Psalms 71:2

71:2 Vindicate me by rescuing me! ¹ 

Listen to me! ²  Deliver me! ³ 

Psalms 86:1

Psalm 86 ⁴ 

A prayer of David.

86:1 Listen ⁵  O Lord! Answer me!

For I am oppressed and needy.

Psalms 130:2

130:2 O Lord, listen to me! ⁶ 

Pay attention to ⁷  my plea for mercy!

Proverbs 22:17

The Sayings of the Wise ⁸ 

22:17 Incline your ear ⁹  and listen to the words of the wise,

and apply your heart to my instruction. ¹⁰ 

[71:2]  ¹ tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me and deliver me.” Ps 31:1 omits “and deliver me.”

[71:2]  ² tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”

[71:2]  ³ tn Ps 31:2 adds “quickly” before “deliver.”

[86:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 86. The psalmist appeals to God’s mercy as he asks for deliverance from his enemies.

[86:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “turn your ear.”

[130:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “my voice.”

[130:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”

[22:17]  ⁸ sn A new collection of sayings begins here, forming the fourth section of the book of Proverbs. This collection is not like that of 1:1–9:18; here the introductory material is more personal than 1:1-7, and the style differs, showing great similarity to the Instruction of Amenemope in Egypt (especially the thirty precepts of the sages in 22:17–24:22). Verses 17-21 form the introduction, and then the sayings begin in v. 22. After the thirty sayings are given, there are further sayings in 24:23-34. There is much literature on this material: see W. K. Simpson, ed., Literature of Ancient Egypt; ANET 412-425; and A. Cody, “Notes on Proverbs 22:21 and 22:23b,” Bib 61 (1980): 418-26.

[22:17]  ⁹ sn To “incline the ear” means to “listen carefully” (cf. NCV); the expression is metonymical in that the ear is the instrument for hearing. It is like telling someone to lean over to hear better.

[22:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “knowledge” (so KJV, NASB); in this context it refers to the knowledge that is spoken by the wise, hence “instruction.”