translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: PSA

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “[or] cause to be heard all his praise.”


text: Heb “good.”


text: Heb “in order that [I may] rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”


text: Heb “with your inheritance.”


text: Heb “with.”


text: Heb “fathers” (also in v. 7 ).


text: 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 . sn They rebelled . The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12 .


text: Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.


text: Or “rebuked.”


text: Heb “hand.”


text: Or “redeemed.”


text: Heb “remained.”


text: Heb “his words.”


text: Heb “his works.”


text: Heb “his counsel.”


text: Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”


text: Heb “they tested God.”


text: Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.” sn Disease . See Num 11:33-34 , where this plague is described.


text: Or “envied.”


text: Heb “the holy one of the Lord .”


text: Or “covered.”


text: Or “the assembly of Abiram.”


text: Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the Lord states that his people (Israel) exchanged “their glory” (a reference to the Lord ) for worthless idols.


text: Heb “forgot.”


text: Or “awe-inspiring.”


text: Heb “and he said.”


text: Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”


text: Heb “stood in the gap before him.”


text: Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.” sn Verses 19-23 describe the events of Exod 32:1-35 .


text: Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19 ; Zech 7:14 ).


text: Heb “his word.”


text: Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”


text: 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 ).


text: Heb “to cause them to fall.”


text: Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”


text: 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”).


text: Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.


text: Heb “joined themselves to.” sn They worshiped Baal of Peor . See Num 25:3, 5 . Baal of Peor was a local manifestation of the Canaanite deity Baal located at Peor.


text: 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).


text: Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew mss . Perhaps it was accidentally left off, an original וַיַּכְעִיסוּהוּ ( vayyakh ’ isuhu ) being misread as וַיַּכְעִיסוּ ( vayyakh ’ isu ). In the translation the referent of the pronominal suffix (the Lord ) has been specified for clarity to avoid confusion with Baal of Peor (mentioned in the previous verse).


text: 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. sn Brought him a reward . See Num 25:12-13 .


text: Heb “there was harm to Moses.”


text: 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.


text: Heb “his spirit.”


text: The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons. sn Verses 32-33 allude to the events of Num 20:1-13 .


text: That is, the nations of Canaan.


text: Heb “their deeds.”


text: Or “served.”


text: The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים ( shedim , “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17 . Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.


text: Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the Lord (see Ps 73:27 ).


text: Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against his people.”


text: Heb “his inheritance.”


text: Heb “gave them into the hand of.”


text: Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”


text: The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).


text: 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”).


text: Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ ( makhakh , “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.


text: The Niphal of נָחַם ( nakham ) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.


text: Or “captors.”


text: Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.


text: Heb “to boast in your praise.”


text: Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21 .


text: Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”


text: Heb “surely” ( אָמֵן , ’ amen ), traditionally transliterated “amen.”