3:2 Many say about me,
“God will not deliver him.” 1 (Selah) 2
A prayer 4 of David.
16:1 Protect me, O God, for I have taken shelter in you. 5
18:23 I was innocent before him,
and kept myself from sinning. 6
25:21 May integrity and godliness protect me,
for I rely on you!
55:8 I will hurry off to a place that is safe
from the strong wind 7 and the gale.”
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 9 a prayer 10 of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him. 11
59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God!
Protect me 12 from those who attack me! 13
120:2 I said, 14 “O Lord, rescue me 15
from those who lie with their lips 16
and those who deceive with their tongue. 17
1 tn Heb “there is no deliverance for him in God.”
2 sn The function of the Hebrew term סֶלָה (selah), transliterated here “Selah,” is uncertain. It may be a musical direction of some kind.
3 sn Psalm 16. The psalmist seeks divine protection because he has remained loyal to God. He praises God for his rich blessings, and is confident God will vindicate him and deliver him from death.
4 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מִכְתָּם (mikhtam) is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
5 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results (see 7:1; 11:1).
5 tn Heb “from my sin,” that is, from making it my own in any way.
7 tn Heb “[the] wind [that] sweeps away.” The verb סָעָה (sa’ah, “sweep away”) occurs only here in the OT (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 120).
9 sn Psalm 59. The psalmist calls down judgment on his foreign enemies, whom he compares to ravenous wild dogs.
10 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-58, 75.
11 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-58, 60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
12 tn Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”
13 tn Or “make me secure”; Heb “set me on high.”
14 tn Heb “from those who raise themselves up [against] me.”
11 tn The words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the introductory note for this psalm.
12 tn Or “my life.”
13 tn Heb “from a lip of falsehood.”
14 tn Heb “from a tongue of deception.”