Psalms 7:2

7:2 Otherwise they will rip ¹  me ²  to shreds like a lion;

they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me. ³ 

Psalms 18:41

18:41 They cry out, but there is no one to help them; ⁴ 

they cry out to the Lord, ⁵  but he does not answer them.

Psalms 38:7

38:7 For I am overcome with shame ⁶ 

and my whole body is sick. ⁷ 

Psalms 39:13

39:13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy

before I pass away. ⁸ 

Psalms 71:11

71:11 They say, ⁹  “God has abandoned him.

Run and seize him, for there is no one who will rescue him!”

Psalms 72:12

72:12 For he will rescue the needy ¹⁰  when they cry out for help,

and the oppressed ¹¹  who have no defender.

Psalms 73:2

73:2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;

my feet almost slid out from under me. ¹² 

Psalms 73:5

73:5 They are immune to the trouble common to men;

they do not suffer as other men do. ¹³ 

Psalms 79:3

79:3 They have made their blood flow like water

all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury them. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 119:165

119:165 Those who love your law are completely secure; ¹⁵ 

nothing causes them to stumble. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 139:4

139:4 Certainly ¹⁷  my tongue does not frame a word

without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 145:3

145:3 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise!

No one can fathom his greatness! ¹⁹ 

Psalms 146:3

146:3 Do not trust in princes,

or in human beings, who cannot deliver! ²⁰ 

Psalms 147:5

147:5 Our Lord is great and has awesome power; ²¹ 

there is no limit to his wisdom. ²² 

[7:2]  ¹ tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew text, even though “all who chase me” in v. 1 refers to a whole group of enemies. The singular is also used in vv. 4-5, but the psalmist returns to the plural in v. 6. The singular is probably collective, emphasizing the united front that the psalmist’s enemies present. This same alternation between a collective singular and a plural referring to enemies appears in Pss 9:3, 6; 13:4; 31:4, 8; 41:6, 10-11; 42:9-10; 55:3; 64:1-2; 74:3-4; 89:22-23; 106:10-11; 143:3, 6, 9.

[7:2]  ² tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.

[7:2]  ³ tn Heb “tearing and there is no one rescuing.” The verbal form translated “tearing” is a singular active participle.

[18:41]  ⁴ tn Heb “but there is no deliverer.”

[18:41]  ⁵ tn Heb “to the Lord.” The words “they cry out” are supplied in the translation because they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).

[38:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “for my loins are filled with shame.” The “loins” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. The present translation assumes that נִקְלֶה (niqleh) is derived from קָלָה (qalah, “be dishonored”). Some derive it instead from a homonymic root קָלָה (qalah), meaning “to roast.” In this case one might translate “fever” (cf. NEB “my loins burn with fever”).

[38:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh” (see v. 3).

[39:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Gaze away from me and I will smile before I go and am not.” The precise identification of the initial verb form (הָשַׁע, hasha’) is uncertain. It could be from the root שָׁעָע (sha’a’, “smear”), but “your eyes” would be the expected object in this case (see Isa 6:10). The verb may be an otherwise unattested Hiphil form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “to gaze”) meaning “cause your gaze to be.” Some prefer to emend the form to the Qal שְׁעֵה (shÿ’eh, “gaze”; see Job 14:6). If one does read a form of the verb “to gaze,” the angry divine “gaze” of discipline would seem to be in view (see vv. 10-11). For a similar expression of this sentiment see Job 10:20-21.

[71:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “saying.”

[72:12]  ¹⁶ tn The singular is representative. The typical needy individual here represents the entire group.

[72:12]  ¹⁷ tn The singular is representative. The typical oppressed individual here represents the entire group.

[73:2]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew verb normally means “to pour out,” but here it must have the nuance “to slide.”

[73:5]  ²² tn Heb “in the trouble of man they are not, and with mankind they are not afflicted.”

[79:3]  ²⁵ tn Heb “they have poured out their blood like water, all around Jerusalem, and there is no one burying.”

[119:165]  ²⁸ tn Heb “great peace [is] to the lovers of your law.”

[119:165]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and there is no stumbling to them.”

[139:4]  ³¹ tn Or “for.”

[139:4]  ³² tn Heb “look, O Lord, you know all of it.”

[145:3]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and concerning his greatness there is no searching.”

[146:3]  ³⁷ tn Heb “in a son of man, to whom there is no deliverance.”

[147:5]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and great of strength.”

[147:5]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “to his wisdom there is no counting.”