Psalms 55:16-17

55:16 As for me, I will call out to God,

and the Lord will deliver me.

55:17 During the evening, morning, and noontime

I will lament and moan, ¹ 

and he will hear ²  me. ³ 

Psalms 86:6-7

86:6 O Lord, hear my prayer!

Pay attention to my plea for mercy!

86:7 In my time of trouble I cry out to you,

for you will answer me.

Psalms 88:1

Psalm 88 ⁴ 

A song, a psalm written by the Korahites; for the music director; according to the machalath-leannoth style; ⁵  a well-written song ⁶  by Heman the Ezrachite.

88:1 O Lord God who delivers me! ⁷ 

By day I cry out

and at night I pray before you. ⁸ 

Psalms 145:18-19

145:18 The Lord is near all who cry out to him,

all who cry out to him sincerely. ⁹ 

145:19 He satisfies the desire ¹⁰  of his loyal followers; ¹¹ 

he hears their cry for help and delivers them.

Job 27:10

27:10 Will he find delight ¹²  in the Almighty?

Will he call out to God at all times?

Luke 18:1

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

18:1 Then ¹³  Jesus ¹⁴  told them a parable to show them they should always ¹⁵  pray and not lose heart. ¹⁶ 

Philippians 4:6

4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.

Colossians 4:2

Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission

4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.

[55:17]  ¹ tn The first verb is clearly a cohortative form, expressing the psalmist’s resolve. The second verb, while formally ambiguous, should also be understood as cohortative here.

[55:17]  ² tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive normally appears in narrational contexts to indicate past action, but here it continues the anticipatory (future) perspective of the preceding line. In Ps 77:6 one finds the same sequence of cohortative + prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive. In this case as well, both forms refer to future actions.

[55:17]  ³ tn Heb “my voice.”

[88:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 88. The psalmist cries out in pain to the Lord, begging him for relief from his intense and constant suffering. The psalmist regards God as the ultimate cause of his distress, but nevertheless clings to God in hope.

[88:1]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew phrase מָחֲלַת לְעַנּוֹת (makhalat lÿ’annot) may mean “illness to afflict.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term מָחֲלַת also appears in the superscription of Ps 53.

[88:1]  ⁶ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[88:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “O Lord God of my deliverance.” In light of the content of the psalm, this reference to God as the one who delivers seems overly positive. For this reason some emend the text to אַלֹהַי שִׁוַּעְתִּי (’alohay shivva’tiy, “[O Lord] my God, I cry out”). See v. 13.

[88:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “[by] day I cry out, in the night before you.”

[145:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “in truth.”

[145:19]  ¹⁰ tn In this context “desire” refers to the followers’ desire to be delivered from wicked enemies.

[145:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.”

[27:10]  ¹² tn See the note on 22:26 where the same verb is employed.

[18:1]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[18:1]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).

[18:1]  ¹⁶ sn This is one of the few parables that comes with an explanation at the start: …they should always pray and not lose heart. It is part of Luke’s goal in encouraging Theophilus (1:4).