Deuteronomy 32:11-12

32:11 Like an eagle that stirs up ¹  its nest,

that hovers over its young,

so the Lord ²  spread out his wings and took him, ³ 

he lifted him up on his pinions.

32:12 The Lord alone was guiding him, ⁴ 

no foreign god was with him.

Ruth 2:12

2:12 May the Lord reward your efforts! ⁵  May your acts of kindness be repaid fully ⁶  by the Lord God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection!” ⁷ 

Psalms 17:8

17:8 Protect me as you would protect the pupil of your eye! ⁸ 

Hide me in the shadow of your wings! ⁹ 

Psalms 36:7

36:7 How precious ¹⁰  is your loyal love, O God!

The human race finds shelter under your wings. ¹¹ 

Psalms 57:1

Psalm 57 ¹² 

For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; ¹³  a prayer ¹⁴  of David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave. ¹⁵ 

57:1 Have mercy on me, O God! Have mercy on me!

For in you I have taken shelter. ¹⁶ 

In the shadow of your wings ¹⁷  I take shelter

until trouble passes.

Psalms 91:4

91:4 He will shelter you ¹⁸  with his wings; ¹⁹ 

you will find safety under his wings.

His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall. ²⁰ 

[32:11]  ¹ tn The prefixed verbal form is an imperfect, indicating habitual or typical behavior. The parallel verb (cf. “hovers” in the next line) is used in the same manner.

[32:11]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:11]  ³ tn The form of the suffix on this and the following verb forms (cf. “lifted him up”) indicates that the verbs are preterites, not imperfects. As such they simply state the action factually. The use of the preterite here suggests that the preceding verb (cf. “spread out”) is preterite as well.

[32:12]  ⁴ tn The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing guidance during the period in view.

[2:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “repay your work”; KJV, ASV “recompense thy work.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer (note the jussive form in the next clause).

[2:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “may your wages be complete”; NCV “May your wages be paid in full.” The prefixed verbal form is a distinct jussive form, indicating that this is a prayer for blessing.

[2:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “under whose wings you have sought shelter”; NIV, NLT “have come to take refuge.”

[17:8]  ⁸ tc Heb “Protect me like the pupil, a daughter of an eye.” The noun בַּת (bat, “daughter”) should probably be emended to בָּבַת (bavat, “pupil”). See Zech 2:12 HT (2:8 ET) and HALOT 107 s.v. *בָּבָה.

[17:8]  ⁹ sn Your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.

[36:7]  ¹⁰ tn Or “valuable.”

[36:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear.

[57:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 57. The psalmist asks for God’s protection and expresses his confidence that his ferocious enemies will be destroyed by their own schemes.

[57:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 58-59, 75.

[57:1]  ¹⁴ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56, 58-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”

[57:1]  ¹⁵ sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when he fled from Saul and hid in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3.

[57:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “my life has taken shelter.” The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.

[57:1]  ¹⁷ sn In the shadow of your wings. The metaphor likens God to a protective mother bird (see also Pss 17:8; 36:7).

[91:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “put a cover over you” (see Ps 5:11).

[91:4]  ¹⁹ tc The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural should be read. The final yod (י) of the suffix, which indicates the plural, has dropped off by haplography (note the yod [י] at the beginning of the next word).

[91:4]  ²⁰ tn Traditionally the Hebrew term סֹחֵרָה (sokherah), which occurs only here in the OT, has been understood to refer to a buckler or small shield (see BDB 695 s.v.). But HALOT 750 s.v., on the basis of evidence from the cognate languages, proposes the meaning “wall.”