Psalms 8:9

8:9 O Lord, our Lord, ¹ 

how magnificent ²  is your reputation ³  throughout the earth! ⁴ 

Psalms 20:1

Psalm 20 ⁵ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

20:1 May the Lord answer ⁶  you ⁷  when you are in trouble; ⁸ 

may the God of Jacob ⁹  make you secure!

Psalms 20:5

20:5 Then we will shout for joy over your ¹⁰  victory;

we will rejoice ¹¹  in the name of our God!

May the Lord grant all your requests!

Psalms 20:1

Psalm 20 ¹² 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

20:1 May the Lord answer ¹³  you ¹⁴  when you are in trouble; ¹⁵ 

may the God of Jacob ¹⁶  make you secure!

Psalms 17:1-2

Psalm 17 ¹⁷ 

A prayer of David.

17:1 Lord, consider my just cause! ¹⁸ 

Pay attention to my cry for help!

Listen to the prayer

I sincerely offer! ¹⁹ 

17:2 Make a just decision on my behalf! ²⁰ 

Decide what is right! ²¹ 

Psalms 23:6

23:6 Surely your goodness and faithfulness ²²  will pursue ²³  me all my days, ²⁴ 

and I will live in ²⁵  the Lord’s house ²⁶  for the rest of my life. ²⁷ 

Psalms 23:1

Psalm 23 ²⁸ 

A psalm of David.

23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, ²⁹ 

I lack nothing. ³⁰ 

Psalms 14:1

Psalm 14 ³¹ 

For the music director; by David.

14:1 Fools say to themselves, ³²  “There is no God.” ³³ 

They sin and commit evil deeds; ³⁴ 

none of them does what is right. ³⁵ 

Psalms 14:1

Psalm 14 ³⁶ 

For the music director; by David.

14:1 Fools say to themselves, ³⁷  “There is no God.” ³⁸ 

They sin and commit evil deeds; ³⁹ 

none of them does what is right. ⁴⁰ 

Psalms 14:1-2

Psalm 14 ⁴¹ 

For the music director; by David.

14:1 Fools say to themselves, ⁴²  “There is no God.” ⁴³ 

They sin and commit evil deeds; ⁴⁴ 

none of them does what is right. ⁴⁵ 

14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven ⁴⁶  at the human race, ⁴⁷ 

to see if there is anyone who is wise ⁴⁸  and seeks God. ⁴⁹ 

Psalms 14:1

Psalm 14 ⁵⁰ 

For the music director; by David.

14:1 Fools say to themselves, ⁵¹  “There is no God.” ⁵² 

They sin and commit evil deeds; ⁵³ 

none of them does what is right. ⁵⁴ 

Psalms 14:1-2

Psalm 14 ⁵⁵ 

For the music director; by David.

14:1 Fools say to themselves, ⁵⁶  “There is no God.” ⁵⁷ 

They sin and commit evil deeds; ⁵⁸ 

none of them does what is right. ⁵⁹ 

14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven ⁶⁰  at the human race, ⁶¹ 

to see if there is anyone who is wise ⁶²  and seeks God. ⁶³ 

Psalms 16:7-9

16:7 I will praise ⁶⁴  the Lord who ⁶⁵  guides ⁶⁶  me;

yes, during the night I reflect and learn. ⁶⁷ 

16:8 I constantly trust in the Lord; ⁶⁸ 

because he is at my right hand, I will not be upended.

16:9 So my heart rejoices

and I am happy; ⁶⁹ 

My life is safe. ⁷⁰ 

Psalms 20:1

Psalm 20 ⁷¹ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

20:1 May the Lord answer ⁷²  you ⁷³  when you are in trouble; ⁷⁴ 

may the God of Jacob ⁷⁵  make you secure!

Psalms 22:7-8

22:7 All who see me taunt ⁷⁶  me;

they mock me ⁷⁷  and shake their heads. ⁷⁸ 

22:8 They say, ⁷⁹ 

“Commit yourself ⁸⁰  to the Lord!

Let the Lord ⁸¹  rescue him!

Let the Lord ⁸²  deliver him, for he delights in him.” ⁸³ 

[8:9]  ¹ tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the Lord’s absolute sovereignty.

[8:9]  ² tn Or “awesome, majestic.”

[8:9]  ³ tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[8:9]  ⁴ sn Using the poetic device of inclusio, the psalmist ends the psalm the way he began it. The concluding refrain is identical to v. 1.

[20:1]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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 Lord will answer,” etc. In this case the people declare their confidence that the Lord will intervene on behalf of the king and extend to him his favor.

[20:1]  ⁷ sn May the Lord answer you. The people address the king as they pray to the Lord.

[20:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “in a day of trouble.”

[20:1]  ⁹ 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.

