Psalms 43:1

Context

Psalm 43¹

43:1 Vindicate me, O God!

Fight for me² against an ungodly nation!

Deliver me³ from deceitful and evil men!⁴

Psalms 59:1-3

Context

Psalm 59⁵

For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style;⁶ a prayer⁷ of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him.⁸

59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God!

Protect me⁹ from those who attack me!¹⁰

59:2 Deliver me from evildoers!¹¹

Rescue me from violent men!¹²

59:3 For look, they wait to ambush me;¹³

powerful men stalk¹⁴ me,

but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord.¹⁵

Psalms 71:4

Context

71:4 My God, rescue me from the power¹⁶ of the wicked,

from the hand of the cruel oppressor!

[43:1] ¹sn Psalm 43. Many medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalm 43 and Psalm 42 into one psalm. Psalm 43 is the only psalm in Book 2 of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72) that does not have a heading, suggesting that it was originally the third and concluding section of Psalm 42. Ps 43:5 is identical to the refrain in Ps 42:11 and almost identical to the refrain in Ps 42:5.

[43:1] ²tn Or “argue my case.”

[43:1] ³tn The imperfect here expresses a request or wish. Note the imperatives in the first half of the verse. See also v. 3.

[43:1] ⁴tn Heb “from the deceitful and evil man.” The Hebrew text uses the singular form “man” in a collective sense, as the reference to a “nation” in the parallel line indicates.

[59:1] ⁵sn Psalm 59. The psalmist calls down judgment on his foreign enemies, whom he compares to ravenous wild dogs.

[59:1] ⁶tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-58, 75.

[59:1] ⁷tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-58, 60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”

[59:1] ⁸tn Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”

[59:1] ⁹tn Or “make me secure”; Heb “set me on high.”

[59:1] ¹⁰tn Heb “from those who raise themselves up [against] me.”

[59:2] ¹¹tn Heb “from the workers of wickedness.”

[59:2] ¹²tn Heb “from men of bloodshed.”

[59:3] ¹³tn Heb “my life.”

[59:3] ¹⁴tn The Hebrew verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 56:8.

[59:3] ¹⁵sn The point is that the psalmist’s enemies have no justifiable reason for attacking him. He has neither rebelled or sinned against the Lord.

[71:4] ¹⁶tn Heb “hand.”