55:20 He 1 attacks 2 his friends; 3
he breaks his solemn promises to them. 4
105:17 He sent a man ahead of them 5 –
Joseph was sold as a servant.
105:20 The king authorized his release; 6
the ruler of nations set him free.
144:6 Hurl lightning bolts and scatter them!
Shoot your arrows and rout them! 7
1 sn He. This must refer to the psalmist’s former friend, who was addressed previously in vv. 12-14.
2 tn Heb “stretches out his hand against.”
3 tc The form should probably be emended to an active participle (שֹׁלְמָיו, sholÿmayv) from the verbal root שָׁלַם (shalam, “be in a covenant of peace with”). Perhaps the translation “his friends” suggests too intimate a relationship. Another option is to translate, “he attacks those who made agreements with him.”
4 tn Heb “he violates his covenant.”
5 tn After the reference to the famine in v. 16, v. 17 flashes back to events that preceded the famine (see Gen 37).
9 tn Heb “[the] king sent and set him free.”
13 sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 18:14; 77:17-18; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” [Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983], 187).