Psalms 71:21

71:21 Raise me to a position of great honor! ¹ 

Turn and comfort me! ² 

Psalms 106:45

106:45 He remembered his covenant with them,

and relented ³  because of his great loyal love.

Psalms 119:52

119:52 I remember your ancient regulations, ⁴ 

O Lord, and console myself. ⁵ 

Psalms 119:76

119:76 May your loyal love console me,

as you promised your servant. ⁶ 

Psalms 119:82

119:82 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your promise to be fulfilled. ⁷ 

I say, ⁸  “When will you comfort me?”

[71:21]  ¹ tn Heb “increase my greatness.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer or wish. The psalmist’s request for “greatness” (or “honor”) is not a boastful, self-serving prayer for prominence, but, rather, a request that God would vindicate by elevating him over those who are trying to humiliate him.

[71:21]  ² tn The imperfects are understood here as expressing the psalmist’s prayer or wish. (Note the use of a distinctly jussive form at the beginning of v. 21.)

[106:45]  ³ tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.

[119:52]  ⁵ tn Heb “I remember your regulations from of old.” The prepositional phrase “from of old” apparently modifies “your regulations,” alluding to the fact that God revealed them to Israel in the distant past. Another option is to understand the prepositional phrase as modifying the verb, in which case one might translate, “I have long remembered your regulations.”

[119:52]  ⁶ tn Or “find comfort.”

[119:76]  ⁷ tn Heb “according to your word to your servant.”

[119:82]  ⁹ tn Heb “my eyes fail for your word.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision. See Ps 69:3.

[119:82]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “saying.”