Psalms 20:2

20:2 May he send you help from his temple; ¹ 

from Zion may he give you support!

Psalms 78:45

78:45 He sent swarms of biting insects against them, ² 

as well as frogs that overran their land. ³ 

Psalms 107:20

107:20 He sent them an assuring word ⁴  and healed them;

he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped. ⁵ 

Psalms 18:16

18:16 He reached down ⁶  from above and took hold of me;

he pulled me from the surging water. ⁷ 

Psalms 110:2

110:2 The Lord ⁸  extends ⁹  your dominion ¹⁰  from Zion.

Rule in the midst of your enemies!

Psalms 147:18

147:18 He then orders it all to melt; ¹¹ 

he breathes on it, ¹²  and the water flows.

[20:2]  ¹ tc Heb “from [the] temple.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix (ן, nun) has probably been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word begins with a prefixed vav (ו). See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 184.

[78:45]  ² tn Heb “and he sent an insect swarm against them and it devoured them.”

[78:45]  ³ tn Heb “and a swarm of frogs and it destroyed them.”

[107:20]  ³ tn Heb “he sent his word.” This probably refers to an oracle of assurance which announced his intention to intervene (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 59).

[107:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “he rescued from their traps.” The Hebrew word שְׁחִית (shekhit, “trap”) occurs only here and in Lam 4:20, where it refers to a trap or pit in which one is captured. Because of the rarity of the term and the absence of an object with the verb “rescued,” some prefer to emend the text of Ps 107:20, reading מִשַׁחַת חַיָּתָם (mishakhat khayyatam, “[he rescued] their lives from the pit”). Note also NIV “from the grave,” which interprets the “pit” as Sheol or the grave.

[18:16]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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).

[110:2]  ⁵ tn Since the Lord is mentioned in the third person (note the use of the first person in v. 1), it is likely that these are the psalmist’s words to the king, not a continuation of the oracle per se.

[110:2]  ⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though it could be taken as future.

[110:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “your strong scepter,” symbolic of the king’s royal authority and dominion.

[147:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “he sends his word and melts them.”

[147:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “he blows his breath.”