Psalms 118:7

118:7 The Lord is on my side ¹  as my helper. ² 

I look in triumph on those who hate me.

Psalms 118:11

118:11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me.

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

Psalms 141:6

141:6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. ³ 

They ⁴  will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.

[118:7]  ¹ tn Heb “for me.”

[118:7]  ² tn Heb “among my helpers.” The preposition may indicate identity here, while the plural may be one of majesty or respect.

[141:6]  ³ tn Heb “they are thrown down by the hands of a cliff, their judges.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The perfect verbal form is understood as rhetorical; the psalmist describes the anticipated downfall of the wicked as if it had already occurred. “Their judges” could be taken as the subject of the verb, but this makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes the judges are the agents and that the wicked, mentioned earlier in the psalm, are the subjects of the verb.

[141:6]  ⁴ tn It is unclear how this statement relates to the preceding sentence. Perhaps the judges are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the verb “will listen,” and “my words” are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the phrase “are pleasant.” The psalmist may be affirming here his confidence that he will be vindicated when he presents his case before the judges, while the wicked will be punished.