Psalms 40:2

40:2 He lifted me out of the watery pit, ¹ 

out of the slimy mud. ² 

He placed my feet on a rock

and gave me secure footing. ³ 

Psalms 40:1

Psalm 40 ⁴ 

For the music director; By David, a psalm.

40:1 I relied completely ⁵  on the Lord,

and he turned toward me

and heard my cry for help.

Psalms 17:1

Psalm 17 ⁶ 

A prayer of David.

17:1 Lord, consider my just cause! ⁷ 

Pay attention to my cry for help!

Listen to the prayer

I sincerely offer! ⁸ 

Psalms 17:1

Psalm 17 ⁹ 

A prayer of David.

17:1 Lord, consider my just cause! ¹⁰ 

Pay attention to my cry for help!

Listen to the prayer

I sincerely offer! ¹¹ 

[40:2]  ¹ tn Heb “cistern of roaring.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “cistern, pit”) is used metaphorically here of Sheol, the place of death, which is sometimes depicted as a raging sea (see Ps 18:4, 15-16). The noun שָׁאוֹן (sha’on, “roaring”) refers elsewhere to the crashing sound of the sea’s waves (see Ps 65:7).

[40:2]  ² tn Heb “from the mud of mud.” The Hebrew phrase translated “slimy mud” employs an appositional genitive. Two synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.

[40:2]  ³ tn Heb “he established my footsteps.”

[40:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 40. The psalmist combines a song of thanksgiving for a recent act of divine deliverance (vv. 1-11) with a confident petition for renewed divine intervention (vv. 12-17).

[40:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “relying, I relied.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the verbal idea. The emphasis is reflected in the translation through the adverb “completely.” Another option is to translate, “I waited patiently” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[17:1]  ⁶ sn Psalm 17. The psalmist asks God to intervene on his behalf because his life is threatened by dangerous enemies. He appeals to divine justice, for he is certain of his own innocence. Because he is innocent, he expects to encounter God and receive an assuring word.

[17:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “hear, Lord, what is just.”

[17:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “Listen to my prayer, [made] without lips of deceit.”

[17:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 17. The psalmist asks God to intervene on his behalf because his life is threatened by dangerous enemies. He appeals to divine justice, for he is certain of his own innocence. Because he is innocent, he expects to encounter God and receive an assuring word.

[17:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “hear, Lord, what is just.”

[17:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Listen to my prayer, [made] without lips of deceit.”