Mazmur 51:14

51:14 Rescue me from the guilt of murder, ¹  O God, the God who delivers me!

Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your deliverance. ² 

Mazmur 56:13

56:13 when you deliver ³  my life from death.

You keep my feet from stumbling, ⁴ 

so that I might serve ⁵  God as I enjoy life. ⁶ 

Mazmur 142:6

142:6 Listen to my cry for help,

for I am in serious trouble! ⁷ 

Rescue me from those who chase me,

for they are stronger than I am.

[51:14]  ¹ tn Heb “from bloodshed.” “Bloodshed” here stands by metonymy for the guilt which it produces.

[51:14]  ² tn Heb “my tongue will shout for joy your deliverance.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may my tongue shout for joy.” However, the pattern in vv. 12-15 appears to be prayer/request (see vv. 12, 14a, 15a) followed by promise/vow (see vv. 13, 14b, 15b).

[56:13]  ³ tn The perfect verbal form is probably future perfect; the psalmist promises to make good on his vows once God has delivered him (see Pss 13:5; 52:9). (2) Another option is to understand the final two verses as being added later, after the Lord intervened on the psalmist’s behalf. In this case one may translate, “for you have delivered.” Other options include taking the perfect as (3) generalizing (“for you deliver”) or (4) rhetorical (“for you will”).

[56:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “are not my feet [kept] from stumbling?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course they are!” The question has been translated as an affirmation for the sake of clarification of meaning.

[56:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “walk before.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254; cf. the same idiom in 2 Kgs 20:3; Isa 38:3.

[56:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “in the light of life.” The phrase is used here and in Job 33:30.

[142:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “for I am very low.”