¹tn 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).
²tn 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.”
³sn “Rahab,” which means “proud one,” is used here as a title for Egypt (see Isa 30:7).
⁴tn Heb “to those who know me” (see Ps 36:10). Apparently the Lord speaks here. The verbal construction (the Hiphil of rkz [“remember”] followed by the preposition -l 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.
⁵tn Heb “Look.”
⁶map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
⁷tn Heb “Cush.”
⁸tn Heb “and this one was born there.” The words “It is said of them” 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.
⁹tn Heb “and of Zion it is said.” Another option is to translate, “and to Zion it is said.” In collocation with the Niphal of rma, the preposition lamed (-l) 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).
¹⁰tn 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.
¹¹tn Traditionally “Most High.”
¹²tn Heb “and he makes her secure, the Most High.”
¹³tn Heb “the Lord records in the writing of the nations.”
¹⁴tn 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.
¹⁵tc Heb “and singers, like pipers, all my springs [are] in you.” The participial form <yllj appears to be from a denominative verb meaning “play the pipe” (see BDB 320), though some derive the form from lwj (“dance”). In this case the duplicated lamed requires an emendation to <ylljm (“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 ynyum-lk (“all my springs”) to Wnu* <L*K% (“all of them sing,” with the form wnu being derived from hnu [“sing”]).
¹⁶sn 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.
¹⁷tn The Hebrew phrase twnul tljm may mean “illness to afflict.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term tljm also appears in the superscription of Ps 53.
¹⁸tn The meaning of the Hebrew term lykcm (“maskil”) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise” (see BDB 968). 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.