[20:5]  ¹⁰ sn Your victory. Here the king is addressed (see v. 1).

[20:5]  ¹¹ 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).

[20:1]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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 Lord will answer,” etc. In this case the people declare their confidence that the Lord will intervene on behalf of the king and extend to him his favor.

[20:1]  ¹⁴ sn May the Lord answer you. The people address the king as they pray to the Lord.

[20:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “in a day of trouble.”

[20:1]  ¹⁶ 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.

[17:1]  ¹⁷ sn Psalm 17. The psalmist asks God to intervene on his behalf because his life is threatened by dangerous enemies. He appeals to divine justice, for he is certain of his own innocence. Because he is innocent, he expects to encounter God and receive an assuring word.

[17:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “hear, Lord, what is just.”

[17:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Listen to my prayer, [made] without lips of deceit.”

[17:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “From before you may my justice come out.” The prefixed verbal form יָצָא (yatsa’) could be taken as an imperfect, but following the imperatives in v. 1, it is better understood as a jussive of prayer.

[17:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “May your eyes look at what is right.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as jussive. (See also the preceding note on the word “behalf.”)

[23:6]  ²² tn The noun חֶסֶד (khesed; v. 6) has been the subject of several monographs. G. R. Clark concludes that חֶסֶד “is not merely an attitude or an emotion; it is an emotion that leads to an activity beneficial to the recipient.” He explains that an act of חֶסֶד is “a beneficent action performed, in the context of a deep and enduring commitment between two persons or parties, by one who is able to render assistance to the needy party who in the circumstances is unable to help him- or herself.” (See G. R. Clark, The Word Hesed in the Hebrew Bible [JSOTSup], 267.) HALOT 336-37 s.v. defines the word as “loyalty,” or “faithfulness.” Other appropriate meanings might be “commitment” and “devotion.”

[23:6]  ²³ tn The use of רָדַף (radaf, “pursue, chase”) with טוֹב וָחֶסֶד (tov vakhesed, “goodness and faithfulness”) as subject is ironic. This is the only place in the entire OT where either of these nouns appears as the subject of this verb רָדַף (radaf, “pursue”). This verb is often used to describe the hostile actions of enemies. One might expect the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 5) to chase him, but ironically God’s “goodness and faithfulness” (which are personified and stand by metonymy for God himself) pursue him instead. The word “pursue” is used outside of its normal context in an ironic manner and creates a unique, but pleasant word picture of God’s favor (or a kind God) “chasing down” the one whom he loves.

[23:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “all the days of my life.”

[23:6]  ²⁵ tn The verb form וְשַׁבְתִּי (vÿshavtiy) is a Qal perfect (with vav [ו] consecutive), first common singular, from שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) and should be translated, “and I will return.” But this makes no sense when construed with the following phrase, “in the house of the Lord.” The term שׁוּב (shuv) appears only here with the following phrase בְּבֵית (bÿvet). The form should be emended to וְשִׁבְתִּי (vÿshivtiy; an infinitive construct from יָשַׁב, yashav, “live”) with pronominal suffix) or to וְיָשַׁבְתִּי (vÿyashavtiy; a Qal perfect with vav [ו] consecutive, first common singular, from ישׁב [see BHS, note c]). In either case one could then translate, “and I will live [in the house of the Lord].” The phrase “in the house” frequently follows the verb יָשַׁב in the OT.

[23:6]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the house of the Lord.” The phrase may be purely metaphorical here, referring to the royal palace where the royal host of v. 5 holds his banquet and lives. If one takes the phrase more literally, it would refer to the earthly tabernacle (if one accepts Davidic authorship) or the later temple (see Judg 19:18; 1 Sam 1:7, 24; 2 Sam 12:20; 1 Kgs 7:12, 40, 45, 51).

[23:6]  ²⁷ tn The phrase אֹרֶךְ יָמִים (’orekh yamim, “length of days”) is traditionally translated “forever.” However, this phrase, when used elsewhere of people, usually refers to a lengthy period of time, such as one’s lifetime, and does not mean “forever” in the sense of eternity. (Cf. Deut 30:20; Job 12:12; Ps 91:16; Prov 3:2, 16; Lam 5:20.) Furthermore, the parallel phrase “all the days of my life” suggests this more limited meaning. Psalm 21:4, where the phrase is followed by “forever and ever,” may be an exception, though the juxtaposition of the phrases may be an example of intensification, where the second phrase goes beyond the limits of the first, rather than synonymity. Even if one takes both expressions as referring to eternal life, the language is part of the king’s hyperbolic description of the Lord’s blessings and should not be taken literally.

