21:5 Your deliverance brings him great honor; 1
you give him majestic splendor. 2
25:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,
for I am alone 3 and oppressed!
30:10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me!
O Lord, deliver me!” 4
33:3 Sing to him a new song! 5
Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him! 6
83:14 Like the fire that burns down the forest,
or the flames that consume the mountainsides, 7
86:3 Have mercy on me, 8 O Lord,
for I cry out to you all day long!
97:11 The godly bask in the light;
the morally upright experience joy. 9
119:19 I am like a foreigner in this land. 10
Do not hide your commands from me!
139:5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
1 tn Or “great glory.”
2 tn Heb “majesty and splendor you place upon him.” For other uses of the phrase הוֹד וְהָדָר (hod vÿhadar, “majesty and splendor”) see 1 Chr 16:27; Job 40:10; Pss 96:6; 104:1; 111:3.
3 tn That is, helpless and vulnerable.
5 tn Heb “be a helper to me.”
7 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.
8 tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”
9 sn The imagery of fire and flames suggests unrelenting, destructive judgment.
11 tn Or “show me favor.”
13 tn Heb “Light is planted for the godly, and for the upright of heart joy.” The translation assumes an emendation of זָרַע (zara’, “planted”) to זָרַח (zara’, “shines”) which collocates more naturally with “light.” “Light” here symbolizes the joy (note the following line) that accompanies deliverance and the outpouring of divine favor.
15 tn Heb “I am a resident alien in the land.” Resident aliens were especially vulnerable and in need of help. They needed to know the social and legal customs of the land to avoid getting into trouble. The translation (note the addition of “like”) assumes the psalmist is speaking metaphorically, not literally.