Psalms 6:3

6:3 I am absolutely terrified, ¹ 

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

Psalms 41:5

41:5 My enemies ask this cruel question about me, ³ 

‘When will he finally die and be forgotten?’ ⁴ 

Psalms 42:2

42:2 I thirst ⁵  for God,

for the living God.

I say, ⁶  “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?” ⁷ 

Psalms 74:10

74:10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults?

Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?

Psalms 80:4

80:4 O Lord God, invincible warrior! ⁸ 

How long will you remain angry at your people while they pray to you? ⁹ 

Psalms 101:2

101:2 I will walk in ¹⁰  the way of integrity.

When will you come to me?

I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. ¹¹ 

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 “my enemies speak evil concerning me.”

⁴ tn Heb “and his name perish.”

⁵ tn Or “my soul thirsts.”

⁶ tn The words “I say” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.

⁷ tn Heb “When will I go and appear [to] the face of God?” Some emend the Niphal verbal form אֵרָאֶה (’era’eh, “I will appear”) to a Qal אֶרְאֶה (’er’eh, “I will see”; see Gen 33:10), but the Niphal can be retained if one understands ellipsis of אֶת (’et) before “face” (see Exod 34:24; Deut 31:11).

⁷ 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.”

⁸ 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.

⁹ tn Heb “take notice of.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”