2tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 74.

3tn Heb “Turn your ear to the words of my mouth.”

4tn Heb “I will open with a wise saying my mouth, I will utter insightful sayings from long ago.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה + מָשָׁל (mashal + khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6), and an insightful song that reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent death (Ps 49:4).

5tn Or “known.”

6tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 5, 8, 12, 57).

7tn The pronominal suffix refers back to the “fathers” (“our ancestors,” v. 3).

8tn Heb “to a following generation telling the praises of the Lord.” “Praises” stand by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14.

9tn The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).

10tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the Lord’s mighty deeds (see vv. 3-4).

11tn Heb “in order that they might know, a following generation, sons [who] will be born, they will arise and will tell to their sons.”

12tn Heb “keep.”

13tn Heb “a generation that did not make firm its heart and whose spirit was not faithful with God.” The expression “make firm the heart” means “to be committed, devoted” (see 1 Sam 7:3).

14tn Heb “the sons of Ephraim.” Ephraim probably stands here by synecdoche (part for whole) for the northern kingdom of Israel.

15tn Heb “ones armed, shooters of bow.” It is possible that the term נוֹשְׁקֵי (nosh˙qey, “ones armed [with]”) is an interpretive gloss for the rare רוֹמֵי (romey, “shooters of”; on the latter see BDB 941 s.v. I רָמָה). The phrase נוֹשְׁקֵי קֶשֶׁת (nosh˙qey qeshet, “ones armed with a bow”) appears in 1 Chr 12:2; 2 Chr 17:17.

16sn They retreated. This could refer to the northern tribes’ failure to conquer completely their allotted territory (see Judg 1), or it could refer generally to the typical consequence (military defeat) of their sin (see vv. 10-11).

17tn Heb “the covenant of God.”

18tn Heb “walk in.”

19tn Heb “his deeds.”

20sn The region of Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta, where the enslaved Israelites lived (see Num 13:22; Isa 19:11, 13; 30:4; Ezek 30:14).

21tn Heb “and caused them to drink, like the depths, abundantly.”

22tn Heb “rebelling [against] the Most High.”

23tn Heb “and they tested God in their heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the center of their volition.

24tn Heb “they spoke against God, they said.”

25tn Heb “to arrange a table [for food].”

26tn Heb “look.”

27tn Heb “therefore.”

28tn Heb “and also anger went up.”

29tn Heb “and they did not trust his deliverance.”

30sn Manna was apparently shaped like a seed (Exod 16:31), perhaps explaining why it is here compared to grain.

31sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).

32tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”

33tn Heb “and like the sand of the seas winged birds.”

34tn Heb “and they ate and were very satisfied.”

35tn Heb “they were not separated from their desire.”

36tn Heb “and did not believe in his amazing deeds.”

37tn Heb “and he ended in vanity their days.”

38tn Heb “and their years in terror.”

39tn Or “killed them,” that is, killed large numbers of them.

40tn Heb “they sought him.”

41tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”

42tn Heb “and [that] God Most High [was] their redeemer.”

43tn Heb “with their mouth.”

44tn Heb “and with their tongue they lied to him.”

45tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”

46tn One could translate v. 38 in the past tense (“he was compassionate…forgave sin and did not destroy…held back his anger, and did not stir up his fury”), but the imperfect verbal forms are probably best understood as generalizing. Verse 38 steps back briefly from the narrational summary of Israel’s history and lays the theological basis for v. 39, which focuses on God’s mercy toward sinful Israel.

47tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive signals a return to the narrative.

48tn Heb “and he remembered that they [were] flesh, a wind [that] goes and does not return.”

49tn Or “caused him pain.”

50tn Heb “and they returned and tested God.” The Hebrew verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate that an earlier action was repeated.

51tn Or “wounded, hurt.” The verb occurs only here in the OT.

52sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.

53tn Heb “his hand,” symbolizing his saving activity and strength, as the next line makes clear.

54tn Heb “[the] day [in] which he ransomed them from [the] enemy.”

55tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).

56tn Or “portents, omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are referred to here (see vv. 44-51).

57tn Heb “and he sent an insect swarm against them and it devoured them.”

58tn Heb “and a swarm of frogs and it destroyed them.”

59tn Heb “and he turned over to the hail their cattle.”

60tn Heb “and their livestock to the flames.” “Flames” here refer to the lightning bolts that accompanied the storm.

61tn Heb “he sent against them the rage of his anger.” The phrase “rage of his anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.

62tn Heb “fury and indignation and trouble, a sending of messengers of disaster.”

63tn Heb “he leveled a path for his anger.” There were no obstacles to impede its progress; it moved swiftly and destructively.

64tn Or perhaps “[the] plague.”

65tn Heb “the beginning of strength.” If retained, the plural form אוֹנִים (’onim, “strength”) probably indicates degree (“great strength”), but many ancient witnesses read “their strength,” which presupposes an emendation to אֹנָם (’onam; singular form of the noun with third masculine plural pronominal suffix).

66tn Heb “this mountain.” The whole land of Canaan seems to be referred to here. In Exod 15:17 the promised land is called the “mountain of your [i.e., God’s] inheritance.”

67tn The “right hand” here symbolizes God’s military strength (see v. 55).

68tn Heb “he caused to fall [to] them with a measuring line an inheritance.”

69tn Heb “and caused the tribes of Israel to settle down in their tents.”

70tn Or “tested and rebelled against.”

71tn Heb “God, the Most High.”

72tn Or “keep.”

73tn Heb “his testimonies” (see Ps 25:10).

74tn Heb “they turned back.”

75tn Or “acted treacherously like.”

76tn Heb “they turned aside like a deceitful bow.”

77tn Traditionally, “high places.”

78tn Or “rejected.”

79tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” The expression “his strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.

80tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” The expression “his splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.

81sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).

82tn Heb “his inheritance.”

83tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

84tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

85tn Heb “were not praised,” that is, in wedding songs. The young men died in masses, leaving no husbands for the young women.

86tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

87tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

88sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.

89tn Heb “and the master awoke like one sleeping.” The Lord’s apparent inactivity during the time of judgment is compared to sleep.

90tn Heb “like a warrior overcome with wine.” The Hebrew verb רוּן (run, “overcome”) occurs only here in the OT. The phrase “overcome with wine” could picture a drunken warrior controlled by his emotions and passions (as in the present translation), or it could refer to a warrior who awakes from a drunken stupor.

91tn Heb “a permanent reproach he made them.”

92tc Heb “and he built like the exalting [ones] his sanctuary.” The phrase כְּמוֹ־רָמִים (k˙mo-ramim, “like the exalting [ones]”) is a poetic form of the comparative preposition followed by a participial form of the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”). The text should be emended to כִּמְרֹמִים (kimromim, “like the [heavenly] heights”). See Ps 148:1, where “heights” refers to the heavens above.

93tn Heb “like the earth, [which] he established permanently.” The feminine singular suffix on the Hebrew verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish”) refers to the grammatically feminine noun “earth.”

94tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”

95tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”

96tn Heb “He”; the referent (David, God’s chosen king, mentioned in v. 70) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

97tn Heb “and he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart.”

98tn Heb “and with the understanding of his hands he led them.”