Text -- Psalms 141:1-5 (NET)

Psalm 141

141:1 A psalm of David. O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me! Pay attention to me when I cry out to you! 141:2 May you accept my prayer like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering! 141:3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth! Protect the opening of my lips! 141:4 Do not let me have evil desires, or participate in sinful activities with men who behave wickedly. I will not eat their delicacies. 141:5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me! May my head not refuse choice oil! Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Psa 141:1

¹ sn Psalm 141. The psalmist asks God to protect him from sin and from sinful men.

NET Notes: Psa 141:2

¹ tn Heb “may my prayer be established [like] incense before you, the uplifting of my hands [like] an evening offering.”

NET Notes: Psa 141:3

¹ tn Heb “door.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.

² sn My mouth…my lips. The psalmist asks God to protect him from speaking inappropriately or sinfully.

NET Notes: Psa 141:4

¹ tn Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”

² tn Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”

³ sn Their delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.

NET Notes: Psa 141:5

¹ tn The form יָנִי (yaniy) appears to be derived from the verbal root נוּא (nu’). Another option is to emend the form to יְנָא (yÿna’), a Piel from נָאָה (na’ah), and translate “may choice oil not adorn my head” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 271). In this case, choice oil, like delicacies in v. 4, symbolize the pleasures of sin.

² sn May my head not refuse choice oil. The psalmist compares the constructive criticism of the godly (see the previous line) to having refreshing olive oil poured over one’s head.

³ tc Heb “for still, and my prayer [is] against their evil deeds.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult; the sequence -כִּי־עוֹד וּ (kiy-’od u-, “for still and”) occurs only here. The translation assumes an emendation to כִּי עֵד תְפלָּתִי (“indeed a witness [is] my prayer”). The psalmist’s lament about the evil actions of sinful men (see v. 4) testifies against the wicked in the divine court.