Psalms 4:8

4:8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, ¹ 

for you, Lord, make me safe and secure. ² 

Psalms 41:8

41:8 They say, ³ 

‘An awful disease ⁴  overwhelms him, ⁵ 

and now that he is bed-ridden he will never recover.’ ⁶ 

Psalms 68:13

68:13 When ⁷  you lie down among the sheepfolds, ⁸ 

the wings of the dove are covered with silver

and with glittering gold. ⁹ 

¹ tn Heb “in peace at the same time I will lie down and sleep.”

² tn Heb “for you, Lord, solitarily, securely make me dwell.” The translation understands לְבָדָד (lÿvadad) as modifying the verb; the Lord keeps enemies away from the psalmist so that he is safe and secure. Another option is to take לְבָדָד with what precedes and translate, “you alone, Lord, make me secure.”

³ tn The words “they say” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to make it clear that v. 8 contains a quotation of what the psalmist’s enemies say about him (see v. 7a).

⁴ tn Heb “thing of worthlessness.” In Ps 101:3 the phrase refers to evil deeds in general, but here it appears to refer more specifically to the illness that plagues the psalmist.

⁵ tn Heb “is poured out on him.” The passive participle of יָצַק (yatsaq) is used.

⁶ tn Heb “and he who lies down will not again arise.”

⁵ tn Or “if.”

⁶ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “sheepfolds” is uncertain. There may be an echo of Judg 5:16 here.

⁷ tn Heb “and her pinions with the yellow of gold.”