Psalms 35:1

Psalm 35 ¹ 

By David.

35:1 O Lord, fight ²  those who fight with me!

Attack those who attack me!

Psalms 43:1

Psalm 43 ³ 

43:1 Vindicate me, O God!

Fight for me ⁴  against an ungodly nation!

Deliver me ⁵  from deceitful and evil men! ⁶ 

Psalms 43:1

Psalm 43 ⁷ 

43:1 Vindicate me, O God!

Fight for me ⁸  against an ungodly nation!

Deliver me ⁹  from deceitful and evil men! ¹⁰ 

Psalms 24:1

Psalm 24 ¹¹ 

A psalm of David.

24:1 The Lord owns the earth and all it contains,

the world and all who live in it.

Job 5:8

Blessings for the One Who Seeks God ¹² 

5:8 “But ¹³  as for me, ¹⁴  I would seek ¹⁵  God, ¹⁶ 

and to God ¹⁷  I would set forth my case. ¹⁸ 

Proverbs 22:23

22:23 for the Lord will plead their case ¹⁹ 

and will rob those who are robbing ²⁰  them.

Jeremiah 11:20

11:20 So I said to the Lord, ²¹ 

“O Lord who rules over all, ²²  you are a just judge!

You examine people’s hearts and minds. ²³ 

I want to see you pay them back for what they have done

because I trust you to vindicate my cause.” ²⁴ 

Jeremiah 50:34

50:34 But the one who will rescue them ²⁵  is strong.

He is known as the Lord who rules over all. ²⁶ 

He will strongly ²⁷  champion their cause.

As a result ²⁸  he will bring peace and rest to the earth,

but trouble and turmoil ²⁹  to the people who inhabit Babylonia. ³⁰ 

Jeremiah 51:36

51:36 Therefore the Lord says,

“I will stand up for your cause.

I will pay the Babylonians back for what they have done to you. ³¹ 

I will dry up their sea.

I will make their springs run dry. ³² 

Micah 7:9

7:9 I must endure ³³  the Lord’s anger,

for I have sinned against him.

But then ³⁴  he will defend my cause, ³⁵ 

and accomplish justice on my behalf.

He will lead me out into the light;

I will experience firsthand ³⁶  his deliverance. ³⁷ 

Micah 7:1

Micah Laments Judah’s Sin

7:1 I am depressed! ³⁸ 

Indeed, ³⁹  it is as if the summer fruit has been gathered,

and the grapes have been harvested. ⁴⁰ 

There is no grape cluster to eat,

no fresh figs that I crave so much. ⁴¹ 

Micah 2:1

Land Robbers Will Lose their Land

2:1 Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead, ⁴² 

those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed. ⁴³ 

As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans, ⁴⁴ 

because they have the power to do so.

[35:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 35. The author, who faces ruthless enemies who seek his life for no reason, begs the Lord to fight his battles for him and to vindicate him by annihilating his adversaries.

[35:1]  ² tn Or “contend.”

[43:1]  ³ sn Psalm 43. Many medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalm 43 and Psalm 42 into one psalm. Psalm 43 is the only psalm in Book 2 of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72) that does not have a heading, suggesting that it was originally the third and concluding section of Psalm 42. Ps 43:5 is identical to the refrain in Ps 42:11 and almost identical to the refrain in Ps 42:5.

[43:1]  ⁴ tn Or “argue my case.”

[43:1]  ⁵ tn The imperfect here expresses a request or wish. Note the imperatives in the first half of the verse. See also v. 3.

[43:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “from the deceitful and evil man.” The Hebrew text uses the singular form “man” in a collective sense, as the reference to a “nation” in the parallel line indicates.

[43:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 43. Many medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalm 43 and Psalm 42 into one psalm. Psalm 43 is the only psalm in Book 2 of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72) that does not have a heading, suggesting that it was originally the third and concluding section of Psalm 42. Ps 43:5 is identical to the refrain in Ps 42:11 and almost identical to the refrain in Ps 42:5.

[43:1]  ⁸ tn Or “argue my case.”

[43:1]  ⁹ tn The imperfect here expresses a request or wish. Note the imperatives in the first half of the verse. See also v. 3.

[43:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “from the deceitful and evil man.” The Hebrew text uses the singular form “man” in a collective sense, as the reference to a “nation” in the parallel line indicates.

[24:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 24. The psalmist affirms the universal kingship of the sovereign creator, reminds his people that only the morally pure are qualified to worship him, and celebrates his splendor as a mighty warrior king.

[5:8]  ¹² sn Eliphaz affirms that if he were in Job’s place he would take refuge in God, but Job has to acknowledge that he has offended God and accept this suffering as his chastisement. Job eventually will submit to God in the end, but not in the way that Eliphaz advises here, for Job does not agree that the sufferings are judgments from God.

[5:8]  ¹³ tn The word אוּלָם (’ulam) is a strong adversative “but.” This forms the contrast with what has been said previously and so marks a new section.

[5:8]  ¹⁴ tn The independent personal pronoun here adds emphasis to the subject of the verb, again strengthening the contrast with what Job is doing (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 22, §106).

[5:8]  ¹⁵ tn The imperfect verbs in this verse express not so much what Eliphaz does as what he would do if he were in Job’s place (even though in 13:3 we have the affirmation). The use fits the category of the imperfect used in conditional clauses (see GKC 319 §107.x).

