Psalms 109:21-25

109:21 O sovereign Lord,

intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation! ¹ 

Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!

109:22 For I am oppressed and needy,

and my heart beats violently within me. ² 

109:23 I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day; ³ 

I am shaken off like a locust.

109:24 I am so starved my knees shake; ⁴ 

I have turned into skin and bones. ⁵ 

109:25 I am disdained by them. ⁶ 

When they see me, they shake their heads. ⁷ 

[109:21]  ¹ tn Heb “but you, Lord, Master, do with me for the sake of your name.” Here “name” stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[109:22]  ² tc The verb in the Hebrew text (חָלַל, khalal) appears to be a Qal form from the root חלל meaning “pierced; wounded.” However, the Qal of this root is otherwise unattested. The translation assumes an emendation to יָחִיל (yakhil), a Qal imperfect from חוּל (khul, “tremble”) or to חֹלַל (kholal), a polal perfect from חוּל (khul). See Ps 55:4, which reads לִבִּי יָחִיל בְּקִרְבִּי (libbiy yakhil bÿqirbbiy, “my heart trembles [i.e., “beats violently”] within me”).

[109:23]  ³ tn Heb “like a shadow when it is extended I go.” He is like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness. See Ps 102:11.

[109:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “my knees stagger from fasting.”

[109:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “and my flesh is lean away from fatness [i.e., “lean so as not to be fat”].”

[109:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “as for me, I am a reproach to them.”

[109:25]  ⁷ sn They shake their heads. Apparently shaking the head was a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 22:7; Lam 2:15.