Psalms 107:10

107:10 They sat in utter darkness, ¹ 

bound in painful iron chains, ² 

Psalms 107:41

107:41 Yet he protected ³  the needy from oppression,

and cared for his families like a flock of sheep.

Psalms 113:9

113:9 He makes the barren woman of the family ⁴ 

a happy mother of children. ⁵ 

Praise the Lord!

Psalms 113:1

Psalm 113 ⁶ 

113:1 Praise the Lord!

Praise, you servants of the Lord,

praise the name of the Lord!

Psalms 2:5

2:5 Then he angrily speaks to them

and terrifies them in his rage, ⁷  saying, ⁸ 

Galatians 4:27

4:27 For it is written:

“Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children; ⁹ 

break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains,

because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous

than those of the woman who has a husband.” ¹⁰ 

[107:10]  ¹ tn Heb “those who sat in darkness and deep darkness.” Synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of “darkness” experienced by the exiles. The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet, “deep darkness”) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל + מָוֶת [tsel + mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other authorities prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 107:10 the word refers metonymically to a dungeon, which in turn metaphorically depicts the place of Israel’s exile (see vv. 2-3).

[107:10]  ² tn Heb “those bound in suffering and iron.” “Suffering and iron” is a hendiadys (like English “good and angry”), where both words contribute to one idea. In this case the first word characterizes the second; the iron (chains) contribute to the prisoners’ pain and suffering.

[107:41]  ³ tn Heb “set on high.”

[113:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “of the house.”

[113:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “sons.”

[113:1]  ⁶ sn Psalm 113. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign king of the world who reaches down to help the needy.

[2:5]  ⁷ sn And terrifies them in his rage. This line focuses on the effect that God’s angry response (see previous line) has on the rebellious kings.

[2:5]  ⁸ tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification to indicate that the speaker is the Lord (cf. RSV, NIV).

[4:27]  ⁹ tn The direct object “children” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied for clarity. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[4:27]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “because more are the children of the barren one than of the one having a husband.”