Psalms 69:32

69:32 The oppressed look on – let them rejoice!

You who seek God, ¹  may you be encouraged! ² 

Psalms 69:2

69:2 I sink into the deep mire

where there is no solid ground; ³ 

I am in ⁴  deep water,

and the current overpowers me.

Psalms 19:3

19:3 There is no actual speech or word,

nor is its ⁵  voice literally heard.

Psalms 30:1

Psalm 30 ⁶ 

A psalm – a song used at the dedication of the temple; ⁷  by David.

30:1 I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up, ⁸ 

and did not allow my enemies to gloat ⁹  over me.

Isaiah 8:19

Darkness Turns to Light as an Ideal King Arrives

8:19 ¹⁰ They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations. ¹¹  Should people not seek oracles from their gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?” ¹² 

Isaiah 55:6

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ¹³ 

call to him while he is nearby!

Hebrews 11:6

11:6 Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

[69:32]  ¹ sn You who seek God refers to those who seek to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him (see Ps 53:2).

[69:32]  ² tn Heb “may your heart[s] live.” See Ps 22:26.

[69:2]  ³ tn Heb “and there is no place to stand.”

[69:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “have entered.”

[19:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “their.” The antecedent of the plural pronoun is “heavens” (v. 1).

[30:1]  ⁶ sn Psalm 30. The author thanks the Lord for delivering him from death and urges others to join him in praise. The psalmist experienced divine discipline for a brief time, but when he cried out for help the Lord intervened and restored his favor.

[30:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “a song of the dedication of the house.” The referent of “house” is unclear. It is possible that David wrote this psalm for the dedication ceremony of Solomon’s temple. Another possibility is that the psalm was used on the occasion of the dedication of the second temple following the return from exile, or on the occasion of the rededication of the temple in Maccabean times.

[30:1]  ⁸ tn Elsewhere the verb דָּלָה (dalah) is used of drawing water from a well (Exod 2:16, 19; Prov 20:5). The psalmist was trapped in the pit leading to Sheol (see v. 3), but the Lord hoisted him up. The Piel stem is used here, perhaps suggesting special exertion on the Lord’s part.

[30:1]  ⁹ tn Or “rejoice.”

[8:19]  ¹⁰ tn It is uncertain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking in vv. 19-22. If the latter, then vv. 19-22 resume the speech recorded in vv. 12-15, after the prophet’s response in vv. 16-18.

[8:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “inquire of the ritual pits and of the magicians who chirp and mutter.” The Hebrew word אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a אוֹב-בַּעֲלַת (ba’alat-’ov, “owner of a ritual pit”). See H. Hoffner, “Second Millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’OñBù,” JBL 86 (1967): 385-401.

[8:19]  ¹² tn Heb “Should a nation not inquire of its gods on behalf of the living, (by inquiring) of the dead?” These words appear to be a continuation of the quotation begun in the first part of the verse. אֱלֹהָיו (’elohayv) may be translated “its gods” or “its God.” Some take the second half of the verse as the prophet’s (or the Lord’s) rebuke of the people who advise seeking oracles at the ritual pits, but in this case the words “the dead on behalf of the living” are difficult to explain.

[55:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.