Psalms 12:5

12:5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed, ¹ 

because of the painful cries ²  of the needy,

I will spring into action,” ³  says the Lord.

“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.” ⁴ 

Psalms 18:2

18:2 The Lord is my high ridge, ⁵  my stronghold, ⁶  my deliverer.

My God is my rocky summit where ⁷  I take shelter, ⁸ 

my shield, the horn that saves me, ⁹  and my refuge. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 20:6

20:6 Now I am sure ¹¹  that the Lord will deliver ¹²  his chosen king; ¹³ 

he will intervene for him ¹⁴  from his holy heavenly temple, ¹⁵ 

and display his mighty ability to deliver. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 27:9

27:9 Do not reject me! ¹⁷ 

Do not push your servant away in anger!

You are my deliverer! ¹⁸ 

Do not forsake or abandon me,

O God who vindicates me!

Psalms 69:13

69:13 O Lord, may you hear my prayer and be favorably disposed to me! ¹⁹ 

O God, because of your great loyal love,

answer me with your faithful deliverance! ²⁰ 

Psalms 79:9

79:9 Help us, O God, our deliverer!

For the sake of your glorious reputation, ²¹  rescue us!

Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation! ²² 

[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.

[18:2]  ⁵ sn My high ridge. This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.

[18:2]  ⁶ sn My stronghold. David often found safety in such strongholds. See 1 Sam 22:4-5; 24:22; 2 Sam 5:9, 17; 23:14.

[18:2]  ⁷ tn Or “in whom.”

[18:2]  ⁸ sn Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).

[18:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “the horn of my salvation”; or “my saving horn.”

[18:2]  ¹⁰ tn Or “my elevated place.” The parallel version of this psalm in 2 Sam 22:3 adds at this point, “my refuge, my savior, [you who] save me from violence.”

[20:6]  ⁹ tn Or “know.”

[20:6]  ¹⁰ tn The perfect verbal form is probably used rhetorically to state that the deliverance is as good as done. In this way the speaker emphasizes the certainty of the deliverance. Another option is to take the statement as generalizing; the psalmist affirms that the Lord typically delivers the king.

[20:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his anointed one.” This title refers to the Davidic king. See Pss 2:2 and 18:50.

[20:6]  ¹² tn Heb “he will answer him.”

[20:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “from his holy heavens.”

[20:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “with mighty acts of deliverance of his right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Ps 17:7).

[27:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).

[27:9]  ¹⁴ tn Or “[source of] help.”

[69:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “as for me, [may] my prayer be to you, O Lord, [in] a time of favor.”

[69:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “O God, in the abundance of your loyal love, answer me in the faithfulness of your deliverance.”

[79:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “the glory of your name.” Here and in the following line “name” stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[79:9]  ²² tn Heb “your name.”