Psalms 9:5

9:5 You terrified the nations with your battle cry; ¹ 

you destroyed the wicked; ² 

you permanently wiped out all memory of them. ³ 

Psalms 18:16

18:16 He reached down ⁴  from above and took hold of me;

he pulled me from the surging water. ⁵ 

Psalms 27:12

27:12 Do not turn me over to my enemies, ⁶ 

for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me. ⁷ 

Psalms 34:6

34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;

he saved him ⁸  from all his troubles.

Psalms 34:17

34:17 The godly ⁹  cry out and the Lord hears;

he saves them from all their troubles. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 44:20

44:20 If we had rejected our God, ¹¹ 

and spread out our hands in prayer to another god, ¹² 

Psalms 79:6

79:6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you, ¹³ 

on the kingdoms that do not pray to you! ¹⁴ 

Psalms 88:9

88:9 My eyes grow weak because of oppression.

I call out to you, O Lord, all day long;

I spread out my hands in prayer to you. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 107:6

107:6 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;

he delivered them from their troubles.

Psalms 107:14

107:14 He brought them out of the utter darkness, ¹⁶ 

and tore off their shackles.

Psalms 136:6

136:6 to the one who spread out the earth over the water,

for his loyal love endures,

Psalms 143:11

143:11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation, ¹⁷  revive me! ¹⁸ 

Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble! ¹⁹ 

[9:5]  ¹ tn The verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) is often understood to mean “rebuke” and in this context taken to refer to the Lord’s “rebuke” of the nations. In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.

[9:5]  ² tn The singular form is collective (note “nations” and “their name”). In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). In this context the hostile nations who threaten Israel/Judah are in view.

[9:5]  ³ tn Heb “their name you wiped out forever and ever.” The three perfect verbal forms in v. 5 probably refer to a recent victory (definite past or present perfect use), although they might express what is typical (characteristic use).

[18:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “stretched.” Perhaps “his hand” should be supplied by ellipsis (see Ps 144:7). In this poetic narrative context the three prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects.

[18:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see v. 4 and Ps 144:7).

[27:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “do not give me over to the desire of my enemies.”

[27:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “for they have risen up against me, lying witnesses and a testifier of violence.” The form יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) is traditionally understood as a verb meaning “snort, breathe out”: “for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty” (KJV; cf. BDB 422 s.v.). A better option is to take the form as a noun meaning “a witness” (or “testifier”). See Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3.

[34:6]  ¹⁰ tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.

[34:17]  ¹³ tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).

[34:17]  ¹⁴ tn The three perfect verbal forms are taken in a generalizing sense in v. 17 and translated with the present tense (note the generalizing mood of vv. 18-22).

[44:20]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “If we had forgotten the name of our God.” To “forget the name” here refers to rejecting the Lord’s authority (see Jer 23:27) and abandoning him as an object of prayer and worship (see the next line).

[44:20]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and spread out your hands to another god.” Spreading out the hands was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). In its most fundamental sense זר (“another; foreign; strange”) refers to something that is outside one’s circle, often making association with it inappropriate. A “strange” god is an alien deity, an “outside god” (see L. A. Snijders, TDOT 4:54-55).

[79:6]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “which do not know you.” Here the Hebrew term “know” means “acknowledge the authority of.”

[79:6]  ²⁰ sn The kingdoms that do not pray to you. The people of these kingdoms pray to other gods, not the Lord, because they do not recognize his authority over them.

[88:9]  ²² tn Heb “I spread out my hands to you.” Spreading out the hands toward God was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). The words “in prayer” have been supplied in the translation to clarify this.

[107:14]  ²⁵ tn Heb “darkness and deep darkness.” See the note on the word “darkness” in v. 10.

[143:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[143:11]  ²⁹ tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 11-12a are understood as expressing the psalmist’s desire. Note the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.

[143:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “by your justice bring out my life from trouble.”