18:18 They confronted 1 me in my day of calamity,
but the Lord helped me. 2
86:3 Have mercy on me, 3 O Lord,
for I cry out to you all day long!
102:11 My days are coming to an end, 4
and I am withered like grass.
144:4 People 5 are like a vapor,
their days like a shadow that disappears. 6
1 tn The same verb is translated “trapped” in v. 5. In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.
2 tn Heb “became my support.”
3 tn Or “show me favor.”
5 tn Heb “my days [are] like an extended [or “lengthening”] shadow,” that is, like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness.
7 tn Heb “man,” or “mankind.”
8 tn Heb “his days [are] like a shadow that passes away,” that is, like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness. See Ps 102:11.