Psalms 13:5

13:5 But I ¹  trust in your faithfulness.

May I rejoice because of your deliverance! ² 

Psalms 30:11

30:11 Then you turned my lament into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy. ³ 

Psalms 119:81-82

כ (Kaf)

119:81 I desperately long for ⁴  your deliverance.

I find hope in your word.

119:82 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your promise to be fulfilled. ⁵ 

I say, ⁶  “When will you comfort me?”

Psalms 126:5-6

126:5 Those who shed tears as they plant

will shout for joy when they reap the harvest. ⁷ 

126:6 The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag ⁸  of seed,

will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain. ⁹ 

Matthew 5:4

5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ¹⁰ 

[13:5]  ¹ tn The grammatical construction used here (conjunction with independent pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s defeated condition envisioned in v. 4 and confident attitude he displays in v. 5.

[13:5]  ² tn Heb “may my heart rejoice in your deliverance.” The verb form is jussive. Having expressed his trust in God’s faithful character and promises, the psalmist prays that his confidence will prove to be well-placed. “Heart” is used here of the seat of the emotions.

[30:11]  ³ sn Covered me with joy. “Joy” probably stands metonymically for festive attire here.

[119:81]  ⁴ tn Heb “my soul pines for.” See Ps 84:2.

[119:82]  ⁵ tn Heb “my eyes fail for your word.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision. See Ps 69:3.

[119:82]  ⁶ tn Heb “saying.”

[126:5]  ⁷ sn O. Borowski says regarding this passage: “The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing” (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54). Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.

[126:6]  ⁸ tn The noun occurs only here and in Job 28:18 in the OT. See HALOT 646 s.v. I מֶשֶׁךְ which gives “leather pouch” as the meaning.

[126:6]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew noun אֲלֻמָּה (’alummah, “sheaf”) occurs only here and in Gen 37:7 in the OT.

[5:4]  ¹⁰ sn The promise they will be comforted is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.