Psalms 51:14

51:14 Rescue me from the guilt of murder, ¹  O God, the God who delivers me!

Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your deliverance. ² 

Psalms 55:23

55:23 But you, O God, will bring them ³  down to the deep Pit. ⁴ 

Violent and deceitful people ⁵  will not live even half a normal lifespan. ⁶ 

But as for me, I trust in you.

Psalms 139:19

139:19 If only ⁷  you would kill the wicked, O God!

Get away from me, you violent men! ⁸ 

Psalms 139:1

Psalm 139 ⁹ 

For the music director, a psalm of David.

139:1 O Lord, you examine me ¹⁰  and know.

Psalms 22:18-19

22:18 They are dividing up my clothes among themselves;

they are rolling dice ¹¹  for my garments.

22:19 But you, O Lord, do not remain far away!

You are my source of strength! ¹²  Hurry and help me! ¹³ 

Psalms 22:2

22:2 My God, I cry out during the day,

but you do not answer,

and during the night my prayers do not let up. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 16:7

16:7 I will praise ¹⁵  the Lord who ¹⁶  guides ¹⁷  me;

yes, during the night I reflect and learn. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 21:1

Psalm 21 ¹⁹ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

21:1 O Lord, the king rejoices in the strength you give; ²⁰ 

he takes great delight in the deliverance you provide. ²¹ 

[51:14]  ¹ tn Heb “from bloodshed.” “Bloodshed” here stands by metonymy for the guilt which it produces.

[51:14]  ² tn Heb “my tongue will shout for joy your deliverance.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may my tongue shout for joy.” However, the pattern in vv. 12-15 appears to be prayer/request (see vv. 12, 14a, 15a) followed by promise/vow (see vv. 13, 14b, 15b).

[55:23]  ³ tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).

[55:23]  ⁴ tn Heb “well of the pit.” The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 103:4).

[55:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”

[55:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”

[139:19]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as GKC 321 §109.b).

[139:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”

[139:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 139. The psalmist acknowledges that God, who created him, is aware of his every action and thought. He invites God to examine his motives, for he is confident they are pure.

[139:1]  ¹⁰ tn The statement is understood as generalizing – the psalmist describes what God typically does.

[22:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “casting lots.” The precise way in which this would have been done is not certain.

[22:19]  ¹² tn Heb “O my strength.”

[22:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “hurry to my help.”

[22:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “there is no silence to me.”

[16:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “bless,” that is, “proclaim as worthy of praise.”

[16:7]  ¹⁶ tn Or “because.”

[16:7]  ¹⁷ tn Or “counsels, advises.”

[16:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “yes, [during] nights my kidneys instruct [or “correct”] me.” The “kidneys” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s moral character (see Ps 26:2). In the quiet darkness the Lord speaks to his inner being, as it were, and enables him to grow in moral understanding.

[21:1]  ¹⁹ sn Psalm 21. The psalmist praises the Lord for the way he protects and blesses the Davidic king.

[21:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “in your strength.” The translation interprets the pronominal suffix as subjective, rather than merely descriptive (or attributive).

[21:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “and in your deliverance, how greatly he rejoices.”