Psalms 79:11

79:11 Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners! ¹ 

Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die! ² 

Psalms 83:8

83:8 Even Assyria has allied with them,

lending its strength to the descendants of Lot. ³  (Selah)

Psalms 89:10

89:10 You crushed the Proud One ⁴  and killed it; ⁵ 

with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

Psalms 89:13

89:13 Your arm is powerful,

your hand strong,

your right hand ⁶  victorious. ⁷ 

[79:11]  ¹ tn Heb “may the painful cry of the prisoner come before you.”

[79:11]  ² tn Heb “according to the greatness of your arm leave the sons of death.” God’s “arm” here symbolizes his strength to deliver. The verbal form הוֹתֵר (hoter) is a Hiphil imperative from יָתַר (yatar, “to remain; to be left over”). Here it must mean “to leave over; to preserve.” However, it is preferable to emend the form to הַתֵּר (hatter), a Hiphil imperative from נָתַר (natar, “be free”). The Hiphil form is used in Ps 105:20 of Pharaoh freeing Joseph from prison. The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 102:21) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.

[83:8]  ³ tn Heb “they are an arm for the sons of Lot.” The “arm” is here a symbol of military might.

[89:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.

[89:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”

[89:13]  ⁷ sn The Lord’s arm, hand, and right hand all symbolize his activities, especially his exploits in war.

[89:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “is lifted up.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:42; 118:16).