Psalms 2:8

2:8 Ask me,

and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, ¹ 

the ends of the earth as your personal property.

Psalms 18:17

18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, ² 

from those who hate me,

for they were too strong for me.

Psalms 35:22

35:22 But you take notice, ³  Lord!

O Lord, do not remain far away from me!

Psalms 38:21

38:21 Do not abandon me, O Lord!

My God, do not remain far away from me!

Psalms 39:13

39:13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy

before I pass away. ⁴ 

Psalms 71:12

71:12 O God, do not remain far away from me!

My God, hurry and help me! ⁵ 

Psalms 88:14

88:14 O Lord, why do you reject me,

and pay no attention to me? ⁶ 

Psalms 88:18

88:18 You cause my friends and neighbors to keep their distance; ⁷ 

those who know me leave me alone in the darkness. ⁸ 

Psalms 101:4

101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; ⁹ 

I will not permit ¹⁰  evil.

Psalms 119:19

119:19 I am like a foreigner in this land. ¹¹ 

Do not hide your commands from me!

Psalms 139:6

139:6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;

it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. ¹² 

[2:8]  ¹ sn I will give you the nations. The Lord promises the Davidic king universal dominion.

[18:17]  ² 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.

[35:22]  ³ tn Heb “you see, O Lord.” There is a deliberate play on words. In v. 21 the enemies say, “our eye sees,” but the psalmist is confident that the Lord “sees” as well, so he appeals to him for help (see also v. 17).

[39:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “Gaze away from me and I will smile before I go and am not.” The precise identification of the initial verb form (הָשַׁע, hasha’) is uncertain. It could be from the root שָׁעָע (sha’a’, “smear”), but “your eyes” would be the expected object in this case (see Isa 6:10). The verb may be an otherwise unattested Hiphil form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “to gaze”) meaning “cause your gaze to be.” Some prefer to emend the form to the Qal שְׁעֵה (shÿ’eh, “gaze”; see Job 14:6). If one does read a form of the verb “to gaze,” the angry divine “gaze” of discipline would seem to be in view (see vv. 10-11). For a similar expression of this sentiment see Job 10:20-21.

[71:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “hurry to my help.”

[88:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “[why] do you hide your face from me?”

[88:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “you cause to be far from me friend and neighbor.”

[88:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “those known by me, darkness.”

[101:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse (see Ps 18:26). It appears frequently in the Book of Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6).

[101:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.

[119:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “I am a resident alien in the land.” Resident aliens were especially vulnerable and in need of help. They needed to know the social and legal customs of the land to avoid getting into trouble. The translation (note the addition of “like”) assumes the psalmist is speaking metaphorically, not literally.

[139:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “too amazing [is this] knowledge for me, it is elevated, I cannot attain to it.”