Mazmur 71:22

71:22 I will express my thanks to you with a stringed instrument,

praising ¹  your faithfulness, O my God!

I will sing praises to you accompanied by a harp,

O Holy One of Israel! ² 

Mazmur 142:1

Psalm 142 ³ 

A well-written song ⁴  by David, when he was in the cave; ⁵  a prayer.

142:1 To the Lord I cry out; ⁶ 

to the Lord I plead for mercy. ⁷ 

[71:22]  ¹ tn The word “praising” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[71:22]  ² sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior.

[142:1]  ³ sn Psalm 142. The psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.

[142:1]  ⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[142:1]  ⁵ sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm while in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3. See the superscription of Ps 57.

[142:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “[with] my voice to the Lord I cry out.”

[142:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “[with] my voice to the Lord I plead for mercy.”