143:6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer; 1
my soul thirsts for you in a parched 2 land. 3
143:7 Answer me quickly, Lord!
My strength is fading. 4
Do not reject me, 5
or I will join 6 those descending into the grave. 7
1 tn The words “in prayer” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the psalmist is referring to a posture of prayer.
2 tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” See Ps 63:1.
3 tc Heb “my soul like a faint land for you.” A verb (perhaps “thirsts”) is implied (see Ps 63:1). The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition -כְּ (kÿ, “like”) to -בְּ (bÿ, “in,” see Ps 63:1; cf. NEB “athirst for thee in a thirsty land”). If the MT is retained, one might translate, “my soul thirsts for you, as a parched land does for water/rain” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
4 tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”
5 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” (1) can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) can carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
6 tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
7 tn Heb “the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit; cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See Ps 28:1.