translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: PSA

label: NET translator note

text: The Hebrew expression means “lily of the testimony.” It may refer to a particular music style or to a tune title.


text: The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם ( miktam ), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-59 , is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”


text: Heb “to teach.”


text: In Josh 8:21 and Judg 20:48 the two verbs “turn back” and “strike down” are also juxtaposed. There they refer to a military counter-attack.


text: Heb “12,000 of Edom.” Perhaps one should read אֲרַם (’ aram , “Aram”) here rather than אֱדוֹם (’ edom , “Edom”).


text: Heb “you broke out upon us, you were angry.”


text: The verb פָּצַם ( patsam , “split open”) occurs only here in the OT. An Arabic cognate means “crack,” and an Aramaic cognate is used in Tg. Jer 22:14 with the meaning “break open, frame.” See BDB 822 s.v. and Jastrow 1205 s.v. פְּצַם . sn You made the earth quake; you split it open . The psalmist uses the imagery of an earthquake to describe the nation’s defeat.


text: Heb “you have caused your people to see [what is] hard.”


text: Heb “wine of staggering,” that is, intoxicating wine that makes one stagger in drunkenness. Intoxicating wine is here an image of divine judgment that makes its victims stagger like drunkards. See Isa 51:17-23 .


text: Heb “those who fear you.”


text: There is a ray of hope in that God has allowed his loyal followers to rally under a battle flag. The translation assumes the verb is from the root נוּס ( nus , “flee”) used here in the Hitpolel in the sense of “find safety for oneself” ( HALOT 681 s.v. נוס ) or “take flight for oneself” (BDB 630-31 s.v. נוּס ). Another option is to take the verb as a denominative from נֵס ( nes , “flag”) and translate “that it may be displayed” (BDB 651 s.v. II נסס ) or “that they may assemble under the banner” ( HALOT 704 s.v. II נסס ). Here קֹשֶׁט ( qoshet ) is taken as an Aramaized form of קֶשֶׁת ( qeshet , “bow”; BDB 905-6 s.v. קֶשֶׁת ), though some understand the homonymic קֹשְׁטְ ( qosht , “truth”) here (see Prov 22:21 ; cf. NASB). If one follows the latter interpretation, the line may be translated, “so that they might assemble under the banner for the sake of truth.”


text: Heb “right hand.”


text: The Qere (marginal reading) has “me,” while the Kethib (consonantal text) has “us.”


text: Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text, “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”


text: Heb “in his holy place.”


text: Heb “the protection of my head.” sn Ephraim , named after one of Joseph’s sons, was one of two major tribes located west of the Jordan. By comparing Ephraim to a helmet, the Lord suggests that the Ephraimites played a primary role in the defense of his land.


text: Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of,” i.e., “I will take possession of Edom.” Others translate עַל (’ al ) as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.


label: NET textual note

text: Heb “over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph.” The translation follows the text of Ps 108:9 . When the initial עֲלֵיוֹ (’ aleyo , “over”) was misread as עָלַי (’ alay , “over me”), the first person verb form was probably altered to an imperative to provide better sense to the line.


text: Heb “and futile [is] the deliverance of man.”


text: Heb “in God we will accomplish strength.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18 ; 1 Sam 14:48 ; Pss 108:13; 118:15-16 ).