Notes (NET Translation)
A psalm by Asaph.
1 Certainly God is good to Israel, and to those whose motives are pure!
As we will see, the statement that God is good has been tested by the evil and injustice the psalmist has witnessed. The parallelism indicates that (faithful) Israel is pure in heart (i.e., loyal to God in speech and action).
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my feet almost slid out from under me.
3 For I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they suffer no pain; their bodies are strong and well-fed.
The implication is that the psalmist expects the good God to punish the wicked.
5 They are immune to the trouble common to men; they do not suffer as other men do.
6 Arrogance is their necklace, and violence their clothing.
Translations take gaʾăwâ to mean pride in a negative sense (cf. 31:18, 23 [19, 24]), but it often means prestige or majesty (e.g., 68:34 [35]), and this makes sense here. Because the faithless are successful and people are inclined to assume that they must have deserved it or to think that they had better keep in favor with them, they have a prominent and honored place in the world. Their prestige hangs around their necks like a garland honoring someone; indeed, they may literally wear victory garlands.1
7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong; their thoughts are sinful.
8 They mock and say evil things; they proudly threaten violence.
9 They speak as if they rule in heaven, and lay claim to the earth.
10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat, and even suck up the water of the sea.
The meaning of this verse is difficult because of the underlying Hebrew text. The literal rendering of the MT is unintelligible: “therefore his people will return [or ‘he turns his people’] hither and waters of fullness are pressed out by them.” BHS proposes, by a series of emendations, “They draw [my] people to them and people drink up their words” (Kraus, 2:501–2). Many variations exist in commentaries and modern versions. The thrust of the text is given in the NIV. The power, wealth, and influence of riches pervert. People are drawn by the rich. Power corrupts not only those who have it but also those who want to get a piece of the action. Opportunists turn to the right people in order to drink from their abundant waters.2
11 They say, “How does God know what we do? Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?”
The fact that the faithless are able to get away with their violence and scoffing provokes this conviction. God lives in heaven and/or in the temple and is not involved in everyday life in the world or in the city. The faithless might grant that God “knows,” that there is “knowledge” with the Most High (cf. EVV), but yādaʿ and daʿat more likely indicate that God does not take any notice of what goes on (cf. NEB). The point is underlined by the terms for God, ʾēl and ʿelyôn. Both suggest the might and power of God: surely this exalted deity does not bother with ordinary this-worldly affairs. But such a view deconstructs. The might of God means that God can and will not only know but also do something about it.3
12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer.
13 I concluded, “Surely in vain I have kept my motives pure and maintained a pure lifestyle.
14 I suffer all day long, and am punished every morning.”
Whereas the wicked are not afflicted, the psalmist is.
15 If I had publicized these thoughts, I would have betrayed your loyal followers.
The words of vv. 13-14 had only been uttered in the psalmist’s heart.
16 When I tried to make sense of this, it was troubling to me.
It is the combination of suffering and unintelligibility that is hard to live with (unintelligible blessing is fine; intelligible suffering—for instance, when we do wrong and suffer—we can live with). Generally, suppliants in the Psalms want the suffering removed, but Ps. 73 wants the unintelligibility removed; hence its appeal to academic readers of the Psalms. The psalmist longs for understanding, for knowledge (daʿat).4
17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple, and understood the destiny of the wicked.
Somehow entering the temple/sanctuary led to understanding the destiny of the wicked. The psalmist may not have learned a new truth but rather reflected on an already known truth.
18 Surely you put them in slippery places; you bring them down to ruin.
19 How desolate they become in a mere moment! Terrifying judgments make their demise complete!
20 They are like a dream after one wakes up. O LORD, when you awake you will despise them.
A dream may be terrifying while it’s happening but it’s nothing when one wakes up. The wicked are here today, gone tomorrow. At the moment, God is not actively punishing the wicked. It is as if he is asleep. But God will act decisively one day.
21 Yes, my spirit was bitter, and my insides felt sharp pain.
22 I was ignorant and lacked insight; I was as senseless as an animal before you.
Bitterness and hurt can generate a senseless attitude toward God.
23 But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me by your wise advice, and then you will lead me to a position of honor.
Whatever God’s reasons for not acting now, it is not the end of the story. The second clause is commonly interpreted as referring to postmortem existence but this need not be the case. Yet Derek Kidner thinks it is likely postmortem existence is in view:
The word afterward, or ‘in the end’, makes it clear that the last line looks beyond the steady progress of the middle sentence, to the climax of the whole. Whether that climax (which can be translated either to glory or ‘with glory’) is the comparatively modest one of promotion to earthly honour, as some would judge, or the crowning joy of passing into God’s presence, is something of an open question. To the present writer, the second is altogether the more likely. Verbally, the word receive suggests it, and doubly so by its use in the story of Enoch (Gen. 5:24, ‘for God took him’; the verb is the same) and in Psalm 49:15. In the latter, the line ‘for he will receive me’ completes a couplet which begins ‘But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol’. Further, the thrust of the present paragraph is towards God alone, from its opening theme, ‘continually with thee’, to its supreme confession in 25f., ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee?’ This mounting experience of salvation, ‘grasped, guided, glorified’, is a humble counterpart to the great theological sequence of Romans 8:29f., which spans the work of God from its hidden beginning, ‘whom he foreknew’, to the same consummation as here, ‘he also glorified’. We may well conclude that if eternal life was visible to a discerning eye even in the saying ‘I am the God of Abraham, … Isaac, and … Jacob’, as our Lord pointed out, here it lies open for all to see.5
25 Whom do I have in heaven but you? I desire no one but you on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may grow weak, but God always protects my heart and gives me stability.
27 Yes, look! Those far from you die; you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. I have made the sovereign LORD my shelter, as I declare all the things you have done.
Bibliography
Goldingay, John. Psalms: Volume 2: Psalms 42-89. Kindle Edition. Baker Academic, 2007.
Kidner, Derek. Psalms 73-150: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter-Varsity Press, 2008.
Tate, Marvin E. Psalms 51-100. Word Biblical Commentary 20. Dallas: Word Books, 1998.
VanGemeren, Willem A. Psalms. Revised Edition. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary 5. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.
Biblical Scholarship 