Discovery BoxPsalms 90:1--106:48
ContextBook 4
(Psalms 90-106)
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90:1 O Lord, you have been our protector 2 through all generations!
90:2 Even before the mountains came into existence, 3
or you brought the world into being, 4
you were the eternal God. 5
90:3 You make mankind return 6 to the dust, 7
and say, “Return, O people!”
90:4 Yes, 8 in your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday that quickly passes,
or like one of the divisions of the nighttime. 9
90:5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.” 10
In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up;
90:6 in the morning it glistens 11 and sprouts up;
at evening time it withers 12 and dries up.
90:7 Yes, 13 we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.
90:8 You are aware of our sins; 14
you even know about our hidden sins. 15
90:9 Yes, 16 throughout all our days we experience your raging fury; 17
the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh. 18
90:10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, 19
or eighty, if one is especially strong. 20
But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. 21
Yes, 22 they pass quickly 23 and we fly away. 24
90:11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger? 25
Your raging fury causes people to fear you. 26
90:12 So teach us to consider our mortality, 27
so that we might live wisely. 28
90:13 Turn back toward us, O Lord!
How long must this suffering last? 29
Have pity on your servants! 30
90:14 Satisfy us in the morning 31 with your loyal love!
Then we will shout for joy and be happy 32 all our days!
90:15 Make us happy in proportion to the days you have afflicted us,
in proportion to the years we have experienced 33 trouble!
90:16 May your servants see your work! 34
May their sons see your majesty! 35
90:17 May our sovereign God extend his favor to us! 36
Make our endeavors successful!
Yes, make them successful! 37
91:1 As for you, the one who lives 39 in the shelter of the sovereign One, 40
and resides in the protective shadow 41 of the mighty king 42 –
91:2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold,
my God in whom I trust –
91:3 he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter 43
and from the destructive plague.
91:4 He will shelter you 44 with his wings; 45
you will find safety under his wings.
His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall. 46
91:5 You need not fear the terrors of the night, 47
the arrow that flies by day,
91:6 the plague that comes in the darkness,
or the disease that comes at noon. 48
91:7 Though a thousand may fall beside you,
and a multitude on your right side,
it 49 will not reach you.
91:8 Certainly you will see it with your very own eyes –
you will see the wicked paid back. 50
91:9 For you have taken refuge in the Lord,
my shelter, the sovereign One. 51
91:10 No harm will overtake 52 you;
no illness 53 will come near your home. 54
91:11 For he will order his angels 55
to protect you in all you do. 56
91:12 They will lift you up in their hands,
so you will not slip and fall on a stone. 57
91:13 You will subdue 58 a lion and a snake; 59
you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent.
“Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him;
I will protect him 61 because he is loyal to me. 62
91:15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him.
I will be with him when he is in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him honor.
91:16 I will satisfy him with long life, 63
and will let him see my salvation.
A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.
92:1 It is fitting 65 to thank the Lord,
and to sing praises to your name, O sovereign One! 66
92:2 It is fitting 67 to proclaim your loyal love in the morning,
and your faithfulness during the night,
92:3 to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre,
to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.
92:4 For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work.
I will sing for joy because of what you have done. 68
92:5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your plans are very intricate! 69
92:6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;
the fool does not understand this. 70
92:7 When the wicked sprout up like grass,
and all the evildoers glisten, 71
it is so that they may be annihilated. 72
92:8 But you, O Lord, reign 73 forever!
92:9 Indeed, 74 look at your enemies, O Lord!
Indeed, 75 look at how your enemies perish!
All the evildoers are scattered!
92:10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox. 76
I am covered 77 with fresh oil.
92:11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me; 78
I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me. 79
92:12 The godly 80 grow like a palm tree;
they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. 81
92:13 Planted in the Lord’s house,
they grow in the courts of our God.
92:14 They bear fruit even when they are old;
they are filled with vitality and have many leaves. 82
92:15 So they proclaim that the Lord, my protector,
is just and never unfair. 83
93:1 The Lord reigns!
He is robed in majesty,
the Lord is robed,
he wears strength around his waist. 85
Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.
93:2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times;
you have always been king. 86
93:3 The waves 87 roar, O Lord,
the waves roar,
the waves roar and crash. 88
93:4 Above the sound of the surging water, 89
and the mighty waves of the sea,
the Lord sits enthroned in majesty. 90
93:5 The rules you set down 91 are completely reliable. 92
Holiness 93 aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever. 94
94:1 O Lord, the God who avenges!
O God who avenges, reveal your splendor! 96
94:2 Rise up, O judge of the earth!
Pay back the proud!
94:3 O Lord, how long will the wicked,
how long will the wicked celebrate? 97
94:4 They spew out threats 98 and speak defiantly;
all the evildoers boast. 99
94:5 O Lord, they crush your people;
they oppress the nation that belongs to you. 100
94:6 They kill the widow and the one residing outside his native land,
and they murder the fatherless. 101
94:7 Then they say, “The Lord does not see this;
the God of Jacob does not take notice of it.” 102
94:8 Take notice of this, 103 you ignorant people! 104
You fools, when will you ever understand?
94:9 Does the one who makes the human ear not hear?
Does the one who forms the human eye not see? 105
94:10 Does the one who disciplines the nations not punish?
He is the one who imparts knowledge to human beings!
94:11 The Lord knows that
peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt. 106
94:12 How blessed is the one 107 whom you instruct, O Lord,
the one whom you teach from your law,
94:13 in order to protect him from times of trouble, 108
until the wicked are destroyed. 109
94:14 Certainly 110 the Lord does not forsake his people;
he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him. 111
94:15 For justice will prevail, 112
and all the morally upright 113 will be vindicated. 114
94:16 Who will rise up to defend me 115 against the wicked?
Who will stand up for me against the evildoers? 116
94:17 If the Lord had not helped me,
I would have laid down in the silence of death. 117
94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your loyal love, O Lord, supports me.
94:19 When worries threaten to overwhelm me, 118
your soothing touch makes me happy. 119
94:20 Cruel rulers 120 are not your allies,
those who make oppressive laws. 121
94:21 They conspire against 122 the blameless, 123
and condemn to death the innocent. 124
94:22 But the Lord will protect me, 125
and my God will shelter me. 126
94:23 He will pay them back for their sin. 127
He will destroy them because of 128 their evil;
the Lord our God will destroy them.
95:1 Come! Let’s sing for joy to the Lord!
Let’s shout out praises to our protector who delivers us! 130
95:2 Let’s enter his presence 131 with thanksgiving!
Let’s shout out to him in celebration! 132
95:3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great king who is superior to 133 all gods.
95:4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, 134
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
95:5 The sea is his, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
95:6 Come! Let’s bow down and worship! 135
Let’s kneel before the Lord, our creator!
95:7 For he is our God;
we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep he owns. 136
Today, if only you would obey him! 137
95:8 He says, 138 “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, 139
like they were that day at Massah 140 in the wilderness, 141
95:9 where your ancestors challenged my authority, 142
and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.
95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted 143 with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; 144
they do not obey my commands.’ 145
95:11 So I made a vow in my anger,
‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’” 146
96:1 Sing to the Lord a new song! 148
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
96:2 Sing to the Lord! Praise his name!
Announce every day how he delivers! 149
96:3 Tell the nations about his splendor!
Tell 150 all the nations about his amazing deeds!
96:4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;
he is more awesome than all gods. 151
96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, 152
but the Lord made the sky.
96:6 Majestic splendor emanates from him; 153
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful. 154
96:7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!
96:8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves! 155
Bring an offering and enter his courts!
96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire! 156
Tremble before him, all the earth!
96:10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
The world is established, it cannot be moved.
He judges the nations fairly.”
96:11 Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy!
Let the sea and everything in it shout!
