Psalms 25:15

25:15 I continually look to the Lord for help, ¹ 

for he will free my feet from the enemy’s net. ² 

Psalms 123:1-2

Psalm 123 ³ 

A song of ascents. ⁴ 

123:1 I look up ⁵  toward you,

the one enthroned ⁶  in heaven.

123:2 Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress, ⁷ 

so my eyes will look to the Lord, our God, until he shows us favor.

Psalms 123:2

123:2 Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress, ⁸ 

so my eyes will look to the Lord, our God, until he shows us favor.

Psalms 20:1

Psalm 20 ⁹ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

20:1 May the Lord answer ¹⁰  you ¹¹  when you are in trouble; ¹² 

may the God of Jacob ¹³  make you secure!

[25:15]  ¹ tn Heb “my eyes continually [are] toward the Lord.”

[25:15]  ² tn Heb “for he will bring out from a net my feet.” The hostility of the psalmist’s enemies is probably in view (see v. 19).

[123:1]  ³ sn Psalm 123. The psalmist, speaking for God’s people, acknowledges his dependence on God in the midst of a crisis.

[123:1]  ⁴ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[123:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”

[123:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb יָשַׁב (yashav) is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12).

[123:2]  ⁷ sn Servants look to their master for food, shelter, and other basic needs.

[123:2]  ⁸ sn Servants look to their master for food, shelter, and other basic needs.

[20:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 20. The people pray for the king’s success in battle. When the king declares his assurance that the Lord will answer the people’s prayer, they affirm their confidence in God’s enablement.

[20:1]  ¹⁰ tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in vv. 1b-5 are interpreted as jussives of prayer (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). Another option is to understand them as imperfects, “the Lord will answer,” etc. In this case the people declare their confidence that the Lord will intervene on behalf of the king and extend to him his favor.

[20:1]  ¹¹ sn May the Lord answer you. The people address the king as they pray to the Lord.

[20:1]  ¹² tn Heb “in a day of trouble.”

[20:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “the name of the God of Jacob.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his very person and to the divine characteristics suggested by his name, in this case “God of Jacob,” which highlights his relationship to Israel.