Psalms 8:9

8:9 O Lord, our Lord, ¹ 

how magnificent ²  is your reputation ³  throughout the earth! ⁴ 

Psalms 10:1

Psalm 10 ⁵ 

10:1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble? ⁶ 

Psalms 35:17

35:17 O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? ⁷ 

Rescue ⁸  me ⁹  from their destructive attacks;

guard my life ¹⁰  from the young lions!

Psalms 39:7

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

You are my only hope! ¹¹ 

Psalms 44:24

44:24 Why do you look the other way, ¹² 

and ignore ¹³  the way we are oppressed and mistreated? ¹⁴ 

Psalms 49:5

49:5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, ¹⁵ 

when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me? ¹⁶ 

Psalms 74:11

74:11 Why do you remain inactive?

Intervene and destroy him! ¹⁷ 

Psalms 80:12

80:12 Why did you break down its walls, ¹⁸ 

so that all who pass by pluck its fruit? ¹⁹ 

Psalms 88:14

88:14 O Lord, why do you reject me,

and pay no attention to me? ²⁰ 

Psalms 92:5

92:5 How great are your works, O Lord!

Your plans are very intricate! ²¹ 

Psalms 114:5

114:5 Why do you flee, O sea?

Why do you turn back, O Jordan River?

Psalms 118:6

118:6 The Lord is on my side, ²²  I am not afraid!

What can people do to me? ²³ 

Psalms 119:9

ב (Bet)

119:9 How can a young person ²⁴  maintain a pure life? ²⁵ 

By guarding it according to your instructions! ²⁶ 

Psalms 119:84

119:84 How long must your servant endure this? ²⁷ 

When will you judge those who pursue me?

Psalms 119:97

מ (Mem)

119:97 O how I love your law!

All day long I meditate on it.

Psalms 144:3

144:3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race, ²⁸  that you should notice them?

Of what importance is mankind, ²⁹  that you should be concerned about them? ³⁰ 

[8:9]  ¹ tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the Lord’s absolute sovereignty.

[8:9]  ² tn Or “awesome, majestic.”

[8:9]  ³ tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[8:9]  ⁴ sn Using the poetic device of inclusio, the psalmist ends the psalm the way he began it. The concluding refrain is identical to v. 1.

[10:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 10. Many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version (LXX) combine Psalms 9 and 10 into a single psalm. Taken in isolation, Psalm 10 is a petition for help in which the psalmist urges the Lord to deliver him from his dangerous enemies, whom he describes in vivid and terrifying detail. The psalmist concludes with confidence; he is certain that God’s justice will prevail.

[10:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “you hide for times in trouble.” The interrogative “why” is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The Hiphil verbal form “hide” has no expressed object. Some supply “your eyes” by ellipsis (see BDB 761 s.v. I עָלַם Hiph and HALOT 835 s.v. I עלם hif) or emend the form to a Niphal (“you hide yourself,” see BHS, note c; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[35:17]  ⁹ tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”

[35:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “bring back, restore.”

[35:17]  ¹¹ tn Or “my life.”

[35:17]  ¹² tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).

[39:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “my hope, for you it [is].”

[44:24]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Why do you hide your face?” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).

[44:24]  ¹⁸ tn Or “forget.”

[44:24]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “our oppression and our affliction.”

[49:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “days of trouble.” The phrase also occurs in Ps 94:13. The question is rhetorical; there is no reason to be afraid when the rich oppressors threaten the weak (see v. 17). The following verses explain why this is so.

[49:5]  ²² tc The MT has, “the iniquity of my heels surrounds me.” The clause is best understood as temporal and as elaborating on the preceding phrase “times of trouble.” If the MT is retained, the genitive “of my heels” would probably indicate location (“the iniquity at my heels”); the sinful actions of the rich threaten to overtake the psalmist, as it were. It is better, however, to emend עֲקֵבַי (’aqivay, “my heels”) to either (1) עֲקֻבַּי (’aqubay, “my deceitful ones,” i.e., “those who deceive me” [from the adjective עָקֹב (’aqov), “deceitful,” see Jer 17:9]) or (2) עֹקְבַי (’oqÿvay, “those who deceive me” [a suffixed active participle from עָקַב, ’aqav, “betray, deceive”]). Origen’s transliteration of the Hebrew text favors the first of these options. Either of the emendations provides a much smoother transition to v. 6, because “those who trust in their wealth” would then be appositional to “those who deceive me.”

[74:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? From the midst of your chest, destroy!” The psalmist pictures God as having placed his right hand (symbolic of activity and strength) inside his robe against his chest. He prays that God would pull his hand out from under his robe and use it to destroy the enemy.

[80:12]  ²⁹ sn The protective walls of the metaphorical vineyard are in view here (see Isa 5:5).

[80:12]  ³⁰ tn Heb “pluck it.”

[88:14]  ³³ tn Heb “[why] do you hide your face from me?”

[92:5]  ³⁷ tn Heb “very deep [are] your thoughts.” God’s “thoughts” refer here to his moral design of the world, as outlined in vv. 6-15.

[118:6]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “for me.”

[118:6]  ⁴² tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. See Ps 56:11.

[119:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “young man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender specific “young man” has been translated with the more neutral “young person.”

[119:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “purify his path.”

[119:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:84]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “How long are the days of your servant?”

[144:3]  ⁵³ tn Heb “What is mankind?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race. See Ps 8:5.

[144:3]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.

[144:3]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “take account of him.” The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.