96:12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!
Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy
96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!
For he comes to judge the earth!
He judges the world fairly, 157
and the nations in accordance with his justice. 158
97:1 The Lord reigns!
Let the earth be happy!
Let the many coastlands rejoice!
97:2 Dark clouds surround him;
equity and justice are the foundation of his throne. 160
97:3 Fire goes before him;
on every side 161 it burns up his enemies.
97:4 His lightning bolts light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
97:5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of the whole earth.
97:6 The sky declares his justice,
and all the nations see his splendor.
97:7 All who worship idols are ashamed,
those who boast about worthless idols.
All the gods bow down before him. 162
97:8 Zion hears and rejoices,
the towns 163 of Judah are happy,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
97:9 For you, O Lord, are the sovereign king 164 over the whole earth;
you are elevated high above all gods.
97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects 165 the lives of his faithful followers;
he delivers them from the power 166 of the wicked.
97:11 The godly bask in the light;
the morally upright experience joy. 167
97:12 You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord!
Give thanks to his holy name. 168
A psalm.
98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, 170
for he performs 171 amazing deeds!
His right hand and his mighty arm
accomplish deliverance. 172
98:2 The Lord demonstrates his power to deliver; 173
in the sight of the nations he reveals his justice.
98:3 He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel. 174
All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us. 175
98:4 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth!
Break out in a joyful shout and sing!
98:5 Sing to the Lord accompanied by a harp,
accompanied by a harp and the sound of music!
98:6 With trumpets and the blaring of the ram’s horn,
shout out praises before the king, the Lord!
98:7 Let the sea and everything in it shout,
along with the world and those who live in it!
98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands!
Let the mountains sing in unison
98:9 before the Lord!
For he comes to judge the earth!
He judges the world fairly, 176
and the nations in a just manner.
99:1 The Lord reigns!
The nations tremble. 178
He sits enthroned above the winged angels; 179
the earth shakes. 180
99:2 The Lord is elevated 181 in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
99:3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
He 182 is holy!
99:4 The king is strong;
he loves justice. 183
You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; 184
you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
99:5 Praise 185 the Lord our God!
Worship 186 before his footstool!
He is holy!
99:6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel was one of those who prayed to him. 187
They 188 prayed to the Lord and he answered them.
99:7 He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud; 189
they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.
99:8 O Lord our God, you answered them.
They found you to be a forgiving God,
but also one who punished their sinful deeds. 190
99:9 Praise 191 the Lord our God!
Worship on his holy hill,
for the Lord our God is holy!
A thanksgiving psalm.
100:1 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth!
100:2 Worship 193 the Lord with joy!
Enter his presence with joyful singing!
100:3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us and we belong to him; 194
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give him thanks!
Praise his name!
100:5 For the Lord is good.
His loyal love endures, 195
and he is faithful through all generations. 196
A psalm of David.
101:1 I will sing about loyalty and justice!
To you, O Lord, I will sing praises!
101:2 I will walk in 198 the way of integrity.
When will you come to me?
I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. 199
101:3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. 200
I hate doing evil; 201
I will have no part of it. 202
101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; 203
I will not permit 204 evil.
101:5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret.
I will not tolerate anyone who has a cocky demeanor and an arrogant attitude. 205
101:6 I will favor the honest people of the land, 206
and allow them to live with me. 207
Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me. 208
101:7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace. 209
Liars will not be welcome in my presence. 210
101:8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land,
and remove all evildoers from the city of the Lord.
The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.
102:1 O Lord, hear my prayer!
Pay attention to my cry for help! 212
102:2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble! 213
Listen to me! 214
When I call out to you, quickly answer me!
102:3 For my days go up in smoke, 215
and my bones are charred like a fireplace. 216
102:4 My heart is parched 217 and withered like grass,
for I am unable 218 to eat food. 219
102:5 Because of the anxiety that makes me groan,
my bones protrude from my skin. 220
102:6 I am like an owl 221 in the wilderness;
I am like a screech owl 222 among the ruins. 223
I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
102:8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who mock me use my name in their curses. 225
102:9 For I eat ashes as if they were bread, 226
and mix my drink with my tears, 227
102:10 because of your anger and raging fury.
Indeed, 228 you pick me up and throw me away.
102:11 My days are coming to an end, 229
and I am withered like grass.
102:12 But you, O Lord, rule forever, 230
and your reputation endures. 231
102:13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion. 232
For it is time to have mercy on her,
for the appointed time has come.
102:14 Indeed, 233 your servants take delight in her stones,
and feel compassion for 234 the dust of her ruins. 235
102:15 The nations will respect the reputation of the Lord, 236
and all the kings of the earth will respect 237 his splendor,
102:16 when the Lord rebuilds Zion,
and reveals his splendor,
102:17 when he responds to the prayer of the destitute, 238
and does not reject 239 their request. 240
102:18 The account of his intervention 241 will be recorded for future generations;
people yet to be born will praise the Lord.
102:19 For he will look down from his sanctuary above; 242
from heaven the Lord will look toward earth, 243
102:20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,
and to set free those condemned to die, 244
102:21 so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,
and praise him 245 in Jerusalem, 246
102:22 when the nations gather together,
and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord. 247
102:23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life; 248
he has cut short my days.
102:24 I say, “O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life! 249
You endure through all generations. 250
102:25 In earlier times you established the earth;
the skies are your handiwork.
102:26 They will perish,
but you will endure. 251
They will wear out like a garment;
like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear. 252
your years do not come to an end.
102:28 The children of your servants will settle down here,
and their descendants 254 will live securely in your presence.” 255
By David.
103:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
With all that is within me, praise 257 his holy name!
103:2 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Do not forget all his kind deeds! 258
103:3 He is the one who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases, 259
103:4 who delivers 260 your life from the Pit, 261
who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,
103:5 who satisfies your life with good things, 262
so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s. 263
103:6 The Lord does what is fair,
and executes justice for all the oppressed. 264
103:7 The Lord revealed his faithful acts 265 to Moses,
his deeds to the Israelites.
103:8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful;
he is patient 266 and demonstrates great loyal love. 267
103:9 He does not always accuse,
and does not stay angry. 268
103:10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve; 269
he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve. 270
103:11 For as the skies are high above the earth,
so his loyal love towers 271 over his faithful followers. 272
103:12 As far as the eastern horizon 273 is from the west, 274
so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions 275 from us.
103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, 276
so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers. 277
103:14 For he knows what we are made of; 278
he realizes 279 we are made of clay. 280
103:15 A person’s life is like grass. 281
Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
103:16 but when the hot wind 282 blows by, it disappears,
and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.
103:17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers, 283
and is faithful to their descendants, 284
103:18 to those who keep his covenant,
who are careful to obey his commands. 285
103:19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven;
his kingdom extends over everything. 286
103:20 Praise the Lord, you angels of his,
you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees
and obey his orders! 287
103:21 Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his, 288
you servants of his who carry out his desires! 289
103:22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made, 290
in all the regions 291 of his kingdom!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
104:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are magnificent. 293
You are robed in splendor and majesty.
104:2 He covers himself with light as if it were a garment.
He stretches out the skies like a tent curtain,
104:3 and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds. 294
He makes the clouds his chariot,
and travels along on the wings of the wind. 295
104:4 He makes the winds his messengers,
and the flaming fire his attendant. 296
104:5 He established the earth on its foundations;
it will never be upended.
104:6 The watery deep covered it 297 like a garment;
the waters reached 298 above the mountains. 299
104:7 Your shout made the waters retreat;
at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off –
104:8 as the mountains rose up,
and the valleys went down –
to the place you appointed for them. 300
104:9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,
so that they would not cover the earth again. 301
104:10 He turns springs into streams; 302
they flow between the mountains.
