Psalms 12:1

Psalm 12 ¹ 

For the music director; according to the sheminith style; ²  a psalm of David.

12:1 Deliver, Lord!

For the godly ³  have disappeared; ⁴ 

people of integrity ⁵  have vanished. ⁶ 

Psalms 44:24-26

44:24 Why do you look the other way, ⁷ 

and ignore ⁸  the way we are oppressed and mistreated? ⁹ 

44:25 For we lie in the dirt,

with our bellies pressed to the ground. ¹⁰ 

44:26 Rise up and help us!

Rescue us ¹¹  because of your loyal love!

Isaiah 37:4

37:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. ¹²  When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. ¹³  So pray for this remnant that remains.’” ¹⁴ 

Jeremiah 42:2

42:2 They said to him, “Please grant our request ¹⁵  and pray to the Lord your God for all those of us who are still left alive here. ¹⁶  For, as you yourself can see, there are only a few of us left out of the many there were before. ¹⁷ 

Zechariah 4:10

4:10 For who dares make light of small beginnings? These seven eyes ¹⁸  will joyfully look on the tin tablet ¹⁹  in Zerubbabel’s hand. (These are the eyes of the Lord, which constantly range across the whole earth.)

[12:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.

[12:1]  ² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[12:1]  ³ tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[12:1]  ⁴ tn Or “have come to an end.”

[12:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”

[12:1]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”

[44:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “Why do you hide your face?” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).

[44:24]  ⁸ tn Or “forget.”

[44:24]  ⁹ tn Heb “our oppression and our affliction.”

[44:25]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for our being/life sinks down to the dirt, our belly clings to the earth.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.

[44:26]  ¹¹ tn Or “redeem us.” See Pss 25:22; 26:11; 69:18; 119:134.

[37:4]  ¹² tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”

[37:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”

[37:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”

[42:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “please let our petition fall before you.” For the idiom here see 37:20 and the translator’s note there.

[42:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “on behalf of us, [that is] on behalf of all this remnant.”

[42:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “For we are left a few from the many as your eyes are seeing us.” The words “used to be” are not in the text but are implicit. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness of English style.

[4:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “these seven.” Eyes are clearly intended in the ellipsis as v. 10b shows. As in 3:9 the idea is God’s omniscience. He who knows the end from the beginning rejoices at the completion of his purposes.

[4:10]  ¹⁹ tn This term is traditionally translated “plumb line” (so NASB, NIV, NLT; cf. KJV, NRSV “plummet”), but it is more likely that the Hebrew בְּדִיל (bÿdil) is to be derived not from בָּדַל (badal), “to divide,” but from a root meaning “tin.” This finds support in the ancient Near Eastern custom of placing inscriptions on tin plates in dedicatory foundation deposits.