Psalms 13:4

13:4 Then ¹  my enemy will say, “I have defeated him!”

Then ²  my foes will rejoice because I am upended.

Psalms 87:5

87:5 But it is said of Zion’s residents, ³ 

“Each one of these ⁴  was born in her,

and the sovereign One ⁵  makes her secure.” ⁶ 

Psalms 124:1

Psalm 124 ⁷ 

A song of ascents, ⁸  by David.

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

let Israel say this! –

[13:4]  ¹ tn Heb “or else.”

[13:4]  ² tn Heb “or else.”

[87:5]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Traditionally “Most High.”

[87:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he makes her secure, the Most High.”

[124:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.

[124:1]  ⁶ 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.