Psalms 90:5

90:5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.” ¹ 

In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up;

Psalms 109:8-9

109:8 May his days be few! ² 

May another take his job! ³ 

109:9 May his children ⁴  be fatherless,

and his wife a widow!

Psalms 129:6

129:6 May they be like the grass on the rooftops

which withers before one can even pull it up, ⁵ 

Psalms 35:5

35:5 May they be ⁶  like wind-driven chaff,

as the Lord’s angel ⁷  attacks them! ⁸ 

Psalms 63:10

63:10 Each one will be handed over to the sword; ⁹ 

their corpses will be eaten by jackals. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 92:14

92:14 They bear fruit even when they are old;

they are filled with vitality and have many leaves. ¹¹ 

Psalms 109:15

109:15 May the Lord be constantly aware of them, ¹² 

and cut off the memory of his children ¹³  from the earth!

Psalms 115:8

115:8 Those who make them will end up ¹⁴  like them,

as will everyone who trusts in them.

Psalms 135:18

135:18 Those who make them will end up ¹⁵  like them,

as will everyone who trusts in them.

Psalms 19:14

19:14 May my words and my thoughts

be acceptable in your sight, ¹⁶ 

O Lord, my sheltering rock ¹⁷  and my redeemer. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 45:16

45:16 Your ¹⁹  sons will carry ²⁰  on the dynasty of your ancestors; ²¹ 

you will make them princes throughout the land.

Psalms 78:8

78:8 Then they will not be like their ancestors,

who were a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation that was not committed

and faithful to God. ²² 

[90:5]  ¹ tn Heb “you bring them to an end [with] sleep.” The Hebrew verb זָרַם (zaram) has traditionally been taken to mean “flood” or “overwhelm” (note the Polel form of a root זרם in Ps 77:17, where the verb is used of the clouds pouring down rain). However, the verb form here is Qal, not Polel, and is better understood as a homonym meaning “to make an end [of life].” The term שֵׁנָה (shenah, “sleep”) can be taken as an adverbial accusative; it is a euphemism here for death (see Ps 76:5-6).

[109:8]  ² tn The prefixed verbal forms (except those with vav [ו] consecutive) in vv. 8-20 are taken as jussives of prayer. Note the distinct jussive forms used in vv. 12-13, 15, 19.

[109:8]  ³ tn The Hebrew noun פְּקֻדָּה (pÿquddah) can mean “charge” or “office,” though BDB 824 s.v. suggests that here it refers to his possessions.

[109:9]  ³ tn Or “sons.”

[129:6]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁלַף (shalaf) normally means “to draw [a sword]” or “to pull.” BDB 1025 s.v. suggests the meaning “to shoot up” here, but it is more likely that the verb here means “to pluck; to pull up,” a nuance attested for this word in later Hebrew and Aramaic (see Jastrow 1587 s.v. שָׁלַף).

[35:5]  ⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.

[35:5]  ⁶ sn See the mention of the Lord’s angel in Ps 34:7.

[35:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “as the Lord’s angel pushes [them].”

[63:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “they will deliver him over to the sword.” The third masculine plural subject must be indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f) and the singular pronominal suffix either representative or distributive (emphasizing that each one will be so treated). Active verbs with indefinite subjects may be translated as passives with the object (in the Hebrew text) as subject (in the translation).

[63:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “they will be [the] portion of jackals”; traditionally, “of foxes.”

[92:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”

[109:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “may they [that is, the sins mentioned in v. 14] be before the Lord continually.”

[109:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “their memory.” The plural pronominal suffix probably refers back to the children mentioned in v. 13, and for clarity this has been specified in the translation.

[115:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”

[135:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”

[19:14]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”

[19:14]  ¹³ 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.

[45:16]  ¹² tn The pronoun is second masculine singular, indicating the king is being addressed from this point to the end of the psalm.

[45:16]  ¹³ tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive and the statement interpreted as a prayer, “May your sons carry on the dynasty of your ancestors!” The next line could then be taken as a relative clause, “[your sons] whom you will make princes throughout the land.”

[45:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “in place of your fathers will be your sons.”

[78:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “a generation that did not make firm its heart and whose spirit was not faithful with God.” The expression “make firm the heart” means “to be committed, devoted” (see 1 Sam 7:3).