Psalms 81:13

81:13 If only my people would obey me! ¹ 

If only Israel would keep my commands! ² 

Psalms 14:4

14:4 All those who behave wickedly ³  do not understand – ⁴ 

those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,

and do not call out to the Lord.

Psalms 42:8

42:8 By day the Lord decrees his loyal love, ⁵ 

and by night he gives me a song, ⁶ 

a prayer ⁷  to the living God.

Psalms 50:7

50:7 He says: ⁸ 

“Listen my people! I am speaking!

Listen Israel! I am accusing you! ⁹ 

I am God, your God!

Psalms 53:4

53:4 All those who behave wickedly ¹⁰  do not understand ¹¹  –

those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,

and do not call out to God.

Psalms 59:11

59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,

because then my people might forget the lesson. ¹² 

Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,

O Lord who shields us! ¹³ 

Psalms 78:1

Psalm 78 ¹⁴ 

A well-written song ¹⁵  by Asaph.

78:1 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction!

Listen to the words I speak! ¹⁶ 

Psalms 81:8

81:8 I said, ¹⁷  ‘Listen, my people!

I will warn ¹⁸  you!

O Israel, if only you would obey me! ¹⁹ 

Psalms 81:11

81:11 But my people did not obey me; ²⁰ 

Israel did not submit to me. ²¹ 

Psalms 86:17

86:17 Show me evidence of your favor! ²² 

Then those who hate me will see it and be ashamed, ²³ 

for you, O Lord, will help me and comfort me. ²⁴ 

Psalms 144:2

144:2 who loves me ²⁵  and is my stronghold,

my refuge ²⁶  and my deliverer,

my shield and the one in whom I take shelter,

who makes nations submit to me. ²⁷ 

[81:13]  ¹ tn Heb “if only my people were listening to me.” The Hebrew particle לוּ (lu, “if not”) introduces a purely hypothetical or contrary to fact condition (see 2 Sam 18:12).

[81:13]  ² tn Heb “[and if only] Israel would walk in my ways.”

[14:4]  ³ tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8.

[14:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question (rendered in the translation as a positive affirmation) expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-7).

[42:8]  ⁵ sn The psalmist believes that the Lord has not abandoned him, but continues to extend his loyal love. To this point in the psalm, the author has used the name “God,” but now, as he mentions the divine characteristic of loyal love, he switches to the more personal divine name Yahweh (rendered in the translation as “the Lord”).

[42:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “his song [is] with me.”

[42:8]  ⁷ tc A few medieval Hebrew mss read תְּהִלָּה (tÿhillah, “praise”) instead of תְּפִלָּה (tÿfillah, “prayer”).

[50:7]  ⁷ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s charges against his people follow.

[50:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “Israel, and I will testify against you.” The imperative “listen” is understood in the second line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[53:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8. Ps 14:4 adds כֹּל (kol, “all of”) before “workers of wickedness.”

[53:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-6).

[59:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”

[59:11]  ¹² tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”

[78:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 78. The author of this lengthy didactic psalm rehearses Israel’s history. He praises God for his power, goodness and patience, but also reminds his audience that sin angers God and prompts his judgment. In the conclusion to the psalm the author elevates Jerusalem as God’s chosen city and David as his chosen king.

[78:1]  ¹⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 74.

[78:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Turn your ear to the words of my mouth.”

[81:8]  ¹⁵ tn The words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Verses 8-10 appear to recall what the Lord commanded the generation of Israelites that experienced the events described in v. 7. Note the statement in v. 11, “my people did not listen to me.”

[81:8]  ¹⁶ tn Or perhaps “command.”

[81:8]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew particle אִם (“if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (GKC 321 §109.b). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.

[81:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “did not listen to my voice.”

[81:11]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew expression אָבָה לִי (’avah liy) means “submit to me” (see Deut 13:8).

[86:17]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Work with me a sign for good.” The expression “work a sign” also occurs in Judg 6:17.

[86:17]  ²⁰ tn After the imperative in the preceding line (“work”), the prefixed verb forms with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicate purpose or result.

[86:17]  ²¹ tn The perfect verbal forms are understood here as dramatic/rhetorical, expressing the psalmist’s certitude that such a sign from the Lord will be followed by his intervention. Another option is to understand the forms as future perfects (“for you, O Lord, will have helped me and comforted me”).

[144:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “my loyal love,” which is probably an abbreviated form of “the God of my loyal love” (see Ps 59:10, 17).

[144:2]  ²² tn Or “my elevated place.”

[144:2]  ²³ tn Heb “the one who subdues nations beneath me.”