A musical composition 2 by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning 3 a Benjaminite named Cush. 4
7:1 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter. 5
Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me!
“O Lord, 6 great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant 7 with those who love him and keep his commandments,
1:12 Lord, you have been active from ancient times; 8
my sovereign God, 9 you are immortal. 10
Lord, you have made them 11 your instrument of judgment. 12
Protector, 13 you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment. 14
1 sn Psalm 7. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from his enemies. He protests his innocence and declares his confidence in God’s justice.
2 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שִׁגָּיוֹן (shiggayon; translated here “musical composition”) is uncertain. Some derive the noun from the verbal root שָׁגָה (shagah, “swerve, reel”) and understand it as referring to a “wild, passionate song, with rapid changes of rhythm” (see BDB 993 s.v. שִׁגָּיוֹן). But this proposal is purely speculative. The only other appearance of the noun is in Hab 3:1, where it occurs in the plural.
3 tn Or “on account of.”
4 sn Apparently this individual named Cush was one of David’s enemies.
5 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
6 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 7, 9, 15, 16, and 19 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
7 tn Heb “who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.
8 tn Heb “Are you not from antiquity, O
9 tn Heb “My God, my holy one.” God’s “holiness” in this context is his sovereign transcendence as the righteous judge of the world (see vv. 12b-13a), thus the translation “My sovereign God.”
10 tc The MT reads, “we will not die,” but an ancient scribal tradition has “you [i.e., God] will not die.” This is preferred as a more difficult reading that can explain the rise of the other variant. Later scribes who copied the manuscripts did not want to associate the idea of death with God in any way, so they softened the statement to refer to humanity.
11 tn Heb “him,” a collective singular referring to the Babylonians. The plural pronoun “them” has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.
12 tn Heb “for judgment.”
13 tn Heb “Rock” or “Cliff.” This divine epithet views God as a place where one can go to be safe from danger. The translation “Protector” conveys the force of the metaphor (cf. KJV, NEB “O mighty God”).
14 tn Heb “to correct, reprove.”