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Old/New Testament

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Psalm 87-88

Psalm 87^[a]

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.

87 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills.^[b]
²The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
³People say wonderful things about you,^[c]
O city of God. (Selah)
⁴I mention Rahab^[d] and Babylon to my followers.^[e]
Here are^[f] Philistia and Tyre, along with Ethiopia.^[g]
It is said of them, “This one was born there.”^[h]
⁵But it is said of Zion’s residents,^[i]
“Each one of these^[j] was born in her,
and the Most High^[k] makes her secure.”
⁶The Lord writes in the census book of the nations,^[l]
“This one was born there.”^[m] (Selah)
⁷As for the singers, as well as the pipers—
all of them sing within your walls.^[n]

Psalm 88^[o]

A song, a psalm written by the Korahites, for the music director, according to the machalath-leannoth style;^[p] a well-written song^[q] by Heman the Ezrahite.

88 O Lord God who delivers me,^[r]
by day I cry out
and at night I pray before you.^[s]
²Listen to my prayer.^[t]
Pay attention^[u] to my cry for help.
³For my life^[v] is filled with troubles,
and I am ready to enter Sheol.^[w]
⁴They treat me like^[x] those who descend into the grave.^[y]
I am like a helpless man,^[z]
⁵adrift^[aa] among the dead,
like corpses lying in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
and who are cut off from your power.^[ab]
⁶You place me in the lowest regions of the Pit,^[ac]
in the dark places, in the watery depths.
⁷Your anger bears down on me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. (Selah)
⁸You cause those who know me to keep their distance;
you make me an appalling sight to them.
I am trapped and cannot get free.^[ad]
⁹My eyes grow weak because of oppression.
I call out to you, O Lord, all day long;
I spread out my hands in prayer to you.^[ae]
¹⁰Do you accomplish amazing things for the dead?
Do the departed spirits^[af] rise up and give you thanks? (Selah)
¹¹Is your loyal love proclaimed in the grave,
or your faithfulness in the place of the dead?^[ag]
¹²Are your amazing deeds experienced^[ah] in the dark region,^[ai]
or your deliverance in the land of oblivion?^[aj]
¹³As for me, I cry out to you, O Lord;
in the morning my prayer confronts you.
¹⁴O Lord, why do you reject me,
and pay no attention to me?^[ak]
¹⁵I am oppressed and have been on the verge of death since my youth.^[al]
I have been subjected to your horrors and am numb with pain.^[am]
¹⁶Your anger overwhelms me;^[an]
your terrors destroy me.
¹⁷They surround me like water all day long;
they join forces and encircle me.^[ao]
¹⁸You cause my friends and neighbors to keep their distance;^[ap]
those who know me leave me alone in the darkness.^[aq]

