Psalms 9:9

9:9 Consequently ¹  the Lord provides safety for the oppressed; ² 

he provides safety in times of trouble. ³ 

Psalms 10:1

Psalm 10 ⁴ 

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

Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble? ⁵ 

Psalms 34:17

34:17 The godly ⁶  cry out and the Lord hears;

he saves them from all their troubles. ⁷ 

Psalms 54:7

54:7 Surely ⁸  he rescues me from all trouble, ⁹ 

and I triumph over my enemies. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 91:15

91:15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him.

I will be with him when he is in trouble;

I will rescue him and bring him honor.

Psalms 120:1

Psalm 120 ¹¹ 

A song of ascents. ¹² 

120:1 In my distress I cried out

to the Lord and he answered me.

Psalms 142:2

142:2 I pour out my lament before him;

I tell him about ¹³  my troubles.

Psalms 143:11

143:11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation, ¹⁴  revive me! ¹⁵ 

Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble! ¹⁶ 

[9:9]  ¹ tn Following the imperfect in v. 9, the construction vav (ו) conjunctive + shortened form of the prefixed verb הָיָה (hayah) indicates a consequence or result of the preceding statement. The construction functions this same way in Pss 81:15 and 104:20.

[9:9]  ² tn Heb “and the Lord is an elevated place for the oppressed.” The singular form דָּךְ (dakh, “oppressed”) is collective here.

[9:9]  ³ tn Heb “[he is] an elevated place for times in trouble.” Here an “elevated place” refers to a stronghold, a defensible, secure position that represents a safe haven in times of unrest or distress (cf. NEB “tower of strength”; NIV, NRSV “stronghold”).

[10:1]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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).

[34:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).

[34:17]  ⁸ 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).

[54:7]  ¹⁰ tn Or “for,” indicating a more specific reason why he will praise the Lord’s name (cf. v. 6).

[54:7]  ¹¹ tn The perfects in v. 7 are probably rhetorical, indicating the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance and his own vindication as if they were occurring or had already occurred.

[54:7]  ¹² tn Heb “and on my enemies my eyes look.”

[120:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 120. The genre and structure of this psalm are uncertain. It begins like a thanksgiving psalm, with a brief notice that God has heard the psalmist’s prayer for help and has intervened. But v. 2 is a petition for help, followed by a taunt directed toward enemies (vv. 3-4) and a lament (vv. 5-7). Perhaps vv. 2-7 recall the psalmist’s prayer when he cried out to the Lord.

[120:1]  ¹⁴ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[142:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “my trouble before him I declare.”

[143:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[143:11]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ tn Heb “by your justice bring out my life from trouble.”