Psalms 138
1I will give you thanks with all my heart;before the heavenly assembly ▼ I will sing praises to you.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name,
because of your loyal love and faithfulness,
for you have exalted your promise above the entire sky. ▼
▼ The MT reads, “for you have made great over all your name your word.” If retained, this must mean that God's mighty intervention, in fulfillment of his word of promise, surpassed anything he had done prior to this. However, the statement is odd and several emendations have been proposed. Some read, “for you have exalted over everything your name and your word,” while others suggest, “for you have exalted over all the heavens your name and your word.” The translation assumes an emendation of “your name” to “your heavens” (a construction that appears in Pss 8:3 and 144:5). The point is that God has been faithful to his promise and the reliability of that promise is apparent to all. For a fuller discussion of these options, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 (WBC), 244.
3 When ▼
▼ Heb “in the day.”
I cried out for help, you answered me. You made me bold and energized me. ▼
▼ Heb “you made me bold in my soul [with] strength.”
4 Let all the kings of the earth give thanks ▼
▼ The prefixed verbal forms here and in the following verse are understood as jussives, for the psalmist appears to be calling upon the kings to praise God. Another option is to take them as imperfects and translate, “the kings of the earth will give thanks…and will sing.” In this case the psalmist anticipates a universal response to his thanksgiving song.
to you, O Lord, when they hear the words you speak. ▼
▼ Heb “the words of your mouth.”
5 Let them sing about the Lord’s deeds, ▼
▼ Heb “ways.”
for the Lord’s splendor is magnificent. ▼
▼ Heb “great.”
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the lowly,
and recognizes the proud from far away.
7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, ▼
▼ Or “distress.”
you revive me. You oppose my angry enemies, ▼
▼ Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord avenges me. ▼
▼ Heb “avenges on my behalf.” For the meaning “to avenge” for the verb גָּמַר (gamar), see HALOT 197-98 s.v. גמר.
O Lord, your loyal love endures.
Do not abandon those whom you have made! ▼
▼ Heb “the works of your hands.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the singular, “work of your hands.”
Psalm 139
▼▼ Psalm 139. The psalmist acknowledges that God, who created him, is aware of his every action and thought. He invites God to examine his motives, for he is confident they are pure.
For the music director, a psalm of David.
8Psalms 139
1O Lord, you examine me ▼▼ The statement is understood as generalizing – the psalmist describes what God typically does.
and know. 2 You know when I sit down and when I get up;
even from far away you understand my motives.
3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; ▼
▼ Heb “my traveling and my lying down you measure.” The verb זָרָה (zarah, “to measure”) is probably here a denominative from זָרָת (zarat, “a span; a measure”), though some derive it from זָרָה (zarat, “to winnow; to sift”; see BDB 279-80 s.v. זָרָה).
you are aware of everything I do. ▼
▼ Heb “all my ways.”
4 Certainly ▼
▼ Or “for.”
my tongue does not frame a word without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it. ▼
▼ Heb “look, O Lord, you know all of it.”
5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. ▼
▼ Heb “too amazing [is this] knowledge for me, it is elevated, I cannot attain to it.”
7 Where can I go to escape your spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence? ▼
▼ Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29–30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
8 If I were to ascend ▼
▼ The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788–90).
to heaven, you would be there. If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. ▼
▼ Heb “look, you.”
9 If I were to fly away ▼
▼ Heb “rise up.”
on the wings of the dawn, ▼ and settle down on the other side ▼
▼ Heb “at the end.”
of the sea, 10 even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
11 If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, ▼
▼ The Hebrew verb שׁוּף (shuf), which means “to crush; to wound,” in Gen 3:15 and Job 9:17, is problematic here. For a discussion of attempts to relate the verb to Arabic roots, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 (WBC), 251. Many emend the form to יְשׂוּכֵּנִי (yesukkeniy), from the root שׂכך (“to cover,” an alternate form of סכך), a reading assumed in the present translation.
and the light will turn to night all around me,” ▼
▼ Heb “and night, light, around me.”
12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, ▼
▼ The words “to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
and the night is as bright as ▼
▼ Heb “shines like.”
day; darkness and light are the same to you. ▼
▼ Heb “like darkness, like light.”
