Psalms 118:10

118:10 All the nations surrounded me. ¹ 

Indeed, in the name of the Lord ²  I pushed them away. ³ 

Psalms 135:20

135:20 O family of Levi, praise the Lord!

You loyal followers ⁴  of the Lord, praise the Lord!

Psalms 144:7

144:7 Reach down ⁵  from above!

Grab me and rescue me from the surging water, ⁶ 

from the power of foreigners, ⁷ 

[118:10]  ¹ sn The reference to an attack by the nations suggests the psalmist may have been a military leader.

[118:10]  ² tn In this context the phrase “in the name of the Lord” means “by the Lord’s power.”

[118:10]  ³ tn Traditionally the verb has been derived from מוּל (mul, “to circumcise”) and translated “[I] cut [them] off” (see BDB 557-58 s.v. II מוּל). However, it is likely that this is a homonym meaning “to fend off” (see HALOT 556 s.v. II מול) or “to push away.” In this context, where the psalmist is reporting his past experience, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite. The phrase also occurs in vv. 11, 12.

[135:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “fearers.”

[144:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “stretch out your hands.”

[144:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful foreign enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see the next line and Ps 18:16-17).

[144:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”