104:11 They provide water for all the animals in the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
104:12 The birds of the sky live beside them;
they chirp among the bushes. 303
104:13 He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace; 304
the earth is full of the fruit you cause to grow. 305
104:14 He provides grass 306 for the cattle,
and crops for people to cultivate, 307
so they can produce food from the ground, 308
104:15 as well as wine that makes people feel so good, 309
and so they can have oil to make their faces shine, 310
as well as food that sustains people’s lives. 311
104:16 The trees of the Lord 312 receive all the rain they need, 313
the cedars of Lebanon which he planted,
104:17 where the birds make nests,
near the evergreens in which the herons live. 314
104:18 The wild goats live in the high mountains; 315
the rock badgers find safety in the cliffs.
104:19 He made the moon to mark the months, 316
and the sun sets according to a regular schedule. 317
104:20 You make it dark and night comes, 318
during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.
104:21 The lions roar for prey,
seeking their food from God. 319
104:22 When the sun rises, they withdraw
and sleep 320 in their dens.
104:23 Men then go out to do their work,
and labor away until evening. 321
104:24 How many living things you have made, O Lord! 322
You have exhibited great skill in making all of them; 323
the earth is full of the living things you have made.
104:25 Over here is the deep, wide sea, 324
which teems with innumerable swimming creatures, 325
living things both small and large.
104:26 The ships travel there,
and over here swims the whale 326 you made to play in it.
104:27 All of your creatures 327 wait for you
to provide them with food on a regular basis. 328
104:28 You give food to them and they receive it;
you open your hand and they are filled with food. 329
104:29 When you ignore them, they panic. 330
When you take away their life’s breath, they die
and return to dust.
104:30 When you send your life-giving breath, they are created,
and you replenish the surface of the ground.
104:31 May the splendor of the Lord endure! 331
May the Lord find pleasure in the living things he has made! 332
104:32 He looks down on the earth and it shakes;
he touches the mountains and they start to smolder.
104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist! 333
104:34 May my thoughts 334 be pleasing to him!
I will rejoice in the Lord.
104:35 May sinners disappear 335 from the earth,
and the wicked vanish!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
105:1 Give thanks to the Lord!
Call on his name!
Make known his accomplishments among the nations!
105:2 Sing to him!
Make music to him!
Tell about all his miraculous deeds!
105:3 Boast about his holy name!
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
105:4 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!
Seek his presence continually!
105:5 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed,
his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed, 337
105:6 O children 338 of Abraham, 339 God’s 340 servant,
you descendants 341 of Jacob, God’s 342 chosen ones!
105:7 He is the Lord our God;
he carries out judgment throughout the earth. 343
105:8 He always remembers his covenantal decree,
the promise he made 344 to a thousand generations –
105:9 the promise 345 he made to Abraham,
the promise he made by oath to Isaac!
105:10 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as a lasting promise, 346
105:11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.”
105:12 When they were few in number,
just a very few, and resident aliens within it,
105:13 they wandered from nation to nation,
and from one kingdom to another. 347
105:14 He let no one oppress them;
he disciplined kings for their sake,
105:15 saying, 348 “Don’t touch my chosen 349 ones!
Don’t harm my prophets!”
105:16 He called down a famine upon the earth;
he cut off all the food supply. 350
105:17 He sent a man ahead of them 351 –
Joseph was sold as a servant.
105:18 The shackles hurt his feet; 352
his neck was placed in an iron collar, 353
105:19 until the time when his prediction 354 came true.
The Lord’s word 355 proved him right. 356
105:20 The king authorized his release; 357
the ruler of nations set him free.
105:21 He put him in charge of his palace, 358
and made him manager of all his property,
105:22 giving him authority to imprison his officials 359
and to teach his advisers. 360
105:23 Israel moved to 361 Egypt;
Jacob lived for a time 362 in the land of Ham.
105:24 The Lord 363 made his people very fruitful,
and made them 364 more numerous than their 365 enemies.
105:25 He caused them 366 to hate his people,
and to mistreat 367 his servants.
105:26 He sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, 368
and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.
they did not disobey his orders. 370
105:29 He turned their water into blood,
and killed their fish.
105:30 Their land was overrun by frogs,
which even got into the rooms of their kings.
105:31 He ordered flies to come; 371
gnats invaded their whole territory.
105:32 He sent hail along with the rain; 372
there was lightning in their land. 373
105:33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees,
and broke the trees throughout their territory.
105:34 He ordered locusts to come, 374
innumerable grasshoppers.
105:35 They ate all the vegetation in their land,
and devoured the crops of their fields. 375
105:36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of their reproductive power. 376
105:37 He brought his people 377 out enriched 378 with silver and gold;
none of his tribes stumbled.
105:38 Egypt was happy when they left,
for they were afraid of them. 379
105:39 He spread out a cloud for a cover, 380
and provided a fire to light up the night.
105:40 They asked for food, 381 and he sent quails;
he satisfied them with food from the sky. 382
105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;
a river ran through dry regions.
105:42 Yes, 383 he remembered the sacred promise 384
he made to Abraham his servant.
105:43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced;
his chosen ones shouted with joy. 385
105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,
and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, 386
105:45 so that they might keep his commands
and obey 387 his laws.
Praise the Lord!
106:1 Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures! 389
106:2 Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts,
or relate all his praiseworthy deeds? 390
106:3 How blessed are those who promote justice,
and do what is right all the time!
106:4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people!
Pay attention to me, when you deliver,
106:5 so I may see the prosperity 391 of your chosen ones,
rejoice along with your nation, 392
and boast along with the people who belong to you. 393
106:6 We have sinned like 394 our ancestors; 395
we have done wrong, we have done evil.
106:7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds,
they failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,
and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea. 396
106:8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation, 397
that he might reveal his power.
106:9 He shouted at 398 the Red Sea and it dried up;
he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.
106:10 He delivered them from the power 399 of the one who hated them,
and rescued 400 them from the power 401 of the enemy.
106:11 The water covered their enemies;
not even one of them survived. 402
106:12 They believed his promises; 403
they sang praises to him.
106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; 404
they did not wait for his instructions. 405
106:14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving 406 for meat; 407
they challenged God 408 in the desert.
106:15 He granted their request,
then struck them with a disease. 409
106:16 In the camp they resented 410 Moses,
and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. 411
106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it engulfed 412 the group led by Abiram. 413
106:18 Fire burned their group;
the flames scorched the wicked. 414
106:19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,
and worshiped a metal idol.
106:20 They traded their majestic God 415
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
106:21 They rejected 416 the God who delivered them,
the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,
106:22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,
mighty 417 acts by the Red Sea.
106:23 He threatened 418 to destroy them,
but 419 Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him 420
and turned back his destructive anger. 421
106:24 They rejected the fruitful land; 422
they did not believe his promise. 423
106:25 They grumbled in their tents; 424
they did not obey 425 the Lord.
106:26 So he made a solemn vow 426
that he would make them die 427 in the desert,
106:27 make their descendants 428 die 429 among the nations,
and scatter them among foreign lands. 430
106:28 They worshiped 431 Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. 432
106:29 They made the Lord angry 433 by their actions,
and a plague broke out among them.
106:30 Phinehas took a stand and intervened, 434
and the plague subsided.
106:31 This brought him a reward,
an eternal gift. 435
106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered 436 because of them,
106:33 for they aroused 437 his temper, 438
and he spoke rashly. 439
106:34 They did not destroy the nations, 440
as the Lord had commanded them to do.
106:35 They mixed in with the nations
and learned their ways. 441
106:36 They worshiped 442 their idols,
which became a snare to them. 443
106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. 444
106:38 They shed innocent blood –
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.
