Psalms 40:17

Context

40:17 I am oppressed and needy!¹

May the Lord pay attention to me!²

You are my helper and my deliverer!

O my God, do not delay!

Psalms 143:7-8

Context

143:7 Answer me quickly, Lord!

My strength is fading.³

Do not reject me,⁴

or I will join⁵ those descending into the grave.⁶

143:8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning,⁷

for I trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,⁸

because I long for you.⁹

[40:17] ¹sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.

[40:17] ²tn 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).

[143:7] ³tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”

[143:7] ⁴tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” (1) can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) can carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).

[143:7] ⁵tn Heb “I will be equal with.”

[143:7] ⁶tn Heb “the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit; cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See Ps 28:1.

[143:8] ⁷tn Heb “cause me to hear in the morning your loyal love.” Here “loyal love” probably stands metonymically for an oracle of assurance promising God’s intervention as an expression of his loyal love.

[143:8] ⁸sn The way probably refers here to God’s moral and ethical standards and requirements (see v. 10).

[143:8] ⁹tn Heb “for to you I lift up my life.” The Hebrew expression נָאָשׂ נֶפֶשׁ (na’as nefesh, “to lift up [one’s] life”) means “to desire; to long for” (see Deut 24:15; Prov 19:18; Jer 22:27; 44:14; Hos 4:8, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 16).