Discovery BoxPsalms 23:4
Context23:4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, 1
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff reassure me. 4
Psalms 32:5
Context32:5 Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess 5 my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins. 6 (Selah)
Psalms 40:5
Context40:5 O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things;
you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us. 7
No one can thwart you! 8
I want to declare them and talk about them,
but they are too numerous to recount! 9
Psalms 40:17
Context40:17 I am oppressed and needy! 10
May the Lord pay attention to me! 11
You are my helper and my deliverer!
O my God, do not delay!
Psalms 55:23
Context55:23 But you, O God, will bring them 12 down to the deep Pit. 13
Violent and deceitful people 14 will not live even half a normal lifespan. 15
But as for me, I trust in you.
Psalms 59:5
Context59:5 You, O Lord God, the invincible warrior, 16 the God of Israel,
rouse yourself and punish 17 all the nations!
Have no mercy on any treacherous evildoers! (Selah)
Psalms 70:5
Context70:5 I am oppressed and needy! 18
O God, hurry to me! 19
You are my helper and my deliverer!
O Lord, 20 do not delay!
Psalms 142:3
Context142:3 Even when my strength leaves me, 21
you watch my footsteps. 22
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
[23:4] 1 tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל [tsel] + מָוֶת [mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צָלַם, tsalam) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. If the word does indeed mean “darkness,” it modifies גַיְא (gay’, “valley, ravine”) quite naturally. At the metaphorical level, v. 4 pictures the shepherd taking his sheep through a dark ravine where predators might lurk. The life-threatening situations faced by the psalmist are the underlying reality behind the imagery.
[23:4] 2 tn The imperfect verbal forms in v. 4, as in vv. 1-3, highlight what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.
[23:4] 3 tn The Hebrew term רַע (ra’) is traditionally translated “evil” here, perhaps suggesting a moral or ethical nuance. But at the level of the metaphor, the word means “danger, injury, harm,” as a sheep might experience from a predator. The life-threatening dangers faced by the psalmist, especially the enemies mentioned in v. 5, are the underlying reality.
[23:4] 4 tn The Piel of נָחַם (nakham), when used with a human object, means “comfort, console.” But here, within the metaphorical framework, it refers to the way in which a shepherd uses his implements to assure the sheep of his presence and calm their nerves. The underlying reality is the emotional stability God provides the psalmist during life threatening situations.
[32:5] 5 tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”
[32:5] 6 tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.
[40:5] 9 tn Heb “many things you have done, you, O
[40:5] 10 tn Heb “there is none arrayed against you.” The precise meaning of the text is unclear, but the collocation עָרַךְ אֶל (’arakh ’el, “array against”) is used elsewhere of military (Judg 20:30; 1 Chr 19:17) or verbal opposition (Job 32:14).
[40:5] 11 tn Heb “I will declare and I will speak, they are too numerous to recount.” The present translation assumes that the cohortatives are used in a hypothetical manner in a formally unmarked conditional sentence, “Should I try to declare [them] and speak [of them]…” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). For other examples of cohortatives in the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, see GKC 320 §108.e. (It should be noted, however, that GKC understands this particular verse in a different manner. See GKC 320 §108.f, where it is suggested that the cohortatives are part of an apodosis with the protasis being suppressed.) Another option is to take the cohortatives as a declaration of the psalmist’s resolve to announce the truth expressed in the next line. In this case one might translate: “I will declare and speak [the truth]: They are too numerous to recount.”
[40:17] 13 sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.
[40:17] 14 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a jussive of prayer (as in the present translation; cf. NIV) or as an imperfect, “The
[55:23] 17 tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).
[55:23] 18 tn Heb “well of the pit.” The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 103:4).
[55:23] 19 tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”
[55:23] 20 tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”
[59:5] 21 tn Heb “
[59:5] 22 tn Heb “wake up to punish” (see Pss 35:23; 44:23).
[70:5] 25 sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.
[70:5] 26 tn Ps 40:17 has “may the Lord pay attention to me.”
[70:5] 27 tn Ps 40:17 has “my God” instead of “
