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Psalms 95:4
94:7 Then they say, “The Lord does not I would have laid down in the silence of
see this; death.16
the God of Jacob does not take notice of 94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
it.” your loyal love, O Lord, supports me.
94:8 Take notice of this, you ignorant 94:19 When worries threaten to over-
people! whelm me,17
You fools, when will you ever understand? your soothing touch makes me happy.18
94:9 Does the one who makes the human 94:20 Cruel rulers19 are not your allies,
ear not hear? those who make oppressive laws.20
Does the one who forms the human eye 94:21 They conspire against21 the blame-
not see? 
less,22
94:10 Does the one who disciplines the and condemn to death the innocent.23
nations not punish? 94:22 But the Lord will protect me,24
He is the one who imparts knowledge to and my God will shelter me.25
human beings! 94:23 He will pay them back for their sin.26
94:11 The Lord knows that He will destroy them because of27 their
peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt. evil;
94:12 How blessed is the one whom you the Lord our God will destroy them.
instruct, O Lord,
the one whom you teach from your law, Psalm 9528
94:13 in order to protect him from times 95:1 Come! Let’s sing for joy to the Lord!
of trouble, Let’s shout out praises to our protector
until the wicked are destroyed. 
who delivers us!29
94:14 Certainly the Lord does not forsake 95:2 Let’s enter his presence30 with
his people; thanksgiving!
he does not abandon the nation that be- Let’s shout out to him in celebration!31
longs to him.10 95:3 For the Lord is a great God,
94:15 For justice will prevail,11 a great king who is superior to32 all gods.
and all the morally upright will be vin-
12
95:4 The depths of the earth are in his
dicated. 13
hand,33
94:16 Who will rise up to defend me 14
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
against the wicked?
Who will stand up for me against the 16 tn Heb “If the Lord [were] not my help, quickly my life
evildoers?15 would have lain down in silence.” The psalmist, perhaps
94:17 If the Lord had not helped me, speaking as the nation’s representative, recalls God’s past in-
tervention. For other examples of conditional sentences with
the term ‫( לוּלֵ י‬luley, “if not”) in the protasis and a perfect ver-
6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21). bal form in the apodosis, see Pss 119:92 and 124:2-5.
 tn Heb “does not understand.” 17 tn Heb “when my worries are many within me.”
 tn Heb “understand.” The verb used in v. 7 is repeated 18 tn Heb “your comforts cause my soul to delight.”
here for rhetorical effect. The people referred to here claim 19 tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by
God is ignorant of their actions, but the psalmist corrects metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.
their faulty viewpoint. 20 tn Heb “Is a throne of destruction united to you, one that
 tn Heb “[you] brutish among the people.” forms trouble upon a statute?” The rhetorical question antici-
 tn Heb “The one who plants an ear, does he not hear? The pates the answer, “Of course not!” The translation, while not
one who forms an eye, does he not see?” preserving the interrogative form of the statement, reflects its
 tn Heb “the Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are rhetorical force.
emptiness.” The psalmist thinks specifically of the “thoughts” 21 tn Or “attack.”
expressed in v. 7. 22 tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”
 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wis- 23 tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare
dom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented guilty.”
perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the 24 tn Heb “and the Lord has become my elevated place.”
psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their The prefixed verbal form with vav (‫ )ו‬consecutive is used in a
gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if
the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral it were already reality.
“one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in v. 2. 25 tn Heb “and my God [has become] a rocky summit of my
 tn Heb “to give him rest from the days of trouble.” safety.”
 tn Heb “until a pit is dug for the wicked.” 26 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (‫ )ו‬consecutive is
 tn Or “for.” used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated develop-
10 tn Or “his inheritance.” ment as if it were already reality.
11 tn Heb “for judgment will return to justice.” 27 tn Or “in.”
12 tn Heb “all the pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed 28 sn Psalm 95. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God
as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure as the creator of the world and the nation’s protector, but he
of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the also reminds the people not to rebel against God.
Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 29 tn Heb “to the rocky summit of our deliverance.”
7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 97:11). 30 tn Heb “meet his face.”
13 tn Heb “and after it [are] the pure of heart.” 31 tn Heb “with songs of joy.”
14 tn Heb “for me.” 32 tn Heb “above.”
15 sn Who will stand up for me…? The questions anticipate 33 tn The phrase “in his hand” means within the sphere of
the answer, “No one except God” (see v. 17). his authority.