Discovery BoxPsalms 35:1-3
ContextBy David.
35:1 O Lord, fight 2 those who fight with me!
Attack those who attack me!
35:2 Grab your small shield and large shield, 3
and rise up to help me!
35:3 Use your spear and lance 4 against 5 those who chase me!
Assure me with these words: 6 “I am your deliverer!”
Psalms 56:1-2
ContextFor the music director; according to the yonath-elem-rechovim style; 8 a prayer 9 of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath. 10
56:1 Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me! 11
All day long hostile enemies 12 are tormenting me. 13
56:2 Those who anticipate my defeat 14 attack me all day long.
Indeed, 15 many are fighting against me, O Exalted One. 16
Psalms 56:9
Context56:9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; 17
I know that God is on my side. 18
Psalms 64:7-8
Context64:7 But God will shoot 19 at them;
suddenly they will be 20 wounded by an arrow. 21
64:8 Their slander will bring about their demise. 22
All who see them will shudder, 23
Psalms 77:10
Context77:10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought
that the sovereign One 24 might become inactive. 25
Psalms 144:1-2
ContextBy David.
144:1 The Lord, my protector, 27 deserves praise 28 –
the one who trains my hands for battle, 29
and my fingers for war,
144:2 who loves me 30 and is my stronghold,
my refuge 31 and my deliverer,
my shield and the one in whom I take shelter,
who makes nations submit to me. 32
Isaiah 5:25
Context5:25 So the Lord is furious 33 with his people;
he lifts 34 his hand and strikes them.
The mountains shake,
and corpses lie like manure 35 in the middle of the streets.
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 36
Isaiah 9:12
Context9:12 Syria from the east,
and the Philistines from the west,
they gobbled up Israelite territory. 37
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 38
Isaiah 9:17
Context9:17 So the sovereign master was not pleased 39 with their young men,
he took no pity 40 on their orphans and widows;
for the whole nation was godless 41 and did wicked things, 42
every mouth was speaking disgraceful words. 43
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 44
Isaiah 9:21
Context9:21 Manasseh fought against 45 Ephraim,
and Ephraim against Manasseh;
together they fought against Judah.
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 46
Isaiah 10:4
Context10:4 You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners,
or to fall among those who have been killed. 47
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 48
Micah 7:8-10
Context7:8 My enemies, 49 do not gloat 50 over me!
Though I have fallen, I will get up.
Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 51
7:9 I must endure 52 the Lord’s anger,
for I have sinned against him.
But then 53 he will defend my cause, 54
and accomplish justice on my behalf.
He will lead me out into the light;
I will experience firsthand 55 his deliverance. 56
7:10 When my enemies see this, they will be covered with shame.
They say 57 to me, “Where is the Lord your God?”
I will gloat over them. 58
Then they will be trampled down 59
like mud in the streets.
[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.
[35:2] 3 tn Two different types of shields are mentioned here. See also Ezek 38:4. Many modern translations render the first term (translated here “small shield”) as “buckler” (cf. NASB “buckler and shield”; the order is often reversed in the translation, apparently for stylistic reasons: cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “shield and buckler”). The English term “buckler,” referring to a small round shield held on the arm to protect the upper body, is unfamiliar to many modern readers, so the term “small shield” was used in the present translation for clarity.
[35:3] 4 tn Or “javelin.” On the meaning of this word, which occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, see M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:210-11.
[35:3] 5 tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”
[35:3] 6 tn Heb “say to me,” or “say to my soul.”
[56:1] 7 sn Psalm 56. Despite the threats of his enemies, the psalmist is confident the Lord will keep his promise to protect and deliver him.
[56:1] 8 tn The literal meaning of this phrase is “silent dove, distant ones.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a type of musical instrument.
[56:1] 9 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16 and 57-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
[56:1] 10 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm when the Philistines seized him and took him to King Achish of Gath (see 1 Sam 21:11-15).
[56:1] 11 tn According to BDB 983 s.v. II שָׁאַף, the verb is derived from שָׁאַף (sha’af, “to trample, crush”) rather than the homonymic verb “pant after.”
[56:1] 12 tn Heb “a fighter.” The singular is collective for his enemies (see vv. 5-6). The Qal of לָחַם (lakham, “fight”) also occurs in Ps 35:1.
[56:1] 13 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the continuing nature of the enemies’ attacks.
[56:2] 14 tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 59:10.
[56:2] 16 tn Some take the Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “on high; above”) as an adverb modifying the preceding participle and translate, “proudly” (cf. NASB; NIV “in their pride”). The present translation assumes the term is a divine title here. The
[56:9] 17 tn Heb “then my enemies will turn back in the day I cry out.” The Hebrew particle אָז (’az, “then”) is probably used here to draw attention to the following statement.
[56:9] 18 tn Heb “this I know, that God is for me.”
[64:7] 19 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive is normally used in narrative contexts to describe completed past actions. It is possible that the conclusion to the psalm (vv. 7-10) was added to the lament after God’s judgment of the wicked in response to the psalmist’s lament (vv. 1-6). The translation assumes that these verses are anticipatory and express the psalmist’s confidence that God would eventually judge the wicked. The psalmist uses a narrative style as a rhetorical device to emphasize his certitude. See GKC 329-30 §111.w.
[64:7] 20 tn The perfect verbal form here expresses the psalmist’s certitude about the coming demise of the wicked.
