Psalms 1:5
900
Instead they are like wind-driven chaff.
 
1:5 For this reason the wicked cannot
withstand judgment,
nor can sinners join the assembly of the
godly.
1:6 Certainly the Lord guards the way of
the godly,
but the way of the wicked ends in de-
struction.
 tn Here the Hebrew expression ‫י־אם‬ ִ ‫( ִּכ‬ki-’im, “instead,”
cf. v. 2) introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the
godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described
in v. 4.
 tn Heb “[they are] like the chaff which [the] wind blows
about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to
the typical nature of the action described.
sn Wind-driven chaff. In contrast to the well-rooted and pro-
ductive tree described in v. 3, the wicked are like a dried up
plant that has no root system and is blown away by the wind.
The simile describes the destiny of the wicked (see vv. 5-6).
 tn Or “Therefore.”
 tn Heb “arise in,” but the verb is used metonymically here
in the sense of “stand”; “endure,” as in 1 Sam 13:14 and
Job 8:15. The negated Hebrew imperfect verbal form is here
taken as indicating incapability or lack of potential, though
one could understand the verb form as indicating what is
typical (“do not withstand”) or what will happen (“will not with-
stand”).
 tn Heb “the judgment.” The article indicates a judgment
that is definite in the mind of the speaker. In the immediate
context this probably does not refer to the “final judgment”
described in later biblical revelation, but to a temporal/histori-
cal judgment which the author anticipates. Periodically dur-
ing the OT period, God would come in judgment, removing
the wicked from the scene, while preserving a godly remnant
(see Gen 6-9; Ps 37; Hab 3).
 tn Heb “and sinners in the assembly (or “circle”) of [the]
godly.” The negative particle and verb from the preceding line
are assumed by ellipsis here (“will not arise/stand”).
sn The assembly of the godly is insulated from divine judg-
ment (Ps 37:12-17, 28-29).
 tn The translation understands ‫ כי‬as asseverative. Anoth-
er option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 6 as a theo-
logical explanation for vv. 3-5, which contrasts the respective
destinies of the godly and the wicked.
 tn Heb “the Lord knows the way of the righteous.” To
“know a way” means, in its most basic sense, “to recognize/
acknowledge a pathway, route, or prescribed way of life” (see
Josh 3:4; Job 21:14; Ps 67:2; Isa 42:16; Jer 5:4-5). Here it
could refer to the Lord recognizing the behavior of the godly
and, by metonymy, rewarding their godliness with security and
prosperity (resulting in the translation, “the Lord rewards the
behavior of the godly”). The present translation takes the verb
in the sense of “mark out” (cf. Job 23:10), which metonymi-
cally could mean “watch over, protect, guard.” In this case
the “way of the godly” is not their behavior, but their course
of life or destiny; a translation reflecting this would be “the
Lord protects the lives of the godly” or “the Lord watches over
the destiny of the godly” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The Hebrew ac-
tive participle ַ‫( יוֹדֵ ע‬yodea’, “knows”) has here a characteristic
durative force.
 tn Heb “but the way of the wicked perishes.” The “way of
the wicked” may refer to their course of life (Ps 146:9; Prov
4:19; Jer 12:1) or their sinful behavior (Prov 12:26; 15:9). The
Hebrew imperfect verbal form probably describes here what
typically happens, though one could take the form as indicat-
ing what will happen (“will perish”).
Psalm 210
2:1 Why11 do the nations rebel?12
Why13 are the countries14 devising15 plots
that will fail?16
2:2 The kings of the earth17 form a united
front;18
the rulers collaborate19
against the Lord and his anointed king.20
2:3 They say,21 “Let’s tear off the shackles
they’ve put on us!22
Let’s free ourselves from23 their ropes!”
2:4 The one enthroned24 in heaven laughs
in disgust;25
the Lord taunts26 them.
10 sn Psalm 2. In this royal psalm the author asserts the
special status of the divinely chosen Davidic king and warns
the nations and their rulers to submit to the authority of God
and his chosen vice-regent.
11 tn The question is rhetorical. Rather than seeking infor-
mation, the psalmist expresses his outrage that the nations
would have the audacity to rebel against God and his chosen
king.
12 tn The Hebrew verb ‫( רָ ג ַׁש‬ragash) occurs only here. In Dan
6:6, 11, 15 the Aramaic cognate verb describes several of-
ficials acting as a group. A Hebrew nominal derivative is used
in Ps 55:14 of a crowd of people in the temple.
13 tn The interrogative ‫( לָ ּ ָמה‬lamah, “why?”) is understood
by ellipsis in the second line.
14 tn Or “peoples” (so many English versions).
15 tn The Hebrew imperfect form describes the rebellion as
underway. The verb ‫( הָ גָה‬hagah), which means “to recite quiet-
ly, meditate,” here has the metonymic nuance “devise, plan,
plot” (see Ps 38:12; Prov 24:2).
16 tn Heb “devising emptiness.” The noun ‫( ִריק‬riq, “empti-
ness”) may characterize their behavior as “worthless, morally
bankrupt” but more likely refers to the outcome of their plots
(i.e., failure). As the rest of the psalm emphasizes, their rebel-
lion will fail.
17 sn The expression kings of the earth refers somewhat
hyperbolically to the kings who had been conquered by and
were subject to the Davidic king.
18 tn Or “take their stand.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal
form describes their action as underway.
19 tn Or “conspire together.” The verbal form is a Niphal
from ‫( יָסַ ד‬yasad). BDB 413-14 s.v. ‫ יָסַ ד‬defines the verb as
“establish, found,” but HALOT 417 s.v. II ‫ יסד‬proposes a hom-
onym meaning “get together, conspire” (an alternate form of
‫סוּד‬, sud).
20 tn Heb “and against his anointed one.” The Davidic king
is the referent (see vv. 6-7).
21 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation
for clarification. The quotation represents the words of the re-
bellious kings.
22 tn Heb “their (i.e., the Lord’s and the king’s) shackles.”
The kings compare the rule of the Lord and his vice-regent to
being imprisoned.
23 tn Heb “throw off from us.”
24 tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb ‫ָשב‬ ַ ׁ ‫( י‬yashav) is here
used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7;
29:10; 55:19; 102:12; 123:1).
25 tn As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laugh-
ter. The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in vv. 4-5 describe the
action from the perspective of an eyewitness who is watching
the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.
26 tn Or “scoffs at”; “derides”; “mocks.”