Psalms 18:17

18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, ¹ 

from those who hate me,

for they were too strong for me.

Psalms 119:98

119:98 Your commandments ²  make me wiser than my enemies,

for I am always aware of them.

Psalms 18:48

18:48 He delivers me ³  from my enemies;

you snatch me away ⁴  from those who attack me; ⁵ 

you rescue me from violent men.

Psalms 59:1

Psalm 59 ⁶ 

For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; ⁷  a prayer ⁸  of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him. ⁹ 

59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God!

Protect me ¹⁰  from those who attack me! ¹¹ 

[18:17]  ¹ tn The singular refers either to personified death or collectively to the psalmist’s enemies. The following line, which refers to “those [plural] who hate me,” favors the latter.

[119:98]  ² tn The plural form needs to be revocalized as a singular in order to agree with the preceding singular verb and the singular pronoun in the next line. The Lord’s “command” refers here to the law (see Ps 19:8).

[18:48]  ³ tn Heb “[the one who] delivers me.” 2 Sam 22:49 reads “and [the one who] brings me out.”

[18:48]  ⁴ tn Heb “lifts me up.” In light of the preceding and following references to deliverance, the verb רום probably here refers to being rescued from danger (see Ps 9:13). However, it could mean “exalt, elevate” here, indicating that the Lord has given the psalmist victory over his enemies and forced them to acknowledge the psalmist’s superiority (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[18:48]  ⁵ tn Heb “from those who rise against me.”

[59:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 59. The psalmist calls down judgment on his foreign enemies, whom he compares to ravenous wild dogs.

[59:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-58, 75.

[59:1]  ⁶ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-58, 60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”

[59:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”

[59:1]  ⁸ tn Or “make me secure”; Heb “set me on high.”

[59:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “from those who raise themselves up [against] me.”