Psalms 6:3

6:3 I am absolutely terrified, ¹ 

and you, Lord – how long will this continue? ² 

Psalms 35:17

35:17 O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? ³ 

Rescue ⁴  me ⁵  from their destructive attacks;

guard my life ⁶  from the young lions!

Psalms 74:1

Psalm 74 ⁷ 

A well-written song ⁸  by Asaph.

74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? ⁹ 

Why does your anger burn ¹⁰  against the sheep of your pasture?

Psalms 80:4

80:4 O Lord God, invincible warrior! ¹¹ 

How long will you remain angry at your people while they pray to you? ¹² 

Psalms 85:5

85:5 Will you stay mad at us forever?

Will you remain angry throughout future generations? ¹³ 

Psalms 89:46

89:46 How long, O Lord, will this last?

Will you remain hidden forever? ¹⁴ 

Will your anger continue to burn like fire?

Psalms 90:14

90:14 Satisfy us in the morning ¹⁵  with your loyal love!

Then we will shout for joy and be happy ¹⁶  all our days!

Psalms 94:3-4

94:3 O Lord, how long will the wicked,

how long will the wicked celebrate? ¹⁷ 

94:4 They spew out threats ¹⁸  and speak defiantly;

all the evildoers boast. ¹⁹ 

¹ tn Heb “my being is very terrified.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.

² tn Heb “and you, Lord, how long?” The suffering psalmist speaks in broken syntax. He addresses God, but then simply cries out with a brief, but poignant, question: How long will this (= his suffering) continue?

³ tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”

⁴ tn Heb “bring back, restore.”

⁵ tn Or “my life.”

⁶ tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).

⁷ sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 b.c., asks God to consider Israel’s sufferings and intervene on behalf of his people. He describes the ruined temple, recalls God’s mighty deeds in the past, begs for mercy, and calls for judgment upon God’s enemies.

⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

⁹ sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.

¹⁰ tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.

¹¹ tn Heb “Lord, God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי (’elohey) before צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot; “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ’elohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. In this context the term “hosts” (meaning “armies”) has been rendered “invincible warrior.”

¹² tn Heb “How long will you remain angry during the prayer of your people.” Some take the preposition -בְּ (bet) in an adversative sense here (“at/against the prayer of your people”), but the temporal sense is preferable. The psalmist expects persistent prayer to pacify God.

¹³ tn Heb “Will your anger stretch to a generation and a generation?”

¹⁴ tn Heb “How long, O Lord, will hide yourself forever?”

¹⁵ sn Morning is used metaphorically for a time of renewed joy after affliction (see Pss 30:5; 46:5; 49:14; 59:16; 143:8).

¹⁶ tn After the imperative (see the preceding line) the cohortatives with the prefixed conjunction indicate purpose/result.

¹⁷ tn Or “exult.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”

¹⁹ tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (’amar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).