Psalms 18:14

18:14 He shot his ¹  arrows and scattered them, ² 

many lightning bolts ³  and routed them. ⁴ 

Psalms 144:6

144:6 Hurl lightning bolts and scatter them!

Shoot your arrows and rout them! ⁵ 

Psalms 144:2

144:2 who loves me ⁶  and is my stronghold,

my refuge ⁷  and my deliverer,

my shield and the one in whom I take shelter,

who makes nations submit to me. ⁸ 

Psalms 22:15

22:15 The roof of my mouth ⁹  is as dry as a piece of pottery;

my tongue sticks to my gums. ¹⁰ 

You ¹¹  set me in the dust of death. ¹² 

Habakkuk 3:11

3:11 The sun and moon stand still in their courses; ¹³ 

the flash of your arrows drives them away, ¹⁴ 

the bright light of your lightning-quick spear. ¹⁵ 

[18:14]  ¹ tn 2 Sam 22:15 omits the pronominal suffix (“his”).

[18:14]  ² tn The pronominal suffixes on the verbs “scattered” and “routed” (see the next line) refer to the psalmist’s enemies. Some argue that the suffixes refer to the arrows, in which case one might translate “shot them far and wide” and “made them move noisily,” respectively. They argue that the enemies have not been mentioned since v. 4 and are not again mentioned until v. 17. However, usage of the verbs פוּץ (puts, “scatter”) and הָמַם (hamam, “rout”) elsewhere in Holy War accounts suggests the suffixes refer to enemies. Enemies are frequently pictured in such texts as scattered and/or routed (see Exod 14:24; 23:27; Num 10:35; Josh 10:10; Judg 4:15; 1 Sam 7:10; 11:11; Ps 68:1).

[18:14]  ³ sn Lightning is a common motif in in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 190-92.

[18:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “lightning bolts, many.” 2 Sam 22:15 has simply “lightning” (בָּרָק, baraq). The identity of the word רָב (rav) in Ps 18:14 is problematic. (1) It may be a form of a rare verb רָבַב (ravav, “to shoot”), perhaps attested in Gen 49:23 as well. In this case one might translate, “he shot lightning bolts and routed them.” Other options include (2) understanding רָב (rav) as an adverbial use of the adjective, “lightning bolts in abundance,” or (3) emending the form to רַבּוּ (rabbu), from רָבַב (ravav, “be many”) or to רָבוּ (ravu), from רָבָה (ravah, “be many”) – both a haplography of the vav (ו); note the initial vav on the immediately following form – and translating “lightning bolts were in abundance.”

[144:6]  ⁵ sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 18:14; 77:17-18; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” [Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983], 187).

[144:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “my loyal love,” which is probably an abbreviated form of “the God of my loyal love” (see Ps 59:10, 17).

[144:2]  ⁷ tn Or “my elevated place.”

[144:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “the one who subdues nations beneath me.”

[22:15]  ⁹ tc Heb “my strength” (כֹּחִי, kokhiy), but many prefer to emend the text to חִכִּי (khikiy, “my palate”; cf. NEB, NRSV “my mouth”) assuming that an error of transposition has occurred in the traditional Hebrew text.

[22:15]  ¹⁰ tn Cf. NEB “my jaw”; NASB, NRSV “my jaws”; NIV “the roof of my mouth.”

[22:15]  ¹¹ sn Here the psalmist addresses God and suggests that God is ultimately responsible for what is happening because of his failure to intervene (see vv. 1-2, 11).

[22:15]  ¹² sn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the progressive nature of the action. The psalmist is in the process of dying.

[3:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “in their lofty dwelling places.”

[3:11]  ¹⁴ tn Or “at the light of your arrows they vanish.”

[3:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “at the brightness of the lightning of your spear.”