Mazmur 4:8

4:8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, ¹ 

for you, Lord, make me safe and secure. ² 

Mazmur 126:5

126:5 Those who shed tears as they plant

will shout for joy when they reap the harvest. ³ 

Yesaya 25:9

25:9 At that time they will say, ⁴ 

“Look, here ⁵  is our God!

We waited for him and he delivered us.

Here ⁶  is the Lord! We waited for him.

Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”

[4:8]  ¹ tn Heb “in peace at the same time I will lie down and sleep.”

[4:8]  ² tn Heb “for you, Lord, solitarily, securely make me dwell.” The translation understands לְבָדָד (lÿvadad) as modifying the verb; the Lord keeps enemies away from the psalmist so that he is safe and secure. Another option is to take לְבָדָד with what precedes and translate, “you alone, Lord, make me secure.”

[126:5]  ³ sn O. Borowski says regarding this passage: “The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing” (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54). Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.

[25:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “and one will say in that day.”

[25:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “this [one].”

[25:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “this [one].”