HarperCollins Study Bible
Page 227
PSALM 109
Prayer for Vindication and Vengeance
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.
1Do not be silent, O God of my praise.
2For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3They beset me with words of hate,
and attack me without cause.
4In return for my love they accuse me,
even while I make prayer for them.a
5So they reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6They say,b “Appoint a wicked man against him;
let an accuser stand on his right.
7When he is tried, let him be found guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin.
8May his days be few;
may another seize his position.
9May his children be orphans,
and his wife a widow.
10May his children wander about and beg;
may they be driven out ofc the ruins they inhabit.
11May the creditor seize all that he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.
12May there be no one to do him a kindness,
nor anyone to pity his orphaned children.
13May his posterity be cut off;
may his name be blotted out in the second generation.
14May the iniquity of his fatherd be remembered before the LORD,
and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15Let them be before the LORD continually,
and may hise memory be cut off from the earth.
16For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy
and the brokenhearted to their death.
17He loved to curse; let curses come on him.
He did not like blessing; may it be far from him.
18He clothed himself with cursing as his coat,
may it soak into his body like water,
like oil into his bones.
19May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself,
like a belt that he wears every day.”
20May that be the reward of my accusers from the LORD,
of those who speak evil against my life.
21But you, O LORD my Lord,
act on my behalf for your name’s sake;
because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.
22For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is pierced within me.
23I am gone like a shadow at evening;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24My knees are weak through fasting;
my body has become gaunt.
25I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.
26Help me, O LORD my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love.
27Let them know that this is your hand;
you, O LORD, have done it.
28Let them curse, but you will bless.
Let my assailants be put to shame;f may your servant be glad.
29May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.
30With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
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a Syr: Heb I prayer
b Heb lacks They say
c Gk: Heb and seek
d Cn: Heb fathers
e Gk: Heb their
f Gk: Heb They have risen up and have been put to shame
109.1–31 An individual prayer for help against enemies who have uttered false accusations and pronounced curses that endanger the life of the petitioner. To the leader. See note on 4.1–8.
109.1 Cry for help.
109.2–5 Lament over the false accusations (cf. v. 20) and hateful curses (cf. v. 28) rendered against the psalmist, who has acted benevolently toward those who now persecute. The lament urges God’s intervention.
109.6–19 The lament continues as the accusation (v. 16) and the curses (vv. 8–15, 17–19) that have been uttered against the petitioner are now quoted. Because the curses and accusation are directed against an individual rather than a group, as in vv. 2–5, some, including the NRSV (see text note c), see these verses as spoken by the accusers of the psalmist.
109.6–7 The accusers have called for a judicial process against the psalmist to prove guilt and bring about a punishment of death (v. 31).
109.8 The phrase seize his position is cited at the replacement of Judas in Acts 1.20.
109.15b Better translated according to text note f; the reference is to the family.
109.16 The false accusation is that the psalmist oppressed the poor and needy even to their death, and so the curse is that the psalmist also shall not be treated kindly (v. 12) and be pursued to death (v. 31).
109.17–19 Here, as in v. 12 (cf. v. 16a), the curses call for a punishment corresponding to the supposed crime.
109.20–29 The petitions of the psalmist asking God to stop the persecutors are couched in language somewhat similar to their curses and accusations (vv. 22, 28–29, 31).
109.20 This verse has been understood by some interpreters as concluding the preceding part, i.e., “This is the work of my accusers, those who speak evil against my life.”
109.22 For I am poor and needy. Accused of having oppressed the poor and needy (v. 16), the psalmist is in the same state and so can claim God’s help (cf. Ex 22.22–26).
109.30–31 Vow of praise and thanksgiving.
109.31 He stands…the needy, over against the efforts of the persecutors to place an accuser on his right (v. 6).
PSALM 110
Assurance of Victory for God’s Priest-King
Of David. A Psalm.
1The LORD says to my lord,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2The LORD sends out from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your foes.
3Your people will offer themselves willingly
on the day you lead your forces
on the holy mountains.a
From the womb of the morning,
like dew, your youthb will come to you.
4The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”c
5The Lord is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
he will shatter heads
over the wide earth.
7He will drink from the stream by the path;
therefore he will lift up his head.
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a Another reading is in holy splendor
b Cn: Heb the dew of your youth
c Or forever, a rightful king by my edict
110.1–7 A royal psalm declaring God’s establishment of the ruling and priestly office of the king. The psalm probably originally had to do with rights and traditions given to the king at his enthronement in Jerusalem. Textual problems prohibit a clear and certain reading of the text.
110.1 An oracle probably delivered by a prophetic or priestly figure. My lord, i.e., the king. At my right hand is a place of power and honor. The ruler here is the Lord (cf. 1 Kings 2.19). Your footstool refers to the practice of victorious kings placing their feet on the backs of captured enemies. The verse is frequently cited in the NT in reference to the exaltation of Christ; see Acts 2.34; 1 Cor 15.25; Heb 1.3, 13. It appears also in a controversy between Jesus and his opponents; see Mt 22.44; Mk 12.36; Lk 20.42.
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br /> 110.2 The scepter of the king is given by God as a symbol of rule over enemies.
110.3 On the day you lead your forces probably should be read “On the day of your power,” i.e., on the day of the king’s enthronement. The second half of the verse may be another oracle referring to the divine adoption of the king: “From the womb of the morning, like dew I have begotten you” (cf. 2.7). Dew. Cf. 72.6.