13 Certainly ▼
▼ Or “for.”
you made my mind and heart; ▼▼ Heb “my kidneys.” The kidneys were sometimes viewed as the seat of one’s emotions and moral character (cf. Pss 7:9; 26:2). A number of translations, recognizing that “kidneys” does not communicate this idea to the modern reader, have generalized the concept: “inmost being” (NAB, NIV); “inward parts” (NASB, NRSV); “the delicate, inner parts of my body” (NLT). In the last instance, the focus is almost entirely on the physical body rather than the emotions or moral character. The present translation, by using a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms), links the concepts of emotion (heart) and moral character (mind).
you wove me together ▼ in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. ▼
▼ Heb “because awesome things, I am distinct, amazing [are] your works.” The text as it stands is syntactically problematic and makes little, if any, sense. The Niphal of פָּלָה (pala’) occurs elsewhere only in Exod 33:16. Many take the form from פָלָא (pala’; see GKC 216 #75.qq), which in the Niphal perfect means “to be amazing” (see 2 Sam 1:26; Ps 118:23; Prov 30:18). Some, following the LXX and some other ancient witnesses, also prefer to emend the verb from first to second person, “you are amazing” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 [WBC], 249, 251). The present translation assumes the text conflates two variants: נפלאים, the otherwise unattested masculine plural participle of פָלָא, and נִפְלָאוֹת (nifla’ot), the usual (feminine) plural form of the Niphal participle. The latter has been changed to a verb by later scribes in an attempt to accommodate it syntactically. The original text likely read, נוראות נפלאותים מעשׂיך (“your works [are] awesome [and] amazing”).
You knew me thoroughly; ▼
▼ Heb “and my being knows very much.” Better parallelism is achieved (see v. 15a) if one emends יֹדַעַת (yoda’at), a Qal active participle, feminine singular form, to יָדַעְתָּ (yada’ta), a Qal perfect second masculine singular perfect. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 (WBC), 252.
15 my bones were not hidden from you,
when ▼
▼ The Hebrew term אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) should probably be emended to כֲּאַשֶׁר (ka’asher, “when”). The kaf (כ) may have been lost by haplography (note the kaf at the end of the preceding form).
I was made in secret and sewed together in the depths of the earth. ▼
▼ The phrase depths of the earth may be metaphorical (euphemistic) or it may reflect a prescientific belief about the origins of the embryo deep beneath the earth’s surface (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 96–97). Job 1:21 also closely associates the mother’s womb with the earth.
16 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. ▼
▼ Heb “Your eyes saw my shapeless form.” The Hebrew noun גֹּלֶם (golem) occurs only here in the OT. In later Hebrew the word refers to “a lump, a shapeless or lifeless substance,” and to “unfinished matter, a vessel wanting finishing” (Jastrow 222 s.v. גּוֹלֶם). The translation employs the dynamic rendering “when I was inside the womb” to clarify that the speaker was still in his mother’s womb at the time he was “seen” by God.
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence. ▼
17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! ▼
▼ Heb “and to me how precious are your thoughts, O God.” The Hebrew verb יָקַר (yaqar) probably has the sense of “difficult [to comprehend]” here (see HALOT 432 s.v. יקר qal.1 and note the use of Aramaic יַקִּר in Dan 2:11). Elsewhere in the immediate context the psalmist expresses his amazement at the extent of God’s knowledge about him (see vv. 1–6, 17b–18).
How vast is their sum total! ▼
▼ Heb “how vast are their heads.” Here the Hebrew word “head” is used of the “sum total” of God’s knowledge of the psalmist.
18 If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you. ▼
▼ Heb “I awake and I [am] still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to הֲקִצּוֹתִי (haqitsoti), a Hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb קָצַץ (qatsats) understood as a denominative of קֵץ (qets, “end”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 (WBC), 252-53.
19 If only ▼ you would kill the wicked, O God!
Get away from me, you violent men! ▼
▼ Heb “men of bloodshed.”
