Psalms 118:2

118:2 Let Israel say,

“Yes, his loyal love endures!”

Psalms 129:1

Psalm 129 ¹ 

A song of ascents. ² 

129:1 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”

let Israel say.

Psalms 13:4

13:4 Then ³  my enemy will say, “I have defeated him!”

Then ⁴  my foes will rejoice because I am upended.

Psalms 87:5

87:5 But it is said of Zion’s residents, ⁵ 

“Each one of these ⁶  was born in her,

and the sovereign One ⁷  makes her secure.” ⁸ 

Psalms 124:1

Psalm 124 ⁹ 

A song of ascents, ¹⁰  by David.

124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our side” –

let Israel say this! –

Psalms 12:5

12:5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed, ¹¹ 

because of the painful cries ¹²  of the needy,

I will spring into action,” ¹³  says the Lord.

“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.” ¹⁴ 

[129:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.

[129:1]  ² sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[13:4]  ¹ tn Heb “or else.”

[13:4]  ² tn Heb “or else.”

[87:5]  ¹ tn Heb “and of Zion it is said.” Another option is to translate, “and to Zion it is said.” In collocation with the Niphal of אָמַר (’amar), the preposition lamed (-לְ) can introduce the recipient of the statement (see Josh 2:2; Jer 4:11; Hos 1:10; Zeph 3:16), carry the nuance “concerning, of” (see Num 23:23), or mean “be named” (see Isa 4:3; 62:4).

[87:5]  ² tn Heb “a man and a man.” The idiom also appears in Esth 1:8. The translation assumes that the phrase refers to each of Zion’s residents, in contrast to the foreigners mentioned in v. 4. Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand this as a reference to each of the nations, including those mentioned in v. 4.

[87:5]  ³ tn Traditionally “Most High.”

[87:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he makes her secure, the Most High.”

[124:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.

[124:1]  ² sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[12:5]  ¹ tn The term translated “oppressed” is an objective genitive; the oppressed are the recipients/victims of violence.

[12:5]  ² tn Elsewhere in the psalms this noun is used of the painful groans of prisoners awaiting death (79:11; 102:20). The related verb is used of the painful groaning of those wounded in combat (Jer 51:52; Ezek 26:15) and of the mournful sighing of those in grief (Ezek 9:4; 24:17).

[12:5]  ³ tn Heb “I will rise up.”

[12:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “I will place in deliverance, he pants for it.” The final two words in Hebrew (יָפִיחַ לוֹ, yafiakh lo) comprise an asyndetic relative clause, “the one who pants for it.” “The one who pants” is the object of the verb “place” and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix (in the phrase “for it”) is “deliverance.” Another option is to translate, “I will place in deliverance the witness for him,” repointing יָפִיחַ (a Hiphil imperfect from פּוּחַ, puakh, “pant”) as יָפֵחַ (yafeakh), a noun meaning “witness.” In this case the Lord would be promising protection to those who have the courage to support the oppressed in the court of law. However, the first part of the verse focuses on the oppressed, not their advocates.