Psalms 34:2-4

34:2 I will boast ¹  in the Lord;

let the oppressed hear and rejoice! ² 

34:3 Magnify the Lord with me!

Let’s praise ³  his name together!

34:4 I sought the Lord’s help ⁴  and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

Psalms 56:9

56:9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; ⁵ 

I know that God is on my side. ⁶ 

Psalms 61:3-4

61:3 Indeed, ⁷  you are ⁸  my shelter,

a strong tower that protects me from the enemy. ⁹ 

61:4 I will be a permanent guest in your home; ¹⁰ 

I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. ¹¹  (Selah)

Psalms 142:5

142:5 I cry out to you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my shelter,

my security ¹²  in the land of the living.”

Proverbs 18:10

18:10 The name of the Lord ¹³  is like ¹⁴  a strong tower; ¹⁵ 

the righteous person runs ¹⁶  to it and is set safely on high. ¹⁷ 

Hebrews 6:18

6:18 so that we who have found refuge in him ¹⁸  may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie.

¹ tn Heb “my soul will boast”; or better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.

² tn The two prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best taken as jussives, for the psalmist is calling his audience to worship (see v. 3).

³ tn Or “exalt.”

⁴ tn Heb “I sought the Lord.”

⁵ tn Heb “then my enemies will turn back in the day I cry out.” The Hebrew particle אָז (’az, “then”) is probably used here to draw attention to the following statement.

⁶ tn Heb “this I know, that God is for me.”

⁷ tn Or “for.”

⁸ tn Or “have been.”

⁹ tn Heb “a strong tower from the face of an enemy.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “I will live as a resident alien in your tent permanently.” The cohortative is understood here as indicating resolve. Another option is to take it as expressing a request, “please let me live” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

¹¹ sn I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.

¹² tn Heb “my portion.” The psalmist compares the Lord to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel.

¹³ sn The “name of the Lord” is a metonymy of subject. The “name” here signifies not the personal name “Yahweh,” for that would be redundant in the expression “the name of Yahweh,” but the attributes of the Lord (cf. Exod 34:5-7) – here his power to protect.

¹⁴ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.

¹⁵ tn Heb “a tower of strength,” with “strength” regarded as attributive by most English versions. The metaphor “strong tower” indicates that God is a secure refuge. The figure is qualified in the second colon.

¹⁶ sn The metaphor of “running” to the Lord refers to a whole-hearted and unwavering trust in God’s protection (e.g., Isa 40:31).

¹⁷ tn Heb “is high” or “is inaccessible.” This military-type expression stresses the effect of the trust – security, being out of danger (see HALOT 1305 s.v. שׂגב). Other scriptures will supply the ways that God actually protects people who trust him.

¹⁸ tn Grk “have taken refuge”; the basis of that refuge is implied in the preceding verse.