20 They ▼
▼ Heb “who.”
rebel against you ▼ and act deceitfully; ▼▼ Heb “by deceit.”
your enemies lie. ▼
▼ Heb “lifted up for emptiness, your cities.” The Hebrew text as it stands makes no sense. The form נָשֻׂא (nasu’; a Qal passive participle) should be emended to נָשְׂאוּ (noseu; a Qal perfect, third common plural, “[they] lift up”). Many emend עָרֶיךָ (’arekha, “your cities”) to עָלֶיךָ (’alekha, “against you”), but it is preferable to understand the noun as an Aramaism and translate “your enemies” (see Dan 4:16 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 [WBC], 253).
21 O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you,
and despise those who oppose you? ▼
▼ Heb “who raise themselves up against you.” The form וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvitqomemekha) should be emended to וּבְמִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvemitqomemekha), a Hitpolel participle (the prefixed mem [מ] of the participle is accidentally omitted in the MT, though a few medieval Hebrew mss have it).
22 I absolutely hate them, ▼
▼ Heb “[with] completeness of hatred I hate them.”
they have become my enemies!
23 Examine me, and probe my thoughts! ▼
▼ Heb “and know my heart.”
Test me, and know my concerns! ▼
See if there is any idolatrous tendency ▼
▼ Many understand the Hebrew term עֹצֶב (’otsev) as a noun meaning “pain,” and translate the phrase דֶּרֶךְ עֹצֶב (derekh ’otsev) as “of pain,” but this makes little sense here. (Some interpret it to refer to actions which bring pain to others.) It is preferable to take עֹצֶב as “idol” (see HALOT 865 s.v. I עֹצֶב) and understand “way of an idol” to refer to idolatrous actions or tendency. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 (WBC), 253.
in me, and lead me in the reliable ancient path! ▼
▼ Heb “in the path of antiquity.” This probably refers to the moral path prescribed by the Lord at the beginning of Israel’s history. See Jer 6:16; 18:15, as well as L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 (WBC), 253.
Psalm 140
▼▼ Psalm 140. The psalmist asks God to deliver him from his deadly enemies, calls judgment down upon them, and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
For the music director; a psalm of David.
24Psalms 140
1O Lord, rescue me from wicked men! ▼Protect me from violent men, ▼
2 who plan ways to harm me. ▼
▼ Heb “they devise wicked [plans] in [their] mind.”
All day long they stir up conflict. ▼
▼ Heb “they attack [for] war.” Some revocalize the verb (which is a Qal imperfect from גּוּר, gur, “to attack”) as יְגָרוּ (yegaru), a Piel imperfect from גָרָה (garah, “stir up strife”). This is followed in the present translation.
3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; ▼
▼ Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” Ps 64:3 reads, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues [like a sword],” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”
a viper’s ▼
▼ The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT.
venom is behind ▼▼ Heb “under.”
their lips. (Selah) 4 O Lord, shelter me from the power ▼
▼ Heb “hands.”
of the wicked! Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over. ▼
▼ Heb “to push down my steps.”
5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men ▼
▼ Heb “and ropes,” but many prefer to revocalize the noun as a participle (חֹבְלִים, khovelim) from the verb חָבַל (khaval, “act corruptly”).
spread a net by the path; they set traps for me. (Selah)
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy!
7 O sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, ▼
▼ Heb “the strength of my deliverance.”
you shield ▼
▼ Heb “cover.”
my head in the day of battle. 8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way! ▼
▼ Heb “do not grant the desires of the wicked.”
Do not allow their ▼ plan to succeed when they attack! ▼
▼ Heb “his plot do not promote, they rise up.” The translation understands the final verb as being an unmarked temporal clause. Another option is to revocalize the verb as a Hiphil and take the verb with the next verse, “those who surround me lift up [their] head,” which could refer to their proud attitude as they anticipate victory (see Ps 27:6).
(Selah) 9 As for the heads of those who surround me –
may the harm done by ▼
▼ Heb “harm of their lips.” The genitive here indicates the source or agent of the harm.
their lips overwhelm them! 10 May he rain down ▼
▼ The verb form in the Kethib (consonantal Hebrew text) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוּט (mut, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in Ps 55:3, where it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). In Ps 140:10 the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read.
fiery coals upon them! May he throw them into the fire!
