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PSALM 1
1. Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked.
Nor has he stood in the way of sinners,
nor has he sat in the seat of scoffers.
2. Rather, what he takes delight in is in the Torah of YHWH,
and on His Torah he meditates day and night.
3. Thus he will become like a tree planted over rivulets of water,
which provides its fruit in its season.
Nor will his foliage wither [and drop off],
but all that he does will bring prosperity.
Compare Yirmeyahu 17:8.
4. The wicked are not like this,
but rather are like the chaff that the wind drives away.
5. Therefore the wicked will not endure during the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous [ones],
Endure: or stand, be confirmed.
6. because YHWH is mindful of the way of righteous [ones],
while the way of the wicked will be lost.
PSALM 2
This psalm was written by David for the Coronation of King Shlomoh and used for every descendant of his who sat on what was called "the throne of the Kingdom of YHWH" (1 Chron. 28:5); it is also used in the Day of Atonement liturgy.
1. Why are nations in a commotion, and peoples devising [a scheme] in vain?
2. The kings of the earth take their stations, and the heavily-honored ones sit together in conclave in regard to YHWH and in regard to His Anointed one:
Anointed one: Heb., mashiakh ("Messiah").
3. "Let us tear off their bands and fling their chains away from us!"
4. The One who sits in the heavens will laugh; Adonai will mock them.
5. At such a time He will threaten them in His anger, and terrify them when His anger burns:
6. "Rather, I have installed My king atop Tziyon, My one-of-a-kind mountain!"
No one else's opinion matters. They have no authority to overrule His choice of who is to be king.
7. I will declare the decree: YHWH has said unto me, "You are My son; today I have begotten you.
This was originally spoken of King Shlomoh, and from then on the term "son of Elohim" took on a special connotation of meaning the rightful heir to David's throne. So when Y'shua is called the "Son of Elohim", it means no more and no less than this. YHWH gave him somewhat of a coronation when Yochanan witnessed his miqveh, saying, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased", echoing this psalm. "Beloved" was probably the Hebrew term yakhid, which YHWH used of Yitzhaq in Gen. 22, referring to "one and only" but not in a literal way, because Avraham had many other sons, but this one was the heir to the covenant in a way accorded to no other. (See verse 6 above.) Y'shua is also meant to be the "firstborn among many brothers" (Romans 8:29), and not as unique as many would make him out to be, though having pre-eminence over them all as seen in verses 10-12 below.
8. "Ask of me, and I shall give you the nations [as] your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9. "You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
10. Be wise now, therefore, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11. Serve YHWH with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Do not hold His gifts too tightly; be ready to give them back to Him as tribute when He asks.
12. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled even just a little. All those who are fleeing to Him for refuge are blessed!
I.e., pay him homage and maintain your proper position in comparison to him. He is the "king of kings"—the emperor over the whole world, to whom you must defer at all times. Don't try to get out from under the Torah that will emanate from Yerushalayim to every under-ruler. (v. 3) But stay on his right side, and you will have tremendous benefits. This verse correlates very well with what YHWH told Moshe: "I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brothers like yourself, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them all that we will command. And what will take place is that the man who does not obey the words that he will speak in My name, I myself will require it from him." (Deut. 18:18-19) This applied initially to Y'hoshua. These two streams converged again in Y'shua, who, like his ancestors David and Shlomoh, was both prophet and king, as well as "priest after the order of Melkhitzedeq", meaning simply that he reigned in Yerushalayim, made certain offerings on behalf of the whole nation, and had some say over what went on in the place YHWH was worshipped, though not infringing at all on the privileges and responsibilities assigned to the Levitical priests. But since he is "like Moshe", his being called "Son of Elohim" should in no way be misconstrued to mean he was some sort of hybrid god-man (Yoch. 1:18), and not an outsider, but a fellow Israelite—our "Kinsman-Redeemer".
PSALM 8
1. To the chief musician, on the Gittith.
A Psalm of David.
On the Gittith: possibly, about the Gathite woman, about the wine-press, or possibly a particular type of musical instrument from Gath.
2. O YHWH, our Master, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!
[You] who have set Your splendor over the skies!
3. From the mouth of infants and nursing [babies] You have caused the foundation of strength to be laid on account of those who show hostility toward You.
4. When I look at Your skies, the workmanship of Your fingers—the moon and the stars that You have set in order,
5. what is mortal man, that You [even] remember him, or the son of Adam, that You attend to him?
