Mazmur 103:4-5

103:4 who delivers ¹  your life from the Pit, ² 

who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,

103:5 who satisfies your life with good things, ³ 

so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s. ⁴ 

[103:4]  ¹ tn Or “redeems.”

[103:4]  ² tn The Hebrew term שַׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 30:9; 49:9; 55:24.

[103:5]  ³ tc Heb “who satisfies with the good of your ornaments.” The text as it stands makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes an emendation of עֶדְיֵךְ (’ed’ekh, “your ornaments”) to עֹדֵכִי (’odekhiy, “your duration; your continuance”) that is, “your life” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 18).

[103:5]  ⁴ sn The expression your youth is renewed like an eagle’s may allude to the phenomenon of molting, whereby the eagle grows new feathers.