1sn Psalm 145. The psalmist praises God because he is a just and merciful king who cares for his people. 2tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.” 3tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.” 4tn Heb “and concerning his greatness there is no searching.” 5tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may one generation praise…and tell about.” 6tn Heb “the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and the matters of your amazing deeds I will ponder.” 7tn 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.” 8tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.” 9tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk…and sing.” 10tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8). 11tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8). 12tn Heb “and his compassion is over all his works.” 13tn Heb “the sons of man.” 14tn Heb “a kingdom of all ages.” 15tc 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. 16tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6). 17tn Heb “the eyes of all wait for you.” 18tn Heb “and you give to them their food in its season” (see Ps 104:27). 19tn Heb “[with what they] desire.” 20tn Heb “in all his ways.” 21tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.” 22tn Heb “in truth.” 23tn In this context “desire” refers to the followers’ desire to be delivered from wicked enemies. 24tn Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.” 25tn Heb “the praise of the Lord my mouth will speak.” 26tn Heb “all flesh.”
1sn Psalm 145. The psalmist praises God because he is a just and merciful king who cares for his people.
2tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
3tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”
4tn Heb “and concerning his greatness there is no searching.”
5tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may one generation praise…and tell about.”
6tn Heb “the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and the matters of your amazing deeds I will ponder.”
7tn 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.”
8tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”
9tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk…and sing.”
10tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
11tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).
12tn Heb “and his compassion is over all his works.”
13tn Heb “the sons of man.”
14tn Heb “a kingdom of all ages.”
15tc 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.
16tn Perhaps “discouraged” (see Ps 57:6).
17tn Heb “the eyes of all wait for you.”
18tn Heb “and you give to them their food in its season” (see Ps 104:27).
19tn Heb “[with what they] desire.”
20tn Heb “in all his ways.”
21tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”
22tn Heb “in truth.”
23tn In this context “desire” refers to the followers’ desire to be delivered from wicked enemies.
24tn Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.”
25tn Heb “the praise of the Lord my mouth will speak.”
26tn Heb “all flesh.”