Psalms 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150
Ps 27:1
לְדָוִד ׀ יְהוָה ׀ אֹורִי וְיִשְׁעִי מִמִּי אִירָא יְהוָה מָֽעֹוז־חַיַּי מִמִּי אֶפְחָֽד׃
By David. YHWH is my light and my salvation. Who will I fear? YHWH is the stronghold of my life. Who will I tremble?
Paraphrase: This song is by David. YHWH is my Great Teacher and the One who leads me through life. (Psalm 43:3) He is the One who has rescued me from my sin and guilt and reconciled me to Himself. Now in light of these two great facts, who or what is there in this life that I should fear? YHWH is the safe place to which I can run whenever I come into any kind of trouble. With such a stronghold near me, why should I tremble with fear for anyone or anything in this life?
Comments:
“The Psalms of the OT remarkably enough have no single, well recognized, universally accepted name by which they are designated in the Hebrew Scriptures.” source
For לְדָוִד see the the lamed auctoris.
מִמִּי = interrogative pronoun; here it is a merger between the preposition מִן and מִי.
Psalm 27:2
בִּקְרֹב עָלַי ׀ מְרֵעִים לֶאֱכֹל אֶת־בְּשָׂרִי צָרַי וְאֹיְבַי לִי הֵמָּה כָשְׁלוּ וְנָפָֽלוּ׃
When evildoers were drawing near to me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies to me, they stumbled and fell.
Paraphrase: In fact, let me tell you what actually happened. There was a day when those who hate me were closing in on me so that they could destroy me and finish me off for good. As they drew near, however, they suddenly lost their footing and fell headlong in disgrace. They couldn’t lay a hand on me.
Comments:
When the infinitive occurs with the preposition beth, a temporal meaning is intended as here in בִּקְרֹב. When the lamed preposition is prefixed, the meaning is usually purpose as in לֶאֱכֹל.
Psalm 27:3
אִם־תַּחֲנֶה עָלַי ׀ מַחֲנֶה לֹֽא־יִירָא לִבִּי אִם־תָּקוּם עָלַי מִלְחָמָה בְּזֹאת אֲנִי בֹוטֵֽחַ׃
If an army camps against me, my heart will not fear; if a battle comes up before me, in this I will be trusting.
Paraphrase: No matter what kind of army comes up before me to destroy me, I will not be afraid of them. It doesn’t matter how strong they are or how many of them there might be, my mind remains settled and calm. Even when the battle begins, I am not at all unsettled. I have a perfect confidence that they won’t be able to touch me.
Comments:
Note the conditional.
Psalm 27:4
אַחַת ׀ שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהוָה אֹותָהּ אֲבַקֵּשׁ שִׁבְתִּי בְּבֵית־יְהוָה כָּל־יְמֵי חַיַּי לַחֲזֹות בְּנֹֽעַם־יְהוָה וּלְבַקֵּר בְּהֵיכָלֹֽו׃
One thing I will ask from YHWH; this I will request; I will dwell in the house of YHWH all the days of my life to see the splendor of YHWH and to inquire in His temple.
Paraphrase: Now I have just one thing to ask from my Great King, YHWH. My only request is that I might live out the rest of my days in His house. There I could just sit and contemplate the glorious splendor of my King. I could study Him and learn about all His ways. I could sit at His feet and ask Him questions and thus look with awe and wonder into the depths of His unspeakable knowledge.
Comments:
שַׁבְתִּי is from שׁוב while שִׁבְתִּי is from ישׁב.
Psalm 27:5
כִּי יִצְפְּנֵנִי ׀ בְּסֻכֹּה בְּיֹום רָעָה יַסְתִּרֵנִי בְּסֵתֶר אָהֳלֹו בְּצוּר יְרֹומְמֵֽנִי׃
because He will conceal me in His succoth, in the day of evil; he will hide me in a hiding place of His tent; on a rock, He will lift me.
Paraphrase: I make this request because I know what YHWH has done for me, and I know what He will yet do for me. When I get into any kind of trouble, He will hide me away in His tent. He will tuck me away in a safe place where no evil will be able to reach me. YHWH has a special place for me inside His own house. When storms come, they won’t be able to shake me because YHWH will place me on a huge rock that nothing can shake.
