Psalms 74:8

74:8 They say to themselves, ¹ 

“We will oppress all of them.” ² 

They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land. ³ 

Psalms 102:13

102:13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion. ⁴ 

For it is time to have mercy on her,

for the appointed time has come.

[74:8]  ¹ tn Heb “in their heart.”

[74:8]  ² tc Heb “[?] altogether.” The Hebrew form נִינָם (ninam) is problematic. It could be understood as the noun נִין (nin, “offspring”) but the statement “their offspring altogether” would make no sense here. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:159) emends יָחַד (yakhad, “altogether”) to יָחִיד (yakhid, “alone”) and translate “let their offspring be solitary” (i.e., exiled). Another option is to understand the form as a Qal imperfect first common plural from יָנָה (yanah, “to oppress”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix, “we will oppress them.” However, this verb, when used in the finite form, always appears in the Hiphil. Therefore, it is preferable to emend the form to the Hiphil נוֹנֵם (nonem, “we will oppress them”).

[74:8]  ³ tn Heb “they burn down all the meeting places of God in the land.”

[102:13]  ⁴ tn The imperfect verbal forms are understood as expressing the psalmist’s confidence in God’s intervention. Another option is to take them as expressing the psalmist’s request or wish, “You, rise up and have compassion!”