Proverbs 22:23

22:23 for the Lord will plead their case ¹ 

and will rob those who are robbing ²  them.

Lamentations 3:58-60

ר (Resh)

3:58 O Lord, ³  you championed ⁴  my cause, ⁵ 

you redeemed my life.

3:59 You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord;

pronounce judgment on my behalf! ⁶ 

3:60 You have seen all their vengeance,

all their plots against me. ⁷ 

Micah 7:9

7:9 I must endure ⁸  the Lord’s anger,

for I have sinned against him.

But then ⁹  he will defend my cause, ¹⁰ 

and accomplish justice on my behalf.

He will lead me out into the light;

I will experience firsthand ¹¹  his deliverance. ¹² 

[22:23]  ¹ tn The construction uses the verb יָרִיב (yariv) with its cognate accusative. It can mean “to strive,” but here it probably means “to argue a case, plead a case” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV). How the Lord will do this is not specified – either through righteous people or by direct intervention.

[22:23]  ² tn The verb קָבַע (qava’, “to rob; to spoil; to plunder”) is used here in both places to reflect the principle of talionic justice. What the oppressors did to the poor will be turned back on them by the Lord.

[3:58]  ³ tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”) as in the following verse. See the tc note at 1:14.

[3:58]  ⁴ tn This verb, like others in this stanza, could be understood as a precative (“Plead”).

[3:58]  ⁵ tn Heb “the causes of my soul.” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= my soul) for the whole person (= me).

[3:59]  ⁶ tn Heb “Please judge my judgment.”

[3:60]  ⁷ tc The MT reads לִי (li, “to me”); but many medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions (Aramaic Targum, Syriac Peshitta, Latin Vulgate) all reflect a Vorlage of עָלָי (’alay, “against me”).

[7:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “lift, bear.”

[7:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “until.”

[7:9]  ¹⁰ tn Or “plead my case” (NASB and NIV both similar); NRSV “until he takes my side.”

[7:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “see.”

[7:9]  ¹² tn Or “justice, vindication.”