From bottomless pits they will not escape. ▼
▼ Heb “into bottomless pits, they will not arise.” The translation assumes that the preposition -בְּ (bet) has the nuance “from” here. Another option is to connect the line with what precedes, take the final clause as an asyndetic relative clause, and translate, “into bottomless pits [from which] they cannot arise.” The Hebrew noun מַהֲמֹרָה (mahamorah, “bottomless pit”) occurs only here in the OT.
11 A slanderer ▼
▼ Heb “a man of a tongue.”
will not endure on ▼▼ Heb “be established in.”
the earth; calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down. ▼
▼ Heb “for blows.” The Hebrew noun מַדְחֵפֹה (madkhefoh, “blow”) occurs only here in the OT.
12 I know ▼
▼ The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading a first person verb form here. The Kethib reads the second person.
that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed and vindicates the poor. ▼
▼ Heb “and the just cause of the poor.”
Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;
the morally upright will live in your presence.
Psalm 141
▼▼ Psalm 141. The psalmist asks God to protect him from sin and from sinful men.
A psalm of David.
13Psalms 141
1O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me!Pay attention to me when I cry out to you!
2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering! ▼
▼ Heb “may my prayer be established [like] incense before you, the uplifting of my hands [like] an evening offering.”
3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth!
Protect the opening ▼
▼ Heb “door.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.
of my lips! ▼▼ My mouth…my lips. The psalmist asks God to protect him from speaking inappropriately or sinfully.
4 Do not let me have evil desires, ▼
▼ Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”
or participate in sinful activities
with men who behave wickedly. ▼
▼ Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”
I will not eat their delicacies. ▼
▼ Their delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.
5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me!
May my head not refuse ▼
▼ The form יָנִי (yaniy) appears to be derived from the verbal root נוּא (nu’). Another option is to emend the form to יְנָא (yena’), a Piel from נָאָה (na’ah), and translate “may choice oil not adorn my head” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 [WBC], 271). In this case, choice oil, like delicacies in v. 4, symbolize the pleasures of sin.
choice oil! ▼▼ May my head not refuse choice oil. The psalmist compares the constructive criticism of the godly (see the previous line) to having refreshing olive oil poured over one’s head.
Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds. ▼
▼ Heb “for still, and my prayer [is] against their evil deeds.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult; the sequence -כִּי־עוֹד וּ (kiy-’od u-, “for still and”) occurs only here. The translation assumes an emendation to כִּי עֵד תְפלָּתִי (“indeed a witness [is] my prayer”). The psalmist’s lament about the evil actions of sinful men (see v. 4) testifies against the wicked in the divine court.
6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. ▼
▼ Heb “they are thrown down by the hands of a cliff, their judges.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The perfect verbal form is understood as rhetorical; the psalmist describes the anticipated downfall of the wicked as if it had already occurred. “Their judges” could be taken as the subject of the verb, but this makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes the judges are the agents and that the wicked, mentioned earlier in the psalm, are the subjects of the verb.
They ▼
▼ It is unclear how this statement relates to the preceding sentence. Perhaps the judges are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the verb “will listen,” and “my words” are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the phrase “are pleasant.” The psalmist may be affirming here his confidence that he will be vindicated when he presents his case before the judges, while the wicked will be punished.
will listen to my words, for they are pleasant. 7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil, ▼
▼ Heb “like splitting and breaking open in the earth.” The meaning of the statement and the point of the comparison are not entirely clear. Perhaps the psalmist is suggesting that he and other godly individuals are as good as dead; their bones are scattered about like dirt that is dug up and tossed aside.
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 Surely I am looking to you, ▼
▼ Heb “my eyes [are] toward you.”
O sovereign Lord. In you I take shelter.
Do not expose me to danger! ▼
9 Protect me from the snare they have laid for me,
and the traps the evildoers have set. ▼
▼ Heb “and the traps of the doers of evil.”
10 Let the wicked fall ▼
▼ The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate, “the wicked will fall.”
into their ▼▼ Heb “his.”
own nets, while I escape. ▼
▼ Heb “at the same [that] I, until I pass by.” Another option is to take יַחַד (yakhad) with the preceding line, “let the wicked fall together into their own nets.”
Psalms 142
Psalm 142
▼▼ Psalm 142. The psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.
A well-written song ▼▼ The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7. by David, when he was in the cave; ▼▼ According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm while in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3. See the superscription of Ps 57. a prayer.
