91:11 For he will order his angels 2
to protect you in all you do. 3
91:12 They will lift you up in their hands,
so you will not slip and fall on a stone. 4
91:13 You will subdue 5 a lion and a snake; 6
you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent.
91:2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold,
my God in whom I trust –
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.
4:1 When I call out, answer me,
O God who vindicates me! 8
Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. 9
Have mercy on me 10 and respond to 11 my prayer!
1 tn Or “Go, and may the
2 tn Heb “for his angels he will command concerning you.”
3 tn Heb “in all your ways.”
4 tn Heb “so your foot will not strike a stone.”
5 tn Heb “walk upon.”
6 tn Or perhaps “cobra” (see Ps 58:4).
7 sn Psalm 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.
8 tn Heb “God of my righteousness.”
9 tn Heb “in distress (or “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
10 tn Or “show me favor.”
11 tn Heb “hear.”
12 tn This probably refers to the righteous rule of David and others. But it could be more general and mean “did what was righteous.”
13 tn Grk “obtained promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.