Psalms 103:10

103:10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve; ¹ 

he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve. ² 

Psalms 103:2

103:2 Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Do not forget all his kind deeds! ³ 

Psalms 4:1

Psalm 4 ⁴ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.

4:1 When I call out, answer me,

O God who vindicates me! ⁵ 

Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. ⁶ 

Have mercy on me ⁷  and respond to ⁸  my prayer!

[103:10]  ¹ tn Heb “not according to our sins does he do to us.”

[103:10]  ² tn Heb “and not according to our misdeeds does he repay us.”

[103:2]  ³ tn Or “his benefits” (see 2 Chr 32:25, where the noun is also used of kind deeds performed by the Lord).

[4:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.

[4:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “God of my righteousness.”

[4:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “in distress (or “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.

[4:1]  ⁷ tn Or “show me favor.”

[4:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “hear.”