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 22:24

22:24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering ⁵  of the oppressed; ⁶ 

he did not ignore him; ⁷ 

when he cried out to him, he responded. ⁸ 

Psalms 40:17

40:17 I am oppressed and needy! ⁹ 

May the Lord pay attention to me! ¹⁰ 

You are my helper and my deliverer!

O my God, do not delay!

Psalms 70:5

70:5 I am oppressed and needy! ¹¹ 

O God, hurry to me! ¹² 

You are my helper and my deliverer!

O Lord, ¹³  do not delay!

Psalms 102:1

Psalm 102 ¹⁴ 

The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.

102:1 O Lord, hear my prayer!

Pay attention to my cry for help! ¹⁵ 

Psalms 109:16

109:16 For he never bothered to show kindness; ¹⁶ 

he harassed the oppressed and needy,

and killed the disheartened. ¹⁷ 

[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.

[22:24]  ⁵ tn Or “affliction”; or “need.”

[22:24]  ⁶ sn In this verse the psalmist refers to himself in the third person and characterizes himself as oppressed.

[22:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “he did not hide his face from him.” For other uses of the idiom “hide the face” meaning “ignore,” see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9. Sometimes the idiom carries the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 27:9; 88:14).

[22:24]  ⁸ tn Heb “heard.”

[40:17]  ⁹ sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.

[40:17]  ¹⁰ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a jussive of prayer (as in the present translation; cf. NIV) or as an imperfect, “The Lord will pay attention to me” (cf. NRSV). The parallel in Ps 70:5 has, “O God, hurry to me!” For this reason some prefer to emend יַחֲשָׁב (yakhashav, “may he pay attention”) to חוּשָׁה (khushah, “hurry!”). The syntax of the Hebrew text is awkward; elsewhere when the Qal of חָשַׁב (khashav, “reckon; consider”) is collocated with the preposition -ל (lamed) and a pronominal suffix there is an accompanying direct object or additional prepositional phrase/adverbial accusative (see Gen 15:6; 2 Sam 19:19; Job 13:24; 19:11; 33:10; Pss 32:2; 41:7; Amos 6:5).

[70:5]  ¹³ sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.

[70:5]  ¹⁴ tn Ps 40:17 has “may the Lord pay attention to me.”

[70:5]  ¹⁵ tn Ps 40:17 has “my God” instead of “Lord.”

[102:1]  ¹⁷ sn Psalm 102. The psalmist laments his oppressed state, but longs for a day when the Lord will restore Jerusalem and vindicate his suffering people.

[102:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and may my cry for help come to you.”

[109:16]  ²¹ tn Heb “he did not remember to do loyal love.”

[109:16]  ²² tn Heb “and he chased an oppressed and needy man, and one timid of heart to put [him] to death.”