6. Yet You have made him fall short of Elohim [only] slightly, and with dignity and splendor You crown him.
7. You have given him dominion over the workmanship of Your hands; You have put everything under his feet--
Put: legally and officially appointed that this be the order.
8. flocks [of sheep] and oxen; the beasts of the field too,
9. the bird over the skies, and the fish of the sea, as well as what crosses the paths of the seas.
10. O YHWH, our Master, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!
PSALM 16
...
8. I have set YHWH constantly before me; since [He is not far] from my right hand, I will not be overthrown.
9. For this reason my heart is glad, and my reputation rejoices; my flesh will also settle down in [secure] trustfulness,
10. because you will not abandon my soul to the grave, nor will you permit Your pious one to gaze at the pit [of destruction],
11. You will make me to know the pathway of life; abundance of joys [come] with Your presence. At Your right hand are pleasant things perpetually!
PSALM 18
1. (To the superintendent of musicians, belonging to the servant of YHWH, David, who sang to YHWH the words of this song on the day YHWH snatched him out of the palm of [the hand of] all his enemies, and out of the hand of Sha'ul.) Now he said, "I will have tender affection for you, O YHWH, who makes my grip firm!
This seems to be a revision of 2 Shmu'el 22, as David adds this short preamble in verse 1 as an introduction that sums it all up before he submits it to the Levitical choirs to be sung in the Tabernacle courts.
2. "YHWH is my cliff, my stronghold, and [the] one who brings me to safety--
Cliff: or crag, with the sense of being a secure place.
3. "the Elohim of my rock, to whom I can flee, my shield, and the horn of my deliverance, my inaccessibly high retreat, my refuge, my deliverer! You save me from violence!
Rock: somewhat interchangeable with the "cliff" in verse 2, because the rock that Moshe struck and was told to speak to the second time was called by both terms. (Ex. 17:6; Num. 20:8-11) But here he is comparing YHWH to an isolated mesa like Matzada, where he is out of his enemies' reach. Horn: as in an animal horn, a symbol of strength.
4. "‘The One who is to be praised' I will call YHWH, and I will be rescued from my enemies.
5. "When the breaking waves of death had encompassed me, the torrents of the worthless were suddenly overwhelming me,
The worthless: literally, those who do not ascend.
6. "the cords of the underworld were surrounding me, and the snares laid by death had forestalled me--
He paints a picture of tentacles trying to grab him and pull him down under the ground. Forestalled: anticipated my arrival and gotten in my way beforehand, preventing me from going any further.
7. "in what was dire straits for me I started calling out to YHWH, and cried out to my Elohim, and He heard my voice from His sanctuary; my cry for help [came] into His ears!
David was a great warrior, but he knew his limits and was well aware of the danger he faced at every turn. He recognizes YHWH's hand in each circumstance that has turned out to his advantage. He does not allow anyone to believe that this was mere coincidence or even just his own prowess that has preserved his life. He gives credit where credit is due.
8. "Then the earth convulsed to and fro and trembled; the foundations of the sky were agitated and shook, because He was furious!
9. "Smoke rose up in His nostrils, and fire came out from His mouth to consume, and coals were kindled thereby!
He seems to be described a fire-breathing dragon that was suddenly aroused from slumber, shaking the rubble off itself! Such a sight was probably still occasionally seen in David's day.
10. "He began to bend the sky, and came down, and there was thick darkness under His feet!
Bend the sky: as if forming a bridge from heaven to earth down which He could slide quickly to rescue David. There is also imagery here reminiscent of when YHWH gave the Torah at Mt. Sinai. He is aligning himself with who his fathers were, to bring his people clarity about who they were to be, and he goes all the way back to the source. He is identifying with his ancestors who were there, and seeing himself as having been there, as we must do as well, for they also obligated us to obey His commands at that time. (Deut. 29:10-15)
11. "He mounted a kh'ruv and flew, and was seen on the wings of the wind.
Kh'ruv: a six-winged class of angelic beings that guard YHWH's throne. They were depicted on some of the curtains in the Tabernacle and Temple.
12. "While He was appointing darkness all around Him [as] sukkoth--accumulations of water and thick clouds of fine dust--
Sukkoth: booths or temporary dwellings, such as used at the feast by the same name. It obscured His face, upon which no one can look and remain alive. But David also knew that if we look for Him even in the darkest of places, we can find Him if we do not give up. He was sure YHWH heard him and was there to deliver him, and this kept him going.
