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 37:28

37:28 For the Lord promotes ⁴  justice,

and never abandons ⁵  his faithful followers.

They are permanently secure, ⁶ 

but the children ⁷  of evil men are wiped out. ⁸ 

Mazmur 37:40

37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;

he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, ⁹ 

for they seek his protection.

Mazmur 121:8

121:8 The Lord will protect you in all you do, ¹⁰ 

now and forevermore.

Mazmur 145:20

145:20 The Lord protects those who love him,

but he destroys all the wicked.

[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).

[37:28]  ⁴ tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world. The active participle describes characteristic behavior.

[37:28]  ⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.

[37:28]  ⁶ tn Or “protected forever.”

[37:28]  ⁷ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[37:28]  ⁸ tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.

[37:40]  ⁹ tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.

[121:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “your going out and your coming in.”