Psalms 3:3

3:3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; ¹ 

you are my glory ²  and the one who restores me. ³ 

Psalms 7:2

7:2 Otherwise they will rip ⁴  me ⁵  to shreds like a lion;

they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me. ⁶ 

Psalms 18:41

18:41 They cry out, but there is no one to help them; ⁷ 

they cry out to the Lord, ⁸  but he does not answer them.

Psalms 22:11

22:11 Do not remain far away from me,

for trouble is near and I have no one to help me. ⁹ 

Psalms 71:11

71:11 They say, ¹⁰  “God has abandoned him.

Run and seize him, for there is no one who will rescue him!”

Psalms 89:3

89:3 The Lord said, ¹¹ 

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:

Psalms 106:16

106:16 In the camp they resented ¹²  Moses,

and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. ¹³ 

Psalms 137:8

137:8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! ¹⁴ 

How blessed will be the one who repays you

for what you dished out to us! ¹⁵ 

Psalms 144:10

144:10 the one who delivers ¹⁶  kings,

and rescued David his servant from a deadly ¹⁷  sword.

¹ tn Heb “a shield round about me.”

² tn Heb “my glory,” or “my honor.” The psalmist affirms that the Lord is his source of honor, i.e., the one who gives him honor in the sight of others. According to BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 7, the phrase refers to God as the one to whom the psalmist gives honor. But the immediate context focuses on what God does for the psalmist, not vice-versa.

³ tn Heb “[the one who] lifts my head.” This phrase could be understood to refer to a general strengthening of the psalmist by God during difficult circumstances. However, if one takes the suggestion of the superscription that this is a Davidic psalm written during the revolt of Absalom, the phrase “lift the head” could refer to the psalmist’s desire for restoration to his former position (cf. Gen 40:13 where the same phrase is used). Like the Hebrew text, the present translation (“who restores me”) can be understood in either sense.

⁴ tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew text, even though “all who chase me” in v. 1 refers to a whole group of enemies. The singular is also used in vv. 4-5, but the psalmist returns to the plural in v. 6. The singular is probably collective, emphasizing the united front that the psalmist’s enemies present. This same alternation between a collective singular and a plural referring to enemies appears in Pss 9:3, 6; 13:4; 31:4, 8; 41:6, 10-11; 42:9-10; 55:3; 64:1-2; 74:3-4; 89:22-23; 106:10-11; 143:3, 6, 9.

⁵ tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.

⁶ tn Heb “tearing and there is no one rescuing.” The verbal form translated “tearing” is a singular active participle.

⁷ tn Heb “but there is no deliverer.”

⁸ tn Heb “to the Lord.” The words “they cry out” are supplied in the translation because they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).

¹⁰ tn Heb “and there is no helper.”

¹³ tn Heb “saying.”

¹⁶ tn The words “the Lord said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. It is clear that the words of vv. 3-4 are spoken by the Lord, in contrast to vv. 1-2, which are spoken by the psalmist.

¹⁹ tn Or “envied.”

²⁰ tn Heb “the holy one of the Lord.”

²² tn Heb “O devastated daughter of Babylon.” The psalmist dramatically anticipates Babylon’s demise.

²³ tn Heb “O the happiness of the one who repays you your wage which you paid to us.”

²⁵ tn Heb “grants deliverance to.”

²⁶ tn Heb “harmful.”