Psalms 143:8-12

Context

143:8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning,¹

for I trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,²

because I long for you.³

143:9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord!

I run to you for protection.⁴

143:10 Teach me to do what pleases you,⁵

for you are my God.

May your kind presence⁶

lead me⁷ into a level land.⁸

143:11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation,⁹ revive me!¹⁰

Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble!¹¹

143:12 As a demonstration of your loyal love,¹² destroy my enemies!

Annihilate¹³ all who threaten my life,¹⁴

for I am your servant.

[143:8] ¹tn Heb “cause me to hear in the morning your loyal love.” Here “loyal love” probably stands metonymically for an oracle of assurance promising God’s intervention as an expression of his loyal love.

[143:8] ²sn The way probably refers here to God’s moral and ethical standards and requirements (see v. 10).

[143:8] ³tn Heb “for to you I lift up my life.” The Hebrew expression נָאָשׂ נֶפֶשׁ (na’as nefesh, “to lift up [one’s] life”) means “to desire; to long for” (see Deut 24:15; Prov 19:18; Jer 22:27; 44:14; Hos 4:8, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 16).

[143:9] ⁴tn Heb “to you I cover,” which makes no sense. The translation assumes an emendation to נַסְתִּי (nastiy, “I flee,” a Qal perfect, first singular form from נוּס, nos). Confusion of kaf (כ) and nun (נ) is attested elsewhere (see P. K. McCarter, Textual Criticism [GBS], 48). The collocation of נוּס (“flee”) with אֶל (’el, “to”) is well-attested.

[143:10] ⁵tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.

[143:10] ⁶tn Heb “your good spirit.” God’s “spirit” may refer here to his presence (see the note on the word “presence” in Ps 139:7) or to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).

[143:10] ⁷tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. Taking the statement as a prayer fits well with the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.

[143:10] ⁸sn A level land (where one can walk free of obstacles) here symbolizes divine blessing and protection. See Pss 26:12 and 27:11 for similar imagery.

[143:11] ⁹tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[143:11] ¹⁰tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 11-12a are understood as expressing the psalmist’s desire. Note the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.

[143:11] ¹¹tn Heb “by your justice bring out my life from trouble.”

[143:12] ¹²tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”

[143:12] ¹³tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the mood of the preceding imperfect.

[143:12] ¹⁴tn Heb “all the enemies of my life.”