Jeremiah 51:36

51:36 Therefore the Lord says,

“I will stand up for your cause.

I will pay the Babylonians back for what they have done to you. ¹ 

I will dry up their sea.

I will make their springs run dry. ² 

Psalms 35:1

Psalm 35 ³ 

By David.

35:1 O Lord, fight ⁴  those who fight with me!

Attack those who attack me!

Psalms 43:1

Psalm 43 ⁵ 

43:1 Vindicate me, O God!

Fight for me ⁶  against an ungodly nation!

Deliver me ⁷  from deceitful and evil men! ⁸ 

Proverbs 22:23

22:23 for the Lord will plead their case ⁹ 

and will rob those who are robbing ¹⁰  them.

Isaiah 51:22

51:22 This is what your sovereign master, ¹¹  the Lord your God, says:

“Look, I have removed from your hand

the cup of intoxicating wine, ¹² 

the goblet full of my anger. ¹³ 

You will no longer have to drink it.

Micah 7:9

7:9 I must endure ¹⁴  the Lord’s anger,

for I have sinned against him.

But then ¹⁵  he will defend my cause, ¹⁶ 

and accomplish justice on my behalf.

He will lead me out into the light;

I will experience firsthand ¹⁷  his deliverance. ¹⁸ 

¹ tn Heb “I will avenge your vengeance [= I will take vengeance for you; the phrase involves a verb and a cognate accusative].” The meaning of the phrase has been spelled out in more readily understandable terms.

² tn Heb “I will dry up her [Babylon’s] sea and make her fountain dry.” “Their” has been substituted for “her” because “Babylonians” has been inserted in the previous clause and is easier to understand than the personification of Babylon = “her.”

³ sn Psalm 35. The author, who faces ruthless enemies who seek his life for no reason, begs the Lord to fight his battles for him and to vindicate him by annihilating his adversaries.

⁴ tn Or “contend.”

⁵ sn Psalm 43. Many medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalm 43 and Psalm 42 into one psalm. Psalm 43 is the only psalm in Book 2 of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72) that does not have a heading, suggesting that it was originally the third and concluding section of Psalm 42. Ps 43:5 is identical to the refrain in Ps 42:11 and almost identical to the refrain in Ps 42:5.

⁶ tn Or “argue my case.”

⁷ tn The imperfect here expresses a request or wish. Note the imperatives in the first half of the verse. See also v. 3.

⁸ tn Heb “from the deceitful and evil man.” The Hebrew text uses the singular form “man” in a collective sense, as the reference to a “nation” in the parallel line indicates.

⁹ tn The construction uses the verb יָרִיב (yariv) with its cognate accusative. It can mean “to strive,” but here it probably means “to argue a case, plead a case” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV). How the Lord will do this is not specified – either through righteous people or by direct intervention.

¹⁰ tn The verb קָבַע (qava’, “to rob; to spoil; to plunder”) is used here in both places to reflect the principle of talionic justice. What the oppressors did to the poor will be turned back on them by the Lord.

¹¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

¹² tn Heb “the cup of [= that causes] staggering” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV); NASB “the cup of reeling.”

¹³ tn Heb “the goblet of the cup of my anger.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “lift, bear.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “until.”

¹⁶ tn Or “plead my case” (NASB and NIV both similar); NRSV “until he takes my side.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “see.”

¹⁸ tn Or “justice, vindication.”