Mazmur 18:4-5

18:4 The waves ¹  of death engulfed me,

the currents ²  of chaos ³  overwhelmed me. ⁴ 

18:5 The ropes of Sheol tightened around me, ⁵ 

the snares of death trapped me. ⁶ 

Mazmur 42:7

42:7 One deep stream calls out to another ⁷  at the sound of your waterfalls; ⁸ 

all your billows and waves overwhelm me. ⁹ 

Mazmur 55:4-5

55:4 My heart beats violently ¹⁰  within me;

the horrors of death overcome me. ¹¹ 

55:5 Fear and panic overpower me; ¹² 

terror overwhelms ¹³  me.

Mazmur 69:1-3

Psalm 69 ¹⁴ 

For the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” ¹⁵  by David.

69:1 Deliver me, O God,

for the water has reached my neck. ¹⁶ 

69:2 I sink into the deep mire

where there is no solid ground; ¹⁷ 

I am in ¹⁸  deep water,

and the current overpowers me.

69:3 I am exhausted from shouting for help;

my throat is sore; ¹⁹ 

my eyes grow tired of looking for my God. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 88:3

88:3 For my life ²¹  is filled with troubles

and I am ready to enter Sheol. ²² 

Mazmur 116:3

116:3 The ropes of death tightened around me, ²³ 

the snares ²⁴  of Sheol confronted me.

I was confronted ²⁵  with trouble and sorrow.

[18:4]  ¹ tc Ps 18:4 reads “ropes,” while 2 Sam 22:5 reads “waves.” The reading of the psalm has been influenced by the next verse (note “ropes of Sheol”) and perhaps also by Ps 116:3 (where “ropes of death” appears, as here, with the verb אָפַף, ’afaf). However, the parallelism of v. 4 (note “currents” in the next line) favors the reading “waves.” While the verb אָפַף is used with “ropes” as subject in Ps 116:3, it can also be used with engulfing “waters” as subject (see Jonah 2:5). Death is compared to surging waters in v. 4 and to a hunter in v. 5.

[18:4]  ² tn The Hebrew noun נַחַל (nakhal) usually refers to a river or stream, but in this context the plural form likely refers to the currents of the sea (see vv. 15-16).

[18:4]  ³ tn The noun בְלִיַּעַל (vÿliyya’al) is used here as an epithet for death. Elsewhere it is a common noun meaning “wickedness, uselessness.” It is often associated with rebellion against authority and other crimes that result in societal disorder and anarchy. The phrase “man/son of wickedness” refers to one who opposes God and the order he has established. The term becomes an appropriate title for death, which, through human forces, launches an attack against God’s chosen servant.

[18:4]  ⁴ tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. (Note the perfect verbal form in the parallel/preceding line.) The verb בָּעַת (ba’at) sometimes by metonymy carries the nuance “frighten,” but the parallelism (see “engulfed”) favors the meaning “overwhelm” here.

[18:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “surrounded me.”

[18:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “confronted me.”

[42:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “deep calls to deep.” The Hebrew noun תְּהוֹם (tÿhom) often refers to the deep sea, but here, where it is associated with Hermon, it probably refers to mountain streams. The word can be used of streams and rivers (see Deut 8:7; Ezek 31:4).

[42:7]  ⁸ tn The noun צִנּוֹר (tsinnor, “waterfall”) occurs only here and in 2 Sam 5:8, where it apparently refers to a water shaft. The psalmist alludes to the loud rushing sound of mountain streams and cascading waterfalls. Using the poetic device of personification, he imagines the streams calling out to each other as they hear the sound of the waterfalls.

[42:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “pass over me” (see Jonah 2:3). As he hears the sound of the rushing water, the psalmist imagines himself engulfed in the current. By implication he likens his emotional distress to such an experience.

[55:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “shakes, trembles.”

[55:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the terrors of death have fallen on me.”

[55:5]  ¹² tn Heb “fear and trembling enter into me.”

[55:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “covers.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the descriptive (present progressive) force of the preceding imperfect.

[69:1]  ¹⁴ sn Psalm 69. The psalmist laments his oppressed condition and asks the Lord to deliver him by severely judging his enemies.

[69:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “according to lilies.” See the superscription to Ps 45.

[69:1]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew term נפשׁ (nefesh) here refers to the psalmist’s throat or neck. The psalmist compares himself to a helpless, drowning man.

[69:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and there is no place to stand.”

[69:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “have entered.”

[69:3]  ¹⁹ tn Or perhaps “raw”; Heb “burned; enflamed.”

[69:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “my eyes fail from waiting for my God.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision.

[88:3]  ²¹ tn Or “my soul.”

[88:3]  ²² tn Heb “and my life approaches Sheol.”

[116:3]  ²³ tn Heb “surrounded me.”

[116:3]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew noun מצר (“straits; distress”) occurs only here, Ps 118:5 and Lam 1:3. If retained, it refers to Sheol as a place where one is confined or severely restricted (cf. BDB 865 s.v. מֵצַר, “the straits of Sheol”; NIV “the anguish of the grave”; NRSV “the pangs of Sheol”). However, HALOT 624 s.v. מֵצַר suggests an emendation to מְצָדֵי (mÿtsadey, “snares of”), a rare noun attested in Job 19:6 and Eccl 7:26. This proposal, which is reflected in the translation, produces better parallelism with “ropes” in the preceding line.

[116:3]  ²⁵ tn The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls the crisis from which the Lord delivered him.