Psa 11:7 | NETfull | STEP | Certainly the Lord is just; he rewards godly deeds; the upright will experience his favor. For the music director; according to the sheminith style; a psalm of David.

Psalms 11:7

Certainly ^{▼▼ Or “for.”} the Lord is just; ^{▼▼ Or “righteous.”}
he rewards godly deeds; ^{▼▼ Heb “he loves righteous deeds.” The “righteous deeds” are probably those done by godly people (see v. 5). The Lord “loves” such deeds in the sense that he rewards them. Another option is to take צְדָקוֹת (ts^edaqot) as referring to God’s acts of justice (see Ps 103:6). In this case one could translate, “he loves to do just deeds.”}
the upright will experience his favor. ^{▼▼ Heb “the upright will see his face.” The singular subject (“upright”) does not agree with the plural verb. However, collective singular nouns can be construed with a plural predicate (see GKC 462 #145.b). Another possibility is that the plural verb יֶחֱזוּ (yekhezu) is a corruption of an original singular form. To “see” God’s “face” means to have access to his presence and to experience his favor (see Ps 17:15 and Job 33:26 [where רָאָה (ra’ah), not חָזָה (khazah), is used]). On the form פָנֵימוֹ (fanemo, “his face”) see GKC 300-301 #103.b, n. 3.}

Psalm 12

^{▼▼ Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.}

For the music director; according to the sheminith style; a psalm of David.

7 ^{▼▼ The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (sh^eminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.}