13. "from the glowing that preceded Him, coals of fire were kindled!
That preceded: literally, across from, opposite, or in front of.
14. "YHWH started thundering from the heavens; that is, the Most High delivered His voice.
15. "He sent out arrows and caused them to scatter, flashes of lightning that confused them.
16. "The enclosures that restrain the sea became visible; the foundations of the habitable world were uncovered at YHWH's rebuke, from the exhaling of breath from His nostrils!
It seems that the continental shelf or the local equivalent in smaller bodies of water was exposed by something that caused the water to retreat a considerable distance. This sounds like a description of one of the world-scale catastrophes that used to affect the land when Me'adim (Mars) used to cross earth's orbit periodically prior to 701 B.C.E., causing massive tides not just in the waters but also in the very crust of the earth. He is also reiterating Israel's history again, likening this to its "birth" through the waters at the Reed Sea as the "ancient spirit" blew them apart as well so all Israel could be delivered. Again he identifies with his ancestors' experience, for he has gone through something similar.
17. "He sent [it] out from an elevated place; He snatched me up and drew me out of abundant waters.
18. "He let me be rescued from my fierce enemy, from those who hated me, because they were stronger than I!
Stronger: or more solid, stout, or firm—i.e., the giants spoken of in the previous chapter.
19. "They had pre-empted me on the day of my calamity, but YHWH was my support.
20. "He brought me out into a roomy place; He pulled me out because He was pleased with me.
Roomy: as opposed to the dire straits (tight spots, narrow places) he had been in just beforehand. (v. 7) From such a wide-open place he would have ample warning if his enemy was approaching.
21. "YHWH repaid me fully according to my righteous [acts]; He gave back to me to the extent that my hands were purified,
This is why YHWH paid such close attention to him. Like Cornelius, he had earned it. (Acts 10:1-4; compare Yochanan 10:17; 14:21.)
22. "since I have treasured up the ways of YHWH, and not wickedly [gone away] from my Elohim
This is exactly what the Torah told him to do, so he quotes in the perfect tense as a completed fact since he indeed did what it said.
23. "because all of His legal procedures [had been right] in front of me; I did not turn aside from them.
As king he was required to keep a copy of the Torah with him every day. (Deut. 17:18-19) He learned it well and kept it his focus, so he would not stray from it. (Compare Psalm 119.)
24. "So I will completely belong to Him, and will keep myself from my perversion.
We owe Him this, even if simply out of gratefulness.
25. "And YHWH will bring back to me according to my righteous [acts]—according to my cleanness in front of His eyes.
In all his years as a warrior, only once had he shed innocent blood. (Chapter 11)
26. "With the kind, You prove Yourself kind; with those of integrity, You prove Yourself to have integrity.
27. "With those who have purified themselves, You show Yourself as pure, but with the crooked, You prove Yourself [able to] twist.
Does this sound contradictory? No, it just means YHWH can outdo anyone's trickery by forestalling them just as David's enemies had tried to do to him. He can "tie them in knots" if they think they can elude His eyes by their fancy footwork. People tend to try to force YHWH into their own image, and if they seek to "pull one over on Him", He will show that He can outdo them; He will leave them with only the twisted version of who He is, sending them a strong delusion that they might believe they have evidence for the lie that they prefer. (2 Thessalonians 2:11) He is open in His dealings with those who will not abuse the knowledge He provides, but keeps others in the dark about His plans.
28. While You will let the afflicted people be liberated, Your eyes are on the ‘high [and mighty]'; You will bring them to a lower place,
29. "because You are my lamp, O YHWH! And YHWH will illuminate what is obscure for me,
Obscure: or simply, dark. Those closest to David thought he was the lamp (21:17), but through this song he corrected their focus, as Yahshua also did. (Yochanan 5:30; 8:28)
30. "since through You I can [out]run a [whole] army division; through my Elohim I can leap over a wall!
Outrun an army division: or, run up against a band.
31. "[As for] the Elohim, His way is sound. The [spoken] word of YHWH is [tested and] proven; He is a shield to all who seek refuge in Him.
Sound: having integrity, unimpaired, completely in accord with the facts.
32. "Because who is an El other than YHWH? And who is a rock except our Elohim?
