Mazmur 9:8-14
Konteks9:8 He judges the world fairly;
he makes just legal decisions for the nations. 1
9:9 Consequently 2 the Lord provides safety for the oppressed; 3
he provides safety in times of trouble. 4
9:10 Your loyal followers trust in you, 5
for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help. 6
9:11 Sing praises to the Lord, who rules 7 in Zion!
Tell the nations what he has done! 8
9:12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; 9
he did not overlook 10 their cry for help 11
“Have mercy on me, 13 Lord!
See how I am oppressed by those who hate me, 14
O one who can snatch me away 15 from the gates of death!
9:14 Then I will 16 tell about all your praiseworthy acts; 17
in the gates of Daughter Zion 18 I will rejoice because of your deliverance.” 19
[9:8] 1 tn Heb “the peoples.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 8 either describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).
[9:9] 2 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] 3 tn Heb “and the
[9:9] 4 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”).
[9:10] 5 tn Heb “and the ones who know your name trust in you.” The construction vav (ו) conjunctive + imperfect at the beginning of the verse expresses another consequence of the statement made in v. 8. “To know” the
[9:10] 6 tn Heb “the ones who seek you.”
[9:11] 7 tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, and therefore ruling – see v. 4). Another option is to translate as “lives” or “dwells.”
[9:11] 8 tn Heb “declare among the nations his deeds.”
[9:12] 9 tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “to seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea “to seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form דָּמִים (damim, “shed blood”) occurs only here as the object of דָּרַשׁ (darash); the singular form דָּם (dam, “blood”) appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:12] 10 tn Heb “did not forget.”
[9:12] 11 tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.
[9:13] 12 tn The words “when they prayed,” though not represented in the Hebrew text, are supplied in the translation for clarification. The petition in vv. 13-14 is best understood as the cry for help which the oppressed offered to God when the nations threatened. The
[9:13] 13 tn Or “show me favor.”
[9:13] 14 tn Heb “see my misery from the ones who hate me.”
[9:13] 15 tn Heb “one who lifts me up.”
[9:14] 16 tn Or “so that I might.”
[9:14] 17 tn Heb “all your praise.” “Praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt it.
[9:14] 18 sn Daughter Zion is an idiomatic title for Jerusalem. It appears frequently in the prophets, but only here in the psalms.