1 To the Lord I cry out; ▼▼ Heb “[with] my voice to the Lord I cry out.”
to the Lord I plead for mercy. ▼
▼ Heb “[with] my voice to the Lord I plead for mercy.”
2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about ▼
▼ Heb “my trouble before him I declare.”
my troubles. 3 Even when my strength leaves me, ▼
▼ Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
you watch my footsteps. ▼
▼ Heb “you know my path.”
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see!
No one cares about me. ▼
▼ Heb “there is no one who recognizes me.”
I have nowhere to run; ▼
▼ Heb “ a place of refuge perishes from me.”
no one is concerned about my life. ▼
▼ Heb “there is no one who seeks for the sake of my life.”
5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security ▼
▼ Heb “my portion.” The psalmist compares the Lord to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel.
in the land of the living.” 6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble! ▼
▼ Heb “for I am very low.”
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
Free me ▼
▼ Heb “bring out my life.”
from prison, that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble, ▼
▼ Or “gather around.”
for you will vindicate me. ▼
▼ The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense.
Psalm 143
▼▼ Psalm 143. As in the previous psalm, the psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.
A psalm of David.
7Psalms 143
1O Lord, hear my prayer!Pay attention to my plea for help!
Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me!
2 Do not sit in judgment on ▼
▼ Heb “do not enter into judgment with.”
your servant, for no one alive is innocent before you. ▼
▼ Heb “for no one living is innocent before you.”
3 Certainly ▼
▼ Or “for.”
my enemies ▼ chase me. They smash me into the ground. ▼
▼ Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”
They force me to live ▼
▼ Or “sit.”
in dark regions, ▼ like those who have been dead for ages.
4 My strength leaves me; ▼
▼ Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
I am absolutely shocked. ▼
5 I recall the old days; ▼
▼ Or “ancient times”; Heb “days from before.”
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on your accomplishments. ▼
▼ Heb “the work of your hands.”
6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer; ▼
▼ The words “in prayer” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the psalmist is referring to a posture of prayer.
my soul thirsts for you in a parched ▼ land. ▼
▼ Heb “my soul like a faint land for you.” A verb (perhaps “thirsts”) is implied (see Ps 63:1). The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition -כְּ (ke, “like”) to -בְּ (be, “in,” see Ps 63:1; cf. NEB “athirst for thee in a thirsty land”). If the MT is retained, one might translate, “my soul thirsts for you, as a parched land does for water/rain” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
7 Answer me quickly, Lord!
My strength is fading. ▼
▼ Heb “my spirit is failing.”
Do not reject me, ▼
or I will join ▼
▼ Heb “I will be equal with.”
those descending into the grave. ▼ 8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning, ▼
▼ Heb “cause me to hear in the morning your loyal love.” Here “loyal love” probably stands metonymically for an oracle of assurance promising God’s intervention as an expression of his loyal love.
▼ for I trust in you.
Show me the way I should go, ▼
because I long for you. ▼
▼ Heb “for to you I lift up my life.” The Hebrew expression נָאָשׂ נֶפֶשׁ (na’as nefesh, “to lift up [one’s] life”) means “to desire; to long for” (see Deut 24:15; Prov 19:18; Jer 22:27; 44:14; Hos 4:8, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 16).
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord!
I run to you for protection. ▼
▼ Heb “to you I cover,” which makes no sense. The translation assumes an emendation to נַסְתִּי (nastiy, “I flee,” a Qal perfect, first singular form from נוּס, nos). Confusion of kaf (כ) and nun (נ) is attested elsewhere (see P. K. McCarter, Textual Criticism [GBS], 48). The collocation of נוּס (“flee”) with אֶל (’el, “to”) is well-attested.
10 Teach me to do what pleases you, ▼
for you are my God.
May your kind presence ▼
lead me ▼ into a level land. ▼
11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation, ▼
▼ Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
revive me! ▼ Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble! ▼
▼ Heb “by your justice bring out my life from trouble.”
As a demonstration of your loyal love, ▼
▼ Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”
destroy my enemies! Annihilate ▼
▼ The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the mood of the preceding imperfect.
all who threaten my life, ▼▼ Heb “all the enemies of my life.”
for I am your servant.
