Mazmur 3:7

3:7 Rise up, ¹  Lord!

Deliver me, my God!

Yes, ²  you will strike ³  all my enemies on the jaw;

you will break the teeth ⁴  of the wicked. ⁵ 

Mazmur 9:13

9:13 when they prayed: ⁶ 

“Have mercy on me, ⁷  Lord!

See how I am oppressed by those who hate me, ⁸ 

O one who can snatch me away ⁹  from the gates of death!

Mazmur 18:3

18:3 I called ¹⁰  to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, ¹¹ 

and I was delivered from my enemies.

Mazmur 22:5

22:5 To you they cried out, and they were saved;

in you they trusted and they were not disappointed. ¹² 

Mazmur 31:4

31:4 You will free me ¹³  from the net they hid for me,

for you are my place of refuge.

Mazmur 31:16

31:16 Smile ¹⁴  on your servant!

Deliver me because of your faithfulness!

Mazmur 33:16

33:16 No king is delivered by his vast army;

a warrior is not saved by his great might.

Mazmur 35:17

35:17 O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this? ¹⁵ 

Rescue ¹⁶  me ¹⁷  from their destructive attacks;

guard my life ¹⁸  from the young lions!

Mazmur 39:13

39:13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy

before I pass away. ¹⁹ 

Mazmur 41:1

Psalm 41 ²⁰ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

41:1 How blessed ²¹  is the one who treats the poor properly! ²² 

When trouble comes, ²³  the Lord delivers him. ²⁴ 

Mazmur 44:7

44:7 For you deliver ²⁵  us from our enemies;

you humiliate ²⁶  those who hate us.

Mazmur 49:15

49:15 But ²⁷  God will rescue ²⁸  my life ²⁹  from the power ³⁰  of Sheol;

certainly ³¹  he will pull me to safety. ³²  (Selah)

Mazmur 62:1

Psalm 62 ³³ 

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.

62:1 For God alone I patiently wait; ³⁴ 

he is the one who delivers me. ³⁵ 

Mazmur 62:5

62:5 Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! ³⁶ 

For he is the one who gives me confidence. ³⁷ 

Mazmur 69:29

69:29 I am oppressed and suffering!

O God, deliver and protect me! ³⁸ 

Mazmur 71:15

71:15 I will tell about your justice,

and all day long proclaim your salvation, ³⁹ 

though I cannot fathom its full extent. ⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 72:4

72:4 He will defend ⁴¹  the oppressed among the people;

he will deliver ⁴²  the children ⁴³  of the poor

and crush the oppressor.

Mazmur 74:11

74:11 Why do you remain inactive?

Intervene and destroy him! ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 76:9

76:9 when God arose to execute judgment,

and to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. (Selah)

Mazmur 80:2

80:2 In the sight of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh reveal ⁴⁵  your power!

Come and deliver us! ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 80:7

80:7 O God, invincible warrior, ⁴⁷  restore us!

Smile on us! ⁴⁸  Then we will be delivered! ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 80:19

80:19 O Lord God, invincible warrior, ⁵⁰  restore us!

Smile on us! ⁵¹  Then we will be delivered! ⁵² 

Mazmur 86:2

86:2 Protect me, ⁵³  for I am loyal!

O my God, deliver your servant, who trusts in you!

Mazmur 86:16

86:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me!

Give your servant your strength!

Deliver your slave! ⁵⁴ 

Mazmur 101:8

101:8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land,

and remove all evildoers from the city of the Lord.

Mazmur 116:16

116:16 Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;

I am your lowest slave. ⁵⁵ 

You saved me from death. ⁵⁶ 

[3:7]  ¹ tn In v. 2 the psalmist describes his enemies as those who “confront” him (קָמִים [qamim], literally, “rise up against him”). Now, using the same verbal root (קוּם, qum) he asks the Lord to rise up (קוּמָה, qumah) in his defense.