The land was polluted by bloodshed. 445
106:39 They were defiled by their deeds,
and unfaithful in their actions. 446
106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people 447
and despised the people who belong to him. 448
106:41 He handed them over to 449 the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
106:42 Their enemies oppressed them;
they were subject to their authority. 450
106:43 Many times he delivered 451 them,
but they had a rebellious attitude, 452
and degraded themselves 453 by their sin.
106:44 Yet he took notice of their distress,
when he heard their cry for help.
106:45 He remembered his covenant with them,
and relented 454 because of his great loyal love.
106:46 He caused all their conquerors 455
to have pity on them.
106:47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God!
Gather us from among the nations!
Then we will give thanks 456 to your holy name,
and boast about your praiseworthy deeds. 457
106:48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise, 458
in the future and forevermore. 459
Let all the people say, “We agree! 460 Praise the Lord!” 461
[90:1] 1 sn Psalm 90. In this communal lament the worship leader affirms that the eternal God and creator of the world has always been Israel’s protector. But God also causes men, who are as transient as grass, to die, and in his fierce anger he decimates his covenant community, whose brief lives are filled with suffering and end in weakness. The community asks for wisdom, the restoration of God’s favor, a fresh revelation of his power, and his blessing upon their labors.
[90:1] 2 tn Or “place of safety.” See Ps 71:3.
[90:2] 4 tn Heb “and you gave birth to the earth and world.” The Polel verbal form in the Hebrew text pictures God giving birth to the world. The LXX and some other ancient textual witnesses assume a polal (passive) verbal form here. In this case the earth becomes the subject of the verb and the verb is understood as third feminine singular rather than second masculine singular.
[90:2] 5 tn Heb “and from everlasting to everlasting you [are] God.” Instead of אֵל (’el, “God”) the LXX reads אַל (’al, “not”) and joins the negative particle to the following verse, making the verb תָּשֵׁב (tashev) a jussive. In this case v. 3a reads as a prayer, “do not turn man back to a low place.” However, taking תָּשֵׁב as a jussive is problematic in light of the following following wayyiqtol form וַתֹּאמֶר (vato’mer, “and you said/say”).
[90:3] 6 tn In this context the shortened prefix form does not function as a preterite, but indicates what is typical of the world.
[90:3] 7 tn The Hebrew term דַּכָּא (daka’) carries the basic sense of “crushed.” Elsewhere it refers to those who are “crushed” in spirit or contrite of heart (see Ps 34:18; Isa 57:15). If one understands this nuance here, then v. 3 is observing that God leads mankind to repentance (the term שׁוּב, shuv, “return,” which appears twice in this verse, is sometimes used of repentance.) However, the following context laments mankind’s mortality and the brevity of life, so it is doubtful if v. 3 should be understood so positively. It is more likely that דַּכָּא here refers to “crushed matter,” that is, the dust that fills the grave (see HALOT 221 s.v. s.v. I דַּכָּא; BDB 194 s.v. דַּכָּא). In this case one may hear an echo of Gen 3:19.
[90:4] 9 sn The divisions of the nighttime. The ancient Israelites divided the night into distinct periods, or “watches.”
[90:5] 10 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).
[90:6] 11 tn Or “flourishes.” The verb is used of a crown shining in Ps 132:18. Perhaps here in Ps 90:6 it refers to the glistening of the grass in the morning dew.
[90:6] 12 tn The Polel form of this verb occurs only here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a Qal (which necessitates eliminating the final lamed [ל] as dittographic). See Ps 37:2.
[90:8] 14 tn Heb “you set our sins in front of you.”
[90:8] 15 tn Heb “what we have hidden to the light of your face.” God’s face is compared to a light or lamp that exposes the darkness around it.
[90:9] 17 tn Heb “all our days pass by in your anger.”
[90:9] 18 tn Heb “we finish our years like a sigh.” In Ezek 2:10 the word הֶגֶה (hegeh) elsewhere refers to a grumbling or moaning sound. Here a brief sigh or moan is probably in view. If so, the simile pictures one’s lifetime as transient. Another option is that the simile alludes to the weakness that characteristically overtakes a person at the end of one’s lifetime. In this case the phrase could be translated, “we end our lives with a painful moan.”
[90:10] 19 tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”
[90:10] 20 tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”
[90:10] 21 tn Heb “and their pride [is] destruction and wickedness.” The Hebrew noun רֹהַב (rohav) occurs only here. BDB 923 s.v. assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root רהב (“to act stormily [boisterously, arrogantly]”). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).
[90:10] 23 tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb גּוּז (guz) means “to pass” here; it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.
[90:10] 24 sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).
[90:11] 25 tn Heb “Who knows the strength of your anger?”
[90:11] 26 tn Heb “and like your fear [is] your raging fury.” Perhaps one should emend וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ (ukhyir’otekh, “and like your fear”) to יִרְאָתְךְ (yir’otkh, “your fear”), understanding a virtual dittography (אַפֶּךָ וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ, ’apekha ukhyir’otekh) to have occurred. In this case the psalmist asserts “your fear [is] your raging fury,” that is, your raging fury is what causes others to fear you. The suffix on “fear” is understood as objective.
[90:12] 27 tn Heb “to number our days,” that is, to be aware of how few they really are.
[90:12] 28 tn Heb “and we will bring a heart of wisdom.” After the imperative of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates purpose/result. The Hebrew term “heart” here refers to the center of one’s thoughts, volition, and moral character.
[90:13] 29 tn Heb “Return, O
[90:13] 30 tn Elsewhere the Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) + the preposition עַל (’al) + a personal object has the nuance “be comforted concerning [the personal object’s death]” (see 2 Sam 13:39; Jer 31:15). However, here the context seems to demand “feel sorrow for,” “have pity on.” In Deut 32:36 and Ps 135:14, where “servants” is also the object of the preposition, this idea is expressed with the Hitpael form of the verb.
[90:14] 31 sn Morning is used metaphorically for a time of renewed joy after affliction (see Pss 30:5; 46:5; 49:14; 59:16; 143:8).
[90:14] 32 tn After the imperative (see the preceding line) the cohortatives with the prefixed conjunction indicate purpose/result.
[90:15] 33 tn Heb “have seen.”
[90:16] 34 tn Heb “may your work be revealed to your servants.” In this context (note v. 17) the verb form יֵרָאֶה (yera’eh) is best understood as an unshortened jussive (see Gen 1:9; Isa 47:3).
[90:16] 35 tn Heb “and your majesty to their sons.” The verb “be revealed” is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
[90:17] 36 tn Heb “and may the delight of the Master, our God, be on us.” The Hebrew term נֹעַם (no’am, “delight”) is used in Ps 27:4 of the
[90:17] 37 tn Heb “and the work of our hands establish over us, and the work of our hands, establish it.”
[91:1] 38 sn Psalm 91. In this psalm an individual (perhaps a priest) addresses one who has sought shelter in the Lord and assures him that God will protect him from danger (vv. 1-13). In vv. 14-16 God himself promises to keep his loyal follower safe.
[91:1] 39 tn Heb “[O] one who lives.”
[91:1] 40 tn Traditionally “the Most High.”
[91:1] 41 sn The Lord is compared here to a bird who protects its young under the shadow of its wings (see v. 4).
[91:1] 42 sn The divine name used here is “Shaddai” (שַׁדַּי, shadday; see also Ps 68:14). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the mighty king (sovereign judge) of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness.
[91:3] 43 tn The word refers specifically to a fowler (or hunter of birds).
[91:4] 44 tn Heb “put a cover over you” (see Ps 5:11).
[91:4] 45 tc The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural should be read. The final yod (י) of the suffix, which indicates the plural, has dropped off by haplography (note the yod [י] at the beginning of the next word).
