Mazmur 102:1

Psalm 102 ¹ 

The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.

102:1 O Lord, hear my prayer!

Pay attention to my cry for help! ² 

Mazmur 9:7

9:7 But the Lord ³  rules ⁴  forever;

he reigns in a just manner. ⁵ 

Mazmur 58:8

58:8 Let them be ⁶  like a snail that melts away as it moves along! ⁷ 

Let them be like ⁸  stillborn babies ⁹  that never see the sun!

[102:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 102. The psalmist laments his oppressed state, but longs for a day when the Lord will restore Jerusalem and vindicate his suffering people.

[102:1]  ² tn Heb “and may my cry for help come to you.”

[9:7]  ³ tn The construction vav (ו) + subject highlights the contrast between the exalted Lord and his defeated foes (see v. 6).

[9:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, see v. 4). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.

[9:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “he establishes for justice his throne.”

[58:8]  ⁶ tn There is no “to be” verb in the Hebrew text at this point, but a jussive tone can be assumed based on vv. 6-7.

[58:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “like a melting snail [that] moves along.” A. Cohen (Psalms [SoBB], 184) explains that the text here alludes “to the popular belief that the slimy trail which the snail leaves in its track is the dissolution of its substance.”

[58:8]  ⁸ tn The words “let them be like” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The jussive mood is implied from the preceding context, and “like” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).

[58:8]  ⁹ tn This rare word also appears in Job 3:16 and Eccles 6:3.