44:14 You made us 1 an object of ridicule 2 among the nations;
foreigners treat us with contempt. 3
69:21 They put bitter poison 4 into my food,
and to quench my thirst they give me vinegar to drink. 5
83:2 For look, your enemies are making a commotion;
those who hate you are hostile. 6
110:7 From the stream along the road he drinks;
then he lifts up his head. 7
119:160 Your instructions are totally reliable;
all your just regulations endure. 8
140:9 As for the heads of those who surround me –
may the harm done by 9 their lips overwhelm them!
1 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
2 tn Heb “a proverb,” or “[the subject of] a mocking song.”
3 tn Heb “a shaking of the head among the peoples.” Shaking the head was a derisive gesture (see Jer 18:16; Lam 2:15).
4 tn According to BDB 912 s.v. II רֹאשׁ the term can mean “a bitter and poisonous plant.”
5 sn John 19:28-30 appears to understand Jesus’ experience on the cross as a fulfillment of this passage (or Ps 22:15). See the study note on the word “thirsty” in John 19:28.
7 tn Heb “lift up [their] head[s].” The phrase “lift up [the] head” here means “to threaten; to be hostile,” as in Judg 8:28.
10 tn Here the expression “lifts up the head” refers to the renewed physical strength and emotional vigor (see Ps 3:3) provided by the refreshing water. For another example of a victorious warrior being energized by water in the aftermath of battle, see Judg 15:18-19 (see also 1 Sam 30:11-12, where the setting is different, however).
13 tn Heb “the head of your word is truth, and forever [is] all your just regulation.” The term “head” is used here of the “sum total” of God’s instructions.
16 tn Heb “harm of their lips.” The genitive here indicates the source or agent of the harm.