[91:4] 46 tn Traditionally the Hebrew term סֹחֵרָה (sokherah), which occurs only here in the OT, has been understood to refer to a buckler or small shield (see BDB 695 s.v.). But HALOT 750 s.v., on the basis of evidence from the cognate languages, proposes the meaning “wall.”
[91:5] 47 tn This probably alludes to a sneak attack by enemies in the darkness of night (see Song 3:8).
[91:6] 48 sn As in Deut 32:23-24, vv. 5-6 closely associate military attack and deadly disease. Perhaps the latter alludes to one of the effects of siege warfare on the population of an entrapped city, which was especially vulnerable to the outbreak of epidemics.
[91:7] 49 tn Apparently the deadly disease mentioned in v. 6b is the understood subject here.
[91:8] 50 tn Heb “retribution on the wicked.”
[91:9] 51 tn Heb “for you, the
[91:10] 53 tn For this sense of the Hebrew term נגע see Ps 38:11.
[91:10] 54 tn Heb “your tent.”
[91:11] 55 tn Heb “for his angels he will command concerning you.”
[91:11] 56 tn Heb “in all your ways.”
[91:12] 57 tn Heb “so your foot will not strike a stone.”
[91:13] 58 tn Heb “walk upon.”
[91:13] 59 tn Or perhaps “cobra” (see Ps 58:4).
[91:14] 60 tn The words “the
[91:14] 61 tn Or “make him secure” (Heb “set him on high”).
[91:14] 62 tn Heb “because he knows my name” (see Ps 9:10).
[91:16] 63 tn Heb “length of days.”
[92:1] 64 sn Psalm 92. The psalmist praises God because he defeats the wicked and vindicates his loyal followers.
[92:1] 66 tn Traditionally “O Most High.”
[92:2] 67 tn The words “it is fitting” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Verses 1-3 are actually one long sentence in the Hebrew text, but this has been divided up into two shorter sentences in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.
[92:4] 68 tn Heb “the works of your hands.”
[92:5] 69 tn Heb “very deep [are] your thoughts.” God’s “thoughts” refer here to his moral design of the world, as outlined in vv. 6-15.
[92:6] 70 tn Heb “the brutish man does not know, and the fool does not understand this.” The adjective בַּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish”) refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 49:10; 73:22; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).
[92:7] 72 tn Heb “in order that they might be destroyed permanently.”
[92:8] 73 tn Heb “[are elevated] on high.”
[92:10] 76 sn The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “to exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; Lam 2:17).
[92:10] 77 tn The Hebrew verb בָּלַל (balal) usually has the nuance “to mix.” Here it seems to mean “to smear” or “to anoint.” Some emend the form to בַּלֹּתַנִי (ballotaniy; a second person form of the verb with a first person suffix) and read, “you anoint me.”
[92:11] 78 tn Heb “my eye gazes upon those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2. The form שׁוּרָי (shuray) should be emended to שׁוֹרְרָי (shorÿray).
[92:11] 79 tn Heb “those who rise up against me, evil [foes], my ears hear.”
[92:12] 80 tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.
[92:12] 81 sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.
[92:14] 82 tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”
[92:15] 83 tn Heb “so that [they] proclaim that upright [is] the
[93:1] 84 sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the
[93:1] 85 sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.
[93:2] 86 tn Heb “from antiquity [are] you.” As the context suggests, this refers specifically to God’s royal position, not his personal existence.
[93:3] 87 tn The Hebrew noun translated “waves” often refers to rivers or streams, but here it appears to refer to the surging waves of the sea (see v. 4, Ps 24:2).
[93:3] 88 tn Heb “the waves lift up, O
[93:4] 89 tn Heb “mighty waters.”
[93:4] 90 tn Heb “mighty on high [is] the
[93:5] 91 tn Traditionally “your testimonies.” The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law. See Ps 19:7.
[93:5] 92 sn The rules you set down. God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
[93:5] 93 sn Holiness refers here to God’s royal transcendence (see vv. 1-4), as well as his moral authority and perfection (see v. 5a).
[93:5] 94 tn Heb “for your house holiness is fitting, O
[94:1] 95 sn Psalm 94. The psalmist asks God to judge the wicked and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
[94:1] 96 tn Heb “shine forth” (see Pss 50:2; 80:1).
[94:4] 98 tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”
[94:4] 99 tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (’amar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).
[94:5] 100 tn Or “your inheritance.”
[94:6] 101 tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 82:3; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
[94:7] 102 tn Heb “does not understand.”
[94:8] 103 tn Heb “understand.” The verb used in v. 7 is repeated here for rhetorical effect. The people referred to here claim God is ignorant of their actions, but the psalmist corrects their faulty viewpoint.
[94:8] 104 tn Heb “[you] brutish among the people.”
[94:9] 105 tn Heb “The one who plants an ear, does he not hear? The one who forms an eye, does he not see?”
[94:11] 106 tn Heb “the
[94:12] 107 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in v. 2.
[94:13] 108 tn Heb “to give him rest from the days of trouble.”
[94:13] 109 tn Heb “until a pit is dug for the wicked.”
[94:14] 111 tn Or “his inheritance.”
[94:15] 112 tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.”
[94:15] 113 tn Heb “all the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the
[94:15] 114 tn Heb “and after it [are] the pure of heart.”
[94:16] 116 sn Who will stand up for me…? The questions anticipate the answer, “No one except God” (see v. 17).
[94:17] 117 tn Heb “If the
[94:19] 118 tn Heb “when my worries are many within me.”
[94:19] 119 tn Heb “your comforts cause my soul to delight.”
[94:20] 120 tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.
[94:20] 121 tn Heb “Is a throne of destruction united to you, one that forms trouble upon a statute?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course not!” The translation, while not preserving the interrogative form of the statement, reflects its rhetorical force.
[94:21] 123 tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”
[94:21] 124 tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”
[94:22] 125 tn Heb “and the
[94:22] 126 tn Heb “and my God [has become] a rocky summit of my safety.”
[94:23] 127 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
[95:1] 129 sn Psalm 95. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God as the creator of the world and the nation’s protector, but he also reminds the people not to rebel against God.
[95:1] 130 tn Heb “to the rocky summit of our deliverance.”
[95:2] 131 tn Heb “meet his face.”
[95:2] 132 tn Heb “with songs of joy.”
[95:4] 134 tn The phrase “in his hand” means within the sphere of his authority.
[95:6] 135 tn Heb “kneel down.”
[95:7] 136 tn Heb “of his hand.”
[95:7] 137 tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.
[95:8] 138 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).
[95:8] 139 sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.
[95:8] 140 sn The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).
[95:8] 141 tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”
[95:9] 142 tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”
[95:10] 143 tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite or an imperfect. If the latter, it emphasizes the ongoing nature of the condition in the past. The translation reflects this interpretation of the verbal form.
[95:10] 144 tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”
[95:10] 145 tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the
[95:11] 146 tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are compared to sheep (see v. 7).
[96:1] 147 sn Psalm 96. The psalmist summons everyone to praise the Lord, the sovereign creator of the world who preserves and promotes justice in the earth.
[96:1] 148 sn A new song is appropriate because the
[96:2] 149 tn Heb “announce from day to day his deliverance.”
[96:3] 150 tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[96:4] 151 tn Or perhaps “and feared by all gods.” See Ps 89:7.
[96:5] 152 tn The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement.
[96:6] 153 tn Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”
[96:6] 154 tn Heb “strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary.”
[96:8] 155 tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., “due”] his name.”
[96:9] 156 tn Or “in holy splendor.”
[96:13] 157 tn The verbal forms in v. 13 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions, in which case they could be translated “will judge the world.”
[96:13] 158 tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”
[97:1] 159 sn Psalm 97. The psalmist depicts the Lord as the sovereign, just king of the world who comes in power to vindicate his people.