33. "The [one and only] Elohim is my capable protection, and He unties [those who are] blameless [in] His way,
Or, He causes those who are blameless [in] His way to spring up.
34. "making my feet like [the feet of] does, and He will make me stand on my high ridges,
Like the feet of does: sure-footed, and always climbing higher. A cloven hoof does not get stuck in the mud. High ridges: The most advantageous places militarily, and sadly the very strongholds modern Yehudah has allowed the Palestinians to control.
35. "training my hands for the battle, so that my arms can stretch a bow of bronze.
Training: includes the elements of exercise and prodding, not just instruction. A bronze bow is harder to stretch than a wooden one.
36. "You will also provide me with the shield of Your deliverance, and Your condescension will make me become great.
Condescension: literally, stooping low. I.e., when YHWH stoops to our level to pay us attention and help us, we can be raised higher.
37. "You enlarge my steps beneath me, so that my ankles have not slipped [out of joint].
Steps: or pace, stride. If the place we need to run on is not amply wide, the ankle may be dislodged more easily if one maintains the same pace of running. David is very specific in his thanks to YHWH, seeing His hand in every detail!
38. "I can pursue my enemies and devastate them, and not return until I finish them off.
39. "I can bring them to an end and wound them [so] severely that they cannot get up, but will fall beneath my feet.
40. "Indeed, You will equip me with ability to do battle; those who [persistently] rise up against me You will cause to crouch beneath me.
This does not sound like a "religious" motive, but it is part of being able to guard the Torah, which YHWH tells us over and over to do. David spent much of the time while he was waiting to be made king finishing the job Y'hoshua and his successors had been unable to or failed to do, in ridding the Land of the peoples that YHWH had said to utterly destroy. (1 Shmu'el 27:8-11) As his passion for YHWH increased, so did his desire to rid his people of these threats that still remained, and now he had finished the job.
41. "You have also given me the back of my enemies' necks, so that I could put an end to those who hate me.
42. "They were looking around, but there was no deliverer—toward YHWH, but He did not respond to them.
If there is "personal salvation" anywhere in Scripture it is here, because YHWH chose between two different groups who were calling on Him, and recognized some as rightly-motivated and other not. So He was selective in whom He responds to, sometimes even having to sacrifice one for the sake of the other. (Yeshayahu/Isa. 43:3-4)
43. "So I will pulverize them like the dust of the earth; I will crush them like the muck [in] a street, and spread them out thinly.
Since YHWH gave them no reprieve or consideration, David knew he did not need to either. This is very "politically incorrect" today, but David is not ashamed of it, because He knows it does not offend YHWH, who calls Himself "YHWH [Master of] Armies" (i.e., the General) more than by any other title.
44. "You will also let me safely slip away from the disputes of my people. You will retain me as head of nations; a people I have not known will serve me.
Not only foreigners have oppressed him; many fools in his own nation had put him at a disadvantage also (Shim'i in 16:9 and Sheva in chapter 20, not to mention all who opposed him during Sha'ul's reign), but YHWH did not let this remain the case. Head of nations: This is also a Messianic prophecy, for David is living out many of the experiences of his chosen descendant. Because he loves YHWH and is so faithful to carry out His orders, YHWH gives him a bonus gift of the rulership of the whole world as well. (Yeshayahu 49:6)
45. "The children of a foreigner will [cringe and] feign obedience to me; upon the hearing of the ear, they will have yielded to me.
I.e., no sooner will they be spoken to than they will at least pretend to obey, for they know that he has a rod of iron, and if they are caught, they, not the standard, will be broken.
46. "The sons of the foreigner will wither away, and [come] bound from their prisons.
Wither away: or fade, droop, sink down. Bound: or, belted; alt., trembling. Prisons: or, fastnesses, tightly-closed places, probably places they had hidden from David but were discovered and now have no choice but to surrender. Ithai the Githite (15:9) and many other foreigners had joined his army and now had much better lives than before.
47. "YHWH is alive! And may my Rock be blessed, and may the Elohim of the rock of my safety be raised up high--
48. "the El who provides vengeance for me, and who brings peoples down beneath me!
49. "Who brings me out from [among] my enemies, and You will lift me above those who rise up against me; You will snatch me away from the man of cruel injustices.
50. "Therefore I will thank you, O YHWH, among the nations, and I will sing [praises and play music] to Your Name!
