Psalms 18:5

18:5 The ropes of Sheol tightened around me, ¹ 

the snares of death trapped me. ² 

Psalms 18:18

18:18 They confronted ³  me in my day of calamity,

but the Lord helped me. ⁴ 

Psalms 59:10

59:10 The God who loves me will help me; ⁵ 

God will enable me to triumph over ⁶  my enemies. ⁷ 

Psalms 68:25

68:25 Singers walk in front;

musicians follow playing their stringed instruments, ⁸ 

in the midst of young women playing tambourines. ⁹ 

Psalms 88:13

88:13 As for me, I cry out to you, O Lord;

in the morning my prayer confronts you.

[18:5]  ¹ tn Heb “surrounded me.”

[18:5]  ² tn Heb “confronted me.”

[18:18]  ³ tn The same verb is translated “trapped” in v. 5. In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.

[18:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “became my support.”

[59:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “the God of my [Qere (marginal reading); the Kethib (consonantal text) has “his”] loyal love will meet me.”

[59:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “will cause me to look upon.”

[59:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 56:2.

[68:25]  ⁷ tn Heb “after [are] the stringed instrument players.”

[68:25]  ⁸ sn To celebrate a military victory, women would play tambourines (see Exod 15:20; Judg 11:34; 1 Sam 18:6).