Psalms 73:26

73:26 My flesh and my heart may grow weak, ¹ 

but God always ²  protects my heart and gives me stability. ³ 

Genesis 42:28

42:28 He said to his brothers, “My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!” They were dismayed; ⁴  they turned trembling one to another ⁵  and said, “What in the world has God done to us?” ⁶ 

Luke 21:26

21:26 People will be fainting from fear ⁷  and from the expectation of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ⁸ 

¹ tn The Hebrew verb כָלָה (khalah, “to fail; to grow weak”) does not refer here to physical death per se, but to the physical weakness that sometimes precedes death (see Job 33:21; Pss 71:9; 143:7; Prov 5:11).

² tn Or “forever.”

³ tn Heb “is the rocky summit of my heart and my portion.” The psalmist compares the Lord to a rocky summit where one could go for protection and to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel.

⁴ tn Heb “and their heart went out.” Since this expression is used only here, the exact meaning is unclear. The following statement suggests that it may refer to a sudden loss of emotional strength, so “They were dismayed” adequately conveys the meaning (cf. NRSV); NIV has “Their hearts sank.”

⁵ tn Heb “and they trembled, a man to his neighbor.”

⁶ tn Heb “What is this God has done to us?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question.

⁷ tn According to L&N 23.184 this could be mainly a psychological experience rather than actual loss of consciousness. It could also refer to complete discouragement because of fear, leading people to give up hope (L&N 25.293).

⁸ sn An allusion to Isa 34:4. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.