Psalms 55:23--56:1

55:23 But you, O God, will bring them ¹  down to the deep Pit. ² 

Violent and deceitful people ³  will not live even half a normal lifespan. ⁴ 

But as for me, I trust in you.

Psalm 56 ⁵ 

For the music director; according to the yonath-elem-rechovim style; ⁶  a prayer ⁷  of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath. ⁸ 

56:1 Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me! ⁹ 

All day long hostile enemies ¹⁰  are tormenting me. ¹¹ 

Psalms 88:1

Psalm 88 ¹² 

A song, a psalm written by the Korahites; for the music director; according to the machalath-leannoth style; ¹³  a well-written song ¹⁴  by Heman the Ezrachite.

88:1 O Lord God who delivers me! ¹⁵ 

By day I cry out

and at night I pray before you. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 90:10

90:10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, ¹⁷ 

or eighty, if one is especially strong. ¹⁸ 

But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. ¹⁹ 

Yes, ²⁰  they pass quickly ²¹  and we fly away. ²² 

[55:23]  ¹ tn The pronominal suffix refers to the psalmist’s enemies (see v. 19).

[55:23]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “men of bloodshed and deceit.”

[55:23]  ⁴ tn Heb “will not divide in half their days.”

[56:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 56. Despite the threats of his enemies, the psalmist is confident the Lord will keep his promise to protect and deliver him.

[56:1]  ⁶ tn The literal meaning of this phrase is “silent dove, distant ones.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a type of musical instrument.

[56:1]  ⁷ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16 and 57-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”

[56:1]  ⁸ sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm when the Philistines seized him and took him to King Achish of Gath (see 1 Sam 21:11-15).

[56:1]  ⁹ tn According to BDB 983 s.v. II שָׁאַף, the verb is derived from שָׁאַף (sha’af, “to trample, crush”) rather than the homonymic verb “pant after.”

[56:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a fighter.” The singular is collective for his enemies (see vv. 5-6). The Qal of לָחַם (lakham, “fight”) also occurs in Ps 35:1.

[56:1]  ¹¹ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the continuing nature of the enemies’ attacks.

[88:1]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “[by] day I cry out, in the night before you.”

[90:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”

[90:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”

[90:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and their pride [is] destruction and wickedness.” The Hebrew noun רֹהַב (rohav) occurs only here. BDB 923 s.v. assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root רהב (“to act stormily [boisterously, arrogantly]”). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).

[90:10]  ¹⁶ tn or “for.”

[90:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb גּוּז (guz) means “to pass” here; it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.

[90:10]  ¹⁸ sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).