110.4 An additional oracle giving the king priestly functions and prerogatives (cf. 2 Sam 6.13–14, 18; 8.18; 24.25; 1 Kings 3.4; 8.14, 55). Melchizedek, a figure who seems to have been a king of Jerusalem; he was called “priest of God Most High” in the pre-Israelite era (Gen 14.17–20). Israel seems to have taken over traditions from the Jebusites, who inhabited Jerusalem prior to David’s conquest of the city (1 Sam 5.6–10). In the Letter to the Hebrews, Jesus’ priestly role is associated with Melchizedek through citation of this verse (see Heb 5.6, 10; 6.20–7.10, 15–17).
110.5–6 God’s defeat of the enemies of the king.
110.7 The meaning of the verse is uncertain, but it may refer to some ritual act of the king at the enthronement.
PSALM 111
Praise for God’s Wonderful Works
1Praise the LORD!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2Great are the works of the LORD,
studied by all who delight in them.
3Full of honor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;
the LORD is gracious and merciful.
5He provides food for those who fear him;
he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the heritage of the nations.
7The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
8They are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name.
10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice ita have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever.
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a Gk Syr: Heb them
111.1–10 A hymn of praise and thanksgiving. Its conclusion and its alphabetic acrostic form (see note on 9.1–10.18) show that it was composed for instruction as well as praise. Although an individual voice gives thanks, the psalm focuses on the wonderful deeds of God for the people rather than the particular way in which God has helped an individual, as is the case in such psalms as Pss 18; 22; 30; 116. Ps 66 gives an example of the combination of thanksgiving for the works of God on behalf of the people and the help rendered to an individual in distress.
111.4 The LORD…merciful. See note on 103.8.
111.5 He is…covenant. See 105.8–10; 106.45.
111.6 Heritage of the nations, presumably the land of Canaan, which was occupied by various nations when Israel took the land.
111.10 See Job 28.28; Prov 1.7; 9.10. Fear of the LORD. See note on 34.7.
PSALM 112
Blessings of the Righteous
1Praise the LORD!
Happy are those who fear the LORD,
who greatly delight in his commandments.
2Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
4They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered forever.
7They are not afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the LORD.
8Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever;
their horn is exalted in honor.
10The wicked see it and are angry;
they gnash their teeth and melt away;
the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.
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112.1–10 Instruction about the characteristics and benefits of righteous living. Cf. Pss 1; 19; 119. Like Ps 111, with which this psalm shares various expressions and vocabulary, Ps 112 is an alphabetic acrostic (see note on 9.1–10.18).
112.1 Happy. See note on 1.1. Fear the LORD. See note on 34.7. Delight in his commandments. See Ps 1.2.
112.4 They are gracious, merciful. The righteous are seen to imitate the attributes of God according to the ancient confession of Ex 34.6. Cf. 103.8; 111.4; 116.5.
112.6 See Ps 15, esp. v. 5b.
112.9 Horn. See note on 75.4–5.
112.10 As in Ps 1, the wicked are contrasted with the righteous but are given less attention. Like the chaff, with which they are compared in Ps 1, they are worthless and disappear.
PSALM 113
God the Helper of the Needy
1Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD;
praise the name of the LORD.
2Blessed be the name of the LORD
from this time on and forevermore.
3From the rising of the sun to its setting
the name of the LORD is to be praised.
4The LORD is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens.
5Who is like the LORD our God,
who is seated on high,
6who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
7He raises the poor from the dust,
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the LORD!
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113.1–9 A hymn in praise of God, who does wonderful things on behalf of the weak and needy. In Jewish tradition this is one of the “Egyptian Hallel” (“praise”) psalms (Pss 113–118), sung before (Pss 113–114) and after (Pss 115–118) the Passover meal (cf. Mt 26.30; Mk 14.26). Because of vv. 7–9 particularly, the song stands in a line of tradition with 1 Sam 2.1–10; Lk 1.46–55.
113.2 Blessed. See note on 103.1–2.
113.5 Cf. Ex 15.11.
113.6 Cf. 14.2; 138.6.
113.7–8 Cf. 1 Sam 2.8.
113.9 Cf. 1 Sam 2.5.
PSALM 114
God’s Wonders at the Exodus
1When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2Judah became God’sa sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
3The sea looked and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5Why is it, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
7Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.
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a Heb his
114.1–8 A hymn in praise of
God’s marvelous power in bringing Israel out of slavery in Egypt and across the Jordan into the promised land. One of the Hallel psalms (see note on 113.1–9).
114.2 Judah became God’s sanctuary suggests a date of composition after Jerusalem had become the site of the central sanctuary.
114.3–6 The miraculous phenomena of nature during the exodus and the crossing of the Jordan are here given poetic interpretation as manifestations of divine power. The sea…fled refers to the turning back of the waters during the exodus. Jordan turned back. Cf. Josh 3.14–17.
114.8 See Ex 17.6; Num 20.11.
PSALM 115
The Impotence of Idols and the Greatness of God
1Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.
2Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3Our God is in the heavens;
he does whatever he pleases.
4Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk; they make no sound in their throats.
8Those who make them are like them;
so are all who trust in them.
9O Israel, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield.
10O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield.
11You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield.
12The LORD has been mindful of us; he will bless us;
he will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
13he will bless those who fear the LORD,
both small and great.