Psalm 144
▼▼ Psalm 144. The psalmist expresses his confidence in God, asks for a mighty display of divine intervention in an upcoming battle, and anticipates God’s rich blessings on the nation in the aftermath of military victory.
By David.
12Psalms 144
1The Lord, my protector, ▼ deserves praise ▼▼ Heb “blessed [be] the Lord, my rocky summit.”
– the one who trains my hands for battle, ▼
and my fingers for war,
2 who loves me ▼ and is my stronghold,
my refuge ▼
▼ Or “my elevated place.”
and my deliverer, my shield and the one in whom I take shelter,
who makes nations submit to me. ▼
▼ Heb “the one who subdues nations beneath me.”
3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race, ▼ that you should notice them?
Of what importance is mankind, ▼ that you should be concerned about them? ▼
4 People ▼
▼ Heb “man,” or “mankind.”
are like a vapor, their days like a shadow that disappears. ▼
5 O Lord, make the sky sink ▼
▼ The Hebrew verb נָטָה (natah) can carry the sense “to [cause to] bend; to [cause to] bow down.” For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the Lord causes the sky, pictured as a dome or vault, to sink down as he descends in the storm. See Ps 18:9.
and come down! ▼ Touch the mountains and make them smolder! ▼
▼ Heb “so they might smolder.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose after the preceding imperative.
6 Hurl lightning bolts and scatter them!
Shoot your arrows and rout them! ▼
7 Reach down ▼
▼ Heb “stretch out your hands.”
from above! Grab me and rescue me from the surging water, ▼
▼ Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful foreign enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see the next line and Ps 18:16–17).
from the power of foreigners, ▼
▼ Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
8 who speak lies,
and make false promises. ▼
▼ Heb “who [with] their mouth speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” The reference to the “right hand” is probably a metonymy for an oath. When making an oath, one would raise the hand as a solemn gesture. See Exod 6:8; Num 14:30; Deut 32:40. The figure thus represents the making of false oaths (false promises).
9 O God, I will sing a new song to you!
Accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, I will sing praises to you,
10 the one who delivers ▼
▼ Heb “grants deliverance to.”
kings, and rescued David his servant from a deadly ▼
▼ Heb “harmful.”
sword. 11 Grab me and rescue me from the power of foreigners, ▼
▼ Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
who speak lies,
and make false promises. ▼
12 Then ▼
▼ Some consider אֲשֶׁר (’asher) problematic, but here it probably indicates the anticipated consequence of the preceding request. (For other examples of אֲשֶׁר indicating purpose/result, see BDB 83 s.v. and HALOT 99 s.v.) If the psalmist – who appears to be a Davidic king preparing to fight a battle (see vv. 10–11) – is victorious, the whole nation will be spared invasion and defeat (see v. 14) and can flourish. Some prefer to emend the form to אַשְׁרֵי (“how blessed [are our sons]”). A suffixed noun sometimes follows אַשְׁרֵי (’ashrey; see 1 Kgs 10:8; Prov 20:7), but the presence of a comparative element (see “like plants”) after the suffixed noun makes the proposed reading too awkward syntactically.
our sons will be like plants, that quickly grow to full size. ▼
▼ Heb “grown up in their youth.” The translation assumes that “grown up” modifies “plants” (just as “carved” modifies “corner pillars” in the second half of the verse). Another option is to take “grown up” as a predicate in relation to “our sons,” in which case one might translate, “they will be strapping youths.”
Our daughters will be like corner pillars, ▼
carved like those in a palace. ▼
▼ Heb “carved [in] the pattern of a palace.”
13 Our storehouses ▼
▼ The Hebrew noun occurs only here.
will be full, providing all kinds of food. ▼
▼ Heb “from kind to kind.” Some prefer to emend the text to מָזוֹן עַל מָזוֹן (mazon ’al mazon, “food upon food”).
Our sheep will multiply by the thousands
and fill ▼
▼ Heb “they are innumerable.”
our pastures. ▼ 14 Our cattle will be weighted down with produce. ▼
▼ Heb “weighted down.” This probably refers (1) to the cattle having the produce from the harvest placed on their backs to be transported to the storehouses (see BDB 687 s.v. סָבַל). Other options are (2) to take this as reference to the cattle being pregnant (see HALOT 741 s.v. סבל pu) or (3) to their being well-fed or fattened (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 [WBC], 288).