51. "He is a tower of salvation [to] His king, who brings about kindness toward the one He anointed—to David and his seed until [and including] the age!"
Tower: In ancient Israel, they usually had a door on the first level that could be locked, and either an interior or exterior second floor from which one could watch his flocks, herds, or vineyards, to be on the lookout for enemies, robbers, or predators. In a way this is David's "swan song" as he is approaching the last years of his life, so he summarizes his life in this song for all Israel to preserve, and includes YHWH's promise of the continuance of his dynasty, which will be given its ultimate permanence through Yahshua.
PSALM 19
To the chief musician;
A psalm of David.
1. The Heavens
recount YHWH's glory;
The expanse [of the sky]
sets forth the work of His hands.
2. Day after day
speech pours forth;
Night after night
knowledge is revealed.
3. There is no [articulate] speech
Nor are there words;
Inaudible
is their voice.
4. Their measuring line has gone forth
throughout all the earth,
And their testimony
to the remotest parts of the
inhabited world.
5. For the sun He has set up
a dwelling place in them
and it is like a bridegroom
leaving his wedding canopy;
like a strong athlete, it is
enthusiastic to run its course.
6. The far reaches of the heavens
are its starting block;
and his circuit comes around
all the way to their other end,
and nothing is hidden from its heat.
7. The instruction of Yahweh
is complete,
bringing the soul back again.
The scroll of Yahweh's prophecies
is trustworthy,
making the open-minded wise.
Its precision of fulfillment shatters the notion that nothing
is certain and one should therefore tolerate all beliefs. He learns instead
to be wise and choose the one Word that is "firmly established in the
heavens" (119:89).
8. The rules by which He cares for us
fit us properly,
making our hearts rejoice!
Yahweh's [individual] orders
are clearcut,
enlightening [one's] eyes.
9. The reverential fear of Yahweh
is undefiled;
it stands forever.
His decisions
are true and just [when they are]
all [considered] together.
10. [They are] more desirable than gold,
even tons of pure, refined gold!
[They are] also sweeter than honey
and the drippings of a honeycomb.
11. Moreover, your servant
is forewarned by them;
in observing them
[there lies] a great reward.
12. Who is able to perceive [it]
whenever he makes an error?
[Please] don't punish me
for the faults I can't recognize!
13. But also restrain Your servant
from acting presumptuously on
sudden urges—
Don't let them take control of me;
then I'll be perfect, and
emptied of great transgressions.
14. Let the words of my mouth
as well as [all] the musings of my heart
be well-pleasing before You,
O Yahweh,
My Rock and
My Redeemer!
Bullinger [Witness of the Stars] points out how this second stanza (vv.
7-14) parallels the first (vv. 1-6) in describing two forms of YHWH's
revelation. "He has not left Himself without witness" (Envoys 14:17)
anywhere in the world. The stars, created in order to be signs (Gen. 1:14)
have communicated YHWH's glory—His crowning work, the promise redemption
through the Messiah—since the beginning of time. The matzaroth (Iyov 38:32),
of which the modern signs of the zodiac are a corruption, gave many details
about what he would and will accomplish, through the names of the individual stars
(147:4; Yeshay. 40:26) and the ordering of the constellations' positions.
But now David says, YHWH's Torah (instruction) completes the revelation,
"restoring one's soul", i.e., reviving it again with the assurance that YHWH
has not left us to our fallen state, but along with the promise of redemption
He has given us a manner of life through which we can keep the effects of sin
at bay until the visible restoration is complete.
PSALM 81
This psalm is one of those (of which 149 and 150 are additional) providing the instructions of the rightful king of all Israel about how the worship in the Temple is to be carried out:
1 Sing aloud unto YHWH our strength: make a joyful noise unto the Elohim of Yaaqov.
2 Take [up] a psalm, and bring here the tambourine, and the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
Tambourine: or any percussion instrument. Harp: literally, a stringed instrument that "twangs", so it could include a banjo or guitar in modern times. Psaltery: or lyre; a small, ten-stringed harp. An extra-biblical Jewish prophecy said that those who see these harps begin to again be used will live to see the days of Messiah. They have begun being made again in the Land of Israel in recent days by people who were not aware of this prophecy at the time they began.
3 Give a blast with the shofar on the new moon, at the time appointed, on our feast day.
Feast day: the Hebrew word is based on the word for "circle", since on them we dance in a circle. The festivals are also a repeating "cycle" that brings us back to their themes year after year so we can learn more, but this is not a vicious cycle. It spirals higher with each round, bringing us
closer to our goal.