[5:8]  ¹⁶ tn The verb דָּרַשׁ (darash, “to seek”) followed by the preposition אֶל (’el, “towards”) has the meaning of addressing oneself to (God). See 8:19 and 40:10.

[5:8]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew employs אֵל (’el) in the first line and אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) in the second for “God”, but the LXX uses κύριος (kurio", “Lord”) in both places in this verse. However, in the second colon it also has “Lord of all.” This is replaced in the Greek version of Aquila by παντοκράτωρ (pantokratwr, traditionally translated “Almighty”). On the basis of this information, H. M. Orlinsky suggests that the second name for God in the verses should be “Shaddai” (JQR 25 [1934/35]: 271).

[5:8]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew simply has “my word”; but in this expression that uses שִׂים (sim) with the meaning of “lay before” or “expound a cause” in a legal sense, “case” or “cause” would be a better translation.

[22:23]  ¹⁹ tn The construction uses the verb יָרִיב (yariv) with its cognate accusative. It can mean “to strive,” but here it probably means “to argue a case, plead a case” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV). How the Lord will do this is not specified – either through righteous people or by direct intervention.

[22:23]  ²⁰ tn The verb קָבַע (qava’, “to rob; to spoil; to plunder”) is used here in both places to reflect the principle of talionic justice. What the oppressors did to the poor will be turned back on them by the Lord.

[11:20]  ²¹ tn The words “So I said to the Lord” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity to show the shift in address.

[11:20]  ²² tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”

[11:20]  ²³ tn Heb “Lord of armies, just judge, tester of kidneys and heart.” The sentence has been broken up to avoid a long and complex English sentence. The translation is more in keeping with contemporary English style. In Hebrew thought the “kidneys” were thought of as the seat of the emotions and passions and the “heart” was viewed as the seat of intellect, conscience, and will. The “heart” and the “kidneys” are often used figuratively for the thoughts, emotions, motives, and drives that are thought to be seated in them.

[11:20]  ²⁴ tn Heb “Let me see your retribution [i.e., see you exact retribution] from them because I reveal my cause [i.e., plea for justice] to you.”

[50:34]  ²⁵ sn Heb “their redeemer.” The Hebrew term “redeemer” referred in Israelite family law to the nearest male relative who was responsible for securing the freedom of a relative who had been sold into slavery. For further discussion of this term as well as its metaphorical use to refer to God as the one who frees Israel from bondage in Egypt and from exile in Assyria and Babylonia see the study note on 31:11.

[50:34]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies is his name.” For the rendering of this title see the study note on 2:19.

[50:34]  ²⁷ tn Or “he will certainly champion.” The infinitive absolute before the finite verb here is probably functioning to intensify the verb rather than to express the certainty of the action (cf. GKC 333 §112.n and compare usage in Gen 43:3 and 1 Sam 20:6 listed there).

[50:34]  ²⁸ tn This appears to be another case where the particle לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) introduces a result rather than giving the purpose or goal. See the translator’s note on 25:7 for a listing of other examples in the book of Jeremiah and also the translator’s note on 27:10.

[50:34]  ²⁹ tn Heb “he will bring rest to the earth and will cause unrest to.” The terms “rest” and “unrest” have been doubly translated to give more of the idea underlying these two concepts.

[50:34]  ³⁰ tn This translation again reflects the problem often encountered in these prophecies where the Lord appears to be speaking but refers to himself in the third person. It would be possible to translate here using the first person as CEV and NIrV do. However, to sustain that over the whole verse results in a considerably greater degree of paraphrase. The verse could be rendered “But I am strong and I will rescue them. I am the Lord who rules over all. I will champion their cause. And I will bring peace and rest to….”

[51:36]  ³¹ tn Heb “I will avenge your vengeance [= I will take vengeance for you; the phrase involves a verb and a cognate accusative].” The meaning of the phrase has been spelled out in more readily understandable terms.

[51:36]  ³² tn Heb “I will dry up her [Babylon’s] sea and make her fountain dry.” “Their” has been substituted for “her” because “Babylonians” has been inserted in the previous clause and is easier to understand than the personification of Babylon = “her.”

[7:9]  ³³ tn Heb “lift, bear.”

[7:9]  ³⁴ tn Heb “until.”

[7:9]  ³⁵ tn Or “plead my case” (NASB and NIV both similar); NRSV “until he takes my side.”

[7:9]  ³⁶ tn Heb “see.”

[7:9]  ³⁷ tn Or “justice, vindication.”

[7:1]  ³⁸ tn Heb “woe to me!” In light of the image that follows, perhaps one could translate, “I am disappointed.”

[7:1]  ³⁹ tn Or “for.”

[7:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “I am like the gathering of the summer fruit, like the gleanings of the harvest.” Micah is not comparing himself to the harvested fruit. There is an ellipsis here, as the second half of the verse makes clear. The idea is, “I am like [one at the time] the summer fruit is gathered and the grapes are harvested.”

[7:1]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “my appetite craves.”

[2:1]  ⁴² tn Heb “Woe to those who plan sin.” The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe”; “ah”) was a cry used in mourning the dead.

[2:1]  ⁴³ tn Heb “those who do evil upon their beds.”

[2:1]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “at the light of morning they do it.”