Psalms 20:6

20:6 Now I am sure ¹  that the Lord will deliver ²  his chosen king; ³ 

he will intervene for him ⁴  from his holy heavenly temple, ⁵ 

and display his mighty ability to deliver. ⁶ 

Psalms 54:1

Psalm 54 ⁷ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song ⁸  by David. It was written when the Ziphites came and informed Saul: “David is hiding with us.” ⁹ 

54:1 O God, deliver me by your name! ¹⁰ 

Vindicate me ¹¹  by your power!

Psalms 71:18

71:18 Even when I am old and gray, ¹² 

O God, do not abandon me,

until I tell the next generation about your strength,

and those coming after me about your power. ¹³ 

Psalms 90:10

90:10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, ¹⁴ 

or eighty, if one is especially strong. ¹⁵ 

But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. ¹⁶ 

Yes, ¹⁷  they pass quickly ¹⁸  and we fly away. ¹⁹ 

[20:6]  ¹ tn Or “know.”

[20:6]  ² tn The perfect verbal form is probably used rhetorically to state that the deliverance is as good as done. In this way the speaker emphasizes the certainty of the deliverance. Another option is to take the statement as generalizing; the psalmist affirms that the Lord typically delivers the king.

[20:6]  ³ tn Heb “his anointed one.” This title refers to the Davidic king. See Pss 2:2 and 18:50.

[20:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “he will answer him.”

[20:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “from his holy heavens.”

[20:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “with mighty acts of deliverance of his right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Ps 17:7).

[54:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 54. The psalmist asks God for protection against his enemies, confidently affirms that God will vindicate him, and promises to give thanks to God for his saving intervention.

[54:1]  ⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.

[54:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “Is not David hiding with us?”

[54:1]  ¹⁰ tn God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character, which would instill fear in the psalmist’s enemies (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:17).

[54:1]  ¹¹ tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.

[71:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “and even unto old age and gray hair.”

[71:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “until I declare your arm to a generation, to everyone who comes your power.” God’s “arm” here is an anthropomorphism that symbolizes his great strength.

[90:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”

[90:10]  ²⁰ tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”

[90:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “and their pride [is] destruction and wickedness.” The Hebrew noun רֹהַב (rohav) occurs only here. BDB 923 s.v. assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root רהב (“to act stormily [boisterously, arrogantly]”). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).

[90:10]  ²² tn or “for.”

[90:10]  ²³ tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb גּוּז (guz) means “to pass” here; it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.

[90:10]  ²⁴ sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).