Psalms 78:54

78:54 He brought them to the border of his holy land,

to this mountainous land ¹  which his right hand ²  acquired.

Psalms 139:13

139:13 Certainly ³  you made my mind and heart; ⁴ 

you wove me together ⁵  in my mother’s womb.

Psalms 74:2

74:2 Remember your people ⁶  whom you acquired in ancient times,

whom you rescued ⁷  so they could be your very own nation, ⁸ 

as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!

[78:54]  ¹ tn Heb “this mountain.” The whole land of Canaan seems to be referred to here. In Exod 15:17 the promised land is called the “mountain of your [i.e., God’s] inheritance.”

[78:54]  ² tn The “right hand” here symbolizes God’s military strength (see v. 55).

[139:13]  ³ tn Or “for.”

[139:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “my kidneys.” The kidneys were sometimes viewed as the seat of one’s emotions and moral character (cf. Pss 7:9; 26:2). A number of translations, recognizing that “kidneys” does not communicate this idea to the modern reader, have generalized the concept: “inmost being” (NAB, NIV); “inward parts” (NASB, NRSV); “the delicate, inner parts of my body” (NLT). In the last instance, the focus is almost entirely on the physical body rather than the emotions or moral character. The present translation, by using a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms), links the concepts of emotion (heart) and moral character (mind).

[139:13]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew verb סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave together”) is an alternate form of שָׂכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave”) used in Job 10:11.

[74:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.

[74:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).

[74:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).