Mazmur 51:15

51:15 O Lord, give me the words! ¹ 

Then my mouth will praise you. ² 

Mazmur 54:2

54:2 O God, listen to my prayer!

Pay attention to what I say! ³ 

Mazmur 71:1

Psalm 71 ⁴ 

71:1 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter!

Never let me be humiliated!

Mazmur 119:89

ל (Lamed)

119:89 O Lord, your instructions endure;

they stand secure in heaven. ⁵ 

[51:15]  ¹ tn Heb “open my lips.” The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.

[51:15]  ² tn Heb “and my mouth will declare your praise.”

[54:2]  ³ tn Heb “to the words of my mouth.”

[71:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 71. The psalmist prays for divine intervention and expresses his confidence that God will protect and vindicate him. The first three verses are very similar to Ps 31:1-3a.

[119:89]  ⁵ tn Heb “Forever, O Lord, your word stands firm in heaven,” or “Forever, O Lord, [is] your word; it stands firm in heaven.” The translation assumes that “your word” refers here to the body of divine instructions contained in the law (note the frequent references to the law in vv. 92-96). See vv. 9, 16-17, 57, 101, 105, 130, 139 and 160-61. The reference in v. 86 to God’s law being faithful favors this interpretation. Another option is that “your word” refers to God’s assuring word of promise, mentioned in vv. 25, 28, 42, 65, 74, 81, 107, 114, 147 and 169. In this case one might translate, “O Lord, your promise is reliable, it stands firm in heaven.”