Footnotes

Psalm 87:1 sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.
Psalm 87:1 tn Heb “his foundation [is] in the hills of holiness.” The expression “his foundation” refers here by metonymy to the Lord’s dwelling place in Zion. The “hills” are the ones surrounding Zion (see Pss 125:2; 133:3).
Psalm 87:3 tn Heb “glorious things are spoken about you.” The translation assumes this is a general reference to compliments paid to Zion by those who live within her walls and by those who live in the surrounding areas and lands. Another option is that this refers to a prophetic oracle about the city’s glorious future. In this case one could translate, “wonderful things are announced concerning you.”
Psalm 87:4 sn “Rahab,” which means “proud one,” is used here as a title for Egypt (see Isa 30:7).
Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “to those who know me” (see Ps 36:10). Apparently the Lord speaks here. The verbal construction (the Hiphil of זָכַר, zakhar, “remember” followed by the preposition ל [lamed] with a substantive) is rare, but the prepositional phrase is best understood as indicating the recipient of the announcement (see Jer 4:16). Some take the preposition in the sense of “among” and translate, “among those who know me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). In this case these foreigners are viewed as the Lord’s people and the psalm is interpreted as anticipating a time when all nations will worship the Lord (see Ps 86:9) and be considered citizens of Zion.
Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “Look.”
Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “Cush.”
Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “and this one was born there.” The words “It is said of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarification and stylistic purposes (see v. 5). Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand “there” as referring to Zion, but it seems more likely that the adverb refers to the nations just mentioned. The foreigners are identified by their native lands.
Psalm 87:5 tn Heb “and of Zion it is said.” Another option is to translate, “and to Zion it is said.” In collocation with the Niphal of אָמַר (ʾamar), the preposition ל (lamed) can introduce the recipient of the statement (see Josh 2:2; Jer 4:11; Hos 1:10; Zeph 3:16), carry the nuance “concerning, of” (see Num 23:23), or mean “be named” (see Isa 4:3; 62:4).
Psalm 87:5 tn Heb “a man and a man.” The idiom also appears in Esth 1:8. The translation assumes that the phrase refers to each of Zion’s residents, in contrast to the foreigners mentioned in v. 4. Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand this as a reference to each of the nations, including those mentioned in v. 4.
Psalm 87:5 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
Psalm 87:6 tn Heb “the Lord records in the writing of the nations.”
Psalm 87:6 tn As noted in v. 4, the translation assumes a contrast between “there” (the various foreign lands) and “in her” (Zion). In contrast to foreigners, the citizens of Zion have special status because of their birthplace (v. 5). In this case vv. 4 and 6 form a structural frame around v. 5.
Psalm 87:7 tc Heb “and singers, like pipers, all my springs [are] in you.” The participial form חֹלְלִים (khol^elim) appears to be from a denominative verb meaning “play the pipe,” though some derive the form from חוּל (khul, “dance”). In this case the duplicated ל (lamed) requires an emendation to מְחֹלְלִים (m^ekhol^elim, “a Polel form). The words are addressed to Zion. As it stands, the Hebrew text makes little, if any, sense. “Springs” are often taken here as a symbol of divine blessing and life”), but this reading does not relate to the preceding line in any apparent way. The present translation assumes an emendation of כָּל־מַעְיָנַי (kol maʿyanay, “all my springs”) to כֻּלָּם עָנוּ (kullam ʿanu, “all of them sing,” with the form עָנוּ being derived from עָנָה, ʿanah, “sing”).
Psalm 88:1 sn Psalm 88. The psalmist cries out in pain to the Lord, begging him for relief from his intense and constant suffering. The psalmist regards God as the ultimate cause of his distress, but nevertheless clings to God in hope.
Psalm 88:1 tn The Hebrew phrase מָחֲלַת לְעַנּוֹת (makhalat l^eʿannot) may mean “illness to afflict.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term מָחֲלַת also appears in the superscription of Ps 53.
Psalm 88:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
Psalm 88:1 tn Heb “O Lord God of my deliverance.” In light of the content of the psalm, this reference to God as the one who delivers seems overly positive. For this reason some assume dittography of the י (yod) and emend the text from אֱלֹהֵי יְשׁוּעָתִי (ʾelohe yeshuʿati) to אֱלֹהַי שִׁוַּעְתִּי (ʾelohay shivvaʿtiy, “[O Lord] my God, I cry out”). See v. 13.
Psalm 88:1 tn Heb “[by] day I cry out, in the night before you.”
Psalm 88:2 tn Heb “may my prayer come before you.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s desire or prayer.
Psalm 88:2 tn Heb “turn your ear.”
Psalm 88:3 tn Or “my soul.”
Psalm 88:3 tn Heb “and my life approaches Sheol.”
Psalm 88:4 tn Heb “I am considered with.”
Psalm 88:4 tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit,” “cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.
Psalm 88:4 tn Heb “I am like a man [for whom] there is no help.”
Psalm 88:5 tn Heb “set free.”
Psalm 88:5 tn Heb “from your hand.”
Psalm 88:6 tn The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit,” “cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See v. 4.
Psalm 88:8 tn Heb “[I am] confined and I cannot go out.”
Psalm 88:9 tn Heb “I spread out my hands to you.” Spreading out the hands toward God was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). The words “in prayer” have been supplied in the translation to clarify this.
Psalm 88:10 tn Heb “Rephaim,” a term that refers to those who occupy the land of the dead (see Isa 14:9; 26:14, 19).
Psalm 88:11 tn Heb “in Abaddon,” a name for Sheol. The noun is derived from a verbal root meaning “to perish,” “to die.”
Psalm 88:12 tn Heb “known.”
Psalm 88:12 tn Heb “darkness,” here a title for Sheol.
Psalm 88:12 tn Heb “forgetfulness.” The noun, which occurs only here in the OT, is derived from a verbal root meaning “to forget.”sn The rhetorical questions in vv. 10-12 expect the answer, “Of course not!”
Psalm 88:14 tn Heb “[why] do you hide your face from me?”
Psalm 88:15 tn Heb “and am dying from youth.”
Psalm 88:15 tn Heb “I carry your horrors [?].” The meaning of the Hebrew form אָפוּנָה (ʾafunah), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. It may be an adverb meaning “very much” (BDB 67 s.v.), though some prefer to emend the text to אָפוּגָה (ʾafugah, “I am numb”) from the verb פוּג (pug; see Pss 38:8; 77:2).
Psalm 88:16 tn Heb “passes over me.”
Psalm 88:17 tn Heb “they encircle me together.”
Psalm 88:18 tn Heb “you cause to be far from me friend and neighbor.”
Psalm 88:18 tn Heb “those known by me, darkness.”

Romans 13

Submission to Civil Government

13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment,^[a] and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. ²So the person who resists such authority^[b] resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment ³(for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation ⁴because it is God’s servant for your well-being. But be afraid if you do wrong because government^[c] does not bear the sword for nothing. It is God’s servant to administer punishment on the person who does wrong. ⁵Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities^[d] but also because of your conscience.^[e] ⁶For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities^[f] are God’s servants devoted to governing.^[g] ⁷Pay everyone what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

Exhortation to Love Neighbors

⁸Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. ⁹For the commandments,^[h] “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,”^[i] (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[j] ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Motivation to Godly Conduct

¹¹And do this^[k] because we know^[l] the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer than when we became believers. ¹²The night has advanced toward dawn; the day is near. So then we must lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light. ¹³Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy. ¹⁴Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires.^[m]

New English Translation (NET)

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Old/New Testament

Psalm 87[a]

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.

Psalm 88[o]

A song, a psalm written by the Korahites, for the music director, according to the machalath-leannoth style;[p] a well-written song[q] by Heman the Ezrahite.

Footnotes

Submission to Civil Government

Exhortation to Love Neighbors

Motivation to Godly Conduct

Footnotes

Psalm 87^[a]

Psalm 88^[o]

A song, a psalm written by the Korahites, for the music director, according to the machalath-leannoth style;^[p] a well-written song^[q] by Heman the Ezrahite.