4 For this is a statute for Israel, and a law of the Elohim of Yaaqov.
5 This he ordained in Yoseyf as a testimony, when he went out into the land of Egypt, where I heard a language I did not understand.
Like Yoseyf our ancestor, the house of Efrayim was scattered throughout the whole world, among foreign peoples. What he learned there were things unfamiliar to Yoseyf. Egypt is often a picture of the church that mixed YHWH's truth with paganism.
6 "I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.
7 "You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Ponder this. [musical interlude]
Waters of Meribah: The story is in Exodus 17.
8 "Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto you: O Israel, if you will hearken unto me;
9 "There will be no foreign elohim among you; nor will you worship any foreign elohim.
10 "I am YHWH your Elohim, which brought you out of the land of Egypt: open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
He wants to feed us with the heritage of Yaaqov (cf. v. 1).
11 "But my people would not listen to my voice; and Israel would have none of me.
12 "So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
13 "Oh that my people would have obeyed me, and that Israel would have walked in my ways!
Yet Israel (the Northern Kingdom) mixed itself with the nations. (Hoshea 7:8)
14 "I would have subdued their enemies quickly, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
15 "The haters of YHWH would have submitted themselves unto him: but their time would have lasted for ever."
Or, their adversaries, the haters of YHWH, who feign obedience to Him; but [Israel's] season would be the [messianic] Age.
16 He would have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied you.
This is the promise in Deuteronomy 32:13, which is the Torah portion read during the week of Yom Kippur and Sukkoth. Finest of the wheat: this correlates with the last of the first group of festivals in the spring, Shavuoth, when the wheat harvest begins and the finest is brought to the Temple to be given to the priests and Levites. But those who bring it share the feast with them, and have fellowship with YHWH there at the place He has chosen for His Name.
PSALM 95
7. … Today, if you should hear His voice,
8. do not harden your hearts like the conflict in the day of testing in the wilderness,
9. where your ancestors tested Me and proved me, and they also saw what I did.
10. For forty years I felt a loathing for this generation, so that I came to say, "Look! They are a people that are wandering away in their heart, and they have not understood My ways",
11. [to] whom I swore in My anger, "If they [ever] enter into My rest…!"
PSALM 126
A Psalm of Ascents
This categorization for Psalms 120-134 has been translated "ascents", "degrees", or "steps", based on the Mishnah's description of the Sukkoth festivities on the 15 steps leading down from the Court of Yisrael in the Temple (as also reflected in the Passover liturgy), though this is not stated explicitly. Some have thought they were those used for the return of the exiles, but not all of them refer to this, but all of them may well have been sung on pilgrimages up to Yerushalayim (and by extension, while "rising up" in the world by returning to the Land). They could therefore be called "pilgrim songs", whether national or personal [Hertz].
 1. When YHWH brought back the captives of Tzion, we were like dreamers!
Like dreamers: like those who cannot believe that what they are experiencing is real.
2. Then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with joyful song. Then they said among the Gentiles, "YHWH has accomplished great things for them!"
3. YHWH has [indeed] accomplished great things for us, and we have begun to express joy!
4. Return our captives, O YHWH, like the watercourses in the Negev!
 Watercourses in the Negev: seasonal rivers in Israel's arid south that are dry most of the time, but are vibrantly renewed each rainy season. Yirmiyahu 31:9 says YHWH will bring all the tribes of Israel back, even those who have been "lost" among the nations, by dried-up riverbeds now filled with torrents of water and on level paths. This refers to the ancient paths (Yirm. 6:16) once carved by Torah, but deprived of it, now filled up again with the water of YHWH's instruction.
5. Those who sow in tears will reap with ringing shouts of joy.
6. The one who goes away weeping, carrying seed [he has] acquired, will certainly come back with ringing shouts of joy, bringing his bound [sheaves].
Seed he has acquired: or valuable seed. In the context of dreamers in v. 1, this has to be a reference to Yoseyf's dream in Gen 37: 7. This Psalm is thus a reference to the return of his house. Y'shua is the one who sowed the valuable seeds, the children of the Kingdom (Mat. 13:37), out into the world. YHWH wept over Efrayim (Hoshea 11:8), but when we all finally seek Him, He will respond. (Hoshea 2)
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