Psalms 31:12

31:12 I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about; ¹ 

I am regarded as worthless, like a broken jar. ² 

Psalms 69:8

69:8 My own brothers treat me like a stranger;

they act as if I were a foreigner. ³ 

Psalms 73:22

73:22 I was ignorant ⁴  and lacked insight; ⁵ 

I was as senseless as an animal before you. ⁶ 

Psalms 102:6

102:6 I am like an owl ⁷  in the wilderness;

I am like a screech owl ⁸  among the ruins. ⁹ 

Psalms 109:25

109:25 I am disdained by them. ¹⁰ 

When they see me, they shake their heads. ¹¹ 

Psalms 119:83

119:83 For ¹²  I am like a wineskin ¹³  dried up in smoke. ¹⁴ 

I do not forget your statutes.

[31:12]  ¹ tn Heb “I am forgotten, like a dead man, from [the] heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the center of one’s thoughts.

[31:12]  ² tn Heb “I am like a broken jar.” One throws away a broken jar without a second thought because it is considered worthless and useless.

[69:8]  ³ tn Heb “and I am estranged to my brothers, and a foreigner to the sons of my mother.”

[73:22]  ⁵ tn Or “brutish, stupid.”

[73:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “and I was not knowing.”

[73:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “an animal I was with you.”

[102:6]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). Modern translations have frequently rendered this as some type of owl (NIV, REB “desert owl”; NRSV “owl”).

[102:6]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew term כוֹס (khos) refers to a bird (see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16), probably a type of owl (cf. NIV, REB “owl”; NRSV “little owl”).

[102:6]  ⁹ sn By comparing himself to a screech owl among the ruins, the psalmist may be highlighting his loneliness (see v. 7), though he may also be comparing his cries for help to the owl’s screech.

[109:25]  ⁹ tn Heb “as for me, I am a reproach to them.”

[109:25]  ¹⁰ sn They shake their heads. Apparently shaking the head was a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 22:7; Lam 2:15.

[119:83]  ¹¹ tn Or “even though.”

[119:83]  ¹² tn The Hebrew word נֹאד (no’d, “leather container”) refers to a container made from animal skin which is used to hold wine or milk (see Josh 9:4, 13; Judg 4:19; 1 Sam 16:20).

[119:83]  ¹³ tn Heb “in the smoke.”