Mazmur 74:10-11

74:10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults?

Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?

74:11 Why do you remain inactive?

Intervene and destroy him! ¹ 

Mazmur 91:1-2

Psalm 91 ² 

91:1 As for you, the one who lives ³  in the shelter of the sovereign One, ⁴ 

and resides in the protective shadow ⁵  of the mighty king ⁶  –

91:2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold,

my God in whom I trust –

Mazmur 123:1-4

Psalm 123 ⁷ 

A song of ascents. ⁸ 

123:1 I look up ⁹  toward you,

the one enthroned ¹⁰  in heaven.

123:2 Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress, ¹¹ 

so my eyes will look to the Lord, our God, until he shows us favor.

123:3 Show us favor, O Lord, show us favor!

For we have had our fill of humiliation, and then some. ¹² 

123:4 We have had our fill ¹³ 

of the taunts of the self-assured,

of the contempt of the proud.

[74:11]  ¹ tn Heb “Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? From the midst of your chest, destroy!” The psalmist pictures God as having placed his right hand (symbolic of activity and strength) inside his robe against his chest. He prays that God would pull his hand out from under his robe and use it to destroy the enemy.

[91:1]  ² sn Psalm 91. In this psalm an individual (perhaps a priest) addresses one who has sought shelter in the Lord and assures him that God will protect him from danger (vv. 1-13). In vv. 14-16 God himself promises to keep his loyal follower safe.

[91:1]  ³ tn Heb “[O] one who lives.”

[91:1]  ⁴ tn Traditionally “the Most High.”

[91:1]  ⁵ sn The Lord is compared here to a bird who protects its young under the shadow of its wings (see v. 4).

[91:1]  ⁶ sn The divine name used here is “Shaddai” (שַׁדַּי, shadday; see also Ps 68:14). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the mighty king (sovereign judge) of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness.

[123:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 123. The psalmist, speaking for God’s people, acknowledges his dependence on God in the midst of a crisis.

[123:1]  ⁸ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[123:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”

[123:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb יָשַׁב (yashav) is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12).

[123:2]  ¹¹ sn Servants look to their master for food, shelter, and other basic needs.

[123:3]  ¹² tn Heb “for greatly we are filled [with] humiliation.”

[123:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “greatly our soul is full to it.”