Psalms 4:6

Context

4:6 Many say, “Who can show us anything good?”

Smile upon us, Lord!¹

Psalms 49:19

Context

49:19 But he will join his ancestors;²

they will never again see the light of day.³

[4:6] ¹tn Heb “lift up upon us the light of your face, Lord.” The verb נסה is apparently an alternate form of נשׂא, “lift up.” See GKC 217 §76.b. The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).

[49:19] ²tn Verses 18-19a are one long sentence in the Hebrew text, which reads: “Though he blesses his soul in his life, [saying], ‘And let them praise you, for you do well for yourself,’ it [that is, his soul] will go to the generation of his fathers.” This has been divided into two sentences in the translation for clarity, in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences.

[49:19] ³tn Heb “light.” The words “of day” are supplied in the translation for clarification.