Psalms 10:18

10:18 You defend ¹  the fatherless and oppressed, ² 

so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. ³ 

Psalms 74:9

74:9 We do not see any signs of God’s presence; ⁴ 

there are no longer any prophets ⁵ 

and we have no one to tell us how long this will last. ⁶ 

Psalms 83:4

83:4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation! ⁷ 

Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”

Psalms 103:16

103:16 but when the hot wind ⁸  blows by, it disappears,

and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.

[10:18]  ¹ tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”

[10:18]  ² tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.

[10:18]  ³ tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.

[74:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “our signs we do not see.” Because of the reference to a prophet in the next line, it is likely that the “signs” in view here include the evidence of God’s presence as typically revealed through the prophets. These could include miraculous acts performed by the prophets (see, for example, Isa 38:7-8) or object lessons which they acted out (see, for example, Isa 20:3).

[74:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “there is not still a prophet.”

[74:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “and [there is] not with us one who knows how long.”

[83:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “we will cause them to disappear from [being] a nation.”

[103:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[the] wind.” The word “hot” is supplied in the translation for clarification.