[3:7]  ² tn Elsewhere in the psalms the particle כִּי (ki), when collocated with a perfect verbal form and subordinated to a preceding imperative directed to God, almost always has an explanatory or causal force (“for, because”) and introduces a motivating argument for why God should respond positively to the request (see Pss 5:10; 6:2; 12:1; 16:1; 41:4; 55:9; 56:1; 57:1; 60:2; 69:1; 74:20; 119:94; 123:3; 142:6; 143:8). (On three occasions the כִּי is recitative after a verb of perception [“see/know that,” see Pss 4:3; 25:19; 119:159]). If כִּי is taken as explanatory here, then the psalmist is arguing that God should deliver him now because that is what God characteristically does. However, such a motivating argument is not used in the passages cited above. The motivating argument usually focuses on the nature of the psalmist’s dilemma or the fact that he trusts in the Lord. For this reason it is unlikely that כִּי has its normal force here. Most scholars understand the particle כִּי as having an asseverative (emphasizing) function here (“indeed, yes”; NEB leaves the particle untranslated).

[3:7]  ³ tn If the particle כִּי (ki) is taken as explanatory, then the perfect verbal forms in v. 7b would describe God’s characteristic behavior. However, as pointed out in the preceding note on the word “yes,” the particle probably has an asseverative force here. If so, the perfects may be taken as indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s assault on his enemies as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm, as expressed before (vv. 3-6) and after this (v. 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“Strike all my enemies on the jaw, break the teeth of the wicked”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.

[3:7]  ⁴ sn The expression break the teeth may envision violent hand-to hand combat, though it is possible that the enemies are pictured here as a dangerous animal (see Job 29:17).

[3:7]  ⁵ tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.

[9:13]  ⁶ tn The words “when they prayed,” though not represented in the Hebrew text, are supplied in the translation for clarification. The petition in vv. 13-14 is best understood as the cry for help which the oppressed offered to God when the nations threatened. The Lord answered this request, prompting the present song of thanksgiving.

[9:13]  ⁷ tn Or “show me favor.”

[9:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “see my misery from the ones who hate me.”

[9:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “one who lifts me up.”

[18:3]  ¹⁰ tn In this song of thanksgiving, where the psalmist recalls how the Lord delivered him, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect.

[18:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “worthy of praise, I cried out [to] the Lord.” Some take מְהֻלָּל (mÿhullal, “worthy of praise”) with what precedes and translate, “the praiseworthy one,” or “praiseworthy.” However, the various epithets in vv. 1-2 have the first person pronominal suffix, unlike מְהֻלָּל. If one follows the traditional verse division and takes מְהֻלָּל with what follows, it is best understood as substantival and as appositional to יְהוָה (yÿhvah): “[to the] praiseworthy one I cried out, [to the] Lord.”

[22:5]  ¹² tn Or “were not ashamed.”

[31:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “bring me out.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form expresses the psalmist’s confidence about the future. Another option is to take the form as expressing a prayer, “free me.”

[31:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”

[35:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”

[35:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “bring back, restore.”

[35:17]  ¹⁷ tn Or “my life.”

[35:17]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone (see Ps 22:20). The verb “guard” is supplied in the translation, because the verb “rescue” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).

[39:13]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Gaze away from me and I will smile before I go and am not.” The precise identification of the initial verb form (הָשַׁע, hasha’) is uncertain. It could be from the root שָׁעָע (sha’a’, “smear”), but “your eyes” would be the expected object in this case (see Isa 6:10). The verb may be an otherwise unattested Hiphil form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “to gaze”) meaning “cause your gaze to be.” Some prefer to emend the form to the Qal שְׁעֵה (shÿ’eh, “gaze”; see Job 14:6). If one does read a form of the verb “to gaze,” the angry divine “gaze” of discipline would seem to be in view (see vv. 10-11). For a similar expression of this sentiment see Job 10:20-21.

[41:1]  ²⁰ sn Psalm 41. The psalmist is confident (vv. 11-12) that the Lord has heard his request to be healed (vv. 4-10), and he anticipates the joy he will experience when the Lord intervenes (vv. 1-3). One must assume that the psalmist is responding to a divine oracle of assurance (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 319-20). The final verse is a fitting conclusion to this psalm, but it is also serves as a fitting conclusion to the first “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the second, third, and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 72:19, 89:52, and 106:48 respectively).

[41:1]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[41:1]  ²² sn One who treats the poor properly. The psalmist is characterizing himself as such an individual and supplying a reason why God has responded favorably to his prayer. The Lord’s attitude toward the merciful mirrors their treatment of the poor.

