Psalms 22:10

22:10 I have been dependent on you since birth; ¹ 

from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God. ² 

Psalms 44:25

44:25 For we lie in the dirt,

with our bellies pressed to the ground. ³ 

Psalms 58:3

58:3 The wicked turn aside from birth; ⁴ 

liars go astray as soon as they are born. ⁵ 

Psalms 127:3

127:3 Yes, ⁶  sons ⁷  are a gift from the Lord,

the fruit of the womb is a reward.

Psalms 139:13

139:13 Certainly ⁸  you made my mind and heart; ⁹ 

you wove me together ¹⁰  in my mother’s womb.

Psalms 22:9

22:9 Yes, you are the one who brought me out ¹¹  from the womb

and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.

Psalms 31:9

31:9 Have mercy on me, for I am in distress!

My eyes grow dim ¹²  from suffering. ¹³ 

I have lost my strength. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 71:6

71:6 I have leaned on you since birth; ¹⁵ 

you pulled me ¹⁶  from my mother’s womb.

I praise you continually. ¹⁷ 

Psalms 132:11

132:11 The Lord made a reliable promise to David; ¹⁸ 

he will not go back on his word. ¹⁹ 

He said, ²⁰  “I will place one of your descendants ²¹  on your throne.

Psalms 17:14

17:14 Lord, use your power to deliver me from these murderers, ²² 

from the murderers of this world! ²³ 

They enjoy prosperity; ²⁴ 

you overwhelm them with the riches they desire. ²⁵ 

They have many children,

and leave their wealth to their offspring. ²⁶ 

[22:10]  ¹ tn Heb “upon you I was cast from [the] womb.”

[22:10]  ² tn Heb “from the womb of my mother you [have been] my God.”

[44:25]  ³ tn Heb “for our being/life sinks down to the dirt, our belly clings to the earth.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.

[58:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “from the womb.”

[58:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “speakers of a lie go astray from the womb.”

[127:3]  ⁷ tn or “look.”

[127:3]  ⁸ tn Some prefer to translate this term with the gender neutral “children,” but “sons” are plainly in view here, as the following verses make clear. Daughters are certainly wonderful additions to a family, but in ancient Israelite culture sons were the “arrows” that gave a man security in his old age, for they could defend the family interests at the city gate, where the legal and economic issues of the community were settled.

[139:13]  ⁹ tn Or “for.”

[139:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “my kidneys.” The kidneys were sometimes viewed as the seat of one’s emotions and moral character (cf. Pss 7:9; 26:2). A number of translations, recognizing that “kidneys” does not communicate this idea to the modern reader, have generalized the concept: “inmost being” (NAB, NIV); “inward parts” (NASB, NRSV); “the delicate, inner parts of my body” (NLT). In the last instance, the focus is almost entirely on the physical body rather than the emotions or moral character. The present translation, by using a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms), links the concepts of emotion (heart) and moral character (mind).

[139:13]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew verb סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave together”) is an alternate form of שָׂכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave”) used in Job 10:11.

[22:9]  ¹¹ tn Or “the one who pulled me.” The verb is derived from either גָחָה (gakhah; see HALOT 187 s.v. גחה) or גִּיחַ (giyakh; see BDB 161 s.v. גִּיחַ) and seems to carry the nuance “burst forth” or “pull out.”

[31:9]  ¹³ tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”

[31:9]  ¹⁴ tn Cf. Ps 6:7, which has a similar line.

[31:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “my breath and my stomach [grow weak].” Apparently the verb in the previous line (“grow dim, be weakened”) is to be understood here. The Hebrew term נפשׁ can mean “life,” or, more specifically, “throat, breath.” The psalmist seems to be lamenting that his breathing is impaired because of the physical and emotional suffering he is forced to endure.

[71:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from the womb.”

[71:6]  ¹⁶ tc The form in the MT is derived from גָזָה (gazah, “to cut off”), perhaps picturing God as the one who severed the psalmist’s umbilical cord. Many interpreters and translators prefer to emend the text to גֹחִי (gokhiy), from גוּח (gukh) or גִיח, (gikh, “pull out”; see Ps 22:9; cf. the present translation) or to עוּזִּי (’uzziy, “my strength”; cf. NEB “my protector since I left my mother’s womb”).

[71:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “in you [is] my praise continually.”

[132:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the Lord swore an oath to David [in] truth.”

[132:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “he will not turn back from it.”

[132:11]  ¹⁹ tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows are the Lord’s words.

[132:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the fruit of your body.”

[17:14]  ¹⁹ tc Heb “from men [by] your hand, Lord.” The translation assumes an emendation (both here and in the following line) of מִמְתִים (mimtim, “from men”) to מִמְמִתִים (mimmitim, “from those who kill”). For other uses of the plural form of the Hiphil participle of מוּת (mut, “die”), see 2 Kgs 17:26 (used with lions as subject), Job 33:22 (apparently referring to the agents of death), and Jer 26:15 (used of those seeking Jeremiah’s life).

[17:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “from men, from [the] world.” On the emendation of “men” to “murderers,” see the preceding note on the word “murderers.”

[17:14]  ²¹ tn Heb “their portion, in life.”

[17:14]  ²² tn Heb “and [with] your treasures you fill their belly.”

[17:14]  ²³ tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] sons and leave their abundance to their children.”