Psalms 5:1-3

Psalm 5 ¹ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; ²  a psalm of David.

5:1 Listen to what I say, ³  Lord!

Carefully consider my complaint! ⁴ 

5:2 Pay attention to my cry for help,

my king and my God,

for I am praying to you!

5:3 Lord, in the morning ⁵  you will hear ⁶  me; ⁷ 

in the morning I will present my case to you ⁸  and then wait expectantly for an answer. ⁹ 

Psalms 13:3

13:3 Look at me! ¹⁰  Answer me, O Lord my God!

Revive me, ¹¹  or else I will die! ¹² 

Psalms 55:1-2

Psalm 55 ¹³ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song ¹⁴  by David.

55:1 Listen, O God, to my prayer!

Do not ignore ¹⁵  my appeal for mercy!

55:2 Pay attention to me and answer me!

I am so upset ¹⁶  and distressed, ¹⁷  I am beside myself, ¹⁸ 

Psalms 130:2

130:2 O Lord, listen to me! ¹⁹ 

Pay attention to ²⁰  my plea for mercy!

Psalms 143:7

143:7 Answer me quickly, Lord!

My strength is fading. ²¹ 

Do not reject me, ²² 

or I will join ²³  those descending into the grave. ²⁴ 

[5:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.

[5:1]  ² tn The meaning of the Hebrew word נְחִילוֹת (nÿkhilot), which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to חָלִיל (khalil, “flute”).

[5:1]  ³ tn Heb “my words.”

[5:1]  ⁴ tn Or “sighing.” The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.

[5:3]  ⁵ sn In the morning is here viewed as the time of prayer (Pss 59:16; 88:13) and/or of deliverance (Ps 30:5).

[5:3]  ⁶ tn The imperfect is here understood in a specific future sense; the psalmist is expressing his confidence that God will be willing to hear his request. Another option is to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s wish or request. In this case one could translate, “Lord, in the morning hear me.”

[5:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “my voice.”

[5:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “I will arrange for you.” Some understand a sacrifice or offering as the implied object (cf. NEB “I set out my morning sacrifice”). The present translation assumes that the implied object is the psalmist’s case/request. See Isa 44:7.

[5:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “and I will watch.”

[13:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “see.”

[13:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Give light [to] my eyes.” The Hiphil of אוּר (’ur), when used elsewhere with “eyes” as object, refers to the law of God giving moral enlightenment (Ps 19:8), to God the creator giving literal eyesight to all people (Prov 29:13), and to God giving encouragement to his people (Ezra 9:8). Here the psalmist pictures himself as being on the verge of death. His eyes are falling shut and, if God does not intervene soon, he will “fall asleep” for good.

[13:3]  ¹² tn Heb “or else I will sleep [in?] the death.” Perhaps the statement is elliptical, “I will sleep [the sleep] of death,” or “I will sleep [with the sleepers in] death.”

[55:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 55. The suffering and oppressed author laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.

[55:1]  ¹⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.

[55:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “hide yourself from.”

[55:2]  ¹⁶ tn Or “restless” (see Gen 27:40). The Hiphil is intransitive-exhibitive, indicating the outward display of an inner attitude.

[55:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “in my complaint.”

[55:2]  ¹⁸ tn The verb is a Hiphil cohortative from הוּם (hum), which means “to confuse someone” in the Qal and “to go wild” in the Niphal. An Arabic cognate means “to be out of one’s senses, to wander about.” With the vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, the cohortative probably indicates the result or effect of the preceding main verb. Some prefer to emend the form to וְאֵהוֹמָה (vÿ’ehomah), a Niphal of הוּם (hum), or to וְאֶהַמֶה (vÿ’ehameh), a Qal imperfect from הָמָה (hamah, “to moan”). Many also prefer to take this verb with what follows (see v. 3).

[130:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “my voice.”

[130:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”

[143:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”

[143:7]  ²² tn 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]  ²³ tn Heb “I will be equal with.”

[143:7]  ²⁴ tn 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.