Mazmur 16:1

Psalm 16 ¹ 

A prayer ²  of David.

16:1 Protect me, O God, for I have taken shelter in you. ³ 

Mazmur 25:20

25:20 Protect me ⁴  and deliver me!

Please do not let me be humiliated,

for I have taken shelter in you!

Mazmur 31:2

31:2 Listen to me! ⁵ 

Quickly deliver me!

Be my protector and refuge, ⁶ 

a stronghold where I can be safe! ⁷ 

Mazmur 43:1

Psalm 43 ⁸ 

43:1 Vindicate me, O God!

Fight for me ⁹  against an ungodly nation!

Deliver me ¹⁰  from deceitful and evil men! ¹¹ 

Mazmur 59:1-2

Psalm 59 ¹² 

For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; ¹³  a prayer ¹⁴  of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him. ¹⁵ 

59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God!

Protect me ¹⁶  from those who attack me! ¹⁷ 

59:2 Deliver me from evildoers! ¹⁸ 

Rescue me from violent men! ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 119:134

119:134 Deliver me ²⁰  from oppressive men,

so that I can keep ²¹  your precepts.

Mazmur 142:6

142:6 Listen to my cry for help,

for I am in serious trouble! ²² 

Rescue me from those who chase me,

for they are stronger than I am.

[16:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 16. The psalmist seeks divine protection because he has remained loyal to God. He praises God for his rich blessings, and is confident God will vindicate him and deliver him from death.

[16:1]  ² tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מִכְתָּם (mikhtam) is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”

[16:1]  ³ tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results (see 7:1; 11:1).

[16:1]  sn Taken shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).

[25:20]  ⁴ tn Or “my life.”

[31:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”

[31:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of refuge.”

[31:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “a house of strongholds to deliver me.”

[43:1]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Or “argue my case.”

[43:1]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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.

[59:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 59. The psalmist calls down judgment on his foreign enemies, whom he compares to ravenous wild dogs.

[59:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-58, 75.

[59:1]  ¹⁴ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-58, 60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”

[59:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”

[59:1]  sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when Saul sent assassins to surround David’s house and kill him in the morning (see 1 Sam 19:11). However, the psalm itself mentions foreign enemies (vv. 5, 8). Perhaps these references reflect a later adaptation of an original Davidic psalm.

[59:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “make me secure”; Heb “set me on high.”

[59:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “from those who raise themselves up [against] me.”

[59:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “from the workers of wickedness.”

[59:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “from men of bloodshed.”

[119:134]  ²⁰ tn Or “redeem me.”

[119:134]  ²¹ tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[142:6]  ²² tn Heb “for I am very low.”