Discovery BoxPsalms 78:37
Context78:37 They were not really committed to him, 1
and they were unfaithful to his covenant.
Psalms 78:2
Context78:2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;
I will make insightful observations about the past. 2
Psalms 12:1
ContextFor the music director; according to the sheminith style; 4 a psalm of David.
12:1 Deliver, Lord!
For the godly 5 have disappeared; 6
people of integrity 7 have vanished. 8
Psalms 19:3
Context19:3 There is no actual speech or word,
nor is its 9 voice literally heard.
Psalms 20:1
ContextFor the music director; a psalm of David.
20:1 May the Lord answer 11 you 12 when you are in trouble; 13
may the God of Jacob 14 make you secure!
Psalms 30:1
ContextA psalm – a song used at the dedication of the temple; 16 by David.
30:1 I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up, 17
and did not allow my enemies to gloat 18 over me.
[78:37] 1 tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”
[78:2] 2 tn Heb “I will open with a wise saying my mouth, I will utter insightful sayings from long ago.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה+מָשָׁל (mashal + khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6), and an insightful song that reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent death (Ps 49:4).
[12:1] 3 sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.
[12:1] 4 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
[12:1] 5 tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[12:1] 6 tn Or “have come to an end.”
[12:1] 7 tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”
[12:1] 8 tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”
[19:3] 9 tn Heb “their.” The antecedent of the plural pronoun is “heavens” (v. 1).
[20:1] 10 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] 11 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] 12 sn May the
[20:1] 13 tn Heb “in a day of trouble.”
[20:1] 14 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.
[30:1] 15 sn Psalm 30. The author thanks the Lord for delivering him from death and urges others to join him in praise. The psalmist experienced divine discipline for a brief time, but when he cried out for help the Lord intervened and restored his favor.
[30:1] 16 tn Heb “a song of the dedication of the house.” The referent of “house” is unclear. It is possible that David wrote this psalm for the dedication ceremony of Solomon’s temple. Another possibility is that the psalm was used on the occasion of the dedication of the second temple following the return from exile, or on the occasion of the rededication of the temple in Maccabean times.
[30:1] 17 tn Elsewhere the verb דָּלָה (dalah) is used of drawing water from a well (Exod 2:16, 19; Prov 20:5). The psalmist was trapped in the pit leading to Sheol (see v. 3), but the
