Psalms 31:4

31:4 You will free me from the net they hid for me,

for you are my place of refuge.

Psalms 43:2

43:2 For you are the God who shelters me.

Why do you reject me?

Why must I walk around mourning

because my enemies oppress me?


tn Heb “bring me out.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form expresses the psalmist’s confidence about the future. Another option is to take the form as expressing a prayer, “free me.”

tn Heb “God of my place of refuge,” that is, “God who is my place of refuge.” See Ps 31:4.

tn The question is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but זָנַח (zanakh, “reject”) is a stronger verb than שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”).

tn The language is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but the Hitpael form of the verb הָלַךְ (halakh; as opposed to the Qal form in 42:9) expresses more forcefully the continuing nature of the psalmist’s distress.

sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar statement.