Psalms 10:10

10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;

they are trapped in his sturdy nets. ¹ 

Psalms 107:39

107:39 As for their enemies, ²  they decreased in number and were beaten down,

because of painful distress ³  and suffering.

Psalms 35:14

35:14 I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother. ⁴ 

I bowed down ⁵  in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother. ⁶ 

Psalms 38:6

38:6 I am dazed ⁷  and completely humiliated; ⁸ 

all day long I walk around mourning.

Psalms 42:5-6

42:5 Why are you depressed, ⁹  O my soul? ¹⁰ 

Why are you upset? ¹¹ 

Wait for God!

For I will again give thanks

to my God for his saving intervention. ¹² 

42:6 I am depressed, ¹³ 

so I will pray to you while I am trapped here in the region of the upper Jordan, ¹⁴ 

from Hermon, ¹⁵  from Mount Mizar. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 42:11

42:11 Why are you depressed, ¹⁷  O my soul? ¹⁸ 

Why are you upset? ¹⁹ 

Wait for God!

For I will again give thanks

to my God for his saving intervention. ²⁰ 

Psalms 43:5

43:5 Why are you depressed, ²¹  O my soul? ²² 

Why are you upset? ²³ 

Wait for God!

For I will again give thanks

to my God for his saving intervention. ²⁴ 

[10:10]  ¹ tn Heb “he crushes, he is bowed down, and he falls into his strong [ones], [the] unfortunate [ones].” This verse presents several lexical and syntactical difficulties. The first word (יִדְכֶּה, yidekeh) is an otherwise unattested Qal form of the verb דָּכָה (dakhah, “crush”). (The Qere [marginal] form is imperfect; the consonantal text [Kethib] has the perfect with a prefixed conjunction vav [ו].) If the wicked man’s victim is the subject, which seems to be the case (note the two verbs which follow), then the form should be emended to a Niphal (יִדָּכֶה, yiddakheh). The phrase בַּעֲצוּמָיו (ba’atsumayv, “into his strong [ones]”), poses interpretive problems. The preposition -בְּ (bet) follows the verb נָפַל (nafal, “fall”), so it may very well carry the nuance “into” here, with “his strong [ones]” then referring to something into which the oppressed individual falls. Since a net is mentioned in the preceding verse as the instrument used to entrap the victim, it is possible that “strong [ones]” here refers metonymically to the wicked man’s nets or traps. Ps 35:8 refers to a man falling into a net (רֶשֶׁת, reshet), as does Ps 141:10 (where the plural of מִכְמָר [mikhmar, “net”] is used). A hunter’s net (רֶשֶׁת), is associated with snares (פַּח [pakh], מֹקְשִׁים, [moqÿshim]) and ropes (חֲבָלִים, khavalim) in Ps 140:5. The final word in the verse (חֶלְכָּאִים (khelka’im, “unfortunate [ones]”) may be an alternate form of חֵלְכָח (khelkhakh, “unfortunate [one]”; see vv. 8, 14). The Qere (marginal reading) divides the form into two words, חֵיל כָּאִים (khel ka’im, “army/host of disheartened [ones]”). The three verb forms in v. 10 are singular because the representative “oppressed” individual is the grammatical subject (see the singular עָנִי [’aniy] in v. 9).

[107:39]  ² tn The words “As for their enemies” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. Without such clarification, one might think that v. 39 refers to those just mentioned in v. 38 as objects of divine blessing, which would contradict the point just emphasized by the psalmist. The structure of vv. 33-42 is paneled (A-B-A-B). In vv. 33-34 the psalmist describes God’s judgment upon his enemies (perhaps those who had enslaved his people). In vv. 35-38 he contrasts this judgment with the divine blessing poured out on God’s people. (See the note on the word “people” in v. 35.) In vv. 39-40 he contrasts this blessing with the judgment experienced by enemies, before returning in vv. 41-42 to the blessing experienced by God’s people.

[107:39]  ³ tn Heb “from the oppression of calamity.”

[35:14]  ³ tn Heb “like a friend, like a brother to me I walked about.”

[35:14]  ⁴ sn I bowed down. Bowing down was a posture for mourning. See Ps 38:6.

[35:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “like mourning for a mother [in] sorrow I bowed down.”

[38:6]  ⁴ tn The verb’s precise shade of meaning in this context is not entirely clear. The verb, which literally means “to bend,” may refer to the psalmist’s posture. In Isa 21:3 it seems to mean “be confused, dazed.”

[38:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “I am bowed down to excess.”

[42:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”

[42:5]  ⁶ sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.

[42:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “and [why] are you in turmoil upon me?” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the descriptive present nuance of the preceding imperfect. See GKC 329 §111.t.

[42:5]  ⁸ tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of his face.” The verse division in the Hebrew text is incorrect. אֱלֹהַי (’elohay, “my God”) at the beginning of v. 7 belongs with the end of v. 6 (see the corresponding refrains in 42:11 and 43:5, both of which end with “my God” after “saving acts of my face”). The Hebrew term פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”) should be emended to פְּנֵי (pÿney, “face of”). The emended text reads, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention.

[42:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “my God, upon me my soul bows down.” As noted earlier, “my God” belongs with the end of v. 6.

[42:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan.” “Remember” is here used metonymically for prayer (see vv. 8-9). As the next line indicates, the region of the upper Jordan, where the river originates, is in view.

[42:6]  ⁸ tc Heb “Hermons.” The plural form of the name occurs only here in the OT. Some suggest the plural refers to multiple mountain peaks (cf. NASB) or simply retain the plural in the translation (cf. NEB), but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note that the next form in the text begins with the letter mem) or enclitic. At a later time it was misinterpreted as a plural marker and vocalized accordingly.

[42:6]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew term מִצְעָר (mits’ar) is probably a proper name (“Mizar”), designating a particular mountain in the Hermon region. The name appears only here in the OT.

[42:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”

[42:11]  ⁸ sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.

[42:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”

[42:11]  ¹⁰ tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read יְשׁוּעֹת פְנֵי אֱלֹהָי (yÿshu’ot fÿney ’elohay, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God”), that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is almost identical to the one in v. 5. See also Ps 43:5.

[43:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”

[43:5]  ⁹ sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.

[43:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”

[43:5]  ¹¹ tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read יְשׁוּעֹת פְנֵי אֱלֹהָי (yÿshu’ot fÿney ’elohay, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is identical to the one in Ps 42:11. See also 42:5, which differs only slightly.