14:11 Asa prayed 1 to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. 2 Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. 3 O Lord our God, don’t let men prevail against you!” 4
50:15 Pray to me when you are in trouble! 5
I will deliver you, and you will honor me!” 6
91:5 You need not fear the terrors of the night, 7
the arrow that flies by day,
1 tn Heb “called out.”
2 tn Heb “there is not with you to help between many with regard to [the one] without strength.”
3 tn Heb “and in your name we have come against this multitude.”
4 tn Heb “let not man retain [strength] with you.”
5 tn Heb “call [to] me in a day of trouble.”
6 sn In vv. 7-15 the Lord makes it clear that he was not rebuking Israel because they had failed to offer sacrifices (v. 8a). On the contrary, they had been faithful in doing so (v. 8b). However, their understanding of the essence of their relationship with God was confused. Apparently they believed that he needed/desired such sacrifices and that offering them would ensure their prosperity. But the Lord owns all the animals of the world and did not need Israel’s meager sacrifices (vv. 9-13). Other aspects of the relationship were more important to the Lord. He desired Israel to be thankful for his blessings (v. 14a), to demonstrate gratitude for his intervention by repaying the vows they made to him (v. 14b), and to acknowledge their absolute dependence on him (v. 15a). Rather than viewing their sacrifices as somehow essential to God’s well-being, they needed to understand their dependence on him.
7 tn This probably alludes to a sneak attack by enemies in the darkness of night (see Song 3:8).