Psalms 57:2

57:2 I cry out for help to the sovereign God, ¹ 

to the God who vindicates ²  me.

Psalms 77:8

77:8 Has his loyal love disappeared forever?

Has his promise ³  failed forever?

Psalms 7:9

7:9 May the evil deeds of the wicked ⁴  come to an end! ⁵ 

But make the innocent ⁶  secure, ⁷ 

O righteous God,

you who examine ⁸  inner thoughts and motives! ⁹ 

Psalms 138:8

138:8 The Lord avenges me. ¹⁰ 

O Lord, your loyal love endures.

Do not abandon those whom you have made! ¹¹ 

Psalms 12:1

Psalm 12 ¹² 

For the music director; according to the sheminith style; ¹³  a psalm of David.

12:1 Deliver, Lord!

For the godly ¹⁴  have disappeared; ¹⁵ 

people of integrity ¹⁶  have vanished. ¹⁷ 

[57:2]  ¹ tn Heb “to God Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.

[57:2]  ² tn Or “avenges in favor of.”

[77:8]  ³ tn Heb “word,” which may refer here to God’s word of promise (note the reference to “loyal love” in the preceding line).

[7:9]  ⁵ tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.

[7:9]  ⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation here.

[7:9]  ⁷ tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.

[7:9]  ⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.

[7:9]  ⁹ tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.

[7:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and [the one who] tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order to improve the English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.

[138:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “avenges on my behalf.” For the meaning “to avenge” for the verb גָּמַר (gamar), see HALOT 197-98 s.v. גמר.

[138:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “the works of your hands.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the singular, “work of your hands.”

[12:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.

[12:1]  ¹⁰ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[12:1]  ¹¹ tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[12:1]  ¹² tn Or “have come to an end.”

[12:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”

[12:1]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”