Mazmur 10:18

10:18 You defend ¹  the fatherless and oppressed, ² 

so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. ³ 

Mazmur 17:4

17:4 As for the actions of people ⁴  –

just as you have commanded,

I have not followed in the footsteps of violent men. ⁵ 

Mazmur 30:6

30:6 In my self-confidence I said,

“I will never be upended.” ⁶ 

Mazmur 41:11-12

41:11 By this ⁷  I know that you are pleased with me,

for my enemy does ⁸  not triumph ⁹  over me.

41:12 As for me, you uphold ¹⁰  me because of my integrity; ¹¹ 

you allow ¹²  me permanent access to your presence. ¹³ 

Mazmur 43:1

Psalm 43 ¹⁴ 

43:1 Vindicate me, O God!

Fight for me ¹⁵  against an ungodly nation!

Deliver me ¹⁶  from deceitful and evil men! ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 56:9

56:9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; ¹⁸ 

I know that God is on my side. ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 59:4

59:4 Though I have done nothing wrong, ²⁰  they are anxious to attack. ²¹ 

Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me! ²² 

Mazmur 72:4

72:4 He will defend ²³  the oppressed among the people;

he will deliver ²⁴  the children ²⁵  of the poor

and crush the oppressor.

Mazmur 74:18

74:18 Remember how ²⁶  the enemy hurls insults, O Lord, ²⁷ 

and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name!

Mazmur 87:5

87:5 But it is said of Zion’s residents, ²⁸ 

“Each one of these ²⁹  was born in her,

and the sovereign One ³⁰  makes her secure.” ³¹ 

Mazmur 88:4

88:4 They treat me like ³²  those who descend into the grave. ³³ 

I am like a helpless man, ³⁴ 

Mazmur 90:5

90:5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.” ³⁵ 

In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up;

Mazmur 92:11

92:11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me; ³⁶ 

I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me. ³⁷ 

Mazmur 101:1

Psalm 101 ³⁸ 

A psalm of David.

101:1 I will sing about loyalty and justice!

To you, O Lord, I will sing praises!

Mazmur 102:18

102:18 The account of his intervention ³⁹  will be recorded for future generations;

people yet to be born will praise the Lord.

Mazmur 109:21

109:21 O sovereign Lord,

intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation! ⁴⁰ 

Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!

Mazmur 146:7

146:7 vindicates the oppressed, ⁴¹ 

and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord releases the imprisoned.

[10:18]  ¹ tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”

[10:18]  ² tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.

[10:18]  ³ tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.

[17:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “with regard to the deeds of man[kind].”

[17:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “by the word of your lips, I, I have watched the paths of the violent” (i.e., “watched” in the sense of “watched for the purpose of avoiding”).

[30:6]  ⁶ sn In my self-confidence I said… Here the psalmist begins to fill in the background of the crisis referred to in the earlier verses. He had been arrogant and self-confident, so the Lord withdrew his protection and allowed trouble to invade his life (vv. 8-11).

[41:11]  ⁷ sn By this. Having recalled his former lament and petition, the psalmist returns to the confident mood of vv. 1-3. The basis for his confidence may be a divine oracle of deliverance, assuring him that God would intervene and vindicate him. The demonstrative pronoun “this” may refer to such an oracle, which is assumed here, though its contents are not included. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 319, 321.

[41:11]  ⁸ tn Or “will.” One may translate the imperfect verbal form as descriptive (present, cf. NIV) or as anticipatory (future, cf. NEB).

[41:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “shout.”

[41:12]  ¹⁰ tn Or “have upheld.” The perfect verbal form can be taken as generalizing/descriptive (present) or as a present perfect.

[41:12]  ¹¹ sn Because of my integrity. See Pss 7:8; 25:21; 26:1, 11.

[41:12]  ¹² tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect. It is either generalizing/descriptive (present) or has a present perfect nuance (“you have allowed”).

[41:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “and you cause me to stand before you permanently.”

[43:1]  ¹⁴ sn Psalm 43. Many medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalm 43 and Psalm 42 into one psalm. Psalm 43 is the only psalm in Book 2 of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72) that does not have a heading, suggesting that it was originally the third and concluding section of Psalm 42. Ps 43:5 is identical to the refrain in Ps 42:11 and almost identical to the refrain in Ps 42:5.

[43:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “argue my case.”

[43:1]  ¹⁶ tn The imperfect here expresses a request or wish. Note the imperatives in the first half of the verse. See also v. 3.

[43:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “from the deceitful and evil man.” The Hebrew text uses the singular form “man” in a collective sense, as the reference to a “nation” in the parallel line indicates.

[56:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “then my enemies will turn back in the day I cry out.” The Hebrew particle אָז (’az, “then”) is probably used here to draw attention to the following statement.

[56:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “this I know, that God is for me.”

[59:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “without sin.”

[59:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “they run and they are determined.”

[59:4]  ²² tn Heb “arise to meet me and see.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to meet; to encounter”) here carries the nuance of “to help.”

[72:4]  ²³ tn Heb “judge [for].”

[72:4]  ²⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.

[72:4]  ²⁵ tn Heb “sons.”

[74:18]  ²⁶ tn Heb “remember this.”

[74:18]  ²⁷ tn Or “[how] the enemy insults the Lord.”

[87:5]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and of Zion it is said.” Another option is to translate, “and to Zion it is said.” In collocation with the Niphal of אָמַר (’amar), the preposition lamed (-לְ) can introduce the recipient of the statement (see Josh 2:2; Jer 4:11; Hos 1:10; Zeph 3:16), carry the nuance “concerning, of” (see Num 23:23), or mean “be named” (see Isa 4:3; 62:4).

[87:5]  ²⁹ tn Heb “a man and a man.” The idiom also appears in Esth 1:8. The translation assumes that the phrase refers to each of Zion’s residents, in contrast to the foreigners mentioned in v. 4. Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand this as a reference to each of the nations, including those mentioned in v. 4.

[87:5]  ³⁰ tn Traditionally “Most High.”

[87:5]  ³¹ tn Heb “and he makes her secure, the Most High.”

[88:4]  ³² tn Heb “I am considered with.”

[88:4]  ³³ tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit,” “cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.

[88:4]  ³⁴ tn Heb “I am like a man [for whom] there is no help.”

[90:5]  ³⁵ tn Heb “you bring them to an end [with] sleep.” The Hebrew verb זָרַם (zaram) has traditionally been taken to mean “flood” or “overwhelm” (note the Polel form of a root זרם in Ps 77:17, where the verb is used of the clouds pouring down rain). However, the verb form here is Qal, not Polel, and is better understood as a homonym meaning “to make an end [of life].” The term שֵׁנָה (shenah, “sleep”) can be taken as an adverbial accusative; it is a euphemism here for death (see Ps 76:5-6).

[92:11]  ³⁶ tn Heb “my eye gazes upon those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2. The form שׁוּרָי (shuray) should be emended to שׁוֹרְרָי (shorÿray).

[92:11]  ³⁷ tn Heb “those who rise up against me, evil [foes], my ears hear.”

[101:1]  ³⁸ sn Psalm 101. The psalmist, who appears to be a king, promises to promote justice in his land and vows to rid his royal court of evildoers.

[102:18]  ³⁹ tn The Hebrew text has simply “this,” referring to the anticipated divine intervention on behalf of Zion (vv. 13, 16-17). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[109:21]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “but you, Lord, Master, do with me for the sake of your name.” Here “name” stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[146:7]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “executes justice for the oppressed.”