Psalm 130-132

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Psalm 130:1 sn Psalm 130. The psalmist, confident of the Lord’s forgiveness, cries out to the Lord for help in the midst of his suffering and urges Israel to do the same.
2. Psalm 130:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
3. Psalm 130:1 tn Heb “depths,” that is, deep waters (see Ps 69:2, 14; Isa 51:10), a metaphor for the life-threatening danger faced by the psalmist.
4. Psalm 130:2 tn Heb “my voice.”
5. Psalm 130:2 tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”
6. Psalm 130:3 tn Heb “observe.”
7. Psalm 130:3 tn The words “before you” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one.”
8. Psalm 130:4 tn Or “surely.”
9. Psalm 130:4 tn Heb “for with you [there is] forgiveness.”
10. Psalm 130:4 tn Or “consequently you are.”
11. Psalm 130:4 tn Heb “feared.”
12. Psalm 130:5 tn Or “wait for.”
13. Psalm 130:5 tn Heb “my soul waits.”
14. Psalm 130:5 tn Heb “his word.”
15. Psalm 130:6 tn Heb “my soul for the master.”
16. Psalm 130:6 tn Heb “more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning.” The words “yes, more” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
17. Psalm 130:7 tn Heb “for with the Lord [is] loyal love.”
18. Psalm 130:7 tn Heb “and abundantly with him [is] redemption.”
19. Psalm 130:8 tn Or “redeem.”
20. Psalm 130:8 tn Or “all the consequences of their sins.” The Hebrew noun עָוֹן (ʿavon) can refer to sin, the guilt sin produces, or the consequences of sin. Only here is the noun collocated with the verb פָּדָה (padah, “to redeem; to deliver”). The psalmist may refer to deliverance from the national consequences of sin or forgiveness per se (v. 4). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 192.
21. Psalm 131:1 sn Psalm 131. The psalmist affirms his humble dependence on the Lord and urges Israel to place its trust in God.
22. Psalm 131:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
23. Psalm 131:1 tn Heb “and my eyes are not lifted up.”
24. Psalm 131:1 tn Heb “I do not walk in great things, and in things too marvelous for me.”
25. Psalm 131:2 tn Or “but.”
26. Psalm 131:2 tn Heb “I make level and make quiet my soul.”
27. Psalm 131:2 tn Heb “like a weaned [one] upon his mother.”
28. Psalm 131:2 tn Heb “like the weaned [one] upon me, my soul.”
29. Psalm 132:1 sn Psalm 132. The psalmist reminds God of David’s devotion and of his promises concerning David’s dynasty and Zion.
30. Psalm 132:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
31. Psalm 132:1 tn Heb “all his affliction.” This may refer to David’s strenuous and tireless efforts to make provision for the building of the temple (see 1 Chr 22:14). Some prefer to revocalize the text as עַנַוָתוֹ (ʿanavato, “his humility”).
32. Psalm 132:3 tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows is David’s vow.
33. Psalm 132:3 tn Heb “the tent of my house.”
34. Psalm 132:3 tn Heb “go up upon the bed of my couch.”
35. Psalm 132:5 tn The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; David envisions a special dwelling place (see Pss 43:3; 46:4; 84:1).
36. Psalm 132:5 tn Or “the Mighty One of Jacob.”
37. Psalm 132:6 tn Rather than having an antecedent, the third feminine singular pronominal suffix here (and in the next line) appears to refer to the ark of the covenant, mentioned in v. 8. (The Hebrew term אָרוֹן [ʾaron, “ark”] is sometimes construed as grammatically feminine. See 1 Sam 4:17; 2 Chr 8:11.)
38. Psalm 132:6 sn Some understand Ephrathah as a reference to Kiriath Jearim because of the apparent allusion to this site in the next line (see the note on “Jaar”). The ark was kept in Kiriath Jearim after the Philistines released it (see 1 Sam 6:21-7:2). However, the switch in verbs from “heard about” to “found” suggests that Ephrathah not be equated with Jair. The group who is speaking heard about the ark while they were in Ephrath. They then went to retrieve it from Kiriath Jearim (“Jaar”). It is more likely that Ephrathah refers to a site near Bethel (Gen 35:16, 19; 48:7) or to Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2).
39. Psalm 132:6 tn Heb “fields of the forest.” The Hebrew term יָעַר (yaʿar, “forest”) is apparently a shortened alternative name for קִרְיַת יְעָרִים (qiryat y^eʿarim, “Kiriath Jearim”), the place where the ark was kept after it was released by the Philistines and from which David and his men retrieved it (see 1 Chr 13:6).
40. Psalm 132:7 tn Or “bow down.”
41. Psalm 132:9 tn Or “righteousness.”
42. Psalm 132:10 tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”
43. Psalm 132:11 tn Heb “the Lord swore an oath to David [in] truth.”
44. Psalm 132:11 tn Heb “he will not turn back from it.”
45. Psalm 132:11 tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows are the Lord’s words.
46. Psalm 132:11 tn Heb “the fruit of your body.”
47. Psalm 132:13 tn Or “for.”
48. Psalm 132:13 tn Heb “he desired it for his dwelling place.”
49. Psalm 132:14 tn The words “he said” are added in the translation to clarify that what follows are the Lord’s words.
50. Psalm 132:14 tn Heb “for I desired it.”
51. Psalm 132:15 tn Heb “I will greatly bless her provision.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.
52. Psalm 132:15 tn Heb “her poor I will satisfy [with] food.”
53. Psalm 132:16 tn Heb “and her priests I will clothe [with] deliverance.”
54. Psalm 132:16 tn Heb “[with] shouting they will shout.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.
55. Psalm 132:17 tn Heb “there I will cause a horn to sprout for David.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Pss 18:2; 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that used its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36.
56. Psalm 132:17 tn Heb “I have arranged a lamp for my anointed one.” Here the “lamp” is a metaphor for the Davidic dynasty (see 1 Kgs 11:36).
57. Psalm 132:18 tn Heb “his enemies I will clothe [with] shame.”