[97:2] 160 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
[97:3] 161 tn Heb “all around.”
[97:7] 162 tn The translation assumes that the prefixed verbal form in the first line is an imperfect (“are ashamed”) and that the ambiguous form in the third line is a perfect (“bow down”) because the psalmist appears to be describing the effect of the
[97:8] 163 tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).
[97:9] 164 tn Traditionally “Most High.”
[97:10] 165 tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the
[97:11] 167 tn Heb “Light is planted for the godly, and for the upright of heart joy.” The translation assumes an emendation of זָרַע (zara’, “planted”) to זָרַח (zara’, “shines”) which collocates more naturally with “light.” “Light” here symbolizes the joy (note the following line) that accompanies deliverance and the outpouring of divine favor.
[97:12] 168 tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זָכַר (zakhar, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the
[98:1] 169 sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.
[98:1] 170 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.
[98:1] 171 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.
[98:1] 172 tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.
[98:2] 173 tn Heb “makes known his deliverance.”
[98:3] 174 tn Heb “he remembers his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.”
[98:3] 175 tn Heb “the deliverance of our God,” with “God” being a subjective genitive (= God delivers).
[98:9] 176 tn The verbal forms in v. 9 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).
[99:1] 177 sn Psalm 99. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s just rule and recalls how he revealed himself to Israel’s leaders.
[99:1] 178 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 1 are understood here as indicating the nations’ characteristic response to the reality of the
[99:1] 179 sn Winged angels (Heb “cherubs”). Cherubs, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubs suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubs in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.
[99:1] 180 tn The Hebrew verb נוּט (nut) occurs only here in the OT, but the meaning can be determined on the basis of the parallelism with רָגַז (ragaz, “tremble”) and evidence from the cognate languages (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 121).
[99:3] 182 tn The pronoun refers to the
[99:4] 183 tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the
[99:4] 184 tn Heb “you establish fairness.”
[99:6] 187 tn Heb “among those who called on his name.”
[99:6] 188 tn Heb “those who.” The participle is in apposition to the phrase “those who called on his name” in the preceding line.
[99:7] 189 sn A pillar of cloud. The psalmist refers to the reality described in Exod 33:9-10; Num 12:5; and Deut 31:15.
[99:8] 190 tn Heb “a God of lifting up [i.e., forgiveness] you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The present translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned (cf. NIV, NRSV). Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form נֹקֵם (noqem, “an avenger”) to נֹקָם (noqam), a rare Qal participial form of נָקַה (naqah, “purify”) with a suffixed pronoun. In this case one could translate, “and one who purified them from their [sinful] deeds” (cf. NEB “and held them innocent”).
[100:1] 192 sn Psalm 100. The psalmist celebrates the fact that Israel has a special relationship to God and summons worshipers to praise the Lord for his faithfulness.
[100:3] 194 tn The present translation (like most modern translations) follows the Qere (marginal reading), which reads literally, “and to him [are] we.” The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and not we.” The suffixed preposition לו (“to him”) was confused aurally with the negative particle לא because the two sound identical.
[100:5] 195 tn Or “is forever.”
[100:5] 196 tn Heb “and to a generation and a generation [is] his faithfulness.”
[101:1] 197 sn Psalm 101. The psalmist, who appears to be a king, promises to promote justice in his land and vows to rid his royal court of evildoers.
[101:2] 198 tn Heb “take notice of.”
[101:2] 199 tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”
[101:3] 200 tn Heb “I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness.”
[101:3] 201 tn Heb “the doing of swerving [deeds] I hate.” The Hebrew term סֵטִים (setim) is probably an alternate spelling of שֵׂטִים (setim), which appears in many medieval Hebrew
[101:3] 202 tn Heb “it [i.e., the doing of evil deeds] does not cling to me.”
[101:4] 203 tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse (see Ps 18:26). It appears frequently in the Book of Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6).
[101:4] 204 tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.
[101:5] 205 tn Heb “[one who has] pride of eyes and wideness [i.e., arrogance] of heart, him I will not endure.”
[101:6] 206 tn Heb “my eyes [are] on the faithful of the land.”
[101:6] 207 tn The Hebrew text simply reads, “in order to live with me.”
[101:6] 208 tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”
[101:7] 209 tn Heb “he will not live in the midst of my house, one who does deceit.”
[101:7] 210 tn Heb “one who speaks lies will not be established before my eyes.”
[102:1] 211 sn Psalm 102. The psalmist laments his oppressed state, but longs for a day when the Lord will restore Jerusalem and vindicate his suffering people.
[102:1] 212 tn Heb “and may my cry for help come to you.”
[102:2] 213 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble.” The idiom “to hide the face” can mean “to ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “to reject” (see Pss 29:7; 30:7; 88:14).
[102:2] 214 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
[102:3] 215 tn Heb “for my days come to an end in smoke.”
[102:3] 216 tn The Hebrew noun מוֹ־קֵד (mo-qed, “fireplace”) occurs only here, in Isa 33:14 (where it refers to the fire itself), and perhaps in Lev 6:2.
[102:4] 217 tn Heb “struck, attacked.”
[102:4] 218 tn Heb “I forget.”
[102:4] 219 sn I am unable to eat food. During his time of mourning, the psalmist refrained from eating. In the following verse he describes metaphorically the physical effects of fasting.
[102:5] 220 tn Heb “from the sound of my groaning my bone[s] stick to my flesh.” The preposition at the beginning of the verse is causal; the phrase “sound of my groaning” is metonymic for the anxiety that causes the groaning. The point seems to be this: Anxiety (which causes the psalmist to groan) keeps him from eating (v. 4). This physical deprivation in turn makes him emaciated – he is turned to “skin and bones,” so to speak.
[102:6] 221 tn The Hebrew term קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). Modern translations have frequently rendered this as some type of owl (NIV, REB “desert owl”; NRSV “owl”).
[102:6] 222 tn The Hebrew term כוֹס (khos) refers to a bird (see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16), probably a type of owl (cf. NIV, REB “owl”; NRSV “little owl”).
[102:6] 223 sn By comparing himself to a screech owl among the ruins, the psalmist may be highlighting his loneliness (see v. 7), though he may also be comparing his cries for help to the owl’s screech.
[102:7] 224 tn This probably refers to the psalmist’s inability to sleep. Another option is to translate, “I keep watch,” in which case it might refer to watching for a response from the
[102:8] 225 tn Heb “by me they swear.” When the psalmist’s enemies call judgment down on others, they hold the psalmist up as a prime example of what they desire their enemies to become.
[102:9] 226 sn Mourners would sometimes put ashes on their head or roll in ashes as a sign of mourning (see 2 Sam 13:19; Job 2:8; Isa 58:5).
[102:11] 229 tn Heb “my days [are] like an extended [or “lengthening”] shadow,” that is, like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness.
[102:12] 230 tn Heb “sit” (i.e., sit enthroned, see Ps 9:7). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.
[102:12] 231 tn Heb “and your remembrance [is] for a generation and a generation.”
[102:13] 232 tn The imperfect verbal forms are understood as expressing the psalmist’s confidence in God’s intervention. Another option is to take them as expressing the psalmist’s request or wish, “You, rise up and have compassion!”
[102:14] 234 tn The Poel of חָנַן (khanan) occurs only here and in Prov 14:21, where it refers to having compassion on the poor.
[102:14] 235 tn Heb “her dust,” probably referring to the dust of the city’s rubble.
[102:15] 236 tn Heb “will fear the name of the
[102:15] 237 tn The verb “will fear” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).
[102:17] 238 tn The Hebrew adjective עַרְעָר (’arar, “destitute”) occurs only here in the OT. It is derived from the verbal root ערר (“to strip oneself”).
[102:17] 239 tn Heb “despise.”
