Psalms 6:3

6:3 I am absolutely terrified, ¹ 

and you, Lord – how long will this continue? ² 

Psalms 15:4

15:4 He despises a reprobate, ³ 

but honors the Lord’s loyal followers. ⁴ 

He makes firm commitments and does not renege on his promise. ⁵ 

Psalms 34:18

34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;

he delivers ⁶  those who are discouraged. ⁷ 

Psalms 69:33

69:33 For the Lord listens to the needy;

he does not despise his captive people. ⁸ 

Psalms 102:14

102:14 Indeed, ⁹  your servants take delight in her stones,

and feel compassion for ¹⁰  the dust of her ruins. ¹¹ 

Psalms 145:20

145:20 The Lord protects those who love him,

but he destroys all the wicked.

Psalms 146:6

146:6 the one who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

who remains forever faithful, ¹² 

[6:3]  ¹ tn Heb “my being is very terrified.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.

[6:3]  ² tn Heb “and you, Lord, how long?” The suffering psalmist speaks in broken syntax. He addresses God, but then simply cries out with a brief, but poignant, question: How long will this (= his suffering) continue?

[15:4]  ³ tn Heb “despised in his eyes [is] a rejected [one].” The Hebrew term נִמְאָס (nim’as, “rejected [one]”) apparently refers here to one who has been rejected by God because of his godless behavior. It stands in contrast to “those who fear God” in the following line.

[15:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “those who fear the Lord.” The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.

[15:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “he takes an oath to do harm and does not change.” The phrase “to do harm” cannot mean “do harm to others,” for the preceding verse clearly characterizes this individual as one who does not harm others. In this context the phrase must refer to an oath to which a self-imprecation is attached. The godly individual takes his commitments to others so seriously he is willing to “swear to his own hurt.” For an example of such an oath, see Ruth 1:16-17.

[34:18]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the oppressed and needy.

[34:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”

[69:33]  ⁷ tn Heb “his prisoners he does not despise.”

[102:14]  ⁹ tn Or “for.”

[102:14]  ¹⁰ tn The Poel of חָנַן (khanan) occurs only here and in Prov 14:21, where it refers to having compassion on the poor.

[102:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “her dust,” probably referring to the dust of the city’s rubble.

[146:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the one who guards faithfulness forever.”