Psalms 73:16

73:16 When I tried to make sense of this,

it was troubling to me. ¹ 

Psalms 39:7

39:7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?

You are my only hope! ² 

Psalms 77:10

77:10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought

that the sovereign One ³  might become inactive. ⁴ 

Psalms 118:23

118:23 This is the Lord’s work.

We consider it amazing! ⁵ 

Psalms 119:97-98

מ (Mem)

119:97 O how I love your law!

All day long I meditate on it.

119:98 Your commandments ⁶  make me wiser than my enemies,

for I am always aware of them.

Psalms 39:4

39:4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality

and the brevity of life! ⁷ 

Let me realize how quickly my life will pass! ⁸ 

[73:16]  ¹ tn Heb “and [when] I pondered to understand this, troubling it [was] in my eyes.”

[39:7]  ² tn Heb “my hope, for you it [is].”

[77:10]  ³ tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.

[77:10]  ⁴ tc Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’” The form חַלּוֹתִי (khallotiy) appears to be a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלַל (khalal, “to pierce; to wound”). The present translation assumes an emendation to חֲלוֹתִי (khalotiy), a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלָה (khalah, “be sick, weak”). The form שְׁנוֹת (shÿnot) is understood as a Qal infinitive construct from שָׁנָה (shanah, “to change”) rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes by metonymy God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.

[118:23]  ⁴ tn Heb “it is amazing in our eyes.” The use of the plural pronoun here and in vv. 24-27 suggests that the psalmist may be speaking for the entire nation. However, it is more likely that vv. 22-27 are the people’s response to the psalmist’s thanksgiving song (see especially v. 26). They rejoice with him because his deliverance on the battlefield (see vv. 10-12) had national repercussions.

[119:98]  ⁵ tn The plural form needs to be revocalized as a singular in order to agree with the preceding singular verb and the singular pronoun in the next line. The Lord’s “command” refers here to the law (see Ps 19:8).

[39:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “Cause me to know, O Lord, my end; and the measure of my days, what it is!”

[39:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “Let me know how transient I am!”