[23:1]  ²⁸ sn Psalm 23. In vv. 1-4 the psalmist pictures the Lord as a shepherd who provides for his needs and protects him from danger. The psalmist declares, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and then extends and develops that metaphor, speaking as if he were a sheep. In vv. 5-6 the metaphor changes as the psalmist depicts a great royal banquet hosted by the Lord. The psalmist is a guest of honor and recipient of divine favor, who enjoys unlimited access to the divine palace and the divine presence.

[23:1]  ²⁹ sn The LORD is my shepherd. The opening metaphor suggests the psalmist is assuming the role of a sheep. In vv. 1b-4 the psalmist extends the metaphor and explains exactly how the LORD is like a shepherd to him. At the surface level the language can be understood in terms of a shepherd’s relationship to his sheep. The translation of vv. 1-4 reflects this level. But, of course, each statement also points to an underlying reality.

[23:1]  ³⁰ tn The imperfect verbal form is best understood as generalizing; the psalmist highlights his typical or ongoing experience as a result of having the LORD as his shepherd (habitual present use). The next verse explains more specifically what he means by this statement.

[14:1]  ³¹ sn Psalm 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.

[14:1]  ³² tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.

[14:1]  ³³ sn “There is no God.” The statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that God is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).

[14:1]  ³⁴ tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.

[14:1]  ³⁵ tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

[14:1]  ³⁶ sn Psalm 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.

[14:1]  ³⁷ tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.

[14:1]  ³⁸ sn “There is no God.” The statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that God is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).

[14:1]  ³⁹ tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.

[14:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

[14:1]  ⁴¹ sn Psalm 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.

[14:1]  ⁴² tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.

[14:1]  ⁴³ sn “There is no God.” The statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that God is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).

[14:1]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.

[14:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

[14:2]  ⁴⁶ sn The picture of the Lord looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.

[14:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”

[14:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.

[14:2]  ⁴⁹ sn Anyone who is wise and seeks God refers to the person who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.

[14:1]  ⁵⁰ sn Psalm 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.

[14:1]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.

[14:1]  ⁵² sn “There is no God.” The statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that God is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).

[14:1]  ⁵³ tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.

[14:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

[14:1]  ⁵⁵ sn Psalm 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.

[14:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.

[14:1]  ⁵⁷ sn “There is no God.” The statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that God is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).

[14:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.

[14:1]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

[14:2]  ⁶⁰ sn The picture of the Lord looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.

[14:2]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”

[14:2]  ⁶² tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.

[14:2]  ⁶³ sn Anyone who is wise and seeks God refers to the person who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.

[16:7]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “bless,” that is, “proclaim as worthy of praise.”

[16:7]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “because.”

[16:7]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “counsels, advises.”

[16:7]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “yes, [during] nights my kidneys instruct [or “correct”] me.” The “kidneys” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s moral character (see Ps 26:2). In the quiet darkness the Lord speaks to his inner being, as it were, and enables him to grow in moral understanding.

[16:8]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “I set the Lord before me continually.” This may mean that the psalmist is aware of the Lord’s presence and sensitive to his moral guidance (see v. 7), or that he trusts in the Lord’s protection (see the following line).

[16:9]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “my glory is happy.” Some view the Hebrew term כְּבוֹדִי (kÿvodiy, “my glory”) as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kÿvediy, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 30:12; 57:9; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.”

[16:9]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “yes, my flesh dwells securely.” The psalmist’s “flesh” stands by metonymy for his body and, by extension, his physical life.

[20:1]  ⁷¹ 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]  ⁷² 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 Lord will answer,” etc. In this case the people declare their confidence that the Lord will intervene on behalf of the king and extend to him his favor.

[20:1]  ⁷³ sn May the Lord answer you. The people address the king as they pray to the Lord.

[20:1]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “in a day of trouble.”

[20:1]  ⁷⁵ 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.

[22:7]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “scoff at, deride, mock.”

[22:7]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “they separate with a lip.” Apparently this refers to their verbal taunting.

[22:7]  ⁷⁸ sn Shake their heads. Apparently this refers to a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 109:25; Lam 2:15.

[22:8]  ⁷⁹ tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. The psalmist here quotes the sarcastic taunts of his enemies.

[22:8]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “roll [yourself].” The Hebrew verb גלל here has the sense of “commit” (see Prov 16:3). The imperatival form in the Hebrew text indicates the enemies here address the psalmist. Since they refer to him in the third person in the rest of the verse, some prefer to emend the verb to a perfect, “he commits himself to the Lord.”

[22:8]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:8]  ⁸² tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:8]  ⁸³ tn That is, “for he [the Lord] delights in him [the psalmist].” For other cases where the expression “delight in” refers to God’s delight in a person, see Num 14:8; 1 Kgs 10:9; Pss 18:19; 40:8.