Comments:
Psalm 27:6
וְעַתָּה יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי עַל אֹֽיְבַי סְֽבִיבֹותַי וְאֶזְבְּחָה בְאָהֳלֹו זִבְחֵי תְרוּעָה אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמְּרָה לַיהוָֽה׃
and now my head will be raised over my surrounding enemies, and I will sacrifice in His tent sacrifices of shouting; I will sing and I will make music for YHWH.
Paraphrase: Now I can rest easy; I can even lift up my head in victory. All around me, my enemies are laying in defeat and disgrace. It’s time for me to go to YHWH’s temple and to bring my peace offerings. My whole family will come with me, and we will sing praise songs with all our heart. My children will sing their loudest, and we will all be bursting over with thanksgiving to our Great King for all He does for us.
Comments:
אָשִׁירָה = cohortative
“The most joyous of all sacrifices was the peace-offering.” (Leviticus 3) source
Psalm 27:7
שְׁמַע־יְהוָה קֹולִי אֶקְרָא וְחָנֵּנִי וַעֲנֵֽנִי׃
Hear YHWH, my voice, I will call; be gracious to me and answer me.
Paraphrase: Oh YHWH, listen to my prayers and hear my calls for help. Show mercy and favor to me by answering me in Your grace.
Comments:
Ps 27:8
לְךָ אָמַר לִבִּי בַּקְּשׁוּ פָנָי אֶת־פָּנֶיךָ יְהוָה אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ׃
seek My Face; to you my heart says, “Your Face,” YHWH, “I will seek.”
Paraphrase: “Even in my distress, I still hear you calling me to seek Your Face. (Psalm 50:15) Now, I am turning to you,” oh YHWH, “in response to Your call, and I am asking that you will admit me into into Your holy presence.”
Comments:
Horsley cannot understand this text as it stands.
- De Burgh takes לִנּי as a vocative which would give the following meaning: To thee, my heart, He hath said, Seek thou My face; Thy face, O Jehovah, will I seek.
- Delitszch mentions some who take the lamed on לְךָ as a lamed auctoris.
- The NET Bible suggests several different changes to the text.
- The usual meaning, which Jennings says is the interpretation put on this verse by all the rabbis, is that God says בַּקְּשׁוּ פָנָי and the Psalmist responds to it with אֶת־פָּנֶיךָ יְהוָה אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ.
- The NIV & NET translate such that לִבִּי is the one saying בַּקְּשׁוּ פָנָי.
- The LSB seems to try and adopt both options: On Your behalf my heart says, “Seek My face,” “Your face, O Yahweh, I shall seek.” Hengstenberg takes the same line.
Ps 27:9
אַל־תַּסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ ׀ מִמֶּנִּי אַֽל־תַּט־בְּאַף עַבְדֶּךָ עֶזְרָתִי הָיִיתָ אַֽל־תִּטְּשֵׁנִי וְאַל־תַּֽעַזְבֵנִי אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעִֽי׃
Do not cause your face to be hidden from me; do not turn in anger from your servant; my help you have been; do not abandon me and do not forsake me, oh God my Salvation.
Paraphrase: Oh God, you are my salvation. In the past, you have helped me through many difficult trials. Now I cry out to you and pray that You would not turn your back on me in my time of distress. You have every just reason to be angry with me, but I pray that you would abandon me and leave me over to myself.
Comments:
Ps 27:10
כִּי־אָבִי וְאִמִּי עֲזָבוּנִי וַֽיהוָה יַֽאַסְפֵֽנִי׃
Ps 27:11
הֹורֵנִי יְהוָה דַּרְכֶּךָ וּנְחֵנִי בְּאֹרַח מִישֹׁור לְמַעַן שֹׁורְרָֽי׃
Ps 27:12
אַֽל־תִּתְּנֵנִי בְּנֶפֶשׁ צָרָי כִּי קָֽמוּ־בִי עֵֽדֵישֶׁ־קֶר וִיפֵחַ חָמָֽס׃
Psalm 27:13
לוּלֵא הֶאֱמַנְתִּי לִרְאֹות בְּֽטוּב־יְהוָה בְּאֶרֶץ חַיִּֽים׃
Comments:
Many see an aposiopesis here; cf Ewald.
For לוּלֵא, see §x6.
Ps 27:14
קַוֵּה אֶל־יְהוָה חֲזַק וְיַאֲמֵץ לִבֶּךָ וְקַוֵּה אֶל־יְהוָֽה׃