Psalms 27:7-8

27:7 Hear me, ¹  O Lord, when I cry out!

Have mercy on me and answer me!

27:8 My heart tells me to pray to you, ² 

and I do pray to you, O Lord. ³ 

Psalms 28:1-2

Psalm 28 ⁴ 

By David.

28:1 To you, O Lord, I cry out!

My protector, ⁵  do not ignore me! ⁶ 

If you do not respond to me, ⁷ 

I will join ⁸  those who are descending into the grave. ⁹ 

28:2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,

when I lift my hands ¹⁰  toward your holy temple! ¹¹ 

Psalms 55:1-2

Psalm 55 ¹² 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song ¹³  by David.

55:1 Listen, O God, to my prayer!

Do not ignore ¹⁴  my appeal for mercy!

55:2 Pay attention to me and answer me!

I am so upset ¹⁵  and distressed, ¹⁶  I am beside myself, ¹⁷ 

Psalms 64:1

Psalm 64 ¹⁸ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

64:1 Listen to me, ¹⁹  O God, as I offer my lament!

Protect ²⁰  my life from the enemy’s terrifying attacks. ²¹ 

[27:7]  ¹ tn Heb “my voice.”

[27:8]  ² tc Heb “concerning you my heart says, ‘Seek my face.’” The verb form “seek” is plural, but this makes no sense here, for the psalmist is addressed. The verb should be emended to a singular form. The first person pronominal suffix on “face” also makes little sense, unless it is the voice of the Lord he hears. His “heart” is viewed as speaking, however, so it is better to emend the form to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”).

[27:8]  ³ tn Heb “your face, O Lord, I seek.” To “seek the Lord’s face” means to seek his favor through prayer (see 2 Sam 21:1; Pss 24:6; 105:4).

[28:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 28. The author looks to the Lord for vindication, asks that the wicked be repaid in full for their evil deeds, and affirms his confidence that the Lord will protect his own.

[28:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.

[28:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “do not be deaf from me.”

[28:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “lest [if] you are silent from me.”

[28:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “I will be equal with.”

[28:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.

[28:2]  ¹⁰ sn I lift my hands. Lifting one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer.

[28:2]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew term דְּבִיר (dÿvir, “temple”) actually refers to the most holy place within the sanctuary.

[55:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 55. The suffering and oppressed author laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.

[55:1]  ¹³ 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.

[55:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “hide yourself from.”

[55:2]  ¹⁵ tn Or “restless” (see Gen 27:40). The Hiphil is intransitive-exhibitive, indicating the outward display of an inner attitude.

[55:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in my complaint.”

[55:2]  ¹⁷ tn The verb is a Hiphil cohortative from הוּם (hum), which means “to confuse someone” in the Qal and “to go wild” in the Niphal. An Arabic cognate means “to be out of one’s senses, to wander about.” With the vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, the cohortative probably indicates the result or effect of the preceding main verb. Some prefer to emend the form to וְאֵהוֹמָה (vÿ’ehomah), a Niphal of הוּם (hum), or to וְאֶהַמֶה (vÿ’ehameh), a Qal imperfect from הָמָה (hamah, “to moan”). Many also prefer to take this verb with what follows (see v. 3).

[64:1]  ¹⁸ sn Psalm 64. The psalmist asks God to protect him from his dangerous enemies and then confidently affirms that God will destroy his enemies and demonstrate his justice in the sight of all observers.

[64:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “my voice.”

[64:1]  ²⁰ tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s request.

[64:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “from the terror of [the] enemy.” “Terror” is used here metonymically for the enemy’s attacks that produce fear because they threaten the psalmist’s life.