Psalms 34:17-18

34:17 The godly ¹  cry out and the Lord hears;

he saves them from all their troubles. ² 

34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;

he delivers ³  those who are discouraged. ⁴ 

[34:17]  ¹ tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).

[34:17]  ² tn The three perfect verbal forms are taken in a generalizing sense in v. 17 and translated with the present tense (note the generalizing mood of vv. 18-22).

[34:18]  ³ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the oppressed and needy.

[34:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”