Psalms 13:4-6

13:4 Then ¹  my enemy will say, “I have defeated him!”

Then ²  my foes will rejoice because I am upended.

13:5 But I ³  trust in your faithfulness.

May I rejoice because of your deliverance! ⁴ 

13:6 I will sing praises ⁵  to the Lord

when he vindicates me. ⁶ 

[13:4]  ¹ tn Heb “or else.”

[13:4]  ² tn Heb “or else.”

[13:5]  ³ tn The grammatical construction used here (conjunction with independent pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s defeated condition envisioned in v. 4 and confident attitude he displays in v. 5.

[13:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “may my heart rejoice in your deliverance.” The verb form is jussive. Having expressed his trust in God’s faithful character and promises, the psalmist prays that his confidence will prove to be well-placed. “Heart” is used here of the seat of the emotions.

[13:6]  ⁵ tn The verb form is cohortative, indicating the psalmist’s resolve (or vow) to praise the Lord when deliverance arrives.

[13:6]  ⁶ tn Or “for he will have vindicated me.” The verb form indicates a future perfect here. The idiom גָמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense.