Psalms 3:3

3:3 But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; ¹ 

you are my glory ²  and the one who restores me. ³ 

Psalms 18:34

18:34 He trains my hands for battle; ⁴ 

my arms can bend even the strongest bow. ⁵ 

Psalms 27:10

27:10 Even if my father and mother abandoned me, ⁶ 

the Lord would take me in. ⁷ 

Psalms 42:3

42:3 I cannot eat, I weep day and night; ⁸ 

all day long they say to me, ⁹  “Where is your God?”

Psalms 51:14

51:14 Rescue me from the guilt of murder, ¹⁰  O God, the God who delivers me!

Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your deliverance. ¹¹ 

Psalms 57:7

57:7 I am determined, ¹²  O God! I am determined!

I will sing and praise you!

Psalms 62:1

Psalm 62 ¹³ 

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.

62:1 For God alone I patiently wait; ¹⁴ 

he is the one who delivers me. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 69:5

69:5 O God, you are aware of my foolish sins; ¹⁶ 

my guilt is not hidden from you. ¹⁷ 

Psalms 69:21

69:21 They put bitter poison ¹⁸  into my food,

and to quench my thirst they give me vinegar to drink. ¹⁹ 

Psalms 71:10

71:10 For my enemies talk about me;

those waiting for a chance to kill me plot my demise. ²⁰ 

Psalms 104:33

104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist! ²¹ 

Psalms 109:20

109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, ²² 

those who say evil things about ²³  me! ²⁴ 

Psalms 119:92

119:92 If I had not found encouragement in your law, ²⁵ 

I would have died in my sorrow. ²⁶ 

Psalms 141:8

141:8 Surely I am looking to you, ²⁷  O sovereign Lord.

In you I take shelter.

Do not expose me to danger! ²⁸ 

Psalms 146:2

146:2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live!

I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist!

[3:3]  ¹ tn Heb “a shield round about me.”

[3:3]  ² tn Heb “my glory,” or “my honor.” The psalmist affirms that the Lord is his source of honor, i.e., the one who gives him honor in the sight of others. According to BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 7, the phrase refers to God as the one to whom the psalmist gives honor. But the immediate context focuses on what God does for the psalmist, not vice-versa.

[3:3]  ³ tn Heb “[the one who] lifts my head.” This phrase could be understood to refer to a general strengthening of the psalmist by God during difficult circumstances. However, if one takes the suggestion of the superscription that this is a Davidic psalm written during the revolt of Absalom, the phrase “lift the head” could refer to the psalmist’s desire for restoration to his former position (cf. Gen 40:13 where the same phrase is used). Like the Hebrew text, the present translation (“who restores me”) can be understood in either sense.

[18:34]  ⁴ sn He trains my hands. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.

[18:34]  ⁵ tn Heb “and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms”; or “my arms bend a bow of bronze.” The verb נָחַת (nakhat) apparently means “pull back, bend” here (see HALOT 692 s.v. נחת). The third feminine singular verbal form appears to agree with the feminine singular noun קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “bow”). In this case the verb must be taken as Niphal (passive). However, it is possible that “my arms” is the subject of the verb and “bow” the object. In this case the verb is Piel (active). For other examples of a feminine singular verb being construed with a plural noun, see GKC 464 §145.k.

[27:10]  ⁷ tn Or “though my father and mother have abandoned me.”

[27:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “gather me in”; or “receive me.”

[42:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “My tears have become my food day and night.”

[42:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “when [they] say to me all the day.” The suffixed third masculine plural pronoun may have been accidentally omitted from the infinitive בֶּאֱמֹר (be’ÿmor, “when [they] say”). Note the term בְּאָמְרָם (bÿ’omram, “when they say”) in v. 10.

[51:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “from bloodshed.” “Bloodshed” here stands by metonymy for the guilt which it produces.

[51:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “my tongue will shout for joy your deliverance.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may my tongue shout for joy.” However, the pattern in vv. 12-15 appears to be prayer/request (see vv. 12, 14a, 15a) followed by promise/vow (see vv. 13, 14b, 15b).

[57:7]  ¹⁶ tn Or perhaps “confident”; Heb “my heart is steadfast.” The “heart” is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s volition and/or emotions.

[62:1]  ¹⁹ sn Psalm 62. The psalmist expresses his unwavering confidence in God’s justice and in his ability to protect his people.

[62:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “only for God [is] there silence [to] my soul.”

[62:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “from him [is] my deliverance.”

[69:5]  ²² tn Heb “you know my foolishness.”

[69:5]  ²³ sn The psalmist is the first to admit that he is not perfect. But even so, he is innocent of the allegations which his enemies bring against him (v. 5b). God, who is aware of his foolish sins and guilt, can testify to the truth of his claim.

[69:21]  ²⁵ tn According to BDB 912 s.v. II רֹאשׁ the term can mean “a bitter and poisonous plant.”

[69:21]  ²⁶ sn John 19:28-30 appears to understand Jesus’ experience on the cross as a fulfillment of this passage (or Ps 22:15). See the study note on the word “thirsty” in John 19:28.

[71:10]  ²⁸ tn Heb “those who watch for my life consult together.”

[104:33]  ³¹ tn Heb “in my duration.”

[109:20]  ³⁴ tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the Lord.”

[109:20]  ³⁵ tn Or “against.”

[109:20]  ³⁶ tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being; soul”) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[119:92]  ³⁷ tn Heb “if your law had not been my delight.”

[119:92]  ³⁸ tn Or “my suffering.”

[141:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “my eyes [are] toward you.”

[141:8]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “do not lay bare my life.” Only here is the Piel form of the verb collocated with the term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”). In Isa 53:12 the Lord’s servant “lays bare (the Hiphil form of the verb is used) his life to death.”