[102:17] 240 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 16-17 are functioning as future perfects, indicating future actions that will precede the future developments described in v. 15.
[102:18] 241 tn The Hebrew text has simply “this,” referring to the anticipated divine intervention on behalf of Zion (vv. 13, 16-17). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[102:19] 242 tn Heb “from the height of his sanctuary.”
[102:19] 243 tn The perfect verbal forms in v. 19 are functioning as future perfects, indicating future actions that will precede the future developments described in v. 18.
[102:20] 244 tn Heb “the sons of death.” The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 79:11) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.
[102:21] 245 tn Heb “his praise.”
[102:21] 246 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[102:22] 247 tn “and the kingdoms to serve the
[102:23] 248 tn Heb “he has afflicted my strength in the way.” The term “way” refers here to the course of the psalmist’s life, which appears to be ending prematurely (vv. 23b-24).
[102:24] 249 tn Heb “do not lift me up in the middle of my days.”
[102:24] 250 tn Heb “in a generation of generations [are] your years.”
[102:26] 252 tn The Hebrew verb חָלַף (khalaf) occurs twice in this line, once in the Hiphil (“you will remove them”) and once in the Qal (“they will disappear”). The repetition draws attention to the statement.
[102:27] 253 tn Heb “you [are] he,” or “you [are] the one.” The statement may echo the
[102:28] 254 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[102:28] 255 tn Heb “before you will be established.”
[103:1] 256 sn Psalm 103. The psalmist praises God for his mercy and willingness to forgive his people.
[103:1] 257 tn The verb “praise” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).
[103:2] 258 tn Or “his benefits” (see 2 Chr 32:25, where the noun is also used of kind deeds performed by the
[103:3] 259 tn This relatively rare noun refers to deadly diseases (see Deut 29:22; Jer 14:18; 16:4; 2 Chr 21:19).
[103:4] 261 tn The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 55:24.
[103:5] 262 tc Heb “who satisfies with the good of your ornaments.” The text as it stands makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes an emendation of עֶדְיֵךְ (’ed’ekh, “your ornaments”) to עֹדֵכִי (’odekhiy, “your duration; your continuance”) that is, “your life” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 18).
[103:5] 263 sn The expression your youth is renewed like an eagle’s may allude to the phenomenon of molting, whereby the eagle grows new feathers.
[103:6] 264 tn Heb “the
[103:7] 265 tn Heb “made known his ways.” God’s “ways” in this context are his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 18:30; 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 138:5; 145:17).
[103:8] 266 tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Ps 86:15).
[103:8] 267 tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Ps 86:15).
[103:9] 268 tn The Hebrew verb נָטַר (natar) is usually taken to mean “to keep; to guard,” with “anger” being understood by ellipsis. The idiom “to guard anger” is then understood to mean “to remain angry” (see Lev 19:18; Jer 3:5, 12; Nah 1:2). However, it is possible that this is a homonymic root meaning “to be angry” (see HALOT 695 s.v. נטר).
[103:10] 269 tn Heb “not according to our sins does he do to us.”
[103:10] 270 tn Heb “and not according to our misdeeds does he repay us.”
[103:11] 271 tn For this sense of the verb גָבַר (gavar), see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19.
[103:11] 272 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[103:12] 273 tn Heb “sunrise.”
[103:12] 275 tn The Hebrew term פֶּשַׁע (pesha’, rebellious act”) is here used metonymically for the guilt such actions produce.
[103:13] 276 tn Or “sons,” but the Hebrew term sometimes refers to children in general.
[103:13] 277 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
[103:14] 278 tn Heb “our form.”
[103:14] 279 tn Heb “remembers.”
[103:14] 280 tn Heb “we [are] clay.”
[103:15] 281 tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.
[103:16] 282 tn Heb “[the] wind.” The word “hot” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[103:17] 283 tn Heb “but the loyal love of the
[103:17] 284 tn Heb “and his righteousness to sons of sons.”
[103:18] 285 tn Heb “to those who remember his precepts to do them.”
[103:19] 286 tn Heb “his kingdom rules over all.”
[103:20] 287 tn Heb “[you] mighty ones of strength, doers of his word, by listening to the voice of his word.”
[103:21] 288 tn Heb “all his hosts.”
[103:21] 289 tn Heb “his attendants, doers of his desire.”
[103:22] 290 tn Heb “all his works,” which includes mankind.
[104:1] 292 sn Psalm 104. The psalmist praises God as the ruler of the world who sustains all life.
[104:1] 293 tn Heb “very great.”
[104:3] 294 tn Heb “one who lays the beams on water [in] his upper rooms.” The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 44-45.
[104:3] 295 sn Verse 3 may depict the Lord riding a cherub, which is in turn propelled by the wind current. Another option is that the wind is personified as a cherub. See Ps 18:10 and the discussion of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the imagery in M. Weinfeld, “‘Rider of the Clouds’ and ‘Gatherer of the Clouds’,” JANESCU 5 (1973): 422-24.
[104:4] 296 tc Heb “and his attendants a flaming fire.” The lack of agreement between the singular “fire” and plural “attendants” has prompted various emendations. Some read “fire and flame.” The present translation assumes an emendation to “his attendant” (יו in the Hebrew text being virtually dittographic).
[104:6] 297 tc Heb “you covered it.” The masculine suffix is problematic if the grammatically feminine noun “earth” is the antecedent. For this reason some emend the form to a feminine verb with feminine suffix, כִּסַּתָּה (kisattah, “[the watery deep] covered it [i.e., the earth]”), a reading assumed by the present translation.
[104:6] 299 sn Verse 6 refers to the condition described in Gen 1:2 (note the use of the Hebrew term תְּהוֹם [tÿhom, “watery deep”] in both texts).
[104:8] 300 tn Heb “from your shout they fled, from the sound of your thunder they hurried off.”
[104:9] 301 tn Heb “a boundary you set up, they will not cross, they will not return to cover the earth.”
[104:10] 302 tn Heb “[the] one who sends springs into streams.” Another option is to translate, “he sends streams [i.e., streams that originate from springs] into the valleys” (cf. NIV).
[104:12] 303 tn Heb “among the thick foliage they give a sound.”
[104:13] 304 tn Heb “from his upper rooms.”
[104:13] 305 tn Heb “from the fruit of your works the earth is full.” The translation assumes that “fruit” is literal here. If “fruit” is understood more abstractly as “product; result,” then one could translate, “the earth flourishes as a result of your deeds” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB).
[104:14] 306 tn Heb “causes the grass to sprout up.”
[104:14] 307 tn Heb “for the service of man” (see Gen 2:5).
[104:14] 308 tn Heb “to cause food to come out from the earth.”
[104:15] 309 tn Heb “and wine [that] makes the heart of man happy.”
[104:15] 310 tn Heb “to make [the] face shine from oil.” The Hebrew verb צָהַל (tsahal, “to shine”) occurs only here in the OT. It appears to be an alternate form of צָהַר (tsahar), a derivative from צָהָרִים (tsaharim, “noon”).
[104:15] 311 tn Heb “and food [that] sustains the heart of man.”
[104:16] 312 sn The trees of the
[104:16] 313 tn Heb “are satisfied,” which means here that they receive abundant rain (see v. 13).
[104:17] 314 tn Heb “[the] heron [in the] evergreens [is] its home.”
[104:18] 315 tn Heb “the high mountains [are] for the goats.”
[104:19] 316 tn Heb “he made [the] moon for appointed times.” The phrase “appointed times” probably refers to the months of the Hebrew lunar calendar.
[104:19] 317 tn Heb more metaphorically, “knows its setting.”
[104:20] 318 tn Heb “you make darkness, so that it might be night.”
[104:21] 319 sn The lions’ roaring is viewed as a request for food from God.
[104:22] 320 tn Heb “lie down.”