No one will break through our walls,
no one will be taken captive,
and there will be no terrified cries in our city squares. ▼
▼ Heb “there [will be] no breach, and there [will be] no going out, and there [will be] no crying out in our broad places.”
How blessed are the people who experience these things! ▼
▼ Heb “[O] the happiness of the people who [it is] such to them.”
How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
Psalm 145
▼▼ Psalm 145. The psalmist praises God because he is a just and merciful king who cares for his people.
A psalm of praise, by David.
15Psalms 145
1I will extol you, my God, O king!I will praise your name continually! ▼
▼ Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
2 Every day I will praise you!
I will praise your name continually! ▼
▼ Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
3 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise!
No one can fathom his greatness! ▼
▼ Heb “and concerning his greatness there is no searching.”
4 One generation will praise your deeds to another,
and tell about your mighty acts! ▼
5 I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor,
and your amazing deeds! ▼
▼ Heb “the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and the matters of your amazing deeds I will ponder.”
6 They will proclaim ▼
▼ The prefixed verbal form is understood as an imperfect, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they proclaim.”
the power of your awesome acts! I will declare your great deeds!
7 They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, ▼
▼ Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”
and sing about your justice. ▼
8 The Lord is merciful and compassionate;
he is patient ▼ and demonstrates great loyal love. ▼
9 The Lord is good to all,
and has compassion on all he has made. ▼
▼ Heb “and his compassion is over all his works.”
10 All he has made will give thanks to the Lord.
Your loyal followers will praise you.
11 They will proclaim the splendor of your kingdom;
they will tell about your power,
12 so that mankind ▼
▼ Heb “the sons of man.”
might acknowledge your mighty acts, and the majestic splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an eternal kingdom, ▼
▼ Heb “a kingdom of all ages.”
and your dominion endures through all generations.
14 ▼
▼ Psalm 145 is an acrostic psalm, with each successive verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. However, in the traditional Hebrew (Masoretic) text of Psalm 145 there is no verse beginning with the letter nun. One would expect such a verse to appear as the fourteenth verse, between the mem (מ) and samek (ס) verses. Several ancient witnesses, including one medieval Hebrew manuscript, the Qumran scroll from cave 11, the LXX, and the Syriac, supply the missing nun (נ) verse, which reads as follows: “The Lord is reliable in all his words, and faithful in all his deeds.” One might paraphrase this as follows: “The Lord’s words are always reliable; his actions are always faithful.” Scholars are divided as to the originality of this verse. L. C. Allen argues for its inclusion on the basis of structural considerations (Psalms 101–150 [WBC], 294-95), but there is no apparent explanation for why, if original, it would have been accidentally omitted. The psalm may be a partial acrostic, as in Pss 25 and 34 (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 3:335). The glaring omission of the nun line would have invited a later redactor to add such a line.
The Lord supports all who fall, and lifts up all who are bent over. ▼
15 Everything looks to you in anticipation, ▼
▼ Heb “the eyes of all wait for you.”
and you provide them with food on a regular basis. ▼
16 You open your hand,
and fill every living thing with the food they desire. ▼
▼ Heb “[with what they] desire.”
17 The Lord is just in all his actions, ▼
▼ Heb “in all his ways.”
and exhibits love in all he does. ▼
▼ Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”
18 The Lord is near all who cry out to him,
all who cry out to him sincerely. ▼
▼ Heb “in truth.”
19 He satisfies the desire ▼
▼ In this context “desire” refers to the followers’ desire to be delivered from wicked enemies.
of his loyal followers; ▼▼ Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.”
he hears their cry for help and delivers them.
20 The Lord protects those who love him,
but he destroys all the wicked.
21 My mouth will praise the Lord. ▼
▼ Heb “the praise of the Lord my mouth will speak.”
Let all who live ▼
▼ Heb “all flesh.”
praise his holy name forever! Psalm 146
▼▼ Psalm 146. The psalmist urges his audience not to trust in men, but in the Lord, the just king of the world who cares for the needy.
Copyright information for
NETfull