[64:7] 21 tn The translation follows the traditional accentuation of the MT. Another option is to translate, “But God will shoot them down with an arrow, suddenly they will be wounded” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
[64:8] 22 tc The MT reads literally, “and they caused him to stumble, upon them, their tongue.” Perhaps the third plural subject of the verb is indefinite with the third singular pronominal suffix on the verb being distributive (see Ps 63:10). In this case one may translate, “each one will be made to stumble.” The preposition עַל (’al) might then be taken as adversative, “against them [is] their tongue.” Many prefer to emend the text to וַיַּכְשִׁילֵמוֹ עֲלֵי לְשׁוֹנָם (vayyakhshilemo ’aley lÿshonam, “and he caused them to stumble over their tongue”). However, if this reading is original, it is difficult to see how the present reading of the MT arose. Furthermore, the preposition is not collocated with the verb כָּשַׁל (kashal) elsewhere. It is likely that the MT is corrupt, but a satisfying emendation has not yet been proposed.
[64:8] 23 tn The Hitpolel verbal form is probably from the root נוּד (nud; see HALOT 678 s.v. נוד), which is attested elsewhere in the Hitpolel stem, not the root נָדַד (nadad, as proposed by BDB 622 s.v. I נָדַד), which does not occur elsewhere in this stem.
[77:10] 24 tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
[77:10] 25 tc Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’” The form חַלּוֹתִי (khallotiy) appears to be a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלַל (khalal, “to pierce; to wound”). The present translation assumes an emendation to חֲלוֹתִי (khalotiy), a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלָה (khalah, “be sick, weak”). The form שְׁנוֹת (shÿnot) is understood as a Qal infinitive construct from שָׁנָה (shanah, “to change”) rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes by metonymy God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.
[144:1] 26 sn Psalm 144. The psalmist expresses his confidence in God, asks for a mighty display of divine intervention in an upcoming battle, and anticipates God’s rich blessings on the nation in the aftermath of military victory.
[144:1] 27 tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The
[144:1] 28 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
[144:1] 29 sn The one who trains my hands for battle. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement (see Ps 18:34). Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
[144:2] 30 tn Heb “my loyal love,” which is probably an abbreviated form of “the God of my loyal love” (see Ps 59:10, 17).
[144:2] 31 tn Or “my elevated place.”
[144:2] 32 tn Heb “the one who subdues nations beneath me.”
[5:25] 33 tn Heb “the anger of the Lord rages.”
[5:25] 34 tn Or “extends”; KJV, ASV “he hath stretched forth.”
[5:25] 35 tn Or “garbage” (NCV, CEV, NLT); NAB, NASB, NIV “refuse.”
[5:25] 36 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched.”
[9:12] 37 tn Heb “and they devoured Israel with all the mouth”; NIV “with open mouth”; NLT “With bared fangs.”
[9:12] 38 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched.” One could translate in the past tense here (and in 9:17b and 21b), but the appearance of the refrain in 10:4b, where it follows a woe oracle prophesying a future judgment, suggests it is a dramatic portrait of the judge which did not change throughout this period of past judgment and will remain unchanged in the future. The English present tense is chosen to best reflect this dramatic mood. (See also 5:25b, where the refrain appears following a dramatic description of coming judgment.)
[9:17] 39 tn The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has לא יחמול (“he did not spare”) which is an obvious attempt to tighten the parallelism (note “he took no pity” in the next line). Instead of taking שָׂמַח (samakh) in one of its well attested senses (“rejoice over, be pleased with”), some propose, with support from Arabic, a rare homonymic root meaning “be merciful.”
[9:17] 40 tn The translation understands the prefixed verbs יִשְׂמַח (yismakh) and יְרַחֵם (yÿrakhem) as preterites without vav (ו) consecutive. (See v. 11 and the note on “he stirred up.”)
[9:17] 41 tn Or “defiled”; cf. ASV “profane”; NAB “profaned”; NIV “ungodly.”
[9:17] 42 tn מֵרַע (mera’) is a Hiphil participle from רָעַע (ra’a’, “be evil”). The intransitive Hiphil has an exhibitive force here, indicating that they exhibited outwardly the evidence of an inward condition by committing evil deeds.
[9:17] 43 tn Or “foolishness” (NASB), here in a moral-ethical sense.
[9:17] 44 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched.”
[9:21] 45 tn The words “fought against” are supplied in the translation both here and later in this verse for stylistic reasons.
[9:21] 46 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched” (KJV and ASV both similar); NIV “his hand is still upraised.”
[10:4] 47 tn Heb “except one kneels in the place of the prisoner, and in the place of the slain [who] fall.” On the force of בִּלְתִּי (bilti, “except”) and its logical connection to what precedes, see BDB 116 s.v. בֵלֶת. On the force of תַּחַת (takhat, “in the place of”) here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:258, n. 6.
[10:4] 48 tn Heb “in all this his anger was not turned, and still his hand was outstretched”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “his had is stretched out still.”
[7:8] 49 tn The singular form is understood as collective.
[7:8] 50 tn Or “rejoice” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “don’t laugh at me.”
[7:8] 51 sn Darkness represents judgment; light (also in v. 9) symbolizes deliverance. The
[7:9] 54 tn Or “plead my case” (NASB and NIV both similar); NRSV “until he takes my side.”
[7:9] 56 tn Or “justice, vindication.”
[7:10] 57 tn Heb “who say.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
