1sn Psalm 95. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God as the creator of the world and the nation’s protector, but he also reminds the people not to rebel against God.

2tn Heb “to the rocky summit of our deliverance.”

3tn Heb “meet his face.”

4tn Heb “with songs of joy.”

5tn Heb “above.”

6tn The phrase “in his hand” means within the sphere of his authority.

7tn Heb “kneel down.”

8tn Heb “of his hand.”

9tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.

10tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).

11sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.

12sn The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).

13tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”

14tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”

15tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite or an imperfect. If the latter, it emphasizes the ongoing nature of the condition in the past. The translation reflects this interpretation of the verbal form.

16tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”

17tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the Lord’s “ways” are his commands, viewed as a pathway from which his people, likened to wayward sheep (see v. 7), wander.

18tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are compared to sheep (see v. 7).