Mazmur 18:34

18:34 He trains my hands for battle; ¹ 

my arms can bend even the strongest bow. ² 

Mazmur 77:4

77:4 You held my eyelids open; ³ 

I was troubled and could not speak. ⁴ 

Mazmur 78:53

78:53 He guided them safely along,

while the sea covered their enemies.

Mazmur 106:32

106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,

and Moses suffered ⁵  because of them,

Mazmur 114:5

114:5 Why do you flee, O sea?

Why do you turn back, O Jordan River?

[18:34]  ¹ sn He trains my hands. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.

[18:34]  ² tn Heb “and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms”; or “my arms bend a bow of bronze.” The verb נָחַת (nakhat) apparently means “pull back, bend” here (see HALOT 692 s.v. נחת). The third feminine singular verbal form appears to agree with the feminine singular noun קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “bow”). In this case the verb must be taken as Niphal (passive). However, it is possible that “my arms” is the subject of the verb and “bow” the object. In this case the verb is Piel (active). For other examples of a feminine singular verb being construed with a plural noun, see GKC 464 §145.k.

[18:34]  sn The strongest bow (Heb “bow of bronze”) probably refers to a bow laminated with bronze strips, or to a purely ceremonial or decorative bow made entirely from bronze. In the latter case the language is hyperbolic, for such a weapon would not be functional in battle.

[77:4]  ³ tn Heb “you held fast the guards of my eyes.” The “guards of the eyes” apparently refers to his eyelids. The psalmist seems to be saying that God would not bring him relief, which would have allowed him to shut his eyes and get some sleep (see v. 2).

[77:4]  ⁴ tn The imperfect is used in the second clause to emphasize that this was an ongoing condition in the past.

[106:32]  ⁵ tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”