Psalms 40:13

40:13 Please be willing, O Lord, to rescue me!

O Lord, hurry and help me! ¹ 

Psalms 40:17

40:17 I am oppressed and needy! ² 

May the Lord pay attention to me! ³ 

You are my helper and my deliverer!

O my God, do not delay!

Psalms 70:1

Psalm 70 ⁴ 

For the music director; by David; written to get God’s attention. ⁵ 

70:1 O God, please be willing to rescue me! ⁶ 

O Lord, hurry and help me! ⁷ 

Psalms 70:5

70:5 I am oppressed and needy! ⁸ 

O God, hurry to me! ⁹ 

You are my helper and my deliverer!

O Lord, ¹⁰  do not delay!

Psalms 71:12

71:12 O God, do not remain far away from me!

My God, hurry and help me! ¹¹ 

Psalms 141:1

Psalm 141 ¹² 

A psalm of David.

141:1 O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me!

Pay attention to me when I cry out to you!

[40:13]  ¹ tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Pss 22:19; 38:22.

[40:17]  ² sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.

[40:17]  ³ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a jussive of prayer (as in the present translation; cf. NIV) or as an imperfect, “The Lord will pay attention to me” (cf. NRSV). The parallel in Ps 70:5 has, “O God, hurry to me!” For this reason some prefer to emend יַחֲשָׁב (yakhashav, “may he pay attention”) to חוּשָׁה (khushah, “hurry!”). The syntax of the Hebrew text is awkward; elsewhere when the Qal of חָשַׁב (khashav, “reckon; consider”) is collocated with the preposition -ל (lamed) and a pronominal suffix there is an accompanying direct object or additional prepositional phrase/adverbial accusative (see Gen 15:6; 2 Sam 19:19; Job 13:24; 19:11; 33:10; Pss 32:2; 41:7; Amos 6:5).

[70:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 70. This psalm is almost identical to Ps 40:13-17. The psalmist asks for God’s help and for divine retribution against his enemies.

[70:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “to cause to remember.” The same form, a Hiphil infinitive of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”), also appears in the superscription of Ps 38. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 303).

[70:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “O God, to rescue me.” A main verb is obviously missing. The verb רָצָה (ratsah, “be willing”) should be supplied (see Ps 40:13). Ps 40:13 uses the divine name “Lord” rather than “God.”

[70:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Pss 22:19; 38:22.

[70:5]  ⁸ sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.

[70:5]  ⁹ tn Ps 40:17 has “may the Lord pay attention to me.”

[70:5]  ¹⁰ tn Ps 40:17 has “my God” instead of “Lord.”

[71:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “hurry to my help.”

[141:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 141. The psalmist asks God to protect him from sin and from sinful men.