14 tn Heb “goes out,” or “proceeds forth.”
[19:4] 15 tn Heb “their” (see the note on the word “its” in v. 3).
[19:4] 16 tn The verb is supplied in the translation. The Hebrew text has no verb; יָצָא (yatsa’, “goes out”) is understood by ellipsis.
[19:4] 17 tn Heb “to the end of the world.”
[19:4] 18 tn Heb “in them” (i.e., the heavens).
[19:4] 19 sn He has pitched a tent for the sun. The personified sun emerges from this “tent” in order to make its daytime journey across the sky. So the “tent” must refer metaphorically to the place where the sun goes to rest during the night.
[19:5] 16 tn The participle expresses the repeated or regular nature of the action.
[19:5] 17 tn The Hebrew noun חֻפָּה (khufah, “chamber”) occurs elsewhere only in Isa 4:5 and Joel 2:16 (where it refers to the bedroom of a bride and groom).
[19:5] 18 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the regularity of the action.
[19:5] 19 tn Heb “[on] a path.”
[19:6] 19 tn Heb “from the end of the heavens [is] its going forth.”
[19:6] 20 tn Heb “and its circuit [is] to their ends.”
[19:6] 21 tn Heb “is hidden from.”
[19:7] 22 tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.
[19:7] 23 tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the
[19:7] 24 tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
[19:7] 25 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.
[19:8] 25 tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.
[19:8] 26 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] 27 tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.
[19:8] 28 tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.
[19:8] 29 tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.
[19:9] 28 tn Heb “the fear of the
[19:9] 29 tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”
[19:9] 30 sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.
[19:10] 31 tn Heb “more desirable.”
[19:10] 32 tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).
[19:11] 34 tn Heb “moreover your servant is warned by them.”
[19:11] 35 tn Heb “in the keeping of them [there is] a great reward.”
[19:12] 37 tn Heb “Errors who can discern?” This rhetorical question makes the point that perfect moral discernment is impossible to achieve. Consequently it is inevitable that even those with good intentions will sin on occasion.
[19:12] 38 tn Heb “declare me innocent from hidden [things],” i.e., sins. In this context (see the preceding line) “hidden” sins are not sins committed in secret, but sins which are not recognized as such by the psalmist.
[19:13] 40 tn Or “presumptuous.”
[19:13] 41 tn Heb “let them not rule over me.”
[19:14] 43 tn Heb “may the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart be acceptable before you.” The prefixed verbal form at the beginning of the verse is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate the form as an imperfect continuing the thought of v. 14b: “[Then] the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart will be acceptable before you.”
[19:14] 44 tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”
[19:14] 45 tn Heb “and the one who redeems me.” The metaphor casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis.
[20:1] 46 sn Psalm 20. The people pray for the king’s success in battle. When the king declares his assurance that the Lord will answer the people’s prayer, they affirm their confidence in God’s enablement.
[20:1] 47 tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in vv. 1b-5 are interpreted as jussives of prayer (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). Another option is to understand them as imperfects, “the
[20:1] 48 sn May the
[20:1] 49 tn Heb “in a day of trouble.”
[20:1] 50 tn Heb “the name of the God of Jacob.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his very person and to the divine characteristics suggested by his name, in this case “God of Jacob,” which highlights his relationship to Israel.
[20:2] 49 tc Heb “from [the] temple.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix (ן, nun) has probably been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word begins with a prefixed vav (ו). See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 184.
[20:3] 52 tn Or “remember.” For other examples of the verb זָכַר (zakhar) carrying the nuance “take notice of,” see Pss 8:4 and 9:12.
[20:3] 53 tc Heb “consider as fat.” The verbal form should probably be emended to יְדַשְּׁנֶהָ (yÿdashÿneha), the final he (ה) being understood as a third feminine singular pronominal suffix referring back to the feminine noun “burnt sacrifice.”
[20:4] 55 tn Heb “may he give to you according to your heart.” This probably refers to the king’s prayer for protection and victory in battle. See vv. 5-6.
[20:4] 56 sn May he bring all your plans to pass. This probably refers to the king’s strategy for battle.
[20:5] 58 sn Your victory. Here the king is addressed (see v. 1).
[20:5] 59 tc The Hebrew verb דָּגַל (dagal) occurs only here in the Qal. If accepted as original, it may carry the nuance “raise a banner,” but it is preferable to emend the form to נגיל (“we will rejoice”) which provides better parallelism with “shout for joy” and fits well with the prepositional phrase “in the name of our God” (see Ps 89:16).
[20:6] 62 tn The perfect verbal form is probably used rhetorically to state that the deliverance is as good as done. In this way the speaker emphasizes the certainty of the deliverance. Another option is to take the statement as generalizing; the psalmist affirms that the
[20:6] 63 tn Heb “his anointed one.” This title refers to the Davidic king. See Pss 2:2 and 18:50.
[20:6] 64 tn Heb “he will answer him.”
[20:6] 65 tn Heb “from his holy heavens.”
[20:6] 66 tn Heb “with mighty acts of deliverance of his right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Ps 17:7).
[20:7] 64 tn Heb “these in chariots and these in horses.” No verb appears; perhaps the verb “invoke” is to be supplied from the following line. In this case the idea would be that some “invoke” (i.e., trust in) their military might for victory (cf. NEB “boast”; NIV “trust”; NRSV “take pride”). Verse 8 suggests that the “some/others” mentioned here are the nation’s enemies.
[20:7] 65 tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s faithful people and the others mentioned in the previous line.
[20:7] 66 tn Heb “we invoke the name of.” The Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar), when combined with the phrase “in the name,” means “to invoke” (see Josh 23:7; Isa 48:1; Amos 6:10). By invoking the
[20:8] 67 tn Or “stumble and fall down.”
[20:8] 68 tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God’s victorious people and the defeated enemies mentioned in the previous line. The perfect verbal forms either generalize or, more likely, state rhetorically the people’s confidence as they face the approaching battle. They describe the demise of the enemy as being as good as done.
[20:8] 69 tn Or “rise up and remain upright.” On the meaning of the Hitpolel of עוּד (’ud), see HALOT 795 s.v. I עוד. The verbal forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) either generalize or, more likely, state rhetorically the people’s confidence as they face the approaching battle.
[20:9] 70 tc This translation assumes an emendation of the verbal form הוֹשִׁיעָה (hoshi’ah). As it stands, the form is an imperative. In this case the people return to the petitionary mood with which the psalm begins (“O
[20:9] 71 tn If the imperative is retained in the preceding line, then the prefixed verbal form is best taken as a jussive of prayer, “may he answer us.” However, if the imperative in the previous line is emended to a perfect, the prefixed form is best taken as imperfect, “he will answer us” (see the note on the word “king” at the end of the previous line).
