Psalms 74:4

74:4 Your enemies roar ¹  in the middle of your sanctuary; ² 

they set up their battle flags. ³ 

Psalms 78:43

78:43 when he performed his awesome deeds ⁴  in Egypt,

and his acts of judgment ⁵  in the region of Zoan.

Psalms 105:27

105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, ⁶ 

and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.

Psalms 135:9

135:9 He performed awesome deeds ⁷  and acts of judgment ⁸ 

in your midst, O Egypt,

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

Psalms 65:8

65:8 Even those living in the most remote areas are awestruck by your acts; ⁹ 

you cause those living in the east and west to praise you. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 74:9

74:9 We do not see any signs of God’s presence; ¹¹ 

there are no longer any prophets ¹² 

and we have no one to tell us how long this will last. ¹³ 

Psalms 86:17

86:17 Show me evidence of your favor! ¹⁴ 

Then those who hate me will see it and be ashamed, ¹⁵ 

for you, O Lord, will help me and comfort me. ¹⁶ 

[74:4]  ¹ tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.

[74:4]  ² tn Heb “your meeting place.”

[74:4]  ³ tn Heb “they set up their banners [as] banners.” The Hebrew noun אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) here refers to the enemy army’s battle flags and banners (see Num 2:12).

[78:43]  ⁴ tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).

[78:43]  ⁵ tn Or “portents, omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are referred to here (see vv. 44-51).

[105:27]  ⁷ tn Apparently the pronoun refers to “his servants” (i.e., the Israelites, see v. 25).

[135:9]  ¹⁰ tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).

[135:9]  ¹¹ tn Or “portents”; “omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are alluded to here.

[65:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “and the inhabitants of the ends fear because of your signs.” God’s “signs” are the “awesome acts” (see v. 5) he performs in the earth.

[65:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the goings out of the morning and the evening you cause to shout for joy.” The phrase “goings out of the morning and evening” refers to the sunrise and sunset, that is, the east and the west.

[74:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “our signs we do not see.” Because of the reference to a prophet in the next line, it is likely that the “signs” in view here include the evidence of God’s presence as typically revealed through the prophets. These could include miraculous acts performed by the prophets (see, for example, Isa 38:7-8) or object lessons which they acted out (see, for example, Isa 20:3).

[74:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “there is not still a prophet.”

[74:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and [there is] not with us one who knows how long.”

[86:17]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Work with me a sign for good.” The expression “work a sign” also occurs in Judg 6:17.

[86:17]  ²⁰ tn After the imperative in the preceding line (“work”), the prefixed verb forms with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicate purpose or result.

[86:17]  ²¹ tn The perfect verbal forms are understood here as dramatic/rhetorical, expressing the psalmist’s certitude that such a sign from the Lord will be followed by his intervention. Another option is to understand the forms as future perfects (“for you, O Lord, will have helped me and comforted me”).