Psalms 6:6

6:6 I am exhausted as I groan;

all night long I drench my bed in tears; ¹ 

my tears saturate the cushion beneath me. ² 

Psalms 17:3

17:3 You have scrutinized my inner motives; ³ 

you have examined me during the night. ⁴ 

You have carefully evaluated me, but you find no sin.

I am determined I will say nothing sinful. ⁵ 

Psalms 74:16

74:16 You established the cycle of day and night; ⁶ 

you put the moon ⁷  and sun in place. ⁸ 

Psalms 104:20

104:20 You make it dark and night comes, ⁹ 

during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.

[6:6]  ¹ tn Heb “I cause to swim through all the night my bed.”

[6:6]  ² tn Heb “with my tears my bed I flood/melt.”

[17:3]  ³ tn Heb “you tested my heart.”

[17:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “you visited [at] night.”

[17:3]  ⁵ tc Heb “you tested me, you do not find, I plan, my mouth will not cross over.” The Hebrew verbal form זַמֹּתִי (zammotiy) is a Qal perfect, first person singular from the root זָמַם (zamam, “plan, plan evil”). Some emend the form to a suffixed form of the noun, זִמָּתִי (zimmatiy, “my plan/evil plan”), and take it as the object of the preceding verb “find.” However, the suffix seems odd, since the psalmist is denying that he has any wrong thoughts. If one takes the form with what precedes, it might make better sense to read זִמּוֹת (zimmot, “evil plans”). However, this emendation leaves an unclear connection with the next line. The present translation maintains the verbal form found in the MT and understands it in a neutral sense, “I have decided” (see Jer 4:28). The words “my mouth will not cross over” (i.e., “transgress, sin”) can then be taken as a noun clause functioning as the object of the verb.

[74:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “To you [is] day, also to you [is] night.”

[74:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “[the] light.” Following the reference to “day and night” and in combination with “sun,” it is likely that the Hebrew term מָאוֹר (ma’or, “light”) refers here to the moon.

[74:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “you established [the] light and [the] sun.”

[104:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “you make darkness, so that it might be night.”