1 Raja-raja 8:52

8:52 “May you be attentive ¹  to your servant’s and your people Israel’s requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you. ² 

Mazmur 34:18

34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;

he delivers ³  those who are discouraged. ⁴ 

Amsal 2:3

2:3 indeed, if ⁵  you call out for ⁶  discernment ⁷  –

raise your voice ⁸  for understanding –

Mikha 4:9

4:9 Jerusalem, why are you ⁹  now shouting so loudly? ¹⁰ 

Has your king disappeared? ¹¹ 

Has your wise leader ¹²  been destroyed?

Is this why ¹³  pain grips ¹⁴  you as if you were a woman in labor?

[8:52]  ¹ tn Heb “May your eyes be open.”

[8:52]  ² tn Heb “to listen to them in all their calling out to you.”

[34:18]  ³ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the oppressed and needy.

[34:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Both particles retain their individual meanings, otherwise the verse would begin with a strong adversative and be a contrast to what has been said.

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “summon.”

[2:3]  ⁷ sn The noun recalls the second purpose of the book (1:2). It is also cognate to the last word of 2:2, forming a transition. The two objects of the prepositions in this verse are actually personifications, as if they could be summoned.

[2:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “give your voice”; the expression is idiomatic for raising or lifting the voice to make a sound that carries further (e.g., Jer 2:15). This deliberate expression indicates that something significant is being uttered. J. H. Greenstone says, “If it [understanding] does not come at your first call, raise your voice to a higher pitch, put forth greater efforts” (Proverbs, 17).

[4:9]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew form is feminine singular, indicating that Jerusalem, personified as a young woman, is now addressed (see v. 10). In v. 8 the tower/fortress was addressed with masculine forms, so there is clearly a shift in addressee here. “Jerusalem” has been supplied in the translation at the beginning of v. 9 to make this shift apparent.

[4:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Now why are you shouting [with] a shout.”

[4:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Is there no king over you?”

[4:9]  ¹² tn Traditionally, “counselor” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the king mentioned in the previous line; the title points to the king’s roles as chief strategist and policy maker, both of which required extraordinary wisdom.

[4:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “that.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is used here in a resultative sense; for this use see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §450.

[4:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “grabs hold of, seizes.”