Psalms 18:16

18:16 He reached down ¹  from above and took hold of me;

he pulled me from the surging water. ² 

Psalms 22:12

22:12 Many bulls ³  surround me;

powerful bulls of Bashan ⁴  hem me in.

Psalms 32:10

32:10 An evil person suffers much pain, ⁵ 

but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him. ⁶ 

Psalms 97:1

Psalm 97 ⁷ 

97:1 The Lord reigns!

Let the earth be happy!

Let the many coastlands rejoice!

Psalms 107:23

107:23 ⁸ Some traveled on ⁹  the sea in ships,

and carried cargo over the vast waters. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 109:30

109:30 I will thank the Lord profusely, ¹¹ 

in the middle of a crowd ¹²  I will praise him,

[18:16]  ¹ tn Heb “stretched.” Perhaps “his hand” should be supplied by ellipsis (see Ps 144:7). In this poetic narrative context the three prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects.

[18:16]  ² tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see v. 4 and Ps 144:7).

[22:12]  ³ sn The psalmist figuratively compares his enemies to dangerous bulls.

[22:12]  ⁴ sn Bashan, located east of the Jordan River, was well-known for its cattle. See Ezek 39:18; Amos 4:1.

[32:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “many [are the] pains of evil [one].” The singular form is representative here; the typical evildoer, representative of the larger group of wicked people, is in view.

[32:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “but the one who trusts in the Lord, faithfulness surrounds him.”

[97:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 97. The psalmist depicts the Lord as the sovereign, just king of the world who comes in power to vindicate his people.

[107:23]  ⁹ sn Verses 23-30, which depict the Lord rescuing sailors from a storm at sea, do not seem to describe the exiles’ situation, unless the word picture is metaphorical. Perhaps the psalmist here broadens his scope and offers an example of God’s kindness to the needy beyond the covenant community.

[107:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “those going down [into].”

[107:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “doers of work on the mighty waters.”

[109:30]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I will thank the Lord very much with my mouth.”

[109:30]  ¹² tn Heb “many.”