[41:1]  ²³ tn Heb “in the day of trouble” (see Ps 27:5).

[41:1]  ²⁴ tn That is, the one who has been kind to the poor. The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive of prayer (“may the Lord deliver,” see v. 2), but the preceding parallel line is a declaration of fact, not a prayer per se. The imperfect can be taken here as future (“will deliver,” cf. NEB, NASB) or as generalizing (“delivers,” cf. NIV, NRSV). The parallel line, which has a generalizing tone, favors the latter. At the same time, though the psalmist uses a generalizing style here, he clearly has himself primarily in view.

[44:7]  ²⁵ tn Or “have delivered,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).

[44:7]  ²⁶ tn Or “have humiliated,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).

[49:15]  ²⁷ tn Or “certainly.”

[49:15]  ²⁸ tn Or “redeem.”

[49:15]  ²⁹ tn Or “me.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[49:15]  ³⁰ tn Heb “hand.”

[49:15]  ³¹ tn Or “for.”

[49:15]  ³² tn Heb “he will take me.” To improve the poetic balance of the verse, some move the words “from the power of Sheol” to the following line. The verse would then read: “But God will rescue my life; / from the power of Sheol he will certainly deliver me” (cf. NEB).

[49:15]  sn According to some, the psalmist here anticipates the resurrection (or at least an afterlife in God’s presence). But it is more likely that the psalmist here expresses his hope that God will rescue him from premature death at the hands of the rich oppressors denounced in the psalm. The psalmist is well aware that all (the wise and foolish) die (see vv. 7-12), but he is confident God will lead him safely through the present “times of trouble” (v. 5) and sweep the wicked away to their final destiny. The theme is a common one in the so-called wisdom psalms (see Pss 1, 34, 37, 112). For a fuller discussion of the psalmists’ view of the afterlife, see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “A Theology of the Psalms,” A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, 284-88.

[62:1]  ³³ sn Psalm 62. The psalmist expresses his unwavering confidence in God’s justice and in his ability to protect his people.

[62:1]  ³⁴ tn Heb “only for God [is] there silence [to] my soul.”

[62:1]  ³⁵ tn Heb “from him [is] my deliverance.”

[62:5]  ³⁶ tn Heb “only for God be silent, my soul.” The wording is similar to that of v. 1a. Here an imperatival form, דּוֹמִּי (dommiy, “be silent”), appears instead of the noun דּוּמִיָּה (dumiyyah, “silence”). The psalmist is encouraging himself to maintain his trust in God.

[62:5]  ³⁷ tn Heb “for from him [is] my hope.”

[69:29]  ³⁸ tn Heb “your deliverance, O God, may it protect me.”

[71:15]  ³⁹ tn Heb “my mouth declares your vindication, all the day your deliverance.”

[71:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “though I do not know [the] numbers,” that is, the tally of God’s just and saving acts. HALOT 768 s.v. סְפֹרוֹת understands the plural noun to mean “the art of writing.”

[72:4]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “judge [for].”

[72:4]  ⁴² tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.

[72:4]  ⁴³ tn Heb “sons.”

[74:11]  ⁴⁴ 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.

[80:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “stir up”; “arouse.”

[80:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “come for our deliverance.”

[80:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “O God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ’elohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. See also v. 4 for a similar construction.

[80:7]  ⁴⁸ tn The idiom “cause your face to shine” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 89:15; Dan 9:17).

[80:7]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “cause your face to shine in order that we may be delivered.” After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.

[80:19]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “O Lord, God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ’elohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. See also vv. 4, 7, 14 for a similar construction.

[80:19]  ⁵¹ tn The idiom “cause your face to shine” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 89:15; Dan 9:17).

[80:19]  ⁵² tn Heb “cause your face to shine in order that we may be delivered.” After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.

[86:2]  ⁵³ tn Heb “my life.”

[86:16]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 116:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the Lord has such a secondary wife or concubine! It is used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant.

[116:16]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “I am your servant, the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 86:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the Lord has such a secondary wife or concubine! It is used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant.

[116:16]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “you have loosed my bonds.” In this context the imagery refers to deliverance from death (see v. 3).