[104:23] 321 tn Heb “man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening.”
[104:24] 322 tn Heb “How many [are] your works, O
[104:24] 323 tn Heb “all of them with wisdom you have made.”
[104:25] 324 tn Heb “this [is] the sea, great and broad of hands [i.e., “sides” or “shores”].”
[104:25] 325 tn Heb “where [there are] swimming things, and without number.”
[104:26] 326 tn Heb “[and] this Leviathan, [which] you formed to play in it.” Elsewhere Leviathan is a multiheaded sea monster that symbolizes forces hostile to God (see Ps 74:14; Isa 27:1), but here it appears to be an actual marine creature created by God, probably some type of whale.
[104:27] 327 tn Heb “All of them.” The pronoun “them” refers not just to the sea creatures mentioned in vv. 25-26, but to all living things (see v. 24). This has been specified in the translation as “all of your creatures” for clarity.
[104:27] 328 tn Heb “to give their food in its time.”
[104:28] 329 tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] good.”
[104:29] 330 tn Heb “you hide your face, they are terrified.”
[104:31] 331 tn Heb “be forever.”
[104:31] 332 tn Or “rejoice in his works.”
[104:33] 333 tn Heb “in my duration.”
[104:34] 334 tn That is, the psalmist’s thoughts as expressed in his songs of praise.
[104:35] 335 tn Or “be destroyed.”
[105:1] 336 sn Psalm 105. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God because he delivered his people from Egypt in fulfillment of his covenantal promises to Abraham. A parallel version of vv. 1-15 appears in 1 Chr 16:8-22.
[105:5] 337 tn Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”
[105:6] 338 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[105:6] 339 tc Some
[105:6] 340 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[105:6] 342 tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[105:7] 343 tn Heb “in all the earth [are] his judgments.”
[105:8] 344 tn Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 10-12 make clear.
[105:10] 346 tn Or “eternal covenant.”
[105:13] 347 tn Heb “and from a kingdom to another nation.”
[105:15] 348 tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[105:15] 349 tn Heb “anointed.”
[105:16] 350 tn Heb “and every staff of food he broke.” The psalmist refers to the famine that occurred in Joseph’s time (see v. 17 and Gen 41:53-57).
[105:17] 351 tn After the reference to the famine in v. 16, v. 17 flashes back to events that preceded the famine (see Gen 37).
[105:18] 352 tn Heb “they afflicted his feet with shackles.”
[105:18] 353 tn Heb “his neck came [into] iron.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with the suffix could mean simply “he” or “his life.” But the nuance “neck” makes good sense here (note the reference to his “feet” in the preceding line). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 38.
[105:19] 354 tn Heb “word,” probably referring to Joseph’s prediction about the fate of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker (see Gen 41:9-14).
[105:19] 355 tn This line may refer to Joseph’s prediction of the famine in response to Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph emphasized to Pharaoh that the interpretation of the dream came from God (see Gen 41:16, 25, 28, 32, 39).
[105:19] 356 tn Heb “refined him.”
[105:20] 357 tn Heb “[the] king sent and set him free.”
[105:21] 358 tn Heb “he made him master of his house.”
[105:22] 359 tn Heb “to bind his officials by his will.”
[105:22] 360 tn Heb “and his elders he taught wisdom.”
[105:23] 361 tn Heb “entered.”
[105:23] 362 tn Heb “lived as a resident alien.”
[105:24] 363 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[105:24] 364 tn Heb “him,” referring to “his people.”
[105:24] 365 tn Heb “his,” referring to “his people.”
[105:25] 366 tn Heb “their heart.”
[105:25] 367 tn Or “to deal deceptively.” The Hitpael of נָכַל (nakhal) occurs only here and in Gen 37:18, where it is used of Joseph’s brothers “plotting” to kill him.
[105:27] 368 tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).
[105:28] 369 tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”
[105:28] 370 tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.
[105:31] 371 tn Heb “he spoke and flies came.”
[105:32] 372 tn Heb “he gave their rains hail.”
[105:32] 373 tn Heb “fire of flames [was] in their land.”
[105:34] 374 tn Heb “he spoke and locusts came.”
[105:35] 375 tn Heb “the fruit of their ground.”
[105:36] 376 tn Heb “the beginning of all their strength,” that is, reproductive power (see Ps 78:51).
[105:37] 377 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the
[105:37] 378 tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[105:38] 379 tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”
[105:40] 381 tn Heb “he [i.e., his people] asked.” The singular form should probably be emended to a plural שָׁאֲלוּ (sha’alu, “they asked”), the vav (ו) having fallen off by haplography (note the vav at the beginning of the following form).
[105:40] 382 tn Or “bread of heaven.” The reference is to manna (see Exod 16:4, 13-15).
[105:42] 384 tn Heb “his holy word.”
[105:43] 385 tn Heb “and he led his people out with joy, with a ringing cry, his chosen ones.”
[105:44] 386 tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”
[106:1] 388 sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.
[106:1] 389 tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”
[106:2] 390 tn Heb “[or] cause to be heard all his praise.”
[106:5] 392 tn Heb “in order that [I may] rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”
[106:5] 393 tn Heb “with your inheritance.”
[106:6] 395 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 7).
[106:7] 396 tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in vv. 9, 22). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.
[106:8] 397 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[106:10] 400 tn Or “redeemed.”
[106:11] 402 tn Heb “remained.”
[106:12] 403 tn Heb “his words.”
[106:13] 404 tn Heb “his works.”
[106:13] 405 tn Heb “his counsel.”
[106:14] 406 sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35.
[106:14] 407 tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”
[106:14] 408 tn Heb “they tested God.”
[106:15] 409 tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”
[106:16] 411 tn Heb “the holy one of the
[106:17] 413 tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”
[106:18] 414 sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.
[106:20] 415 tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the
[106:22] 417 tn Or “awe-inspiring.”
[106:23] 418 tn Heb “and he said.”
[106:23] 419 tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”
[106:23] 420 tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”
[106:23] 421 tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”
[106:24] 422 tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).
[106:24] 423 tn Heb “his word.”
[106:25] 424 sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.
[106:25] 425 tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”
[106:26] 426 tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).
[106:26] 427 tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”
[106:27] 428 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[106:27] 429 tn Heb “and to cause their offspring to fall.” Some emend the verb to “scatter” to form tighter parallelism with the following line (cf. NRSV “disperse”).
[106:27] 430 tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[106:28] 431 tn Heb “joined themselves to.”
[106:28] 432 tn Here “the dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 49).
[106:29] 433 tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew
[106:30] 434 sn The intervention of Phinehas is recounted in Num 25:7-8.
[106:31] 435 tn Heb “and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to a generation and a generation forever.” The verb חָשַׁב (khashav, “to reckon”) is collocated with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) only in Ps 106:31 and Gen 15:6, where God rewards Abram’s faith with a land grant.
[106:32] 436 tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”
[106:33] 437 tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.
[106:33] 438 tn Heb “his spirit.”
[106:33] 439 tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[106:34] 440 tn That is, the nations of Canaan.
[106:35] 441 tn Heb “their deeds.”
[106:36] 443 sn Became a snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.
[106:37] 444 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.
[106:38] 445 sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.
[106:39] 446 tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the
[106:40] 447 tn Heb “the anger of the
[106:40] 448 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
[106:41] 449 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
[106:42] 450 tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”
[106:43] 451 tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).
[106:43] 452 tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
[106:43] 453 tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.
[106:45] 454 tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.
[106:47] 456 tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.
[106:47] 457 tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”
[106:48] 458 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
[106:48] 459 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
[106:48] 460 tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן, ’amen), traditionally transliterated “amen.”
[106:48] 461 sn The final verse (v. 48) is a conclusion to this fourth “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and third “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52, respectively).
